I Finally Fixed the Dumbest Part of My Desk Setup

You see that microphone? Yeah, the one in focus. Well, that sucker has been destroying my piece and is the absolute worst part of my desk setup. I mean, goodness gracious. I just grabbed the mic again and it pulled. But it's also the best part of my desk setup. I'm about to change some lives. Dyslexia is part of the way my brain works. I'm definitely in the camp that tries to see it as a superpower instead of a hindrance. And this microphone's a tool that helps me overcome this. Here's an example. Somebody sent a message and they're asking to be a video editor for me. Right now, I'm not looking for that. So, here's what I do. Grab the mic, hit one key on the keyboard. Thank you so much for your offer. That is really generous that you're willing to work for free on the first video to test it out and see how it goes. Unfortunately, right now, I'm not. >> Now, the email is perfectly formatted and written that quick. So, that's primarily what I use the mic for. Voiceovers and talk to text. The tool I use is Whisper Flow. It's a AI tool. It's absolute the best one. I've tried everything I can find, and this is not sponsored. It's just changed the way I interact with technology. But the stupid issue is there's no good way to mount the mic. You see, solution one is I can mount it on a base. Problem is, even when it's off to the side, it's still in front of one of my monitors. Additionally, it takes up desk space, and I hate that. So, the obvious solution is a boom arm. Attaching a boom arm to the side should fix the problem. No, it doesn't. It doesn't. It doesn't. I've done it. And the issue with these is that when they're out of the way, they're still in the way. They're fine. They're just not what I need. This is an adapter. The microphone goes here. And then I can screw this into anything. And this is a little arm. And this little arm closes and opens with a tensioner. But when it closes, it's tight. When it opens, it just releases. And then I only need to go get one more thing. So, let's go get that now. [music] >> [music] >> This is a 3/4 inch x 1 and 1/2 in by 6 ft pine board, which is much cheaper than a boom arm. I'm well aware my seaand could have been a decent solution, but it's cumbersome, big in the way, and I only pull this out for specific shots and specific projects. I'm also aware I could have got an extending microphone boom arm, but again, if it's labeled camera gear or something, it's going to be marked up three times the cost. So, this was $4. One of these is $7, and this was another $4. So, for $15, let's build a great solution. My office is in the basement. I have the benefit of having joist instead of a ceiling. So, the plan is to mount the board here, put my arm here, and then on the bottom side, mount the mic. to build a solution. You start with the ideal scenario, not how you're going to do it. Then after you find out what's ideal, you work backwards from there. So, as I was sitting here, I was like, man, it sure would be nice if I had a microphone right here that I could push out of the way and then grab and pull forward, push out of the way, and not touching the desk or anything at all. So, that's what we're building. Because if you think there should be a better way, there is. [music] Now, one of the problems here with one solid board is I don't have adjustability up and down much. I'm mounting this on here. Microphone will screw in like this. The microphone will be below me. So, I want it coming in about here. So, let's measure that. It also needs to be high enough though that I can push it back between there out of the way. I wouldn't want it to hit this. 58 in. It is. Let's go. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Goodness gracious. Well, unfortunately the thing this was intended for, it's not going to work because there's just one hole there. So, I'm going to make my own holes. It's not strong enough. I need more power. pull a forward but oh no, [music] [music] [music] dude. It works. One of the last issues is cord management. But how do you hammer this in when this moves? The answer, you don't. When I pull this forward, obviously brings out the line. But when I let it back, it bunches up here. The first option would be to use a bungee shot cord. So that when I pull the mic forward, the cord extends. When I release the mic backwards, that shock cord compresses back to its natural state, pulling the XLR cable backwards. Just don't have any on hand. So instead, if I raise the XLR and tie it in with a cord management nail, then whether it's back or I bring it forward, the cord never bunches on the table. Without it, when I bring it forward and then go back, it starts to bunch. So to do this, let's bring this all the way forward here. So how do you do the cord management without a hammer? Use pliers. So, I'm using a metal base plate here on the back so that I don't just cut into this pine. And then all you need is some leverage, which the pliers get you. And with a small nail like that, we're all set. So, the back of it nice and clean now. I'll be talking here. And if I tuck it all the way, we're good. Come out and talk. And the cord doesn't bunch up on the table. I dropped the plate down so that the XLR cable goes underneath. That way I could just avoid drilling another hole. The microphone goes up to our two hinge stop thingies. Okay, so my normal setup like this. Sitting here editing. I need to message something. I can pull this forward. I need to tighten that. Hello friends. Yeah, complexity can produce curiosity especially in videos because it prompts a thought like how did they do that? But simplicity, in my opinion, is normally the most impressive results because they actually solve real world problems. This one right here, sitting here editing. Boom. Can do my voiceovers, no problem. Push it away. Good to go. Now, it's not quite as tight as I'd like it, but it definitely stays right there. With the way these hinges are, I've got to come a little bit beyond where I want it to stay and then let it fall into place kind of. It's kind of how it works. Cuz if I stop here, it's going to fall a little bit back. Come here. Now I'm right into place. So, I'm sure I'll just get that muscle memory done and then I can tuck it all the way out of the way. I know the videos I'm making now are a bit different than what I've done in the past, but instead of having a topic based YouTube channel, I want to have a values-based YouTube channel. So, if you've noticed, I've shared more about myself, but a wider range of topics of what I like. So, I appreciate you watching and bearing with me through this change, cuz sometimes when somebody starts posting something different than they've done before, it feels weird. it's not fun to watch, whatever. So, if you've made it to this point, an unbelievable, massive thank you to you. I really appreciate it and I hope I can make videos that you enjoy more in the future. But I know that I needed to make a change so that I would enjoy making videos cuz ultimately in the long run, if I'm enjoying making the videos, then the people watching them will enjoy them more, too. Have a fantastic day and I'll see you on the next