Stop Tinkering: What to Check When Your Studio Looks Wrong

Studio suddenly looking or sounding wrong? Check what changed. Many of the problems clients call us about come from one small adjustment: a bumped camera, a light turned down, a pulled cable or a pressed switcher button. Put it back the way it was, then leave the setup alone. If it looks right, don't touch it.

Chris Schwager walks through the real support calls behind this advice in the video above.

Why does my studio suddenly look or sound different?

Usually because something moved. Chris has seen it many times: a camera bumped out of position, a light adjusted, a cable unplugged, a setting changed. Each one feels minor, and each one can take a long time to undo if you don't know exactly how it was set up in the first place.

One client used to run her own DSLR before her studio. She had it working perfectly one day, bumped the camera, and couldn't get the settings back the way they were. Because she knew so little about how the camera had been set up, she had no way to recreate it.

"If you don't touch it, you're not gonna have a problem." Chris Schwager

What should I check first when something goes wrong?

Retrace the last thing you changed, then work through these:

1. Think back to the last change. Did you press a button, move a light, or unplug something? Put it back.
2. You are out of focus and the background is sharp. Check your front light. One client in New York had turned his front lights down, so he was darker than the wall behind him. A camera's autofocus goes towards the brightest part of the picture when it struggles, so it locked onto the background. Turning his lights back up fixed it.
3. There is no sound. Check the audio button on your switcher. One client couldn't get his sound working, and on a FaceTime call with Chris it turned out he had pressed the audio button on his switcher. Once that was spotted, the fix was quick.
4. Cables have been moved. Check the labels on the cables and powerboards and match each one back to where it belongs.
5. The picture looks dark or flat after a move. When a client relocated his studio himself, the lighting was so far out that his picture looked like the lowest-grade webcam. It needed resetting to the original setup to look right again.

For specific faults, fix a background light that won’t turn on, fix unclear podcast audio or check your camera’s power supply.

Why are the cables and powerboards labelled?

Because of one install. A client got under his desk and started pulling out cables and powerboards. He couldn't tell which gear was his original equipment and which was new, and Chris spent an hour on the phone working through every possible variable. From then on, Ridge Films started labelling cables and powerboards, so anyone can see what plugs into what. If you need to move something under your desk, check the labels before you unplug it.

How do several people share one studio without it changing?

Mark where each person sits. One consulting firm in Sydney had several people using their Desktop Studio, all different heights, some standing closer than others, and over time the look became inconsistent. Things had been bumped too, as happens in any office. A five-minute visit got the setup back to where it was. The lasting fix was markers on the floor and on the seat, so each person knew where to be and sat the same distance from the teleprompter and camera.

A sit-stand desk helps for the same reason. Nobody has to touch the equipment: each person raises or lowers the desk, and they stay in frame, lit and sounding the way the studio was set up. To see how the setup fits together, see what the Desktop Studio setup involves.

Is it worth adjusting the setup to see if it gets better?

Usually not. Chris has tinkered with gear since he was about seven and loved it, and he still says it costs time and money and gets you stressed. Every minute spent fiddling is a minute away from the business that pays you. Once the studio is dialled in, resist the urge. There is more on this in why you should stop tinkering with your gear.

Studio setup questions we get asked

Why am I out of focus when the background is sharp?

Your front light has probably been turned down. When you are darker than the background, the camera's autofocus goes for the brighter part of the picture. Turn your front light back up to where it was set.

Why is there no sound from my microphone?

Check that the audio button on your switcher hasn't been pressed or deselected. A pressed button is one of the simplest causes of lost sound.

Can I adjust my studio lights and camera myself?

You can, but once the studio is set up and looking right, it is best left alone. Small changes are easy to make and hard to undo if you don't know exactly how it was set.

How do we keep a shared studio consistent between users?

Put markers on the floor and the seat so each person sits in the same spot, and use a sit-stand desk to adjust height instead of moving the equipment.