So, you are ready to implement VC. Start by analyzing what kind of video conferencing you will be doing. Will it be person to person, or will there be several people involved. Your needs will dictate what equipment you will require to meet your videoconferencing outcome, and also what kind of network software you need to support your equipment. Next, you will need to set a budget. Costs can range from virtually free to an investment worth thousands of dollars. Finally, do your homework and find the products and services that will work best for you.

How you plan on using VC will influence your purchasing decisions, and can mean the difference in spending a hundred dollars or several thousand. A person-to-person conference can be done over the Internet using your desktop, a web cam and microphone using free software such as Yahoo or MSN Messenger.

All successful teleconferencing requires good equipment. After all, the video output you receive and send is the whole reason for having a videoconference. The first item on your purchasing agenda should be a good monitor. You can pick up a top-rated 15 inches LCD monitor for less than $400. On the higher end of the budget spectrum, a 21 inch LCD will set you back plenty. They discount for about $2500.

Several companies offer a decent utilitarian camera for under $150. Features to look for should include the ability to pan, tilt, and zoom often abbreviated as a PTZ camera, wide angle versus narrow angle lens, and manual focus versus auto-focus. Costs for cameras can range into the thousands. In addition to an Internet connection and camera, you will need good audio output and specialized software.

There is a wide range of microphones that can be used for videoconferencing, from a headset to room microphones. The inexpensive $2-3 tabletop computer microphones found in many stores usually produce unacceptable audio. On the other hand, expensive professional microphones with extensive frequency response wont make any difference in the audio quality. For personal videoconferencing, a headset is often the preferred choice because it can eliminate any echo or reverb effect. Plan on spending an average of $50 for a good headset. For room videoconferencing such as a seminar or an on-line class, a high quality multi-directional microphone is often used, or several smaller directional microphones are placed throughout the room. The price tag for a good omni directional system will run around $8,000.

The software plays a key role in determining the quality, reliability, and user-friendliness of the videoconference. There are simple software applications that work with a web cam and a headset, and are very fast to set up. They provide adequate quality. More important is their ease of use. Examples include NetMeeting and Web Ex. NetMeeting is free from Microsoft; Web Ex will run you twenty-five cents a minute.

You may need to investigate network software/hardware that will help ensure that bandwidth on the network will be dedicated to the videoconferences when they occur. Depending on your intranet is not enough. Purchase Quality of Service software or a hardware bridge to boost performance.

If your budget allows for it, consider using a company specializing in custom conferencing solutions. They can design a system to fit your needs, furnish your company with the perfect equipment, and install it for you. Other services include on-site training, troubleshooting, managing the system and generally optimizing your business communications environment.

Regardless of how much money you spend on equipment and services, one factor in your budgeting decision should be this: teleconferencing saves money. Used effectively, video conferencing has a direct effect on productivity. And although productivity increases are the most valuable, an additional tangible effect of using video is that you start saving money due to reduced travel. Video conferencing is money in the plus column of a budget sheet, something every company strives for.

Occasionally I encounter some equipment that I think provides a lot of bang for the buck. The following list contains a few things that I think is a hidden gems for both the home recording artist and the club musician. Consider bookmarking this page as I’m always finding new stuff.

The Best Outboard Compressor
The FMR Audio RNC-1773. Called the “really nice compressor”, this unit rocks! This is a great compressor for front-end use while laying down tracks or as a mix-bus compressor.The RNC can do everything from gentle compression to heavy squashing.The manufacturer provides setting examples that will get you started without ruining your tracks. Now how much do you think this compressor costs? Only $200! Believe it’s difficult to find another compressor that delivers the same quality for under $2000, let alone $1000.

Some Fantastic Mics:
You can’t go wrong with the Shure SM-57. You can find one for 80 dollars. It’s not sexy but if I had to make do with only one microphone, this would it. One thing about this mic is that you do need a a good preamplifier. This can easily offset any cost savings over some other more pricier mics, but I still think everyone should own at least one.If you’re looking for a condenser microphone there are several that The Shure SM-57 is a good deal and you can find one for about $75 if you look reasonably hard. It does need a good preamp if you want to get the maximum oomph out of it, so overall it’s not exactly a bargain deal. But every semi-serious musician should have at least one.

Other Super Microphones
One of my favorites is the Rode NTK. This is a big diaphragm tube (valve) condenser microphone. Any sound source you pick, it will sound tremendous. On many tracks, such as a male baritone vocal, hand drums (and I record a lot of them), and percussion instruments (I record a lot of them too), this microphone sounds out of this world. Pricing is about $500 for the microphone and a shock mount it’s a bargain.I find that I use it more often than some mics that cost a thousand dollars or more.Sometimes it’s a little bright for some applications, however overall this microphone delivers the goods.

Some more great diaphragm condenser microphones: Studio Projects C1 and C3. The C1 has a cardioid pattern only while the C3 has cardioid, figure eight and omni. Both of these mics sound very nice – low noise and clear, pleasing tones. They are not as good as the NTK nevertheless at their prices (about $229 for the C1 and $349 for the C3) they are great deal for amateur.But you can’t beat the sound you get from these microphones at these price points.The T3 condenser mic by Studio project is supposed to be very good.

Preamplifiers
If you’re in the market for a top quality tube preamplifier at a good price I’d recommend the Peavey VMP-2 (yeah, that Peavey, but it does sound good). This is the only all-tube preamp that you’ll find for under a one thousand (street price around $700). It’s a tiny bit noisier (very little) than most of the pricier all-tube preamp, but at less than half the cost you won’t be disappointed. Tip: to get the most out of this preamplifier don’t record all your tracks through it. Use it on percussion, bass, or vocals and use a solid-state preamplifier for the remainder of the tracks. Using it on every track will add some mud to your mix.
Thinking about making do with a transistor amplifier? For about $400 you can get a 1202 VLZ that has four channels- that’s $100 a channel, plus you get a mixer to boot. Some people say that they make the tones brittle.This occurs when if you crank them too much. But keep the trim pads below the 1 o’clock position and you’ll be rewarded with some nice, clean sounds.

If you can spend some more bucks on a preamplifier and you don’t want a many channels try the Grace 101. For about $600 for one channel you get a no frills, clean and open preamplifier. This preamplifierhas a very musical sound and I love it on percussion (shakers and stuff) and instruments like acoustic guitar. One thing however: If you want “warm” this preamplifier won’t give it to you. The Grace 101 will duplicate the sound source exactly like the original. You must get your mics positioned just perfectly. Once you get the hang of placing your mics and finding the good source sound, you’ll be amazed at the ability of this preamp to capture a performance
The Vintech 1272 can give you Neve sound without the $3000 price tag. For half price, you get two channels that will let you play classic Neve.