Elgato Multi-Mount Review – An Empty Desk means…an Empty Mind

Organising a desk is one of the small pleasures in life. There’s something undeniably special about getting everything perfectly arranged to maximise aesthetics and functionality. The kind of desk where you look at it and make a little involuntary noise of appreciation.

This isn’t always easy to achieve and that’s why tools like the Elgato Multi-mount can be so damn helpful – so long as you’ve got stuff that will work with it.

The Elgato Multi-mount is a pretty simple piece on its own. It has a clamp that should attach to most desks, followed by a telescopic pole. On the top of this pole is a ball joint with a camera mount sized screw which gives you some idea of what this could be used for. However, this is going to depend on your camera.

Not every webcam especially will work, DSLRs and other fancier cameras are more likely to have the right screw hole (hehe). However, it’s a good idea to check what you want to use it for before considering the product.

Elgato Multi-Mount Review

Luckily I’m rocking the Razer Kiyo which has the screw in its base. The Elgato Multi-mount clamps to the back of my desk and the webcam can sit happily on top. At its base height, this puts it a little bit higher than it would when sitting on my monitor regularly but that’s not a very imaginative way to use the mount.

The ball joint allows for lots of different angles and having the extra height makes it much easier to point it down to see more of my set up if needed. I can easily mount it in a way that shows my keyboard, for example, if when streaming you wanted to show people how to execute your smooth moves.

It’s also useful for just being able to put the camera in more places than what your monitors limit you to. I can have the camera right next to me, or even clamp it to my bookshelf across the room (with USB extensions) to create new scenes. For those rocking different scenes for angles, I can absolutely see these being a useful addition.

Lastly, it also happened to fit a phone mount I had on hand (You can also get an official Elgato smartphone attachment). In this time of isolation, family have been wanting to video call more than ever and honestly it’s really convenient to be able to use this mount on surfaces outside of my office, have my phone on it and not need to worry.

My phone mounts alone would have to be placed on multiple boxes or other things to get any height to them but using the Elgato Multi-mount made it a lot easier to set it up quickly, without showing off my multiple isolations grown chins to my loved ones.

Access and Accessories

In a sense though, this is also the problem with the Elgato Multi-mount in that it’s only as good as what you can use it with. Both of my mics for instance, only have the larger screw fitting and I don’t own an adapter. This means that short of duct-taping them to the Multi-mount it’s completely worthless for use with them. It also only goes straight up to the ball joint, so if you’re looking for one of those fancy boom mic setups you’d also need the Flex Arm Kit accessory as well as an adapter.

It just means that out of the box it may not be feature complete for your use, so again, check what you want to do with it before making the purchase.

However, I actually do think this part of what makes the Elgato Multi-mount really cool. You can only buy what you need, and thus save yourself some cash – though if you want everything, the cost can also add up. That being said, It really does add a tonne of flexibility to how you set up your desk or other spaces.

I didn’t get to test any of the accessories but I’m already thinking of the cool things I could do with them, like top angled shots or even using it to hold a phone or tablet so I can read notes easily on an extra screen. For those looking at key lighting, these also work with Elgato’s key light panels and would give you the ability to place them easily wherever works best.

Open Your Desk to the Possibilities

The Elgato Multi-mount is all about possibilities, so if you’re feeling cramped by your current setup it can really open up your desk. Right now mine is just to the right of me as I type, and I don’t really need it for anything purposeful at this minute. However, I’m still using it to hang my headphones and Ring Fit Ring-Con off without taking an extra room on my desk and even that is a really nice little piece of functionality I didn’t expect.

It’s a device that opens up possibilities as you use it, or you can buy it for a specific purpose and set and forget. I really enjoy the flexibility of the Elgato Multi-mount but its mileage will vary depending on your equipment compatibility and imagination.

The Elgato Multi-Mount was provided to PowerUp! for this review