WINDJAMMERS AUDIO
SOUND ADVICE
WIND CHEATERS! Cutting out noise frombreezes to full-on hurricanes is crucial to great audio WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH J ust like every filmmaker needs an assortment of mics – from lavalier to omnidirectional and shotgunmics in XLR and DSLR- type fitting – then all these need an effective method to cut “It’s far better to get it right at the time of recording rather thanfix a problemyou could have avoided”
Foamwindshields are a cover that first around the mic, fits tightly and has an aerodynamic shape, so wind flows around rather than buffeting. Better still is a furry dead cat cover, an artificial fur cover designed for high wind. Of course, some can affect the audio quality slightly, so you may need to tweak the sound in post. And nowadays you can get evenmore effective solutions, such as high-tech fabric covers, frommanufacturers like Rycote that specialise inmic accessories. Wind noise is largely low-frequency, so to lessen the effect you can try to reduce these frequencies using equalisation at capture or in post. Some microphones have EQ switches for increasing or reducing certain frequencies. A high-pass filter reduces low frequencies, so use this on your mic if it has it. If you have to do it in post, you can reduce frequencies in the 20-250Hz range, or apply a high-pass filter or low cut. Many NLEs have audio tools that analyse the sound andmake changes for you, then you can tweak to perfect it. But as always, there’s nothing like getting it right in capture to give you an easier life!
down wind noise to a minimum. Yes, most cameras offer a noise-reductionmode and there are clever audio editing softwares and plug-ins to fix the problem in post. But it’s far better to get it right at the time of recording rather than having to fix a problem you could have avoided with a little care and some investment in kit. If you have a full crewwith a dedicated audio person, they will probably have a proper TV-style blimp with a high- quality mic held in a suspension unit, with a windjammer on, inside a large blimp shell. And this will be held on a long boompole as close to the subject as possible andmonitored through high- quality headphones. The audioman will not only be carefully mixing the levels of potentially several different mics, but be totally focused on ambient noise, too. Such as the rustling of paper bags or passers- by chatting. They are paid to get it right, and are worth the money they charge if you have the budget to fund it. But for a lot of independent filmmakers, recording the audio is done by a lone operator who is doing everything, or by someone who is
alsomultitasking and has responsibility for other things on-set. Of course, moving your subject to a quiet area away fromambient noise and out of the wind is a sensible thing to do, but often you can’t, and have to tackle whatever nature throws at you. In general, omnidirectional microphones perform better at reducing wind noise as their internal diaphragms are oftenmore robust than directional mics, so are less sensitive to the pressure created by wind. Most lavmics feature omnidirectional mics, and are often very close to the subject’s mouth, where the subject’s body gives some shelter, but there is the issue of disguising them. Directional shotgun-style microphones are built to eliminate sound from the sides while focusing on the sound source they are pointed at, and also have a better range than omnis, so you can be further from the sound source and still get clear audio. Like many things in life, it’s a compromise. Most mics come with a windshield either built into the design of the mic or as an extra. These are usually foamwindshields, furry dead cats or full-coverage blimps.
32
PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook