ACADEMY
GET THE BEST OUT OF YOURMIC
4. GET YOUR LEVELS RIGHT Better monitoring means improved sound quality
You wouldn’t fly blind on video, so why take the chance on audio? Monitoring sound is just as important as monitoring exposure. There are lots of methods of monitoring, so the most important thing is that you pay attention to one of them, whether its within the camera’s screen, on a mixer, an external recorder or even on the mic itself. Too low and the sound will need raising in volume during editing; too high and it will be distorted. The former can be fixed, though you’ll also increase any noise print in the audio, just as you would when brightening footage. This can be compensated for somewhat with noise reduction, but the ideal is to get it right first time. If the sound is too high, and clipped, it’s just like losing the highlights and shadow detail in footage, and those parts of the soundtrack will sound distorted. This distortion is difficult to remove, if not impossible. When monitoring sound, it’s best to use a mix of the visual levels offered by the camera or recorder, as well as headphones. Visual monitoring will let you set the gain accurately, showing that the level of input is high, but not clipping. But remember: you may need to adjust this on the fly if the subject increases of decreases in volume during filming. Monitoring via headphones helps spot sound that’s too low or high as well, but it’s even better for checking what you’re recording is clear and accurate. For instance, graphical levels won’t tell you if a lavalier mic is muffled, or if the subject’s breath is causing pops in the sound and its position needs to be adjusted. Headphones are also required when positioning a shotgun mic to make sure the subject is in the most sensitive zone. Good monitoring of a speaking subject also involves sense-checking on what they’re saying. Did they slip up on a word or say the wrong thing? If you’re unhappy with delivery, always insist on a retake, as it’s probably you who will need to spend time fixing it later. “Whenmonitoring sound, it’s best to use the visual levels offered by the camera, as well as headphones”
IMAGES A graphical display of sound levels will give you the most accurate control in achieving a strong signal
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AUTUMN 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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