Making movies
Assembling audio
Listen in to our video expert’s sound advice on recording a top-quality soundtrack for your next movie
When setting these audio levels, try to keep it consistently at two- thirds of the way along and avoid the red zone as there will be interference. If possible, plug in some closed-back headphones while recording so you can monitor the sound. If you can choose the location for the recording, try to avoid somewhere with lots of ambient noise, and try not to use big empty rooms where sound echoes around. Small household rooms with carpets and curtains usually do a good job of stopping echo. Choosing your first mic The easiest route to decent audio is to use a proper mic and plug it directly into your camera so it records the sound on the same file as the video footage. As the audio output from an external mic is far better than the internal version – and often adjustable – you can turn down the audio level on the camera. This reduces the in-camera gain and makes a massive difference. Many mics also have a low-pass filter switch, which can cut out any low rumble from things like air conditioning units or nearby roads. External mics tend to be a shotgun type, so there is a long tube the noise travels down. The mic is pointed towards what you are trying to record, and the design cuts down noise from around the camera. Basic units, like Rode’s Videomic Go II, sit on your camera hotshoe and plug into the mic socket. There is nothing to adjust on the mic itself and it doesn’t even take batteries. Spend a little more and you’ll step up to powered microphones. These either take AA or AAA batteries or are rechargeable, and often have adjustable gain so you can fine-tune audio levels. They have supercardioid recording patterns, which cut down even more extraneous noise. Good examples include Rode’s Videomic Pro+ or Videomic NTG, Sennheiser’s MKE 400, the Joby Wavo Pro and the Shure VP83 Lenshopper. Advanced mics often have the ability to record two versions of the same audio simultaneously – one at the level you set and one 10dB lower. So if there is a sudden increase in noise, you have a lower-volume ‘safety track’ that you can use in the edit. Most microphones come with their own foam wind shields and sometimes even additional furry
WORDS BY ADAM DUCKWORTH
THERE IS LITTLE that strikes fear into the heart of a photographer more than having to capture quality audio to go with video footage. It’s a brand-new skill that needs time to learn and a bit of money to buy some new kit. Unless you plan on shooting silent movies, or always putting your footage to music, it’s something you need to get used to – poor audio can kill any video. It doesn’t take many attempts to realise the tiny, built-in mic inside your camera is awful. It’s omnidirectional, which means it records sound from all around, so every time you touch the camera to change settings, the handling noise is recorded. Internal mics are terrible at fending off wind noise from even the slightest of breezes, too. As internal mics are not very sensitive, the camera turns up the gain to get a usable signal. But the internal preamps are not especially good and you end up with lots of background noise and often a low- pitched hum. In the camera settings menu, you can dial in some wind noise reduction in case it’s breezy and set a manual audio level. This is shown as a series of small blocks that light up in sequence to show the noise level. With your internal mic it’s better than nothing, but with an external mic the difference is astounding. “Internal mics are terrible at fending off wind noise from the slightest breezes”
PART THREE Welcome to our series designed to help novice filmmakers get to grips with the essentials of making movies. In every issue throughout 2023, we are covering key parts of the process, including camera skills, audio advice and editing tips. Follow
along each month, and by the end of the year you’ll have all the advice you need to be the next Spielberg! Your tutor is Adam Duckworth, editor-in-chief of our sister title Pro Moviemaker, and in this third instalment he covers top audio tips.
LOUD AND CLEAR Rode’s Wireless Go II is a great compact dual-channel system
Issue 105 | Photography News 21
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