On-camera microphones should be used for ambient sound recording or reference sound only to help you sync up your video with your quality sound later on. Most importantly, placing a single microphone on top of your camera and expecting quality dialogue is not smart. Just because a microphone is expensive doesn’t guarantee you results if it’s used incorrectly. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many newbie filmmakers place their mics too far away, and then wonder why the audio sounds far away. There are many other factors that influence a microphone’s effectiveness and use-case, but these tips should help you make a much more informed decision when choosing an entry-level microphone.Īlways position a microphone no more than 30 inches from your subject, and ensure it’s pointed just below the mouth. These microphones take some degree of skill when used in roaming, or run-and-gun, shooting situations. A super-cardioid microphone is similar to a hypercardioid with even more frontal range and less in the back. This produces a smaller and more narrow, elongated frontal pickup area, and gathers less sound from the rear. A hyper-cardioid microphone is like a regular cardioid but with a slightly larger figure-eight pattern. Hyper/super-cardioid: This polar pattern is common in shotgun microphones that are tasked with capturing sound in a narrow pathway to isolate only the sound you want. This configuration helps to reduce noise on the sides of the mic, allowing you to cut through ambient noise. The pickup area balloons out in front and has a smaller balloon in the rear. The polar pattern is roughly shaped like a heart, hence the name. Imagine two circles pushed together in the shape of the pickup area.Ĭardioid: These microphones are commonly used to record dialogue and music. Most lavaliere microphones are omnidirectional to aid in good placement.īidirectional (or figure eight): Exactly what it sounds like. Omnidirectional: Omnidirectional microphones pick up sound in all directions in a circular pattern around the receiver. Any sound that is off to the side (even just a tiny bit) or behind the mic receiver will not be heard with volume or clarity. Unidirectional: A unidirectional microphone only picks up what’s coming from one direction. Each has different methods of “hearing” and channeling sound with their “polar patterns.”Here’s a quick breakdown: Handheld, shotgun (booming) and lavaliere (lapel) mics are used most by video professionals.
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Study the different types of microphones and where, when and how to use them.ĭynamic microphones and condenser microphones tend to be the most popular for fieldwork, each with its own set of pros and cons.Don’t exaggerate the problem by buying crappy stuff. Even good equipment gets damaged, and expensive cables go bad eventually. The malfunctioning of any of these components can be disastrous, and malfunctions are all too common. Spend at least 30 to 40 percent of your total operating equipment budget on good recorders, decent middle-of-the-road microphones and quality cables. It’s easy when first starting out to say, “I’m going to concentrate on buying a nice camera, some quality glass and a computer that’s completely overqualified to handle my video production projects.” While those things are important, careful consideration should be used in making wise image-making decisions. So how can you avoid the common audio pitfalls and become proficient enough to handle basic audio acquisition that results in clean sound? Taking a class in audio production is a good place to start, but for now, let’s talk about some of the basics of both technique and gear.
In extreme cases, it’s enough to have your ass hauled into a courtroom.
Screwing up someone’s wedding-day audio can not only ruin your film but also your reputation. For wedding videographers, it can be especially disastrous. Many aspiring filmmakers learn early on that neglecting to spend money on good audio equipment can lead to a costly disaster, and often costly ADR (additional dialogue recording) sessions. If there’s one thing that will bring down the overall quality of an otherwise good video or film, it’s bad sound. Just as there are entire conferences devoted to image making (both still and video), there are whole multiday events just for audio technicians, sound designers, music mixers and engineers.
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