The importance of sound – Do you hear me?

Your production may be able to get away with suboptimal vision, but it’s quite rare to be able to get away with poor audio that’s why the importance of sound is so important. More importantly what usually sets the amateur film maker from a film technical point of view. Is not not creatively it is usually one of two things sound and lighting but noticeably audio.  You can have the best visuals in the world but if sound quality is poor people are inclined to turn it off and walk away. Sub optimal vision the reverse is not quite the same . Hence video hasn’t quite killed the radio star. …not now and never will. People can quite happily listen to a podcast with literally no visuals at all but without an importance of sound taking first priority you are massively disadvantaged.

You have to look at the rationale behind this. The mind is a powerful organ and for one, when given less information reconstruct visually in ones mind what those missing pixels would look like. Sound on the other hand is quite a lot harder to build.

At many film schools they teach that a core component of any film is your sound design. From mixing to music to sound FX tracks. They are all crucially important for conveying technically great sound but foremost your story message and importantly lead your viewer on a journey.

In my view, the only way to see a film  remains the way the filmmaker intended: inside a large movie theatre with great sound and pristine  pictures

RIDLEY SCOTT

AUDIO RECORDING DEVICES

Types of microphones:

Lapel Radio Microphones

1. used for discreetly recording your subject. Generally wireless with a transmitter and receiver. You can clip the small microphone to your subjects collar with a clip or other areas of clothing.
2. The cord can be hidden using your subjects clothes.
3. if positioned correctly they are fantastic for getting great quality audio without getting distortion and some good protection from disturbance.
4. plug straight from receiver directly into your camera. However you may be able to get better quality audio recordings directly into a separate recording device
5. Can come in several types omni-directional or directional.Omnidirectional microphones pickup sound from all directions equally and directional microphones have a narrower plane for capturing audio in front of the mic and reduced capture on the sides to reject sounds that are not targeted. The Sennheiser AVX MKE2 Lavalier Pro set is just great. The sound quality if awesome and with the XLR connection it works really well. The audio is crisp, clear and most importantly it records clean audio. The wireless range when testing will blow you away at how good it is. I highly recommend this product for your next video production gig.

Shotgun Microphones

1. Great for capturing solid audio in close range. Usually about 8-12 inches from your subject. Just make sure that boom does not come into frame.
2. Can be difficult to hold for extended periods of time via a boom pole.
3. if positioned correctly they are fantastic for getting great quality audio without getting distortion and some good protection from disturbance.
4. plug straight from receiver directly into your camera. However you may be able to get better quality audio recordings directly into a separate recording device
5. combine with a wind sock also known as a dead cat to reduce noise from wind and other outside noises hitting the microphone. This is another reason to the importance of sound for getting the best quality in your sound recording. I have had great experiences using the rode NTG-3 for independent film productions.

External Recorders

A good option when capturing audio for your next film or video production is to capture the audio separately as opposed to straight into the camera. It can give you more control because you can allow for a mixer prior to going into your audio recording device.

Enabling you to control audio levels, reduce distortion and getting clean crisp audio recordings that your editor will thank you for.

if you are wanting to check out some of the best options for being able to take your new found audio into the edit suite. Check out the best options for editing your content with best video editing options for 2023.