Sound Track: Stereo Miking

Here's a simple truism about sound: the more it seems to wrap around the listener, the more dramatic and realistic it is.

When sound comes from just one spot, the brain is far from intrigued. We call this monaural or mono sound, and it's very common in consumer-level video. Up a notch in dramatic impact is stereo sound, where sounds appear to be coming from any number of points between two speakers. Some camcorders will record stereo sound, and the end result is far better than the sterile, stagnant effect of mono sound. Most dramatic of all is surround sound, which envelops the viewer in a realistic wash of sound. Surround-sound videos are great fun to listen to, but we home videographers probably won't be making them for several years.

Stereo sound, however, is a possibility for many of you--even if you don't have a stereo camcorder. For those who do, these techniques will allow you to record sound superior to that of the built-in stereo mike. With a firm grasp on a few simple guidelines, you'll soon be capturing spacious, engaging stereo sound to accompany your vid…