Sound Track: 10 Tips for Better Sound (page 2)

4) Don't stop recording mid-sentence.
If you're recording an event where people are talking near the camcorder, it can be distracting to end the shot right in the middle of a sentence. Even though the conversation may not be crucial to what they're seeing, your viewers will "tune in" to any voice they hear. Waiting for a logical break in the conversation to stop shooting will make for a smooth transition between shots.

5) Don't buy into the zoom mike myth.
When you bought your camcorder, its zoom microphone may have been a major selling point. Depending on what a salesperson or brochure told you, you may believe that such a mike allows you to zoom in on the sound of your subject just like a lens does. While this concept makes for a great sales pitch, it's a feature that's over-marketed and under-engineered.

Because of the fundamental differences between sound and light, no microphone can match the narrow pickup zone of a fully zoomed camcorder lens. Even the long, weapon-like shotgun mikes you see professionals using can't distinguish a distant subject's voice from the competing background noise.

To make matters worse, many zoom mikes actually change their pickup characteristics as the lens zooms in and out. This creates an odd-sounding effect as you use your zoom lens. If your camcorder has a zoom mike on it, don't despair. Instead, disable its auto mode and set the mike at its widest setting for the best-possible stereo sound. Then, do the only thing that really "zooms in" on your subject-physically moving closer.

6) Get close to your subject.
If there's one golden rule of good audio, it's get close to your subject. The world is noisy, with unwanted sounds popping up everywhere. And as we just established, there's no effective way to exclude unwanted noises and focus in on a sound source. Your camcorder's lens can do it--your mike can't.

If you're hoping to capture crisp sound from a person talking, a musician playing or a baby babbling, zoom your lens out and move close to the subject. Distances of a few feet are best, though you might be OK shooting from about 10 feet away if the location isn't too noisy.

7) Don't put up with noise.
Knowing that your camcorder mike is going to pick-up every noise in the area, you need to adopt a "seek and silence" attitude towards unwanted noises. Any noise you can eliminate makes for cleaner audio. Is your son playing his stereo loud in the next room? Have him turn it down for a few minutes. Need to record in the backyard, where a noisy sprinkler is watering the lawn? Turn it off until you're done shooting.

If you're at the mercy of noises beyond your control, you may need to retreat. Find a location where noise isn't such a problem, and shoot there. There's no disgrace in running away from a noise problem.

8) Avoid very loud sound sources.
Your camcorder has a certain range of sound levels it can handle. At the quiet end, sounds disappear into noise. At the loud end, sounds become distorted. One of the most common places to distort your camcorder's mike is at a loud music concert. Put your camcorder too close to a speaker, and you're virtually guaranteed useless audio.

If your ears are ringing, there's a good chance your camcorder's mike isn't too happy, either. You can't really damage the mike with loud sounds (as you can your ears), but you'll probably want to move back a good distance from the sound source.

9) Manage the wind.
Your camcorder's electronic "solution" to wind noise is a compromise at best. Electronic wind filters don't actually eliminate the problem. Instead, they reduce the mike's ability to record low-frequency sounds. Wind noise usually shows up as a low-frequency buffeting, so cutting out the lows will sometimes help.

Unfortunately, low frequencies are where much of the power and warmth of your sounds lie. Eliminate the lows, and your audio sounds thin and tinny. Before you turn on your electronic wind filter, remember your best wind defense is to avoid it altogether.

If possible, avoid shooting video on blustery days. If you have to shoot on a windy day, try to move to the downwind side of a building or grove of trees. Any shelter you can find may reduce the wind enough to capture good audio.