Sound Track: Narration Sensation (page 2)

Mount Up

How you mount the microphone isn't all that crucial when recording narration. The most convenient way to hold a normal mike is with a mike stand. A basic "straight" mike stand will set you back less than $30, and offers convenient height adjustment. A flexible gooseneck allows you to position the mike as needed, but it can shift around after you get it set.

The best option is a mike stand with a boom arm. This rigid arm rotates, spins and extends for maximum flexibility in mike placement. If you plan to do much narration recording, consider investing in a boom stand.

If you're using a lavalier mike, the best place for it is not attached to your narrator's body, which heightens the risk the narration will include incidental noises from rustling fabric. Try instead taping the lav to a mike stand. In a pinch, you could tape the lav to a tripod to hold it at the correct height, or hang the lav at mouth height from above. How you fasten a mike in place for narration isn't as important as where you position it.

Though it's not the optimum setup, your narrator can carefully hold the mike while recording. This works best with dynamic or condenser mikes designed for hand-holding, as they have special absorption inside the mike to reduce the scratching "mechanical" noise that tends to occur. Handholding a lav or shotgun mike is a bit trickier, as most lavs are extremely sensitive to mechanical noise, and a shotgun held at arm's length may be too close for good sound. Caveats aside, I've heard narration that sounded great recorded with a handheld shotgun…