Sound Advice: We'll Fix It in Post

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So, the shoot is over and the tape is in the case. For better or worse, you have to work with the audio captured on location for your final edit. If you were lucky enough to have other folks shoot the footage and capture the audio, you can curse their names with disdain as you pour over the footage in your edit bay. If you are the culprit with the camera and mike, close the door, watch and listen to what you've got, and take your lumps. Go ahead and wince, it's expected.

Level with Me
Most likely, you edit your video on a computer. Most software plug-ins and mixing tools emulate the tried and true techniques and devices of the old analog path. For argument's sake, when you digitize or capture your footage with audio into your computer, the transfer is the most important step. With audio, you want to transfer the strongest signal possible onto your disk, short of clipping the meters (usually indicated by the red light that stays on at the top of your level meter display).

If you capture via a digital IEEE 1394 (FireWire) connection, this is largely a moot point. The transfer will simply transfer the data stream from your tape to the hard drive, so whatever is on your tape will end up on y…