Stereo vs. Mono for External Mic « Videomaker Community Forums

nobody
Member

Being new to external microphones, I just recently purchased my first external, handheld microphone for my camcorder (the Sony F-V420 microphone for my Sony DCR-TRV 340 camcorder). I bought it online from B&H without thinking about stereo vs. mono. Anyway, the mic sounds great, but when I play it back through my TV (or monitor the mic through headphones), the sound only comes through one channel. Between that and the fact that there is only one black "splitter ring" on the 1/8" miniplug, I can deduce that this is a mono microphone. I just went back to B&H's website to look for stereo microphones. I found them, but they cost way more than the mono mics.

So, I guess my question is - Do most people just buy a cheaper mono handheld and live with single-channel (albeit good single-channel!) sound? I edit my videos with Adobe Premiere Pro and they have an audio effect called "Fill Right" (or "Fill Left", I forget now), but I think it takes the audio from one channel and fills both; is there anyone out there with Premiere that can tell me if this method works for "creating" stereo sound? Basically, I am just trying to verify that I bought the right mic. I do very little work where I need an external mic and could not justify spending $80+ on a stereo mic for just a few applications, especially if the Premiere trick I mentioned above works. Thanks in advance for your help!

Posted 8 years ago #
tjborek
Member

If you want good stereo microphone for your camcorder, get an Audio-Technica ATR model. I bought an ATR-25 stereo condenser mic from Beach Audio on the Web for only $29! Yes, it's lightweight and therefor a little susceptible to handling noise, but that's not an issue when it's mounted on your camera or accessory shoe. It's powered by a single AA battery and comes with a foam windscreen, a short (maybe 12 inches) stereo miniplug cable, a 10-foot cable with separate L/R 1/8" plugs, two 1/4" adapter plugs, camera shoe mount, and regular threaded stand mount. I use a Panasonic PV-DV100 MiniDV camcorder, which has built-in stereo sound. Connecting the ATR-25 mic was like taking a piece of tape off the built-in mic! The stereo soundfield feels wider, and high frequencies are more lifelike. It doesn't distort easily either; I've recorded some rock bands performing in nightclubs, and unless you're right in front of a huge loudspeaker, the incoming signal doesn't break up.

Posted 8 years ago #
nobody
Member

Jesse,

While stereo recording is designed to provide a more realistic sound field - that realism comes with a price.

Whenever you have two "nearly identical" audio streams and later decide to combine them in order to make a "mono-compatible" mix - you run the risk of ugly technical stuff like phase mis-allignments, comb filtering, and other technical glitches that can hurt the sonic results.

That's why MOST professional recording and playback is done in MONO. (Including, you might be surprised to discover, most major Stadium Shows, Concerts and the like!) All MONO. Specifically to help avoid these problems.

A good mono recording will always be the MOST compatible way to go.

Camcorders often have stereo mics, because manufacturers understand that the most likely use will be home recording where the tape is simply taken from the stereo camcorder and played back on a stereo tv.

As soon as you digitize your tape into an NLE and can unlink your audio, add processing, and add other elements like sound effects, narration, etc. (which might NOT be in stereo) you can find yourself with problems in "remixing" things back together.

That's when you might be glad you stuck with mono.

In the interim just copy your single track of audio onto both channels as you suspected - and enjoy.

Good luck!

Posted 8 years ago #
nobody
Member

Bill - thank you for your detailed reply. It really helped me understand, and I appreciate it.

Posted 8 years ago #