No, these tips are not about a medical condition in your ear. Rather, we will be discussing adapting and capturing audio for your next project. Whether that be studio recording or video production, the adaptation of your audio content must be of hi definition quality.
There are many ways to achieve this, and we all know about microphones, so let’s start there.
- The most common microphone that will be able to capture most sounds in excellent quality is a condenser microphone. These type of microphones often require a power source, or phantom power in order to work properly. In some cases, the device you plug the microphone in to will provide that extra power supply.
- The next most popular way to capture audio is the shotgun mic. These microphones, like the condenser, are usually attached to a boom. Shotguns are great at blocking out noise behind the boom position.
- A mobile and convenient solution is hand held recording devices. For film applications, these are used for specific shots, for example, if the sound can afford to be of less quality, maybe in traffic conditions or in crowds. Hand held devices can be very expensive but they definitely bring a different element into your composition.
It’s very good practice, and basically industry standard in most video applications to use dual system sound setups. For this you will want to research the best HDSLR cameras for your situation and budget. The drawback is the audio quality of course, so be sure you know which microphone is best for your project before choosing the video. This way, you can verify compatibility and what type of connections you will need.
First you will map out your audio, then you will plug in your video preferences. It seems backward, but this will help avoid running in to snags with incompatible connections. Besides, the more expensive part of the dual system setup is usually the camera.
There is a world of information sitting in front of you now at your computer, so be sure to do some due diligence. For further reading, we recommend starting here. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other ideas, questions or suggestions.
Happy Recording!