Er...help...(sound and mic related)

[RedRubyLips]

I think my brain might have melted and dribbled out of my ears, so bear with me here, please...

I am attempting to "sort out" my sound but whenever it comes to this area, I am ridiculously stupid and become quickly confused.

I've read a lot of literature that says not rely on your internal mic as they are usually very crappy and to instead invest in an external mic. But whats the right external mic for a girl on a budget? Do I choose a mic that attaches to the camera or do I use a boom? I initially went for the idea of a mic that attaches to a camera but for example, if I pan the camera, won't the acoustics change? Is it better to have the mic separate from the camera, so as to not impair the sound quality or the cameras freedom to move? (or is this not a problem?) I've seen a lot of examples of shorts where you can't hear the actor's lines clearly, as they are droned out by background noise. Would this be less of a problem if I used a boom? To prevent picking up the wind, do I need to purchase a windsock (and are they really called that?)

Regarding mics, the cheaper the better, budget wise. Obviously though, I don't want to choose one which is so cheap and crap, I might as well not have bothered. Or is anything better then a internal mic...?

I've seen some talk of the "Audio Technica ATR55" mic on here, which seems to retail somewhere around ?50-60. Is this the best option?

However, what fundamentally confuses me the most, is the sockets. There seems to be a lot of talk about XRL connectors. I fear that my little Panasonic DV camcorder doesn't have one of these. I believe they are three-pin, is that correct? I have been peering at my camera and have discovered a port labelled "Remote/Mic(Plug in power)" but this still leaves me devastatingly confused. I am a eejit, I know.

Do I record to my camcorder? Or do I record to another device? The latter leaves me a little nervous about getting the sound in synch later on but it seems to be the method a lot of people use. I don't have half the pieces of equipment that people speak about when discussing said other devices but I do have a laptop...is that any good?

I know this post is rather long, I'm sorry, and I am sure you are all sick to death of being asked the same old questions. However, I have researched, both on websites and looking at past subjects on film-making related forums, and yet I don't think I've come very far. However, if there is a website that explains this in great detail, please point me towards it and I'll shut up on this topic [img]smile.gif[/img] Thank you.

And of course, any UK related sites where I can pick up said items (particularly the windsock, I have no idea where you would purchase one of those), would be greatly appreciated!

To finish this rambling post...erm....help?

[The Cavity]

Use a boom.

Boom mikes won't pick up camera noise. You can position them close to your actors, and pick up nice, clean sound.

If you use an omnidirectional mike, the acoustic won't change when you pan left to right (provided you attach it to the camera).

You should always dub sound in post-production. The best way of doing this is to bring along a little tape recorder or minidisc and record sound while the camera is rolling. This is more difficult, but results in clean edits, and the ability to use continuous ambience after cutting.

That's all I know.

[miker]

you can find a lot of stuff at http://www.cke.co.uk/ but it's not necessarily the cheapest.

I've used the Sennheiser MKE-300 with my cam, they cost about ?150 but should plug straight into your cam's minijack. Passable results.

The XLR connector gives you balanced sound, this basically means it is earthed. Coupled to some kit by Nagra this is sound recording nirvana ... mmmmmm.

Also don't forget to get a decent set of headphones.

If you are taking sound seriously, do all you can to get a dedicated sound recordist on your shoot and get him to supply/recommend the kit.

Nagra, Sennheiser, Beyer, Rycote .... pretty much all you need to know.

[Alex]

Originally posted by The Cavity:


If you use an omnidirectional mike, the acoustic won't change when you pan left to right (provided you attach it to the camera).

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't think I agree with that. Different angles record different sound, and even if it is minimial, the trade off may be too much ambience and echo is recorded along with the dialogue.

Originally posted by The Cavity:

You should always dub sound in post-production. The best way of doing this is to bring along a little tape recorder or minidisc and record sound while the camera is rolling. This is more difficult, but results in clean edits, and the ability to use continuous ambience after cutting.

That's all I know.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">These statements confuse me. A tape recorder is not a good idea because the audio will definitely drift. Only Crystal synched audio record devices should be used.

----------------

Ruby Red,

If you choose to use the mic/remote input, try to attach a short length cable to the camera and "tie it off" so that it doesn't jerk out if you do run a boom. Then have the boom operator plug into the extension cable. Without the tie off cable in place, the Boom operator can damage the mic/remote input jack on your camera if they run out of cable while booming your audio.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 30, 2004 12:04 PM: Message edited by: Alex ]</font>

[RedRubyLips]

Hi,

I'm very sorry to be replying to such an old topic but I have unfortnately been offline recently and I just wanted to post a quick 'thank-you' to those that gave me advice. I am going to look more into booms and the Sennheiser MKE-300. Thanks to Alex for reminding me about 'tying off' the mic, that is something I had not considered but is something I will be sure to do.

[Abbath_Doom_Occulta]

I initially went for the idea of a mic that attaches to a camera but for example, if I pan the camera, won't the acoustics change?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The job of the boom monkey (as i like to call them) is more than simply randomly holding a mic above the people. It takes quite abit of skill and usually involves ensuring the mic matches whats happening on screen. This means tilting it at the appropriate moments to mirror people turning thier back to camera and such like. I would defo reccomend getting a mic that isnt near the camera, try to film someone talking from a distance with out being able to get a mic up close and you wont stand a chance.

[Abbath_Doom_Occulta]

I am going to look more into booms and the Sennheiser MKE-300

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Unless im getting my mic models confused this early in the morning that mic is for on camera use only. You wont be able to mount it on a boom.

You have mentioned the Audio Technica ATR55, this is a good little mic for the price. Its not XLR but whether thats an advantage or not depenends on whether you want a higher quality mic that will requite adapters or a mixer to use with your camera or whether you want a not so good mic that works out of the box (i think it sounds fine so i wouldnt worry about XLR mics at this stage).

If you want a long term inventment, investing in an XLR mic and the bits and bobs that go with it is a good idea since audio equipment will outlast your camera. I know someone who has had the same headphones for 30 years! This is a more expensive option and not really something i would reccomend someone who justs wants better audio with thier sony handycam homemade shorts but if you are going to do bigger productions its a good ecconomic investment.

[miker]

anything with a long cable should be earthed, so XLR goes hand in hand with a boompole and swinger.

You can get 'mini' booms that mount on the camera and hold the mic away from that nasty noisy tape mechanism.

depends what you're doing, and whether you want passable results or excellent results.