There is also the issue of mixing audio on the fly. Plus the mixer will enhance the signal of the mic, thus given better quality audio.
I agree that can be an issue, but only if you need more than two microphones. Mixing two sources while on location is very difficult and can create problems when all the different audio takes are edited together in post.
Ambient background sounds are better left unmixed on location. Unless you need more than two live mikes when shooting or your audio mix person has their own recorder in addition to the camera feeds, I'd just isolate the audio tracks.
how can I isolate the audio tracks on my consumer camcorder?
As much as I think Digital 8 is a very cool format, if you only have one mike input, I consider that practically an insurmountable problem, and you might want to consider searching high and low for a Digital 8 camcorder with two audio inputs.
If however, your audio input happens to be stereo, then perhaps you can have an audio y cable made that plugs into your camera audio jack but separates into two connectors thereby allowing you to use two mikes.
I NEVER shoot any ENG project with only one mike. Never. Whenever I have a spare channel, I'll use it for an ambience channel. Sometimes you pick up some great banter, ambience, discussions, etc. that would have otherwise been missed because your main mike is 20 or 30 feet away.
Sometimes the ambience mike lets you look at your shoot day from a new perspective when you see the day's footage again in the editing room. You might find yourself learning more about how you conduct yourself and how your shoot day really went just from the ambience mike. [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]
Your friend should not sell you one darn thing until he has fondled your camera and understands EXACTLY what interfaces you need to proceed.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">My Digital 8 camera doesn't even have one mike input or a headphone socket. Even my older D8 camera had one input and phones, so why doesn't a newer model?Originally posted by Alex:
As much as I think Digital 8 is a very cool format, if you only have one mike input, I consider that practically an insurmountable problem, and you might want to consider searching high and low for a Digital 8 camcorder with two audio inputs.
That's what you get when you get parents to buy stuff for you.
Ouch.
A client of mine came in with a Digital 8 camera recently and I think it had a mike input near the front of the camera, by the lens??? Sometimes these Digital 8 cameras have so many nooks and crannies you can miss where the actual external mike is. Sometimes they have soft plastic covers over the camera that blends in with the camera and can camoflauge a whole set of connectors.
However, it's quite possible that you just don't have a camera mike input. [img]rolleyes.gif[/img] Which would make buying all that microphone stuff an unnecessary pre-emptive move.
You probably have an ultra tiny cable that does three functions, it's a combo stereo audio and composite video all in one cable. I assume it's both an in or an out cable depending on how you select that function.???
What's even more frustrating is even though the camera should have a video and audio in port, the camera lens is bypassed and the camera behaves as if it were a video recorder, but not a camera. [img]graemlins/cry.gif[/img] So if you send it external audio, then you have to send it, external video.
Bottom line, check all nooks and crannies and see if you can access audio via the cable I mentioned.
If you absolutely believe that the camera does not have external audio in capabilities, then use the camera in the ways that could help you learn your craft. That being any kind of production where you will build the audio track later, or if the project already has an audio track built for it.
Examples would be MOS commercials where a soundtrack will be built later, or music videos where you are shooting to a pre-existing audio track.
I really wouldn't attempt any live dialogue/acting scenes if the only mike you can use is on the camera. Here's why. The camera should be able to move independently of the mike so as not to change the ambient tone of the audio during a take.
Once you change your camera angles, your ambient tone will completely be changed if your mike is on the camera, and panning, ha, don't even bother if you have dialogue going on while you are panning.
I'm not sure why you say its so important I have 2 mic inputs. Why do I need to isolate each dialogue track? Can't I just record ambience after the shoot with an omni directional mic or something?
Thanks
I'm talking two different types of ambience. Your main mike should also record your primary ambience track between takes, that is the most important type of audio ambience you can get, and it is essential you get some for each location set-up you do, but not after every take, that would be overkill.
Sometimes the camera mike as a second mike can make a great "cue track" that needs to be referred to later in post. Just to be able to review your footage with an optional camera mike can be extremely useful. Sometimes things going on between takes go unnoticed, and you discover things later when reviewing your footage that will make you a better director the next time.
"Wow, I snapped at my friend who was helping me for free", is one thing you may discover.
Or, "I can't believe the AD was directing the actors behind my back!"
Having only one mike input on your camera would be OK if it didn't also deactivate the camera mike. That is the big problem. The moment you plug in an external mike, the on board camera mike is automatically bypassed.
So have you found out anymore about your camera?
The Camera has 16 bit stereo, so I guess it could take 2 audio tracks, one in each stereo channel. But I don't know how! And I'm not sure that the mic input will take stereo sound. I assume so though - if It did'nt, what would be the point in having stereo?
The mike on the camera may record in stereo, but it's possible that when you plug in an external mike, you only get one channel.
By the way, does this mean you found a mike input, because earlier you said you hadn't found one.
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