How ever you do it, slating every take is very important when you're recording audio and video separately. Of course, you can do something similar by simply clapping your hands. For just a few bucks, you can have a thoroughly professional slate that fits in your pocket or backpack. Search for "DSLR Slate" in the app store. IPhone and iPad users have a digital alternative. This provides a simple visual and audible cue that makes sync easy in the edit suite. With the clapper in clear view of the camera or cameras, state the information about the take and smack the clapper bars together. The easy way to do this is with a clapper board. An audio person booming a shotgun mic on a pole can monitor with their own headphones untethered from the camera and free to move around as needed.Īfter you hit the record button on both the camera and the audio recorder, it's important to slate each take in order to sync sound later. For instance, if you use one of the smaller pocket recorders with a lapel mic, it can function as a virtual wireless microphone without any noise or range problems. Separating audio from video adds some challenges, but also creates some opportunities. While you're in the menu, synchronize the date and time with your camera if possible. Many recorders and interfaces can use higher sampling rates and bit depths, but your file size increases dramatically and it's unlikely you'll hear a significant improvement. It is likely the setting your editors audio track is already set to. This setup replicates the audio system for DV recording, is already DVD friendly, better than CD quality and should give you an excellent recording. Set the sampling rate to 48kHz and the bit depth to 16 bits. Although most video editing software will accept compressed audio formats like MP3, resist the temptation and record in an uncompressed format – usually WAV files. A good place to start is the file format. After connecting your microphone (idealy using the XLR input), you'll have to make sure your audio recording device or software is set to the proper recording mode. Obviously, setting up the video is the same however you shoot, but there are some extra steps in the audio setup. Shooting with sync sound isn't much different than a normal shoot, but there are some changes. Plus, you can use the same interface back in the edit suite for voice overs and sound effects recording. This is a simple, portable system that can easily produce professional recordings. Attach one of these to your laptop or netbook, load your favorite audio software, and hit the record button. Most include balanced XLR input, headphone outputs and even phantom power for your condenser microphones. There are several USB-powered audio interfaces available for under $100. The good news is that even the least expensive models record excellent quality audio with plenty of control, features and battery life.Īnother way to record is using a laptop or netbook and a simple USB audio interface. Others add inputs for line level and a few even have professional, balanced XLR input with phantom power. Most have built-in stereo microphones, an 1/8" input and a headphone jack. From there, choose a recorder based on your production style and existing equipment. They all share two common traits: they run on batteries and they record to flash cards. Several big manufacturers make these little recorders and there are many models and features to choose from. The simplest way to get started is with one of the new pocket audio recorders. By recording the sound separately – sometimes called Dual System Sound – you can build an audio package that meets your specific needs, whether in the studio or on location. Even if your camera has an XLR input and you're using a high quality mic, the sound files are likely compressed. It's the same problem we've had in the video world for years a cheap, built-in microphone simply can't record professional audio. But they all share one problem: the sound stinks. DSLRs, point-n-shoots, pocket cameras and even our cell phones all shoot pretty nice HD video. There is an incredible range of cameras that record video today. Maybe the way to move your production quality forward is to take a step back. In fact, the reason we expect our cameras to record audio comes from the news world, where everything is included in one package. The movie and television industries have done it this way for ever. Today, it's very easy to gather location audio the way the big boys do – with a separate recorder – and sync the sound in post. Even those that do often have noisy inputs and limited audio quality. We've always advocated the use of external microphones, but not every camera has a mic jack.
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