There are 4.2 billion people using the internet today. For your organization, each of them represents the opportunity to make a sale or create a brand evangelist.
The only thing keeping you from achieving those ends is the amount of competition that’s out there.
Given the increased presence of consumers, more than 2 billion websites have cropped up to try and cash in. Your ability to market yourself in a way that cuts through that clutter is imperative to your success.
Therein lies the value of video.
The excellent video has proven itself to be the most effective means of marketing in the last half-decade. Given that you can’t have an excellent video without superb audio, this article is going to be focusing in on the dos and don’ts of recording audio for video.
Each of these tips has the potential to save your life in post-production so listen closely…
DO Assess The Kind of Mic You Need
Not all microphones are created equal in the world of video production. There are shotgun mics, lav mics, bidirectional mics, unidirectional mics, and more.
Picking the right kind of microphone for the scene you’re shooting is imperative for scoring awesome sound quality while on set.
Be sure to work with an audio expert so they can advise on the kind of mic you should pick up for your particular shoot.
DO Make Sure Your Boom Operator Isn’t Shifting Their Hands on Their Poll
It can get exhausting holding a boom pole over a scene for an extended period of time. This exhaustion has led many boom operators to adjust their grip while scenes are shooting.
While seemingly harmless, those grip shifts will pick up on your mic and give your post-production team a huge headache.
If you notice grip shifting while rolling, be sure to grab an additional take.
DO Use a Windscreen
Wind noise in audio for video recordings is the scourge of most sound professionals’ jobs. Wind can be extremely distracting, is near impossible to fully remove from audio, and can render recordings unusable.
To help prevent wind pick-up, use a windscreen or plan on shooting in an area that isn’t susceptible to high winds.
The more you can get ahead of the possibility of wind during your shoot, the less stressed you’ll be when it comes time to deal with it.
DO Keep an Ear Out for Ambient Noises
Airplanes, car screeches, screaming… These are all noises that are out of your control and could ruin your audio for video.
To make sure that you’re not surprised in post-production by a jet engine that’s making your actors hard to hear, keep an ear out while you’re shooting. If you think that an ambient noise might have ruined a take’s audio, shoot another take.
You’re always better safe than sorry.
DO Focus on Dialogue
The most important “sounds” going on in your scene are what your actors are saying. Because of that, make capturing clean dialogue your number 1 priority when filming.
Don’t worry about getting the actor’s footsteps loud enough or catching an epic “high-five” sound. All of that stuff can easily be laid in post-production.
DON’T Rely on Onboard Mics
The mic that’s built into your camera is almost certainly not going to give you the sound quality you need for professional video. Don’t rely on it.
Always have an external mic ready to go for your shoots.
DON’T Assume You Can Fix it In Post
When a jet flies overhead and ruins the audio for your take, don’t assume your sound engineer can fix it in post-production. Removing noises that have been baked together in audio for video recording is very difficult and never perfect.
Always take the time to try and grab clean audio for video taking.
DON’T Ignore Your Sound Person
Your sound person is your expert when it comes to getting clean audio for video. If they’re concerned about the acoustics in a location, listen. If they’re concerned about an ambient sound, listen. If they think you need to do another take to get clean audio, do it.
Many directors have forgone the advice of their sound person to their demise. Don’t be that director.
DON’T Forget to Record a “Wild” or “Ambient Track”
When you’re cutting dialogue together in an editing room or laying in lines via ADR, the jumpiness of the scene’s ambient noises can be obvious and jarring to viewers.
To make sure that everything seems natural, be sure to capture a wild track while you’re on set.
To do this, simply record 30 seconds of background noise at your location. This will give your editor a lot more leeway when it comes to cutting something truly special together!
Wrapping Up The Do’s and Don’ts of Recording Audio for Video on Location
From picking the right mic to listening to your sound guy, there is no shortage of do’s and don’ts when it comes to capturing the perfect audio for video.
While it can be a pain, if you take the time to really pay attention to best practices when capturing audio, we promise that you’ll notice the difference ten-fold when it comes to the quality of your final project!
Are you looking for a premier video production partner to help you create a world-class piece of media? If so, let our team at Viva Media help.
We’ve been helping businesses, not-for-profits, and government agencies create stunning marketing and internal communication videos for years. Let us provide you with the same exceptional value!
Check out our previous work and contact us today to get your production quote!
61 Responses
Appreciate the recommendation. Will try it out.
To the vivamedia.ca administrator, Your posts are always well-written and engaging.
No matter if some one searches for his vital thing, thus
he/she desires to be available that in detail, therefore that thing is
maintained over here.
Quality articles is the crucial to attract the visitors to visit the
site, that’s what this web page is providing.
Hello I am so delighted I found your site, I really found you by error, while I was looking on Aol for something else, Regardless I am here
now and would just like to say thank you for a remarkable post and a
all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design),
I don’t have time to read through it all at the minute but I have saved
it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will
be back to read much more, Please do keep up the fantastic job.
It’s actually very complicated in this busy life to listen news on Television, therefore I simply
use the web for that reason, and get the most up-to-date information.
Fine way of describing, and nice article to get information on the topic of
my presentation focus, which i am going to convey in institution of higher education.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board and I find
It truly helpful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping to provide something
again and aid others like you helped me.
Howdy would you mind letting me know which hosting company you’re utilizing?
I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different browsers and I must say
this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider at a honest price?
Kudos, I appreciate it!
To the vivamedia.ca owner, You always provide great examples and real-world applications, thank you for your valuable contributions.
Appreciating the time and effort you put into your website and detailed information you offer.
It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that
isn’t the same unwanted rehashed material.
Wonderful read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your
RSS feeds to my Google account.
Why viewers still make use of to read news papers when in this technological world all
is available on net?
Hi! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok.
I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new
updates.
This post is invaluable. When can I find out more?
Thanks for some other magnificent post. The place else may anybody get
that type of info in such a perfect method of writing? I have a presentation next
week, and I’m on the look for such information.
Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against
hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked
hard on. Any tips?
What’s up, this weekend is good in favor of me, for the reason that this moment i am reading this fantastic
informative article here at my house.
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading?
I’m trying to find out if its a problem on my
end or if it’s the blog. Any feed-back would be
greatly appreciated.
Quality posts is the secret to be a focus for the people to visit the site,
that’s what this web site is providing.
Hello vivamedia.ca webmaster, Your posts are always informative and up-to-date.
Dear vivamedia.ca admin, Your posts are always well-referenced and credible.
Excellent way of telling, and good article to obtain facts
regarding my presentation subject, which i am going to convey in school.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate
your efforts and I will be waiting for your next post
thank you once again.
This website definitely has all the information I wanted concerning
this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Thank you ever so for you blog. Much obliged.
Thank you for any other great article. Where else could anybody get that type of info in such
an ideal means of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I am on the search
for such information.
Thanks very interesting blog!
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more
of your magnificent post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!
With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or
copyright violation? My site has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it
is popping it up all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any solutions to help
prevent content from being ripped off? I’d really appreciate
it.
Good internet site you’ve right here. cialis sans ordonnance disponible en Espagne
Great article! We are linking to this particularly great post on our website.
Keep up the great writing.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this post!
It’s the little changes that produce the most significant changes.
Many thanks for sharing!
Hello, I check your blog like every week. Your humoristic style is witty, keep up the good
work!
If some one wishes to be updated with most recent technologies after
that he must be visit this web site and be up to date every day.
Wow, this post is good, my sister is analyzing these things, therefore
I am going to convey her.
Whoa! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject
but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Great choice of colors!
Hey very nice blog!
Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board and
I find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot.
I’m hoping to present something back and aid others like you aided me.
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to mention that I have truly loved browsing
your weblog posts. After all I’ll be subscribing in your feed and I hope you write
again soon!
I am really inspired along with your writing abilities as well
as with the structure on your weblog. Is that this a paid topic or did you
customize it your self? Either way stay up the excellent quality
writing, it’s uncommon to peer a great blog like this one nowadays..
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
If you desire to get a good deal from this post then you have to apply such strategies to your won blog.
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you really realize what
you’re talking approximately! Bookmarked. Please also talk over with my web site =).
We will have a hyperlink change arrangement between us
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.
Look advanced to far added agreeable from you!
However, how could we communicate?
Awesome article.
My relatives all the time say that I am wasting my time here at net,
except I know I am getting experience everyday by reading thes nice articles or reviews.
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed!
Very helpful information specifically the last part :
) I care for such information much. I was seeking this certain info for a very long time.
Thank you and best of luck.
Hi there! Quick question that’s totally off topic.
Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly?
My weblog looks weird when viewing from my iphone.
I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to fix this problem.
If you have any suggestions, please share. Many thanks!
I think that what you published made a lot of sense.
But, what about this? suppose you added a little content?
I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your website, but
suppose you added something to possibly get folk’s attention?
I mean The Do's And Don'ts Of Recording Audio
For Video On Location is kinda plain. You ought to glance at Yahoo’s front page and note how they create article titles to get viewers to
open the links. You might try adding a video or a picture or two to get readers interested about what you’ve got to say.
Just my opinion, it might bring your posts a little livelier.
It’s an amazing paragraph in support of all the web people; they will get advantage from it
I am sure.
Ahaa, its good conversation regarding this piece of writing
at this place at this weblog, I have read all that, so now me also commenting here.
Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads
up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly.
I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it
in two different web browsers and both show the same
results.
Hi, its fastidious piece of writing on the topic of media print, we all be aware of media is a great source of data.
We stumbled over here different web page and thought I may as well check things out.
I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to going over your web page again.
Great article. I am dealing with some of these issues as well..
What’s up to every , for the reason that I am actually eager
of reading this web site’s post to be updated daily. It
includes pleasant information.