newbie to audio

[Olabode Lawal]

hi guys!am new to getting quality audio because i mostly shoot music videos so i really dont care about the audio set up since i'l be doing that in post production.now i am going to start shooting interviews,and a comedy series which is of a low budget.i want to know from scratch how and what am going to set up to get good audio when am recording.a comprehensive details will be appreciated.thx

[Andrew Hughes]

This is an awfully broad question to which you are probably not going to get too many replies. You are essentially asking people to summarize years of experience in a reply.

There are numerous tutorials on sound and sound for videos on the web, which is probably where you should start. If you posted more specifics such as what type of mics you are using, if you are using an external mixer and recorder, are you recording in a studio or on location, etc... Or if you had specific questions...

That said, the most important aspect of getting good sound is having a dedicated sound person, or at least someone who's used to working with sound, someone with practiced ears.

Failing that, at least make sure that you are monitoring the sound going into your camera during the entire shoot, listening for drop-outs, rustling, background-noise problems, proper vocal tone, shifts in tone, cable noise, etc... And if the sound isn't right, don't be afraid to shoot the take over because 9 times out of 10 it will be MUCH easier to get it right the first time than to try and fix it later--this is especially true if you aren't accustomed to working with sound and don't really know what can and can't be properly "fixed" in post.

[Mark Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hughes

This is an awfully broad question...

Absolutely.

Here is what I can offer...

I am not familiar with what resources may be available to you in Nigeria, all that is provided herein assumes access to US/UK. suppliers. What follows will be provided from a bottom dollar (cheapest possible) perspective. Much of the advice came to me from others on this forum.

When it comes to sound the three most important words are redundancy, redundancy, redundancy.

Splurge on the absolutely best shotgun microphone you can (Rode NTG-3 or better!) and carbon-fiber boom pole. Run that signal into a field mixer and from there into your camera via a break-away cable. This is your primary sound capture! Do not skimp! Your cameraman and soundman must be able to hear the audio signal! Consider MoreMe headphones.

Mic your actors with GiantSquid microphones to digital voice recorders (must have a mic in jack!).

Sync up the audio in production usng PluralEyes

Luck.