The Ten Commandments of Sound for Picture

[Marco Leavitt]

My favorite part is where he points out that wireless isn't magic. I get really annoyed with the attitude that wireless is the answer to every problem. It's more of a necessary evil.

[David Beisner]

Excellent list of commandments! I'm coming into pro video production after 10 years as a producer/engineer in the pro audio industry. Drives me crazy when people won't listen to sound people with advice about sound.

[Bill Thesken]

Probably a dumb question. Is it feasible to have a wireless mic capture clear voice, and have a separate mic capture surrounding sound, and mix together on the video tape?
The problem I need to solve is interviews near the ocean. It might be cool to have a little of the background sound but also to have the voice clear and dominant.
I'm hoping $700 will be enough to get some basic equipment to start with.

XH A1

[Dan Keaton]

I would record the voice on one channel and the ambient sounds on another.

[Bill Thesken]

Thanks Dan, the XHA1 has the two channels so I'll hook up a shotgun mic to one and the wireless to the other, point the shotgun at the ocean and turn down the volume for that in comparison to the wireless on voice.

[Bob Jerome]

Originally Posted by Bill Thesken

Thanks Dan, the XHA1 has the two channels so I'll hook up a shotgun mic to one and the wireless to the other, point the shotgun at the ocean and turn down the volume for that in comparison to the wireless on voice.

After recording 2 channels of sound on one stream of video, how do you capture the 2 distinct audio (stereo) lines in the editing software (Adobe Premiere Pro)?

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Bob,

Sorry for the delayed reply.

When you capture the video, you should automatically capture the two (stereo) audio tracks.

Then, in your Non-Linear Editor, you can separate the two channels into two separate tracks, then adjust the levels of each mono track as desired.

This will give you one mono channel of voice combined with the ocean background at whatever level you choose.

[Rick L. Allen]

Just so I'm clear your arguing over whether to boom from above or below? You boom from the angle that works best in your situation. Above, below, sideways - depends on the environment. Come on guys, there's enough folks on this list that are clueless please don't add to the clutter.

[Steve Renouf]

Originally Posted by Bill Ravens

Chris..

Great list, but, I think you left off one so very basic that most amateurs don't even think about it.

"Thou shalt always monitor the audio whilst recording video".

Shouldn't that be "Thou shalt always monitor the audio whilst recording AUDIO"? because, of course, the AUDIO guy ought to be doing the AUDIO - NOT the VIDEO guy (who should be doing the VIDEO!).

Obviously, when you're a one-man production team, that's not possible - but it's what we should be trying for... Many's the time I wish I'd had a seperate sound guy.

[Richard Essig]

Chris,
i'm about to produce, direct, and act in my first short film. The only budget I have is for equipment. I've now made my way to audio and was blown away by your article. It's given me a new perspective and sincere appreciation for sound. Thanks for sharing and influencing my approach for good film making!

[Dave Harris]

Here's how I'm shooting. Sometimes it's even triple-system....

I run wired mics whenever possible, use a boom operator, etc.

I route the mics, whether wired or wireless, to an Alesis Multimix 8 USB2...Which is a multitrack USB mixer. Each of the 8 channels is captured at 24-bit 48k res in Sound Forge. I use one of the two monitor outputs of the mixer to create a 2-channel mixdown, and route this to the camera. This makes syncing easier, later...You already have a reference track. And in a pinch, the audio is typically usable, anyway (even though it's definitely not as clean as the 24/48...)...Definitely good enough for dailies!

In addition, I often run one of those Samson H2 4-point digital recorders...capturing also in 24/48 WAV, 4-channel. I can use the audio tracks from this recorder to get good room tone, as well as use the 4-point system to get full surround if needed...After a little processing.

Each take is slated, so I have record of what goes where....

Post may take a little longer than single-system in-camera sound, but lemmie tell you....It sounds unbelievable in the end. Gives you lots and lots of audio to choose from!

[Bill Strehl]

Originally Posted by Dave Harris

I route the mics, whether wired or wireless, to an Alesis Multimix 8 USB2

I was wondering if you still like this mixer? I was looking for for something with Phantom power for my Rode NTG-3 and spotted this unit. I was considering a JuicedLink CX231 but this unit seems to offer so much more with the ability to record to the computer as well.

How well does the audio track sync with video? I want to avoid the situation people face with the Zoom recorders with having to adjust the timing (except for ambient sounds).

[Steve Childs]

Thanks so much for this post, it was most useful and humorous.

I've printed it out and will consult it while arranging all my future productions.

Haha, shoot-it-again filter, priceless!

[Sean Vergara]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

Excerpt: "Thou shalt accept the fact that... there is no such thing as a remove echo filter."

Part One: http://www.syncsoundcinema.com/2007/...etten-ten.html

Part Two: http://www.syncsoundcinema.com/2007/...en-ten_24.html

Has anyone saved the documents from this link?

Or know a site with similar information??

Thanks

[Dan Uneken]

Yes the links are dead. Would love to read them!
Thanks!