Audio Quality

Don Palomaki · November 24th, 2007, 06:50 AM

People record sound to the camcorder for any one or more of a number of reasons. A few are listed below.

1. Because they have no better option available to them within their budget at the shoot in question (a very real consideration).
2. Because they do not want to deal with the additional sound gear and setup; e,g., shooting a wedding reception in a crowded venue
3. To have sound to use as a reference for sound sync in post.
4. Because the camcorder sound quality, in a field environment with lots of ambient noise, may well be more than adequate for the project at hand.
5. Because they don't know better options are available.

The issue is to bring balance to the production, there may be little added benefit to doing $10,000 sound on an otherwise $1,000 project. And having pristine sound on gorilla video shot with a $280 camcorder may strike the final viewer as a bit inconsistent.

But this specific question and answer may better fit the "All things audio" forum, while the rest of this thread is specifically addresses the XH-A1 audio.

Eric Casper · November 26th, 2007, 02:48 PM

all understandable reasoning. i was just wondering. other than the cost of a decent mic its not all that expensive. these days XLR interfaces for a pc are under $200. granted its a lot to drag around. and for weddings and such it doesnt really matter. just seems like sometimes audio which isnt really that hard or expensive to get right seems to get left behind.

Don Palomaki · November 27th, 2007, 08:17 AM

Eric,

From my observation and tests, the recording quality capability of the camcorder is generally substantially better than the typical viewing/listening environment (e.g., home TV set), or for that matter the recording environment (field recording without control of stray sound sources, etc.) with respect to frequency response, distortion, noise level, etc.

The greater problem is the application in the field by the videographer. These range from mic selection and placement to management of levels. Audio is often left behind because many videographers are more visually oriented than sound oriented, and sound can be more difficult because the mic needs to be near the speaker to get good voice. But we get away with it because we are able to meet and exceed the client's expectations, which are based more on what the client or his uncle Charlie can do than what is actually possible.

It is a $3200 camcorder. For good sound coverage of a wedding you could easily spend that much in wireless and wired mics alone, without adding mixers. (e.g., mics for the officiant, groom, soloists, readings, and ambient, for starters).

And you hit on the portability issue. A rather small potion of weddings can afford adding a dedicated sound man to deal with the added gear. Many are one-man-band operations, with possibly a second camera operator if it is a two camera shoot. Fortunate is the videographer with a client base that can afford and is willing to pay for a first class shoot.

November 24th, 2007, 06:50 AM	#46
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,489	People record sound to the camcorder for any one or more of a number of reasons. A few are listed below. 1. Because they have no better option available to them within their budget at the shoot in question (a very real consideration). 2. Because they do not want to deal with the additional sound gear and setup; e,g., shooting a wedding reception in a crowded venue 3. To have sound to use as a reference for sound sync in post. 4. Because the camcorder sound quality, in a field environment with lots of ambient noise, may well be more than adequate for the project at hand. 5. Because they don't know better options are available. The issue is to bring balance to the production, there may be little added benefit to doing $10,000 sound on an otherwise $1,000 project. And having pristine sound on gorilla video shot with a $280 camcorder may strike the final viewer as a bit inconsistent. But this specific question and answer may better fit the "All things audio" forum, while the rest of this thread is specifically addresses the XH-A1 audio. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

November 27th, 2007, 08:17 AM	#48
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,489	Eric, From my observation and tests, the recording quality capability of the camcorder is generally substantially better than the typical viewing/listening environment (e.g., home TV set), or for that matter the recording environment (field recording without control of stray sound sources, etc.) with respect to frequency response, distortion, noise level, etc. The greater problem is the application in the field by the videographer. These range from mic selection and placement to management of levels. Audio is often left behind because many videographers are more visually oriented than sound oriented, and sound can be more difficult because the mic needs to be near the speaker to get good voice. But we get away with it because we are able to meet and exceed the client's expectations, which are based more on what the client or his uncle Charlie can do than what is actually possible. It is a $3200 camcorder. For good sound coverage of a wedding you could easily spend that much in wireless and wired mics alone, without adding mixers. (e.g., mics for the officiant, groom, soloists, readings, and ambient, for starters). And you hit on the portability issue. A rather small potion of weddings can afford adding a dedicated sound man to deal with the added gear. Many are one-man-band operations, with possibly a second camera operator if it is a two camera shoot. Fortunate is the videographer with a client base that can afford and is willing to pay for a first class shoot. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

November 26th, 2007, 02:48 PM	#47
Eric Casper New Boot Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Harrisburg PA Posts: 19	all understandable reasoning. i was just wondering. other than the cost of a decent mic its not all that expensive. these days XLR interfaces for a pc are under $200. granted its a lot to drag around. and for weddings and such it doesnt really matter. just seems like sometimes audio which isnt really that hard or expensive to get right seems to get left behind.