Using Microphones When Recording Video You can use the built in mic on your camera if you are looking to cut corners on budget. However, the quality of audio does have an impact on the perception of the people watching your videos. Many people film using the mic in the camera only and do just fine. But most of the time it makes you sound like you are speaking into a box or empty room. That can easily be remedied with a corded or wireless lavaliere microphone. The great news is that lavaliere mics themselves do not need to be expensive to get decent sound. I purchased an Audio Technica ATR35a corded lavaliere mic on ebay for $20 and it is a great little mic. The one I got has a 20-25 foot cord which I can run up a pant leg or shirt tail and clip to my shirt or tie. This is a great solution for upper body shots and shots without much movement. However, I also purchased a really decent little wireless lavaliere microphone set that has quickly become my favorite way to record the audio in a video. It can be concealed easily and gives me full freedom to move about the set and get clear strong focused audio. When considering what mic is best for you it is important to also know a little bit about the difference between uni-directonal and omni-directional mics. You can read about the difference between the two by clicking here. A great basic wireless lavaliere mic setup is the WLX-Pro package from Azden. I have used this package and love it. It is also very reasonably priced for basic pro lavaliere systems. Audio Technica and Sony offers a budget model but I have not tested it and cannot vouch for its quality. I have used the Azden Basic model extensively both filming myself and clients and I have been quite pleased. All three brands of wireless lavaliere mics can be searched on BH and you can view many options ranging from $100 all the way to many hundreds of dollars. It all depends on what you need. Sometimes you can search ebay and find a good deal but it is pretty easy and fast to order from BH. Another accessory that is a must have for the more serious pro video person is the Beachtek xlr audio adapter for the mini dv camera. This plugs into your camera and provides you two xlr inputs as well as a mini jack input. This is an optional accessory that will help you in more complicated audio recording situations but also helps minimize hum and balance your audio for better recordings. I do not personally own that accessory yet but it is on my "to get" list and is an absolute requirement when you speak with professional video producers. Scott from Video Producer Online says that the base Beachtek model is all you need. A more expensive solution you can also consider is a "shotgun" mic but it really is unnecessary unless you are shooting more complex scenes with multiple talent (speaking participants). |