{"id":2015,"date":"2009-02-24T14:51:22","date_gmt":"2009-02-24T19:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.videoproductiontips.com\/?p=2015"},"modified":"2023-09-26T23:18:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T04:18:57","slug":"audio-for-video-using-your-camcorder-mic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.videoproductiontips.com\/audio-for-video-using-your-camcorder-mic\/","title":{"rendered":"Audio for Video: Using Your Camcorder Mic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Decent audio for your video production is critical.<\/strong> If a viewer can not hear you, they will not stick around to watch your video.\u00a0 H9w do you get good audio?<\/p>\n

Is the microphone that comes attached to the camcorder good enough to rely on?\u00a0 Yes and no.\u00a0 It depends on what you are trying to record and what your environment is like.<\/p>\n

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\"panasonic<\/p>\n

The microphone<\/a> that comes attached to a video camera could be the best quality mic in the world, but because it’s attached to the camera, it won’t always be in the best place to capture the sound.\u00a0 Generally speaking, this on-camera microphone is going to be a shotgun style mic designed to pick up sound at a distance.\u00a0 Shotgun microphones are highly directional with a unidirectional pickup pattern.<\/p>\n

\"Microphone<\/p>\n

As a TV news photographer, I relied on the shotgun attached to my camera mostly to pickup natural sound.\u00a0 <\/strong>A news photographer always wants to pick up natural sound.\u00a0 Plus, a news photographer never knows when something unusual will happen that they want to capture.\u00a0 Many news cameras are set up so it’s easy to remove the shot gun and put it on a longer cable.\u00a0 This can be handy for doing interviews at fast-paced events.<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, the BEST way to get good audio when making video<\/strong> is to use a separate mic that can be placed close to the mouth of the person speaking.\u00a0 Usually, this is a lavalier or handheld microphone.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The microphone would be plugged into your camera, (unless you are using a wireless<\/a>) and using it probably overrides and shuts off the microphone that comes attached to your camera, but not always.<\/p>\n

To record audio this way requires a camera that accepts a separate microphone plug-in.<\/strong> The smallest and least expensive cameras do NOT have this feature.<\/p>\n

So lots of people have no choice but to use the microphone that comes attached to their camera.<\/p>\n

Although it is not recommended, you can make this work and this post tells you how.<\/p>\n

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Even though recording audio with your on-board microphone is not the BEST way to do it, with a few pointers you can make it work in a pinch.<\/p>\n

First and most critical, make sure the background noise<\/strong> is minimal or non-existent.\u00a0 If you have complete control, turn everything OFF.\u00a0 Everything. \u00a0Even white noise like fans and air conditioners.<\/p>\n

If need be, leave and find a quiet corner.<\/strong> I’ve recorded audio inside a sealed up car MANY times.\u00a0 That was the only place that was reasonably quiet at whatever location my job took me.<\/p>\n

\"video<\/h3>\n

How to Make it Work When You Have No Other Option<\/h3>\n

If the background noise is absolutely impossible to shut down<\/strong> and there is no quiet corner to escape to, hold the camera and mic very close to your mouth (six inches or closer) and speak LOUDLY.\u00a0 The automatic gain control<\/a> of the camera will kick in, lowering the recording volume significantly.\u00a0 \u00a0(If you have manual gain control of audio<\/a>, lower it before you do this.) At that distance, your voice is so loud compared to the background noise, that a lowered recording volume will eliminate lots of the background and your voice will dominate.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, the automatic gain control will lower the audio record volume enough so that none of your audio is distorted.\u00a0 Audio recorded this way will not be ultra fantastic, but it will probably be understandable.<\/p>\n

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If the background is quiet<\/strong>, it is best to be about three feet away from the on-board microphone when you are speaking. \u00a0\u00a0 Speak loudly and enunciate well.\u00a0 Do not mumble.\u00a0 Speak to the back of the room.<\/p>\n

Under these conditions, the microphone on-board your camera will pick up the sound relatively well if you follow these tips. <\/strong> It won’t be as good as if you were able to record it with a separate microphone plugged into your camera, but it’ll do in a pinch.<\/p>\n

\"canon<\/p>\n

There is ALWAYS a way to make video work.<\/strong> Lots of video “gurus” will tell you that you have<\/span><\/em><\/strong> to have a separate microphone to record decent audio for your video. \u00a0 \u00a0 It does help, but you can also work within the confines of your equipment limitations if you know how. \u00a0Being a TV news videographer, I often had to adapt to less-than-ideal circumstances.<\/p>\n

I see lots of YouTube videos where the audio would be MUCH better if they followed these simple suggestions.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lorraine Grula<\/p>\n

FOOD FOR THOUGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n