How To Record Great Audio

While recording audio on set, there are several microphones that can be used, and they all come with their own benefits and disadvantages. The easiest to operate is a microphone on a camera, and it requires very little setup, and can be hooked up to sync the audio to the video while recording. It should be used as a last resort because it often picks up unwanted noises from the camera, and it needs a windscreen when shooting outside. A better alternative is using a microphone on a boom, because it can get the microphone close to the speaker, as well as block out any ambient noise. It requires a separate crew member to operate, but it can be beneficial because the mic can narrow in on whatever you direct it at and pick up good audio. A third option is a lavalier microphone, and it's small size makes it easy to get the mic in close proximity of the speaker, although it requires a little more setup. The difference between single and dual system recording is that single-system automatically syncs the audio to the video as you record by having a recording device plugged directly into camera, whereas the dual system requires audio and video to be synced in post, but it gives more freedom with the camera.