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.

Pickup Patterns

The different pickup patterns are omnidirectional, cardioid, hypercardioid, and bidirectional. Microphones with omnidirectional pickup patterns can pick up sound equally from all directions, although it's best from the front because the frequency response isn't equal in every direction. This type of pickup pattern is generally used for orchestra recordings to pick up all the instruments around the room, and it can also be used in a home setting to record instruments with some room ambience. In terms of the cardioid pattern, it picks up best from the front of the microphone, and essentially resembles a heart-shaped pattern because it also picks up a little on the sides and the back. Cardioid microphones are everywhere in the film industry today because they're really good for recording vocals, which has made them a staple in most stages and studios. A more directional pickup pattern is known as hypercardioid, and it's known for being less sensitive to sounds coming from the side, which makes it a useful tool in live situations or for recording drums. The final pickup pattern is bidirectional, and microphones that use the pattern can pick up sound almost equally in the front and the back, but nearly nothing to each side. This pattern is commonly used in ribbon mics, and it's best to use it when you need a high degree of sound rejection, which is seen in many stereo techniques.

The Different Microphone Types

The three different types of microphones are dynamic, ribbon, and condenser mics. Dynamic mics are known for their durability and inexpensiveness, although they have a somewhat limited frequency response. Since the thin metallic wire in its diaphragm can't respond to sound waves quickly, dynamic mics have a weak high-frequency response. They're generally used in voice overs and broadcasts, as well as in sound reinforcement. With ribbon mics, they're similar, although a lot more expensive and fragile because the diaphragm is made up of aluminum foil. They have a good high frequency response and a smoother response in general, although their output signal is weaker than dynamic mics. Ribbon mics are commonly used for miking a variety of instruments like bass, piano, and cymbals. Finally, condenser mics are the bulkiest of the three and they're known for having two plates in the diaphragm, which attributes to an extended low and high frequency response. Unlike the other two, condenser mics require an internal or external power to operate, and they're affected by humidity and temperature. They're known primarily for miking vocals, and they're commonly placed with string sections.

How To Manipulate People With Music

Music can affect the audience's perception by making them feel something that otherwise wouldn't be there, it can make a scene stand out through juxtaposition, and the absence of it can give off the perception of something intense. In general, music sways our emotions about a scene, and different tracks played over the same visual can leave an audience feeling two completely different ways. For example, music with an element of suspense might create tension that otherwise wouldn't be perceived if the music was more upbeat or cheerful. In addition to creating new emotions, music can enhance certain aspects of a film like its humor. This occurs when it's juxtaposed next to a visual that doesn't seem to fit it, which allows the scene to stand out because it's different than expected. Although not always noted, the absence of music can have just as large an effect on the audience's perception of a film, because the silence creates an intensity that can't be matched by any score, and thus it's smarter to leave the music out completely.




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Wrapping AV Cables

A/V cables are wrapped over/under because the method prevents the cable from being tangled when it's pulled from the coil. The cable stays straight, which works out well for crew members like sound mixers because often their equipment gets pulled away from the coil. For a similar reason, power cables are wrapped over/over because it prevents any tangles, as well as too much tension that could cause the copper inside to break. Wrapping cables correctly is an important skill for a beginning filmmaker because you want the equipment to last, and not handling it properly will shorten it's life and put it at risk to short or malfunction. It's also important for efficiently because if cables aren't wrapped properly, they became messy, and time is wasted trying to untangle them before a shoot.  

It's Foley Time

When experimenting with foley, three essential things to keep in mind are that any types of objects can be used to recreate a sound, it's smart to record the isolated sounds during production if there's time, and a little bit of editing can largely enhance the sounds that you create. Foley artists work with a studio full of props, and they often rely on things you wouldn't expect like vegetables, so it's important to be open to new possibilities when trying to find the perfect sound. For anyone trying to add foley to their film, a good place to start is recording audio during the shoot of footsteps and objects, so it's easy to dub that over the visuals. It's usually too hard to pick up those small features while shooting, but if time is allotted to put a boom mic up to them, it can make all the difference later. In addition, people experimenting with foley should play around with the sounds in the editing room, because altering with different qualities like pitch can make them sound all the more professional.

Iron Man Without Music

Without music, the scene feels very phony and although the special effects stand out, they sound very unrealistic and out of place. I think this is because music helps complement the other sounds on the screen, and it balances them out so one doesn't overpower the other. However without the music, the other effects seem to last for too long, like the gunshots which stay stagnant throughout the scene and get annoying after awhile. Since there isn't music to fill in the quiet moments, it feels like there's dialogue missing from the scene, and it's hard to tell what the characters are feeling. Having music would probably fill in those empty moments and make the scene even more dramatic, because as it is there's no rising tension or sound that escalates to increase the audience's anticipation.