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Audio problems when shooting video.
So recently I have had a few small video shoots where the audio quality is less than acceptable. I have no background in audio equipment, and small amount of experience using video camera’s. I was hired as an assistant to the video department of my company but they ended up firing my boss and now I complete the work he used to do with minimum knowledge.
The sound seems to be fairly low and it has a hollow empty sound (in an empty room). The audio wouldn’t be too bad but I have to match it to sound booth quality. Is there any way to minimize the empty sound of the mic and make it sound closer to studio quality (sound booth).
Here is my setup:
Sony HDR-FX1
Sennheiser ME66
DX4-6 Dual Phantom Power Adapter
Lightwave MiniscreenAnother problem I have is my headphones, I use AKG 240 Studios. They work great for editing audio but since they are open I can hear the talent more than I can hear the audio in my headphones. What are a good set of headphones to use?
Thanks for any help, if you need more info let me know. Like I said I am fairly new to this and not sure what I should describe.
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5 Replies
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Hi Mike-
How was the mic being used during the shoots? Was it mounted on the camera or on a boom? Or some other way? Or were you using the ME66 AND the mic built into the camera (recording the ME66 on one channel and the camera mic on the other)? How close was it to the talent? Also, when you play the video back are you hearing the ME66 or the built-in camera mic…or both?
As far as headphones, I use the “industry standard” Sony MDR-7506; you really can’t go wrong with them.
Regards,
Dave -
Dave,
I was using only the ME66 on a boom floating above the talent, about a foot in front of their heads. When I playback the video I am getting the audio from the ME66, it just seems empty or like its being recorded in a big space. The levels on the camera are reading just fine, not too low and not peaking at all. Thanks for the headphone suggestion.
-Mike
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Hi Mike-
Are you 100% sure you’re not hearing the built-in mic on the camera? Like maybe the switches on the camera were somehow set to “internal/on-camera mic”? Because that sounds to me like what you’re hearing. The ME66 a foot away from the talent shouldn’t sound that hollow.
Do you have access to the camera to see if the audio settings/switches were set up correctly?
Assuming you are, in fact, hearing the ME66, it sounds like the room that you did your recording in was large with hard walls and no carpeting.
Dave
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Dave,
I know the camera was using the ME66 and not the built in one, I tested the mic, tapped on it lightly and could hear it in my headphones. My settings may be off, I don’t have the guides for them and was never taught what the proper settings are for certain settings. I just adjust until my levels read properly. In one instance the room probably had hard walls and the floor was tile, but the other time was in a small 20×20 room with carpeting and I still got bad sound. I appreciate your help.
Mike
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Hello Mike and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum,
Dave’s call was a good one, but since that wasn’t the problem, I think you answered part of the problem – hard surfaces. Then there’s the mic.
There seems to be a presumption that a shotgun mic is always the mic to use on a boom. Not so. Especially in “live”, “slappy” environments, the shotgun does not do well. You need a hypercardioid or supercardioid which has a tighter pattern.
Schoeps cmc641 it the top shelf choice. Others are audio techinca 4053a or b or the Audix SCX-1 HC.
In future, shooting in places without big flat hard surfaces makes a big difference. If you must be in one, you need to think about sound blankets.
Regards,
Ty Ford
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