[Donald Cherry]

One more thing. Ty, you mention splitting mics to different channels. Do you mean something like using a mixer? I have come across posts that talk about using a mixer with several microphones. Would these microphones all run into this separate mixer? And then the mixer would . . . run into a camera? record the audio separately and be added as an audio track to something like Final Cut Express?

[Donald Cherry]

Thanks, John and Ty, for your informative responses. I really do appreciate the time and thought you put into your posts, especially since I am sure you have plenty else to do than educate a beginner like me. Ty, what I meant by that pin/jack thing is a socket for an external mic that is like the socket for headphones on, say, an iPod or walkman. So the external mic would have a pin type input, like headphones for an iPod.

I’ve taken a look at the Audio Technica 4053a, and even that looks a bit beyond my price range. The students WILL be sitting in a sort of arc, so maybe I will try to get one or two external mics that can plug into the video cameras, and hang them over the students. Or maybe I will just go with the mics in the cameras. It is a fairly quiet, small classroom. The sound in previous shoots wasn’t that bad. What I did wind up doing in Final Cut Express is going to just one audio from one camera, since it seemed hard to have all audio EXACTLY in sync. Anyway, I’ll play with it some more, and maybe stop by the local electronics store here in Hiroshima and see what they have.

Anyway, thanks again for your help guys!