Working with Sound

Clean sound is perfect sound as far as video production is concerned. Clean mean is has no distortion or unwanted background or otherwise sounds. The best way to achieve this is to place the microphone as close to the subject as possible and monitor the levels as closely as you can.

Before filming, just have a listen to see what’s going on around you. Spare a little thought about the sounds you want to come through and those you want to suppress. Always use a windshield if filming outside and keep an eye on events going on around you and the sound levels. Sudden noises like school bell or a low flying aircraft can send the levels all over the place.

Reducing unwanted noise is an art. Our ears can filter out what they don’t want to hear, whereas a microphone records everything. By listening to the surroundings you can get an idea of the character of the sound and how to approach it.

If you are in a noisy environment, placing the microphone 180 degrees to ambient noise can reduce it as much as possible, and placing it as near to the required source as possible will also minimize this noise while concentrating on the sound you want. A high amount of background noise will distract the subject and certainly the viewer. If redirecting the microphone doesn’t work, consider changing the angle of the shoot, or moving altogether.

Sound recording equipment is very sensitive kit. It can pick up interference a lot better than the human ear. Understanding some of the problems that can occur will help in the diagnosis and treatment of it.

A clicking sound can be caused by electrical contacts. These can either be within the equipment itself or nearby. If you can’t stop the contact, move location as it will show through on the shoot.

Popping from a human subject is down to the microphone being too close to the person. Either move it away slightly or angle it to one side of their mouth. If you use a radio microphone you may hear other conversations, called “ghosts”. These are signals from elsewhere being picked up on the frequency you’re using. If you hear them, change the frequency a bit until they fall silent.

A buzz or hum can be interference from other electrical items such as computers or mobile phones. Try to isolate them as much as possible by turning them off or moving them away. A hissing sound is likely to be a fault with your equipment, not the environment. First stop would be to try a new microphone and seeing what happens.

Distortion is another issue you may face when working with sound. This can be because the recording level is too high, the microphone is too close to the speaker of an equipment fault. Checking in each these in the order given here should eliminate the fault with minimum disruption.

Sound is an important and often underestimated facet of filming. It’s something you onl notice when it isn’t there.