Sound for Video Session — AUDIX PDX720 Signature Edition & Q&A

In this week's session, we have a look and a listen to a new broadcast dynamic microphone — the AUDIX PDX720 Signature Edition. Then we answer your sound for video questions.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We have a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini and just added Introduction to Izotope RX for Dialogue Audio.

Gear I often use or that we mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Waves, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- AUDIX PDX720 Signature Edition dynamic microphone — B&H, Sweetwater

- Mackie DLZ Creator — B&H, Amazon

- Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devies 888 field recorder/mixer — Trew, B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C200 Camera - B&H

- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 lens — B&H, Amazon

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

- Universal Audio 6176 channel strip pre-amp, EQ, compressor — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2023, Curtis Judd

512 Audio LIMELIGHT & SKYLIGHT Microphones for Podcasts, Live-streams, Video

In this episode, we have a look at and a listen to two new microphones from 512 Audio: The LIMELIGHT and the SKYLIGHT. These microphones are designed for podcasters, live-streamers, YouTubers, and content creators of all sorts. The LIMELIGHT is a dynamic, broadcast style microphone with a rich, bassy sound. The SKYLIGHT is a large diaphragm condenser microphone with a vintage, mid-forward sound. In this episode, we put both of them through their paces.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest course is Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- 512 Audio LIMELIGHT dynamic microphone - Sweetwater, Amazon

- 512 Audio SKYLIGHT condenser microphone - Sweetwater, Amazon

- Desk microphone stand - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens - B&H, Amazon

- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 lens - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C200 camera - B&H

- Canon EF 24-105 f/4L lens - B&H, Amazon

- Aputure C120D II LED light - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure Light Dome II soft box - Aputure, B&H, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Dynamic Microphones for Voice Over and Narration

This week talked about the advantages of using dynamic microphones for voice over - Things like the Electrovoice RE20, Shure SM7B or even the humble Shure SM58.

Because many of us record voice over or narration outside of formal recording studios, a dynamic microphone can actually be an advantage over the more sensitive condenser microphones we typically use. This is because homes, offices, and other locations are generally not acoustically treated or designed. The result with a condenser mic is that you often end up with the microphone capturing every little nuance, especially when that room is particularly reverberant.

Dynamic microphones with their less sensitive, un-powered capsules pick up less of that reberb and other noise. The only downside is that dynamic microphones need a lot of amplification in your pre-amp to produce a strong enough signal. So you either need a good solid pre-amp/recorder/audio interface with plenty of gain, or you might want to add an additional amplifier to your signal chain. The Cloudlifer and Fethead in-line amplifiers make this easy - you just need to plug them in between your mic and recorder and you'll have plenty of gain to work with in most cases.

And here are some of the microphones and amplifiers we discussed:

Shure SM58
Shure SM57
Audio Technica AT2005
Audio Technica ATR2100
Shure SM7B
Electrovoice RE20
Cloudlifter CL-1 (adds 25dB gain to amplify your dynamic microphone if your recorder or audio interface doesn't have enough gain)
Fethead (similar to the Cloudlifter, slightly less expensive)