Sound for Video Session: EQ Presets, Clothing Noise, 3rd Party Plugins

In this week's Sound for Video Session we run through several questions:

- Should I create an EQ preset for microphones which usually sound too bright (like the Sanken COS-11D when worn on the outside of clothing)?
- How can I manage clothing noise when using a boom mic?
- Are there benefits to using 3rd party audio processing plugins versus using the plugins that come with Adobe Audition?

Here's an example of using an EQ plugin to cut a hole in a music track for dialogue. You can use this same idea to create a preset which helps to reduce "presence boost" which sounds too harsh:

Gear mentioned/used in this episode:

Sanken COS-11D Lavalier Microphone

DPA 4017b Shotgun Microphone (This is the microphone I used to record this session)

Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini Pro (my new camera which I used to film this session) Also available from DVeStore.

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd

The Beautiful Lies of Sound Design - Tasos Fratzolas

Tasos Fratzolas is a sound designer and sound effects creator originally from Greece. Here he gives a brilliant talk at TEDx on the beauty and meaning of sound. He covers a little bit on foley, reverb, and the meaning sound can convey. He also shows a brilliant example of how sound completely changes the meaning of a scene (with a video of a toddler's face and different sound effects).

I hope you find this as inspiring as I did.

You can find Tasos' sound library at Soundsnap.com.

Fix Audio With Sound That Plays Only In The Left Speaker: Audacity

If you record your sound with an external microphone into your camera or an audio recorder, you can end up with an audio clip where the sound is only recorded to the left channel and only plays back in the left speaker. How do you fix this with Audacity? We show you how very quickly!

And here's a previous episode where we show you how to do this in Audition:

Sanken COS-11D Lavalier Microphone

Antelope Orion Studio Audio Interface (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: EQ, Delay vs Reverb, Plugin Order, Affordable Strategies

In this week's Sound for Video Session we run through several questions:

- How to use EQ on a music track to make room for dialogue
- What is the difference between delay and reverb?
- Am I using audio plugins in the right order?
- What are some tips for getting better sound when shooting solo?

Links:

How to Boom a Camera Top Shotgun Microphone for Better Sound

Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Microphone (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)

Antelope Orion Studio Audio Interface (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)

Zhiyun SmoothQ: Smoother Video with Your Smartphone

Shooting video with your smartphone is convenient but often the results are pretty jarring with lots of shake and jitter. The Zhiyun SmoothQ is an affordable motorized gimbal which smooths out your video and is easy to use. In this episode, we have a closer look at the SmoothQ to see whether it might be a good option for you.

For the audio enthusiasts out there, can you identify the glaring audio issue with this episode?

Gear featured and used to record this episode:

Zhiyun SmoothQ Motorized Gimbal (Amazon USA, Amazon UK)

Manfrotto Monopod (for crane shots)

DPA 4017B Shotgun Microphone My new favorite shotgun microphone

Sound Devices 633 Audio Mixer/Recorder

Aputure Light Storm COB120t LED Light (Key Light)

Aputure Light Dome Soft Box (for COB120t key light)

Panasonic GH4 Camera

Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 Lens

5 Shotgun Microphones: Audio Samples and Off-Axis Test

In this episode we listen to five different shotgun microphones and also listen to how each of them sound when off-axis (the person speaking is off to the side of the mic).

Gear used or mentioned in this episode:

Azden SGM250 Shotgun Microphone - Entry level mic with good off-axis rejection. Sounds decent but not particularly warm.

RODE NTG2 Shotgun Microphone - Entry level mic with nice warm sound. Off-axis rejection is not as pronounced as the higher-end mics, but decent.

Aputure Deity Shotgun Microphone - Nice sounding mid-level mic with warm sound. Off-axis rejection is not as extreme as Azden, RODE NTG4+ or DPA 4017B.

RODE NTG4+ Shotgun Microphone - Mid-range mic with decent sound and good off-axis rejection. Not as warm as NTG2 or DPA 4017B

DPA 4017B Shotgun Microphone - Great, warm, but articulate sound with good off-axis rejection and more natural off-axis falloff compared to other mics here.

Sound Devices 633 Audio Mixer/Recorder - My main recorder/mixer. Great sounding, low-noise preamps. Can also be controlled remotely with iPad or iPhone (adding the Wingman USB transmitter)

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Process Dialogue with Izotope RX and Nectar

In this week's Sound for Video Session we cover some of the tools in Izotope's RX app and Nectar plugin which I often use to process dialogue audio.

Gear used to record this episode:

Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Microphone

Antelope Orion Studio Audio Interface

Sound for Video Session: Troubleshoot, Mobile, Richer Sound, Noise, and ADR

In this week's Sound for Video Session we run through several questions:

- How to troubleshoot
- Does the Kaotica Eyeball really reduce room reverb for recording?
- Best gear to record podcasts on the road?
- How do I make my recordings more “full-bodied”?
- What can I do when I’m recording an interview and a snow removal blower is working outside?
- Which microphone should I use for ADR?

Gear used or mentioned in this episode:

Kaotica Eyeball

Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Microphone (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)

Tascam DR-60DmkII Audio Field Recorder

Antelope Orion Studio Audio Interface (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd

How to Get Consistently Loud Sound with Loudness Normalization

In the last episode we covered how to set the input or gain level on your audio recorder when recording dual system sound (sound recorded by a separate, dedicated audio recorder). One of the things I suggested was that it is best to leave some headroom so that if the person speaking suddenly gets very loud, the sound will not distort and clip.

But the problem is that most of the sound isn’t loud enough. So how do you manage this? You loudness normalize the audio. This ensures that it is loud enough and that it is consistent from video to video.

Here are three ways to do that. The third way is to manually loudness normalize and is a longer, more involved process. You can see how to do that here:

Gear used or mentioned in this episode:

————————————————————————————— 

Tascam DR-60DmkII Audio Recorder (good option for a beginner who wants to record higher quality sound - shown in the clip to demonstrate leaving headroom)

Audio Technica AT4053b Hyper Cardioid Microphone (for the talking head clips)

Sound Devices 633 (Talking head portions recorded with this)

Aputure Light Storm COB120t LED Light (Key Light)

Aputure Light Dome Soft Box (for COB120t key light)

Celadon LED Pro Radiant 2XL Pro LED Light (background light)

Panasonic GH4 m4/3 Camera

Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 Lens

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Clean Noisy Dialogue Sound with Adobe Audition

In this week's Sound for Video Session we run through several techniques you can use to reduce noise in very noisy dialogue sound recordings for film. We use a clip recorded on a busy urban street where we could not get as close to the interviewees as we would have liked.

Gear used to produce the short film and this episode:

Audio Technica AT4053b Hypercardioid Microphone - used this to record the interviews out on the street. Works well as long as you have a good shock mount and wind protection (see Cyclone below)

Rycote Cyclone Windshield and Shockmount - this is what prevented the wind from blowing across the microphone capsule and making that low frequency, distorted sound.

Sound Devices 633 Audio Mixer/Recorder - my go-to recorder/mixer

Electrovoice RE20 Dynamic Microphone (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this)

Antelope Orion Studio Audio Interface (Voiceover for this session was recorded with this - couldn't be happier. By far, the best audio interface I've owned)