Better Sound For Video — Simple Techniques All Creators Should Learn

In this week’s episode, we cover the basic things you can do, the basic techniques, to make better sound for your videos. Yes, which microphone you use is important, but the basic techniques are critical as well. We cover the basics for recording better audio and include a bunch of links to other videos we’ve made to learn these techniques in more depth.

Learn more!

Boom your VideoMic or DEITY V-mic on a boom instead of on camera

Manage reverb with sound blankets

Loudness normalize your sound in post

EQ to remove harshness

Compress your sound to even it out and make it louder

Mixing music behind dialogue so that the dialogue is still understandable

Shotgun microphones

Podcast and streaming microphones

Pro lavalier microphones

Audio recorders

Microphones for livestream, zoom calls

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 courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

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, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Trew Audio, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rycote PCS Microphone Quick-Release System — B&H

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Gobo creates the pattern on the back wall — B&H

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

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

- Schneider Radiant Soft 1 diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

RODECaster Pro II Compressor Settings & Explanation

In this week’s episode, we demonstrate how to set up the compressor on your RODECaster Pro II. For those who don’t want to learn, but just want the settings, we give you those first. Then for those who prefer to understand what each of the settings do, we explain threshold, ratio, attack, release, and gain. We then provide a demonstration of how to set the settings and, importantly, how NOT to set them.

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 courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

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:

- RODECaster Pro II audio recorder/interface — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- SHURE SM7B microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Perfect Circuit, Amazon

- SHURE MV7 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Aputure P300C LED used as key light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Amaran P60X used for rim light — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo Cool Lavender creates the color pattern on the back wall - B&H

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

- Canon C70 camera — B&H

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

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

When to use Hard Light featuring the Lupo Dayled 1000 Dual Pro LED Light

In this episode, I talk about when hard light is useful for interview video. Then we review the Lupo Dayled 1000 Dual Pro LED fresnel light. I love having a hard light to create background effects and the nice thing about hard lights is that you can bounce them to make them soft.

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:

- Lupo Dayled 1000 Dual Pro LED fresnel light - B&H

- Lupo Superpanel LED lights - B&H

- Chimera 4x4 frame - B&H

- Chimera 4x4 full cloth - B&H

- 5-in-1 reflector - B&H, Amazon

- Sound Blanket Producer’s Choice by Vocal Booth to Go

- Spring Clips to hold bounce material on c-stand - Amazon

- C-stand - B&H, Amazon

- Foam core poster board - Amazon

- Sekonic C800 photo spectrometer - B&H, Amazon

- Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U Light Meter - B&H, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH 8050 microphone - B&H, Amazon

- Sound Devices 888 audio recorder - B&H, Sweetwater

- Panasonic GH5 camera for b-roll - B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 IOS Lens - B&H, Amazon

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

- Signa EF 24-70 f/2.8 DG OS ART lens - B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft Diffusion Filter - B&H

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