All About Recording Sound To Camera & Camera Mixes Before any shoot it’s always best to discuss any workflow requirements they may have; However on a large number of productions (especially in the commercial & corporate worlds) there aren’t any laid out specs for what they want delivered as a mix to camera other than…
Sync In Modern Video Production Workflows Aligning Audio & Video In most modern video production workflows, audio & video are typically recorded separately allowing for higher quality audio and more flexibility in production and post. Anytime they are recorded separately they have to be aligned in post-production, but that starts with workflows in…
Recording Sound for Short Films or Narrative Features Recording quality audio for a narrative production, whether a short film or feature length movie, has a lot of challenges. No matter what budget or production scale you are working at from indie short films to fully funded feature films, a lot of principles carry over and…
Lavalier Technique: Rigging A Button Hole Rigging a lavalier with the capsule popping out from just behind a button is one of my favorite lav micing techniques. Because the capsule is actually exposed, it has virtually no clothing noise and a much more natural and open sound. This strength also leads to this technique’s…
7+ Tips To Improve Audio for Indie Filmmakers & Youtubers I’ll say something that may not be a popular opinion in the video production world: Audio Quality Matters More Than Video Quality, so don’t f*** up your audio! Audio Quality is just as Important, if not more Important than Video Quality to the viewer. In…
Always a pleasure to talk shop with other production sound mixers, this time chatting with Michael Helms (Michael the Sound Guy) on his podcast ‘The Location Sound Podcast’. I’ve been listening to this podcast for quite a while and really enjoy it. Great way to pass the time while traveling to and from location. It…
Choosing The RIght Microphone For Every Scenario One of the things that made the biggest differences in the quality of recordings I do is knowing how to choose an appropriate a microphone for every scenario I encounter. Being able to play to each types strengths, and use polar patterns to your advantage will go a…
Audio Timecode Workflow Audio Timecode Workflow for DSLRs and Cameras without Timecode More often DSLRs such as the Canon 5D, Panasonic GH5, & Sony A7S are making their way into professional video productions as well as entry level professional video cameras that lack features like Timecode input (like Canon C200 & C100 or Sony…
Recording Aaron Lewis (of Staind) Performing Live At The Bluestone Back in July 2017 I was hired to record an acoustic set of Aaron Lewis (of Staind) at The Bluestone concert venue in Columbus Ohio. Knowing it’d be viewed by tons of people (Millions of views on Aaron Lewis’ Facebook & Hundreds of Thousands on Youtube),…
Timecode vs. Genlock: Why timecode may not be enough to keep your set in sync The common assumption is that by feeding timecode to camera you will keep camera and sound in sync. Unfortunately this is not so, Timecode and Sync are not the same thing. Timecode is in fact only metadata to identify…