{"id":163422,"date":"2022-02-01T13:59:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T19:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=163422"},"modified":"2022-02-09T16:23:51","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T22:23:51","slug":"improve-sound-on-video-beginner-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/improve-sound-on-video-beginner-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Beginner Tips: How to Improve Sound on Your Next Video"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is there anything worse than recording bad audio? Check out four microphone tips guaranteed to dramatically improve your sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mic positioning, why does it matter? Surely if there’s a microphone somewhere nearby, that’ll be okay. After all, I can hear the dialogue just fine! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, with sound, is just fine<\/em> sufficient enough? In most cases, no. Let’s cut out the noise and jump straight to the tips (see what I did there?). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Don\u2019t Rely on the Cameras Built-In Microphone<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most cameras have an in-built microphone, and the sound quality<\/a> is questionable at best. They sound tinny and low-quality, and (usually) you can hear more from behind the camera than in front of it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can be helpful as a backup in case of technical difficulties or as a last option for capturing ambient sounds<\/a>. But for dialogue<\/a> and high-quality audio<\/a>, they don’t cut it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step you can take is to get an external microphone<\/a> mounted on top of the camera, often known as a top-mic<\/strong>. There are plenty of options\u2014depending on your budget\u2014from many different manufacturers, including R\u00d8DE<\/a>, Sennheiser, and AKG, to name just a few. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Display<\/a>
A good camera mic is a smart investment. Image via Artie Medvedev<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Make sure you get a microphone with a shotgun or super-cardioid polar pattern. Without getting too technical, the microphone will pick up sound from the front nicely while rejecting sounds from the side. They’re also sensitive to sounds from the rear, so bear this in mind when using. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is this important? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it stands to reason that the subject you’re filming will be in front of the camera, so the microphone can “focus” on the sound directly in front while helping to reject unwanted sounds from the sides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microphones with a cardioid polar pattern<\/a> pickup sound from a broader area in front and a little bit to the side of the microphone. While omnidirectional microphones pick up sound from all around the mic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve simplified this slightly, but you get the idea. Shotgun microphones mainly pick up sound from the front, helping to reduce unwanted sound in your recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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