The Sound Advice Tour is an eleven hour class well worth the investment. Frank Serafine and Mark Lewis combined their years of experience to elevate the quality of sound in features, commercials and corporate videos.
What does this mean for my videos?
Microphones:
I own some of the best mics for recording audio in different situations whether it be indoors with air conditioners humming or outside on a windy day. Now I can get maximum benefit out of the equipment. The Sennheiser wireless system for both lavaliere and boom mics has performed flawlessly for many years. I learned better mic placement and the versatility of the omnidirectional mics. It’s also called a lapel mic because it records voices better on the lapel than under the chin where it looses the higher sounds of consonants. The Rode NTG2 mic is a super cardioid mic with a heart shaped pickup pattern extending out in front of the mic and not to the sides. Use caution as it also picks up sound behind the mic so don’t use it on a boom beneath an air vent. When the wind picks up outside I can add the blimp and the fuzzy rat (that’s what it looks like) over the Rode mic to remove wind noise. The high frequencies can be brought back in the edit. The Sure SM 58 Is a rugged, workhorse mic used in the recording industry. I use it mostly for Voice over recording. Get close to this mic for strong, deep vocals.
Audio Recorders:
We have used the Zoom H4n for years. I purchased the Zoom H6 (pictured above) after the Sound Advice class. It has 6 independently controlled inputs. The stereo pair from the built in XY mic and 4 XLR inputs. We use the stereo MS mic for incredible stereo sound for the left and right speakers with it’s own volume control to enhance the stereo effect independent from the voice/sound in the center.
Editing:
I can’t begin to explain all the techniques in this blog but you will hear the improvement in future videos. I learned the roles that dialogue, sound effects and music have in a production for communicating the story, directing the focus or influencing the emotions of the viewer. I learned that no 2 sounds should occupy the same space. I must either change the frequency or send it to a different speaker. Therefore I will be using the EQ and 5:1 Surround sound to enhance and separate the different sounds of dialogue, sound effects and music. Surprisingly it even sounds better with just a pair of stereo speakers or headphones! This is the future of web videos.
I am reading Mark Lewis’ book, Live Audio Alchemy, and I will continue my education with equipment and software. As Mark Lewis says, “Improve with each step”.