Gear - Sound

We’ve lost count of how many otherwise-excellent SciCast films are ruined by their soundtracks. Specifically, by the viewer not being able to hear what people are saying.

It’s no great surprise, as the built-in microphones on most cameras will only get you so far. About three metres, actually — that’s the typical working range of the things, if you’re lucky. If your camera doesn’t have a microphone socket, there’s not a whole lot you can do to fix this. But if it does, you’ll want to look at microphones.

Lapel Mics

Even a cheap microphone can make a huge difference. The first option you should consider is a lapel mic, a ‘lavalier’. These are the ‘tie clip’ microphones you see newsreaders wear, and wired versions can be had for around £35 (here’s one example). These things pick up beautifully clear sound from the person wearing them, and will cope well enough with somebody standing right next to them too.

They have very limited range, however: they’ll sound muffled if whoever’s speaking is more than a metre or so away. We’re big fans of — don’t laugh, now — taping them to broom handles and holding them above the performers’ heads, using them like professional boom microphones. It looks ridiculous, but works amazingly well.

They’re not perfect, of course. Lapel mics aren’t directional in the least, so you’ll pick up lots of background noise from all around. They’re also rubbish outdoors, where even the faintest whisper of wind will drown out your performers. And finally… you’ll trip over the cable.

But the cheapest way of turning a decent film into a great one is to record the sound well, and a wired lapel mic will do the job in most circumstances. It’ll also allow you to get the microphone very close to the subject, picking up detail you wouldn’t know was there until you listened. An excellent example of this is the water droplets film, which was recorded with a cheap lapel mic. the deliciously crunchy crackling sounds of the boiling water really add to the film.

Wireless lapel mics

‘Radio mics’: these are exactly like the wired models, only with radio transmitters attached, and a receiver unit you cable to your camera. You may already have a set of these for school performances, in which case you’re all set — just make sure you have lots of spare batteries.

If not, radio mics don’t come cheap. Well, they do, but the ones that work aren’t cheap. Sennheiser and Sony are good brands, but the ranges start at a few hundred pounds for a set. Ouch.

Shotgun mics

You can get camera-mounting accessory microphones for domestic cameras, usually long, directional, ‘shotgun’ style designs, from the likes of Canon, Sony, Sennheiser and Røde. Prices start from around £60, but we’ve never found any of them to be the slightest use, up to and including models costing around £150.

The thing is, a microphone mounted on the camera is simply too far away to work properly. When you see the professionals using shotgun mics, they dangle them from big boom poles — and that works. You’re achieving something similar when you dangle your £35 lapel mic from its broom handle, but without the directional sensitivity that makes shotgun mics so special.

Proper shotguns tend to use a type of connector that simply doesn’t work with domestic cameras, but there is one exception — Røde’s NTG-2. We’ve found a way of hooking this up to a standard 3.5mm jack socket, and it works brilliantly. The downside? The list of bits tots up to about £250. It’s the best sound you’ll find anywhere, though: contact us if you’d like a shopping list.

Headphones

If you’re using a proper mic, you ought to listen to the sound to make sure it’s working. Traditionally, the sound recordist is a different person to the camera operator, and it’s worth following that pattern — it’s a responsible job. You also start to notice the world in a different way, and that’s an experience worth sharing.

Any old headphones will get you started: iPod earbuds are as good as anything, though the cable’s a bit short. If you’re buying, Sennheiser PX100s (£30 on the high street) are brilliant value, though again the cable’s a bit short.