Getting Quality Sound for Your Promotional Video
George Lucas once said: "The sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie." So neglecting capturing quality audio can be detrimental to your promotional video.
It's not as though I've always followed this lesson. I have had to learn the hard way when capturing audio for my videos. Maybe it was a fan that was left on, wind hitting the microphone or noise from traffic. However, since learning about what it takes to get quality sound, I've devoted more time and attention to ensuring my videos have better overall audio.
Some keys to getting quality sound are the following:
1. Invest in a Good Microphone
I recently purchased a Deity S-Mic 2 shotgun microphone. This microphone has received great reviews, and it's at a much lower price point than other shotgun microphones in its category. I'd suggest if you're looking for your first microphone to consider this microphone or if you are shooting on your cellphone, find a microphone that can plug straight into the phone. There are many options for these types of microphones (everywhere from $40-$100). A simple upgrade over your built-in camera microphone or your cellphone microphone will go a long way it creating professional audio your audience expects.
2. Control Your Environment
I often see people who are newer to shooting video neglect consider the various sounds in their environment. It takes awareness to continue to monitor the environment to ensure there are no distracting sounds. One might think: "I'll fix it in post" or "it's not that bad". However, any audio engineer or experienced videographer will tell you that fixing bad audio, is no simple matter.
3. Ensure the Microphone Is as Close to the Subject as Possible
Aiming the microphone at the subject's chest (should you be using a shotgun microphone) and placing the microphone as close to the subject's mouth is critical. Aiming the mic at the subject's chest will often give you a more fuller sound. Often people think that having a microphone on their camera, which may be about 6 feet away, will be fine enough to capture audio. However, this will entail that more background audio will be capture (which you often don't want), and the sound will not be as crisp as it would be, should you place it near the subject's mouth.
4. Monitor Your Microphone Levels to Ensure Your Audio Is Not 'Clipping'
Ensure that your audio is not 'clipping,' a term which means when your sound is surpassing its available range, leading to distortion, which is often very hard, if not impossible, to recover in post. By monitoring your audio (via headphone), so that it's neither too low nor too high, you'll ensure that you're capturing great audio. People often recommended keeping the levels between -12 and -6. It's better to have a lower sound that does not clip than having audio, which is clipping and distorted.
Conclusion
Consider upping your audio game by investing in a better microphone and following the tips covered in this article. Quality audio will help your subject's voice be much crisper and listenable, which will give you that more professional sound your audience expects.