The Sony EMC-44B  is so common in certain circles of the professional video production world that you might get the impression that  it’s the only mic of its kind but of course it isn’t.  It’s popular because it does a fantastic job yet doesn’t break the bank. This is a lavalier microphone, which means it is a small mic that is clipped onto someone’s collar.  Lavalier mics are good for video making because they essentially disappear in your shot.

Phantom Power does not involve ghosts! 

One reason why the Sony ECM-44B is inexpensive is because it relies on one AA battery for power.  Keeping it battery powered and not turning it into a *phantom powered mic helps keep the cost down.  Using a AA is certainly not difficult or limiting in any way.   One AA will last a very long time inside ther ECM-44B so you do not have to worry about a huge battery budget.

*(A phantom powered mic is one that draws it’s power from the camera it is plugged into.)

The SONY EMC-44B mic is very durable and provides clean sound; I’ve used them for years.  Never had one break on me.  If your battery power is weak, your audio signal will be too so it is important to always have head phones so you can listen to your sound as it is being recorded. In my experience, with regular use, the AA needs to be changed about once a month.

This shows the duel XLR inuts on a camera.

The EMC44b mic has an XLR connection so using it requires either a camera with an XLR connection or an XLR to Stereo Plug adapter.  Please keep in mind that not all video cameras have inputs for microphones and the smaller ones that do have a stereo plug, not an XLR. If that is your situation, you can use an adapter cable that can be purchased at a store like Radio Shack or B&H Photo Supply.

An adapter cable like this can help you use an XLR microphone with a camera that just has a stero plug.

Here is a table with the Sony EMC-44B lavalier microphone specs.

Transducer	Electret Condenser
Polar Pattern	Omnidirectional
Frequency Response	40Hz – 15kHz
Dynamic Range (Typical)	90dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	62dB, (@ 1kHz)
Maximum Input Sound Level	122dB, (@ 1kHz, 1% THD)
Power Requirements	‘AA’ Battery (1.5v DC)battery power only, does not accept phantom power
Output Impedance	250 Ohms, (+/-20% (1kHz) Balanced)
Output Connectors	XLR-3M Type
Pad	None
Low Frequency Roll-Off	None
Applications	Radio, Television and Broadcast.
Dimensions	Microphone: 0.6 x 0.34″ (14.5 x 8.5mm) LxDiameter Power Supply: 5 x 0.82″ (126.5 x 20mm) LxW Cable: 10′ x 0.09″ (3m x 2.3mm) LxW
Weight	Microphone: 0.07 oz. (2.0 g) Power supply: 4.2 oz. (119 g)

An audio mixer is a critical component of any video studio.  All of your audio sources are fed into your audio mixer and the output of the audio mixer is what is recorded or broadcast.  So each and every microphone, plus any CD players, DVD players, etc., will be connected to your audio mixer.

Mackie 802_VLZ3 Audio Mixer with 8 Channels retails for just under $200.

During the live shoot, the person responsible for audio will control the board, turning signals on and off as needed.   In addition to simple video production, this mixer is also good for small  musical bands.  (Some of the inputs feature  line/instrument switchable inputs for guitarists).  Plus, the 802 VLz3 is small, easy to operate and durable enough for mobile production situations.

The 8-Channel Mackie 802-VLZ3 is a really good yet inexpensive component to choose for a simple video studio.  Eight inputs is indeed enough, it’s simple to use, plus the price ($199.99) can’t be beat.   Even if you use a computer-based system that can handle both video and audio inputs, many people still opt to get an audio mixer and just do their video mixing through the computer.   In part, that’s because having both your video and audio controlled by one computer can get difficult during a hectic live video production where they really need to be controlled by two different people.  Plus, lots of folks find using a mouse-driven audio control is less responsive compared to the easy-to-control up and down knobs found on an audio mixer.    IMHO, that is very true.

The Mackie 802-VLZ3 Eight-Channel Compact Audio Mixer   advertises itself as “an affordable and intuitive mixing environment for home recording, rehearsals, and general mixing applications.”

The 802-VLZ3 has 8 channels total with 2 mono line inputs, 3 stereo line inputs and 3 XDR2 microphone preamplifiers. The mono line inputs are switchable between instrument and line signal, making the mixer guitarist friendly. A 3-band EQ is featured and its compact design is reliable and road-worthy.

Here is a chart listing the specs of the Mackie 802-VLZ3

Total # Of Inputs	8
Mic/Line Inputs	3 x Balanced XLR Mic 2 x 1/4″ Phone Line/Instrument 3 x 1/4″ Phone Line Stereo
Stereo Line Inputs	1/4″ Phone Line L/R Stereo
In-Line Inputs/Returns	No
AUX Sends	1/4″ Phone TRS Stereo
AUX Returns	1/4″ Phone L/R Stereo
Inserts	1/4″ TRS Phone (mono inputs 1-2)
BUS (Group) Outputs	ALT 3/4 – Stereo L/R 1/4″ Phone
2 Trk Master I/O	Main – Stereo L/R 1/4″ Phone and Balanced XLR Rec – RCA Phono I/O
ALT I/O	No
Monitor Outputs	1/4″ Phone TRS Headphone
EQ Section	3-Band
Solo/Mute	Mute and Solo
Channel Level Control	Rotary Dials
Trim/Gain Control	Microphone Gain
Phantom Power	+48V Switched Globally
Metering	Stereo Peak LED
Frequency Response	20Hz – 50kHz
Dynamic Range	Not Specified by Manufacturer
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	-103dBu
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)	< 0.005%
Power Supply	13W
Dimensions (HxWxD)	10.7 x 8.9 x 1.8″ (273 x 227 x 470mm)
Weight	4.5 lbs (2kg)

Yeah, I said no cost.

At least the bidding part won’t cost you. 

A new website, Score A Score.com, has set up an easy-to-use platform that unites video producers with composers of original musical scores.

If you have a video project, you can post it for free after establishing a free membership account.   Composers then create an original sampling to go with your project at no obligation.  If you like it, then you can hire them to complete the score.

The site also has a library of already composed music you can select.  The payment methods include paying the established price, or similar to PriceLine.com. you can name your own price and see if the composer will agree.

Prices that were already set began at $700 and went up to about $2,000.  I am assuming that setting your own price would be lower than that but we all know how assumptions can work out. 

I sampled lots of the clips on Score a Score and they were indeed excellent.  They sounded like movie soundtracks, not royalty free music.  There’s a huge difference.  Royalty free music tracks are more monotonous and simplistic.  These tracks were more variable in tone and mood within the individual track and were also clearly more complex musically than standard royalty free music.

If your video project needs to be unique and project a polished professional image, a customized musical score is one of the best ways to do it.

A customized musical track will follow every nuance and tangent of emotion within your program.  Customized music will help create a more unique and cohesive story.

If you have the budget for it, a custom musical score will no doubt take your video from being good to being great.

Score-a-Score was developed by Jordan Passman, who has a music business background and worked for a brief time in the Film/TV membership department of ASCAP.   (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers).

Jordan was able to get a group of composers with very impressive credentials together to form the backbone of Score-a-Score.   Together they include:

• An Emmy Award winner
• A Grammy Award winner
• Multiple Emmy Award nominees
• Multiple Grammy Award nominees
• Multiple Clio Award winners
• Multiple ASCAP’s Foundation’s Henry Mancini Emerging Film Composer award winners
• Multiple ASCAP’s Morton Gould Award for orchestral work
• Multiple ASCAP’s Harold Arlen Award
• Multiple ASCAP’s Plus Award winners
• Multiple Finalists for the Annual Turner Classic Movies Young Film Composers Competition & more.

Here is how Jordan described the process for getting a video project scored:

“At no cost, you create Projects that we expose to composers who can choose to submit scores for your private review.

You build your projects with descriptive text and requirements for the score you want, your music budget, terms of use, any location requirements and deadlines.

At no cost, you can upload an excerpt or a complete project video clip (up to a maximum of three minutes in length). Our hand selected pool of professional composers will audition by submitting a example of the music that is their interpretation of the perfect score for your project.

We present the submissions in an organized format viewable within your personal Dashboard, which allows you to easily review and rate the materials and the composers.
Once you select a score, for projects of three minutes or less, you can (upon payment through PayPal) immediately download a high-quality file of the music.

For projects over three minutes, which will involve the creation of additional music and often a creative discussion directly with the composer, upon payment of our fee, we will give you the composer’s contact information, so that you may conclude an agreement directly.”

So if you are looking for a way to have your video project scored with an original tune done by a highly-qualified professional Film and TV soundtrack composer, then Score a Score.com is a site you should check out.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula

Especially when there are no strings attached.

If you are looking for cost-effective resources to build a library of  royalty-free  clips, both music and footage, for your video making, I don’t think you can beat Footage Firm.

They just put out a brand new 10-disc collection of royalty free production music they are giving away FREE if you pay shipping.  Go sign up!

Footage Firm Free Music Collection

Footage Firm is large provider of royalty free footage with a client base that includes television networks and other huge production facilities.  They have been supplying video footage for a very long time, but until now had never supplied music clips.

This is their first collection of music and was produced by a select group of composers.  Human ones at that!  Here is a quote from Joel Holland of Footage Firm.

“The music tracks are all original compositions created by actual composers, and not electronic garbage like most production music. We just partnered with a production music company to introduce music to our customers for the first time, and to celebrate that and build exposure for the new product line, we are giving away copies of the 10 CDs. We are only doing this for one more month, then then prices go up to $139 per CD, which is still a very good deal. (But at $8.41 for S&H it is a no brainer right now!)”

Footage Firm is a great resource that I have relied on and used myself for many years.  I have several more post on this blog about their products.

This post features a video made from their footage and a link to a collection of backgrounds.

This post features a link to a collection of royalty free video clips.

Even if these particular collections are no longer available, I suggest you sign up with footage firm and you will be notified on their next release.

If you are going to make any quantity of video, it ALWAYS helps to have a library of footage and clips to use.  Today, I often make whole videos out of stock footage so my library of royalty free clips is invaluable.

Nice to get something invaluable for free!

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips

Lorraine Grula

My Blog Business Model from John Chow on Vimeo.

There are lots of reasons why I am posting John Chow’s video on how he makes forty thousand bucks a month blogging here on my blog, Video Production Tips.

One, is because the information is stop notch and something of great interest to me and my readers here at VPT.

Second, is because in spite of the quality content, most of the comments where I found the video were complaining like crazy because of the poor quality of the audio and video.

Many of them said they refused to watch the video because they could not understand what Mr. Chow was saying.

That’s sad, but entirely predictable.  Crummy sound is such a turn-off.  Very few viewers will bother to strain their ears to try and decipher bad audio.

People are more forgiving of poor quality video, but not much.  I also found several comments critical of the poor lighting.

One disgusted and impatient person went so far as to say that if Mr. Chow did not know how to light or mic a video, he had no credibility.    None.   On any subject.   So this person completely blew off the incredible information Chow had to offer simply because the audio sounded crummy and the lighting looked bad.

Wow!

That is extreme to say the least, but quite common.

I’ve said it a million times but I will say it again.

IF THE TECHNICAL QUALITY OF YOUR VIDEO SUCKS, PEOPLE WILL NOT WATCH IT AND YOU WILL LOSE WAY MORE CREDIBILITY THAN IS FAIR.   AUDIO QUALITY ACTUALLY IS MORE CRITICAL THAN VIDEO QUALITY.

How to Fix It?

The quality of this video could be improved dramatically if the folks shooting it has used an external microphone plugged into the camera and placed close to Mr. Chow’s mouth.

Or, an even better option, would be to plug into the sound board being used at the conference.  This way,  you record a direct audio feed.  Doing this usually requires a small adapter to knock the audio level down about 50 decibels from a line level feed to a mic feed level.  I have heard this magic gizmo referred to as an audio resistor, audio pad, line level adapter and decibel pad.  An XLR pad is about the size of your index finger.

Either one of these options would require a camera that has an input for a microphone.  Tiny, cheap video cameras DO NOT have an audio input.  Better cameras do, and this is exactly why a mic input is a critical feature to look for when buying a camcorder.

Audio inputs will either be a small stereo plug (less expensive) or an XLR audio input.  (more expensive.)

XLR Audio Cables

Whatever kind you have, make sure your microphone plug and your camera match.  If not, adapters of all kinds are made and you can find them at stores like Radio Shack.

For a situation like Mr. Chow was in, at a large conference, a wireless microphone would be preferable so you do not have to lay a cable on the floor where people are walking.  If you HAVE to use a wired mic, avoid lawsuits by duct taping down your cable.

A wireless microphone uses radio signals to transmit sound so it does not need to be plugged into the camera. Eliminating the audio cable between the speaker and the camera is very handy in many situations.

The Chow video was recorded using only the microphone found on-board the camera. Obviously it was not enough.  It picked up all the hums, coughs, and mutterings of the audience and the air conditioning system.   All that drowns Chow out.   The very best solution is to use a wireless lavalier microphone pinned onto his shirt about six inches from  his mouth.

But outside of buying a bunch of expensive new equipment, they still could have recorded better audio if they only knew how!

THEY COULD HAVE MADE IT WORK IF ONLY…….

If they were completely stuck with no other options but the small camera with no mic input, it could have worked better if they had gotten the camera and the mic MUCH closer to Mr. Chow.

The camera was clear at the back of the room and that distance is just too great for a mic like that to pick up well.  If the camera had been 3-4 feet from him instead, it would have picked up fairly decent audio.  Not great, but better than what they got.

Fixing the lighting is not nearly as critical, but doing so would be easy.  One diffused light, about 5 feet from Mr. Chow, pointed directly at his face, would light his face well but not overpower the screen behind him.

The video is quite long, nearly one hour.   I watched the entire thing and enjoyed it.  I think your ears adjust to bad sound and after listening for a while, it becomes easier to understand.   The information is top notch and I can only hope that Video Production Tips someday makes 40 grand a month!

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula

Internet Video Gal

As a video producer, I have to always be asking myself, “What does the audience WANT to see?”  I think it is my job to give it to them.

It is easy for a video producer to take the attitude, “What do I want to produce?” and then hope that people will watch whatever you give them.

Although I am occasionally guilty of that thinking myself, there’s no doubt that the first strategy will always be more successful.  The viewer is in the driver’s seat.  There is plenty of video online for them to watch so they can pick and choose.  Give them what they want and they will choose you.

So what do online video viewers want?   Judging by what is most popular on You Tube, CUTE is always a winner.  Some of the most popular videos on You Tube are totally insignificant except for one obvious attribute.  THEY ARE CUTE!  Usually, the cuteness centers around animals or babies.  Baby animals pack a double whammy!

People love to ohhhh and awww.  Cute animals are universally loved!  Show me someone who does not love a cute baby animal and I will show you a curmudgeon with no friends!

Back when I worked in TV news, we used to constantly laugh about this.  Here we were trying to do serious, intellectual stuff but our serious efforts got beat out by CUTE ANIMALS every time!

My best example was the night Al Gore announced his candidacy for presidency in 1999.  Here was the home town boy (I worked at WSMV-TV in Nashville) announcing his candidacy for president of the United States at a huge rally in downtown Nashville.

What lead the news that night?

A story about a dog!

Al had to settle for being the follow-up story.

Now when it comes to news, I rather decry the practice of pandering to the audience like this but when we’re talking online video, I have no problems with it!  Let’s do CUTE VIDEOS.

We recently had a litter of puppies at my house.  Are they ever CUTE!  So I just HAD to do a video.  I will make a prediction right now…this cute puppy video will get more views on You Tube than all my other views combined!

This was an easy to video to make. I grabbed my tiny mini-Dv camcorder and sat down on the floor with the puppies.  This way I could get up close and personal.  I shot most of it with the camera right beside the puppies with it zoomed out all the way and focused on a macro shot.  The puppies do not have their eyes open yet so they did not even know the camera was just an inch in front of them.

Close-up shots looking directly into their cute little faces give the viewer the best perspective.

I spent about 30 minutes video taping them doing whatever it was they felt like doing.  I just used window light, which was only about one foot away.  I brightened up the room considerably by opening all the shades.  This gave plenty of soft, diffused light.

I made sure to keep my own mouth shut so the microphone would pick up all their whimpering.  Even their sounds are cute and I knew I would take advantage of their natural sounds while editing.  I ended up using their whining and whimpering during the entire finished video.  I overlaid some toe-tapping royalty free music and mixed the two audio sources.  I think without the natural puppy sounds the video wouldn’t be as cute.  But if I had left off the music, the puppy sounds alone would have gotten tiring.

I had so many cute shots I ended up using two shots on the screen at once for the entire video.  I put the puppy shots on top of a digital juice background.  I took the opacity of the background down to 70% in order to mute the color of it somewhat.   A good background should not overpower the video.

I softened the edges of each puppy shot and set the size at 58%.  I put one in the top left and the other in the bottom right.  I put a default one-second dissolve between each shot, making sure that no two shots were dissolving at the same time.

I added some titles using two different fonts and two different colors.  The style trend in graphics went to using two different fonts at the same time several years ago.  At first I didn’t like it, I thought it looked too junked up.  But I got used to it and it’s so common now who am I to argue?

I spent about two hours editing this one-minute video. I must say, I had a jolly good time!

Please leave a comment below!  I’d love to hear what you think.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips

Lorraine Grula

Internet Video Gal

Wireless microphones not only help the videographer get great sound, but they also help you get great video. Not having to mess with that mess of  tangled black spaghetti known as audio cables is more than just convenient, it also allows you to put the cameras in positions you couldn’t if you were restricted by cables.   Using a wireless keeps people from tripping over cables too!

Here is a brief description of how a wireless mic works.   First, they usually have half a dozen pieces, but essentially, there are two basic parts.

• Transmitter
• Receiver

The actual microphone is plugged into the transmitter.  The person speaking usually wears the transmitter by clipping it to their belt or shoving it into their pocket.   Pay close attention when you are watching some TV shows and you can see a little black box about the size of a deck of cards on people’s back tucked into their belt.  This is the wireless transmitter.  They put it on their back to hide it as much as possible.

Then, the receiver is plugged into the camera, or where ever your sound is being recorded.

The transmitter takes the microphone signal and transmits it to the receiver via a radio signal.   The receiver picks up the signal much like a radio picks up a radio station signal.

Instead of having your audio travel from the microphone to the recording device through a cable, it travels through the air.     So it is this cable that is eliminated.  This is the only cable that is eliminated, but it is your most limiting cable so dealing with the other cables is no big deal. Other cables are used to plug the mic into the transmitter and the receiver into the recording device, so a wireless microphone system is not COMPLETELY wireless, which can confuse people.

.

You can buy wirless microphone in sets, like the one pictured above.  This way, you can easily use multiple mics together.  Each mic needs to have its own radio signal.  Problems arise when these radio signals conflict or get crossed.  Sets eliminate that problem.  You can also eliminate the problem by setting your mics to different frequencies, but that takes both a microphone that allows you that kind of control and the know-how to do it.   It’s usually not too complicated though.

A good wireless microphone will cost quite a bit more than a comparable wired mic. Anything cheaper than $300 is probably not very good.  A crummy wireless is a total pain in the butt because the signal will cut out and have tons of interference and static.

If there is no advantage to using a wireless, go with a wired. The advantages of using a wireless usually boil down to being able to let the camera move more freely and be further away from the people speaking.  So if you’re recording something while everyone is seated, using a wireless microphone is not going to help you much.

You can buy wireless microphone systems that do not actually include a microphone, it is just the transmitter and receiver.  These work with multiple microphones.   You can get a hand held mic, a lavalier and a shot gun microphone all to work with the same transmitter and receiver system.

If you are shooting video where the camera needs to move about freely, having a wireless microphone is very helpful.

B&H photo has a great selection of wireless mics.  I just went to their site and 94 pages worth of results came up for the keywords wireless microphone.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips
Lorraine Grula
Internet Video Gal