Audio for Video: Using Your Camcorder Mic
By Internet Video Gal in Audio for Video, Video Production
Decent audio for your video production is critical. If a viewer can not hear you, they will not stick around to watch your video.
An Audio Waveform
The BEST way to get good audio when making video is to use a separate lavalier or hand held microphone close to the mouth while recording. This microphone would be plugged into your camera and using it over rides and shuts off the microphone that comes attached to your camera.
To record audio this way requires a camera that accepts a separate microphone plug-in. The smallest and least expensive cameras do NOT have this feature.
So lots of people have no choice but to use the microphone that comes attached to their camera.
How do you make this work?
Even though recording audio with your on-board microphone is not the BEST way to do it, with a few pointers you can make it work just fine.
First and most critical, make sure the background noise is minimal or non existent. If you have complete control, turn everything OFF. Everything.
If need be, leave and find a quiet corner. I’ve recorded audio inside a sealed up car MANY times. That was the only place that was reasonably quiet.
If the background noise is absolutely impossible to shut down and there is no quiet corner to escape to, hold the camera and mic very close to your mouth (six inches or closer) and speak LOUDLY. The automatic gain control of the camera will quick in, lowering the recording volume significantly. At that distance, your voice is so loud compared to the background noise, that a lowered recording volume will eliminate lots of the background and your voice will dominate.
Hopefully, the automatic gain control will lower the record volume enough so that none of your audio is distorted. Audio recorded this way will not be ultra fantastic, but it will be understandable.
If the background is quiet, it is best to be about three feet away from the on-board microphone when you are speaking. Speak loudly and enunciate well. Do not mumble. Speak to the back of the room.
Under these conditions, the microphone on-board your camera will pick up the sound just fine. It will be almost as good as if you were able to record it with a separate microphone plugged into your camera.
There is ALWAYS a way to make video work. Lots of video “gurus” will tell you that you have to have a separate microphone to record decent audio for your video. It does help, but you can also work within the confines of your equipment limitations if you know how.
I see lots of You Tube videos where the audio would be MUCH better if they followed these simple suggestions.
Thanks for reading Video Production Tips
Lorraine Grula
Internet Video Gal
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6 Comment(s)
By Miriam on | Reply
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By Internet Video Gal on | Reply
Hi Miriam.
Thanks for your compliment. I am glad you like video production tips. Please let me know if there is anything specific you want me to write about.
Lorraine
By JaneRadriges on | Reply
Hi, gr8 post thanks for posting. Information is useful!
By Free Gadget on | Reply
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By Bruce Hathaway on Sep 2, 2010 | Reply
Don’t you need some kind of pre-amp with an outboard mic? I’m assuming that with a video camera there is a very basic mic pre on the plug in microphone. Is that the only alternative?
By Internet Video Gal on Sep 2, 2010 | Reply
Hi Bruce.
No, you do not need any kind of preamp when using the microphone plugged into a video camera. I have never used a preamp in any situation with a video camera and a mic. If you have the right kind of connection, (XLR or the little stereo plug) then it should work just fine. The mic may need a battery. I hope this helps you. Happy video making!
Lorraine