Sound for Video Part 1: Two Secrets to Great Sound

[aznpimpin89]

Not sure if this question was already asked, but I went out and bought two work lamps (150W/125VAC) and two 68 watt/120V CFL bulbs. They aren't working. The old 18watt/120V CFL works fine. Am I missing something here?

[aznpimpin89]

@aznpimpin89 Disregard. On the light fixture, I lifted up the metal contact point a little and now its working fine. Thanks

[jackychanelectronics]

When you record with the shotgun mic, run it through the audio interface & into the computer, what program do you use to record the audio on your computer? Do you just click sound recording? It will record the audio file as a windows media audio file? Is this the way to do it? I am thinking of getting a usb mic, would that allow me to bypass the audio interface, what do you recommend? Thank you so much for your tutorial, its really helpful, and you look awesome up there!

[curtisjudd]

@jackychanelectronics I use Reaper which costs $60 (google to find it). Another decent, but free program, is Audacity which I have also used. I would avoid using the windows sound recorder because windows media files can be difficult to merge with video--many editors just do not support it. Audacity and others support WAV which is industry standard and much easier to get into your video. Yes, a USB mic is a mic and audio interface in one--fine solution. Thanks!

[jackychanelectronics]

@curtisjudd thanks so much! :)

[ShadowManV3]

I have a Rode NTG-2 and It works pretty well i havent used it much yet. I plug it in to my Canon 7D But my question is , is there a way to make it sound better? And I got kinda confused with the switch on the mic like wat is the difference between them.

[curtisjudd]

@ShadowManV3 Plugging directly into the camera will usually result in pretty poor sound partly because you have to convert to an unbalanced cable and also because you're relying on the mic's battery to power the mic. The best way to improve the sound of the NTG-2 is to use a proper pre-amp like on a Zoom H4n or even with an audio interface. The switch is just a high-pass filter to cut out low frequency rumble from handling. You can just leave that on the angled line setting.

[fotizome]

great vid, what do u think about a h1 recording a rodevideomic pro while stuck on a monopod for a boom pole and 6ft worth of exention cable, you can earplug straight out of the h1 for metering

[curtisjudd]

@fotizome It would probably work but there's a big risk: The cable coming out of the Rode Videomic is unbalanced and that's not a problem since it is just a short cable run. But, adding an extension would probably introduce quite a lot of noise and a weaker signal so the final results probably won't be great. Maybe it would work if you somehow rigged the H1 up at the end of the boom with the videomic to avoid the extension cable. Then you could run an extension for the headphones.

[AlbrightJamesD]

I have Final Cut Pro Studio and I was wondering if you know if I can record a single voice through the Zoom H4n directly into Soundtrack Pro and then add affects such as reverberation or other affects after recording to make the voice sound better in Soundtrack Pro as opposed to having to purchase Saffire Pro 24 and mix it live first before recording. My voice is quiet soft and not too deep so I would like to make it sound better in the videos, in which I will be teaching.

[curtisjudd]

@AlbrightJamesD Yes! The Zoom H4n will also act as an audio interface. I've heard of other people doing exactly that.

[AlbrightJamesD]

I would like to use the Rode NTG-2 microphone and I was wondering what the name of the interface you plugged the mic into or what do you recommend that I purchase to record directly to my laptop? Thank you for all of your advice, which has helped me choose the right products.

[curtisjudd]

@AlbrightJamesD You'll need an audio interface with pre amps. The two main choices are firewire and USB. I use a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP which is firewire based and also have an older Edirol USB interface (now out of production). You might look at the Focusrite Scarlett interfaces which are USB 2.0 based on the lower end and you can go crazy and spend tons of money beyond that. If you're on a Mac, lots of people seem to like the Apogee products, also a significant step in price.

[AlbrightJamesD]

@curtisjudd Thank you very much. 

[Sn0wKiSs]

I realize you are very humble. Which is good, hahah :)

[chrislisten]

thanks :-) ! Same we do at work (Zoom H4n)

[0SKBooth0]

too much headroom! only complaint, haha

[curtisjudd]

@0SKBooth0 Agreed--Looks like I need to hire a crew member to get the composition/framing taken care of. ;-)

[0SKBooth0]

@curtisjudd haha its what i do!

[83Batesphotography]

Good video I will have to try that after I play around with the different lighting ideas

[kuurnekuurne]

Hi Curtis!

Thank you very much for sharing this, like JustinEvans wrote, you made it easy to understand! Looking forward to see more of you!

Cheers from snowy Norway!

--

Johan

[ourlittleplanet]

You have made the complex and technical come across as easy to understand for the common man. Thank you for sharing this! We need more videos from you! ~JustinEvans

[erezbens]

Thanks Curtis

Great tips

[johnnybrazil01]

of course thumbed up!

thanks Curtis!