Q. Are there any external camera microphones that recored and store audio instead of plugging into a camera.
I need to know because I have a camera with no audio in
Thanks!
I need to know because I have a camera with no audio in
Thanks!
Answer
Hi Chris:
There are a lot of small solid-state memory (internal or flash-card storage) non-tape audio recorders with integral microphones that you could use.
Some of the better ones (like the Alesis PalmTrack and the Zoom H1) are under-$100 and have excellent stereo and multi-channel recording mikes built-in.
On a tight budget, you could use an old cassette tape recorder and a good mike, but then you'd add the complexity of converting the analog audio into a digital file for editing & synchronization.
The biggest challenge you face with recording "wild sound" (the term used for non-sync audio for moving pictures) is the "sync" or matching the action to the audio. The simplest way is to use a "film slate" or "clapboard" which gives both a sharp sound (the "clap" of the hinged stick) and a visual cue (the image of the stick hitting the top of the slate) to match-up at the editing phase of your video. Be sure to clearly announce the details or sequence # of each "take" when you slate it, so that the audio file will make sense when you edit.
You'll have to remember to re-slate every time you start/stop your camcorder. If you forget, you can "back-slate" at the end of the take, and still have something to "sync" to. (Even just a shot of you or the subject clapping their hands widely will give a useful "slate" mark.)
The other option is to buy a USB-interface microphone and connect it to your laptop using any simple audio-recording or sound-capture software. The same sound-sync issue will need to be dealt with as with the hand-recorders.
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
Â
Hi Chris:
There are a lot of small solid-state memory (internal or flash-card storage) non-tape audio recorders with integral microphones that you could use.
Some of the better ones (like the Alesis PalmTrack and the Zoom H1) are under-$100 and have excellent stereo and multi-channel recording mikes built-in.
On a tight budget, you could use an old cassette tape recorder and a good mike, but then you'd add the complexity of converting the analog audio into a digital file for editing & synchronization.
The biggest challenge you face with recording "wild sound" (the term used for non-sync audio for moving pictures) is the "sync" or matching the action to the audio. The simplest way is to use a "film slate" or "clapboard" which gives both a sharp sound (the "clap" of the hinged stick) and a visual cue (the image of the stick hitting the top of the slate) to match-up at the editing phase of your video. Be sure to clearly announce the details or sequence # of each "take" when you slate it, so that the audio file will make sense when you edit.
You'll have to remember to re-slate every time you start/stop your camcorder. If you forget, you can "back-slate" at the end of the take, and still have something to "sync" to. (Even just a shot of you or the subject clapping their hands widely will give a useful "slate" mark.)
The other option is to buy a USB-interface microphone and connect it to your laptop using any simple audio-recording or sound-capture software. The same sound-sync issue will need to be dealt with as with the hand-recorders.
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
Â
How can I attach a better quality external microphone to my digital camera or camcorder?
maybachman
I want to record a video for youtube but the built in mic in my sony digital camera is not the best sound quality.
Thank you!
Answer
If the camera has a mic-in jack, that is the only way. If you have a Sony camcorder like a DCR-HC96 with only a "active interface" shoe, you need one of these:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/479976-REG/Sony_VMCK100_VMC_K100_Microphone_Adapter_Cable.html
If you are recording loud audio and the sound is getting muddy, you may be out of luck - the loud noise is overdriving the auto-audio leveling circuit. IN the Sony camcorders, there is a "Normal" and "Low" audio switch in the menu so you can reduce the mic gain when the audio is loud, but if it is a still camera that happens to take highly compressed videos, your only option is to get a field recorder (like those from M-Audio, Marantz or Fostex) and during editing, kill the video's audio and bring in the audio from the field recorder - they all have manual audio control.
If the camera has a mic-in jack, that is the only way. If you have a Sony camcorder like a DCR-HC96 with only a "active interface" shoe, you need one of these:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/479976-REG/Sony_VMCK100_VMC_K100_Microphone_Adapter_Cable.html
If you are recording loud audio and the sound is getting muddy, you may be out of luck - the loud noise is overdriving the auto-audio leveling circuit. IN the Sony camcorders, there is a "Normal" and "Low" audio switch in the menu so you can reduce the mic gain when the audio is loud, but if it is a still camera that happens to take highly compressed videos, your only option is to get a field recorder (like those from M-Audio, Marantz or Fostex) and during editing, kill the video's audio and bring in the audio from the field recorder - they all have manual audio control.
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