Capturing Realistic Sound on the Set

In most respects, recording audio for digital video is much like recording audio for film: It takes careful planning and close attention during the shoot.

Prime Directives

The three prime directives for recording audio are:

  • Capture clean dialogue.

  • Make sure audio perspective matches the action.

  • Avoid extraneous background noise.

AUDIO PERSPECTIVE: Apparent direction, volume, and distance of an audio source in relation to screen action. Also includes the distinctive spatial quality of a particular room or space.

SPATIAL QUALITY: Amount of echo, or apparent depth, and other noise characteristics of a room or space.

MONOPHONIC: Single-channel audio track: left (L) or right (R) channel of a stereo track.

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