How can I record better quality audio with a consumer level DV camera?

[Peter the Bohemian]

I have a Panasonic PV-GS300 (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-PV-GS300-Camcorder-Review.htm) and I was wondering what I could do to record better audio? Whenever I film, wind and background noises tend to be much louder than my subject's audio. Since audio is pretty much half of a film, I'm sure if I was able to record better audio, the quality of my films would increase greatly. I don't know how to

Thanks to DIY sites like Indy Mogul, I've already learned the basics of lighting a scene, my Dad and I have made my own steadicam, and my friend and I are working on making our first green screen. Hopefully there's some solutions to my audio problems as well!

[ian]

Consider buying an external microphone, maybe a really cheap boom mic with a huge windscreen, and attaching it to an external recording source, like a digital tape player, or usb recorder.

Attach the mic to that, and have a friend do the audio recording. In post, mute the camera's audio track and sync up the external audio with the video footage.

Just a suggestion though.

Another method, you could try taping a sock to the microphone on the camera, and see if it mutes the wind hitting it. Just turn the audio gain up a bit to compensate for an object being placed over it.

[nooneimportant77]

if you dont feel like doing any of the above for some reason (dont know why you wouldn't thats what i would do too!) and you want to go SUPER simple. there is normally a way to turn down the mic level on the camera but i would advise something that ian wrote.

[Infected_Films]

I had the same problem with a panasonic NV cam...

The way i solved it was i built a boom pole on the cheap (£8, thanks Weekend Extra) bought a shotgun mike W/ sound muffler on Ebay WITH an XLR attachement, then i bought a phantom PSU for £15, got a XLR 2 3.5mm Jack cable, plugged it in and away we go for professional sound!

Hope that helps! (P.S the entire thing cost me about £48 for everything so it's a REAL bargain if you know where to look)

Rico x

[nooneimportant77]

your shotgun mic takes phantom power?

[Grandma]

I also have the same problem. What I have done so far but only once and for music, was to record the person using a mini disk player, I looked them up on Ebay then my bro-in-law told me he had one I could use, so I bought a small microphone from Ebay and it worked a treat! The main problem with this is that the mini disk player is so small and I am now at the age where I need glasses so it's a pain in the backside, but getting to grips with it now. I'm wondering if it would be possible to use the same mini disk player with a boom mic. The little one plugs directly into the side of the minidisk player.

[Infected_Films]

Yeah it's a 48 lol, it's an imported Asian mike, mass produced but amazing quality

[phish]

Just make sure your cam has an XLR port. If your camera doesnt, but has a mic port, you'll need an XLR adaptor cable if you're going the shotgun mic route.

On ebay there are a bunch of those 50$ audio-technica shotgun mics floatin around... You should cehck one of those out.

[nooneimportant77]

Just make sure your cam has an XLR port. If your camera doesnt, but has a mic port, you'll need an XLR adaptor cable if you're going the shotgun mic route.
On ebay there are a bunch of those 50$ audio-technica shotgun mics floatin around... You should cehck one of those out.

what you need is an impedance converter. a microphone is High impedance, when you switch to something with a phono jack that is Low impedance, this makes for lots and lots of noise if you dont have a converter.

[WesScog]

You don't need a boom mic, just remember if you're filming in doors, turn all appliances off before you start filming.

If you're filming outside, film away from streets, other people, and try not to film on really windy days.

The Easiest way, is to film your actors doing their lines, then put the lens cap on, and get them to get very close to the camera and repeat their lines the same way they did them a second ago, then take the audio track (that'll be black), erase the video part after you import it, and edit the dialog over the video section with "bad audio".

Thats how Robert Rodriguez did El Mariachi, he got his actors to repeat the lines right after they finish the scene, THEN he went in during editing and put their dialog right over the scene, and synched it up.

Also, you can go in manually, and try to boost the audio every time someone talks. Using noise reduction, clean up, and other filters you can remove a lot of "hums" and hisses in the background.

And messing with the treble and bass, you can make it where the dialog audio really shines through.

Or, you can invest in a boom mic, and an separate Digital Audio Recorder, and get someone to always clap in front of the camera while you're starting a scene, you don't need a clap board.

[WesScog]

http://acceptable.tv/tutorial/17

This Tutorial for Acceptable TV is really good.

[Steve Nelson]

I'd say get a shotgun mic. You won't need anything special for it if you get a basic model (as long as it comes with a 1/8" plug, which the cheaper ones usually do). Your camcorder has a mic in and no headphone jack, right? So, you won't be able to listen for over modulation, but you'll be able to gauge it with your eyes. You don't want your audio meters to go over 0 dB; if they go over that, the audio will distort, creating an annoying problem better left avoided.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-AUDIO-TECHNICA-ATR55-SHOTGUN-CAMCORDER-MIC-ATR-55_W0QQitemZ140159192627QQihZ004QQcategoryZ83857QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemh

[Imbender]

I have a gs300 as well. I went with the Rode Videomic. found it on ebay for 100.00