Pointers and NoNos.

Pointers

1    Know your equipment.  Know which controls do what, and what connects to what, but also get to know how much signal it can take before the sound begins to overload, how long you can go on batteries, how the mike sounds close up to someone,  etc.

2    Put in fresh batteries.  Doesn’t matter how fresh you think they are, put new ones in to avoid that sinking feeling as you run out of power before the end of the interview or performance.

3    If you can, use wall power.

4    Make sure your CF or SD card is empty before you start.  Usually that means formatting it.

5    Get you microphone close, but not too close.  If the camera is too close the picture goes out of focus.  If the mike is too close, you get distorted sound.

6    On an interview, make sure you get your subject.  if necessary, your questions can always be recorded and edited in later.

7    You can’t always eliminate background noise, and don’t always want to, but you can keep it to acceptable levels by going a little further away, turning your back to it, going round a corner, etc.

8    Listen on headphones.  Would you take a picture without looking thru the viewfinder?

9    If your recorder has a limiter and/or bass rolloff, use them.

10    Switch on early, and start the recording before anything happens.  It costs nothing to have a longer recording and you don’t want to miss anything. You can also pick up some useful background sound which might help later at the editing stage.

11    Don’t switch off until everything has stopped.  See 10.

12     Take notes, of interruptions, noise spikes, or anything else that will need edited out, and of particularly good sections that you need to make sure you keep.

NoNos

1    Don’t record at too high a level.  Unpleasant distortion is the result.

2    Don’t record at too low a level.  When it’s increased to make it listenable, so is the background noise, and the result is not good.

3    Don’t record in wind – even a gentle breeze,  unless you have really good wind protection, and you probably don’t.  WInd noise is messy and unpleasant.  If you have to be in wind, wrap something woolen or cotton round the mike.  A slightly muffled sound is preferable to wind noise.

4    Don’t hold your mike in your hand unless really necessary.  Handling noise is similar to wind noise.

5    Don’t leave home without checking that you have everything you need.  And perhaps a little more – spare batteries, spare cables, etc.