Comments on: WVU #56 – How To Get Great Audio If Your Camera Only Has a Built-In Microphone

By: Travis

Travis — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:39:10 +0000

Great tip! I have been pulling my hair out with frustration when shooting video and you tip gave me an inexpensive work around.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:59:57 +0000

I picked up an Olympus VN-6200PC digital voice recorder from Best Buy and a Radio Shack 33-3013 mic to plug in to it….works awesome! The tip about clapping at the beginning of the shoot is a great tip too, made it very easy to sync up.

Why even buy a real wireless mic? Is there a noticeable difference over this technique Dave? Because it really only took an extra 2 minutes, but saved hundreds of dollars.

By: Jendi

Jendi — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:10:28 +0000

This is an awesome tip! I know I have a voice recorder – have to check on the microphone.

I love web video university!

By: Darla

Darla — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:20:29 +0000

Great tip Dave

My Camera has an external mic connection but I can see this tip coming in handy in situations when the connection is not practical. Right now I do not have a wireless mic but use a cord.

Darla

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:59:30 +0000

Very timely tip Dave!

By: Gideon Shalwick

Gideon Shalwick — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:06:02 +0000

Dave

Great idea!

Thanks for the awesome tip!

Gideon Shalwick

By: Bobby

Bobby — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:44:02 +0000

Dave this was a godsend solution for us who just have built-in mic to our videocamera.

A big headache is gone!!

Thanks a lot Dave!!!

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:01:40 +0000

@Phil and @Eric – The recorder was an Olympus VN 5200PC and the mic was an Audio-Technica ATR-35S. But any voice recorder and mic will do. These are just what I had laying around.

@Pete – I don’t know of any decent wireless systems that would work with a voice recorder. Most wireless systems are designed to work with video cameras and are not cheap. Here is what I use:

http://webvideouniversity.com/podcast/video/2009/01/09/wvu-20-the-equipment-i-use/

By: Pete

Pete — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:14:18 +0000

Hi Dave, great content as always and this very timely as I have this very problem. I will probably go the route that you suggest but do you recommend any wireless radio mics that can be battery powered rather than needing a mains supply? Thanks

By: Phil

Phil — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:57:59 +0000

Here’s the mic:

Olympus ME-15 Microphone

http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-145045-ME-15-Microphone/dp/B000815CF4/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b

By: Phil

Phil — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:39:40 +0000

I’ve got a Yamaha Pocketrak 2G pocket recorder which I occasionally use for recording workshops or lectures.

After watching this I pulled it out and was delighted to find it does have a microphone input. I’m also wondering what mic you plugged into your recorder Dave?

@John – the iPhone is a great idea.

By: Eric Bobrow

Eric Bobrow — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:20:51 +0000

Thanks for all your great tips.
Can you tell us which $40 audio recorder you are using, and which $20 microphone? Eventually I’ll buy a video camera with mic input, but until then, this tip will allow me to make decent sounding web videos…but I’d love to know what you recommend for these budget items!

By: Janet

Janet — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:30:24 +0000

Hey Dave – great advise about external microphones. As Justin C suggested in his comment, I also use the “clap” method to sync up the audio. I record three loud, slow claps. It’s really obvious on the wave form and easy to line up.

By: Justin C.

Justin C. — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:53:13 +0000

Also, if you’re going to spend more than a $100 on a digital voice recorder, I highly recommend the Zoom H2 for about $150. The sound will be really, really good because it records at higher than CD quality (96khz) and it uses SD cards. Otherwise, if you’re not obsessive about audio quality I’d recommend the Olympus VN 6200PC for about $50. But use the highest quality settings on this model.

By: John W. Collins

John W. Collins — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:44:57 +0000

Thanks, Dave! You know, this makes me think about the voice memo app on the iPhone. Maybe in a pitch you could always just pull out the iPhone and use it as the voice recorder. At least for shots where the Flip is a ways away the audio should still be better by using the iPhone voice recorder. Of course, I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s an idea!

John

By: Justin C.

Justin C. — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:44:10 +0000

Here’s an additional tip to help synch your audio in editing much quicker…give a clap! Have your camera person, or yourself, give one clap in front of the talent on camera sideways to mimic what they do in big feature films.

Hey Dave, could you also recommend the best lavalier mic with a 3.5mm (1/8 inch) plug to buy that’s on the market now?

By: Brooks

Brooks — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:50:31 +0000

Brilliant. Thanks Dave! The next step up in my experience without breaking the bank is to buy the Canon ZR 800 (can be found VERY inexpensively on Ebay), because it is the only LOW end consumer camera that can handle an external mic to my knowledge. I have used it successfully with the Samson Airline AL-1 combination in many productions, which is also quite cheap compared to the Sennheiser products you recommend. All in that set up cost me a about $300, which of course is a lot more than what you recommend with this awesome digital recorder idea – but I just wanted to share this since I think it was you who helped me get set up with the budget-friendly Canon in the first place.

One note about the Canon ZR800 – it really sucks in low light.

Brooks.