Ah, the great outdoors. It’s a video shooter’s dream come true. Loads of free lighting, gorgeous backgrounds and breathtaking scenery – what more could you want? At least visually, shooting outdoors is a wonderful idea. For audio, however, an outdoor shoot presents a new set of ch

As a video-editing hobbyist, you probably spend a great deal of time thinking about your computer. You continually consider the capacity of your hard drives and regularly revisit your recommended RAM. You muse over monitors, mice and menu structures, strain over software solutions and agonize over e

$495 Carvin Corporation 12340 World Trade Drive San Diego, CA 92128-3742 (800) 854-2235 www.carvin.com There comes a time in every video editor’s life when a realization occurs: a good video production environment requires more than just quality, affordable video gear it also requires qualit

More than just an audio editor, the 2.0 version of Cool Edit Pro enters the loop-based music composition space, supports simple MIDI operations and can be used to score a video soundtrack as well. Cool Edit Pro’s popularity is justified: In terms of quality, ease of use and value, it is hard t

Depending on the type of project you’re shooting, you may need to hide microphones from the all-seeing eye of your camera. This is especially important in drama pieces and reenactments where you want the audience to focus on the action, not your hardware. But video producers aren’t the

If you’re reading this magazine, chances are you have a camcorder and enjoy using it. That camcorder has a built-in microphone that generally does a decent job of recording sound. If you’re like many Videomaker readers, you’ve used your camcorder in a variety of settings and disco

Eons ago (that’s about five years or so in computer years) audio engineers recorded and edited narration on tape. It was tedious, caused eyestrain and often required the engineers to twist their bodies into unnatural positions over and over to make the repetitious edits. Worse, the edits were

Video production can be quite complicated sometimes. Just learning and understanding all the features on your camera is a daunting task. Add to the fun all the audio tips and hints you’ve collected over the years. What if there were just a handful of things you had to remember about recording

A good sound track is the key to a great video. Not sure you agree? Try this: pop a movie you’ve never seen into your DVD player. Start the movie, but play it with your eyes closed. Just listen to the soundtrack. No peeking! As you listen, notice how much of the plot you can follow using only

The Canon GL2, one of the most anticipated new video cameras this year, is the successor to the popular GL1. Like a warm bowl of porridge, the GL2 is just right – not too small, not too expensive and yet it has nearly all of the features most advanced users will ever need. For serious hobbyist

You hear sound effects all the time in movies and on TV. And this time of year, as Halloween approaches, there are lots of creepy sound effects to go around. While certain effects are easy to pick out, others are subtler. In any case, sound effects are a fundamental part of the media we watch. Why n

Headphones are like credit cards – you should never leave home without them. However, many shooters do just that and then suffer the (often devastating) consequences later in the edit suite. Learning to choose and use headphones for your video productions will improve your audio quality and c

From network magazine shows to documentaries, from the local news to Junkyard Wars, many video forms use interviews to either tell a story or reinforce a topic. In video production, we often spend our precious setup time getting the lighting and camera angles just right. This leaves little or no ti

Azden’s SGM-1X shotgun mike is designed for advanced shooters who need a high-performance, highly directional microphone. This offering from Azden provides excellent quality at a modest price. Although many mike spec sheets read the same, giving frequency response ranges and maximum sound-pre

It’s inevitable. If it hasn’t happened already, you’ll eventually shoot video in an auditorium. Aside from potential problems with lighting and available electricity, how will you record the sound? Authorities will probably confine you to some horrible cubbyhole at the rear of the

Whether you edit commercials, training videos or even movie trailers, at some point in your video career you’ll need to record a voiceover for a project. You know, the smooth, professional dialogue that urges you to dial a toll-free number and divulge your credit card. Of course, you’ll

It’s time to dig out the khaki shorts, dust off the pith helmet, polish the old puttees and set forth on that grueling annual trek: the summer vacation. And, to keep your camels or elephants from collapsing under the weight of your junk, you need to give careful thought to your video outfit.

Understanding balanced and unbalanced audio connections can help you record better audio. As a youngster, I loved to go to the circus. The sights and sounds of the big-top fascinated me especially the tightrope walkers. These were people who risked life and limb, balanced high above the crowd with

Interviews are the most common form of nonfiction television; and with just a little practice, you can adapt this cheap and versatile format to your corporate, school, church, club, community and family programs. Most studio interviews aim one camcorder at the subject and the other at the reporter,

All too often, video sound takes a back seat to the images on the screen. This isn’t just a rookie mistake the big boys do it too. In fact, a television producer once told me that audio was just "that thing that goes along with the picture." I’ll never forget his statement; it