Thursday, July 9, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
(Video) Turn a $20 Car Monitor into a DSLR or Camcorder Monitor
Video Tip:
Turn a $20 Car Monitor into a DSLR or Camcorder Monitor
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Connecting a 3.5mm (ATR-3350) microphone to a XLR / ¼ audio recorder (Tascam DR-40, DR-44, Zoom H4N)
OK, so here’s the problem: You finally saved up enough money. You washed 100 cars, cut 100 lawns, or whatever the case may be. But you finally saved up enough money to buy your first audio recorder. And there are many reasons you would want to have one for video production. But, the point is, you have one, or else you would not be reading this post.
Furthermore, you also decided to get a nice fancy one that has a couple of XLR inputs, because, eventually you will want to buy one of those fancy XLR microphones.
Simple right…? Just get a one of those 1/8" to 1/4" microphone converters. Since these recorders have a combo XLR / 1/4“ input. Well, I just happen to have a couple of these around the house. So I connected my mics to the adapter, then plugged the adapter into the recorder.
But to my dismay, it wasn’t working. No signal.
The funny thing was that when I jiggled it around, and slightly
unplugged the microphone from the adapter, I was able to get the sound. This had me scouring the internet for answers. Yes, the ENTIRE internet. I found a couple users
with this problem, but no solution. Maybe the answer was such an elementary solution that they were embarrassed to post it.
But, that’s not me.
So go ahead and laugh, but I’m sure there will be at least one person
out there that will say ‘hey man, I made the same mistake, thanks. So for you sir (or Maam), here’s the solution:
The thing I didn’t know was that these adapters are not all the same. When I started to look online, I noticed that some were stereo to stereo, some were mono to stereo, some stereo to mono, and some were mono to mono.
The inputs on these recorder are mono. So basically, depending on the mic you are connecting, you will want either mono to mono, or stereo to mono. I would recommend buying two of each kind. You may eventually need one or the other. In case you have any of these mics, these are what I needed for them:
| stereo to mono | - | ATR 3350 Lavalier |
| stereo to mono | - | Audio-Technica PRO24CM |
| stereo to mono | - | Aputure V-Mic D1 |
| mono to mono | - | Neewer 14.37 inch Shotgun |
$4.43/2 - mono to mono
$3.44/1 – stereo
to mono
Monday, December 1, 2014
Free Sounds
Sound effects and royalty free music. Just pick a category, preview, then download
what you want. Registration
required. Musical selection not quite as
big as the sound effects.
Sound effects only.
This site lets you key word search for your sounds, or browse tags, to
categorically search for the right sound.
They also have a system that allows you to rate the sounds. 
A nice, clean looking site with a lot of free sounds. Keyword search, and easy download. No registration is required here to download
sound files.
This site has royalty free tracks created by Kevin MacLeod. Keyword search is available, but you There are plenty of quality
recordings to use. Don’t forget to
attribute the artist. There is also a keyword search, but you will
probably want to click the genre or mood that matches the type of music you are
looking for. Sunday, November 23, 2014
Microphones
Microphones come in many varieties, shapes and sizes. Some mics can do you well in one circumstance, but be wrong for another use. Here is a basic run down on the different types of microphones available, and their best uses.
Condenser Microphones
These mics have electrical
circuitry that amplifies the signal being produced, and as a result are very
sensitive. They also require a power
source to be operable.
Dynamic
Dynamic microphones are
less sensitive than condenser mics, and generally can take more punishment due
to simple electromagnetic construction. Dynamic mics are typically used to
record live instruments and vocals, but also work for studio vocals as well. To further complicate
things, microphones can have different pick up patterns, and consequently be
used for different applications.
Cardioid
microphones pick up sound in the front, about 120 degrees. They reject sound from the rear and sides. The pickup pattern resembles a heart, hence the term cardioid.
Hypercardioid
These microphones also pickup sound in the direction they are facing, but have an elongated, 100 degree
pick-up pattern. There side rejection is superior to cardioid microphones but also
pick-up a little sound from the rear.
The pickup pattern on these mics resemble a figure eight, picking up sound from the front and back, and rejecting sound from the sides. These mics are popular selections for broadcast microphones and headsets.
Omnidirectional
These
cover all directions and picks up all sound in a 360 degree radius. They are
typically used for natural, ambient recordings as well as lavaliere microphones
– since head movement will not effect the volume of the recording. These are also often used for headset microphones.
Low Cost Recommendations
1/8” –
Connects to a camera or recorder
XLR –
Connects to a mixer
USB –
Connects to a computer
Shotgun - Condensers
A shotgun
mic is one of the most common mics used in professional television and film
production. Their hypercardioid pickup
pattern make them ideal to focus on dialog.
They are typically mounted on a boom pole and placed on top pointing
down on the action.
Dynamic
When
recording a podcast or radio show, you probably want to record in a somewhat
soundproof room that will cancel out background noise and echo. Dynamic microphones are preferable because
they do not pick up a lot of ambient noises due to their weaker signal.
Cardioid
- Condensers
Condensers are very sensitive so make sure your studio is properly soundproofed to ensure a quality recording.
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