Mastering the Art of Wireless Microphones: Elevate Your Video Content Creation
Jamie Perez • August 7, 2019
In the world of video content creation, audio plays a huge role in engaging and captivating your audience. Some would argue that audio is more important than the visuals. A key tool in achieving top-notch audio is the wireless microphone. Whether you're a vlogger, filmmaker, marketing specialist, videography, digital content manager or content creator, understanding how to properly use wireless microphones can make your video go from good to great. Let’s dive into the fundamentals of using wireless microphones and highlight the numerous benefits they bring to your video content.
The Basics of Wireless Microphone Usage:
- Choose the Right Microphone: Make sure your microphone suits your specific needs. Lavalier (lapel) microphones are perfect for interviews and on-the-go situations, while shotgun microphones are good at capturing audio from a distance. Research different models and read reviews to ensure you find the perfect fit for your content style. These are my go-to lav mics.
- Frequency Selection: Interference can be a significant issue with wireless microphones. Selecting an appropriate frequency band that's less congested will minimize the chances of interference and dropout. Always consult the manufacturer's guidelines for recommended frequency settings in your area.
- Pairing and Syncing: Most wireless microphone systems require pairing and syncing between the transmitter and receiver. Follow the manufacturer's instructions closely to establish a reliable connection. Make sure both devices are on the same frequency and use fresh batteries to prevent unexpected disruptions.
- Placement and Positioning: Proper microphone placement is crucial for capturing clear and natural audio. Position lavalier microphones near the speaker's mouth but hidden from view, while shotgun microphones should be pointed towards the sound source for optimal audio pickup. If you’re using a lav mic, have your interviewee thread the cord under their shirt and attach the microphone part at the top of their shirt. Make sure the microphone is sitting on the outside of their shirt. I’ve seen too many people just clip the mic to the person’s shirt without hiding the cord and it looks sloppy and distracting. (See images below)
Benefits of Using Wireless Microphones for Video Content Creation:
- Enhanced Audio Quality: Wireless microphones offer superior audio quality compared to built-in camera microphones. They capture crisp and clear sound directly from the source, minimizing ambient noise and ensuring your message comes across loud and clear.
- Freedom of Movement: Wireless microphones free you from the constraints of wired setups, allowing you to move around freely while recording. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for dynamic shots, interviews, and outdoor shoots.
- Professionalism: High-quality audio is a hallmark of professional video content. By using wireless microphones, you convey a sense of professionalism and dedication to your audience, making your videos more engaging and enjoyable.
- Reduced Post-Production Work: Capturing clean audio during the recording phase reduces the need for extensive post-production audio editing. This saves you time and effort, enabling you to focus on other creative aspects of your content.
- Versatility: Wireless microphones can adapt to various shooting scenarios, making them versatile tools for content creators. Whether you're shooting indoors, outdoors, in noisy environments, or with multiple speakers, wireless microphones can handle it all.
Audio quality is a critical component that can make or break your videos. Wireless microphones offer an array of benefits, from improved audio quality to enhanced flexibility, professionalism, and reduced post-production workload. By mastering the art of wireless microphone usage, you can elevate your content and captivate your audience with engaging, crystal-clear audio. So, invest in a reliable wireless microphone system, learn the proper techniques, and take your video content creation to new heights. Your viewers' ears will thank you!
Check out this video on YouTube to see a demonstration of how to properly place a microphone, an explanation of how the mics work and a more in-depth explanation of the mics themselves!
When it comes to video production, a major part of the art happens during the editing process. A good editor can take bad footage and still make a decent story out of it. But a bad editor cannot take great footage and make a great story out of it. You should be able to be decent at both -- but if your footage isn't the greatest, a good edit can still save you. Here are some key elements to thoroughly consider when editing your videos to ensure the final product is as great as it can be: 1) Music selection: Music will drive the narrative and set the tone for whatever emotion you want your audience to feel. The music needs to compliment the video. In many music libraries online you can narrow down the search results by putting in filters like instruments, mood, beats per second, etc. If you have a promo video that you want people to be excited about, for example, use music that is quick paced, has a hard bass, etc. 2) A-roll: These are your interviews -- the driving sound that will literally narrate the video. The first ten seconds are super important. That's your hook. It's what captures the audience's attention. Once you start bringing the viewer into the middle of the narrative, stakes are high so it's important to choose soundbites that reveal more layers to the story to keep their attention on the story. One of the biggest challenges editors face is deciding what stays and what goes. When you have so much good sound, it's hard to decide. A bit of advice here is to step away from the project for a day and come back and watch it with fresh eyes and ears. Then decide-- what sound would move me the most if this were my first time watching it? What sound advances the story and does the best job of driving home the message? And then lastly -- how do you want your story to end? Choosing that final soundbite is important because that's the overall feeling that your audience will walk away with. If you are moved by the sounds you choose -- chances are your audience will be too. 3) B-Roll: These are your visuals. Anything that is not an interview shot that helps move the story. It's great to use the phrase "say dog, see dog" when choosing your b-roll. If the soundbite talks about walking on a beach looking at the sunset, choose footage that shows that. One of the other challenging parts during the editing process is you could have an amazing shot of something--- but if the soundbite that talks about that didn't make it into the final cut of the story, then you also have to cut that beautiful shot you were super proud of if it doesn't move the story forward. But this can always be used in a separate standalone cut to promote the video on social media. 4) Practice: All of these things take time to master. Even when you've been at it for years, it's still a continuous learning process because every story is different. Find the moments that move you and the shots that ignite some sort of emotion in you. Cut different versions until you find the right one. And have fun with it when all is said and done!
Learn how to direct b-roll with authenticity. These 4 tips help you capture real emotion on camera without staging or losing the human connection.
Mastering the art of storytelling takes years of practice. You can buy all the top-tier equipment in the world and still struggle with telling a good story. Because while the nice cameras can make a good visual, no amount of equipment in the world can produce a good soundbite. Only the person behind the camera can do that. If you are someone who has been creating videos or sharing stories and wonder why your videos just don't hit you in the feels the way you want them to, it's time to do some self-reflection and ask yourself how good the interview questions were that you came up with. Because your interviewee is a direct reflection of the interviewer . We see so many people pay thousands of dollars for incredibly cinematic video... but the message just isn't there. It fell flat and now you've just spent all this money for a video that ultimately won't work the way you wanted it to. If you are running an organization and are about to sit down for a video interview, I would want to know that the person behind the camera was a good interviewer and knew how to calm my nerves, knew how to ask the right questions to make me really think about my WHY, and could pull emotion out of me that I'm not used to sharing. We've put together several tips about how to approach an interview, from the way you enter the room, to the questions you ask when the lights and camera are rolling: If the tone of your story is raw, emotional and authentic, enter the room this way. Have conversations with your interviewees as you're setting up your gear to talk about soft, heartwarming topics. Maybe even share something vulnerable about yourself so break down that wall we tend to put up around others. Show them that it's okay to not always put your best self forward. That we are all human and life happens. This helps them not only feel comfortable with you before the camera starts recording, but allows them to open up during the actual interview. If you enter the room with a serious demeanor or frazzled because you're running late, you're bringing that energy onto the set and your interview will be reflective of that. Ask better questions if you want better answers. For example: If you ask someone if they like the sunset-- that's a yes or no answer you're going to get. But if you ask them," Tell me through the use of colors what you love about the sunset and paint a picture so I can imagine what you're seeing -- that is a prompt that encourages them to share a memory, an emotion, a sensory experience that invites a much richer soundbite. Stay away from yes or no questions. Those will not help you the editing process. Talk from the heart, not from a script. If you're sticking to a pre-planned script -- that's all you're going to get. But if you go into an interview and just have an authentic conversation driven by curiosity and natural chatter, you're more likely to get sound that you didn't even anticipate. Let the curiosity of the moment drive the conversation instead of bringing a piece of paper that has a list of questions to get through. Be curious and go off script if you MUST have one. When you are genuinely curious about someone's life and you approach it in a caring way, they want to share their story. They want to feel seen, they want to feel heard and not judged. No one likes to keep things inside. And keeping things inside is not good for us. We need connection, we need people and we need people who care. Embrace silence. This is such an important skill to master. Most of the time when we are talking to someone, we interject with "Yea" "Uh huh" "Absolutely" and so on. When you are recording an interview on camera, it's important for the interviewer to stay completely silent after they've asked their question. It's hard to edit out your interjections so you want to make sure your voice cannot be heard during their answer. A simple head nod to address that you're listening will suffice. And after your interviewee has finished their sentence, don't start talking immediately. Give it a few seconds of silence. We do this for two reasons: it helps during the editing process to have some padding to work with in case we need to dissolve or add a transition between clips, and it opens up an opportunity for the interviewee to say more... and oftentimes, that "more" can turn into a really powerful soundbite that you weren't expecting to get simply because they wanted to fill that silence. These aren't just good tips to use during interviews -- these are good tips to help you have a more rich and meaningful connection with others in real life!
