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In this episode we're going to talk about how each type of microphone works,
and how to choose and place the microphone correctly depending on the shot.
the first of which is the internal microphone in your camera -
this is typically a low-quality omnidirectional mic that picks up sounds from all around -
both the good and the bad.
but it's really not a useable option for professional sounding films.
That's where the others come in.
Shotgun microphones are highly directional, and pick up sound from directly in front,
while rejecting sounds from the sides of the mic.
For this reason the shotgun mic is the go-to for most scenarios in filmmaking,
whether its a run & gun style with the microphone on the camera or a dual-system audio setup
with a boom operator holding the microphone off the edge of the frame.
RØDE has a range of shotgun microphones including the popular VideoMic family for on-camera use
and their NTG shotgun microphones for higher end productions.
You will encounter scenarios where they can't be positioned correctly to get the right results.
When shooting a wide frame, often a shotgun mic can't be placed close enough to pick up the sound source.
This is where Lavalier microphones come in.
Lavalier mics are very small microphones that are usually placed directly on the talent,
in order to get the mic nice and close to the voice.
Think of a typical newsroom setup for example, where the newsreader is sitting at the desk, with a wide frame.
In this scenario we can't get the shotgun microphone close enough to be useable,
so instead the talent is miked with a discreet lavaliere microphone.
The other benefit of a lavaliere mic is that it can be hidden with relative ease behind clothing,
in hair or any number of creative ways.
The use of a wireless belt pack system or something like the RؘDE smartLav connected to a smartphone
makes this type of microphone suited to most filmmaking scenarios,
enabling the talent to move freely while maintaining consistent audio.
Another challenge with shotgun microphones is that they can
be unpredictable in reverberant or 'echoey' rooms.
This is due to the way that shotguns utilise the long tube to cancel out the sounds coming in from the sides.
In reflective rooms for example, the sound that you want is coming from all directions,
To combat this we use a cardioid or hyper-cardioid pick-up pattern such as the RØDE NT5 or M5.
These mics reject sound only towards the rear making them easy to use in small spaces,
where the rear of the microphone can be directed towards any noise source that you want to reduce in your recording.
One of the best ways to immerse your audience in the story is to create realistic-sounding stereo ambience tracks.
The best way to record ambience tracks for film is through a stereo microphone
such as the RØDE Stereo VideoMic Pro or even the iXY for iOS devices.
If you don't have access to a stereo microphone,
there are plenty of sources online such as freesound.org,
where you can download royalty-free tracks to add to your My RODE Reel entry.
To listen to some samples of all of the microphones mentioned in this episode,
check out the RODE SoundBooth for Broadcast at rodemic.com/soundbooth.