AUDIO FOR PHOTOGRAPHERSKnowing when and why...

•Audio interviews give the subject a voice, which complements the photojournalist's taking of a photograph.

BENEFITS OF GATHERING AUDIO

•The act of interviewing can lead a photojournalist to important picture opportunities as they learn more about the subject.

BENEFITS OF GATHERING AUDIO

•Regardless of whether the audio is published, the interview process will add extensive detail to captions or even lead to a full text story, which increases the chance of getting published.

BENEFITS OF GATHERING AUDIO

•Audio can help communicate information that may not be communicated as well via images or text.

BENEFITS OF GATHERING AUDIO

- Emotion and humor- Music for mood - Ambient sound- Detail and color

•Audio provides the all-important narrative spine necessary for linear media productions in broadcast and on the Web.

BENEFITS OF GATHERING AUDIO

Source: MediaStorm

AMBIENT AND ANECDOTE

CAPTURING PROCESS

HEADPHONES• The most essential tool of audio recording

• Pocket Recorders

• Tascam

• Zoom H4N • Marantz

TYPES OF RECORDERS AND PLUGS

• XLR: This is the highest quality connector. It is called a "balanced" connection, which means both the positive and negative signals are balanced out to prevent interference. Secure connection.

• Marantz 1/8 plug

• Tip-Ring Sleeve (TRS) or 1/4" jack: This connector is also a balanced line, so you get all of the benefits of an XLR cable. Semi-secure connection.

• Mini or 1/8" jack: This is the worst type of connector. They are generally very low quality, and the plugs are notorious for static/drop-outs.

TYPES OF RECORDERS AND PLUGS

• Line input available via XLR jack• XLR jack with a locking latch for professional use• Uni-directional and omni-directional microphones• Up to 96kHz/24-bit WAV recording• 32 to 320kbps MP3 recording• XLR or RCA 1/8” line input• Rugged aluminum casing• Records to SD or SD-HC card (2GB card included)• Mini USB 2.0 jack and cable• Built-in speaker• Tripod Mount• Included Li-ion battery, windscreen and carrying case

LOOKING AT THE STATS

• WAV (.wav) - "Wave" or waveform audio format. An industry standard uncompressed format.

• AIFF (.aif) - "Audio Interchange File Format." An Apple proprietary audio file format that uses lossless compression, meaning it doesn't lose any quality.

• MP3 (.mp3) - "MPEG 1 Audio Layer 3" format. The most ubiquitous audio file format. This is a lossy compressed file, meaning you will lose some quality when recording to this file.

• AAC (.m4a or .aac) - "Advanced Audio Coding" format. A very similar type to mp3 used heavily by Apple for its iPod and iPhone players. It also uses lossy compression.

• WMA (.wma) - "Windows Media Audio" a Microsoft Windows proprietary format that can be both compressed or uncompressed.

AUDIO FILE TYPES

• Shotgun

• Hand-held

• Lapel

THREE BASIC TYPES OF MICS

HOW SOUND WORKS

Omnidirectional - - Great all purpose microphone- Gathers a wide range of sounds from all directions- For good quality sound, the mic must be held close to its subject

HOW SOUND WORKS

Unidirectional – - Great for focusing in on a specific sound and blocking ambient noise. - Not necessarily for distance- Highly directional and must be pointed directly at the subject to capture the best sound quality.

Shotgun Mic

HOW SOUND WORKS

Cardioid – - Heart-shaped- Mic pics up sound mostly from the front and sides of the microphone and also a bit from behind. - Handheld microphones used for gathering news usually have this audio pattern

PROTECTING AGAINST WIND

“Dead Cat” – - Synthetic fur on the outside helps reduce wind noise

• Notepad/Pen

• Audio Recorder

• Headphones

• Mic and cables

• Batteries and Memory cards

WHAT TO PACK

BE LIKE THESE DUDES

• plan ahead • bring headphones • prepare for anything

TIPS FOR RECORDING• No matter the mic,

proximity is important

• Always be monitoring

• Avoid making sounds yourself

Capturing Good Sound on Vimeo Video School

COMING UP...

• On Monday: Demo audio recorders in class

• Handout Assignment #1

• Read Pg. 15-23, 41-47

In Dropbox:This American Life

“Rest Stop”