How to Record an Interview | Getting Great Audio on a Budget

[@DeityMicrophones]

What problems have you had while recording interviews?

[@pjtavera]

i am getting weird static from both my wireless lavs & D3 Pro

[@escriv]

HVAC system that cannot be turned off.

[@DroiMedia]

when placing lav having too flimsy of a shirt or outerwear to connect to - interested to see how other people handle it (lots of times I will try and connect to where like a cardigan meets the shirt/tank for instance to give a little more stability, but it's not perfect....)

[@pjtavera]

@@DroiMedia to add, form the area of the interview, there are lots of computers and the aircon vent is somewhat near. my guess is interference may also be its cause? i do not know.

[@WallStreetImage]

PJ Tavera same with my D3 pro

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks Marlon and Andrew, Great practical info!

[@curtisjudd]

@@FrankSilverado Thanks Frank!

[@pauljohn5584]

Curtis, your videos are incredible, I agree. And thank you for them. I posted a question above but figured I'd direct the same question specifically to you since I'm in need of an answer sooner than later- I've been recording audio for interviews at work, using a rode boom, oktava mk-012 sdc and also a rode lav mic. 3 sources. Am I to use more than one source when mixing in post? Or do I just go with whichever sounds the best for that given interview? The lav always sounds super dry and sterile but obviously is without most room noise and echo. I have been tucking the other mics underneath the lav for a more natural sound but have run into phase issues here and there. Should I be sticking strictly to 1 single source? Is having the other sources simply for redundancy- or do they all get used at different levels for the best result? This is something I am used to doing when recording music but am not familiar with standard practice for dialogue in an interview. Thanks so much, I hope you find a minute to respond.

[@curtisjudd]

@@pauljohn5584 Hi Paul, you can go either way. It is not unusual to run into phase issues so you may need to do some nudging of the boom tracks so that they don't create any comb filtering. I often just use one of the mics in post on my corporate pieces because I have to turn them quickly and even the lavs are picking up sound from the HVAC system and even worse, most of the spaces in the building where I work have white noise generators. Often there's also a music bed so room sound generally doesn't pose a huge issue. In short, I think you have all of those options depending on what works for your project. Hopefully that helps a little. Best wishes!

[@pauljohn5584]

Curtis Judd Cool man, thanks so much! I was afraid I was breaking some cardinal rule of audio for video. I shall forge ahead with confidence. Thanks again

[@BadKarma714]

Curtis Judd mr Judd I’m not Worthy I’m not worthy I love your videos

[@Mike0193Azul]

Incredibly helpful as always with examples and graphics that really help visually learning

[@jimrogers7425]

Back in the 80s I worked for a major studio in Portland, Oregon… we mainly did audio for radio and TV, but also had production sound capabilities, so I went out on all sorts of shoots (and I have a lot of stories from that time). Gotta say, with all of the advances in equipment, this video was very good. Thank you so much.

[@RosiePFB]

That was so amazing. Thank you so much for this video. It is truly helpful and inspirational!!❤

[@christianhotter]

Next video idea: How to record audio for dancing to include the natural sounds of the dancer's movements.

[@coffeyvideoproductions7767]

I've thought about using instamic to help record traditional dances from India, that include bells on ankles.

[@gillesmatheronpro]

Not only do you produce great gear, but also your tutorials are among the best(est). Many "big" brands should take exemple !!! After some 15 years on all types of sets (events, fiction, live shows, corporate... indoor, outdoor, stage, sound studio, voice booths, convention centers), I can say Marlon delivered some crystal clear advice about how to run the live-part of an ITV sound take, with consideration for lights and props departements, talents, staff safety, behaviour and ethics, gear choice. It's all in there, and done well... bravo ! A double "like" would fit better... 😇

[@mrheng562]

I just had a shoot this weekend where the interviewer was speaking to a presidential candidate. Pretty much same setup but the mic was on the interviewer only and I told him to stand as close as possible to catch her voice. He did great! And, it sounded very good. Fast pace shoots are usually just good enough, but I would totally take me time if I had any. LOL!!!

[@adobemastr]

That was excellent! Short, concise, and to the point with little nonsense. Marlon has excellent stage presence: not goofy, serious and professional. I like that. And Andrew, you are much more professional and serious with Marlon than that other goofy guy you often do videos with. Stick with Marlon.

[@BasicFilmmaker]

Always impressed with your videos. A ton of information made clear and understandable. Been watching forever, and finally realized that circle spin overlay graphic is a speaker. LOL! 👍

[@DeityMicrophones]

We love our little speaker graphic. All of that is thanks to Justin's hard work on making our KZbin channel what it is.

[@BasicFilmmaker]

Deity Microphones Ah! I as going to ask who does the editing on your videos. Justin! Well done man! 👍

[@justinrypma8752]

🙏

[@BadKarma714]

Kevin - The Basic Filmmaker my favorite KZbin i’m not worthy I’m not worthy lol

[@BasicFilmmaker]

BadKarma 714 LOL! Here, you’re supposed to say the Deity Channel is your favorite. 😂😂😂

[@lesihei6869]

I laughed when the boom mic fell into his mouth🤣🤣. After a stressful week of school, that was a nice comedic relief.

[@pjtavera]

Basic tips are the best! thanks for this content guys...

[@Wyant_Family]

I am still very much a novice, but I recorded a fabulous guest on an interview in front of a brick fireplace. Even though I had the guest and I on Lav's there was so much Reverb and just an overall echo I could not scrub it clean enough. I was so upset, but graciously the guest agreed to film another day at a different location. I would love to know tricks on canceling that terrible audio effect if I am ever in a similar scenario.

[@christianhotter]

Perfect! This is the kind of setup I can afford. The D3 Pro with a location kit is on my list (With the C-Stand and boom pole and all those other things you showed). At least I have a recorder already!

[@DeityMicrophones]

We think the D3 Pro Location Kit is the perfect kit for videographers who do a lot of different types of productions. From live event DSLR shooters who need an on-camera mic with a gain knob, to shooters who film a lot of talking head interviews who need a solid boom microphone.

[@rajukarki1]

why isn't there a link to the products?

[@jeffcools8314]

Any discussion about treating the room? Sound blankets? Phones off? Feed to camera? Nice to see the proper set up of a boom on a C stand...I use a stand with wheels.

[@DeityMicrophones]

These are great topics! We can only fit so much into these episodes but we'll try to tackle this in future ones!

[@lblbates]

Doing an interview for a documentary tomorrow. This was a very nice refresher on how I should tackle the gig. Thanks!

[@stevenvannoy6327]

Love the sharp focus, very practical thank you

[@ToddWhirley]

Helpful. Thanks!

[@ShinilPayamal]

Awesome! Thanks for such detailed tutorial videos.🍹👍

[@jirayu350a]

Great tutorial! Btw, I have some questions - about an audio work 1. What gain should i use when recording, I have heard that we should let the gain between -6 to -12 is that true? 2. If I want to hide a lav inside the clothes, how could I stick it with? 3. If we use both shotgun and lav, Which one should i use? Ex. In your video,Did you use an audio from shotgun or lav? Or use both? 4. What the difference between cheap and expensive lav? and Does the wireless transmitter effect an audio quality? Thanks, I really learned a lot from your channel. KEEP IT UP GUYS!!

[@KevinMullarkey]

Great tips....Can you settle an old age debate.... Is it called 'SHOTGUN' because of the shape of the pickup pattern or the physical shape of the mic?

[@chennyye28]

When you have a C stand, if the front is where you want to record, will you put the sandbag in the backside of the sandbag? as it is front heavy, that part confuses me a little bit, correct me if I am wrong... in the video I got information as boom pole and the sandbag are in the same front part. Which can't hold... maybe in 2:27 the yellow arrow doesn't means the direction of boom pole? but in the opposite direction?

[@DeityMicrophones]

Hey Chenny, it's a matter of physics and practicality and... a combination of both. The physics show that the bigger leg will support more weight leaning over it. Practicality says that having a sandbag on the biggest weight puts all of the weight on the C-stand itself while placing it on a shorter leg will put parts of the sandbag on the floor. All the sand that is on the floor is not adding to the weight of the stand and thus is not lowering the center of balance of the stand. The goal with adding weight to a stand is to lower the center of balance so it is less likely to tip over. If you were to put the sand bag on the rear leg, you would gain a slight advantage of the standing tipping 180 degrees away from that leg, BUT the risk of losing weight from the bag for overall stability of the stand from tipping ANY direction counteracts that "benefit." So... big leg faces in toward the set, and we sandbag the big leg.

[@chennyye28]

@@DeityMicrophones Thanks to your answer~ have a good day~

[@HapillyMe]

What about interviewing subjects on location like outside, how do you set things up? What if a subject doesn't want to wear a personal mic on location, how do you set up audio then?

[@donpullen.]

This is really helpful, keep it up deity.

[@danep99]

This video is so useful! Great content!

[@guiltypleasurebox]

One of my first ENG gigs was for the Miami Heat and I forgot to bring a cstand -___- .... my arms were definitely mad at me by the end of it. But anyways Thanks for the tips! 💯

[@DeityMicrophones]

Miami Heat? Might need a Combo Stand to hold your boom. 😆

[@dopplermedia4203]

Brilliant, so helpful - gonna have to get a location kit to add to my D3 pro, thanks again guys!

[@Newtorin]

Great video! I was wondering if need a similar setup for the person asking the questions?

[@DeityMicrophones]

If you plan on filming the person asking the questions the answer is yes

[@artkarp]

Would have been better if you included comparison audio from both the boom mic and the lav. :-)

[@DeityMicrophones]

Stay tuned for next week's episode! We have a 2 person interview and did just that.

[@FabioMeloLuiz]

I love it. I love this setup. I love this vídeo! Very very cool! I have Deity D3 Mic Pro. tks

[@Su-ym4mi]

Where are the links of gear for audio?

[@philippecaron4128]

Hey guys just wondering why u used both the boom and the lav? Great stuff!

[@diocaremarloro4483]

back up audio.. if one audio fails there's a back up audio..

[@schwartzbrothersmedia]

1:47 Obviously, only a RODE mic would fall...

[@glebv]

No mention of correct recording levels? How to set up gain correctly on Tx vs. Rx vs. Recorder? What about hiding lavs? Best practices to avoid rustle? This is something I've been struggling with often as a cameraman on a one-man-band gigs where you don't have a dedicated sound person.

[@DeityMicrophones]

Hey Gleb, we have a few videos on these topics. Here is a list: Gain Staging kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpzYmJSwa6x6gK8 Hiding Lavaliers kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZy2moyZjZt7ipo Lavalier Accessories kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHKqk5alfbl0p5I

[@glebv]

@@DeityMicrophones Oh wow, this looks perfect! Thank you!

[@pauljohn5584]

I've been recording music for years but I'm a newcomer to recording audio for video- been watching many of these videos lately and they are super helpful. But a question I've been having over and over; am I supposed to use BOTH the boom and lav mics together in post? It's tricky sometimes getting the phase relationship in-step but of course possible. But is this standard practice? Or should I only use ONE of the sources? Do I just mute or delete whichever I'm not using in this case? Is recording multiple mics simply for redundancy/backup? A response would be so incredibly helpful. Thank you.

[@rewind10z]

Hey, I work on location and in post. Usually you only use 1 source. Preferably the boom because in an controlled environment it's sounds better than the lav. But there are many occasions where you'd want to use the lav. For example if the boom was too far away, to much reverb, etc. So generally use what sounds better. You can also cut between the two if there is suddenly something going wrong on one source (like clothes rustling). Try to EQ match both sources if you do that though. Hope that helped. P.S. yes, it's basically for backup.

[@tanertumkaya3369]

is it necessary to both boom and lav at the same time?

[@KevinMullarkey]

I notice some lav mics on some interviews/news anchors etc are turned downwards to minimize 'plosives' and some are turned upwards (as normal). How is this determined? Is it tested for at the sound check?

[@WallChart]

silly question, but what does ENG mean?

[@DeityMicrophones]

Electronic News Gathering ... as opposed to paper news gathering which would have been an old school newspaper reporter taking notes with a pen during a press conference whereas a TV reporter would have just filmed it.

[@PracticePortuguese]

Excellent video! i have a question about mic'ing 2 talent sitting side-by-side with just a little bit of space between. Would a single super cardioid mic placed between them be a good solution? (I'm assuming that 2 lavs or 2 overheads requires tedious editing in post since there will always be bleed between the 2 mics causing additional echo if you don't constantly mute one of them right?) Thanks again for the awesome videos :)

[@willy0297]

One question: How do I setup the recorder (specifically Zoom H6) so that I can get two separate tracks; one for Boom mic (the main audio) and the other track for the Lav mic (redundancy)? I've been thinking about this for a while. Thank you in advance.

[@SimpLeeBeth]

This was great! Lots of useful tips!!! Thanks so much!!! xo

[@viktorshmelev1647]

Absolutely Love It!

[@paulsaxby7579]

I recently shot a series of interviews in London. The room was a nightmare with really powerful AC we couldn't turn off, a busy road and workmen hammering outside, but we managed to get fairly good audio using the Deity D3Pros, boomed over our talent. The only real issue was when were got back to the edit we realised that the mics were actually picking up the rumbling of the Underground trains running under the site. We hadn't been able to hear this during the shoot, it was only afterwards the noise became apparent. Just shows just how good Deity mics are, I just wish we didn't have to work in London so often!!

[@pauljohn5584]

Did a high-pass filter help? How far did you need to push it if so?

[@paulsaxby7579]

@@pauljohn5584 Not really, by the time we had removed the road noise, air con, workmen and kitchen noise there wasn't much left of the dialogue to repair. Luckily the mics reproduced the voices really well so we decided to keep the voice quality and let the train rumble go. It wasn't that bad considering the conditions and after the initial viewing we realised that we were being a bit too picky, as the client didn't pick it up.

[@pauljohn5584]

Paul Saxby nice. What they don't know won't hurt them. 👍🏼

[@trowaclown]

Question: how were the HOSTS mic-ed for this video?

[@DeityMicrophones]

Andrew is wearing a W.Lav Pro in the center of his chest using a basic moleskin sandwich. Marlon is wearing the W.Lav Micro in the same place using a Rycote sticky and a URSA soft circle.

[@calum89robertson]

Lots of great tips, thanks. Quick question. For an interview like that, would you recommend using a normal foam windscreen to reduce plosives, etc or just having the microphone bare to have slightly better audio quality?

[@vanlindtclassics]

how to use a Tuscan dr-05x in a shoot/ ?

[@JoshChappell]

Siiiickkkk beat in the background

[@EatDrinkShare]

His face after “what did you file on your taxes...” 😂

[@theautomationchannel6920]

Where is my Uni-mic? should i go with RODE NTG videomic?

[@DeityMicrophones]

The Uni-Mic is still being beta tested. We keep getting feedback from users and we keep making minor tweaks so that when it's released, you'll know that everything about it has been tested and designed to work the way it does by pros we got feedback from.

[@theautomationchannel6920]

Deity Microphones Trusting U...just keep us updated.. HD-TX keep us busy with this very affordable price.

[@jubeisanmo]

How do you mic a sit down interview with two women both wearing necklaces and dangling earrings and long hair? How do I not pick up the movement of all the accessories?

[@abahmoses3054]

Hi please i need a help with micing

[@FoodTechLife]

Nice! Can you use one shotgun mic for two people on the same couch?

[@DeityMicrophones]

Yes... and No. You'd actually probably want to use a super cardioid or possibly even a cardioid microphone for their wider pickup patterns. If you used a microphone with a shotgun (lobar) pickup pattern you'd have to back the microphone up a lot above their heads and you'd end up picking up a lot of the room noise.

[@WadeGlass]

@@DeityMicrophones So a D3 or D3 pro is too focused for a two person interview? Asking for a friend.

[@gregmcveigh9966]

So did you record her using both the shotgun and the lav? Or were you just showing two possible mic scenarios?

[@DeityMicrophones]

We recorded both. You're hearing the lav in this video - the location was pretty noisy and the proximity of the lav beat out the directionality of the D3 Pro in this case. Next week we have a 2 person interview and we'll compare the two feeds!

[@gregmcveigh9966]

@@DeityMicrophones That explains it. I really enjoy your videos. I handle PR, artist relations and content gathering for several pro audio manufacturers. I'm trying to learn more about video and these really help.

[@SherardYu]

Tax question was too personal. Hahahaha funny reactions 😂

[@fotoworkshop_stuttgart]

3:24 what is this device called? @mailbag @deitymicrophones

[@DeityMicrophones]

It's called the Gaff Gun

[@fotoworkshop_stuttgart]

@@DeityMicrophones thank you. PS THAT was a quick reply!

[@KrayGraphicsTM]

But how do I setup the audio recorder ? How to setup gain etc. You only showed how to setup a Mic but not how to actually record it

[@speakerscoach]

wow the real McCoy. Nice.

[@northwesten]

at 1:49 got me crying hahaha

[@mikeglassburn]

Hahaha! 9:40 Fantastic!

[@mkfilms5839]

8:00

[@zscske]

Skilled reporters always have a little "warm up" talking I prefer to set the levels while that happening. I don't know why, but here the what do you had for breakfast surprise the talent and usually just standing there silently thinking "why this weirdo wants to know what I ate" :D what I ask instead that isn't it uncomfortable the transmitter, or something connected what I did for the job, it's a more realistic question:)

[@BadKarma714]

I would love a interview kit if I had the money I would guy everything that Deity makes

[@hooray4pizzaday451]

Next video idea: How to set up for a workout video with fitness instructors

[@DeityMicrophones]

Hmmm, know a good LA based sound mixer who would love to be a guest on such an episode? 😉

[@DrewRomano]

watching that shoe trip on that XLR gave me anxiety

[@djlive408]

That was an awkward pause after the tax joke lol.

[@protoman247]

👍🏼

[@massetozacarias5693]

The problem I have filming interviews is that some interviewee are a nightmare to work with

[@Burritosarebetterthantacos]

Legend has it he sleeps with his eyes open.

[@RobKristjansson]

What problems HAVEN'T I had?! Let's divide them into categories: Category 1. I forgot - to turn on the pre-amp... the adapter thingy to connect the pre-amp to my camera ... to press record so many #@*!ing times... Category 2. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ who knows? the wierd a** buzz thing whenever I've tried to connect the (low) camera output of my field recorder to my camera audio input. I was able to do it once, but it's been so long I'm starting to think I just imagined it. My own personal recording unicorn. Category 3. My own incompetence with the gizmo... so much clipping! or so low a level the dialogue and the noise floor are competing to be heard. On one epic video, I managed to do both at the same time - Person A's recording was clipped AF, and I could barely hear Person B's recording. I'm so worried that my sound department (i.e., me) is going to #@*! me over, that I am forever building in redundancy (lavs with a smaller field recorder, two level recording, etc.) so I haven't needed to throw everything out. Redundancy, folks. It's not just a British euphemism for getting canned!

[@amaddinthenow]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGGXhGWcabl7nq8 that blank look edited bit was just genius

Goob job! :) Keep it up! Would you like to be KZbin friends? :)

[@LeeHerbet]

Two people on camera talking to each other on a windy beach. 🤷🏻‍♂️