The Best Lavalier Microphones

See which one of these five lavs best suits your production workflow

Dan Brockett

Choosing the best lavalier microphones for any given situation can be a daunting task, especially if you aren’t a professional sound mixer or audio engineer. One of the most practical microphones to consider is the humble lavalier, which is used in so many scenarios that one could say lavs are for anyone who needs to mike up talent to appear on camera... Read more

Review: Audio Design Desk

A groundbreaking audio tool that changes the paradigm for producing sound design quickly

Daniel Brockett

Audio Design Desk is a groundbreaking, sophisticated tool that changes the paradigm about how to perform sound design quickly. As many filmmakers and content creators know, sound design is a very significant aspect of how engaging your content is to your audience. But right now, in 2020, the pandemic and its negative effects on the economy have resulted... Read more

Building A Travel Audio Recording Toolkit

Those who actually create films understand the importance of audio in a project and how it can be as essential as the visual components of a production.

Daniel Brockett

When you travel and need to shoot on location, it’s helpful if you’ve assembled a capable yet streamlined travel audio recording toolkit. For those outside the filmmaking business, video is often regarded as purely a visual medium, for obvious reasons. But those of us who actually create films understand the importance of audio in a project and... Read more

What Makes 32-Bit Floating Point Audio Powerful

A new way of recording sound

Daniel Brockett

The new Zoom F6 MultiTrack Recorder was the first audio recorder to hit the market that supports 32-bit Floating Point audio recording. For this Audio Assist column, we’ll explore a relatively new technology in location-sound recording called 32-bit float point audio, which is a new way of recording sound and processing it in post. Characterizing... Read more

RØDE NTG5 Shotgun Microphone

Find out if this new pro-level shotgun mic is a great value

Daniel Brockett

The NTG5 shotgun microphone, with the included shock mount, works great for handheld sound effects and ambient recording. These days, choosing the right shotgun microphone for your audio kit can be a tricky thing. That’s because there are so many interesting and diverse models from many manufacturers, all of them vying for your money in exchange for... Read more

A First Look At Three Innovative Audio Products

There were several new audio innovations that were introduced this fall at IBC 2019, a media, entertainment and technology trade show

By Daniel Brockett

There were several new audio products that were introduced this fall at IBC 2019, a media, entertainment and technology trade show. For this edition of Audio Assist, I’ll focus on a few innovative audio products that premiered at IBC 2019, which is an annual media, entertainment and technology show that takes place each year in Amsterdam. For me,... Read more

Sound Requires A Plan B

Why you need a backup plan when recording sound for video

Daniel Brockett

The freight elevator of doom that totally messed up the sound on our shoot. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to ensure that I’m always able to capture the best sound possible on projects that I’m producing for clients as well as when shooting on my own projects. But the term “best sound” is a multi-purpose term that, when you break... Read more

Boom Pole Tips, Tricks And Techniques

Where to mount your microphone, the importance of a boom pole and tips for boom operators

Daniel Brockett

Where To Mount Your Microphone Where do you think is a good place to set up your microphone? Audio and sound beginners typically mount a microphone on top of their new camera, but it’s probably one of the worst places you can place it. There are many reasons why, but an important one is that when you mount it there, the microphone is often too far... Read more

The Audix SCX1 Hypercardioid And The Oscar SoundTech 801 Lavalier

Comparing the Audix SCX1 and Oscar Soundtech 801 Lavalier to the competition

Daniel Brockett

The Audix SCX1 in action on a recent documentary shoot at an auto shop. The SCX1 is mounted using a Rycote Lyre Mic Suspension Mount. The Audix SCX1 Hypercardioid I had been putting off buying a new hypercardioid microphone for too long, which is why I recently purchased the Audix SCX1 microphone. My company has been happily working with the Audio-Technica... Read more

The Rise Of The Affordable Multitrack Recorder

Plus, why you need a cardioid microphone

Daniel Brockett

The Zoom F4 is typical of the new breed of multitrack recorders that offer a robust feature set and high quality for very little money. The Traditional Multi-Track Recorder: For the past few issues, I’ve written articles on some amazing audio tools, chiefly, multitrack recorders. But what’s interesting to note about this latest crop of recorders... Read more