A Guide to Choosing Best Audio Video Equipment
When preparing to film and edit your next video project, video quality is crucial, but you also need to take the accompanying audio into consideration. To make sure your audio is of consistently good quality, you'll need to find the right audio video equipment.
Regardless of how good your videos look, low-quality audio and background noise can easily tarnish a production. With good audio equipment behind your videos, you can capture top-quality video and audio together.
Why is it important to have the right equipment?
Today's video audio recording equipment is capable of capturing audio of the highest quality, but it's important to find the right equipment for your specific project. There are many types of audio video equipment out there to choose from, but your individual shoot will require certain types, depending on the audio mix you want to achieve. Otherwise, you may quickly find that you're capturing unnecessary audio and noise that detracts from the scene and makes editing in post-production considerably more difficult.
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How to choose audio video equipment
When looking for the right audio and video equipment for your shoot, one of the biggest deciding factors will be your budget. With so many options when it comes to audio video hardware and software, you may be tempted to get a complete setup that works with your video equipment. However, sometimes it's best to start with a simple yet effective setup and upgrade as needed.
Some of the audio video equipment you should consider for your next project include:
- Microphones — There are many types of microphones you can get depending on the shoot, including wireless, shotgun, stereo, and handheld microphones. Some cameras will feature on-camera microphones that record good- to great-quality audio, allowing you to get both your camera and microphone in a single piece of equipment.
- Separate recorders — If you want more control over audio levels that automatic gain circuits can't provide, you may want to use a separate audio recorder. This recorder can function as a separate audio input system that maintains consistent quality without any issues.
- Wind and rain protection — When used outdoors, microphones and other audio recording equipment may be exposed to wind and rain. This can both distort your audio and leave equipment vulnerable to damage. Certain protective equipment could include windshields and waterproof hoods for boom mics and other types of microphones.
- Limiters and compressors — If you're recording audio in a studio setting, you might want to use hardware compressors and limiters, which can help achieve more even audio levels through your recorder.
- Video software with audio editing capabilities — While separate audio editing software in addition to a video editor can come in handy, you may not have the budget for both. Instead, it may be best to find video editing software that includes audio editing features. VideoStudio is a powerful video editor that allows you to master your video's sound, record voiceover tracks, and add sound effects and music to your videos with ease.
- Restoration software — Restoration software is available either as separate software or a plugin for existing applications. Using this software, you can further improve the overall quality of your audio by removing background audio, wind noise, and other distracting audio.
Conclusion
Depending on what you can afford and what you need for a given project, there are plenty of options available to produce top-quality audio. With the ideal video audio equipment behind your productions, your videos can both look and sound their best. The best way to determine what you need is to plan your project and establish your allotted budget. With more experience and developed skills, along with a higher budget, you can also upgrade your equipment over time.
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