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62 VIDEOMAKER >>> NOVEMBER 2019

Blag spends his time between web development, IT and

audio. His background is oddly enough in the same things.

Blag works in IT and is a contributing editor at Videomaker

where he mainly focuses on audio.

You can comment on this article by going online:

http://www.videomaker.com/?p=95199

AUDIO NOVEMBER 2019

at home in the studio and in live applications,

while allowing you to still remain cognisant of

the outside world.

There is also the lingering issue of noise

cancelling headphones and whether they are

suitable. My arguments against this approach

is mainly one of price, connectivity and prac-

ticality. Most of these models are significantly

more expensive, are moving towards wireless

connectivity, are battery dependent, and most

of all, impractical. Being able to survive regular

daily use is one thing; the rigors of on and off set

use require something a little hardier. Wireless

means Bluetooth and compression, you don’t

want to be dealing with compressed signals dur-

ing a recording and monitoring workflow.

Testing your recording for faults can be done

in two steps. First make sure all of your equip-

ment is working as it should in a controlled

environment, for example at home or at the

studio before you even get on set. Remember to

bring backups!

Once on set, make some test recordings and

find a quiet spot to play them back on your

headphones. This will give you a baseline that

you can compare against. This will help you

avoid the mind games associated with trying

to pick apart ambient sound from the audio

picked up in your current recording.

Listen up

Careful listening and following the above tips

and precautions should give you more than ac-

ceptable audio to work with. Knowing what you

want and what you don’t want — and knowing

how to listen for it — is the first step in recording

better audio on set.

A windsock can be an effective way to block wind noise and other high-fre-

quency background noise. It acts as a physical high-cut filter.

MONITORING LIVE SOUND

Most live acts out there live and breathe by the quality of their moni-

tor mixes. The Monitor Engineer reports to the Front of House Engi-

neer (FOH) and is responsible for managing the stage monitor mixes.

You can quickly find these mixes growing in scope from a simple

blend of everything to bordering the complexity of a full on FOH mix,

but instead your audience is a collection of in-ear monitors. It’s actu-

ally pretty fun!

A key difference is whether you will be dealing with monitor wedges

and having to balance a separate yet very physically present stage mix

or if you’ll be working with in-ear monitors. The big difference is that

one is audible and interacts with the environment while the other is

beamed directly into to the recipient’s ears.

If you’re working with monitor wedges, the key tools in your arse-

nal are spectrum analyzers and Graphic EQs, preferably a stereo unit.

Once your stage and FOH are ready the next step is to track down

where you are likely to trigger feedback. Using your Graphic EQ, start

sweeping up through each frequency to where you hear feedback

building and then reduce that frequency by a few decibels. Use your

judgement when deciding how much to take out; you don’t want to

cut your mid frequencies out to the point where everyone sounds like

they have a cold.

Your spectrum analyzer will provide a constant live feed and visible

indicator of your aural landscape.

From here you can start setting up your individual feeds, reverbs

and delays. These simple starting points will make the difference of

how much targeted sound you can deliver and how comfortable the

act feels on stage. The better the monitor mix, the better the per-

formance. After all, you can’t sing in tune or play on time if you can’t

hear yourself and everyone around you.

YOU DON’T WANT TO BE DEAL-

ING WITH COMPRESSED SIG-

NALS DURING A RECORDING

AND MONITORING WORKFLOW.

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S H O O T L I K E A P R O

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