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printcontentsfull screenprint44 VIDEOMAKER >>> JUNE 2019
9. Noise Reduction with Phase Cancelation
This will require a two-microphone setup that
records the surrounding environment. An om-
nidirectional mic will do well here since it will
capture the most sound. Position your omni mic
far enough from your source so that ambient
noise is dominant.
Then, record your source sound with your
primary microphone as you normally would,
using best practices to optimize your pickup and
reduce unwanted noise.
Import your recorded files into your DAW. Next,
you’ll need to invert the phase of the secondary
channel. The result will cancel out sounds with
similar waveforms, that’s why you want to move
your secondary microphone farther away from
your source. There is a proportion to placing
additional microphones to avoid introducing ad-
ditional phasing and frequency issues to the point
where whole articles and books exist on the topic.
A simple way to understand phase is to look at
how the audio waves are shaped and how their
cycles line up. Take a Sine wave and then imag-
ine two Sine waves, where their peaks and dips
are the same amplitude (height). Now take oneof the waves and move it horizontally so that the
peak of one aligns with the dip of the other. The
two identical waves will cancel each other out.If all else fails...
As with just about everything in life, you can’t
assume that a shoot will always go your way. We
are talking about weather and nature, after all.
Unless you’re living in the eternal sunshine state
that is California or somewhere equally consis-
tent in its good weather or rain deprivation, you
will probably have to work around the weather.
Trust me, I live in England, and just washing the
car can require checking the forecast.
So, keep an eye on the weather forecast and
have a plan for extra shooting days should you
need them.10. ADR
If you can’t go outside, why not come back in?
It’s not fun admitting that you need to re-record,
but you always have to put your best foot for-
ward and strive for quality. An ADR session is a
good way of getting the wind out of your hair
and grabbing a clean recording.
11. Reschedule and try again
We will assume that you’ve done your homework
and assumed the best and planned for the worst.
You’ve had a few days of bad weather, a few bad
recordings, but you have extra days for reshoots.
There’s little use in hanging around — get to work
and get those shots done! Chances are everyone’s
hair was all over the place anyway.
Blag spends his time between software development, IT, and
audio. He works at a software company and is a contribut-
ing editor at Videomaker where he mainly focuses on, you
guessed it, audio.You can comment on this article by going online:
http://www.videomaker.com/?p=72001447AUDIO JUNE 2019
With the phase cancelation technique, one mic captures the subject
while another mic captures the noise. You can then invert the phase
on one track and combine it with the other to get a cleaner signal.AS WITH JUST ABOUT EVERY-
THING IN LIFE, YOU CAN’T AS-
SUME THAT A SHOOT WILL
ALWAYS GO YOUR WAY.385 C04 Audio.indd 44 4/23/19 2:08 PMView this issue on your
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