Audio for Photographers and Videographers

Bad audio can ruin great video footage, and the right headphones can make editing sessions more focused and productive. Whether you're a hybrid shooter trying to get cleaner on-camera sound, a studio photographer looking for noise isolation while you work, or a filmmaker building out your audio kit, this section covers the gear and workflow decisions that make a real difference.

How to Take Your Webcam Presence to the Next Level

Whether you’re working remotely or recording videos for YouTube, producing a high-quality video can require some smart gear decisions. Your Macbook’s built-in webcam and mic are fine, but spending just a small amount can translate to a huge improvement in quality.

10 Great Hacks for Using the New Rode Wireless GO Microphones

The Rode Wirelss GO Compact Digital Wireless microphones have been a bit of a game-changer when it comes to ease of recording audio. This short video gives you ten excellent ideas of how to make the most from this very affordable piece of gear. 

Does the Sony a7 III Have a Terrible Preamp? Apparently, It’s Not That Simple

Last week, in a gloriously nerdy video, DPReview tested the preamps of various hybrid cameras to see how they performed alongside one another. One of the big surprises was how poorly the Sony a7 III fared, giving a notable hiss. In response, Gerald Undone then conducted his own tests, finding completely different results. So, where does the truth lie? 

Loupedeck+ Now Supports Final Cut Pro and Adobe Audition

Loupedeck+ is a photo and video editing console built to speed up workflows by placing all the controls right at your fingertips. As its next step in productivity, Apple Final Cut Pro and Adobe Audition are now being integrated. 

How We Built Our New Fstoppers Studio Set

In today's video we take you behind the scenes in our new Fstoppers studio and show you exactly how we built and designed our latest video set. We will show you all the microphones, cameras, and lighting gear as well as our thought process in tackling this empty canvas of a room.

 

Ten Easy Ways to Improve Your YouTube Videos

In today's competitive marketplace, successful photographers are finding themselves creating more and more content that isn't strictly photo based. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook are reaching more and more people with video content. In today's article, I outline 10 simple tips you can use to polish your video content. 

Photographers and Writers: Step up Your Audio Game

Are you a photographer or writer looking to upgrade your on-camera audio for basic video clips and interviews? Check out some basic hardware and software essentials to improve your basic audio workflow for transcribing interviews and simple video clips.

 

Take Your Videos to the Next Level with Musicbed

It's a well-worn but true adage that audio can make or break a video. Musicbed is a new subscription service that hopes to revolutionize the way filmmakers access and use songs in their video productions. 

Voiceover Tips That Can Make or Break Your Video

These voiceover tips are not just for those who record audio, but also for those of you who direct interviews and commercial videos where your talent has to talk with confidence and the right intonation. 

What to Buy: Audio Device Comparison for YouTubers

If you’re making videos for YouTube, clean and clear audio cannot be overlooked. Here’s a look at several mics and audio device options to help narrow down what will work best for you. 

Your Content Will Continue to Fall Flat Unless You Become a Better Interviewer

If you’re a videographer that runs your own business, you know that you have to be a jack of all trades. You know that your skills can’t be limited to just creating great images. You need to be good with business, networking, and a whole lot more. What you might not realize is that for the vast majority of self-made videographers, you’ll need to be good at conducting interviews. 

Stop Ignoring Sound and Learn How to Create Amazing Audio for Your Video

UK-based filmmaker, and DSLRguide creator, Simon Cade, walks us through the importance of good audio in our videos. Cade also shows us the gear he uses, how he gets his samples, and how he puts it all together in post. But the biggest take away for me was seeing the amount of creativity, and exploration that actually goes into sound creation. 

Kanto's YU4 Active Speakers: A Better Desktop Audio Experience

As a photographer, I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk, both producing and consuming content. I have a supportive chair, high-end monitors, and all sorts of peripherals cluttering up my desk. All to make that time easier, comfortable, and more productive. One area a lot of people either don't think about or just skip is speakers.

This Is Our Favorite Lav Mic System

 Recording clean audio is extremely important but can also be infuriating. Finally, after seven years, we've found a system that seems to work... most of the time.  

My First Day With the Rode VideoMic Pro+

One thing I've found to be of paramount importance to any form of video, cinematic or otherwise, is the quality of your sound. Your movie can have beautiful visuals but if the audio is of poor quality it has the potential to turn away viewers. I started vlogging a few months back and discovered just how important sound was when it came to producing my videos on YouTube.

A Simple Way to Extend Your Audio Tracks

When creating videos, sometimes finding that perfect song, music score, or track takes a while. Then when you place it together and the music isn’t long enough, manually cutting and extending the track can take some time. What if I told you there’s an easy and automated way to extend your selected track to any length. 

What's the Best Mic for Vlogging?

There are several brands and different models of microphones on the market which is constantly growing. Trying to pick one out of the masses can be a tough decision, especially if you are not familiar with them. What is the best mic to get if you are just starting out, or possibly looking to get a better one? 

How to Sync Up Audio and Video in Premiere Pro

If you record audio separately from your video, which most likely you do, then part of your postproduction process will include synchronizing. This process doesn’t have to take a lot of time or require plugins or software. Premiere Pro has built-in tools that allow you to quickly and easily get your video and audio in sync. Let’s have a closer look at how to accomplish this. 

Five Must-See Tutorials for Editing Audio in Premiere Pro

If you shoot photos on a professional level, there’s a chance you also shoot video. If you shoot video, there’s a chance you edit. And if you edit, there’s a good chance you have to work with audio at some point. But, it may not be something you know a lot about, especially if you are just getting started with editing video.

 

How Christopher Nolan Uses the Shepard Tone to Build Up Tension in 'Dunkirk'

One of the ways the Hans Zimmer-produced score of "Dunkirk" maintained the growing tension throughout the movie was by using a sound that gives the impression of a build-up. What makes it strange is that the tension-building nature can keep going forever without ever going out of its original parameters and sounding weird.

How to Eliminate Audio Noise with Adobe Audition and Premiere Pro

A huge part of shooting video is audio. No one wants to look at footage with poor sound with distracting background noise. But thanks to Steven Oakley from MiesnerMedia, if you are reading this article, poor audio will be a story of the past in your videos. Oakley gives us a handy trick to eliminate almost any background noise using only Adobe Audition and Premiere Pro. 

How To Start a Video Project in Premiere Pro

We all have an idea of how a non-linear editor works. You drag the files into the timeline, and move them around to create the interesting video you are intending to produce. But, if you're like me, setting up the project and to make sure no files go missing or aren't imported correctly can be a problem, especially if no one ever showed you how to do this.

Magically Remix Your Music to Be the Same Length as Your Videos

As a photographer getting into video work, audio has quickly become the area where I had to learn the most. Anything camera related is very similar to photography, editing is not too complicated once you learn the software, but then there is the sound. Something we do not have when shooting still frames.

The Importance of Sound in Cinematic Storytelling

In this video by Andrew Saladino of the Royal Ocean Film Society, the importance of compelling sounds for storytelling is closely examined. With movie scene breakdowns from “THX 1138,” “Apocalypse Now,” “12 Years a Slave,” and many others, we are shown real examples of how the best in the business design their scenes to evoke precise emotions in the audience. 

Use Audio Swells to Give Your Video Transitions More Punch

I've been focussing on my video transitions lately. I've noticed the big guys like Peter Mckinnon and Casey Neistat use transitions to create interest and make the videos a pleasure to watch. Now I already shoot for the edit, but I've never really focused on what else I can do to give my videos more punch, until this video.

Quick Overview of DaVinci Resolve 14 Audio Editing Capabilities

DaVinci Resolve 14 looks very promising and more videos about it are popping up on YouTube every day. One feature that was left out in many demonstrations until now is the integration of FairLight for audio editing. With the new version of Resolve, it’s possible to edit sound within the software. No need for an additional costly plugin, or any round-trip of a sort.

How to Use Lavalier Microphones for Interview Video Production

A few weeks ago I shared some insight on using shotgun microphones for documentary style interview productions. This week, I’ve got a companion video that explores techniques for using lavalier mics, the standard go-to mic for most interview scenarios. 

Recording Audio Without Using a Lav or Boom, Comparing on Camera Mics

One of my goals for this year is to start working on videos again. A few of the projects I have in mind require a microphone to help capture better audio, since we know the built-in mics are not really that great. Jay P. Morgan's latest video from The Slanted Lens hits the web and couldn’t come at a better time for me. 

Film Riot Shows How to Compose Audio in Adobe Premiere Pro

I've always had this issue with regards to the sound design of video and how to actually get something that is usable for the video you are working on. It's either getting audio from a stock library, having a friend compose something, or making it yourself. And the latter is really very time-consuming, and I'd rather focus on the stuff I enjoy and am good at, like shooting photos or video.

Random Tests to Practice Using Your Gear

Yesterday was a really muggy day here in New Jersey and my partner and I both had off. We came downstairs to the office and worked on a few things when I realized we should be going out in this crappy weather and making something of it. We thought of a few ideas together and one stuck with us over the others, that was to shoot a car video using our Sony a7s ii and DJI Ronin M.  

Adobe Sneaks: These Videos Show the Most Exciting Advancements You'll See All Month

Adobe Sneaks is the software company's behind-the-scenes sneak peek into ongoing projects that could eventually — if we're lucky — find their way into one or more products. This year at MAX, Adobe previewed a number of tools that should excite virtual-reality editors, desktop designers, and audio editors working on long-form speech formats. 

Adobe Is Working on a Photoshop for Audio That Is Intelligent... And Scary

It's not your average audio editor. Adobe is working on a piece of audio manipulation software that has a peculiar artificial intelligence built in. It's so smart that it allows you to fix verbal mistakes in a way never seen before. This functionality can be so helpful and, at the same time, massively abused. 

Getting Creative With Lav Mic Placement

In the wide world of video, one of the most important aspects of production is the sound quality. Sound sells the realism behind your favorite movies and TV shows. In fact, a lot of what you hear when you watch the latest blockbuster or HBO hit series isn't "real." It's created by Foley artists in a studio and mixed in later.

Why You Shouldn't Overlook Sound Production in Your Films

Last week, the team over at RocketJump Film School released this awesome video about sound production in film. Sound production is probably the most overlooked aspect of filmmaking, mainly because you don't notice great sound design; it seamlessly helps you submit to the willing suspension of disbelief.

Thinking About Shooting Your First Short Film? This Is How I Did It

I shot and edited a narrative film in the last month. It was a first for me. I had this scene in my mind of a person burying a suitcase or bag in the woods, like it’s something he or she wanted to hide or get away from. I had a second idea about a guy walking down a long passage way and knocking on a door with no one opening for him.