Audio for video is incredibly difficult. And while the visual end of camcorders has improved dramatically in the last 10-20 years (mostly because of dramatic improvements in technology), the fundamentals of acoustical physics mean that audio issues remain immune to assaults by high tech gear. Simply put: getting good audio means getting the microphone close to the source. It's all about proximity. When you're recording audio programs without video (a.k.a. "radio"), this is not a problem. As soon as you add video - and assuming you can't have your talent hold a mic in front of their mouth - you have a problem. And it is a rather intractable problem, but we're going to take a stab at solving it for around $200.

Professional Solutions

Go to the Internets, log into any video forum and ask what microphone you need for professional video. The first answers you get will involve super-cardioid DC biased condenser XLR mics with 48V phantom power starting at $1,000 from brands like Sanken and Countryman. Considering you didn't pay $1,000 for your camcorder, this advice is silly.

Professionals do two things that you don't do when recording audio for video: they buy a $1,000 shotgun microphone and they have an audio guy with a boom pole holding the mic as close to the talent as possible, just outside of the frame, monitoring every second of the recording. We can do something about the money, but if you are a "one person show" camera-operator-director, then there is really no hope of duplicating the audio quality of "professional" productions. Again, that's the real source of the problem: microphone proximity.

Getting By

On-camera mics suck because they are on the camera and not on your talent, so the first thing you want to do is get an external microphone. OK, the first first thing you want to do is get a camcorder with a microphone jack. And then you want to get a microphone. Before we wade into the complexities of a first microphone, keep "proximity" in mind as we look at two solutions: the lavaliere and the shotgun.

Lavaliere

Lavaliere mics are relatively small and unobtrusive, but they do get within a hand's breadth of your talent's mouth, which is pretty close. The advantage of a lav is also it's disadvantage: size. The small size makes it relatively inconspicuous, but it also compromises the quality. You can get a basic, wired lavaliere for less than $50 (from Giant Squid, for example) and, if you don't mind having the mic visible on your host's lapel, this is probably the best first microphone to get.

Three complications spring to mind:

1. The mic is visible in the shot.
2. You can only mic one person.
3. The wire will be both a pain if the host has to move and visible if you need to shoot full-body.

Of course the solution is to buy a wireless microphone system and hide that mic, but now you are easily talking about $500 minimum and, realistically, more like $2,000 for a couple of transmitters, receiver, mixer, mic elements and so on. And, after all of that, when you hide the mic under the clothing, if you are a one-person-show, I guarantee you WILL have endless problems with clothes rustling, not to mention cheap wireless mic interference, which, because you don't have an audio guy monitoring the entire shooting session, will absolutely RUIN hours and hours of shooting time. This will be a non-stop nightmare that cannot be fixed in post.

So it's time to take a step back and honestly assess what you want to do: Is it really such a big deal to have the mic in the shot? That's the compromise I'd recommend for anyone shooting with a $1,000 camcorder: get a $50 lavaliere, hard wire it to the camera for rock-solid reliability and do not attempt to hide the mic. The professionals will scoff at your pathetic efforts, but, honestly, your audio will be a good three magnitudes better than just using your on-camera mic. For $50?! Sounds like a bargain to me.

Shotgun

Of course there is another possibility to hiding the mic and recording audio from more than one source and that is the shotgun. Now we are talking an absolute minimum of $100 and we really haven't solved our primary problem, which, as you'll remember, is proximity. Strapping a $100 shotgun to the top of your camera is only going to be marginally better than your on-camera microphone (certainly not three magnitudes better). Remember the pros are using a boom-pole toting audio guy who is not only monitoring the audio to make sure there aren't any problems, he's also holding the mic as close as he can to the talent AND pointing the mic directly AT the talent.

In a one-person-show situation, you can get the shotgun closer, ether by mounting it on something in a semi-permanent indoor setting or by duct taping it to a tripod in the field. This is a magnitude better than mounting the mic to the camera, which is a magnitude better than just using your on-camera mic, so let's say we get two magnitudes improvement (I'm just making these magnitude factors up). To get that additional magnitude improvement and match the audio quality of the lav, you need the boom pole guy. On the bright side, amateur boom pole guys sometimes work for beer and while pointing a mic is definitely a skill, it isn't rocket science.

Keep in mind, we're still talking about the $100-$200 range here, so unless you have a better idea, keep your mouth shut (I'm directing this at all of you "professionals" out there), but we have made some very serious compromises. A cheap shotgun isn't going to work well in a small room, you know, like the ones in a house. While shotguns are very directional, meaning that you point them at what you want to record and they don't pick up much sound from the sides, small rooms have all kinds of sound waves bouncing around inside of them. You can "treat" the room - carpeting, curtains, blankets, couches, bookcases all help - but a shotgun is going to pick up all kinds of noise and echoes from around just about any room. Why? Proximity. Because a lav is closer to the source, it can operate at a lower level and not pickup as much environmental audio.

While there are specific microphone types that are better suited to this or that environment, there are NO microphones that can solve environmental problems like noisy traffic or a bright echoey room. At best, a particular microphone can lessen environmental issues, but it's often better to use blankets to treat a space or consider shooting in a different location. Oh, and you can't fix audio issues in post. Well, you can slightly dampen constant 60Hz hum, but that is very nearly the ONLY audio issue I can think of that you might be able to do something about. Wind noise? You're screwed. Plosives popping. Screwed. Echoes? Well, you could always re-record the audio back in the studio. Have fun with that.

Conclusion

So we have two solutions: (1) a $50 lavaliere for indoor shoots, especially for on-camera hosts of non-fiction shows of all sorts and (2) a $100 shotgun, good for run-and-gun, in the field documentary-style programs and fictional programs, where the mic just can't be visible in the shot.

Just to beat a dead horse, it's really all about proximity and we can really do a lot about that problem with $100 and an external mic. And that is a very, very good start. If it seems expensive, then you really aren't taking this seriously. Also consider that while your camcorder is already ancient technology, even if you got it for Christmas this year, the audio gear you buy will still be just as good (or just as bad) as the day you bought it. Listen to the pros here: they'll recommend decades-old microphones all the time. So consider this an investment.

The professionals are also right when they suggest that you need about $2,000 worth of gear for a truly professional production. And they are also right when they say that you need to hire a dedicated audio person, too. Unlike video, audio issues are generally not solvable by throwing money at what is essentially not a technological problem.

References:

• Microphones: The Proximity Effect - Videopia video

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