In the world of wedding videography, audio can make or break the film. Crisp, high-quality audio gives you the opportunity to share your couple’s story in a compelling way, but if captured incorrectly or not used at all? The overall quality of your video will inevitably decrease.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Audio is one of, if not the, most important components of wedding filmmaking. And, thankfully, it\u2019s not as scary as it seems. I\u2019ll admit, I was daunted by the different gadgets and plug-in options when first starting my wedding video career, but after numerous YouTube videos and hands-on experience, I feel fully versed and capable of capturing the audio my couples want.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
If you\u2019re ready to plunge into audio for your wedding videos, too, here\u2019s how you can start.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
This is the simplest and most fool-proof way to capture quality audio throughout the day. I use an on-camera microphone<\/span><\/a> like the Rode MicPro for both of my cameras (check out these camera and microphone combos for more options!<\/a>). It helps me capture ambient sound during prep like laughter or the “oohs” and “ahhs” during bridesmaid first looks. It’s also essential for syncing audio in post, because the built-in camera microphones struggle to capture recognizable audio if there’s even the slightest bit of wind or loud music. (To note, I recommend Plural Eyes<\/span><\/a> for syncing audio in post.)<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When capturing audio, you can never have enough “safety nets,” and for me, the on-camera microphone \u2014 while not perfect for, say, speeches \u2014 can work if your other sources of audio go awry. (Trust me\u2026 the on-camera microphone has saved me more than once!)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Across the board, speeches are the number one source of audio used in wedding films, so it’s essential you don’t just capture audio for audio\u2019s sake. You need to capture high-quality, clear audio of all the speeches so you can share your couple\u2019s story in an easily understandable and professional way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I use the Zoom H4N microphone<\/a> and cables to plug into the soundboard during the reception. To be overly cautious, I reach out to the DJ or band ahead of time to ensure I’m bringing the right cables (typically XLR cables are the way to go, but some DJs have specifics on what you can or can’t use to plug into their soundboard).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n During the cocktail hour, I head into the reception and chat with the DJ or band leader to make sure I still have the go-ahead. To avoid overstepping, I almost always ask for their help in plugging in and doing a sound check to guarantee I don\u2019t mess up anything on their end (collaboration across vendors is always a good thing!).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Speaking of sound checks, this is essential! I forgot to do this during a recent reception and ended up with muffled audio because my levels were too high. Thankfully, I had my on-camera mic which did the trick.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2. Use a Zoom microphone for speeches<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
3. Do a sound check (with professional headphones)<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n