Location Audio Simplified: Capturing Your Audio... and Your Audience

by Dean Miles

From the basics of using camera, handheld, lavalier, and shotgun microphones to camera calibration and mixer set-ups, Location Audio Simplified unlocks the secrets to clean and clear broadcast quality audio no matter what challenges you face. Author Dean Miles applies his twenty-plus years of experience as a professional location operator to teach the skills, techniques, tips, and secrets needed to produce high-quality production sound on location. Humorous and thoroughly practical, the book covers a wide array of topics, such
* location selection
* field mixing * booming techniques
* using different kinds of microphones (including wireless systems) and booming
* camera calibration, interview techniques, and much more Learn the secrets of a real-world professional with easy-to-follow, non-technical tips and techniques that you can apply in the field on your own projects immediately. The book follows the companion Location audio Simplified online course, , to bring Dean’s teaching to life. Make sure to check out the Location Crew website for more location audio goodness!
www.locationcrew.com

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Fi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this book for one of my sound recording classes. It was very informative, and I'll probably go back and reference it. The author is unintentionally sexist a few times in assuming that all sound recordists are men, which kind of ticked me off. But it's a fine book for what it is.

[Shauna Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great overview of the practical knowledge you need to run sound in a television/web/documentary environment. I love that everything is presented in a very straightforward manner without pages and pages of extraneous technical theory that might be great to know but is not necessary to doing the actual job.

The one thing the book falls short on is information for people who are more interested in something like feature films or scripted dramas where you're going to be dealing with several lavs, booms on cranes (or mounted on the ceiling) and mics that need to be hidden in plants, etc. Situations where there's enough gear that a full audio cart is required is not what this book is about. Which is fine because there's other places to get that info.

What this book is useful for is any situation where you're in an ENG position or part of a typical small indie crew and you need to quickly know what equipment is what, how to make it all work together, where to point it, and (maybe most importantly) how not to make everyone hate you in the process.