Video Tutorials: Capturing Sound in Cars ~Clinton Harn

I have been providing the film community with several articles educating filmmakers on how to capture excellent audio. Now, it is time to give some video tutorials. These first two videos demonstrate how to capture car interior sound. In this first video, I will discuss 3 simple techniques, microphone types & placements for car interior sound.

In the part 2 video, you will hear the audible differences using these methods discussed in the part 1 video. There will always be continued debates in regards to equipment selection, choices & methods, however, the objective of these tutorials, both written & video, aims to provide cost effective and practical solutions to independent filmmakers without breaking the bank balance. The main goal in this video is to illustrate the point that you can yield very useable & desirable results. Keep in mind that these results will vary depending on microphone types, recorder types, analogue to digital conversation quality, different placement & mounting options, proximity, etc. The important part here is to capture clarity, and keep experimenting to yield better sonic fidelity. All audio samples of dialogue in the following in-car video are unprocessed and have no EQ on them. Only a low-cut filter was applied. This is a good starting point, and provides more latitude to mix & process during sound editing or at a later stage. Enjoy & Learn!

Clinton Harn is a producer, filmmaker, session musician, drummer and recording engineer. His involvement in tertiary education has spanned the last 15 years and includes concepts, realistic and practical tips and methods for achieving professional results in the field of small business, filmmaking & audio recording.