Audio Gear Curtis Judd Audio Gear Curtis Judd

Azden SMX-30 and 15 Furry Wind Covers

Earlier this year we reviewed the Azden SMX-30 and 15 camera-top shotgun microphones. Both compared favorably with others in the same price range but the SMX-30 also has a stereo set of mics, making it a little more versatile than the others. The only problem was that the foam wind cover was custom shaped to fit over the microphone, which is good. But that meant that there weren't any fur windshield options so shooting outdoors was pretty tough. Not anymore, now Azden offers custom fitting fur covers for both so shooting outdoors is much more manageable.

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Audio, Sound for Video, Audio Gear Curtis Judd Audio, Sound for Video, Audio Gear Curtis Judd

Reduce Echo & Reverb with Sound Blankets

Is your sound for your video projects plagued with annoying echo and reverb? One way you can reduce that issue is by using sound blankets on set. Here we talk about some of the practical ways to use sound blankets to improve the sound of your videos!

I bought Producer's Choice sound blankets about a year ago and after I washed them about 3 to 4 times each, found them to work quite nicely. I generally throw the blankets on hard floors, tables, and counters and hang them on Century Stands behind the camera. I attach the blankets to the stands with these basic spring clips. You'd be surprised at what a difference it can make for your recordings.

**Update August 2016: VocalBoothToGo contacted me and explained that they did have an issue with one of their suppliers in China delivering smelly cotton but have since worked that out. They said that they would send me one of the newer blankets. I'm looking forward to the new blanket and to confirm it ain't so stinky!

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Audio, Audio Gear, Sound for Video Curtis Judd Audio, Audio Gear, Sound for Video Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Hiding Lavalier Microphones

** Apologies - the audio is absent until 2:03 - I'm considering moving away from Google Hangouts on Air for the future **

Here are a bunch of ideas on where and how to hide lavalier microphones. I still find boom microphones to be my first choice, but when that's not an option, I resort to these methods for micing.

Here are some of the products we cover in the video:

Moleskin - Adhesive on one side, fine felt on the other. Something you'll definitely want in your kit if you're hiding lavalier microphones.

Gaffer Tape - A must have tape that can be used for almost anything. Don't confuse this with duct tape. Gaffer tape's adhesive is much better quality and much less likely to leave a nasty residue on the things you tape.

Toupee Tape - great two sided tape for mounting a mic under a hat or even under clothing.

Surgical Tape - Usefule for adhering to skin

Hush Lav - Foam cylinder which envelops the lavalier mic and helps reduce clothing noise. Best suited for mics shaped like the Sanken COS-11D or RODE Lavalier/smartLav+

Rycote Undercovers - Another option which includes the two-sided adhesive dot plus some felt to place over the mic.

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Audio, Audio Gear, Sound for Video Curtis Judd Audio, Audio Gear, Sound for Video Curtis Judd

beachtek DXA-MICRO PRO Audio Adapter Review: Better Sound for Your Camera

If you don’t have time to record your sound separate from your camera, the beachtek DXA-Micro Pro is a new audio adapter which allows you to record your lavalier and XLR based microphones into your camera with much better sound quality. In this episode we have a look at the features of the DXA-MICRO Pro audio adapter.

Many of you know I'm not usually a fan of recording dialogue sound to non-pro video cameras. But if you have to turn around a project quickly, the DXA-MICRO PRO does a nice job of adapting your professional microphones for use with a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a 3.5mm microphone input.

In my testing I used two RODELink wireless kits and also recorded with the good old RODE NTG2 shotgun microphone. Good results with both and the 3.5mm microphone inputs are especially impressive.

You get 1 XLR input and 3 3.5mm inputs and you can record any two of them simultaneously. I also really like that you can record the two as a stereo mix or send each mic do a different channel so that you can edit individual mic channels separately in post.

Lots of goodness in this little sound tool.

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Audio, Audio Gear, Sound for Video Curtis Judd Audio, Audio Gear, Sound for Video Curtis Judd

Choosing Reference Monitors for Editing Sound for Video

To edit your sound for video and film projects, you’ll need some speakers to play back that sound. You could just use whatever speakers for headphones or earbuds you happen to have kicking around, but its really difficult to get a consistent sound with these.

So what do you do when you’re ready to take your sound to the next level? You may want to look at reference monitors. These are speakers which are specially designed to play back your recorded sound as accurately as possible. This will help you find and fix any problems with your sound.

In this episode, we have a look at 5 different reference monitors (below) and talk through which of them might suit you best, especially if like me, you’re editing in a small spare bedroom at your home.

If you want to measure your monitors and room, you can use the free Room EQ Wizard. Here's a tutorial on How to use Room EQ Wizard (Courtesy of GIK Acoustics)

Also, special thanks go out to B&H Photo/Video for lending us the monitors for evaluation.

Focal CMS 40 Monitor 4” woofer - this was my pick for sound editing in small rooms. Priced at $425 USD each.

Focal Alpha 80 Monitor 8” woofer - this was the most exciting monitor and would work great in larger rooms. Steer clear for smallish rooms (e.g., 6 meters by 6 meters or less)

KRK Rokit Powered 8 Monitor I’ve had a set of these for 6 years and they’ve served me well. They’re quite good in rooms with bass traps

JBL LSR308 8” woofers. They’re quite good in rooms with bass traps, but do have rear facing ports - best for larger rooms.

Yamaha HS8 Very popular monitors in the music production world. 8” woofers. They’re quite good in rooms with bass traps, but do have rear facing ports - best for larger rooms

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Audio, Audio Gear, Sound for Video Curtis Judd Audio, Audio Gear, Sound for Video Curtis Judd

Record Audio Wirelessly to Your Phone: Samson Stage XPD1 Wireless USB Microphone System

Samson’s Stage XPD1 wireless USB microphone system allows you to record audio wirelessly to your phone, tablet, computer, or even to one of Samson’s Expedition PA speakers for live sound. The kit with the headset microphone is a nice option for those doing demo videos, whether that be exercise, cooking, or anything similar to that.

The headset microphone is ideal for demo videos where you’re ok with the microphone showing in the shot because it places the microphone on your cheek which results in very good sound quality and is immune to the clothes and movement noise you will often get with lavalier microphones. The kit with the headset microphone is priced at around $100 USD at the time of this review.

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