Here's some advice from someone who has been doing soung professionally for a long, long time.
The Number 1, most important, crucial, thing to remember, from before you shoot your first frame is:
In order to get, and keep your audience intersted in your piece, YOU MUST HAVE good, and appropriate audio!
To demostrate this point, I'll ask just two questions: When was the last time you listened to a program without pictures? Answer: Radio. Dramatic radio, talk radio, music radio, all can keep an audience without pictures. When was the last time you watched a program without sound? Answer: Probably never. Even the most dramatic, gripping film will have a hard time keeping an audience interested without good, appropriate audio.
Number 2 - Talent and skill trump technology.
Having the tools means little. New tools, old tools, doesn't matter, if they are working properly, and are appropirate for the job, will get good audio if used by someone who knows how. For as much time as you spend learning about cisuals, (ie: cameras, framing, lighting, etc.), you should spend an equal amount of time learning about audio.
Number 3 - Different tools for different jobs. Just as you select a lens and focal length for each shot, so should the right type of microphone be selected. Omni, cardioid, supercardioid, hypercarioid, shotgun, boundary layer, PZM, are all mono type mics. If you want to give the viewer some sense of presence in the visual environment, you'll want to mic in stereo: XY & MS are common protable stereo micing techniques, then there are 5.1 and 7.1 surround techniques.
#3 - Mixer - To use or not to use?
Relying on the preamp in camcorders is a sure way to maximize the noise in your sound track. Plus, you are giving up control of your audio levels. Even if you switch off the auto level feature, cannot be expected to manually adjust audio levels on the camera when necessary.
#4 - Record to camera or seperate recorder?
Either can work, depending on the projects requirements. If purchasing a new recorder, I would recommend, as a minimum, the M-Audio Microtrack 24/96, which we sell many of. (The Walkman Pro has not been made for several years, and will not give an adequate recording quality).
Hope this helps,
Marty Atias
ATS Communications