Tony Koretz

Hyper-cardioid mics on a stand aimed towards the speakers generally give a more natural sound than lav mics. But if using cardioid mics they will need to be closer if you have any other noise that is likely to be picked up. You might be surprised how much sound they pick up from other sources. Not a problem in a dead quiet and well treated room though.

Adding to this thread.........if anyone is interested there are now 4 new sfx packs and one music loops pack added to bring the total number of packs currently up to 29 at http://rocksuresoundz.com . It would be pretty hard to find other high quality packs at a price this low too.

I just came across this thread. I know it's a wee bit old, but I thought I'd mention if anyone is looking for very affordable royalty-free original sound effects packs, then perhaps check out http://rocksuresoundz.com .There are a good number of packs there, each with between 80-200 sfx in them, and an audio preview button that gives you a chance to audition a one-and-a- half minute sample of what's in each pack.

There are many different ways to make whoosh and swoosh sound effects, but for those who don't want to make their own, i thought I would make mention that there are currently 106 different whoosh sfx listed here .

Yes that is correct. Just check the licenses at the websites where you find the music because the terms of the license may vary a bit from site to site. Our website has quite a bit of royalty-free music on it, though the selection of classical music is not particularly large http://rocksuresoundz.com. Also try this site where you will likely find quite a bit more: www.productiontrax.com Hope that helps

a)Your assumption that you cannot just take a recording by a current day orchestra without obtaining permission, and use it in your film is correct. b)However, your assumption that sound recordings made prior to 1972 having no copyright protection is however incorrect. Many performing rights,mechanical rights and phonographic rights extend back much further than that. c) Websites that sell licenses to use recordings Royalty-free grant you license to use those recordings in your production at no further cost. This may be newly composed and recorded songs, or recordings of public domain songs that they have the rights to distribute.

There are so many factors that go into getting great sound quality. a)The microphones used and their placement b)The sound of the room where it is recorded, and any treatment of the room c)The quality of the preamps used and the level setting of the preamps d)The quality of the A/D converters e)The post production and the correct use of compression Getting all the factors right is the only way to get the most stunning sound. The results are only as good as the weakest link in the chain. In the end it comes down to experience, and knowing what's not right when you are recording/editing/mixing it. If the results are not so stellar, experienced professional operators usually quickly nut out the reasons why not.

I mentioned previously the Sennheiser 416. I would like to also add that I have used AKG c451 mics a fair bit for capturing ambiences and the like. These have the facility to unscrew and fit different capsules, such as the CK1 cardiod or CK8 shotgun capsules. With The ck1 capsule fitted they offer good sound for many applications, but be aware that because the polar pattern is wide-ish you can pick up sounds from round about. The CK8 shotgun is more focused, but not as nice sounding as a Senn 416.

I presume you want uncopyrighted songs because you don't want to pay for the use of them. Any composer worth their salt will have their songs copyrighted. Even music that is given away freely is still copyrighted. Much of the free music out there is pretty poor quality too. However, there is some public domain music that is good. The copyrights to the compositions are often long ago expired, if the songs are very old. Mostly old standard songs. There are also royalty-free music websites around that sell licenses to use music at a small cost for home non-commercial users. Our website is like that. It has a few totally free songs for download, and also a large number of royalty-free songs where a small license fee applies for non-commercial use. http://rocksuresoundz.com

Not just moving pictures, but stills as well, film is "not so gradually" dying out it seems. It's a shame in many ways that iconic companies like Kodak are struggling so much, but it's the reality of a changing world. I use a digital camera to take pictures, it's so much easier, but when it comes to that "mood" picture I still like to grab my old 80's Minolta SLR and snap a shot or two as well. But it's harder to buy film, you don't have the instant pictures that you get with digiital, and processing is relatively expensive. It's the same with the world of amalog audio tape..getting harder to source and more expensive. There are less people capable of servicing tape machines, parts are harder to get as well. The life of analog film and tape use, except for maybe a few specialties, is probably limited from here on in I suspect. Digital keeps getting better and cheaper. Still it is kind of sad to see. BUt Kodak will have to find a way to adapt to the digital world or it's "good night nurse" to them.

This tutorial article may help give a few ideas for the recording and sync'ing of audio and video Sound For Film and Video: The Importance of Getting Good Audio

The MD421 would be fine for gunshots or thunder, but not detailed enough for some foley. The 416 shotgun is better in that respect. Something with a wider polar pattern (cardiod for example) can also be handy, espeically when gathering atmos type audio.

There are times when you need a sfx and foley guy for sure. Other times downloading specific sound effects and editing them into your audio can be a cost effective solution. Sometimes maybe you just need a specific sound and don't want the expense or time involved in creating/recording them. http://rocksuresoundz.com has a good selection of sfx for affordable download.

You need one of those "Cones of Silence" they used on Get Smart, and lock the camera man under it!

If you are only starting into this and don't want to spend a fortune at first, get at least the following: a) A good shotgun mic ( Rode NT3G or Sennheiser 416 for example) B) a zeppelin type shockmount enclosure and windjammer c) a boom pole d) a portable recorder with XLR inputs, basic time code and built in preamps. (Marantz PMD661 is an example). You can always add a field mixer with preamps later if you can afford it. Avoid recording devices that have only mini jack inputs if you can. The connections are not very reliable and secure. Devices with XLR inputs will lock mic cables in place securly and also avoid the need for mic cable to jack adapters.