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Stage 8: Filmmaking and post-productionIntermediate to professional

Sound and Audio for Video

Learn sound for video from zero: how sound works, choosing microphones, recording clean dialogue, room tone, syncing, music and basic audio mixing.

12 lessons 1 hour of reading Exam coming soon
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12 lessons

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Lessons in this course

  1. 1

    Why Sound Matters in Video

    Learn why sound is half of video: dialogue, ambience, effects and music, diegetic and non-diegetic sound, the sound team, and why bad audio loses viewers.

     5 min
  2. 2

    How Sound Works: Waves, Levels and Decibels

    Learn how sound works for video: sound waves, frequency and pitch, decibels, distance and the inverse square law, dBFS and clipping, and room reflections.

     6 min
  3. 3

    Microphone Types and Pickup Patterns

    Learn microphone types for video: dynamic and condenser mics, phantom power, polar patterns (omni, cardioid, supercardioid, shotgun) and choosing a mic.

     5 min
  4. 4

    Lavalier and Wireless Microphones

    Learn to use lavalier and wireless microphones: lav placement, hiding it under clothes, stopping rustle and wind, wireless systems, frequencies and backups.

     5 min
  5. 5

    Shotgun and Boom Microphones

    Learn boom microphone technique: shotgun and supercardioid mics, boom poles, shock mounts and wind protection, overhead and underneath, and the frame line.

     5 min
  6. 6

    Recording Settings: Levels, Gain and Sample Rate

    Learn audio recording settings for video: gain and levels, turning off auto gain, limiters, safety tracks, 48 kHz and 24-bit, and 32-bit float recording.

     5 min
  7. 7

    Recording Clean Dialogue on Location

    Learn to record clean dialogue on location: choosing quiet places, removing noise, reducing echo, mic distance, working with crew and ADR as a last resort.

     5 min
  8. 8

    Room Tone, Ambience and Wild Sound

    Learn what room tone, ambience and wild sound are, why editors need them, how to record 30 to 60 seconds of room tone, and how to use location sounds.

     5 min
  9. 9

    Dual-System Sound and Syncing

    Learn dual-system sound: why record audio on a separate recorder, scratch audio, slates and clapperboards, waveform syncing, timecode, drift and naming files.

     5 min
  10. 10

    Music, Sound Effects and the Soundtrack

    Learn to build a video soundtrack: choosing music for mood, editing music to picture, sound effects and Foley, layering, silence and keeping dialogue clear.

     5 min
  11. 11

    Basic Audio Editing and Mixing

    Learn to mix video audio: organizing tracks, cleaning dialogue, levels, EQ, compression, ducking music, panning, loudness targets in LUFS and checking.

     5 min
  12. 12

    Common Audio Problems and Fixes

    Learn to fix common video audio problems: hiss, hum, wind, echo, clipping, plosives, harsh 's' sounds, rustle, dropouts and sync, plus when to re-record.

     5 min