How to record great audio as a videographer
When you think of a videographer you think of someone who films things and creates amazing visuals. However, one very overlooked aspect of videography is audio recording. Whilst using a great lens or full frame camera might improve your visuals, the same can be said for sound recording. Many videographers overlook sound and neglect investing in good sound kit or sharpening up on their sound recording skills. In this blog post, I shine some well needed light on sound recording as videographer.
Why is audio important for a videographer
If you’re working a videographer in London or any major city in 2025, the likelihood is you’ll have a mix of filming work. As a result, sound recording is hugely important aspect. In years gone by, having a sound person working on your video production was common place. However, now there is a growing expectation that a videograher should record high quality sound on their own for smaller single person interview jobs. When a videographer doesn’t do this aspect of their work properly, the quality drops. So maybe its time for all us videographers to brush up on our sound recording skills.
Top tips for better audio as a videographer
As videographers, we spend so much time improving our visuals but audio is equally, if not more important. So how can a videographer improve their audio? The simplest way to improve your audio during interviews is to switch from a radio microphone to a directional microphone. Does this really make a big difference? In short, yes! A directional microphone does exactly what it’s called. It’s directional, this means, less background noise and more depth in the vocals. Relying on radio microphones is in a way lazy. Spend the extra time setting up a boom stand and a directional microphone and you will hear the huge difference this tip makes.
Best audio gear for a videographer in 2025
So what is the best sound gear a videographer can buy in 2025? You don’t need to break the bank in order to up your audio game. The classic Rode NTG3 microphone is a solid microphone with a noticeable difference compared to a standard lapel mic such as a Senheisser G4. You can pick these up used for a few hundreds pounds on eBay or buy new for around the £500 mark with a 10 year warranty. Don’t be fooled by the NTG4 and thinking this is an upgrade. The NTG 4 microphone is a general all round microphone with a better frequency response and a lower noise floor. For videographer works, the NTG3 is superior.
When it comes to lapel mics when a directional microphone cant be used then the Senheisser AVX-ME2 is a great choice. These mics offer a great sound quality and reduced rustle when you go for the gold quality microphone which I highly reccomend. The best time to use these are when you have 2 or more people to record sound for in the same shot. Shoots of this size really require a sound person but I have 3 sets of them for those jobs when you get thrown in at teh deep end and get a last minute request!
