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How to record clean dialogue for video: a beginner's technique guide
Dialogue is the spine of most films. Clean dialogue starts with distance, then room, then performance.
Most beginner films are built around dialogue. If the dialogue is clean, the audience stays in the story. If it is noisy, distant or uneven, the audience leaves. The techniques that produce clean dialogue are not expensive. They are mostly about placement, listening and control.
Distance first
Place the microphone as close as the frame allows. For a boom, that means just above the top of frame, pointed at the actor's mouth. For a lav, that means clipped to the chest or lapel, no more than a foot from the mouth. Every doubling of distance cuts the voice level by half and doubles the room noise.
Control the room
The ideal room is small, soft and quiet. A large empty room sounds hollow. A small closet full of clothes sounds dead. On location, you can improve a bad room by hanging blankets, closing curtains, turning off appliances, and asking people to stop moving during the take. Record room tone so the silence does not sound artificial.
Direct the performance for sound
Actors who mumble, whisper or shout unpredictably make recording impossible. Ask the actor to project consistently. If the scene demands a whisper, get the microphone closer. If the scene demands a shout, lower the recorder level before the take. Never let the actor surprise the level.
Watch the clothing
Lav microphones pick up every fabric movement. A necklace, a jacket zipper, a scarf or a loose shirt will ruin a take. Have the actor move while you listen. If you hear rustle, adjust the clip, tape the cable, or change the mic position. Sometimes the best fix is wardrobe, not audio.
Use the boom as the main source
Even when you have a lav, record a boom if you can. The boom usually sounds more natural and more like the scene. Use the lav as a backup or for lines where the boom is out of position. In post, you can choose the better source for each line.
Fix sample rate and format before editing
Dialogue recorded at different sample rates or in different formats will drift or clip. Before you import into the timeline, inspect every file. Our audio inspector reads the real properties of each WAV locally, and the sample rate converter fixes mismatches before they become sync problems.