Audio Assist: Boom Pole Tips, Tricks And Techniques

Where To Mount Your Microphone

Where do you think is a good place to set up your microphone?

Audio and sound beginners typically mount a microphone on top of their new camera, but it’s probably one of the worst places you can place it. There are many reasons why, but an important one is that when you mount it there, the microphone is often too far from the subject to pick up a clean, clear sound.

Another problem is signal-to-noise ratio, often written as “S/N ratio” or just “S/N.” It refers to the amount of signal—or desired sound—versus the amount of noise—or undesirable sound that’s picked up. The closer the microphone is to the subject, the more signal, and less noise, it will pick up.

So, when you mount a microphone on top of a camera, with today’s typically longer zoom ranges, the look of the shot is often most flattering when the camera is located farther from the subject, requiring the operator to zoom