Audio clicking

[jason.georgio]

Hey everyone, I was filming a live show last week (loud band) and noticed that my footage had these clicking/popping noises every-so-often. I've got an external mic attached. It is the standard Panasonic mini-mic. Is it because the audio is peaking at red? Thanks!

 

[Barry_Green]

If your audio ever hit the "red" mark, then yes, that's exactly what it would cause. Your audio would be "clipped" and distorted whenever it hits the red.

It's also possible that if you're in a loud enough environment, the mic itself might not be able to handle the sound pressure level (SPL), and in cases like that you'll hear distortion and clicking even if you turn the audio levels down below the red.

 

[wgzn]

barry is right on. thats not "clicking" its distortion. your mic cant handle the sound pressure level. even if you cranked the audio of your camera all the way down, and the meters were NOT in the red, youd still probably get that splatter. its just a symptom of your mic not being able to deal with the volume of a live show. its clipped before it even hits your camera...

and its not just a matter of a more expensive mic. you need to look for one with higher sound pressure range.

i looked and looked and finally found a GREAT mic for live rock shows. its the shure vp88. its got a very high SPL tolerance AND its stereo. at $700 its not cheap. but its cheaper than a ruined shot ; )

here is a link to a show i shot with it. the show was CRAZY loud (my ears were ringing for the next 18 hours or so) and there isnt a single instance of clipping anywhere:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFAi952uYKI

your best bet is always to get a live recording to cd or something off the house board. and sync it in post. but when thats not possible (which is OFTEN) the vp88 is the next best thing