Hobbists' sound question/help

BobMoyer wrote on 7/31/2014, 9:21 AM

Win7,VP13/PanasonicHC-X900M cam

I record my grandsons' sporting events for the family's enjoyment. The indoor hockey and soccer events have presented no problems, however, the outdoor soccer matches have been a major problem - soundwise. I love the ambient crowd noises, but invariably, since the fields are usually wide open, I get a lot of wind noise recorded through the 5.1 mic. It varies from a low constant rumble to an overpowering roar. Is there something that could be attached/taped over the mic that would help eliminate the wind noise yet let most/some of the crowd noise through? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again the cam is listed above.

Bob

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 7/31/2014, 9:53 AM

This came up in a quick web search, but i'm not sure if the shotgun aspect would be helpful or not.

http://www.amazon.com/Microphone-Windscreen-Shotgun-Panasonic-HC-X900M/dp/B00AOYOIEQ

You could try any piece of foam taped over the built in mic, or at least with the tape over the edges, not covering where the mic grills are. The stuff inside a scrubbie pad might work well.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FqHcOXvfL._SL500_AA300_.jpg but something softer might be better.

MCW wrote on 7/31/2014, 10:18 AM

Have a look at The Windcutter.com website. I used one of their stick on products on a 900 to good effect.

BobMoyer wrote on 7/31/2014, 11:14 AM

Thank you both for the quick response. The Windcutter seems to be what I am looking for. I was disappointed that there were no reviews of the product. Fifteen dollars is a good price if it will solve my issues. Hope others will add their opinions also. I searched for solutions, but I never seem to put in the correct search criteria. Thanks again.

Bob

musicvid10 wrote on 7/31/2014, 11:20 AM

Even if you protect the shotgun from direct wind, the sound will still be affected by wind between you and the subject. As with any mic, the only things that can help are a good (but bulky) wind screen and setting up with the wind to your back. Shooting parallel with the wind is less noisy than at an angle.

Wireless lavs are a great solution outdoors because they're usually reliable at 300 ft. and can be placed to minimize noise and in close proximity.

riredale wrote on 7/31/2014, 12:45 PM

That camera has an external microphone socket. Pretty much any inexpensive stereo microphone could be plugged in and placed in a location where wind effects were minimal.

Another option is to use "wild" sound--audio recorded independently by a separate device. Such hand-held devices can be bought for $100 or less and then you could again place it in a location unaffected by wind. It's easy to bring the separate audio into Vegas and sync it up with the camera audio.

I've done projects where I have the luxury of perhaps a half-dozen audio sources on the timeline. It's educational for me to listen to the differences between them.

Rob Franks wrote on 8/1/2014, 5:46 AM

"That camera has an external microphone socket. Pretty much any inexpensive stereo microphone could be plugged in and placed in a location where wind effects were minimal."

The problem with that is that it ruins the 5.1 sound. Don't know if that's important to the op but it should be mentioned.