Today in class we focused on sound, more specifically the use of a production sound mixer. I had recorded sound in previous shoots but I had always used the Zoom H4n to record. Not that the Zoom has not served me well as it is a simple and reliable device but with a production sound mixer you have so much more control over the audio you record.

What I always found frustrating with the Zoom was the method you can adjust gain as you have to press a button but on the mixer you calibrate the gain with one knob which can be pushed in and then fine tune the gain during the shoot to compensate for changing levels with another. I like the fact that there are two levels of audio gain so that you can be more precise when you slightly alter the levels during the shoot, which can make a huge difference in the editing phase.
The rule that whoever is wearing the headphones has to also have the mixer is sound advice as the mixer is capable to ear-damaging levels. It may come across as common sense but there are instances where someone might forget even the basics safety rules so it was a good refresher on the subject.

What was also interesting was the point of having the most important subject in input 1 as the example of an interview was given. Some interviewers have the bad habit of saying “mhm” and “aha” while the interviewee is talking so if a sound designer wants to eliminate them they could do it without any real hassle. This will make the interview better as a whole as the most important subject between the interviewer and interviewee is the interviewee since it’s not much of an interview without them.