Whether you’re making your first short film, or creating digital content for your business or vlog, one of the things that can make or break your videos is the sound quality.

We’ve posted a lot of articles about being able to shoot videos with your smartphones. The cameras on phones have come along way, and you can get great image quality. One thing that seems to be lacking still is a good internal microphone to capture quality sound.

Whether you have a professional DSLR camera, or you’re shooting with your GoPro or phone, it’s a good idea to invest in an external audio recorder.

When purchasing audio equipment, there are 2 things you need to consider:

 

1.) WHAT MICROPHONE DO I NEED?

2.) WHAT ACTUAL AUDIO RECORDER DO I NEED?

 

BUDGET:

GTD Audio 622H ($158) – If you’re really on a budget and you need your mic to be wireless go with this one.

Sennheiser e 835 Dynamic Vocal Microphone with XLR ($99.95) – If you don’t care about wireless capabilities we recommend this guy. It comes with an XLR cable to plug directly into your auto-recorder.

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD COST:

Sennheiser XSW 35-A ($249.99) – Sennheiser is one of the world leaders for quality mics. The quality of sound and range you get with this mic blows any other mic in this price bracket out of the water. It’s wireless, so you don’t have to worry about any XLR cords.

IF MONEY ISN’T AN ISSUE:

Sennheiser EW 165 G3 ($749.95) – It’s Sennheiser, so you know you’re getting quality. This more expensive model will give you further range, and allows for little noise annoyances. It offers a special sound-check mode, where you can test audio levels discreetly.

BUDGET:

RODE VIDEOMIC SHOTGUN ($149.95) –  This mic gives you great bang for your buck. It mounts right onto most cameras and plugs into most models (Canon, Nikon and Sony). We recommend going with the pack that gives you a wind shield so you won’t have any problems shooting outside.

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD COST:

RODE VIDEOMIC PRO SHOT GUN ($229) – This mic serves most hobbiest and filmmakers alike. You will get solid sound quality.

IF MONEY ISN’T AN ISSUE:

SENNHEISER MKE 600 ($479) – The body is a big bigger than the Rode, but this mic gives you an even cleaner sound. You’re rarely going to hear a “bump” or “hiss” in your audio. We also recommend you get a wind shield so you won’t have problem shooting outside.

BUDGET:

Rode smartLav ($79) – If you want to save your cash and you’re doing a lot of shooting with your smartphone, this is the lavalier mic for you!

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD COST:

Sennheiser ME 2 omni-directional lavalier EW microphone($149.95) – This model has great mass and pick up with a wide frequency range.

IF MONEY ISN’T AN ISSUE:

Sennheiser EW 112P G3-B omni-directional EW system($629.95) – This system gives you wireless capabilities and allows you to walk up to 623 feet away from your camera. The sound is crisp and you won’t have any interference issues.

BUDGET:

ZOOM H1 HANDY RECORDER ($99.00) – This recorder is compact and will give you decent sound quality for the price.

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD COST:

ZOOM H6 RECORDER ($328) – Many award-winning documentary filmmakers use this model. The sound quality is high and you are able to record up to four different channels at once.

IF MONEY ISN’T AN ISSUE:

ROLAND R-44-E ($795) – The beauty behind this guy is that you can record 4 channels of audio for extremely long periods of time without running out of power. It’s also less than 3 lbs which makes it appealing for high quality, on-the-go shooting.

 

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