It may sound amateurish, but many supposedly professional videographers who shoot local news don’t wear headphones to monitor sound. On the streets of New York City, when I see this, I often innocently ask the video shooter how he knows what his getting for sound. Inevitably, he points to the VU meter to show he is getting sound.

This lack of basic knowledge is astounding, but very real in today’s world. Simply watching the VU meter means you are getting “something,” but not necessarily good audio. The solution, of course, is to wear closed-back headphones or in-ear audio monitors. Those block out background noise and allow you to monitor your sound. Why more people don’t do this always amazes me.

With headphones on, make sure your the average audio level is around -12 to -9 dBFS. The level can creep a bit higher, but this is the range for good recording with a minimum noise floor and decent dynamic range. Never overload digital sound. It is the kiss of death. The sound is not recoverable.

For those that don’t understand why one should always wear head or earphones on a video shoot, here’s the simple answer in a series of questions. How do you know if you have a bad cable, a faulty microphone or some other audio problem? How else do you know whether the sound is proper for your video image? How do you know you are not getting wind noises or plosives in the sound? Watching a meter will not tell you these things.

Windscreens outdoors are essential against gusts of wind that can overwhelm microphones. They, along with pop filters, also help reduce both plosives and sibilance, which can destroy otherwise good audio. When working outdoors on a windy day, try to reduce your exposure to wind even with a good windscreen. Change positions and be aware that wind is the enemy of good audio.

The choice of microphone is also essential outdoors. If you are doing interviews, use a good omni-directional lavalier with a furry windscreen to prevent wind problems. For stand-ups, use a good omni-directional hand mic with a windscreen.

You always want unmuffled dialog, so make sure your mic and it’s user are on-axis and not off-mic. Be careful of shotgun mics, which can easily be off-axis if you are not paying attention.

When outdoors, use a low-cut filter if it’s available on the camera or audio mixer. These filters get rid of low-frequency rumbles and hiss in the background generated by automobiles, airliners, construction sites, wind and rain. In some difficult situations, you might even need to use EQ to squash a specific sound that is annoying.

It may be tempting to lose the headset on location. But that would be a huge mistake, one that puts your sound in jeopardy. Television sound is challenging enough as it is. To contribute to its mediocrity by not properly monitoring sound is shameful.

Listen to your work, and follow the above tips. It is not hard and can insure fewer audio disasters in the field. Understanding how to listen to audio is the first step in recording better audio for video.