What is Synced Sound and Why Will I Use it?

Shot gun mic on a boom pole for a
Synced Sound Setup

Synced sound is the practise of recording sound via a microphone (either it be a shot gun mic, clip mic etc) that records straight to camera and ‘in-sync’ with my footage. This technique is used to record crisper and cleaner sound for your footage with a better quality mic then you standard build in mic. This is a more affective way as it allows the boom operator to get the mic closer to the subject to pick up the sound waves at the optimal distance to record super crisp sound. Although, I would prefer the use of a shot gun microphone as it records direct sound when pointed at the sound source.

Diagram of a shot gun microphone's
polar pattern

To get the mic closer to the subject, the best technique is to have the mic on a boom pole and positioned above/slightly in front of the subject pointed directly at the sternum for maximum clarity to capture the most sound waves/frequencies. This is because the way the directional mic records sound is by being pointed directly at the source of sound, and vocals are clearer from the sternum.

I will be using this technique in my production as it will allow me to record the vocals of my interviewee in sync with my footage and saves the editor to sync up sound in post. This creates a faster and simpler work flow for time efficiency and to get the best quality for our production.