What is Hiss?

Not to be confused with hum, hiss is a persistant noise on a recording that sounds like … well … hiss. Turn the sound up loud enough and you will almost always here some on your recording. A low levels, it isn’t much of a problem.

The problem is when you have hiss on a recording that is distracting – say from a bad microphone or from turning up low dialogue. You could also be trying to restore an old recording that has hiss on it. Wherever it comes from, however, it’s annoying and needs to be destroyed.

The Basic Method of Getting Rid of Hiss

Hiss removal involves a few similar steps no matter what software you are using. First of all, you need to find a sample of hiss just by itself. That way the audio program knows what the hiss actually sounds like isolated – before that, it could get hiss confused with other parts of your recording. After setting some parameters, your tool of choice will try to remove that hiss from the recording without damaging any other areas.

To illustrate, I am going to take a look at removing hiss from two programs: Audacity and iZotope RX.

Removing Hiss with Audacity

If you are not familiar, Audacity is a great (and free) audio tool for Mac and PC. You can get it here. To get started, open it up, and import a piece of audio.

After importing your track, look closely for a small chunk of audio where there is only noise. After you’ve found it, select that portion of audio.

Select Noise Removal… out of the drop down list of effects from the Effects menu. This will give you a little dialog box that presents a handy two step guide. The first, is to get a noise profile. Since we’ve selected our noise profile area, we can just click the “Get Noise Profile” button.

Once you have the noise profile, deselect the noise profile area, and get back to the two step panel. You can adjust the noise reduction amount, preview it, and hit okay. Play back your audio, and the hiss is now minimized or gone.

As we mention in our limitations section, your audio may be affected depending on the Noise Reduction level you’ve chosen. If you are getting audio that sounds like it was recorded underwater, it is time to go back and rethink your parameters.

Removing Hiss with iZotope RX

iZotope RX is a fantastic program that is well worth the fact that it is not free. You can get it at BHPhoto.com.

What does iZotope RX have that free solutions don’t have? Well first of all, it can do a lot more than take out hiss, but we are sticking to hiss in this article. One of my favorite features of iZotope RX is its Spectrogram information. It can be viewed right on top of the more conventional wave pattern:

This view allows you to see – in much greater detail – disturbances or irregularity in audio. For instance, hum can be observed as a single line shooting horizontally through a recording. Hiss appears as “noise” you can see in the background of the audio.

Removal works in a similar fashion to Audacity. Find a portion of the audio where just the hiss is present, click the Denoiser button and click Train. This will “train” the program in the audio noise profile of the recording.

As in Audacity, you have a Noise Reduction level and a Smoothing option. However, you also have a choice of several algorithms that might give different results. Some take longer to process, but it is worth it to see which one might fit your situation the best.

When using an advanced program like iZotope RX, it is a good idea to look through their documentation. In the case of iZotope RX, the documentation happens to be extremely helpful and thorough.

Limitations

Of course, there are limitations. Like we mentioned in our previous post, audio is like a bowl of soup. You are going to take out some things you want to leave in. Since every piece of audio is very different, you’ll need to do some experimenting with parameters to see what level of removal leaves your audio suitably in tact.

When appearing on camera, wearing makeup is a necessity…for everyone! The camera sees things that we do not see with the naked eye and it can distort your features and lighting can wash you out or make your skin tone appear uneven. There are four basic makeup must-haves: foundation, powder, blush, and lip product.

Foundation is meant to even out the skin tone and help you to appear alive! It is not necessary to wear a ‘mask’ of foundation; just enough to give the appearance of the same overall color. Pay close attention to the areas under the eyes as this area of the face tends to be either lighter or darker than the rest of the face.

Being in front of the camera can make you sweat, this can be due to stress, nerves, or heat from the lights. This sweat will make you look shiny and it is not a flattering look for anyone. A light dusting of powder will take care of this issue.

Blush is meant to enhance cheekbones and the appearance of a natural, healthy glow. Applying blush to the apples of the cheeks is best. It can also be applied to the overall face in moderation to give a more bronzed look.

The use of a lip product, either balm or lipstick, will allow your lips to be seen on camera. At times the color of the lips will blend straight into the color of the face. You want the focus to be on the actor and the actions, not the imperfections.

Remember that the purpose of makeup is to dull reflections created by the on set elements and keep you looking like you! Follow the tips below for the best results:

Tips:

*Men: Be sure to get a nice clean, close shave. Facial hair is not easily concealed by makeup and you will save yourself a lot of time in the makeup mirror if you take the time to shave!

*Makeup should ALWAYS be the same color of the skin on your face, not your hand. Test makeup colors on your cheek or chin, not on your hand. Unless you are a hand model, your face is the most important thing being seen on camera.

*Blush should not have shimmer or the cheeks will appear shiny. Use a matte blush to prevent unwanted shine.

*Makeup is not the enemy, it is your friend!

If you are a key pecker you know who you are. You love editing almost entirely by key commands, and probably started on an Avid system. Key in and out points, key into the timeline – key everything. Key peckers see the video timeline and see something that is manipulated with keystrokes point by point.

But then there are the touchers, and I have to say I’m in this group. These are the ones who see a timeline and want to move it around and re-arrange the elements via a visual interface. The timeline is something fluid, and although there are some key commands involved with the left hand, the right hand is all about the motion.

My question is though: why are all of you touchers still using a mouse?

Mice are clumsy, and although they are what you are familiar with, they leave a lot to be desired when you are looking to really interact with a user interface on a natural level.

Go into any design house, and you’ll see a lot of grey, flat surfaces everywhere. These are known as Wacom tablets (pronounced “Whack’em”), and they are basically an alternative input device that uses a digital pen.

Anyone who edits graphics on a serious level uses one, and it’s my opinion that anyone that edits video on a serious level should have one too (sans the Avid users).

Basically, you slide the stylus (digital pen) across the tablet, and move the cursor. Very simple concept, but it does take a lot of getting used to. If you’re like most people, you’ve held a pen in your hand for writing and a mouse in your hand for computing your whole life. Mixing the two won’t be easy, but it pays off.

How? A Wacom tablet with a pen allows you to access the interface of a video editor very quickly and efficiently. You can move around clips on the timeline, adjust levels, and touch tiny buttons all over the screen very quickly – and very accurately. You are no longer mousing around and clicking here and there slowly and deliberately. You are really manipulating the program in a fluid way, and that can really make a difference in the speed and quality of your editing.

Bonus: Wacoms come with a mouse that is very comfortable and uses the tablet surface for when you don’t need the pen stylus.

There are other companies that make tablets like these, but Wacom is the industry standard. Although you can get a knock off for cheaper, I really recommend going with a real Wacom and saving the trouble of another kind breaking or not functioning properly.

There are also a lot of different type of Wacoms. I prefer the Intuos3, 6×8. It’s the perfect size for Final Cut, and really gets the job done well.

If you are a big toucher, I highly recommend dropping some cash on these and seeing where one can take you.

Note: these are separated by connector type, not the signal. For example, a YPbPr signal can be carried by (among other things) three RCA connectors or three BNC connectors. We’ll get into that in a different article.

RCA Connector

Anyone who has hooked up a VCR in the past 25 years knows what this looks like. One pin (usually color-coded as to its intended use) with a metal ring around it, it’s definitely a staple for consumer electronics connections.

The RCA Connector was originally manufactured by the RCA corporation for phonograph connections and is sometimes reffered to as a “phono plug”. It can be used to carry a lot of different signals including a power signal, but is most commonly found on consumer electronics in the form of a composite and component connection.

Basically, you know these babies – they are everywhere.

BNC

Short for Bayonet Neill-Concelman, the BNC connector is one of my favorite connector types. Why? BNC connectors area able to lock themselves to their female components. The locking mechanism is similar to that of a case for a stack of  writable CDs or DVDs – you fit it on and twist to lock. Just fit and twist.

Obviously, this means that if you’ve got something connected with BNC and it’s locked, and someone trips over a cord, tears will follow. However, in situations where you don’t want an RCA cord just falling out, then BNC is pretty cool.

BNC is used to carry a variety of signals, and is common on professional video equipment. Not just cameras, but other heavy duty studio equipment like genlock generators. You probably won’t run into it on many prosumer camcorders, but once in a while you may come across a BNC jack on something you’re working with. I always like to carry a BNC cord on larger shoots, and I always have a RCA to BNC adapter in my bag just in case.

It’s worth to note that there is some variations on the BNC like the twinax and triaxial connectors, but the chances of you running into one are slim to none on a DiY project.

XLR

Contrary to what it might seem like, XLR is not exclusively an audio connector. It is actually an electrical connector, and it has a lot of variants besides the classic three pin XLR3 commonly used for audio connections, and a lot of other uses other than carrying electricity. As you probably guessed, you are going to run into the three pin XLR most often, so just keep in mind that if someone is referring to a socket that looks like an XLR and has 6 pins and you say “that’s not XLR, n00b!!”, he gets to punch you in the nuts. NO EXCEPTIONS.

XLR is the standard for quality audio connections, and your camcorder may have XLR inputs right on it. If so, great! If not, and you have a 1/8″ jack for audio input, consider investing in something like the Beachtek Dual XLR Audio Adapter which screws right onto the bottom of any camcorder like a tripod plate, and allows for 2 balanced XLR connections. You can also screw a tripod plate into the bottom of the audio adapter, making a kind of camera sandwich that hey, everyone can get along with.

But wait, remember I said that XLR is an electrical connector? You may have seen them on theatrical dimming switches and other power applications like a lot of podium lights. Well, XLR is so talented it can carry both the audio from the microphone AND the power the mic needs (if it needs any). This is called phantom power, and if you have a camera with XLR inputs, open up your manual and check and see if it’s a feature. If it is, then take the batteries out of your mic and plug it in – if phantom power is on, it should still be working.

Pretty cool, huh? The name – phantom power – is also cool. Much better than the original name, “flaccid power”.

TRS Connectors

I bet you have a TRS connector in your bedroom or house, and you don’t even know it. That’s because TRS connectors are really common, but are rarely referred to as TRS connectors except by nerds (like DiY filmmakers). If you have headphones they probably have a 1/8″ TRS connector, commonly known as mini-jack. If you play guitar, it’s probably connected to your amp by a 1/4″ TRS connector. They are all around us – watching (maybe).

TRS stands for Tip, Ring, Sleeve, and the lines are the insulation between elements. The tip is the … tip. The sleeve is the sleeve usually at the bottom. TRS. Pretty easy, eh? One thing to note is that there can be 2 rings (a TRRS) for some applications.

If you have ever touched a live guitar cord connected to a mic, you know that the different parts of the connector (the tip, the ring, and the sleeves), do different things, because if you touch the tip, you get noise out of the amp, and you don’t with the rest of the plug. Basically, the different parts of the plug carry different parts of the signal based on which signal it’s carrying. For instance, if we are using it to carry a stereo signal, the tip is the right channel, the ring is the left channel, and the sleeve is the ground (the sleeve is almost always the ground).

Wikipedia has a handy chart that you can reference, and a whole lot of information that we can’t cover here. Like we mentioned though, there are everywhere, so it is a good idea to be familiar with them and their capabilities.

Handy side note: Since TRS connectors can carry a balanced signal, they can be interchanged with XLR (no phantom power, however). You might, as a result, see some XLR jacks with a hole in the middle for a 1/4″ TRS connector. Choices!

Speakon

I mention these because you might run into them in a setting where there are PA speakers set up. These cable connectors are usually used almost exclusively to connect to high end professional speakers from sound systems. You probably won’t need to use them, but it’s good to know what they are.

So, these are the guys I am willing to bet you are going to run into 99% of the time while doing some DiY filmmaking. The thing is, there are some really weird connectors out there. Check out some old video equipment, you’ll see some things that will haunt your dreams. If you run into something you just can’t figure out, try these sources:

Wikipedia’s video connector list

Wikipedia’s list of audio and video connectors

Those are the basics, so remember – if you don’t know what it is, look it up! No just trying to wedge in whatever cord you have in your hand into a socket just to seem cool. Say no to cable peer pressure, and happy hookups!

1. An extra tripod plate.

Where did I go? Hell if I know.

These things get lost, and how. They are the guitar picks of the DiY filmmaking world, and it helps to have a bunch around so you aren’t stuck doing a hand held shot for something that really should be locked off on your tripod. Luckily, these guys are less expensive than the whole head, so while they aren’t exactly something you should toss out the window on the highway in large quantities, the loss of one shouldn’t ground production to a halt. Your tripod may have actually come with two of them. If so, hooray for you. If not, then it’s a good idea to buy a backup.

2. Power adapter (NEMA 1 to NEMA 5)

These guys are a little life savers! They are tiny, but they come in big when you find yourself in a location with only two pronged (NEMA 1) outlets. Bring a few – they can fit if your camera bag is bigger than a ring box (note: it should be).

Note: for the hardcore among you, try this crazy looking thing (international power adapter). It is pretty compact and if you find yourself traveling the world I’m sure you can pony up $5.10.

3. Lens cleaning cloth

There is nothing worse than getting something on your lens and then having to wipe it away with your shirt or sandpaper because you don’t have the proper type of cloth that doesn’t damage a lens. Everyone will see your footage through that lens so be kind to it and pack a few of these.

There are a variety of cool ways to keep a cloth around too. You could do the basic classic style cloth, the cloth in a keychain pouch, a really handy little non-keychain but still cool retractable pouch thing, and of course a lens cleaning pen. Why not.

4. An extra tape

Yes, I know, this is blindly obvious, but it is forgotten more frequently than we would collectively like to admit. Pack one more extra then you could possibly need, and you’re good to go.

5. Regular Sharpie/Thin Sharpie/Extra tape labels

These are the holy trinity of keeping things labeled in the field. Yes, the tapes come with their own labels but a reserve supply is a good idea. Don’t bother with ball point pens for marking on them, they’ll only smear. Thin sharpie (the pen kind, not just the thin type of marker) for the labeling, and the regular sharpie for marking bigger things and writing on gaffer’s tape.

6. Extra lightbulb for light

Another oft-looked over no-brainer. If your light goes out, make sure you aren’t in the dark. You can find the type of bulb to get from your light’s manual or website.

7. 1/8″ cable extender

This one may not be so obvious, but sometimes the situation pops up where you are getting distracted by a shorter than necessary headphone cord and you need some length. Same with if someone else needs to hear the headphone audio to work a boom for a shot or two. Very handy.

8. RCA butt connector

Or RCA female coupler, I guess. Why not “butt” though? I can’t tell you why you may need this, because the situations are very diverse and strange, but at some point, having a RiteAV – RCA Coupler makes life a lot easier.

9. Microphone stand thread adapter

Sure, your mic goes on your boom pole just fine, but somewhere along the line it may have to play nice with another mic stand, or you may need to fit another mount on your pole. One of these little guys can save you from awkwardly taping some things together.

10. Roll of gaffers tape

Gaffers tape is the most popular guy at the party (the party being your shoot). Keep a nice big roll in your bag and its like coming to the party with a 24 case of non-Keystone light beer.

* For more on the importance of gaffers tape, check this out.

11. Firewire 400 to 800 adapter

4-circuit firewire can be found on most pro-sumer camcorders out there. The firewire cord you have laying around is most likely firewire 4-circuit to 6-circuit (400).  Oddly enough, I keep running into newer computers (especially Apple laptops) with no firewire 400, just the 9-circuit firewire 800. A show stopper in most cases, but not with this bad boy. Pull this one out of the bag in a pinch, and you are the village hero.

With these 11 items, you’ll have the tools to face a wide range of production problems that come up – just reach into the bag and make the magic happen.

The short answer is yes. The long answer is absolutely.

A tripod’s importance to your shoot, especially as a do-it-yourself filmmaker, fits right behind making sure the lens-cap is off. A do it yourself filmmaker can achieve so much more with a tripod than without one. In some cases, a tripod will end up not only being your most important piece of equipment, but your most important crew member as well. But whether you are looking for an inexpensive tripodto simply hold your camera still for your weekly YouTube Vlog, or you need a tripod that offers fluid camera movementandspiked feetfor superior stability, the most important aspect you need to consider is reliability.

Everyone has that $6 tripodthat came free with a subscription to MovieMaker magazine or with three proofs-of-purchase of Frosted Flakes, but can those things really be trusted? Because if you’re on this site it means you are at least marginally serious about whatever upcoming projects you may have, and it also means your camera is at least that important to you. And with a decent video camera running anywhere from $300to $3,000to $10,000,the odds that you will actually be able to rely on a $6 tripod, or even a $12 tripod,are pretty slim.

Many do-it-yourself filmmakers have gone through great pains to avoid buying a tripod. But whether the stack of books fell over with their camera on top of it or they got sick of finding a countertop close enough to pick up their audio, they have always given in to their need for a tripod.

A good tripod that provides enough stability for a quality shot, provides a secure enough platform to support your equipment, and allows you to make the necessary adjustments to obtain that right camera position, should retail for at least $45. For superior camera movement and stability, while still maintaining security and shot quality, you will have to spend around $250. Tripods that offer professional functionality and support can cost thousands of dollarsdepending on the features.

At the end of the day, if you want any sort of congruency between takes, and any piece of mind that your camera is actually taken care of, then you will get yourself a dependable tripod before you start shooting.

Many people on a shoot automatically reach for duct tape in these situations. It’s a household item that is available at practically every general purpose store, and it’s cheap. But pull out a roll of duct tape in front of a pro and they’ll be horrified. Why? Duct tape is the worst thing you can use on a film shoot, and there is a better alternative: gaffers tape.

Why not use duct tape?

We shouldn’t just dismiss duct tape right away because it’s available and common, so let’s talk about why duct tape is a bad idea for shoots.

First of all, duct tape’s pressure sensitive adhesive leaves goop – everywhere – and since its made to stick it and leave it, it can be very difficult to remove. Try taping some cables down with duct tape and come back an hour later – your cables will have a charming thin sticky surface that is great for ruining them.

Maybe the worst use of duct tape for a production is that situation where you need to stick something to a wall or another part of your location, and when you remove the tape later, it takes a piece of the location with it. It’s always important to treat your locations with respect and leave them the way you found them, and taking some paint off a wall isn’t going to put the location owners on your good side.

Meet Gaffers Tape

Gaffers tape is a cloth tape with a different type of pressure sensitive adhesive that allows it to come off clean, eliminating the problems of duct tape above. You can tape down cables with no fear. Gaffers tape also has some other useful aspects:

1. Different sizes. Gaffers tape comes in different widths from very narrow (called “spike” tape) to wide tape which is useful for taping down larger groups of wires. For general purposes though, you can get gaffers tape that is roughly the size of duct tape for your shoot.
2. Different colors. From fluorescent pink to blue to black to white, gaffers tape comes in all sorts of colors for all different kinds of uses. I recently went to shoot on a location that was very brown so I got some brown gaffers tape in case any of it showed up on screen. Worked like a charm.
3. You can write on it. White gaffers tape and a sharpie makes for some extremely easy and fast labels for just about anything. Audio engineers often use it to mark inputs on boards that may change often.

Maybe the best part of gaffers tape is that you can scoff at duct tape users and brandish around your sweet roll of the real deal. While girls are not impressed by it (in my experience) you can still impress yourself.

Bottom line: for any shoot, big or small, gaffers tape is a wise investment. It’s certainly more expensive than plain duct tape, but it’s an essential tool for any production bag.