ABSTRACT
The sound recordist is in charge of recording all the location sound. For television he or she uses a small portable sound mixer that receives the output from the microphones either by wire or radio link. The mixer is cabled to the camera. The sound is recorded onto the digital tape or disc in the camera. For drama productions made on film, the sound recordist will work with a portable sound recorder such as a Nagra and record a separate sound track. A clapper board is used to later put the recorded sound ‘in sync’ with the actors’ lip movements. Two or more microphones can be set up and the sound monitored by the recordist on headphones. Television programmes are recorded in stereo. The sound recordist is not just responsible for sound quality. He or she ensures that there is no overlapping sound – voices talking over each other – in interviews or in drama, and that there is a good balance between background sound and speech. The aim is to deliver clean uncluttered sound to the editor, that retains the ambience of the location and the full resonance of the speech.
