Introduction to the first edition

This book is aimed at you if you wish to learn about recording sounds for video productions.

A little knowledge, and some understanding, is all you need to cope with being chosen to be ‘on the sound team today’. Sound is still sound whether you are in the studio or on location, and at least it is something you will have heard of!

This book is equipment non-specific, merely dealing with the principles and processes involved in obtaining professional results in educational and training environments. You will not be a ‘television expert’, but if you are a student who wishes to learn about all aspects of sound production, read on.

Much of what you read will be directly transferable to film courses and sound courses as the basics and principles remain the same.

This book explains, in simple language, who works where and what each member of the team is responsible for. There are brief, but comprehensive, details of the types of equipment you will encounter in each area. There are hints and tips to help you choose equipment to fulfill a particular need.

You will learn the recording process, from how to choose a microphone, and get the best quality recordings, right through to editing the results ready for the final screening.

The aim is to give you a rapid understanding of how to tackle the problems you will encounter, without getting bogged down in technical terms. Only where it is necessary to understanding is there any reference to technical matters. Even then I have tried to use simple explanations.