This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as essential are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies, but opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Essential
Name
Features
Lifetime
cart
The association with your shopping cart.
1 Year
category_info
Allows pages to be displayed more quickly.
1 Year
compare
The items that you have in the Compare Products list.
1 Year
customer
An encrypted version of your customer id.
1 Year
customer_auth
An indicator if you are signed into the store.
1 Year
customer_info
An encrypted version of the customer group you belong to.
1 Year
X-Magento-Vary
-
1 Day
audio-technica
Cart contents session managed under Retail Solutions
10 Years
PHPSESSID
-
1 Day
user_allowed_save_cookie
Saves cookie consent status
1 Year
mage-cache-sessid
Website browser session ID that will get cached for 24hours (by default) for the user browsing experience.
1 Day
last_visited_store
-
1 Day
gdpr_cookie_consent
Cookie consent being set when the user has made the decision for their privacy settings whilst using the website.
1 Year
gdpr_cookie_groups
Selection of which cookie groups consented by the user for their privacy settings and usage whilst using the website.
1 Day
Preference
Name
Features
Lifetime
ftr_blst_1h
Prevents running a part of code multiple times. Is only stored for 1 hour.
1 Hour
forterToken
User Identification for Transactions
1 Year
__wid
User Identification for Phone Transactions.
7 Days
form_key
Website form_key cookie that is used for form validations and submissions as core site functionality. This cookie is set for 24hours by default.
1 Day
at_geolocator_store
Store Selection
1 Year
__cf_bm
Filtered Bots by font.net and Cloudflare
1 Day
mage-cache-storage
-
1 Day
mage-cache-storage-section-invalidation
-
1 Day
mage-messages
1 Day
section_data_ids
-
1 Day
product_data_storage
-
2 Hours
recently_compared_product
-
1 Day
recently_compared_product_previous
-
2 Hours
recently_viewed_product
-
1 Day
recently_viewed_product_previous
-
1 Day
private_content_version
-
10 Years
Analytics
Name
Features
Lifetime
recentlycompared
The items you recently compared.
1 Year
stf
Information on products you emailed to friends.
1 Year
store
The store view or language you have selected.
1 Year
viewed_product_ids
The products that you recently looked at.
1 Year
wishlist
An encrypted list of products added to your wish list.
1 Year
wishlist_cnt
The number of items in your wish list.
1 Year
_dc_gtm_ua-1665671-1
Page view recording from analytics.
1 Day
_ga
Page view recording from analytics.
2 Years
_ga_BW7Q0ZQJFZ
Page view recording from analytics.
2 Years
_ga_GWLV049W8H
Page view recording from analytics.
2 Years
_gat_UA-1665671-1
Page view recording from analytics.
2 Years
_gid
Page view recording from analytics.
1 Day
__hssc
Anonymized statistics from HubSpot
1 Day
_ga_1J18QZ5MCK
Page view recording from analytics.
2 Years
__hssrc
Anonymized statistics from HubSpot
1 Day
_cfuvid
Anonymized statistics from HubSpot
1 Day
_ga_B8SKQ9HHPZ
Page view recording from analytics.
2 Years
_ga_4BXXKZJZTZ
Page view recording from analytics.
2 Years
_ga_X6LMX9VR0Y
Page view recording from analytics.
2 Years
Advertising / Marketing
Name
Features
Lifetime
customer_segment_ids
Stores your Customer Segment ID
1 Year
external_no_cache
A flag that, indicates whether caching is on or off.
1 Year
frontend
Your session ID on the server.
1 Year
guest_view
Allows guests to edit their orders.
1 Year
last_category
The last category you visited.
1 Year
last_product
The last product you looked at.
1 Year
newmessage
Indicates whether a new message has been received.
1 Year
no_cache
Indicates whether it is allowed to use cache.
1 Year
persistent_shopping_cart
A link to information about your cart and viewing history if you have asked the site.
1 Year
MUID
unique web browser id used to track data from Microsoft Bing and its services/functions connected such as Clarity.ms
1 Year
CLID
Date user first seen on Clarity
1 Year
_clck
unique user ID generated by Clarity
1 Year
_clsk
page view recording set by Microsoft Clarity
1 Day
ANONCHK
Indicates whether MUID is transferred to ANID, a cookie used for advertising. Clarity doesn't use ANID and so this is always set to 0.
1 Day
__pr.ds5
Unique User ID set by Power Reviews
30 Days
AWSALB
Help with Load Balancing zopim requests
7 Days
AWSALBCORS
Help with Load Balancing zopim requests
7 Days
MR
Indicates whether to refresh MUID.
7 Days
SRM_B
Search Tracking by Bing.
1 Year
_uetsid
Tracking Visits by Bing.
1 Day
_uetvid
Tracking Visits by Bing.
1 Year
__hstc
Track visitor identity from Hubspot
1 Year
hubspotutk
Track visitor identity by Hubspot
1 Year
__zlcmid
Unique User ID logged for the session from Zopim
1 Year
MSPTC
unique web browser id used to track data from Microsoft Bing and its services/functions connected such as Clarity.ms
1 Year
SM
-
1 Day
_fbp
Used by Facebook to deliver advertising. The cookie contains an encrypted Facebook user ID and browser ID.
90 Days
Our Cookies
This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential site functionality, as well as advertising/marketing, preference, and analytics. Accessing our website tells us you agree to our use of cookies. However you can change your cookie settings at any time or you can decline the use of cookies that are not considered essential. Cookie/Privacy Policy
Visit our Outlet Store for up to 50%-off original retail pricing on select Certified Refurbished products.
Basic Audio Techniques for Video: Miking Inside of a Car
Basic Audio Techniques for Video: Miking Inside of a Car
Published
6th February 2018
This installment of our blog series on Basic Audio Techniques for Video explains four approaches for miking audio inside of a car. If you missed the previous installment explaining the basics of working wireless mic systems, you can read it here.
When recording a conversation inside a car, there are several options to achieve great-sounding audio. Whether you’re looking to capture a conversation between two passengers or a phone call taking place inside the vehicle, there are several types of microphones and placements available to capture the best dialogue and avoid picking up excess noise.
4 Techniques for Miking Inside of a Car
1. Use an Overhead Boom for Convertibles or Vehicles with Open Sunroofs
If you’re trying to capture audio inside a convertible or a vehicle with an open sunroof, a good option is to use an overhead boom. This method works best when the vehicle is stationary or being carried on a low-slung flatbed process trailer. To ensure the best audio, always use a windscreen; however, even when using a windscreen, wind can still be a factor in capturing accurate audio.
2. Use Under-Wardrobe Lavaliers or a Short Shotgun Mic to Capture Front-Seat Conversations
To capture a conversation between two people in the front seat or a conversation taking place on a cell phone, you have a few options to ensure high-quality audio, while making sure the microphone isn’t in the video shot.
Your first option is to have passengers wear lavaliers under their wardrobes. To do so, you can place the lavalier mic beneath a collar or directly on the body beneath their clothing. Find more tips and tricks for hiding lavalier mics in our series on convincingly hiding lavalier microphones while rigging talent.
However, when using lavalier mics, there are times when clothing and seatbelts may cause interference. Alternatively, you can mount a plant microphone inside the vehicle. A popular technique is to use a moderately directional short shotgun mic, such as the BP4073 or the AT4053b, in the center console area between the driver and passenger.
When using a short shotgun placed in the center console, there are a few things to keep in mind for producing great audio. First, recording in a vehicle with a hand brake or shifter lever will make it easier to clamp the microphone in position. A moving vehicle will produce a good amount of vibration, and gravel or debris can hit the underside of the car, all of which can affect the audio quality beyond easily filtered low bass. Therefore, always make sure you use a good shock mount in addition to the clamp.
Second, keep in mind that a single microphone will only capture audio from one person at a time, either the driver or passenger. Furthermore, depending on the camera angle, the microphone might be visible in the shot, so be cautious when filming to ensure the mic is not in frame.
3. Use Lavalier Mics Under the Sun Visor to Capture Single or Multiple Voices Within the Car
If you want to achieve the most natural-sounding dialogue between a driver and passenger, try using lavalier microphones planted under the car’s sun visors. There are many benefits to this technique, including that the sun visor is just inches away from the speaker’s face, while still a maximum distance away from the noisy undercarriage of the vehicle. Additionally, both the visor and ceiling of a car are well-padded, which helps to minimize echo and further block out exterior noise.
For this method, use a natural-sounding lavalier, such as the MT830R or AT899, for the best results. If your goal is to emulate a conversation taking place on a cell phone within a car, use a microphone such as the AT803 lavalier, which will produce an emphasized close-up feel when the conversation is recorded.
There are a few options for placing the lavalier microphones behind the sun visors to ensure great audio and prevent the mics from being easily seen in video shots. Placing a single lavalier on either the driver-side or passenger-side sun visor will easily pick up both voices; however, you can also choose one sun visor over the other based on the camera angle or to favor a weaker voice.
To attach the lavalier microphone to the sun visor, use the sticky triangle technique. This technique provides a large mounting surface as well as good isolation against vibration and rumble from a moving car. Remember to form a small loop behind the mic capsule to protect against vibration traveling up the mic cable. Finally, use a few strips of tape to securely anchor the lavalier and cable to the visor. If wind due to an open window or roof is a problem, you can also add a heavy-duty lavalier windscreen to the mic.
To hide the remaining cable, simply dress it along the visor arm and then along the inside edge of the windshield. Depending on the camera angle and design of the passenger compartment, you may need to either double back along the top edge of the windshield or tuck the cable along the vertical seam and down to the floor. To ensure the cable remains hidden from video shots, you can use colored cloth tape or clear tape, such as medical tape. You can also use white tape and paint it using a Sharpie or artist’s pen so that it blends in with the vehicle’s interior.
4. Use Lavaliers on the Back of the Car’s Headrests or on the Dome Light to Capture Audio from Passengers in the Back Seat
To capture audio from passengers in the back seat of a car, you can secure a lavalier to the back of the front seat headrests using the same method for attaching the lavalier to a sun visor. Alternatively, a lavalier can be attached to the dome light with the cable strung along the ceiling to keep it out of frame.
Whether you’re recording in the video studio or on location, A-T has you covered. Follow these simple approaches for great audio in all of your car shots!
What do you think of our tips on miking the inside of a car? Let us know in the comments below!