If you've been making videos with your camcorder for a while, you may have some complaints about the quality of the audio you end up with. Maybe it's too 'echoey', or too 'muddy', or not loud enough, or maybe there's so much incidental sound that you can't make out what people are saying. Don't be discouraged - happens all the time.

These are all problems created by having the microphone located right on the camcorder. Of course it's much more convenient to have it there but it's not the best place for it if you want good quality sound to be recorded.

Yes, I know. It's the greatest stereo microphone in the world. The reality is that camcorder mics are designed to be a little bit 'directional'. That means that they do a reasonable job picking up sound coming from directly in front of them and reduce (but don't eliminate) the sound when it comes from behind or from the side. Basically, the mic and the circuits amplify the sound coming from the front more that what's coming from any other direction.

This works pretty well when the source of the sound (music, singing, talking etc.) is fairly close to the microphone (6 to 8 feet). That means that the main source of the sound is much louder than the incidental source that's coming from the sides. However when the source is further away, its level arriving at the microphone is much lower and closer in level to the side-sound level.

To deal with this problem, most camcorder audio circuits are designed with a feature called "Automatic Gain Control" (AGC). Basically, this is an electronic circuit that monitors the level of the signal being picked up by the camera microphone.

If the level is too high, it tends to cut it down (this is called 'attenuation') to a comfortable level. If the level is too low, it 'turns up the volume' on the signal to reach a comfortable level.

Unfortunately, when it increases the level of the signal, it also increases the level of ALL of the sounds detected, including those from the sides and back as well as noise from other rooms and sounds echoing from walls, ceilings and floors. This can create 'muddy' garbled sound which defeats the very purpose of recording audio. If you've ever taken video at a wedding reception you know exactly what I mean.

The simplest way to reduce this problem and end up with clear, intelligible sound is to get the microphone as close as possible to the source of the sound. Since it's not always convenient or possible to get the camcorder that close to the sound source, the next best thing is to get a separate microphone there.

As a matter of fact, the extreme optical zoom capabilities of modern camcorders tend to make this problem worse. You can be on the opposite side of the room and get a perfect picture but without useable sound.

Most camcorders have an external microphone jack, usually located on, or very close to, the on-board microphone. You can purchase an inexpensive microphone at an electronics store (Radio Shack if there's one around) and plug it into this jack. By using an audio extension cord (not too long though - you'll pick up electrical noise, hum and buzzing), you can move the microphone right up to the source of the sound and pick up only what you want to record.

You could also purchase an inexpensive wireless microphone which broadcasts a radio signal and eliminates the extension cord.

That way you won't miss one note of Aunt Lucy's singing.