Using your recording tracks strategically: a multi-track workflow for location sound recording

Today’s sound mixer or videographer has a choice of recording location audio to one or multiple recording tracks. In addition to being able to record sound “direct to video” -- it is pretty much the norm to also record simultaneously to a dedicated audio recorder (the process known as “double system sound”) and then to sync these tracks to the picture during the editing process.

The question that I get most often at seminars or from my college students is “What is the best way to effectively utilize multiple tracks in the field?”

TASCAM recently released (October 2016) new firmware for their HS-P82 multi-track timecode location recorder. Firmware build v2.00 is the first update for the HS-P82 since a couple of years, and marks TASCAM's re-dedication to supporting and improving this product.

In the audio world, input and output levels come in two basic flavors: Mic Level and Line Level.

A common mistake when using a multi-track field recorder is to only arm the exact number of tracks that you need. Although this may work out fine if you are only recording one session on one day, it can create chaos on a film shot over several days.