Newbie Guide to Audio

I got myself a LS-10 tonight for $279.
Now I need a shotgun mic to go with it, any recommends? I wouldn't mind getting something I could use on my fx1000 or mark II if needed.

A lot of people love the rode video mic, filmriot uses it.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/363083-REG/Rode_VIDEOMIC_VideoMic_Camera_Mounted.html
Search on vimeo for a mic model you are thinking about and you can hear demonstrations people have uploaded. I wouldnt buy a camera without looking at the visual quality, why buy a mic without listening to it?

Hey audio guys, is this rode mic something that you would recommend for my LS-10? I am looking to get a mic where I can record an event and not get as much ambient sound

Dapoopta, are you using any mixer between your mic and your olympus recorder? I've tried once to record with a mic plugged directly into the olympus ls-10 with really bad results; there was almost no bass responce, meaning the sound was very weak when recorded (I used an Azden 2x SGM Shotgun Mic with an xlr > 1/8" cable). You can get great results by just using the microphones on the LS-10. If you want to record mono SFX, aim one of the microphones directly at the source (and make sure to vocalize which one you are recording into [ex. "recording using the left mic"] and in the editor separate the tracks and use only the left track. Also remember, if you record stereo tracks, use a tripod! They talk about this in the SFX Bible, but basically any movements with the stereo microphone are greatly emphasized on playback (since microphones are much more directional than our ears). Here are some sfx I recorded using ONLY the Olympus LS-10 microphones and some minimal mixing in post:




Notice how "arrow whiz" has sold 7 times already; I'd say for beginners and even advanced, the mikes on the LS-10 have a good enough frequency response for producing great stock sfx.

I ordered that book, it should be in next week. I am just confused on a few things, and hopefully the book will fix it.
I've been keeping my noise level under -6db, which I think I read somewhere as a spec.
What is a good way to determine if you have a 'good' sound clip? I just used premiere cs3 to export my track as 16bit 48khz, but I need to start using my Cubase. Any programs out there youd recommend?

Well, I can't afford an H4N, but I did manage get a Zoom H2 on eBay for $100. Mostly for use with my T2i, but I think I'll start record sounds with it as well.

I feel very limited with only the ls10, just because it picks up EVERYTHING! I guess it is good to do ambient background stuff, but not for doing sound effects.

For controlled situations the LS10 is a great recorder, however, if you want to record a car door closing sound outdoors with background car noises, birds, and other ambient sounds eliminated, you'd need to purchase a rather expensive boom microphone. If you want to stay on a budget, stick to recording louder sounds (which therefore reduce background noise) or sounds you can record in a controlled environment. Also, you said "I've been keeping my noise level under -6db"... DB or decibels are just a unit of measurement in audio and is never a universal noise level, it depends on how it is used in context. If you are recording a sound effect using a digital recorder you generally want the meters to be hitting around -12db, since a peak in the digital world is almost always unusable. At this level, I wouldn't want background noise to even register on my LS10 meter, which goes down to -42db. First rule in recording and mixing audio, be it sound effects or music, USE YOUR EARS!!! Don't get stuck staring at the meters!