What does the "wind noise" function of my camcorder do?

What does the "wind noise" function of my camcorder do?

Tim Smith (Camcorder Training Specialist) gives expert video advice on: What kind of sound quality can I expect from my camcorder?; What do I need in order to use an external microphone for my camcorder?; Can I use professional microphones with a consumer camcorder? and more...

Your camcorder may have come with a function called "wind noise," or "wind reduction," or "noise reduction" depending on the manufacturer and how it was phrased. These things work from either really poorly, to really well. Some of them just cut what's called the "level" of audio. So, for wind noise, or wind cut, it just turns the sound down; tries to muffle the wind noise. And it really affects sound all the way across - whether you're listening to music or whatever. Others do a thing called (and the more advanced ones) do a thing called "wind equalization." Programmed into the camera, is the frequency of wind and the frequency of the average human voice. When it hears both of those in the same pattern, it can do an electronic equalization to bring the frequency of wind down, or even almost eliminate it, and then make the voice more pronounced. So depending on the level of sophistication of your camera, specifically it's going to have, it's going to depend on how well this performs. You can test it, you can try it. Record, try to find windy environments. See how well it performs. You might want to use it. You might not want to use it.