Location Scouting & Sound: What are the Sneaky Pitfalls I Missed Early On?

Hey everyone,

I'm Catalina, a location scout, and I'm currently prepping for a narrative short we're shooting on an ALEXA Mini. Thinking back to when I first started, I definitely made some basic errors when trying to assess locations for sound suitability. I’d walk through, clap my hands, listen for echoes, maybe check for obvious external traffic, but sometimes things still went south.

It feels like I often focused too much on the visual, and by the time the AD and DP (who loves his large format lenses and requires absolute silence) did their walk-through, issues I’d completely missed became glaring. I've since learned to be more diligent, but I'm curious.

What are some of the most common mistakes you've seen newer filmmakers make when scouting for sound, especially before the camera department swoops in, and how do you effectively avoid them?