Beginner tips for good audio
“Whether you’re shooting a video for social media, as part of your content marketing strategy, or as a B-roll element in another video, capturing good audio is paramount."
In the case of B-roll audio, it may not be essential to have great sound; however, if you want your viewers to understand what’s going on in your video, you need to make sure that the sound quality is up to par. Poor audio can ruin the experience of watching any video and drive potential viewers away from your content. But with a few simple tips and tricks, you can capture good audio every time.
Tip #1: Find the Right Location
The first step in capturing good audio is to find the right location. This means assessing the acoustics of your surroundings and identifying any potential issues. Most video productions take place indoors, so you need to make sure you find a room with good acoustics. You don’t want to be in a room with a lot of hard surfaces, like a room with tile or concrete floors. Sound bounces off hard surfaces and can make it harder to record good audio. You also want to find a room that is relatively quiet and free from any ambient noise. If you can, record your video at times when there is less activity around you. This can be difficult to control, but it can make a big difference in your audio quality.
Tip #2: Test Your Environment
Once you’ve found a suitable space, test the acoustics and see how the audio sounds. The easiest way to do this is by recording a short sound bite of yourself saying something like, “Testing, testing, one two three.” This will give you an idea of the type of background noise you’ll be dealing with during your shoot and whether or not you’ll need to take any special measures to reduce it. If the noise level is too high, there are a few things that you can do to reduce it, such as shutting your windows and turning off any fans or air conditioners. If that cleans it up, you can proceed with your video shoot. If the acoustics are still bad, find a new location. Audio is too important to skimp on!
Tip #3: Stay Close to the Mic
It may sound obvious, but the closer you are to the mic, the better your audio will sound and the less unwanted noise you’ll pick up. If you’re recording a video with two or more people, make sure everyone is as close to the mic as possible. This will help reduce any ambient noise that’s occurring in the background. Despite the scattershot nature of their name, shotgun mics only record good audio from a limited angle within a few feet of the tip. Try using a boom pole to get the mic as close to the speakers as possible.
Tip #4: Use a Lavalier Mic
Using a lavalier mic is a great way to capture clear audio from a distance. Lavalier mics typically come with a clip that allows you to clip it to your clothing, like your shirt or pants, for easy accessibility. Once clipped to your clothes, you can speak into the mic and it will pick up your voice clearly. Lavalier mics are especially useful for interviews or situations where you want to focus on the speaker.
Tip #5: Try an Audio Recorder
Another way to record clear audio is by using an audio recorder. Audio recorders are handheld devices that either have a built-in mic or allow you to plug in your microphone and record high quality audio while monitoring and adjusting the output. While an audio recorder can make you sound great, remember that not all audio recorders are created equally. We use recorders made by ZOOM, who have many different recorder options at different price points. Make sure to do some research to make sure that the audio recorder that you purchase comes with a microphone that is suitable for recording audio for your specific purpose or is compatible with mics you already own.
Conclusion
Remember, once you’ve recorded your audio, you can try to clean it up a bit in an editing program such as Adobe Audition. This will allow you to remove some unwanted background noises and make your audio sound consistent throughout your video, but it’s not magic, you still need to capture the cleanest audio possible to get the best results.
When shooting videos, always make sure you consider the audio quality! Poor audio can ruin the entire experience, so make sure you follow these tips to ensure you have good audio every time.
