[Don’t Overlook Audio: Transcript] Audio is something that can really transform the feeling of a video.
There are typically two main components to a video’s audio track: spoken words and music. In some videos, sound effects also play a big role, but we’ll leave that conversation for another video.
With spoken words it could be diegetic, meaning that the viewer can see the person that is speaking, or it could be narration or voice-of-god style where the viewer cannot see the person speaking.
The latter would usually be recorded in a studio setting and therefore you’d have more control over the quality, and the ability to cut things up so it sounds as perfect as possible.
But when you can see the person who’s speaking, you have to focus on capturing the best quality sound you can within the circumstances of the location you’re filming in.
Minimize Extraneous Noise
This means avoiding being close to windows, or noisy appliances, shutting off AC, and generally trying to find a space that has as little “white noise” as we call it, as possible.
As my film teacher in college used to say, bad audio in means bad audio out. Meaning there is little that can be done in editing once you record poor audio with a lot of background noise.
Especially if that noise is a similar tone to your voice, because any filters applied would affect your voice as well and cause distortion.
However one thing that can help mask a bit of that white noise and really benefit the overall feeling of your video is music.
Add Background Music
Music can change the tone of your video drastically. I recommend trying out a few different tracks over the same video to see how they each feel.
You’ll also want to experiment with the music level to ensure it’s not overpowering the spoken word which should be dominant, but it’s just loud enough that it helps the flow of the content and yet remains in the background.
I also like to ensure that the music I use ends naturally at the end of the video instead of sounding like it’s being cut off mid-track. You can easily do this by placing a cut somewhere in the track earlier on in your video and applying a transition to help smooth it out.
Good Quality Audio Will Make or Break the Effectiveness of Your Video
When people think of videos they focus more on the visual, however we often receive a lot of a video’s message through audio.
Working to ensure you record clean, quality sound for any spoken word, and then using music to help mask background noise and also create energy in your video are really important pieces of the puzzle.
I hope you found this video useful, good luck with your next video project!
Are you thinking about producing your own video content, but would like a little more information first? Check out our extensive online course and become your own DIY video expert. If you’d prefer to let a professional team handle your video content, don’t hesitate to contact us here. The team at Arc and Crown Media would be more than happy to help.
The post When Producing Video, Don’t Overlook Audio Quality appeared first on Arc and Crown Media.
