Quick Tips for Recording Audio

In addition to our books and eLearning content, our team at ASCENT also produces videos. One of the key components to any successful video is the quality of the audio – it doesn’t matter how good the content is if your audience struggles to hear what is being said. With that in mind, here are a few quick tips for recording better audio for your videos. 

• Invest in a good microphone. Your audio will only be as good as your equipment can record, so having the right microphone is key. You will want something that produces a clear sound and eliminates as much background noise as possible. 
• Record in a quiet space. Speaking of background noise, you will want to record your audio in as quiet a space as possible. If you can, keep away from noisy areas, open windows, and other people or pets. A smaller, enclosed room will keep outside noises to a minimum, with the bonus of improved sound quality over a larger, more echoing space.
• Speak clearly and at a normal pace. When recording audio, you will want to speak at a reasonable pace, that lets you pronounce words clearly. I don’t know about you, but I tend to talk faster when I’m recording myself, just trying to get to the end of the script. Pace yourself – but also don’t speak too slowly. You want to try to sound as natural as possible while still enunciating clearly for the mic.  
• Try to record your script all in one go. If possible, try to record your entire audio track in one session. You’d be surprised at how much variety can occur using the same setup if you record yourself at different times or on different days. Even when recording during the same session, it’s possible to sound different from one recording to the next if you pause between takes. If I mess up my script, I’ll keep the recording going and restart speaking from where I made the mistake – it’s easy to edit out any flubs later!  
• Make use of audio editing tools. Depending on the software you are using, you may have audio editing tools available to you. These can help you reduce static or any background noise that might creep in, or even out the volume levels if you had to record in multiple sessions. 
  
  I hope you can use some of these tips with your own recordings! 
   

About the Author

Technical Editor<br><br>Fueled by her meticulous nature, an eye for detail, and a love of books, Breanne has been an editor since 2011, and joined the ASCENT team as a technical editor in 2019. Breanne holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wilfrid Laurier University and a certificate in publishing from Ryerson University.

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