The Importance of Clean Audio
The quality of your audio content is just as important as the visual content. Muddy or noisy recordings can ruin your audience's experience.
Whether it's hissing, background noise from wind or a loud air conditioning unit, or the sound of someone inadvertently breathing into a microphone, it's essential to create clean audio.
High-Quality Recordings
The quality of your audio tracks dramatically impacts how well your audience engages with and receives your content. High-quality recordings can bring your audiences a sense of authenticity and trust, while low-quality audio can leave listeners needing clarification and support.
Whether you're creating an engaging podcast or editing your family's wedding video, it is vital to use high-quality audio tracks. This will ensure your audience can hear every word and understand what is being said.
High-quality audio is a recording that sounds natural, without hums, hisses, microphone handling sounds, plosives, foreign noises (such as footsteps or a leafblower), and overly processed effects. Recording your audio in a space with minimal echoes or hard surfaces will help to achieve this, as will using a professional microphone.
If you need help figuring out where to start when it comes to recording your audio, there are plenty of resources online that can help you get started. However, working with a professional studio like Sonix is the best way to improve your audio. They'll be able to advise you on setting up your space and will have the knowledge and experience to create excellent results.
Removing Background Noise
Creating high-quality audio recordings starts with recording in the right environment. This means avoiding distracting sounds and frequencies that microphones can pick up. It also means making sure that the microphone is stable and not moving during the recording, which can change how loud and clear your audio is.
Background noise can be created by traffic, dogs barking, airplanes flying overhead, and humming sounds from air conditioning units. It can also be caused by improper positioning of the microphone or by environmental sounds that cannot be controlled, such as paper rustling.
Removing this background noise can help make audio content easier for listeners to understand and engage with. It can also increase the professionalism of a recording, which is essential for building trust with listeners and expanding your reach.
Several programs are available to remove background noise from audio tracks, but many require extensive training and in-depth knowledge of wave artifacts to get the desired results. It would help if you spent hours tweaking the settings of these software programs to reach your recording as clean as possible. This can be time-consuming and tedious, especially if you have to do it repeatedly for each track.
Increased Engagement
People expect the audio to be precise, whether watching a video, listening to music, or tuning in to an online speech or conference. They will move on to a different piece of content if it isn't. This is why using high-quality equipment and learning to edit using a digital audio workstation (DAW) is essential.
Clean audio is free of distracting sounds or harsh frequencies. This is usually achieved by recording in a quiet environment. It is also essential to minimize reverb from surfaces and prevent plosives by covering the microphone capsule with a sound blanket or wind cover. A good microphone and careful positioning will also help reduce unwanted noise.
It is also essential to test the audio before hitting the record. This can be done by recording without saying anything and then playing it back. This will allow you to hear any issues that may need to be dealt with, such as hiss or hum. It will also give you an idea of the general tone of the recording.
Several studies have found that listeners report greater engagement from video narratives than audio-based content. However, the nature of this engagement has differed between studies. In one study, participants self-reported engagement, while another used physiological measures to measure the level of cognitive processing involved.
Building Trust with Listeners
People want clean audio, whether watching a YouTube video or listening to music. If the audio isn't clear, listeners will quickly turn away and find another source. High-quality recordings also help build trust with listeners. In a recent study, researchers found that people were more likely to favor science and information delivered in audio form if the audio was clear. In contrast, they disliked and distrusted science and information presented with low-quality audio.
Good listening skills are essential for all professionals but are handy for those who interact with customers and clients. When you can truly hear what your client or customer is saying, you can relate to them and understand their concerns. In addition, you can ask quality questions that will help you deliver value to them.
The best way to ensure your audio recording is clean is to test it before hitting the record button. Try recording without saying anything and then listening back. This will give you an idea of what hissing, background noise or other issues might be present in your final recording.
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