Are you trying to record a voiceover for your marketing video, but feel like the audio quality leaves a lot to be desired? Does it have lots of random noises, or sounds muffled and indistinct?
Considering the voiceover is an important part of your marketing video, it is important that you take steps to make sure that it sounds good. While there are lots of ways that can be done, there are five that are definitely particularly useful:
Invest in a good microphone
The microphone that you use will definitely impact the quality of the audio that you record – and it is an area that you will want to invest in. That doesn’t mean that you need a professional studio-quality microphone, but instead you should look for a good mid-range option.
If you’re going to be recording a voiceover in a typical home or office environment, a good dynamic microphone should do the trick.
Find a good location to record audio – and improve it
Try to pick out a good place for you to record your voice over. Ideally it should be somewhere that is normally quiet, and preferably a closed-off room where you’re able to make improvements.
Once you’ve picked out the location you can record some audio as a test, track down any background noise, and maybe even take steps to dampen or soundproof the room.
Assuming you’re going to be recording several voiceovers for different marketing videos – having a fixed location that is optimized can make a world of difference. That is especially true if you’re able to use the same setup every time. Alternatively, if you have to use a temporary location, acoustic partitions and portable soundproof walls, such as those from Sound Proof Pros, are the way to go.
Use a pop filter while recording
One of the most common issues in voiceovers are pops that are caused by plosive sounds. The worst part is that you won’t be aware of them until later when you review the recording.
To deal with this issue you should use a pop filter. It is basically just a nylon-mesh screen that is placed in front of the microphone to stop the effect of plosives.
Try not to turn pages
Another type of noise that very often disrupts voiceovers is the rustling when pages in a script are turned. It is especially pronounced if you’re holding your script in front of you (and near the microphone).
The best way to get around this is to try to come up with a solution where you don’t have to turn pages. For example you could use a book stand to line up the pages of your script.
Another good option is to print your script taking into account breaks in the voiceover. That way you won’t be turning the pages mid-sentence, and can edit out any rustling during the breaks.
Warm up your voice and loosen up
Before you record the voiceover, you should take a minute or two to warm up your voice and loosen up. The first few takes of voiceovers will probably be unusable if you don’t.
It helps if you can find some way to relax yourself, such as watching videos on YouTube or just browsing social media. Afterwards try to run through the voiceover by yourself, and note down any parts that you have difficulty with.
Learning how to add audio to videos is actually easy if you’ve recorded a good voice over, and the amount of editing that is required should be minimal. At most you may need to tidy up the sound levels and maybe remove some stray background noise that made its way onto the recording.
All said and done your goal should be for the voiceover that you add to your marketing videos to sound crisp and clear. Be sure to review the recording carefully after you’re done so that you can re-record any parts if needed prior to inserting it into your video.
