The picture is sharp, the lighting is flattering, and a manager is talking confidently about the company. A few seconds in, the viewer closes the video because the voice rings like it was recorded in a bathroom, with an air conditioner humming underneath. We see this constantly in videos companies shoot in house. Viewers will forgive average picture quality if they can hear every word clearly. They rarely sit through a video when they can't make out what's being said.
Why does my video audio sound distant or echoey?
Usually there are two causes: the microphone is far from the speaker's mouth, and the room has hard, empty walls. A camera or phone mic two meters away records the whole room, and the speaker's voice is only a small part of it.
The first fix is to move the microphone closer to the person talking. The second is to pick a room with furniture, curtains, carpet and books, since all of these absorb sound. The empty glass meeting room that looks so good on camera is often the worst place for audio in the whole building.
Which microphone do you need for a company video?
It depends on the kind of video. Most company videos are fine with a small lavalier mic, wireless or wired, clipped near the speaker's chest.
| Type | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Lavalier (clip-on) mic | Interviews, customer testimonials, explaining something to camera | Clothing rustle, and where it sits on the shirt |
| Shotgun mic on the camera or a boom pole | Dialogue scenes and movement, when you don't want a visible mic | Needs someone to aim it, and picks up more of the room |
| Desk or studio mic | Voice-over and podcasts | A fixed distance from the mouth, and a quiet room |
| Camera or phone mic | Ambient sound and general shots | Don't rely on it for important speech |
For important interviews we record from two sources at once, such as a lavalier and a shotgun mic, because a small glitch in one of them can cost you the best answer of the day.
How do you prepare the room before recording?
Shut off the noise sources before you start, then sit in silence for a full minute and listen. You'll hear things you never noticed: the AC, a fridge, a printer down the hall, traffic outside the window.
- Turn the AC off while recording and back on between takes, and warn everyone in advance.
- Put a sign on the door and ask people to silence their phones, including the speaker's own phone.
- Pick a quieter time in the building, like early morning or after office hours.
- Record thirty seconds of the empty room's silence. The editor needs it to fill gaps.
How do you check the recording is good while you're still on set?
Listen on headphones while you record instead of relying on the level meter on the screen. Headphones reveal rustle, hum and echo in the moment, while you can still fix them.
Set the level so the loudest peaks stay below the maximum. Audio that clips and distorts can't be repaired later, while audio that's a little low can be raised. Ask the speaker to talk in their normal voice and then at the most excited pitch they'll use, and set your level for that.
How do you record decent audio on a phone?
Hold the phone close to your mouth, record in a small furnished room, and turn off notifications. Those three steps alone improve the sound more than any cleanup app.
If you're filming yourself with the phone on a stand some distance away, a small lavalier mic that connects to the phone, wired or wireless, is a cheap purchase that changes the result. Test it before the real take: record ten seconds and listen on headphones. Some mics require you to select the audio source manually in the app, otherwise the phone keeps recording from its built-in mic.
Outdoors, wind is the first problem to deal with. Use the foam or furry windscreen that comes with the mic, and stand so your body is between the mic and the direction of the wind.
Should a staff member or a professional voice-over artist narrate?
A professional voice-over artist gives you clear pronunciation and a steady pace, which suits explainer videos and ads. The voice of someone from the company, such as the founder or the manager, feels closer and more sincere. It works well for personal messages and social media content, as long as it's recorded somewhere quiet.
Choose the language and dialect based on your audience. Simplified Modern Standard Arabic works across several countries, while a Jordanian, Saudi or Egyptian dialect brings the video closer to viewers in that country. If you're targeting Jordan and Saudi Arabia together, you may need two versions. Send the narrator the script along with how to pronounce names and English terms, and mark the places where you want a pause. For writing the script itself, see writing an explainer video script.
What about music and sound effects?
Music under speech should drop when someone talks and come back up in the gaps. Loud music over narration makes the words tiring to follow, especially on small phone speakers.
Only use music licensed for commercial use, from a subscription music library or a composer under a clear contract. A popular song in the background can get your video muted or taken down on YouTube and Facebook. If your audience prefers content without music, light sound effects and the natural sound of the location are enough.
Clean audio also makes subtitles and on-screen text easier and more accurate, because automatic transcription makes fewer mistakes. We record and process audio and cast voice-over artists as part of our media and video production service. Send us a video you've already shot and we'll tell you what can be improved in editing and what needs to be recorded again.
Questions our partners ask
Is a phone microphone good enough for a video?
For a quick clip in a quiet place with the phone close to your mouth, it can be. For interviews and videos that represent the company, a small clip-on lavalier mic improves the result a lot for very little money.
Can echo and background noise be removed in editing?
Audio cleanup tools can reduce them. The sound gets better, but it rarely matches a clean recording made right the first time, and the harder you push the cleanup, the more metallic and unnatural the voice becomes.
Written by the Visual Innovate team, the people who build, host and follow up systems, websites and apps for our clients in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt.
