E-Learning Challenge #45: Challenge | Recap
If you’re like many course designers, you’ve probably had to record some audio for your e-learning courses. And recording audio is one of the si...
Published 11 years ago
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1. Tell us about your recording setup.
At work, we have a very small room dedicated to recording audio and video. Our mic is a USB Rode Podcaster secured in a shockmount on a boom arm. I used this type of mic in a prior job and liked the high-quality sound it produced. So when I was upgrading the equipment at my current job, I bought the same setup. (I also have this at home.)
I always record directly into Adobe Audition CS6. I found it works best for mixing and cleaning up audio.
2. Show us your audio setup.
http://udel.edu/~tdanner/audio.png
3. Share your three favorite audio recording tips.
I script everything. If I’m recording a how-to screencast, I create two scripts – one that storyboards all of the actions for what is happening in the video and one that has the actual dialog for the voiceover. I break down everything into short scenes because I have problems speaking at length without screwing up. Within the scenes, I’ll break up the text into short paragraphs of maybe one or two sentences. I found it’s easier to get it right the first time if the text I’m reading is relatively short.
I attach my script to a clipboard and hold that while recording. That eliminates any paper-shuffling sound, and I find it just easier to hold. I write my scripts for that I have a page for each specific recording or scene. So if I have 10 scenes, I'll have 10 separate pieces of paper (or pages). And I attach only the page I'm currently recording to the clipboard.
I have a problem with “plosives,” so I position the mic to the left side of my face instead of speaking directly into it. I found that cuts down dramatically on the plosives.
I also stand when recording. For me, it’s easier to talk that way, and I feel like I’m communicating naturally, as I incorporate hand gestures.
I try to do my recordings in one sitting so that my voice sounds consistent throughout. If I do it during different parts of the day or over the course of a few days, my voice doesn’t always sound the same. This is especially true in the winter when one day I may be congested, while another day I may not be.
Along the same line, I never record right after eating because I’ve noticed it changes how my voice sounds. I sometimes have that same problem when drinking something right before recording.
Before I start recording specific lines, I’ll practice first by saying the lines multiple times. Usually, the first time I’ll whisper the lines, trying to focus on saying them naturally and having my body in a comfortable recording posture. Then I’ll say the lines more like how I will during the recording, but this time I focus on pauses, cadence, how my voice sounds, not taking breaths, etc. When I feel that I have everything down, I’ll record that specific block of text. I go through this procedure for every block of I record.
I clean up all my recordings by applying various filters for clips/clicks and removing noises or sounds that may make it into the audio.
At work, we have a very small room dedicated to recording audio and video. Our mic is a USB Rode Podcaster secured in a shockmount on a boom arm. I used this type of mic in a prior job and liked the high-quality sound it produced. So when I was upgrading the equipment at my current job, I bought the same setup. (I also have this at home.)
I always record directly into Adobe Audition CS6. I found it works best for mixing and cleaning up audio.
2. Show us your audio setup.
http://udel.edu/~tdanner/audio.png
3. Share your three favorite audio recording tips.
I script everything. If I’m recording a how-to screencast, I create two scripts – one that storyboards all of the actions for what is happening in the video and one that has the actual dialog for the voiceover. I break down everything into short scenes because I have problems speaking at length without screwing up. Within the scenes, I’ll break up the text into short paragraphs of maybe one or two sentences. I found it’s easier to get it right the first time if the text I’m reading is relatively short.
I attach my script to a clipboard and hold that while recording. That eliminates any paper-shuffling sound, and I find it just easier to hold. I write my scripts for that I have a page for each specific recording or scene. So if I have 10 scenes, I'll have 10 separate pieces of paper (or pages). And I attach only the page I'm currently recording to the clipboard.
I have a problem with “plosives,” so I position the mic to the left side of my face instead of speaking directly into it. I found that cuts down dramatically on the plosives.
I also stand when recording. For me, it’s easier to talk that way, and I feel like I’m communicating naturally, as I incorporate hand gestures.
I try to do my recordings in one sitting so that my voice sounds consistent throughout. If I do it during different parts of the day or over the course of a few days, my voice doesn’t always sound the same. This is especially true in the winter when one day I may be congested, while another day I may not be.
Along the same line, I never record right after eating because I’ve noticed it changes how my voice sounds. I sometimes have that same problem when drinking something right before recording.
Before I start recording specific lines, I’ll practice first by saying the lines multiple times. Usually, the first time I’ll whisper the lines, trying to focus on saying them naturally and having my body in a comfortable recording posture. Then I’ll say the lines more like how I will during the recording, but this time I focus on pauses, cadence, how my voice sounds, not taking breaths, etc. When I feel that I have everything down, I’ll record that specific block of text. I go through this procedure for every block of I record.
I clean up all my recordings by applying various filters for clips/clicks and removing noises or sounds that may make it into the audio.