How can I enhance the audio of a video?
Enhancing the audio of your videos is an important step in video production and post-production. Good quality audio ensures your audience can clearly hear and understand the narration, dialogue, sound effects, and music. It creates a more engaging and immersive viewing experience.
There are several ways to enhance the audio of your videos. This includes assessing the existing audio, improving the recording environment, using external microphones, adjusting audio levels, removing background noise, enhancing voice audio, adding background music, and equalizing frequencies. Taking the time to optimize your video’s audio will make a big difference in the final product.
High-quality audio draws viewers in, keeps them focused on your content, and allows them to fully understand the information you are presenting. Poor audio filled with distracting background noise, uneven levels, and muffled voices will have the opposite effect. Viewers may become frustrated and stop watching. Boosting your audio can turn an amateur video into a professional, polished final product.
Assess the Existing Audio
The first step is to listen critically to the existing audio in the video to identify any issues. Pay close attention to elements like background noise, uneven audio levels, distortion, echo, clicks/pops, and voice clarity. It can help to listen on different devices like headphones, computer speakers, and phone speakers since audio problems may be more noticeable on some setups.
Analyze the audio levels throughout the video. Check if the volume is consistent or if there are parts that are noticeably louder or quieter. Sudden volume changes can be jarring for viewers. Also listen for sections with background noise like hums, traffic, wind, or other distracting sounds. Try to isolate the primary voice audio and assess the sound quality. Listen for distortion, echo, pops, hisses, or muffled voices that reduce clarity.
The goal is to diagnose the main audio problems impacting the video. This critical listening assessment will guide you in determining which techniques are needed to enhance the sound.
Improve the Recording Environment
One of the best ways to enhance the audio quality of your video is to improve the recording environment. Reducing background noise and using acoustic treatment can make a big difference.
Look for a quiet room in your home or office to record in. Turn off any appliances, fans, or electronics that may cause unwanted noise. Also close windows and doors to reduce outside sounds from traffic, construction, etc [1]. If possible, avoid rooms with echo or reverb. Large empty rooms will require acoustic treatment to dampen reflections.
Use sound dampening materials like acoustic foam, panels, or blankets on the walls to absorb sound reflections and improve audio quality [2]. Position them behind and to the sides of where you will be recording. Rugs on the floor can also help dampen room noise.
Getting the recording environment right goes a long way towards capturing clean, quality audio for your video.
Use External Microphones
Using an external microphone can greatly improve your video’s audio quality over the built-in microphone on your camera or smartphone. External mics are designed specifically for capturing high-quality audio and come in a few main types:
- Shotgun – Directional mic that picks up audio in front of the camera. Good for interviews.
- Lavalier – Small mic that clips onto clothing near the speaker’s mouth. Provides clear voice audio.
- Handheld – Mic designed to be held and spoken into. Useful for voiceovers or on-camera hosting.
- USB – Plugs directly into a computer. Ideal for voiceovers, podcasts and other stationary recording.
When using an external mic, proper placement is key. Clip lavaliers onto a shirt collar or lapel near the mouth. Position shotgun mics just above the camera pointed at the subject. For handhelds, hold the mic 2-4 inches from your mouth and speak directly into it. With USB mics, set them 6-12 inches away on a desk or stand.
External mics like the RØDE VideoMicro shotgun (source) and the Sennheiser MKE 200 lavalier (source) greatly improve audio recording quality over built-in camera mics.
Adjust Audio Levels
Proper audio levels are critical for high-quality video. The volume should be loud enough to hear clearly, but not so loud that it distorts or clips. There are a few techniques to optimize audio levels:
Use a compressor or limiter effect to prevent peaks from getting too loud. This will squeeze the dynamic range and help maintain more consistent levels. Set the threshold so only the loudest peaks get compressed, while retaining good audibility for the softer sections. A 2:1 or 3:1 ratio often works well for gentle leveling.
Normalize the audio to boost lower sections up to an optimal level. In many editing programs you can analyze the waveform first to find the peak level, then apply normalization to bring the entire clip up to a target level just below the peak. This raises the average level without allowing clipping.
Carefully reduce any remaining peaks that are still too loud and at risk of clipping, using volume automation. Rather than compressing the entire audio, just turn down brief excessive peaks individually. This retains dynamics while preventing distortion.
Checking your audio with headphones as well as speakers will help identify any sections that seem too loud or quiet. Getting the levels right as you edit will make for clear, consistent audio without jumps in volume.
Sources:
https://www.wevideo.com/blog/video-tips/how-to-adjust-audio-level
Remove Background Noise
Reducing background noise can significantly improve your video’s audio quality. There are several techniques you can use:
Noise reduction software analyzes your audio track and attempts to isolate distracting background noise. Programs like Audacity have built-in noise reduction effects that can help remove ambient sounds like HVAC systems or traffic. Just be careful not to overdo it, as too much reduction can degrade the audio. You want just enough to clean up the background.1
A noise gate is an effect that silences audio below a set volume threshold. This allows ambient noise to fade away during gaps in the narration or dialogue. You’ll need audio editing software like Audacity to insert noise gates in strategic places.2
Equalizers let you filter out narrow frequency bands that contain distracting background noise. For example, you could apply a low-cut filter to remove the hum of an AC unit. This surgical approach preserves more of the original audio quality compared to broad noise reduction.
Combining these techniques can help significantly reduce background noise for clearer, cleaner audio in your videos.
Enhance Voice Audio
Improving the tonal balance, clarity, and quality of voice audio in videos can significantly enhance the viewing experience. Here are some tips for enhancing voice audio during post-production:
Use an EQ to improve the tonal balance of the voice (Source). Target and boost frequencies around 1-5kHz to add clarity and intelligibility. Attenuate bass frequencies around 200-400Hz to reduce muddiness.
Apply de-essing to reduce harsh “ess” sounds that can be grating to listeners (Source). Use a de-esser plugin or multiband compression to dynamically control frequencies around 4-7kHz.
Use a compressor or limiter to smooth out variations in volume (Source). This makes the voice audio more consistent and listenable. Set the compressor to a low ratio of around 2:1 with medium attack and release times.
Add Background Music
Background music can enhance the mood and engagement of a video. When adding music, it’s important to use copyright-free tracks to avoid issues. Some sources for royalty-free music include YouTube Audio Library, Fesliyan Studios, and Bensound.
The background music volume should usually be lower than the voice audio. Use mixing techniques like ducking to automatically lower the music volume when voice audio is detected. In your video editor, add a compressor or limiter effect to the music track and sidechain it to the voice track. This will duck the music under the voice, improving clarity.
Also consider adjusting the background music volume gradually up and down at different points rather than keeping it at a constant level. This creates more dynamics and interest.
Equalize Frequencies
Equalization, commonly referred to as EQ, is a powerful tool for enhancing audio quality. It allows you to boost or attenuate specific frequency ranges to improve clarity, warmth, and overall tone.
When it comes to video, equalizing frequencies can make dialogue clearer and more intelligible. The human voice resides mainly in the 100Hz to 8kHz range, so boosting frequencies in this range around 2-3dB can make voices stand out better in a mix.
However, boosting too much can make voices sound unnatural, so subtlety is key. Try finding the main resonant frequencies of a voice and give those a gentle boost. Around 200-400Hz is common for adding depth and warmth to a voice.
You’ll also want to attenuate any unnecessary frequencies. Roll off extremely low and high frequencies that don’t contribute meaningful audio. For example, reducing frequencies below 80Hz can minimize rumble and noise from air conditioners or traffic.
Use a parametric equalizer so you can target specific frequency ranges. Narrow Q values allow surgical and precise adjustments. Listen closely as you tweak settings to find the optimal balance between boosting key frequencies and cutting unnecessary ones.
With the right equalization, you can give voice, music, and other audio the clarity, presence, and polish needed for professional video.[1]
Conclusion
There are several key techniques for enhancing the audio quality of videos to provide an improved viewing experience:
- Use external microphones to capture clearer audio directly from the sound source
- Adjust audio levels in post-production to achieve optimal loudness and dynamics
- Apply audio effects like compression and equalization to refine the frequency response
- Remove excess background noise to isolate the dialogue and foreground sounds
Quality audio is essential for effective video production. Clear, clean audio with appropriate levels allows viewers to fully understand the speech and follows the visuals without distraction. Investing in audio enhancements also makes it easier for audiences to engage with the content, increasing the impact and reach of the video.