How do I record audio and video separately on Android?

Recording audio and video separately on Android devices allows you to capture higher quality audio by using an external audio recorder, while still being able to record video using your device’s camera. This technique is commonly used by videographers, vloggers, journalists, and other content creators to maximize production value. The audio and video are recorded as two separate files, then synced together in post-production editing software. This guide will walk through the steps for recording separate audio and video on an Android phone or tablet, from initial setup to final export.

Prerequisites

To record audio and video separately on an Android device, your device must meet certain minimum hardware and software requirements:

The device must be running Android 4.1 or later. According to the Android developer documentation, Android 4.1 and later supports 8- and 16-bit linear PCM audio recording at various sampling rates up to the hardware limit.

The device should have at least 1GB of RAM. Although not an official requirement, Android 11 recommends at least 3GB of RAM for optimal performance according to the compatibility definition. Less RAM may result in recording issues.

The device needs enough storage space to save the separate audio and video files. HD video files in particular can be large, so having 16GB or more of free space is recommended.

The device needs at least one microphone to record audio and a rear or front-facing camera to capture video. Most modern Android phones have both.

The Android version should also support simultaneous use of the microphone and camera in different apps, which allows recording audio and video separately. This is supported in Android 10 and later.

Enable Camera Access

Before you can record audio or video on your Android device, you’ll need to enable camera access permissions for the apps you plan to use. Here are the steps to enable camera permissions:

Open your Android device’s Settings app.

Scroll down and tap “Apps & notifications”.
Tap “App permissions”.
Tap “Camera”.

Toggle the switch for each app you want to allow camera access to the “On” position.
You can tap each app to confirm the permission is enabled.

Now any audio or video recording apps you’ve allowed should be able to access your device’s camera to record. Keep in mind you may need to enable permissions separately for each individual app you want to use to record audio or video.

Download an Audio Recording App

There are many great audio recording apps available for Android that allow you to capture high-quality audio easily. Here are some of the top recommended options to consider downloading:

Google Recorder

Google’s own simple but powerful voice recorder app comes pre-installed on many Android devices. It provides clear recordings, transcription support, and easy sharing options.

Easy Voice Recorder

This popular free app offers useful features like trimming, tagging, volume boosting, and cloud storage support. The simple interface makes it easy to use.

Hi-Q MP3 Voice Recorder

Capable of recording in formats like MP3 and WAV, this app provides excellent audio quality. It also includes a tidy waveform editor for trimming audio clips.

Parrot Audio Recorder

Parrot stands out for its highly customizable interface. It offers lots of settings to achieve the perfect recording quality for your needs.

Try out a few of the top options to find your favorite Android audio recording app. Look for an intuitive interface and the recording formats and features you need.

Download a Video Recording App

There are several great video recording apps available for Android that allow you to capture high-quality footage. Here are some top recommended options:

Open Camera

Open Camera is a popular free video recording app for Android. It provides advanced controls like manual focus, exposure, and white balance. You can record video at various resolutions like 720p, 1080p, and 4K.

AZ Screen Recorder

AZ Screen Recorder is another good free app that allows recording internal audio along with video. Useful features include drawing on videos, trimming recordings, and adding subtitles.

Camera FV-5

Camera FV-5 is a more advanced camera app with manual controls for ISO, shutter speed, focus, and more. The paid version allows saving videos in lossless quality with no time limits.

Cinema FV-5

Cinema FV-5 is the video-focused version of Camera FV-5 with additional pro video tools like color profiles, waveform monitor, and more. Another good option for advanced mobile video recording.

These are just a few of the top-rated video recording apps for Android. Try a few out to see which interface and features fit your needs best.

Record Audio

To record high-quality audio on your Android phone, you’ll need to download and use a dedicated audio recording app. The built-in sound recorder on Android is very basic and doesn’t allow you to adjust audio settings like bitrate. Some top audio recording apps for Android include Smart Voice Recorder, Audio Recorder, and Easy Voice Recorder.

These apps allow you to record high-quality audio by adjusting settings like bitrate, sample rate, channels, and format. Generally, you’ll want to record audio at 16-bit or 24-bit depth and a sample rate of at least 44.1 kHz for good quality. Set the number of channels to stereo if recording music or surround sound. The WAV or FLAC formats will give you an uncompressed high-quality recording.

Make sure to grant the app access to your microphone when prompted. Find a quiet location to record, and hold the phone close to your mouth or other audio source to maximize sound quality. Tap the record button to start capturing audio, watching your levels to avoid peaking. When finished, stop the recording and review the file.

Record Video

To record high-quality video with your chosen video recording app, follow these steps:

Open the video recording app and tap the record button. Frame your shot and ensure proper lighting. For best quality, record video in landscape orientation at the highest resolution available in your app’s settings, such as 1080p or 4K. Use a tripod or steady surface to minimize shake and enable any stabilization or anti-shake features in the app settings. While recording, carefully pan or move the camera if needed to follow action and maintain a clear subject in frame. Avoid zooming during recording as this can decrease video quality. Record for the desired length needed for your video.

To finish recording, tap the stop button in the app. Review the video and if needed, re-record scenes to obtain better quality footage. The app may allow basic editing like trimming the start and end points of your video clip before exporting and saving the final video file to your device storage.

For more advanced editing, you can import the video into a separate video editing app. Overall, choose a recording app capable of capturing crisp, high-resolution footage to achieve quality comparable to a DSLR camera.

Edit the Audio and Video

One of the best parts of recording audio and video separately on Android is that you have full control over editing each component. There are several excellent audio and video editing apps to choose from:

Recommended Audio Editing Apps

Audacity – A powerful open source audio editor with advanced tools for cutting, splicing, and applying effects to audio clips. Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Garageband – Apple’s free digital audio workstation, perfect for Mac users. Allows multi-track editing and audio manipulation.

Adobe Audition – A more advanced audio production suite with tools for recording, mixing, and restoration. Requires a Creative Cloud subscription.

Editing Tips

When editing your audio, listen closely for distracting background noises, pops, clipped audio, etc. and clean up issues. Use fades on the audio clips to transition smoothly. For video, watch for shaky footage, bad lighting, etc. Adjust color balance, add transitions, insert b-roll, and leverage editing tools to polish the final video.

Once you finish editing the individual audio and video elements, you’re ready to combine them into a cohesive final video!

Combine the Audio and Video

Once you have recorded high-quality audio and video separately on your Android device, the next step is to combine them together. There are a few different apps you can use to easily merge the audio and video files. One excellent free option is Wondershare FilmoraGo.

To combine audio and video in FilmoraGo:

Open the app and start a new project.

Tap the plus icon and select the video clip you want to use. This will be added to the timeline.
Tap the plus icon again, select the audio file, and add it to the timeline on a separate track under the video.
Align the audio track with the video so they match up.

Tap the checkmark icon to render the combined audio and video clip.

FilmoraGo makes it easy to precisely sync up and merge your separate high-quality audio and video recordings into a single file on your Android device. The combined clip will retain the full quality of each component.

Export and Share

Once you have finished combining the separate audio and video recordings into a final video, the next step is to export the video into a shareable format. Here are some tips for exporting and sharing videos from your Android device:

Most video editing apps will allow you to export the final video directly to your device’s Photos app. From there, you can access the Android share sheet and choose how you want to share it. Common options include messaging apps like WhatsApp or email.

If your final video is quite large (over 25MB), you may need to use a separate file sharing app like Dropbox or Google Drive to export and share the video. These apps can handle much larger files. Just export the video to the app, and then generate a shareable link that you can send to others (see this article for more details).

You can also connect your Android device to a computer and transfer the video file over USB. Once on your computer, you can upload the video to video sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo.

Overall, modern Android devices provide flexible options for exporting and sharing videos – take advantage of cloud storage apps and messaging tools to distribute your final videos easily.