sending...Audio Issues with Camtasia Studio
Jason Clemens | September 12, 2010
Audio issues are probably the biggest questions we get on Techsmith’s User to User Forum. Unfortunately there are so many variables to getting great sound it is hard to answer each questions. Here are the things I know that create bad sound:
- If you are using a laptop your microphone, whether using a headset or not, will pick up the computer’s fan and processor noise. It can only be avoided if you use a long cord and move the computer across the room. Not workable for most.
- The mic itself. USB mics tend to work better than ones with 3m jacks.
- Computer sound cards. Unless you built your own computer or purchased a high end computer for recording video and audio your sound card is probably very basic.
- The lack of using a pop filter. You know that filter that hangs in front of your microphone to stop the bad S and P sounds.
- Running to many programs at once can slow down the recording process.
- Your operating system. Vista seems to have the worst audio problems, because Vista is where Microsoft started changing how the audio is listened to and recorded. I don’t have a computer with Vista so I don’t know all of the ins and outs of those problem, I just know I have seen a lot of problems in the forum.
- The room you record in can affect your audio quality. Does sound bounce around the room? Are there other sounds your mic is picking up?
Now that I have listed some of the problems now for somethings that can help:
- Ensure all setting for your mic are set the same. I mean the settings in Camtasia Studio, Camtasia Recorder, and your operating systems audio settings.
- Use a USB mic over a 3m to avoid using the poor sound cards.
- Record your audio separate from the video if possible.
- Look at using a digital recorder rather than the computer itself and then import the audio into Camtasia Studio. Adding a mixer and sound gate can also help.
- Use a pop filter or take an old foam ear piece from a set of head phone and wrap that around your headset’s boom mic. Also ensure the mic is not right in front of your mouth.
- Hang items on the walls of your room that will absorb sounds like blankets or acoustic foam.
- Before you start talking let the mic record the room sound for 3-5 seconds. This will allow you to use audio editing software to better clean up the bad sounds. By recording the room sounds you can then isolate them better.
I hope that helps. Of course look around for more helpful information on audio recording.
Loading ...