audio recording

January 22, 2024 by J. Hawthorne

Your Phone’s Internal Mic Is Holding Back Your Content

When it comes to social media content, video and short-form video in particular is huge.

It’s a competitive landscape and each passing year it’s harder for creators to stand out. Everybody is looking for tactics that will give them an advantage. Thus, it’s surprising how many people overlook tweaking their filming habits to boost their sound quality.

Authentic content that’s in the moment is capturing both people’s attention and imagination right now. Sometimes you need to put production concerns aside and just hit record before the moment is gone. Nevertheless, if speech is a key component in your video it needs to be clear and easy to understand. Otherwise, the point of the video will whiz over your audience’s head or they’ll keep scrolling.

Why Exactly Are Internal Mics Mediocre or Even Poor?

When you consider how tiny the components of a smartphone are, it’s astonishing that phones perform as well as they do. The quest to make everything small brings compromises, and microphones are no exception.

The mic in your smartphone is a tiny electret condenser. Condenser mics have been around for a very long time. E.C. Wente invented it in 1916 for Bell Labs.

If you were to get a standalone condenser mic today the choices in brands and styles are vast. If you break it down in terms of the size of the diaphragm inside the mics, it gets much simpler.

There are small, medium, and large diaphragm condenser mics. Each has its pros and cons. However, in terms of sound, it’s notable that large diaphragm condenser mics give you a big, rich sound.

This is where internal mics in phones struggle the most: bass. They do capture the mid frequencies and highs of the human voice adequately with proper technique. Ultimately, speech without post-processing that was recorded with a phone sounds flat. And that can make it challenging for your audience to understand what’s being said.

October 26, 2023 by J. Hawthorne

How to Get Great Sound Quality on TikTok

Audiences appreciate the realness and rawness of TikTok. At the same time, the bar keeps getting higher in terms of production quality. It’s common to come across impeccably-produced, well-edited videos like you’d see on YouTube.

Videos that have higher video and audio quality tend to perform better. That’s why TikTok’s top creators tend to look and sound great.

People are there for the creativity, to see rare talent, and for laughs. But when the production component is on point the message is delivered with clarity and it’s simply effortless to take in.

Sound Quality is Key

Improving your audio is one of the simplest changes you can make as a TikTok creator to stand out.

A study led by researchers from the University of Southern California and Australian National University found that speakers with high-quality audio were perceived as smarter and more likable than speakers with low-quality audio. Additionally, audiences perceived the content as more significant and enjoyed the experience more when the audio was good.

Smartphone cameras are generally excellent on any flagship or mid-range phone. The tiny built-in microphones in phones are another story. Unless you’re speaking into the phone’s mic from the sweet spot, the audio lacks definition.

It’s generally better to use an external mic to create content whenever possible. It’s understood that most TikTok creators want to make spontaneous short videos. Luckily, there’s a mic for every application that won’t get in the way of your creativity. Whether you reach for a wireless lavalier or a podcasting mic, you’re rewarded for delivering clear, easy-to-understand audio to your audience.

February 4, 2022 by J. Hawthorne

How to Get Great Sound Quality on YouTube

The top YouTubers may have vastly different content, but they have two things in common.

They all look and sound good.

And that doesn’t necessarily mean they have professional-level production. Rather, their video production amplifies their message rather than distracting from it.

When it comes to audio, your voice doesn’t need to have polished sound like you’re a guest on The Howard Stern Show. But it does need to be clear and intelligible to your audience.

When you consider the narrow frequency range and low output of speakers on phones and laptops, it becomes apparent that you need to ensure your audio is translating across all devices.

In most cases you’ve got just several second to grab people’s attention. And if your audio level is too low, is distorted, or is flat and muffled-sounding, there’s a good chance you’ll lose people that would have otherwise been interested.