Hey, guys. As you know, I’m trying to improve the audio quality of my videos. With my latest EDH video (Zedruu vs. Arjun vs. Keranos), I’ve received comments that the audio is not that great. It’s a huge step forward from my first EDH video in the audio department, but the complaints are still there: Voices fade in and out, echo, and other minor complaints.
The video was recorded using the built-in mic of my camera at The Valiant Pug, here in Richmond, VA. The store has private rooms where we can close the door for privacy. The unfortunate thing is the room isn’t built for acoustics. I was thinking about getting sound proofing that I could carry around and mount, but that’s a lot more to carry around for a recording session and I’m only one guy.
Now the great news is that thanks to you, I’ve got the mics and soundboard so I’m really on my way to more professional audio! 🙂 I will be breaking these out during the next recording session. We were testing the acoustics at The Valiant Pug to see if we needed the mics there and it turns out that we did. :\ Lesson learned.
Through research, I’ve found that a lot of people who do professional work in the video industry use a separate audio recorder. Many of these are digital recorders. The audio is generally filtered and processed separately from the video and then spliced into the final product after it’s been enhanced. Usually, audio software is used to remove background noise like crowds, ocean surf, wind, and the like so that the audio can focus on the actors rather than the noise (thanks, Rocket Jump Film School!). I’ve also heard the advice of many YouTubers who have stated over and over that crummy audio will drive subscriptions away and it’s probably the number one reason why people will not watch a video.
To that end, I’ve been looking at different professional and semi-professional solutions and have narrowed my selection to the TASCAM DR-05 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OU2IQG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=UMZ3F4KREPLF&coliid=IFZEQSY49RV8K&psc=1) due to it’s reviews on Amazon and YouTube, plus the sound quality it provides even in noisy environments is amazing.
I really would like to get this as soon as possible so that I can really up my game when recording EDH/Commander, vlogs, podcasts, and boardgame plays (which are on their way). It’s roughly $85.00 US and, to be honest, a few extras like the ones in this TASCAM Accessory Kit (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IMPJV7S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=UMZ3F4KREPLF&coliid=I3PB7FL4H2FQT8) for roughly $26.00 would also help a great deal.
If you could help me get this equipment, audio monitoring and editing would be made so much easier for me since my camera lacks these functions. Also, the quality of my audio would increase dramatically!
If you could visit my Patreon page and offer a small donation (or even donate to me through PayPal) that would be wonderful! The higher quality my audio, the more views and possible subscribers I’ll get, at least in theory and according to what others are saying.
Thanks for reading,
-Excalibur