How to get the best sound?

[CramBoom]

Not while recording, but editing and rendering. When I record, I make sure to dampen the sound, normalize it, and when I record I max out the settings and usually oversample (192000 instead of 44100 (my mic)). I also save the recording in WAV or FLAC, both are lossless. When I render I also tend to max out the audio settings. But the end result always sounds so much worse than the original recording. A good example is my latest video (the how to fossils form one). The audio was decent in the original recording, but very bad once I rendered it. Any advice? Thanks

 

[Tal Norvell]

All I know about sound is you're supposed to keep the level around -12db to prevent cracking. Maybe that's obvious to you, but at any rate, that's what I got!

 

[CramBoom]

All I know about sound is you're supposed to keep the level around -12db to prevent cracking. Maybe that's obvious to you, but at any rate, that's what I got!

Any help is appreciated!! I usually try to keep it below -10db, I guess I should aim for -12. In my older videos I sometimes went waaay to loud. Thanks again!

 

[Tal Norvell]

Yeah, in my vid production class teacher said 12 is standard.

 

[Tarmack]

Yeah, in my vid production class teacher said 12 is standard.

Not sure I agree. Mics will often have a "db pad" of 10-20db, but that's to limit the potential for clipping during recording by avoiding oversaturating the signal and is primarily used when recording very loud subjects like drums. I always normalize everything back up to 0db to -1db in editing.

 

[Tal Norvell]

Not sure I agree. Mics will often have a "db pad" of 10-20db, but that's to limit the potential for clipping during recording by avoiding oversaturating the signal and is primarily used when recording very loud subjects like drums. I always normalize everything back up to 0db to -1db in editing.

Truth is I don't know much about audio.

 

[Chandler Meierarend]

If you compress your voice, then your audio will all be more of the same level. And equalizing correctly will make your voice sound clearer. Also, what mix are you using?

 

[Tarmack]

If you compress your voice, then your audio will all be more of the same level. And equalizing correctly will make your voice sound clearer. Also, what mix are you using?

If the recording is fine until after it's rendered, the mix isn't relevant.

 

[Chandler Meierarend]

The rendering might amplify the problems in the first mix

 

[CramBoom]

If you compress your voice, then your audio will all be more of the same level. And equalizing correctly will make your voice sound clearer. Also, what mix are you using?

What is a "mix"? Normally, I record my audio in Adobe Audition CC, then I remove any background noise/ graininess (this one I tweak myself). Then I use the AUTOMATIC equalizing settings, I don't really know how to use those properly myself yet. Once I'm finished that, I export it into a multitrack session, add in my music, play around with the volume of the music until it is at a good level, then export as a WAV file.