You don’t need to upgrade to a more expensive mic to sound better. With theproper acoustic treatment, tools like apop filter, a boom arm,and my expert tips, you’ll be able to create a professional recording at home in no time.
These tips will cover everything from how toposition your microphoneto usingtools like equalizer and compressorfor the final mixing.
Let’s discuss!
Record in a Quiet Room with Proper Acoustics
You obviously need a quiet room that doesn’t get much disturbance from the outside. But you also have to treat it for a proper acoustic environment.
As the subject of Acoustic Treatment is very vague, I’ll just talk about the basics. But if you want to learn more, you’ll find tons of resources on the internet.
The walls and corners of the room reflect your voice to the microphone. Since there’s a delay between your original sound and the sound from the reflections, the echoes will mess up your recording.
So, you’ll be using sound absorbers or diffusers to restrict echo and reverberation in your recording. Here’s what you need to know:
It’s also best to use directional mics to eliminate high-frequency sounds like keyboard and mic clicks.
However, these mics will capture low-frequency noises from all directions anyway. So you’ll have to rely on your room acoustics, and the post-processing to account for them.
Understand the Type of Your Mic
Different types of mics are suited for different positioning while recording. One of the most important aspects you need to pay attention to is thepolar pattern (directivity)of your microphone.
This pattern describes the directions from where the mic picks up the sound. Some common examples are:
You should always speak or record from the proper side. Also, ensure to keep all unmanageable sources of background noises on the suppressed side.
Other than the polar pattern, different mics havedifferent address types. Top-address mics are more sensitive to the direction they are pointed at, and side-address mics are more sensitive to the sound from the sides.
you may find out the polar pattern and address type of mic from its official source. If not, test out your microphone by recording at different orientations and directions accordingly.
Speak at a Proper Distance
Each microphone has an ideal range to speak to.
If youspeak too close, it will end up exaggerating the low-frequency sounds due to a phenomenon called theproximity effect.So, the low-frequency sounds will appear louder compared to the high-frequency sounds.
This may be a good thing in specific scenarios. But for the most part, you want the mic to capture high-frequency sounds better or capture both frequencies more evenly.
On the other hand,speaking at a farther distancewill make the recorded sound too soft without boosting it a lot. And all the indecipherable noises may actually become more noticeable during the boost.
So, before actually using your mic for recording or streaming, ensure toexperiment with the proper speaking distance.
Start at a foot or 12 inches (30 cm)and keep coming slightly closer after each test. If you have a loud voice, you may start at 14 inches instead.
I’ve got some good results at the following distances for different types of mics:
Apart from the type of mic, the ideal distance depends on theacousticsandreflectivity of the roomand thetype of your voice.
It’s better to get closer to a more sound-reflective room and farther away from a sound-absorbing one.
Similarly, stayfurther away for a low deep voiceandcloser for a high thin voice. And as you’d expect, asoft speaker should always get closercompared to a loud one.
Also, for most mics, it’s betternot to move around too while recording. Doing so can cause weird fluctuations in volume and sound quality.
You’ll notice this effect more on low-quality, cheaper mics, but it’s always better to speak at a consistent distance and direction.
Control the Microphone’s Gain, Input Levels and Format
The microphone’sgain,input level, andformatalso affect the quality of the recording.
The input level and gain represent the mic’s sensitivity, and it’s best to set it relatively low (about 70 – 80%) to reduce background noises.
The format is basically the quality of the recording, so always set it to the highest possible value.
Here’s how to change these settings on Windows:
You should also test out and specify a proper gain level on the microphone, your audio interface, and your recording app.
Use Pop Filter
As I’ve explained above, most mics sound better at a closer distance. However, it also means that the mic will be picking up popping noise as the air through your mouth hits the microphone.
you may reduce undesirable noise by using windshields likedead catsorpop filters. I personally prefer using a pop filter as it also prevents our saliva from hitting the microphone.
Use Boom Arm and Shock Mount
Using a mic with a tripod may not allow for the best positioning. You’ll have to lean forward or move the actual stand much closer.
Instead, just use a boom arm, as it allows you to get theideal placement for your mic.
If you use a shock mount with the boom arm, it will also helpeliminate noise due to vibrationson the mounting surface.
Your other actions while recording, like placing your arm or other objects on the desk, clicking on your keyboard and mouse, etc., cause slight vibration on the desk.
The shock mount will prevent such vibrations from traveling up to the microphone.
Use Other Tools like an Equalizer or Compressor
Now that I’ve explained all the pre-mixing tweaks and methods you may use, let’s move on to the mixing.
Even with the best setup, your voice may not be clear or consistent, and there may be slight background noises in the recording.
This is why it’s always recommended to use different tools likecompressor,equalizer,noise gate,reverb, etc., to get the best recording possible. Here’s what these tools can do:
you may use dedicated hardware tools for this purpose. If not, many recording and mixing applications come with such tools.
Even for other apps, you may be able todownload additional pluginsto add these functionalities.
The steps you need to perform will differ depending on the device and the app. I recommend checking tutorials for your own device/app to get better at it.
However, it’s just a matter of playing around with these tools, experimenting with an audio clip and finalizing a well produced recording.
you may even useAI sound fixersavailable on the internet. But keep in mind that you won’t have much control over the output and it may not satisfy your needs.
