How to Improve Audio Quality: 12 Tips That Actually Work
How to Improve Audio Quality: 12 Tips That Actually Work
Bad audio has an obvious fix and a few less obvious ones. Here are 12 ways to improve audio quality, plus how to rescue a recording that’s already bad.
Key takeaways
- Using a good microphone in a soundproof, acoustically treated room is the single biggest gain for recording clear audio.
- Record locally to prevent internet connection issues from harming audio quality.
- Record in WAV to preserve audio detail for editing.
- Editing can improve a bad recording, but not rebuild it.
Bad audio quality can make people trust you less and listen for less time.
Fixing bad audio starts before hitting record. The key is an optimal recording environment and a high-quality microphone. Editing can improve a bad recording, but rebuilding it fully is often difficult, if not impossible.
As a podcaster with 15+ years of experience, here is my guide on how to improve audio quality. This guide covers 12 tips on your recording environment and gear, mic techniques, and best recording settings and practices.
12 tips to improve audio quality
1. Soundproof your room
When setting up a home studio, soundproof the room to keep outside noise, like footsteps and traffic, from reaching your microphone. Sound travels through air and passes through thin surfaces, so seal gaps and add mass wherever you can.
Start with your door and fit a perimeter seal around the frame and along the bottom.
If you've got a hollow door, hang a sound blanket in front of it. To add mass, put up a second layer of drywall or install mass-loaded vinyl over thin walls and windows.
If renovating your space isn’t an option, consider recording in a quieter, more isolated environment.
2. Treat your room to minimize echo
Treat your room to minimize echo, which happens when your voice bounces off hard surfaces and back into your microphone, making you sound hollower and boxier than you should.
Acoustic treatment methods include installing acoustic panels or foam tiles on the walls and bringing in soft furnishings, like a sofa, thick curtains, carpets, and rugs.
3. Invest in a good microphone and mic stand
Invest in a good microphone to capture more of your voice and less room noise. There is a wide range of podcast microphones available, from USB microphones to professional XLR ones.
If you’re just starting out, I suggest using a USB microphone like the Samson Q2U or the Rode PodMic USB.
4. Wear headphones
You and your guests should wear headphones so your microphone doesn't pick up sound coming from the speakers, causing feedback or echo. Monitoring through headphones lets you adjust your volume and mic angle as you go along.
5. Use a pop filter
Use a pop filter to stop plosives, which are the harsh popping sounds that hit your microphone whenever you say words starting with hard consonants, like “p” and “b.” Pop filters are generally inexpensive and cost as little as $10.
6. Position your microphone correctly
Position your microphone about 4–6 inches away from your mouth to record your speech clearly. If you’re too far from your mic, your voice can come across as faint.
7. Add the right amount of microphone gain
Add the right amount of microphone gain so your levels sit in a healthy range without hitting the top of the meter. Keep increasing the gain until your levels peak at about -12 to -6 dB.
8. Speak with good diction
When recording, pronounce your words well, and try to keep your pacing and volume consistent. Analyzing how you speak can help identify areas for improvement.
9. Use quality recording software
Use quality recording software that can capture crystal-clear audio, so you reduce the amount of editing you need to do to improve audio quality later on. Riverside is one of them, offering various features like local recording.
10. Record locally
Use local recording software so your audio quality doesn't depend on anyone's Wi-Fi. Local recording captures each speaker on their own device instead of streaming over the internet.
11. Record and edit uncompressed audio
Record and edit in an uncompressed audio format like WAV, which retains all original audio data.
12. Record room tone
Record room tone, which is the ambient background noise in your recording space when no one is speaking or moving. This will give you filler for patching over distorted audio or cut segments.
How to fix bad audio
If your audio sounds bad due to background noise, echo, or uneven volume, here’s how to fix the issue with editing software:
Background noise
Background noise is any kind of sound that distracts listeners from your speech.
Reducing background noise in Riverside
Navigate to your clip in your projects, and then click “Share” > “Export.” Enable the “Remove background noise” toggle.
Reducing background noise in Audacity
Highlight a section of audio that contains ambient noise. Select “Effect” > “Noise Removal and Repair” > “Noise Reduction” > “Get Noise Profile.”
Echo
To reduce echo in Riverside, turn on our echo cancellation feature before you record.
Uneven volume
Normalize your audio, which raises or lowers each clip’s audio by a fixed amount until it reaches a target level. This can be around a loudness of -23 LUFS or a peak level of -3 dB.
FAQs
Can audio quality be improved?
Yes, audio quality can be improved by taking steps like soundproofing your room and investing in a good microphone.
How do I fix bad audio quality?
To fix bad audio quality, use your editing software's built-in repair tools.
How do I make my recorded audio sound clear?
To make your recorded audio sound clear, soundproof and treat your room and invest in good recording gear.
Is MP3 or WAV better?
Whether MP3 or WAV is better depends on your stage of production. Use WAV for recording and editing.