Video Soundtracks on a Budget – Blog Series Roundup

Are you new to creating videos? Having trouble with audio clarity, background noise or loudness?

If so, you will find this 9 part series invaluable for learning the basics of creating great video soundtracks.

Part 1 – Introduction

When clients use one of our audio services for their video production, whether that be a voice over, royalty free music or sound effects, it is often easy to assume that the audio production side will be handled by them or their audio / video department. However, not every video producer has experience with audio or… more

Part 2: Lapel Microphones

To aid in producing this blog series I am going to team up with a friend from Nature Talks and Walks to create some video footage for his business. Through the process I will explain the audio production and show you the result. Firstly, I need a low cost way of recording his voice outdoors… more

Part 3: Recording Video Dialogue

Before you can start to edit your audio you must capture it. This is done using microphones, which is an obvious statement to make, but, the less obvious fact is that there are several types of microphone and numerous ways of using them depending on the result you are after. Placement and environment is a… more

Part 4: Recording Devices

Before you can start recording your video soundtrack you need to have a means of recording the audio. Many video cameras have an external microphone socket, so in this instance you can plug in a lapel microphone and record audio straight to your camera. However, it does mean you are fixed to the spot with… more

Part 5: The Problem with Wind and Popping

Yes, I have heard all those jokes about wind but seriously wind is a huge problem when recording outside. The slightest gust of wind can ruin your recording. When recording outside a windjammer is an essential item to have. A windjammer is basically synthetic fur that covers the microphone. It disperses the wind and prevents… more

Part 6: Recording and Syncing Your Video and Audio

The budget conscious way of recording the audio to a high standard is to use a clip-on lapel mic plugged into a Zoom H1 that you conceal by putting it in your pocket. As covered previously, the problem with most camcorder microphones is that they are designed to record everything in front of the camera… more

Part 7: Audio Editing Software

There are a number of good audio editing software packages to choose from when editing and producing audio. I use several expensive software packages, plugins and pieces of equipment in my profession. However, in the spirit of ‘Video Soundtracks on a Budget’ I am not suggesting using any of these, instead we are going to… more

Part 8: Audio Editing Tutorials

The following 12 video tutorials cover the basics of audio editing and production. The software used is the free audio editing software Audacity, ideal for budget restricted audio projects. Also, the principles taught here can be carried forward when you outgrow Audacity and invest in more professional software. This audio editor can deliver a really… more

Part 9: Listen to the difference

To demonstrate the techniques covered in this blog series Russ of naturetalksandwalks has let me use some of his footage. This video production has been created on a budget with the following equipment. Two low cost video cameras, Two tripods, Zoom digital recorder – as covered in Part 4: Recording Devices, Clip-on mic – covered in Part 2: Lapel Microphones… more