Video Sound is important because it engages audiences: it helps deliver information, increases production value, elicits emotional responses, emphasizes what’s on the screen, and is used to indicate mood. However, bad sound can ruin your video.
Crafting great visuals is only one part of the production equation for video work. Giving your video great audio is another important component, along with editing, costume, speaking/acting, and graphics, to name a few.
Using audio in the foreground, such as dialogue or monologue, or in the background, such as music, sound effects (SFX), and ambient sounds, will improve the quality of your video. These types of video sound layers provide viewers with a sense of immersion, whether they are watching in a theatre, on television, or YouTube. Viewers can tell if a video’s audio is good or bad, and bad audio will quickly take them out of the viewing experience, even if the visuals are impressive.
We will discuss why video sound is so important and why video and sound should be considered together in the following sections. We’ll also give you some pointers on how to improve the sound quality of your video.
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Why is Video Sound Important & 3 Tips to Improve It
What are the various types of video sound?
As previously stated, audio for video can include both foreground and background audio layers. Some video sound features both at the same time, while others favor one or the other.
Foreground sound can be dialogue, voiceover, or non-spoken audio that is the focal point of a shot, scene, or video as a whole. This is the type of audio that usually (but not always) syncs with the video’s shots and scenes. It’s usually mixed at higher volumes and frequencies to pique the listener’s interest.
Background sound, also referred to as ambient sound, is typically quieter and less obtrusive. At times, viewers may not even notice it.
Wind, muffled background voices, electrical noise, and so on are examples.
Music is a type of background sound, but it can also be foreground sound, such as in music videos or specific scenes of YouTube videos, movies, documentaries, and so on. SFX can also be foreground or background sound, depending on the needs of a video or film.
Excellent voice mix
If a well-produced video includes voiceover, dialogue, or music, high-quality audio recordings of these sound types are required. This begins with high-quality microphones and audio recorders. It does, however, necessitate good audio editing and mixing during the video post-production process.
Sound Recording Pro tip: Make sure your voiceovers and dialogue are well-written and spoken clearly (and even colorfully).
High-Quality Music
You don’t want sloppy music written and recorded for your video or film. Great music is often essential for quality video and sound in many videos (though certainly not all).
As previously stated, viewers and audiences will immediately notice poor audio. And bad music is never a good thing when it comes to making a successful video.
Take the time to consider not only the music you want to use in your videos, but also what your viewers might want to hear. This is not to say that you should cater to your viewers’ and audiences’ musical tastes, but rather that you should consider them during video and sound production and editing.
For example, if you’re making a video about plant care, you probably don’t want to use heavy metal or industrial music. Consider using something like folk or gentle ambient music instead.
Sound effects that are cool
Voices and music aren’t the only things that make for good video sound. If your video or film appears to be missing something, either in the foreground or background, it may be time to begin adding sound effects. And if you’re making animations, SFX will be essential because they’ll help tell your story to viewers.
SFX can be realistic, mundane, fantastical, or hyperreal. The needs of your video production will determine the type of SFX you use. A YouTube tutorial channel, for example, will have different SFX needs than a science fiction short film. (More on this in the section that follows.)
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How to Improve the Sound of Your Video
Now that you know why good video sound is important, let’s look at some tips for improving your audio for video.
Audio software can be used to edit video sound.
You’ll need audio mixing software to create high-quality audio for video (also known as DAW). You’ll be able to edit sounds (voiceover, music, SFX), adjust volume, apply equalization and other effects, and cut and fade, among other things.
Most video editing software, such as Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve, allow users to edit sounds.
However, if you need more audio editing features, consider Adobe Audition, Audacity, Pro Tools, Nuendo, Magix Sound Forge Audio Studio 15, and Logic Pro, to name a few.
(Please keep in mind that Logic Pro is primarily a music recording and editing program, but it can also be used to edit and mix other audio if you’re on a tight budget.)
Make use of high-quality, royalty-free music.
High-quality, professional music recordings will undoubtedly improve the overall production quality of your video. While free music can be found through Creative Commons or songs in the public domain, royalty-free music can be found on Videvo, which is a great option for those on a budget.
When choosing music for your YouTube video or film, make sure it is creatively appropriate for your production. It should also be consistent with the various moods and atmospheres explored in your videos and films. You can also use music that challenges your audience’s expectations, but in order to break the rules, you must first understand them.
Use royalty-free sound effects.
Many YouTubers use amusing or attention-grabbing SFX to emphasize what they say or the moods they want to evoke. YouTubers may also use a swiping or swooshing sound to indicate a cinematic swipe from one scene to another. They accomplish this by incorporating sound effects into video.
SFX can also be more mundane, such as ambient crowd noises, rain, wind, electrical sounds, doors closing, and so on. Because these sounds are part of our everyday sound experience, using them in certain videos and films will provide more realistic audio for your project.
Alternatively, if your video, film, or animation is science fiction or fantasy-themed, digitally created SFX or foley sound will be your best friends.
They will help to pique your audience’s imagination and emotions, allowing them to become more immersed in your video.
Videvo has a large selection of royalty-free SFX. The SFX catalog includes both digitally created SFX and foley sounds, which are created in novel ways using microphones and various objects and materials.
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Conclusion
A great video isn’t just about the visuals; it’s also about the audio. Better video sound means a more professional voice, music, and sound effects recordings.
Remember that good voice recording necessitate the use of high-quality microphones and recorders. Check out royalty-free sounds on Videvo to find high-quality music and sound effects.
Finally, improving video sound does not stop with capturing high-quality voice recordings and locating great music and SFX. These audio tracks will need to be edited and mixed. You’ll need audio software for this, whether it’s the audio features in your video editing software or dedicated audio editing and mixing software.
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About the author: Trent (IMDB | Youtube) has spent 10+ years working on an assortment of film and television projects. He writes about his experiences to help (and amuse) others. If he’s not working, he’s either traveling, reading or writing about travel/film, or planning travel/film projects.
