fluating audio playback

[arichardsonmiller]

I have created my first course using the free trial of Studio '09. The tool is great and extremely intuitive. One problem, the audio playback fluctuates throughout the course... sometimes very low, sometimes loud, sometimes very soft, sometimes sharp and clear. Any suggestions on how to better control the sound? Are there settings I need to adjust? What type of microphone do you recommend using? Is this a common issue with amateur, online course development?

[Spectre]

Hi arichardsonmiller.

Without being there and knowing the mic used, I would guess the cause is due to the narrator's fluctuating proximity to the microphone. With some mics (many dynamic mics come to mind), there can be sharp dropoffs in volume depending on how close you are to the mic. But once again, it is only a guess. If you have sound samples you can share, that would be helpful.

One way to help prevent this surprise is to monitor the recording with headphones. Whenever I'm recording, I have headphones on--listening to the live feed that is being recorded by the software. This way, I can identify any issues in the way the mic is picking up my voice (or any noise). Although I do my monitoring via external hardware, many sound cards have the equivalent of a "play-through" option in their drivers.

As for mic recommendations, that is a very loaded and subjective question. I always suggest to audio newcomers to find a good recording environment first--as that is every bit as important (if not more) than the equipment itself. But here's a good thread that discusses mic recommendations and sound samples.

[DavidAnderson]

Hi Arichardsonmiller and welcome to the forums!

Just to add to Phil's great suggestions, if you wanted to share your current audio, you can use Presenter's Audio Editor to export the audio so we could take a look at it. Here's a quick screencast on exporting audio: Exporting audio narration files from #Presenter 09.

If you can, please share the range of samples you've experienced (sharp/clear, very low, very loud) just so we can help diagonis your recording.

Thanks and again, welcome to the forums!

David

[arichardsonmiller]

Phil,

Thanks for the feedback. I am quite green to audio, but my first thought is in alignment with your comment regarding proximity to the microphone. My course consist of about 40 slides and the audio was recorded on different days, at different times, and in different environments so I wondered how much all these variables could pose a factor. I think they are all factors, but it seems like the major factor might be proximity. Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to act on them all, especially recording with headphones.

Avonia

[arichardsonmiller]

Originally Posted by David Anderson

Hi Arichardsonmiller and welcome to the forums!

Just to add to Phil's great suggestions, if you wanted to share your current audio, you can use Presenter's Audio Editor to export the audio so we could take a look at it. Here's a quick screencast on exporting audio: Exporting audio narration files from #Presenter 09.

If you can, please share the range of samples you've experienced (sharp/clear, very low, very loud) just so we can help diagonis your recording.

Thanks and again, welcome to the forums!

David

Thanks for this information David. First, I will need to locate audio samples that do not convey proprietary information. Once, I find a couple of good samples I'll export the audio and look forward to receiving feedback.

Avonia