gvg777 How to Make the Audio in Your Projects Sound Better

Tired of tinny sound, echoes, inaudible dialogue or just bad audio in your home recording efforts? The popularity of social-media video and podcasts has led to a variety of affordable microphones, software and other tools for creating better-quality audio for personal projects. Even if you don’t plan to start a podcast, understanding digital audio a bit more can make other tasks like recording Grandma’s stories for a family-history archive or adding a narration track to your vacation videos sound much cleaner.

Here’s an overview.

Hardware

Just about every laptop includes a microphone for videoconferencing and audio calls, but the fidelity can be lacking. An external microphone that plugs into your computer’s USB port gives you much better sound quality. Logitech’s Yeti ($130) and the Shure MV5 ($99) are two models recommended by Wirecutter, the product review site owned by The New York Times. (Setup is usually simple, but if you plug in the mic and nothing happens, make sure the new hardware is selected in the computer’s sound input settings.)

ImageAn external microphone, like the Yeti, connects to the computer through the USB port.Credit...J.D. Biersdorfer

Recording on a smartphone is standard for social-media video and audio. The phone’s own headset microphone and earphones may work in some situations. If you need an external mic, say, to clip to an interview subject’s shirt, you have options. RØDE makes phone-friendly external microphones, and Amazon sells a wide variety from different companies, most for less than $100. (Given the ever-changing ports on smartphones these days, make sure the mic you like will connect to your phone properly.)

ImageIf your new microphone does not seem to be working after you plug it into the computer, check your system’s sound settings to make sure the new mic is selected as the input source.Credit...Apple

Digital voice recorders — with USB connectivity so you can transfer the recordings — are another option, although the inexpensive models probably won’t sound that great. Wirecutter recommends the $190 Sony UX560. The Zoom Corporation makes a number of hand-held recorders designed for professional use, including the $120 H1n-VP model.

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