Distracting audio is hard to get past. We’ve all been in a situation when some unwanted noise made its way into a video or live stream. Typically, we never want these disruptive noises to make it into our professional video work, live or pre-recorded.

Fortunately, there are some tactics you can employ to reduce unwanted or unexpected noise in your videos. By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of how to reduce excessive noise when creating pre-recorded or live content. 

In this How To Video: Audio episode, Nick LaClair, Creative Director here at SproutVideo, will be walking you through an overview of the entire noise reduction space. He’ll walk you through various scenarios and examples to drive the point home.

Pre-Recorded

When it comes to pre-recorded audio vs. live audio, the technique for reducing noise will vary. The goal for pre-recorded audio, typically used for video or podcasts, is to get the absolute best audio possible. Typically, you get this by using expensive equipment, controlling your environment, and fixing everything else with post-production software.

High-End Equipment

In a similar fashion to getting the best video quality, getting the best-sounding audio is going to cost you. Compared to cheaper alternatives, top-tier mics and mixers can make a huge difference when it comes to capturing the best audio. In our example, we showed the Schoeps CMIT 5 Microphone and the SoundDevices 833 mixer retailing for $2,250 and $4,500 respectively. 

Whatever level of equipment you have, you’ll need to know how to set it up for optimal results. Our audio series is a great place to start. 

Controlling Your Environment

Of course, your best bet is recording in a studio. However, as many of us found out over the last year, sometimes you need to make do with what you have. Many of us turn to a spare room or home office for our recording space. 

While you can’t necessarily make the world outside of your recording space completely silent, you can add some extra equipment to better condition your space. By purchasing a variety of materials, or crafting some DIY solutions, you can treat your space to get the most optimal sound recording. 

Items like acoustic panels, ceiling baffles, window treatments, and more can all help create a better environment for recording crisp sound. Explore our post on conditioning your home studio for the full rundown. 

Post-Production Software

When it comes to editing audio, Adobe Audition is the industry standard. This application allows you to take that amazing audio you captured through your mic and mixer, and fine-tune it to perfection. 

In Adobe Audition, you can take a snapshot of background noise that made it into your audio (HVAC system, A/C, electric humming, and so on), have the program learn it, and then remove that noise signature from the rest of the audio. The better the equipment and environment you’re recording in, the less this extra noise will need to be removed in post-production. 

Just like any other post-production skill, this will take time to learn. Get started with our guide to cleaning up audio in post-production. 

Live Audio 

When working with live audio, whether it’s a live stream, webinars, or video calls, great gear and a controlled environment is essential. The one thing you can’t do is fix problems in post-production since you’re capturing audio live. 

For live and real-time audio, there will need to be extra measures in place to ensure great audio quality. Some of these are built right into the microphones you’ll be using, and others can be added for better results. We’ll go over some of the best options below. 

Mic placement

The most basic form of noise reduction is simply placing the mic as close as possible to your mouth or subject. If the audio source is super close to your microphone, it’ll adjust to that sound, and any background noise will no longer be audible. 

A lot of mics are smart enough to adjust so that a loud or close source will lower your mic’s gain and widen the signal-to-noise ratio. For example, you’ll see this with on-air reporters who need to hold the mic very close to their face when they’re speaking, and also when anyone else is speaking, with the sound trailing off in between. 

Of course, there are some drawbacks to this technique. Sound quality becomes a concern when you’re very close to a microphone. It may begin to distort your voice, or generate pops and other unwanted sounds. Also, if you’re doing a live video, having the microphone very close to your subject isn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing option. 

Noise Gates

The next level up is implementing a noise gate. A noise gate is a type of audio processing effect that blocks all unwanted noise under a certain threshold that you set. As soon as audio comes through which is higher than that threshold, everything will come through the gate. Think of it as a real gate; open for the sounds you want, and closed for those you don’t. 

There are a few controls that are relatively universal across noise gate software:

• Threshold: The threshold determines when a gate should open and close. 
• Attack: The attack determines how fast or slow a gate closes. 
• Release: The release determines how fast or slow a gate opens.
• Hold – The hold determines how long a gate remains closed before it opens. 

Many streaming software solutions like OBS and VMix have noise gates built-in, which make it an easy option to implement for live streams. This is especially useful when you have multiple speakers. When people aren’t talking, it’ll gate their sound, which keeps the general audio very clean. 

The main disadvantage with a noise gate is it doesn’t actually reduce the background noise when the gate is open. All sounds come through once you hit your threshold and the gate opens.

Usually, your main source will drown out any unwanted noise, but if it doesn’t, you’ll need to implement a different solution. That’s where noise suppression software comes into play. 

Noise Suppression Software

This type of software is actually built into a lot of things you’re most likely already using on a daily basis. You’ll see this built into video conferencing apps, Bluetooth headsets, smartphones, motorcycle helmets, and more. Through software programming, these items are set to cancel out the noises it expects to encounter. 

This technology is created by using powerful artificial intelligence programs that analyze your voice, and sample from a huge network of known sounds to cancel out unwanted ones. For example, the Bluetooth in a car is set to remove the road noises that are typical for that specific type of car. When it does this, only your voice will be sent to whoever you’re talking to instead of distracting road noise. 

This same idea applies to standalone noise suppression software programs as well. Specific companies have their own technology, but for more general use, desktop apps like Krisp can be used to further enhance your audio experience. 

The noise suppression apps and software do a relatively great job removing noise, but struggle the louder the background noise gets. The more it has to suppress, the more it will end up degrading your voice. 

Noise Suppression Hardware

The next step up is using hardware acceleration to supercharge your noise cancelling software. Using a hardware option is more effective because it will be able to produce a lot more power than just software alone. A great example of this is Nvidia’s RTX Voice application (also known as Nvidia Broadcast) paired with an Nvidia RTX level graphics card. 

This runs the same sort of AI processing as Krisp. It auto-detects background noise to remove it, with the graphics card to power the entire workflow. A drawback here is that RTX-level graphics cards can be pretty pricey. Nvidia RTX graphics card models range from around $500 to over $2,000.

To go above and beyond, you could combine Krisp and RTX Voice with an RTX graphics card for a final result that will be nearly flawless. Combining different software with hardware might seem like overkill, but if high-quality, uninterrupted audio is your goal, this might be your best option. 

The fact of the matter is, we can’t account for all the random noises that may make it into the background of our videos, live streams, video conferences, and webinars. The best thing we can do is be as prepared as possible with the right hardware and software to back us up. Let us know down below which precautions you’re taking to get the best possible audio.

The post How To Get the Best Audio in Any Environment appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this post, we’ll be going over the life and work of Dr. James West, inventor of the electret microphone, which represents around 90% of all microphones produced today. We’ll explore his childhood, professional life, and other impressive endeavors of the 90-year-old inventor. Keep reading to gain some nerdy knowledge about microphones along the way.

The video below is the first installment of our new Cheers series, where we raise a glass to important people and topics related to the video industry. This episode is centered around Dr. James West and his contributions to the world of video and beyond. Join Courtney Purchon, Head of Marketing, and Ikey Ajavon, Marketing Content Strategist, as they share stories from Dr. James West’s life and accomplishments.

Early Life

James West was born during a particularly difficult time in U.S. history. Born in 1931, he not only had to grow up during the Great Depression but also deal with life as a Black man in America during the Jim Crow era. This was a time when most public places were segregated, and people of color faced widespread discrimination and racially motivated violence.

Thankfully for all of us, in spite of the difficult time period he grew up in, he had a particularly strong interest in how things worked from a young age. The quote from Dr. West below perfectly exemplifies this point. 

Sparking His Interest

One event in his childhood left a lasting impact that pushed him toward his path as an inventor. In an attempt to fix an old radio he found, a young James West proceeded to connect the radio to a light socket, as regular outlets were not commonly installed in houses at this time. Ultimately, he was electrocuted, but thankfully was not injured in the incident.

“I had to understand electricity. And today, I can go in a socket and re-wire it without turning the main off, because I know how AC floats, and DC, for that matter.”

Dr. James West

Typically, people tend to shy away from events that harm them, but for Dr. West, this only intensified his interest in how things worked. 

Overcoming Cultural Setbacks

Throughout his career, Dr. West had to overcome adversity. As many of us can relate, choosing a professional path to follow is stressful enough as we enter our college years. Dr. West, however, had to choose a path with the pressures of what was acceptable for Black people at the time. He started on a pre-med path, but ultimately switched to physics to follow his passion. This move wasn’t supported by his parents, who believed the likelihood of a Black physicist making it during that time was low. 

Against all odds, Dr. West graduated with his degree in physics from Temple University in 1957, and joined the team at Bell Laboratories as an acoustic scientist. He chose Bell over other institutions because their organization was more diverse than others at the time. 

“When you put a bunch of nerds together, it kind of normalizes things,” West says. “But one of the other reasons that I joined Bell Labs was that I met and saw other black scientists.”

Dr. James West via United States Patent and Trademark Office

Following in the footsteps of his mentor, W. Lincoln Hawkins, the first Black researcher at Bell Labs, Dr. West would go on to produce many great inventions, including his most famous: the electret microphone. 

The Invention of the Electret Microphone 

In 1962, Dr. James West and co-inventor Gerhard Sessler created the first foil electret microphone. However, like most great inventions, there was a happy mistake that led to this invention.

While fixing a pair of headphones, Dr. West accidentally short-circuited them, which unexpectedly got the headphones working again. However, they were now operational without a power source, whereas before, they had required a 500 volt battery to work.

In effect, Dr. West had created a version of the invention he would later patent. The headphones were able to work without a power source because the short-circuited headphones were holding a charge. When the headphones were short-circuited, Dr. West inadvertently created a dielectric material that could hold a charge for a period of time, also known as an electret.

“I couldn’t get this phenomena and what I had observed out of my head,” West says. “It was there in kind of a permanent way. I began to try to unravel this problem and understand, a least a little bit, what was going on.”

Dr. James West via U.S News

Dr. West and Sessler eventually found a way to create a material with a long-lasting charge by utilizing Teflon. Their final product would be able to hold a charge for about 100 years, essentially guaranteeing the condenser component of these microphones would never need an external power source.

While other components of the microphone still require some power, the charge required to operate is significantly lower. Options like phantom power, or very small batteries, usually 1.5 – 5 volts, usually suffice. Billions of electret microphones have been made since they began selling commercially back in 1968.

You’ll find these types of microphones in a wide variety of devices, from phones to baby monitors, and especially in microphones used for video. It’s safe to say our lives would be very different without this invention. To learn more about microphones and how to optimize them for your video projects, explore the audio section of our video library.

How Microphones Work

Microphones were around long before Dr. James West and Gerhard Sessler joined Bell Labs, albeit not quite as efficient. To understand just how impactful their invention was, it’s important to have an understanding of how microphones actually work.

Microphones work by capturing sound waves and converting them to electrical signals. This happens over the course of a few steps. Sound waves pass through an object called a diaphragm. This movement is then measured and transformed into an electrical signal.

Traditional microphones would rely on a battery to help perform this task. And, these microphones required a lot of power, which made them bulky and expensive to replicate. The electret microphone, as mentioned above, has its own charge and doesn’t require a battery. This makes the whole process more efficient, smaller to produce, and cost-effective.

Awards & Activism

While Dr. James West may not be a household name in the video world (yet), he has gotten a lot of recognition in the scientific community. Over the course of his long career, he’s gotten numerous honorary doctorates, medals, and honors. 

In regards to activism, his journey as a Black inventor inspired him to provide as much help as possible to those who would follow in his path. Throughout his career, Dr. West spent time mentoring women and underrepresented minorities as time would allow. Dr. West has said he’s most proud of his work to set up the Corporate Research Fellowship Program while still working at Bell Labs. This program funded, mentored, and graduated over 600 Ph.D.’s over 30 years. 

James West Today 

Dr.West continued on his path to make the world a better place after retiring in 2001. He’s currently working as a professor at John Hopkins University, serves on the board of directors of the Ingenuity Project, continues to mentor students, and is working with his daughter’s company to bring a digital stethoscope to market. 

All things considered, this 90-year-old inventor doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. Dr. James West’s legacy extends far beyond his inventions. His inspiring journey through life’s challenges will continue to inspire far into the future. Let us know your favorite fact about Dr. West in the comments below.

The post Cheers to a Trailblazer: Dr. James West appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this How To Video episode, we’ll be breaking down different types of gear you can use to get the job done. We’ll show you the difference some easy and inexpensive changes can make, and contrast it with gear that could cost over $10,000. So, is it worth the investment? Let’s find out.

In the video below, Nick LaClair, Creative Director at Sproutvideo, will show you the main categories of gear to worry about, and how you can accomplish the best videos at various price points. 

Essential Home Studio Gear

When it comes to producing a great video, a lot goes into it, but without good sound, picture, and lighting, your production will suffer. These may seem like basic points, but without them, your viewers may not stick around to see your full video. 

In each of these three categories, depending on your budget, what you use can make a really big difference in perceived quality. The low and high end will be very noticeable, but the middle can be a bit harder to distinguish. This works in your favor if you can’t afford the top of the line equipment. 

Audio

Sound quality is going to be one of the most important aspects of your video. After all, if your video looks good, but sounds terrible, it won’t get your message across. 

Utilize Your Existing Tech

Assuming you have a computer, the lowest and most basic tier for audio would be just using the built-in microphone. If you’re recording with your built-in webcam, this is a great way to get started without any additional costs. 

Mid-Range Mic Options

The next tier would be purchasing a mic to add to your setup, which may range in price from $100 to $300 or more. A wired lavalier (lav) is usually the cheapest option. Since you have to plug it in, then clip it to your shirt, it will be visible in your shot. Since they are popularly used on live TV, that might not be a dealbreaker for you, but it may not be your desired look. 

An affordable camera-mounted shotgun mic would be the next level up. If you’re using a camera, this type of mic plugs into the audio jack, sits on top of the camera, and points at the subject. In a typical home studio, the mic would still be far from you when you’re filming, but thanks to the pickup pattern of a shotgun microphone, you will hear far less background noise than with your laptop’s built-in microphone.

In the $150-$300 range, a podcasting condenser microphone is a bit more expensive but will produce really great sound. However, similar to a lav, you’ll see the mic in the shot. Since this is a full-size microphone, it’s very noticeable, especially since it needs to be right in front of you.

For more on audio, be sure to watch our full run of audio-specific How To Video episodes.

Employ a Full Boom Setup

Last, but certainly not least, is upgrading to a boom mic setup. This would include a boom pole to hold the mic, a high-quality directional shotgun microphone, and potentially a phantom power adapter to power the microphone. This setup will allow you to capture the best audio while keeping the equipment out of your shot. However, this will be the most expensive option in the $300+ range.

Video

When it comes to video quality, you may have more options readily at your disposal in contrast to audio.

Webcam Recording

As mentioned before, using your built-in webcam on your computer is a no-cost option, assuming you have a computer or laptop at home. Yet, just like the built-in microphone, this is going to be the most basic option, and the results won’t be all that amazing. 

The built-in webcam has a really tiny sensor, so it won’t capture high-resolution footage. Also, it will shoot a really wide shot, which might not be desirable since you have to worry about what’s in the frame. If you have a perfectly appointed and organized home studio, that might not be a big concern, but for the rest of us, less is sometimes more.

To get the most out of your webcam, place your laptop on a stand or some books so that the webcam is more or less in line with your eyes. If your laptop is usually on your desk, this will result in a more flattering angle.

Use Your Smartphone

Another item you most likely already own that can be used to capture video is your smartphone. The newest smartphones capture high-quality video with the front camera, and even better video with the back cameras. Even if your phone is a couple of years old, there’s a good chance it may outperform your built-in webcam. The best part is this won’t cost you any additional outlay either. If you go this route, an inexpensive smartphone tripod, usually $20 – $50, is well worth the money.

Purchasing a dedicated premium webcam is another good option, ranging from $100-$200. You’ll be able to plug this right into your computer, which adds a convenience factor. Without having to buy anything else, you’ll also be able to easily use it for live streaming or all those endless video conferences. 

Opt for a Professional Camera

Lastly, while upgrading to a DSLR, mirrorless camera, or camcorder will set you back $1,500 or more, you can guarantee your image will be top-notch. Here at SproutVideo, we use Sony cameras, but there is an enormous number of options available. To learn more about what to look for when choosing a camera, explore our full post on choosing the right camera. 

If you want to use your external camera or camcorder for video conferencing or live streaming, you’ll have to purchase a capture device, and in the case of live streaming, encoding software. We just launched live streaming last year, and made an entire guide you can use to get on your feet. Take a look at our Six Simple Steps to Live Streaming for Business to get started.  

Lighting 

Last but not least, the all-important element of lighting. Most likely you’ll only need one light source for the videos you’re producing at home. If you can swing it, the free option is to use the ultimate light source: the sun. If you can set up your home studio such that you can face a large window with even light, you’ll be all set. The downside is that sunlight isn’t always reliable, and of course, you’re also restricted to filming during certain daylight hours. 

Upgrade to a Ring Light

One of the best alternatives to going all-natural is to invest in an entry-level ring light. We use one that is about $150 dollars, including a stand, and also features adjustable color temperatures so you can change the look if needed. 

The next step up from this would be a three-point studio lighting setup, with a key light, a fill light, and a backlight. This may be a bit overkill for your at-home studio, but if you have the room for it, you can produce that perfect glow-y lighting that the pros deliver. To learn how to pull that off, head to our video on the Best Practices for Studio Lighting. 

As you can see, some small changes can make a big difference for your footage. No matter where you’re starting from, there’s probably a change or two that will be worth your while.  

Still, the underlying lesson here is that you shouldn’t let your gear, or lack thereof, hold you back. If you have a good message and get the most out of your gear, you can produce great work with whatever you have. 

Let us know in the comments below what you’re using in your at-home studio.

The post How to Upgrade Your Home Video Studio appeared first on SproutVideo.

In this How To Video: Audio episode, we’ll walk you through the process we took to transform a normal office into an acoustic masterpiece. We’ll cover the fundamentals of acoustic treatments, and share some tips and ideas on how to optimize your recording space at home.

In the video below, Nick LaClair, Creative Director at Sproutvideo, will walk you through our exact process for improving the sound in our video studio. 

Acoustic Treatment

A basic understanding of how sound works will set the stage for better acoustic treatment. When a sound wave hits a flat surface, like a bare wall, it bounces off the wall. If the room has primarily flat surfaces, the sound will reverberate as the waves bounce off all the surfaces. To your ears (and to a microphone), it will sound like an echo. The smaller the space, the tighter the echo. This is a big part of the reason why an untreated room sounds less desirable on camera. 

When recording audio, you’ll capture direct sound and reflected sound. Direct is from the source right to your ears or your recording device. Reflected sound is what is bouncing off the walls and being captured slightly later. It’s also what causes distortion, echo, and other audio problems. There are two ways to help minimize these unwanted audio elements: absorption and diffusion. 

Absorption

This is exactly what it sounds like. Using the materials we’ll cover below to absorb as much of the excess sound waves as possible before it hits the microphone. While this isn’t 100% effective, it generally does an amazing job of helping control the sound.

Diffusion

Diffusion takes that excess sound, and scatters it into different directions. Typically, this is used in conjunction with absorption. When absorption works well, sometimes the room will sound too empty. Utilizing diffusion materials will take any remaining excess sound and spread it around to create an even, natural tone. 

Room Evaluation

Before you get to the materials and setup, it’s important to evaluate the room you plan on using to make sure that you can achieve exactly what you want. The wall materials, windows, and the general shape and size of your room will all be a factor in your audio treatment. 

From the get-go, you should just assume the room you choose to work in won’t have the best acoustics. Take a cathedral for example, the acoustics are brilliant for a reason. That room was designed from the ground up to produce an amazing sound experience. Most bedrooms or offices are not built with sound in mind. 

Designing Your Acoustic Treatment

Based on the wall materials and dimensions of your space, you’ll want to address the way sounds travel in the room itself. And, any sources of background noise, like windows, air conditioners, or fridges will have to be mitigated or removed.

Live End Dead End (LEDE)

The general idea is to adjust the amount of sound reflected in the space by using one end of the room to absorb more sound than the other. 

The live end is usually behind the person listening or the device recording and opposite the source of sound. It reflects some sound back into the room to create a natural-sounding audio environment.

The “dead end” of the room refers to the half of the room that is set up to deaden sound and absorb more of it than the “live end”. This LEDE setup will ensure the sound reflecting off the live end will be absorbed by the dead end, resulting in cleaner audio. 

Alternative Setups

While a live-end-dead-end setup might work for your space, there are other approaches that might fit the bill depending on the acoustic treatment you’re looking for. We wanted less reverb because of the types of filming we would be doing in our studio. 

After consulting with some audio pros, they recommended alternating live and dead zones on different walls to allow for some room noise, but less reflection overall. We mounted different types of sound absorption panels on the walls, and hung baffles from the ceiling to create this setup.

Background Noises

Our main background noise challenge came from the window in the studio. Even though it overlooks a courtyard, it lets in a significant amount of street noise.

Scan your space for anything that could create background noise. Fridges, HVAC systems, and street noise are typical culprits. It can be as easy as turning off the appliance or device during filming, or you may have to take extra measures like we did.

We doubled up a furniture blanket to create a large, stiff panel that fit perfectly in the window frame. We also rigged a pulley system to be able to raise and lower it to let in light when we weren’t filming. Finally, we added heavy-duty stage curtains with noise-blocking material sewn on in an additional layer for added noise absorption. We suspended them from the top of the window frame with a large tension rod and a ceiling bracket.

As far as unexpected noises, that could be anything from an excited child, a dog barking at a mailman, or even a siren in the distance. You’ll want to control your environment as much as possible, but also be flexible since some things we just can’t control. 

Materials

We used several different items to reduce the amount of sound reflected off the walls in our studio. Ultimately, we went with a mix of purchased and DIY solutions to create a custom acoustic treatment in our studio.

Acoustic Panels

There are many solutions for acoustic panels out there, from DIY to professional-grade products. We went with a kit from Primacoustic suitable for our studio space that included:

• Eight 1 x 4 foot large panels
• Twelve 1 x 1 foot “scatter blocks”
• Two 2 x 4 foot “bass traps”

Ceiling Baffles

When planning your acoustic treatment, don’t just address the walls. Depending on what they’re made of, ceilings and floors can reflect sound just like any other flat surface.

We constructed baffles to hang from the ceiling using the following:

• Furniture blankets
• Styrofoam pieces
• Grommets
• Ceiling hooks

Window Treatment 

Whether you need a window treatment or not really depends on how noisy your environment is. If you’re on a quiet street, you’re all set. If you’re in a city, like Brooklyn, you’ll probably need to take some steps to reduce the outside noise leaking in. Here’s what went into our window treatment:

• Noise blocking panel – we doubled up a furniture blanket and stitched it together to create a relatively stiff panel we could place in the window
• Heavy-duty curtains – heavy velour stage curtains add texture and additional sound deadening
• Ceiling window bracket
• Heavy-duty curtain tension rod

Installation Materials

Depending on whether you’ve gone the DIY route, or if you ordered a kit, some items may not be necessary. Here are the odds and ends we needed to install all of our acoustic materials.

• Hammer
• Laser level
• Screwdriver, assorted screws
• Ladder
• Wall mounting kits
• Duct tape

Ready to Record

Once you have your room treated, you’ll want to make sure that you have the most optimal mic setup to make the most of your new space. We have a three-part series on audio that will walk you through the following:

• Three Essential Mic Setups
• Advanced Audio Techniques
• Four-Steps to Clean Up Audio 

Head over to our How to Video section to learn best practices about audio. 

When it comes to acoustic treatment, there is a lot you can do to help produce the highest quality sound possible. It may take some work to set up your space, but once it’s done it’ll make all the difference. Let us know in the comments below any other techniques you’ve discovered that help improve your sound.

The post How to Condition Your Home Studio for Better Audio appeared first on SproutVideo.