Optimal Audio Quality on Screencasts

Owned by Karen Park
Last updated: Mar 04, 2016
2 min read

Overview

When using the medium of Screencasting, it is important to use high quality audio input to ensure that sound can be easily understood by everyone, especially those who are hard of hearing or reliant on sound alone. When recording a screencast on your computer, check to ensure that the sound quality is acceptable by making a short test video before you begin the official recording.

Table of Contents

Check the Audio Quality

  1. In TechSmith Relay, press the blue “test” button.
  2. A new window will open and begin automatically recording the screen and the mic input for 10 seconds.
  3. After 10 seconds or upon pressing the stop button, TechSmith Relay will process this mini clip and allow playback in a new window by pressing the play button.
    1. If you have to significantly adjust your volume up or down for the playback to be a comfortably audible volume, or if the sound quality is not quite clear, you may need to adjust your position in reference to your microphone. 
    2. One can also adjust the Audio Input Level slider on the initial TechSmith window left or right, as well as set it to automatically adjust for further volume control.

Tips for optimizing audio quality 

  • Put some space between your microphone and any sources of background noise, such as air conditioners or the whirring parts of your computer.
  • If you notice "clipping", a form of distortion that occurs when a speaker is trying to output a volume higher than it is capable of, then your microphone input volume is much too loud. Lower it and test until clipping no longer occurs. 
  • When testing, attempt to speak in the same manner that you will be recording, especially in volume.
  • Once you have begun recording, avoid physically moving around too much in order to keep audio input levels consistent. 

Consider using an external mic if the audio input from your computer’s built in speakers are not sufficient. These are a great investment if you record a lot of audio. Your students will thank you!