Audio Editing for Videos: Everything You Should Know

Editing audio means taking out the most annoying sounds from that audio and keeping in the stuff that is actually of interest. Take the example of people who produce podcasts as an example. They work very hard to make sure the work that they produce is something that people will want to spend time listening to. However, they only reach that point after a lot of audio editing has taken place to help them get there. It is not something that they can simply pull off organically.

Why is audio editing necessary?

There are a lot of reasons why people want to have quality audio editing available to them. For one thing, many industries use audio as part of their day-to-day processes. Just think about what it would be like to not have audio in your life. It is impossible to imagine. Every industry from advertising to radio uses audio as a means to reach us and sell products.

Audio editing is a necessary part of the process because audio can come out very messy when it is first recorded. There are times when the audio might not make any sense at all. Editing can help clean up that audio so it is easier to understand than it otherwise would be. This is no small thing. You need the audio to be as clean as possible for an audience that is eager to hear what is being said.

It is possible to record something and then simply throw it out to the public as is without any editing if you want to, but the odds of that piece of audio being something that you are truly proud of are quite small. Thus, it is necessary to get your hands dirty and get your audio edited so that it will be ready for mass consumption.

Those who intend to send their audio out to the wider world should consider hiring a full-time audio editing professional. The reason is that they need someone on the team who is able to edit their audio on the fly as they produce it. The best people to do this kind of work are those who have extensive experience in editing. They will know exactly what needs to stay in, what needs to get cut, and how to make the executive decisions necessary to get the finished product out to the world.

Basic audio recording equipment

You are spoiled for choice when it comes to what kind of audio equipment you will use these days. There are so many people jumping on board with the idea of producing their own audio in this day and age, it is little surprise that the audio recording industry is seeing some its best numbers on record. Thus, we should all be pleased to learn that audio recording equipment is bountiful. We just need to know what we are looking for as we being to explore this material.

Boom mic

Even if you are not very familiar with audio production yourself, you have still likely heard of the concept of a boom mic. They are used on television sets all the time, and they are an integral part of how television is produced. MyNewMicrophone.com defines a boom mic like this:

The term mic boom typically refers to a boom pole that holds a microphone at one end and is held out-of-frame in film settings. However, mic booms also refer to the parts of mic stands that extend in the horizontal plane.

It is certainly critically important to use a boom mic during television productions in order to capture every word that the individual characters are saying. However, it may also be necessary for some other forms of audio production as well. Someone who is creating a video series for the Internet or who is planning on creating a podcast may also benefit from using a boom mic because they are able to capture more of the spoken words when they do so.

Lapel mic

For some productions, a lapel mic is a great piece of equipment to have handy. It is something that can be strapped onto a subject's lapel and used as necessary. The lapel mic doesn't get in the way of what the actors in a scene are attempting to do, but it is also able to pick up more of their audio than any other type of mic or device out there. Both of these things are important because people watching television don't want to be distracted by a lapel mic, but they also don't want to miss out on anything that the actor has to say. It is because of this that people are often interested in the process of potentially purchasing a lapel mic for the work that they are doing.

Tips for editing audio in a video

Audio ducking

This technique is when the volume is intentionally lowered at a certain point in order to allow for other types of audio to break through. This is commonly used to lower the background music when someone in a video is speaking, for example. Thus, the technique of audio ducking is highly important to use so that the audience can clearly hear what is going on in the moment at any point when they are watching or listening to something.

Altering volume or muting audio

There are certain times when it makes sense to alter and/or mute audio in certain productions. If the audio is distracting from the main point of the production, then it simply needs to go. If the audio doesn't match up with the mood of the scene or with some other aspect of production, then it may be time for that audio to go. People have to make judgment calls about this all the time, and they are often left with a choice about what needs to be done. Eliminating the volume entirely from a certain scene might feel extreme to some people, but they may have to make that call if they feel that it is simply too distracting from the main point of the production they are working on.

Removing background noise

The background noise that can accompany a piece of film or audio is something that needs to be specifically targeted at times. If there is too much background noise, it is likely to interrupt the flow of the production that is being worked on. It may overwhelm the foreground noise, and that means that there is a potential that the whole piece of content could be ruined. It is a good idea to remove background noise when it serves no purpose other than to distract from the main sources of audio in the piece.

Adding voiceover

Sometimes audio has to be added in after a scene has been shot. This may be done to correct something that was said, or because the video is being translated into another language. Whatever the case may be, adding voiceover work into the piece can help make it sound a lot better than it normally would, and that is something that people care about when they want to produce the perfect piece.

Normalizing audio

There are certain scenarios when it may be necessary to normalize the audio that is received at a given time. Taking out some of the excessive noise that isn't serving a real purpose for the content is extremely important, and it is the job of audio engineers to make sure they take care of this.

The benefits of music in a video

People love it when there is some music added in to the videos that they are watching. It reminds them of fond memories that they may have of the particular songs that come on during the video. Needless to say, there are many reasons why you should include at least some music in your videos most of the time.

You can tie in a particular desired emotion to your videos, or you can choose to allow the music to overshadow anything that you potentially don't want to be in the video. In other words, you can choose to use music to strategically cover up certain aspects of the video that you had not intended to let slip in. It is a trick to make the video sound a little more seamless than it otherwise would.

Tips for adding sound effects to a video

Sound effects can be a lot of fun in a video, but you want to make sure you don't overdo it at any point. You should add them in when they make sense (such as when they add comic effect to the video), but make sure you don't put too much weight into the sound effects that you throw into your videos or you risk making your videos into something that is mocked and not truly appreciated by the people you had hoped to impress with them.

Think about how the sound effects will impact the videos that you create, and get a second opinion from someone if you are uncertain about how something is likely to play with an audience. It is better to check with others than it is to assume that you know what is best for your videos and never get a second opinion.

What to look for when choosing audio editing software

You now know how important editing videos is, so it is time to put your skills to the test. You can and should check out the audio editing software available from VideoStudio. They are the best for providing their users with an experience, unlike anything they have ever experienced before.

Throw in sound effects, add music, clear up the audio, or edit mistakes. Whatever you need to do with the audio that you are working on, you can do it in the VideoStudio software that is made just for you.

Conclusion

There are countless reasons to work on audio editing, and there is no question that quality audio editing can help make the experience of listening to a piece of audio much more enjoyable for the audience. If you want to build the kind of audience that you truly desire from the work that you put out, then you need to consider putting out incredible works of audio that people will appreciate. There is no better way to start building your audience.