We used a Canon 500D to record and it did a good job with the video but its biggest drawback was that it focuses on the highest volume sound at any point for the audio. That means that every time a dog barked that become the focus point for the audio recording and Preeti speaking got faded out.
We tried Audacity to remove noise from the audio file but found no way to correct these interruptions. Let me correct that, we found a way to remove sharp sounds but that also altered the vocals and we couldn’t seem to enhance just Preeti speaking. [If you know a way to do this please let me know in the comments. :) ]
In the whole process we learned a few things to keep in mind when recording. Here are a few tips you can use to make the video better even before you use editing tools like Audacity and MovieMaker.
1. Find a quite spot if possible. This is quite tough sometimes, especially if you have dogs and kids at home.
2. Record 10 seconds of silence at the start of the video. Do not speak during this time. You can use these 10 seconds as a sound profile in Audacity to remove background noises/hums like the fan, ac, refrigerator, etc. It’s a great way to enhance the audio of the video. Make sure there are no sudden loud sounds during this time, as sudden spikes in the sound profile will impact the entire audio quality.
3. While you are speaking if there are sudden sounds like dogs, construction, vehicles or even airplanes, stop speaking. Wait for the sound to fade away, then go back a sentence and start speaking again. These clips of noise can be deleted later when editing.
4. Record a separate audio track along with the video and audio on a camera. This audio track can be recorded on a range of devices. You can even use your smart phone to record this audio file. A hands free headset mic would work quite well to do this. You can then use this file in to fix the audio in the video.
Once you have a good recording of the audio and video you can use tools like Audacity, MovieMaker 2.6, MovieMaker Live and iMovie to edit and publish your video. There are a lot of videos available on how to use these tools, just Google it :). A quick tutorial will have you all set-up to try out and use these tools.
Do you make home videos? Have tips to add to make them better? Please share them in the comments.
Special thanks to Preeti for letting me help her with her videos and adding her two bits to this article. Preeti is a Wire Haired Dachshund breeder and a great resource on dogs and their behaviour. If you haven't seen her doggies you should at Windward.in.
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