Recording Great Audio into Adobe Premiere Pro

Technique

In order to get the best recording, consider your signal-to-noise ratio. More simply, how loudly your voice (signal) is being captured by the microphone in comparison to everything else around you (noise).

The higher the signal-to-noise ratio, the cleaner your recording will be. Additionally, noise reduction software will be more successful when there is a clear difference in amplitude, or volume, between the signal and the noise.

Generally, the closer you are to the microphone physically, the better the signal-to-noise ratio because your voice will be the loudest thing the microphone records.

Additionally, many people find that standing up to record themselves results in a more lively, animated, and strong recording.

Room

Apart from the quality of your microphone, the room in which you record is perhaps the next most important factor in how your recording sounds.

In an ideal world, we’d all have access to soundproofed studios that eliminate all noise. Instead, many of us record in our offices or homes, which are inherently noisy. The following list covers some tactics to reduce noise in your recording room.

• Turn off the air conditioning. Our brains generally tune out ambient white noise like air conditioning, but the microphones won’t!
• Unplug the fridge. Recording at home? The refrigerator is louder than you think. Just remember to plug it back when finished.
• Avoid hard floors. Wood, tile, or marble floors allow sound waves to bounce off of them, creating a natural reverb effect. Carpet floors will usually give the dryest signal, which allows the most flexibility in post-production.
• Record in the corner. While this might look silly, recording in the corner of a room can help reduce natural reverb as well.
• Put a pillow or blanket behind the mic. This technique helps absorb sound waves to prevent unwanted reflections.
• Invest in a foam vocal shield. If you regularly need to do high-quality recordings, consider a vocal shield like this that mimics the effect of being in a studio by dampening any unwanted noise and reflections.