by Bob Kirschner
In my previous post Remote Audio Voice Recording Part 3 I took a look at three industry-standard platforms for remote voiceover connections in the audio post industry: Source Connect Now, ipDTL and Session Link Pro. In this post, which is my final post of this series, I’m taking a look at my ‘Group 3’ platforms. These are the popular and mainstream web conferencing applications such as Skype, Zoom, Webex and Uberconference.
As a reminder, here are all the remote technologies I’m writing about, and how I’m grouping them for audio comparison purposes:
Group 1 - Highest Audio Quality
ISDN
Source Connect
Group 2 - Very Good Quality (Google OPUS codec)
Source Connect Now
ipDTL
Session Link Pro
Group 3 - Acceptable Quality (standard audio over IP)
Skype
Zoom
Uberconference
Webex
This post will focus on using web conferencing platforms for audio recording purposes. As most people know, web conferencing does not provide great quality audio. But in this new world of work-from-home, web conferencing offers an easy and convenient way to connect with people to record their audio, particularly for corporate clients or individuals who don’t have experience with sound recording technology and don’t require broadcast-level audio.
In pre-COVID times, group podcast recording would take place in a studio or conference room with all the participants gathered around a table. Now, during COVID, this scenario isn’t possible. Recently, with the growth of COVID slowing significantly in New York City, we have seen things improve so that single actors or talent can record in-studio, with clients patching in via Zoom to listen and give feedback. But group recording, as well as podcasts for corporate clients who are typically working from home, are taking place remotely. So utilizing conference software such as Zoom, Skype, Webex or Uberconference that individuals and organizations already use regularly for their own purposes makes for a hassle-free way to record their audio. Since web conferencing technology does not offer high quality audio, and as recording engineers are always looking to get the highest quality in recorded sound, you may want to suggest using higher quality platforms like ipDTL or Source Connect Now. But the convenience of using a web conference platform that an organization has approved and has made available to all their employee’s laptops without any firewall issues makes this the most practical way to go.
From an audio point of view, web conferencing platforms all share similar features and are roughly equal in terms of audio quality. So rather than comparing these four platforms, I’ll be offering suggestions on how to best use any web conferencing software for audio recording. I’ve recorded a number of jobs using web conferencing and by sharing my experiences and insights I hope to help you avoid some pitfalls and get as good a recording as possible!
As I mentioned, the typical people that web conferencing recording applies to are corporate clients or non-media-savvy individuals. So when working with those who don’t have experience with audio, it’s essential to discuss audio equipment options and provide proper guidelines well before the recording session.
Equipment Recommendations
We’ll assume that people will be joining a conference from their laptop. A USB mic is the best way to go to get a good sound and make it easy to avoid problems with equipment interfacing. The equipment recommendations I’ll make does depend on a few things like the client’s budget, their timeline, and how practical it is for their team to use certain types of microphones and headsets.
Here are my recommendation options:
USB Mic and Headphones
A stand-alone USB mic such as the Blue Yeti is an excellent choice. This table top mic has very good sound, and it has easy controls for gain, mute and headphone volume. The built-in tilt stand is great to allow for easy positioning. Along with a stand-alone mic, headphones are important. I prefer over-the-ear closed headphones such as Tascam TH-02. These are comfortable and block out room sound so you only hear what the mic is picking up.
Headset Mic
In some situations a stand-alone mic may not be the best choice. The mic may be too elaborate and cumbersome for some people. But more importantly the mic needs to be used in a room that is acoustically muted for it to sound good. Using this mic in someone’s large living room (or any room with an echoey sound) will pickup all the reflections and the voice will sound like it’s in an echo chamber - not what you want for voice recording! So the alternative is a USB headset mic. Something like these Sennheiser products are good quality devices that combine a small mic on an adjustable arm with headphones. There are many other headset mics to choose from. But the idea is that the small mic picks up far fewer reflections from the room, making for a better sound when someone is speaking in a typical room at home. But stay away from ‘gamer headsets’ as these have built in processing to try and make the audio louder and quieter, which always results in a poor recording.
Wired Earbuds with Mic
Finally, if you need to make due with consumer-level equipment, or you have to use whatever the clients have on hand, you can get away with using wired (not wireless) earbuds with an in-line mic. Just stay away from wireless Bluetooth devices which can heavily process the sound. Even expensive wireless earbuds probably won’t sound as good as a less expensive wired one.
Guidelines For Recording From Home
Equipment considerations aside, there are some very important guidelines that should be followed by anyone who is recording from home:
Sound Tips:
Use a smaller-sized room that is as quiet as possible (no outside sounds getting in) and is acoustically muted (not a large, echoey space).
Make sure any computers, devices and ringers are muted.
Close any windows.
Be aware of any mechanical noises that the mic will pick up, like chair creaks or paper turns. On one recording I did, I was hearing an intermittent spike noise and it took a long time to figure out it was one participant’s office chair that made a loud noise every time he leaned back!
Recording Procedure Tips:
If it is a group recording, try to wait until one person finishes their thought before another person continues speaking. This makes for much cleaner editing.
If anyone makes a mistake while speaking, it’s fine just to start speaking again and repeat the thought.
After completing the recording, it’s good practice to re-record any opening or intro statements. After people are warmed up they will typically sound much better than they did at the beginning of a recording.
I hope this post helps anyone who has to use web conferencing software to record voice and podcast audio. That’s a wrap!