Audio is easily neglected in online multimedia, especially for learners viewing on mobile devices with relatively substandard audio playback hardware (tiny speakers or earbuds). In fact, audio has not undergone the same rapid stylistic change that video has in the YouTube era—viewers still expect rich, clean, and well-balanced audio. Poor audio is always the first signal of an amateurish production.

This session is designed to give attendees the tools they need to record high-quality voice-over or on-screen audio, and to edit together not only a rich soundtrack that matches modern stylistic expectations, but perhaps more importantly, a soundtrack that is quite intelligible for learners viewing on limited audio playback hardware, such as mobile devices. You will learn about sound frequencies and the human voice; recording strategies that maximize signal-to-noise ratio and audio quality; tips for “cleaning up” and improving recorded sound; and recommendations for creating rich, authentic soundtracks without detracting from the quality of your learning content.

In this session, you will learn:

• About the audio components of the human voice and the spectrum of human hearing
• How audio editors use layers of sound to create a sound space
• Specific methods (software agnostic) to clean up audio, including normalization, noise reduction, equalization, compression, and expansion
• How to get a tasteful balance between music and voice audio in your productions
• Specific tips for good audio recording practices

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, project managers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Microphones and recording devices (cameras or audio recorders), audio editing softwares, and audio components of video editing softwares.