April 30th, 2021

5 Ways to Improve Sound While Streaming!

Sound is king! There is nothing more frustrating than listening to a presentation online and the presenter’s voice cuts out every 3rd word or the signal is so faint you feel like you’re lip reading.  Our brains seem to have a higher threshold for visual disruption but are only so forgiving with audio quality before we consciously reject what is being said. “When visual input is unclear, audio cues will create a world around the listener” (backtracks).
 
Here are 5 ways to “create a better world around your listener” for your next virtual presentation:
 

1. CONSIDER YOUR ENVIRONMENT – Sound is a wave and likes to move, especially off of hard surfaces. This includes walls, floors & computer screens. The harder the surface, the bigger the space, the more sound will move. Carpeting, furniture and strategically placed blankets or towels in the room will help absorb sound and soften the tone of the room making your message more clear. Try different settings and record yourself right from your computer and listen to it. You will learn more than you thought simply by experimenting.
   
   
2. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS – To the best of your ability, let others in your house (or office) know when you will be presenting online. A well-timed unexpected intrusion may be entertaining, but more often than not it completely takes your audience out of focus and distracts from your message. If some interferences cannot be avoided, let your audience know upfront so it will be easier to acknowledge and move on should you experience an interruption during your stream.
   
   
3. GRAB YOUR EARBUDS – Do not rely on your computer’s built in microphone to provide the highest sound quality. Grab your earbuds and take advantage of the built in microphone. Not only does it reduce background noise, the closer the microphone is to your mouth, the better the sound your voice will produce. 
   
   
4. TEST IT! TEST IT! TEST IT! – Take the time beforehand and find the sound settings in your computer’s system preferences to test your signal. When you speak into your mic a sound meter should register a signal above midpoint (typically shown in a green) without maxing out (typically shown in red). Again, we suggest you pre-record yourself from your computer and play it back to test the quality of your signal and sound. Most importantly have fun experimenting – you may be surprised what you learn.
   
   
5. CALL A PRO – When in doubt, reach out…and call a professional sound engineer. Especially if you need to “up your game”. Think of what your desired outcomes of the event or presentation are and ask yourself, “do I…”

●      Need a quality recording for content editing later? Multi-track archiving?
●      Need to ensure transitions between content match seamlessly?
●      Need a production “back channel” to talk to presenters BEFORE we bring them into the live stream creating a smooth and seamless presentation?
●      Need to merge multiple platforms and/or production elements?
    
The technology is changing rapidly, especially in this virtual environment. Do not hesitate to reach out to some who regularly works on different streaming platforms (shameless plug: we here at The Vitual Lab happen to be pretty skilled in this area). Often times they may be able to help you troubleshoot over the phone.