How can you improve audio quality for recordings in poor environments?

Reducing noise before record is crucial but often, depending on what you are recording and where you are recording it, you are likely to be limited in what you can do. On location or even in studio the two main factors you can play with when the location has you ham strung is 1. Mic position and 2. Projection of performance. If appropriate get as close to the mic as possible without pushing the proximity effect too hard so it’s boomy. Also project if it’s your voice you are recording and this doesn’t contradict the kind of feel you are going for. Avoid noise canceling microphones, the de-noising plugins available do a much better job in post and often I find the phase cancellation applied doesn’t sound great and is much harder to fix later.

Mitigating audio disturbances presents a multifaceted challenge, as ambient noise, stemming from diverse origins like traffic, wind, mechanical devices, and interpersonal interactions, detrimentally impacts the quality of recordings. Optimal solutions involve identifying tranquil and sequestered recording environments. In instances where such conditions are unattainable, constructing an ad-hoc sound enclosure using materials like blankets, pillows, curtains, or foam panels becomes imperative. Employing headphones or earbuds for real-time audio monitoring aids in preempting feedback issues.

Battling background noise in recordings? Think like a sound ninja. Seek out quiet corners, isolated spots. Can’t find one? Get creative! Transform your space with blankets, pillows, curtains – makeshift sound booths. It’s not just about blocking noise; it’s an art form. Pop on headphones to catch and squash feedback. Embrace noise-canceling or directional mics; they’re your audio guardians, keeping your voice clear amidst chaos. It’s not just recording; it’s crafting a sound sanctuary. Dive into these audio tweaks and watch your recordings go from noisy to noteworthy.

Picking the right type of microphone with the proper polar pattern is essential. Dynamic microphones with a cardioid or super cardioid polar pattern will help to reduce the negative effects of a less than ideal recording environment.

Before you hit record, wrestle with your microphone settings. It’s not just tweaking; it's an audio adventure. Test your mic – make it your trusty sidekick. Tame the wild beast of clipping and distortion by mastering the input level or gain. Think Goldilocks – not too loud, not too soft, just right. Position the mic like you’re whispering a secret – close enough for clarity, far enough to dodge those pesky pops and breathy intrusions. It’s not merely setting up; it’s sculpting your sound stage. Embrace these mic maneuvers and elevate your recordings from mundane to mesmerising.

The best way to get optimal microphone settings is the use headphones while recording. Once you get over not liking the way your voice sounds, as you record you will automatically adjust your mic distance and level because of what you are hearing.

Clipping is a form of distortion, it is when your signal is too loud for the kit you are passing it through, digital or analog. Distortion is not low level noisy recording, that is different, that is noise. Select as good quality kit for recording as you can from Mic to ADDA’s and record so your averaging around -20dBFS with your loudest peaks around -6dBFS. An experienced engineer might use a compressor and even chase the level of the performance on a fader or the input gain but if in doubt or you are still learning, recording a little quieter is better than loads of clipping.

Dive into the audio wizardry with an eclectic mix of editing tools. It's not just tweaking; it's an art form. Explore the realms of sound with tools like Reaper, for its precision, Logic Pro X for its sleek interface, Pro Tools for industry-standard prowess, or FL Studio for its versatility. Each offers a unique palette to paint your sonic picture. Remove the hiss, the hum, the clicks, the pops. This is your quest for audio clarity. Select your sonic sword, be it Reaper, Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, or FL Studio. Master it, and transform your audio from ordinary to extraordinary.

When picking a DAW, be aware of its limitations. Your minimum record specification should be 44.1KHz sample rate with the ability to record higher sample rates (at least 48KHz). In some ways more importantly you should avoid bit rates lower than 24. Lower than this comes with some difficult limitations that are easily avoid at 24bit.

The way you record is going to be hugely influenced by the kind of performance you want. This is going to be your first consideration before most other things. Once you know what the performance is going to be like, then you’ll be able to make decisions on everything else.

For a natural sounding recording, avoid speaking directly into the microphone. This seems counterintuitive! Someone lacking experience working with a microphone will inevitably move around, returning to more comfortable positions throughout a recording and changing the sound of the capture throughout the recording. I usually ask a speaker/guest to find a comfortable position, then I bring the microphone to them, positioning the stand and adjusting the articulating parts to the position that will produce the ideal signal to noise ratio from the person's voice without asking them to make positional adjustments to the mic.

These are all great tips. It's worth using a simple sound meter (even an app on your phone) to help with finding the quietest space to record. In addition to carefully getting in close on the mic, finding the naturally quietest space in the room with the help of a visual meter will improve the signal-to-noise ratio making the audio easier to deal with in post. This way, if you are applying any noise reduction, it's likely to sound more transparent. Remember, the listener doesn't care how you achieve the results but in pro-audio (especially in voiceover) any processing needs to be transparent. If, for example, we can hear noise reduction deteriorating the voice or a noise gate kicking in and out, the processing has failed.

I will suggest to invest in a good audio recorder bluetooth with noise cancellation features. It's kind of an investment. It can be used to record in poor environment.