Is the audio as good as your video?
CONNECTORS.
I have seen a lot of articles recently on audio in video. For good reason. The first tip off that you are not a Pro is substandard audio. If your voice isn’t clear your audience either won’t be able to understand you or will be distracted by what they do hear. Hollow? Too soft? Echo? Noisy? These are all common problems with audio. You don’t have to sound like a professional announcer, but a good, clear sound is essential.
Just about any external microphone will sound better than using the mic on your phone or laptop. Even your earbuds. If you must use the mic on your phone be sure to get it close to the sound source, in most cases-YOU. His means being close to your face, which will limit your shooting options. You can record video on one phone and use a 2nd phone or voice recorder for audio and sync it up later, but.. this adds a step and if you're squeamish about editing this may not be the solution for you. (Get a mic!)
How do microphones get you into your computer? They have to be connected, which means they must have a connector. The type of connector determines to some extent the quality and control you will have over the recording.
USB. This mic plugs directly into your computer via a USB port. The mic itself contain a AD converter (Analogue to Digital) and the digital signal is converted into an audio file by your computer. This is a simple but often effective way to get the signal into your project, and you can manipulate the file in the same manner you can manipulate any other audio file. A good USB mic plugged directly into your computer can provide a good sound with most reasonable quality audio software. Don't go too cheap. They are simple to use, but there are a lot electronics involved on the inside.
Phone Jack. This mic plugs into your phone, computer, audio interface, or camera and delivers an audio signal. The conversion to an audio file occurs within the device, and the file can be exported, of with the video file, and edited from there. The controls within many video editing apps is pretty rudimentary, but you should have some control over the volume, tone, and sync. I have had good results with DSLRs, Phones, and other video devises that have an external mic jack. I would not buy a camera that didn’t have one. Make sure the jack matches the device. An iPhone mic is different from a DSLR mic and has an extra ring for the headphones. Lavalier and shotgun style mic are the most common.
XLR connector. This more of a Pro-Style connector that delivers a balanced signal, generally to a pre-amp or audio interface. Some higher end video cameras may be equipped with XLR jacks, but don’t look for this on consumer grade cameras. If you don’t know what this is you may not need it. If you do you probably have some idea of how to use them.
You can get good quality with any of the three. Questions? Let me know!