5 Tips for Recording Better Computer Audio

Five Tips for Recording Better Computer Audio

Some of my clients have heard my training cd's or the good sound from the webinars I have done and said their sound doesn't come close to the quality of my sound.

Most of the time their problem is the microphone they are using.

1. Get a good microphone -The built-in computer microphone sound quality is not good enough. Do not use the sound microphone option built into the computer.

You want to get a microphone that connects via the usb port.

The entry level microphone is the simple headset microphone you can get for under $50.

For better sound you might try one of these next four choices:

A. The Blue Microphones USB Snowball is also a good choice. This microphone lists for $99  (Amazon sells it for less than $70).
B. The Samson USB Go Mic lists for $90, Amazon has it for less than $50.
C. The Blue Microphones USB Yeti Professional is a little better and it lists for $149.99 (Amazon under $100).
D. On the high-end you might look in to a Sure microphone, the Shure PG42 USB is a good choice. It lists for $250.

 

2. Invest in a Pop Filter (Windscreen) - The pop filter will deaden some of the letters you speak, like the popping sound in P.

3. Maintain a consistent sound level - When recording always set your sound settings to the same input level and quality.

When speaking try to maintain a good voice level. Speak in conversational mode. Speak in to the microphone like you are talking to someone in the same room.

If you have a cold or sore throat don't record. Wait till your voice is back to normal. Being consistent is the key.

4. Quite in the room - Turn everything off: the phone, the radio, the tv, the fax machine and e-mail.

Make a sign that says recording in progress. Then place the sign on the door during the recording to let others know.

To deaden external noise, some speakers create foam rubber sound booths around their microphones.

5. Don't be afraid to record again.
If you don't like what you said or the pace you said it in, record the passage again. Yes, I know you can edit the audio but don't be afraid to get the words right without the need of editing. Leave the editing as the last resort not the all the time fix.

Bonus Tip - Edit the Audio:
Finally, you might want to invest in some audio editing software. I use Camtasia Studio to record my computer training sessions (PowerPoint, Photoshop, Excel, Word, InDesign and Outlook). After I finish recording the training session, I can edit the audio and enhance the video with Camtasia Studio at techsmith.com.

Think of Cliff Ping as your graphics specialist. Based in Miami, I offer services in Web Site Design, PowerPoint slide creation, Photoshop photo retouching, desktop production and computer software training in Adobe and Microsoft products.

Under promise over deliver, get Cliff when you need help.

Contact Cliff at cliff@cliffping.com     web site: cliffping.com

Edit Pictures for PowerPoint

What should I get to edit pictures?

Adobe Photoshop is the best image editor on the market. Photoshop does more than edit pictures it can be used to create new art from scratch too.

Photoshop is used by graphic artists, photographers, newspapers, advertising agencies and serious image editors. The program is expensive (around $700) and it is difficult to understand.

If the need to edit pictures is an occasional need like for a sales rep, teacher, PowerPoint slide creator, scrapbooking or home hobbyist try Adobe Photoshop Elements. The current version of Elements is 10.

Adobe Photoshop Elements is great to use to edit pictures because it has many of the same features as the full version of Photoshop.

Adobe Photoshop Elements is easier to understand, it requires less knowledge, has more power features than the typical user will use and sells for $99.00.

You can obtain a 30-day trial version of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements from www.adobe.com.

If you want a program that is free, try Google Picasa. This program has the basic editing features. To get a free copy of Picasa go to Google.com.

Think of Cliff Ping as your graphics specialist. Based in Miami, I offer services in Web Site Design, PowerPoint slide creation, Photoshop photo retouching, desktop production and computer software training in Adobe and Microsoft products.

Under promise over deliver, get Cliff when you need help.

Contact Cliff at cliff@cliffping.com     web site: cliffping.com

Better Photo Printing

4 Steps to Better Ink Jet Photo Printing

1. Choose the right paper.
Glossy paper costs more but produces realistic color photos.

Glossy paper yields the best printed image but costs more than plain paper. The glossy coating on the paper allows the ink to stay on the surface of the paper and look like a real photograph.

2. Use the ink from the printer’s company.
The printer manufacturer optimizes their ink to produce the best quality possible on their own paper. This means if you own an Epson printer use Epson ink. If you own a HP printer you should use HP ink.

3. Choose the right print size.
To obtain a good quality print, the image has to have enough pixel information. Digital cameras have a fixed pixel resolution like 2 mega pixels, 3 mega pixels and so on.

Every digital camera image has a specific file size based on the mega pixels of the camera.

The file size determines how large an area the printed image can be printed with good results. If you try to print the image in an area larger than the file size supports the resulting print looks bad.

Use the table below for selecting the largest print size for your image:
640x480 pixels: web pages only
1 Mega pixel: 4x6 realistic photo print
2 Mega pixel: good 6x9 pictures
3 Mega pixels: excellent up to 8x10
5+ Mega pixels: prints beyond 11x17

4. Match the print settings to the paper type.
Make sure the computer's print settings match the desired paper type and ink quality settings.

If you use glossy paper make sure the print settings for paper type is set to glossy paper.

If you use non-glossy paper do not use the glossy paper setting because the printer will use more ink than the plain paper can support.

Since non-glossy paper doesn’t have the glossy coating on the top layer of the paper the printed ink is absorbed by the paper and the image will look bad.

If you change the print setting to plain paper when using plain paper, the printer will use less ink and optimize the image for the plain paper.

Think of Cliff Ping as your graphics specialist. Based in Miami, I offer services in Web Site Design, PowerPoint slide creation, Photoshop photo retouching, desktop production and computer software training in Adobe and Microsoft products.

Under promise over deliver, get Cliff when you need help.

e-mail: cliff@cliffping.com    web site: cliffping.com