Standalone visuals almost never tell the full story of your video; the sound tells the audience how they should feel about what they are viewing in a video on-screen. Audio is one of the quickest ways to inform the audience about how the story is unfolding and if it is believable. In fact, a study by USC (1) and the Australian National University showed that audio quality influences whether people believe what they hear and whether they trust the source of the information
One of the biggest distractions when watching a video is the quality of the audio. Within the first few seconds it’s possible to tell that the audio has been recorded badly and more often than not it is not fun to listen to. Poor audio can ruin the credibility of your business's message and brand.
So Why is Audio Quality Important?
View and take a listen to some of your favorite ads or videos. What do they all have in common? They most likely sound like they’ve all been recorded well with a consistent standard in audio quality. Dialogue is clear and without distractions, sound effects might be tastefully used, and music is appropriately used where necessary.
There are three main types of sound in a video: human voice, music and sound effects. And while a fully produced video evokes a specific emotional response in its audience - whether that’s empathy, fright, sadness, guilt or happiness - the emotion is informed by the sound.
HUMAN VOICES
The emotive speech of your on-screen subjects tells the story they’re showcasing, while verbal narration adds context to the on-screen interactions and tells the audience how to react.
MUSIC
The style of music overlaid on a particular clip relates to the emotion you’re hoping to reach
SOUND EFFECTS
The soundscape paints the audio picture of a particular setting: think of the sounds you might hear in an office setting, plant floor with running machinery for a training video or ad for how a product or service is used. The sounds in each of these scenarios is unique and creates an emotional response with the viewer, while also making the film feel more realistic.
Because sound evokes more emotion than images or graphics, high quality audio doesn’t distract you from the message of the video, it welcomes you in and you’re able to enjoy listening, learning and being entertained.
Striving to achieve high-quality audio should be your standard as it tells your audience that you take your video seriously, and they will too.
