In this tutorial I will teach you how to record great voiceover audio with just an iPhone and a blanket to block background noise.
(Make sure you crank up the audio on your computer so you can clearly hear the difference in quality when recording under the blanket).
WARNING: If possible use a CFL or led based lamp to reduce heat. Also make sure you let air come in at regular intervals to avoid suffocation.
IPHONE SETTINGS: Make sure your recording app is set to record at its maximum quality. You will need to find the app’s settings and select the highest quality. For VoiceRecord that is the “CD Quality” setting.
Equipment used in this tutorial:
- iPhone 3G
- Blanket (the thicker and fluffier the better)
- Lamp or flashlight
- Audio recording iPhone App (Voice Record Pro)
Here is the complete script I use as an example in the video:
So you want to record some high quality voice over but don’t have any of the expensive audio recording gear professionals use?
No problem, I’ll teach you how to record great quality voiceover audio with just an iPhone and.. a blanket!
Here is how,Just print your script, download an audio recording iPhone app, and have a blanket and a flash light ready.
Take a deep breath, turn the flash light on, cover yourself with the blanket, and press record.Now start reading your script loud and clear. When you make a mistake, take a breath and repeat the sentence until you are happy with it.
When you are done, download the audio to your computer and use an editing program to cut out all the bad takes. If there are still any lines you are not happy with, just repeat the process until you get a perfect reading!
Here are both audio samples:
With no blanket:
With a blanket:
Some tips:
- Make sure you use a fluffy blanket and that you cover any holes (don’t suffocate!).
- Go to a smaller space, inside a closet works best.
- Make sure you don’t bump the microphone.
- Don’t speak too close to the mic or set the levels so they don’t red-line and become saturated.
- Try to be relaxed and casual like if you were telling a story to your best friend.
- It is easy to get frustrated, if you do, take a break so your anger doesn’t come in the VO (I curse a lot to vent my frustration ;))
I hope this tutorial helps you record better audio on your next project.
Of course, if your budget permits so, you will always get greater audio quality with professional gear or by hiring a voiceover professional (ie: Voices.com).
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Thanks Miguel, very handy info. The difference in sound quality with the blanket is amazing! Good idea!
This is as hilarious as it is effective. Thanks.
Thanks Flix, I like to have fun when teaching stuff, well and in general too.. hehe.
OMG bro. Where were you in 2007 when I spent about 7 freakin grand to cute out sound for my home studio? That was amazing. Very awesome idea. Thanks Miguel=)
Haha! well, if you’ve got the money and want to go pro the right equipment will always sound better. However, we’ve come to a point where inexpensive technology is capable of producing results good enough to use in production.
The first iPhone generation was released back in June 29, 2007, but I am not sure if its microphone was as good as it is today.
Wow, very impressive. What a huge difference.
WOW…such a simple solution, but what a difference in quality. Thank you so much for the tip.
Great training. Sometimes you can do amazing things without spending an arm and leg on anything. However I think you still need to buy an iphone though … uuurgh!
Buying an iPhone is not required. All you need is any device with a decent microphone, it could be also an Android phone, and mp3 recorder, a laptop, etc.
The main factor to record higher quality audio is the use of the blanket which acts as a practical yet very efficient solution to block unwanted background audio.
dude – has anyone ever told you – you look like Robert Downey Jr. ???
You could be his double – LOL – great work and info.
Juan M. Colome – Miami, Fl
Almost every day! I even wrote a blog post about it -> https://grumomedia.com/who-do-i-look-like-downey-jr-elija-or-grohl/
Are you looking for anyone to do voiceovers for you with an American accent? If so send me an email. Thanks, Joshua
Hi Miguel,
I’ve used my iPhone for several videos I’ve made, but I did them inside my walk-in closet.
It gave a great result. The clothes work really well to absorb the sound waves.The blanket is a good alternative.But I’ll have to stop laughing first. jaja
Dianna
Closets work great as long as they are small and full of clothes.
I’ve tried putting a large jacket inside the closet to get better results.
I still find the blanket technique the fastest and funniest.. hehe
Great share!
Thanks for the great video and tips on using the iphone. i downloaded VoiceRecord and it works well but the WiFi transfers only as a Quicktime Movie which requires QuickTime Pro. Any other way to get the recording to your PC ?
Hi Herb, when I do it it transfer to my Mac as .aiff You should be able to open it an convert it to mp3 using Audacity which is free.
Hola Miguel:
Soy Española, descubrí tus vídeos porque una amiga me los recomendó y me encantan, simplemente saludarte y decir que eres genial, creativo y que en Salamanca tienes una seguidora.
Un abrazo.
Cynthia Bergara
Gracias Cynthia! que alegria que por fin algunos españoles descubran Grumo!
Por cierto, me encanta Salamanca!
wow, you’re a life saver. I was about to spend a bunch of money on a mic and blah blah blah. Thanks!
Thanks for this. You’ve inspired me to make a podcast for my company, but I’m not sure how to best edit the final result. What’s the best way to actually edit the final audio file? I have an iPhone 4Gs, iPad 2, PCs and Macs available.
Hi Sam, the best free tool for audio editing is called Audacity and it works both on Mac and PC. You can download it here -> http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
You just saved me so much trouble. Thanks!
When you make a mistake, take a breath and repeat the sentence until you are happy with it.
http://www.buypennystocks.com/penny-stocks-blog/penny-stocks-to-watch-hkn-inc-nyse-amex-ushkn-12232011
Don’t speak too close to the mic or set the levels so they don’t red-line and become saturated.
http://allstateagencies.com/88220
WARNING: If possible use a halogen or led based lamp to reduce heat. Halogen lamps get very hot. Maybe you mean cfl? Those twisty fluorescent bulbs?
(Because in your video you have a cfl bulb in your lamp).
Yes I meant CFL or LED, thanks!
No printer and no flash light? Go under the blanket with your laptop 😉
And if you have a table or iPad I recommend it over a laptop because it will be cooler inside the blanket.
You Rock!
Thanks
You are welcome!
record great quality voiceover audio with just an iPhone .
2SC2625
Thank you, this is very helpful and fun to watch!
Thank you for watching!
Miguel, estás como una auténtica cabra. Este tutorial sólo es superado por el capítulo de tu curso en el que estornudas, y pasaste de editarlo. Me moría de risa.
Sigue así. Un beso from Madrid.
Creo que el frio canadiense me ha afectado el cerebolo.
Achussss!!! 🙂 Hugs desde Vancouver!
I have done this concept of recording way back college days. Only that I used a handkerchief as the cover for the mic as we speak. My classmates had spent a lot, the quality is just as same as the one we created without spending any penny. Great saver ever! 😀
Thanks, just what I needed! 🙂
Thanks – just what I needed! 🙂
you are awesome – thanks so much 🙂
I think going under the table and putting a huge blanket to cover the sides will be great >>>>> thank you
Thanks this is really interesting. I’m a vocalist and I’ve been looking to record some stuff my agents can use for ages. I also read this article which was interesting and similar: http://www.functioncentral.co.uk/blog/2014/04/producing_covers_demo/
Thanks for sharing good post. i like it.!! recording app
Thanks for sharing good post i like it.!! recording app
Amazing blog!! I am truly impressed read this amazing stuff. I really appreciate you! GoodLuck.!! Total Recall recording app
Man! You’re a life saver. I was already in a fix. Those dreadful background noises and echoes (shivers) made a mess of things. The blanket while hilarious, was a light bulb idea. Now my voice recordings sound way better. Thanks
Thanks for the awesome video man!
do you need a special mic or use the mic from the phone?
The mic from the phone.
Miguel … Thanks man.. great info. My question is .. if I already have a 45 second instruction video and I made it with no audio…. How can I add my voice over? Thanks again…. Tom Smith tgsmith1012@comcast.net
Hi Tom, you need to use video editing software to combine the video with the audio. In Windows you can use Windows Movie Maker or Camtasia and for Mac iMovie or ScreenFlow. Cheers!
What a quality post. Thanks Miguel!
Awesome. Just awesome to use these almost free tools to record voice . love it. Thanks.
OMG Thank You soooo much!!! Your tips is really helpful.
Much luv from Indonesia!!!