An Overlooked Factor
When discussing production quality of movies, games or TV shows, video is often an element that gets the spotlight. Online, people praise the stunning visuals of Blade Runner 2049 and discuss cinematography of Dune 2. Audio quality, however, often goes unnoticed by the wider public. It seems to be one of those things that gets taken for granted when done well, but becomes glaringly obvious when executed poorly.
Nonetheless, audio quality is a huge part of a viewing/gaming experience, and often is just as important as the video quality. Moreover, we are often willing to forgive slightly bad quality of a video, while poor or muffled sound or dialogue is grating and distracting. In this article, we will discuss why clean audio is essential for a media product and look at what constitutes poor audio.
Defining Clean Audio
Now, what exactly is clean audio? Simply put, it is an audio without noise or distortions, where dialogue is crisp and not muffled by background noise, there are no distracting sounds and the audio is mixed well. Clean, crisp audio is achieved through optimizing sound by reducing background noise, removing distracting sounds and improving audio clarity to make desired sound (like a dialogue) stand out. Of course using the right gear, like high-quality mics and headphones is also a crucial part of the process. So why exactly should we worry about achieving high-quality, crisp audio?
Why Clean Audio Matters
There are multiple reasons why clear audio is crucial for an immersive and engaging viewer experience. One that immediately comes to mind is how it affects the perception of authority and professionalism. Think of a YouTube video on the topic of politics or geopolitics, for instance. One with bad sound quality and background noises, would create an impression of an amateur take and would probably lower your trust level for the source. Now compare it to a video on the same topic, but one with professional sound and clear audio. Many viewers would perceive such media (given high video quality), similarly to how they would a professional news report. However, there are several other reasons for why clear audio matters.
Comprehension and Accessibility
Audio clarity is necessary to get your message across. For example, if the movie dialogue is muffled by background noises, like the crowd or car noises, viewers might miss some essential information or don’t pick up on the tone and emotional layer of the conversation. Additionally, with around 20% of the world population having some degree of hearing loss, clear audio allows for a more accessible media consumption. Thus, by making sure audio quality is clear, you’re making your media product more accessible, while expanding your audience at the same time. Finally, crisp audio allows viewers to not have to work hard to understand the content, which reduces mental strain and allows for a more enjoyable experience.
Emotional Depth
In media, especially in gaming, sound is a huge part of the experience. Bad sound, unintended noises and improper sound mixing, breaks the immersive experience and results. While sound in itself is crucial for any media product, clean, immersive audio can dramatically enhance the emotional impact of a film, TV show or a game. Imagine watching an emotional scene in a drama movie, where characters are having a heart-to-heart conversation with sad, dramatic music playing in the background. Such scenes can often serve as an emotional core of a movie, and cause viewers to empathize or even tear up. Now imagine that same scene, except dialogue is muffled and drowned out by background music, and you end up confused and lose emotional connection with the characters. This is exactly why clean audio is vital for conveying emotions.
Localization Quality
In order to be executed properly, localization is also highly dependent on having high-quality reference audio to work with. Voiceover actors and translators need to be able to comprehend original dialogue, tone of voice and underlying emotions. Bad audio quality or muffled dialogue can make it difficult to perform their jobs properly. When localizing into a different language, clean audio and dialogue are crucial for correct and well-timed lip-syncing.
For these reasons, clean audio is not only an aesthetic choice, but a crucial component for a well-produced piece of media.
Common Types of Unwanted Sounds
Now that we looked at why clean audio is essential, what exactly makes audio “un-clean” or “poor”? There is a plethora of sounds and noises that constitute poor audio. Among them are:
- Background noise: moving cars, city sounds, air conditioning
- Dry mouth, lip smacking
- Electrical interference and static
- Distortion and clipping
- Equipment issues, e.g. incorrect microphone placement
- Muddiness, low volume
These issues can alienate and even confuse viewers, due to miscommunication caused by muddled and/or distorted audio. This can especially affect those with hearing issues, who rely on audio to understand the message. Also, as mentioned before, viewers can grow tired from straining to hear poorly recorded dialogue, and tune out as a result. These are just some examples of how poor audio can negatively affect viewing experience and viewer satisfaction.
Clean Audio: A Must in the Streaming Era
In the world of streaming platforms and endless media options, viewers are pickier and more demanding than ever before, and bad audio quality might be a reason to abandon a movie or TV show. That’s why clean audio should be a crucial part of your strategy.
Ready to Upgrade Your Sound?
At Force Media, we specialize in audio post-production and localization that delivers clean, polished, and immersive sound, no matter the language or platform.
From dialogue editing to noise cleanup to multilingual voiceovers, we make sure your project sounds as good as it looks. Our professional team of sound editors, voiceover artists and audio engineers, adhere to the highest industry standards and will work with you every step of the way.
If you want to learn more about how Force Media can help you create crisp, high quality audio. Let’s talk!
