How to Improve Voice in Video Without an Expensive Microphone

You don’t need to buy a studio microphone to make your voice sound clean and clear in a video. Most of the sound quality depends not on the price of the gear but on how and where you record. And whatever doesn’t work out during recording can be fixed afterwards. Let’s look at how to record a good voice on a phone, headphones or laptop, and how to improve the sound in a finished video.

Why Built-In Microphones Sound Bad

Microphones in modern phones and laptops aren’t bad in themselves. The problem is how they’re usually used:

• They’re far from the mouth. A phone on a tripod or a laptop on a desk is about a meter (3 feet) from the speaker. The voice arrives quiet, while the room and surrounding noise are loud.
• They hear everything around. Built-in mics record sound from all directions: the laptop fan, the street outside, the keyboard.
• They record the room. In an empty room, echo is added to the voice and speech becomes boomy.

How to Record a Clean Voice with What You Have

• Bring the phone closer to your mouth. If the camera has to stay far away, record the audio separately on a second phone with a voice recorder app, holding it 20–30 centimeters (8–12 inches) from you, then sync the sound with the video when editing.
• Use a headset. Wired earphones with a mic on the cable are close to the mouth and often sound better than a laptop’s built-in microphone.
• Get an inexpensive lavalier microphone. It’s the most affordable way to noticeably improve sound: it clips onto clothing and always stays close to the speaker. It connects to a phone or computer via an adapter.
• Choose a “soft” room. Furniture, carpets, curtains and wardrobes full of clothes absorb echo. If the room is empty, hang a blanket behind the camera. A classic trick is to record voice-overs next to an open wardrobe full of clothes.
• Remove sources of noise. Close the window, turn off the air conditioner and fan, move away from a humming laptop.
• Make a test recording. Record 15 seconds and listen on headphones — you’ll immediately hear echo and noise you don’t notice in the room.

If you record outdoors, there are different rules — see how to record audio outdoors without wind and noise. And if you hear echo in the recording, read how to remove echo from video and audio.

How to Improve Voice After Recording Online

Even with good preparation, a recording made on a simple microphone usually sounds worse than a studio one. You can bring it up to good quality with Background Noise Removal: the AI removes unwanted noise, fixes microphone flaws, evens out volume and makes speech clearer. Nothing to configure.

1. Choose a processing mode. There are 8 modes in total; for recordings made on a simple microphone, these are used most often:

• Bandwidth Extension and Voice AutoEQ (keep noise) — makes the voice fuller and clearer without aggressive noise removal. Good for phone and laptop recordings where the voice sounds muffled and “flat”.
• Voice Cleaner (remove music) — removes background noise and music and keeps only the voice.
• Voice Cleaner (keep music) — removes noise and hum but doesn’t touch background music. Good for podcasts, interviews and videos with music.

2. Upload your file. The tool works with MP3, AAC, OGG, WAV, M4A, FLAC, MP4, AVI, MKV, WEBM and MOV. Processing starts automatically.

3. Wait for processing and download the file. On average, a 5-minute recording takes about 45 seconds. If you don’t like the result, try another mode and compare.

Example: phone recording from a distance

Example: noise around and music

Try it on the background noise removal page: the first 30 seconds of 2 files are processed for free.

FAQ

Can I record my voice on a phone instead of a microphone?

Yes. The key is to keep the phone close to your mouth and record in a quiet room without echo. After processing, such a recording often sounds no worse than one made on an inexpensive microphone.

Which mode should I choose if my voice sounds bad?

If the voice is quiet and muffled — Bandwidth Extension and Voice AutoEQ (keep noise). If noise is the problem — Voice Cleaner (remove music). A detailed guide to which mode fits which problem is in the article how to fix bad audio in video and recordings.

How much does processing cost?

The first 30 seconds of 2 files are processed for free. After that — no subscription, from $0.79 per file or minute packages from $1.99 for 10 minutes. See Pricing.

More tips on making sound cleaner — in the section how to improve voice in a recording.