Most corporate online video is likely to be consumed in one of two places; email or the web. Now consider the speakers that most viewers are likely to be using in either of those circumstances. Your best case scenario is a pair of headphones, but more likely, your online corporate video will be played through tiny laptop speakers or small, cheap desktop speakers. For those of you producing online video, the problem here arises from the fact that most production-quality systems come complete with rich,
balanced sound. That’s why one of the most important pieces of equipment in your corporate video production arsenal should be a pair of dirt cheap speakers. Here in the Boston area we can usually grab what we need for under $10 at WalMart, Target, or a drugstore like CVS or Walgreens. If you have access to a dollar store – try there, since you want the cheapest, lousiest speakers you can find.
Once you have your cheap speakers, first edit your sound for headphones or good speakers. When you have your final mix ready to go, plug in your cheap ones and check your audio. Usually all you’ll need to do at this point is adjust the level of your background music, but sometimes you will need to adjust the equalization slightly if one of your subject sounds tinny (just boost the low end sliders until it sounds right). At this point, I usually check again on good equipment. If it sounds good still, I’m done. If it sounds a bit off, I decide where the majority of viewers will be watching the video and balance thee mix accordingly. The goal, as always, is to provide clear audio (your message) to as many people as possible at the highest possible quality.
Questions or thoughts? Feel free to ask in the comments section.
Rewatchable is a Massachusetts Video Production Company