1. Use a good microphone. A microphone with a USB connection will offer the best mix of simplicity and audio quality. You can also check out a microphone from the Koehler Center.
2. Find a quiet place to record. Any sounds that are not your voice are considered “noise.”
3. Test your equipment and adjust your audio level before you begin. Your levels should be strong but not consistently in the red of the meters or occupy the majority of the sound profile.
4. Trust your sound meter, not your speakers. Speakers can lie, because the volume can be pumped loud enough so it “appears” that the audio is strong. However, this volume adjustment has no effect on the sound you are recording because it is on the output, not the input.
5. Once you begin recording, wait a couple seconds before you begin to talk. If you talk too soon, it may not record your first few words.
6. Before you stop recording, pause and be silent for a second. This will ensure that you don’t cut off your final word(s).
7. If you have a lot of material to present, consider presenting it in smaller chunks. Listening to long lectures tends to become tedious. Chunking material into smaller segments helps students retain information. Best practice for audio files uploaded online should be no more than 3-6 minutes in length.