It might seem overwhelming to record and edit a voice-over or audio track. You might think you need extra software or a fancy microphone or a professional studio. But you don’t. At least, not when making an animated video in Vyond. You can easily record and edit voiceovers and dialogue (and pair that audio with your animation) all within Vyond Studio. Here’s how.
Recording Audio for Vyond videos
Choose the device you want to use and decide if you’ll be recording directly into Vyond Studio or utilizing another platform first.
Recording directly into Vyond is a great option for voice-over that is short and simple. So, if your recording device is of sufficient quality, and you don’t anticipate needing to edit your audio, record away! However, if you anticipate needing to make lots of internal cuts to your audio track, or want to apply special audio effects, you might want to consider recording the audio with complementary software (like Voice Memos on iOS or Quicktime), and then import the edited file into Vyond Studio.
Before you record
Your computer’s microphone can record audio, but not high-quality audio, often picking up undesired sounds from your surroundings.
In contrast, external microphones, like those from your smartphone’s headphones or USB microphones, capture more precise frequencies and tones, making your voice-over more pleasant for the listener.
It’s a good idea to record a sample of one or two sentences, then listen back with headphones. Headphones help you hear your voice much clearer than your laptop speakers, making it easier to spot loud fans, voice volume issues, and enunciation errors before finishing your final take.
Follow these best practices for the highest-quality voice recording possible.
Recording audio outside of Vyond
Recording audio in Vyond is a great option for simple clips. But, sometimes you’ll need a bit more control. That’s when it makes sense to record audio outside of Vyond.
As Taylor shows in the video above, there are lots of great devices you can use to record high-quality, easy-to-edit tracks. Once you get familiar with basic concepts, like compression, you’ll be able to create a recording that’s much richer than what you can achieve with an iPhone.
For further control, edit your recording in an advanced, specialized audio editor like Audacity to remove room tone, fine-tune the levels, and make any internal cuts.
Importing audio into Vyond
If you recorded your audio outside of Vyond, here’s how to import it: Drag and drop your audio file(s) anywhere in Vyond Studio which will add it to the Upload tab.
As long as individual files are below 15MB, you can import the voice-over as one file. If the file’s size is bigger than 15MB, divide your audio track(s) into multiple files to reduce their size before importing them into Vyond.
Recording audio in Vyond
Vyond includes audio recording and editing features with the ability to make simple cuts and volume adjustments. To record audio directly into Vyond:
- Click the Audio icon
- Click Add Audio to launch the Mic Recording window
There you can either press Record right away or paste in a portion of the script you want to read; the script lines won’t disappear after you hit Record. You may also choose to keep the script open in a separate window or to print it out. If you do print your script make sure not to rustle the papers while recording.
In Vyond Studio, you can record your voice-over in as many takes as you need. For example, you can hit Record, say one sentence, hit Stop, listen to how good it sounds, and only record the next line once you perform the previous one to your liking. Using this method, you won’t have to edit out poorly delivered lines, but it might take longer to record.
Alternatively, you can record your lines multiple times without stopping your recording until you get your best takes on the entire script. You’ll just have to edit out the bad takes later. Depending on the length of the script this might be more time-consuming than recording your audio outside of Vyond.
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How to make characters lip sync to audio in Vyond Studio
At Vyond, we recommend recording your audio before you begin creating your video. This will make the animation process easier, as you can make your scenes the exact length you need to match your voiceover. Alternatively, you can add voice-over in Vyond to finished videos, which we’ll go over in the second part of this section.
If you are beginning to animate after you add voice-over in Vyond:
Method 1
- Select the character who’ll be speaking in the first scene they appear, click on Add Dialog under the Dialog Panel, and choose Existing Audio.
- If you have not imported your audio files yet, select Upload Audio.
- By default, Vyond will open the Upload Panel.
- Locate your imported audio file, then click it to assign it to your character and add the audio track to the timeline.
Method 2
- Add your voiceover audio to your timeline, starting at the scene in which you’d like your character to start speaking.
- Right-click the voiceover file in your timeline and choose Settings.
- At the top of the Settings panel, there is a drop-down menu where you can assign your audio to any character in the scene.
- You can also unassign audio from a character in the Settings panel.
Tip #1: Choosing Continue Scene from the timeline will keep lip sync/assigned audio connected to characters.
Tip #2: If you import or record one long audio file in Vyond, after assigning it to a character, you can copy and paste that character into other scenes and their lip sync will continue to work.
If you’re recording audio into a finished Vyond video:
Note: You will need to record and assign audio for each individual scene that your character speaks.
- Click on the scene in the timeline with the character you want to assign audio to.
- Within that scene, select the character that you’d like to lip sync.
- Click on Add Audio, then Mic Recording
- Click the microphone icon to begin recording.
- You may paste your script into the text box so you can read along as you record.
- Once finished recording, retime your scene length as needed to fit the audio.
- Move on to the next scene and repeat the process.
If you’re adding imported audio into a finished Vyond video:
Note: You will either need to record your audio in short clips (by scene) or cut up your audio file in the timeline before assigning.
For scene-length individual audio files:
- Import all of your audio files into Vyond Studio.
- Click on the scene in the timeline with the character you want to assign audio to.
- Within that scene, select the character that you’d like to lip sync.
- Click on Add Audio, then Existing Audio.
- If you have not imported your audio files yet, select Upload Audio.
- Locate your imported audio file, then click it to assign it to your character and add the audio track to the timeline.
- Retime your scene length as needed to fit the audio.
- Move on to the next scene and repeat the process.
For video-length audio files:
- Import your audio file into Vyond Studio.
- Click your imported audio file to add it to the timeline
- Split your audio into scene-length sections by right-clicking the audio track in your timeline and choosing Split.
- Line up your split-up audio with the corresponding scenes.
- Starting with the first scene, right-click on the voice-over track in the timeline and choose settings.
- Use the Assign Audio dropdown box at the top of the Settings Panel to assign the audio to the desired character within that scene.
- Repeat this process for any remaining scenes.
As a rule of thumb, assign each character’s audio track in the first scene they appear. This way, the voiceover stays attached to the character during the editing phase.
Edit your audio in Vyond Studio
Vyond Studio offers essential tools to edit your audio, like the ability to adjust a track’s volume or split and reassemble your audio tracks. If you need advanced audio editing capabilities it might be easier for you to edit your audio outside of Vyond, but here’s what you can do within Vyond Studio:
Audio cuts
If you recorded one long audio track in Vyond, you’ll want to split it up before building your scenes. In some cases, you may also need to cut out pauses in your audio recording.
To split a track, you must first place your cursor over the audio timeline where you want the split to be. You’ll see a blue line appear on your audio timeline. Then, right-click the blue line and choose “split.” Your single audio track will now be two. You can either move the audio to align with the video, or you can delete the portion you don’t want.
To delete a portion of your audio, right-click over the track you want to be deleted and click Delete. Or simply press your computer’s delete key.
Audio fades
Audio fades are one of the best-kept secrets of professional video editors. They’re a great way to overcome common audio issues, like ambient room tone, by creating a more seamless soundscape for your video. In Vyond Studio, you can add audio fades to your project.
You can adjust the audio’s volume and fade out an audio track by right-clicking on the timeline and clicking on Settings.
Add music and sound effects
When you create a video with Vyond Studio, you have hundreds of royalty-free music tracks at your disposal. Open the audio library by selecting the music note icon (?) — next to the option to add text. You can preview each audio track in the music library, and then click it to add it to your video.
You can add sound effects to your video the same way! Like music, sound effects can go a long way in making your videos feel dynamic, emotive, and engaging. To avoid distracting audiences, though, sound effects ought to be used sparingly and thoughtfully. Look for moments where you can use sound to build a world (like adding ambient typing sounds to an office), or to punctuate a key moment of the action (like a breaking glass).
Volume adjustments
In addition to audio fades, you can adjust the volume of an entire audio track in Vyond Studio. Right-click (or CTRL + click) on the track and head to Settings to adjust the audio. This is an important finishing touch on any video to make sure the right audio is cutting through. You wouldn’t want your music to wash out your narrator, for example!
Add voice-over in Vyond to bring your videos to life.
Use Vyond Studio’s set of tools to fix mistakes during your recording session or synchronize properly executed takes with your animations. As long as you produced your script with a goal or audience in mind, a clear voice-over will engage and enhance your project’s appeal.
After you’ve recorded, imported, and edited your audio, it’s time to create your video…..
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