Audio Recording Basics

Mics, levels and rooms — clean sound captured the first time.

What the course covers

8 modules, 32 topics. Open any one to see what sits inside it.

1. 1.1 Why bad audio loses an audience before bad picture does
2. 1.2 How sound behaves in a space
3. 1.3 Levels, gain and headroom
4. 1.4 What genuinely cannot be fixed afterwards
1. 2.1 Types and pickup patterns
2. 2.2 Lavalier, shotgun and handheld
3. 2.3 Placement and distance
4. 2.4 Choosing a mic for the situation
1. 3.1 Recorders, mixers and camera audio
2. 3.2 Connections, phantom power and adapters
3. 3.3 Monitoring with headphones
4. 3.4 File formats and sample rates
1. 4.1 Setting gain properly
2. 4.2 Peaking, clipping and safety tracks
3. 4.3 The dynamic range of speech
4. 4.4 Testing and adjusting before you roll
1. 5.1 Reverb, reflection, and deadening a space
2. 5.2 Finding and killing background noise
3. 5.3 Air conditioning, traffic and hum
4. 5.4 Recording in a room you cannot control
1. 6.1 Interviews with one person, and with several
2. 6.2 Fitting a lavalier without rustle
3. 6.3 Voiceover recording
4. 6.4 Making a nervous speaker sound natural
1. 7.1 Room tone, and why you always record it
2. 7.2 Ambience and atmosphere
3. 7.3 Sound effects and foley basics
4. 7.4 Music: sourcing and licensing
1. 8.1 Labelling and organising files
2. 8.2 Backing up on location
3. 8.3 Sync and slating
4. 8.4 Notes for the editor

By the end of this course you will be able to explain and apply:

Two hours, not two months Eight short modules. Finish in a day, or do one module a night for a week.

Job-ready from the first module Everything here is a task you will actually be asked to do at work, not theory you will never use.

Built for a phone Watch on the bus, pause mid-module, pick up where you stopped. No download, no lab.

A certificate that can be checked Every certificate carries an ID your college or an employer can verify on our site.

Pre-degree / Foundation students in India
Studying: BJMC, BA Journalism & Mass Communication, B.Sc. Animation & VFX, BA Film Studies
Recent graduates strengthening a CV
Anyone working in this field without a formal qualification

About two hours in total — eight modules of roughly fifteen minutes. You can do it in one sitting or spread it across a week. Your place is saved either way.
No. There is no prerequisite course and no software to install. A phone, tablet or computer with an internet connection is enough.
Yes. This course is placed at Pre-degree / Foundation for India, and the content is written for that level. If you are at a different stage, change your level at the top of the page and the courses will change with it.
A certificate for the course, carrying an ID that your college or an employer can check on our verification page. You keep access to the material afterwards.
Yes — ₹450 for this course on its own, or ₹1,450 for all five in this set, which works out cheaper if you want more than one.
There is a short quiz at the end of each module so you can check what stuck. It is not timed and you can retake it.
Change your country using the picker at the top. Level names, degree names and prices all switch to that country, and the courses adjust to its education system.

Wording shown for India. Pick a different country at the top and the terms, currency and programme names change with it.