Useful Tips for Microphone Recording in Windows 7 or Later
When recording microphone and system audio with oCam, knowing how to adjust the sound balance and audio quality is an important factor that can greatly improve recording quality. Below is a detailed guide to the settings and tips related to microphone and system audio recording.
1. If you want to record only the microphone
If you want to record only the microphone audio and exclude system audio, click the 'Sound' button in the oCam main window. In the sound settings menu, uncheck the 'Record System Audio' option. With this setting, oCam will record only the microphone input without system audio, allowing you to focus on the microphone sound.
2. If you want to record both the microphone and system audio
To record both microphone and system audio at the same time, click the 'Sound' button in the oCam main window, then select both the 'Record System Audio' and 'Microphone' options. With this setting, you can record system audio such as game sound or background music together with voice input from the microphone, such as commentary or conversation. This is useful when you want to create a video in which both sounds blend naturally.
3. If the microphone volume is too low
If the microphone volume is too low and hard to hear, you can adjust the microphone volume through the Windows sound settings. Follow the steps below:
- Open 'Control Panel' from the Start menu and click 'Sound'.
- In the Sound settings window, go to the 'Recording' tab.
- Find the microphone you are using in the list of recording devices and double-click it to open the 'Microphone Properties' window.
- In the 'Levels' tab, adjust the 'Microphone Volume' slider to increase the base volume, and if necessary, enable the 'Microphone Boost' option to make the sound louder. With this setting, the microphone audio will be recorded more clearly and at a higher volume.
4. If the system audio is too loud and drowns out the microphone
If the recorded system audio is too loud and makes the microphone hard to hear, you should reduce the system audio volume. You can use the following two methods for this:
- Adjust the volume inside the playback program: If the program producing the system audio, such as a game or media player, has its own volume control option, lower the volume in that program. This reduces the system audio level during recording and helps balance it with the microphone audio.
- Use the Windows Volume Mixer: If the program itself does not allow volume adjustment, right-click the speaker icon in the tray at the bottom right of the taskbar. From the menu that appears, select 'Open Volume Mixer'. This will open the mixer window, where you can adjust the volume of each currently running program individually. Lower the volume slider for that program to reduce the system audio.
*Note*: Lowering the overall Windows speaker volume does not affect the volume of the recorded sound, so you must adjust the volume of the individual program.
5. If increasing the microphone volume only increases noise and the audio quality is poor
If you increased the microphone volume as described in section 3 but the noise became worse or the audio quality is still unsatisfactory, then instead of forcing the microphone volume too high, you should also reduce the system audio appropriately. As explained in section 4, lower the system audio volume to balance it with the microphone audio so that the microphone voice can be heard more clearly. During this process, carefully adjust the balance between the microphone and system audio to find the best sound quality.
6. If you want to further improve microphone quality or completely remove noise
If you want to maximize microphone quality or reduce noise, software settings alone may have limitations. In that case, the most effective solution is to purchase a professional audio interface and a high-quality microphone. Many standard microphones produce a lot of noise or have low audio quality, making it difficult to fully compensate through software. Therefore, using a high-quality audio interface and a matching microphone can give you clear audio with minimal noise. For example, combining a condenser microphone with a USB audio interface can deliver professional-level recording quality.
Use the methods above to adjust the microphone and system audio in oCam the way you want and create the best recording environment. By fine-tuning each setting carefully, you can record better sound quality and more balanced audio.
Today's News/Tips
Detailed Guide to CapturePlus Preferences
In Preferences, you can configure capture options, image saving settings, and hotkeys.
If you adjust the various options to suit your preferences, CapturePlus becomes even more convenient to use.
It is divided into Capture, Save, JPEG Quality, Additional Features, Hotkeys, and Language, and below is an introduction to the functions available in each option.
As shown on the screen above, the Capture section contains options you can apply when capturing, and each one can produce a noticeably different effect.
Below are the settings that users especially need to pay attention to.
-Include mouse cursor in capture: Check this if you want the mouse cursor to appear in the captured image.
-Automatically save to clipboard after capture: This option saves the capture to the clipboard at the same time, so you can paste it immediately.
-Hide the program during capture & do not activate the program after capture: This allows the program to remain minimized only on the taskbar without becoming active.
-Fixed rectangle area size: Capture inside a fixed rectangle area (Shift+Ctrl+F) sets the window size used for that capture mode.
- Editor Background: If you find the default checkered grid hard on the eyes, you can check Apply Solid Color and choose the color you want.
In the Save section, the Ask whether to save the image option is useful because
even though you can click the "No to All" button when closing with dozens of capture tabs open,
it is more convenient to disable this option if you often sort through many captured screens.
Automatically save the image after capture. If you check this option, each captured image is saved immediately to the specified folder as you capture.
And if you check the Close the tab immediately after auto-saving. option, the image is saved and the tab closes automatically.
The file name-related features, which many users had requested, were improved with the greatest care.
The File name after capture or auto-save section outlined in orange on the screen above has been expanded with various options to satisfy as many users as possible.
====================================================================
You can change the file name to match your preferences.
Inside <>, you can use date/time and serial number formats, and any text outside <> remains unchanged in the file name.
( The serial number is explained after the date section below. )
There are several available formats, as follows.
[The following are the default formats used. (These are the formats used inside <>.)]
YYYY = year, YY = year (two digits)
MM = month, M = month (single digit if possible)
DD = day, D = day (single digit if possible)
HH = hour
NN = minute
SS = second
C = time format displayed by the computer ( 2011-04-13 8:26:17 PM - however, it cannot be used as a file name. )
ZZZ = millisecond
# = serial number
## = serial number (two digits)
### = serial number (three digits)
########## = serial number (ten digits)
[More broadly, you can also use formats like the following. ( Actual usage examples )]
<d-m-y> = 5-6-00
<dd-mm-yy> = 05-06-00
<dddd d mmmm yyyy> = Wednesday 13 April 2011
<ddddd> = 2011-04-13
<dddddd> = Wednesday, April 13, 2011
<h_m_s.z> = 1_2_3.4
<hh_mm_ss.zzz> = 01_02_03.004
<t> = 01:02 ( cannot be used as a file name. )
<tt> = 01:02:03 ( cannot be used as a file name. )
[Time formats and serial numbers can be used together.]
<YYYY_MM_DD_##> = 2011_04_13_01
[You can insert any file name you want outside <> and use the <> format to define the full file name.]
Capture_<YYYY_MM_DD_##> = Capture_2011_04_13_01
<YYYY_MM_DD_##>_Capture = 2011_04_13_01_Capture
[<> can appear repeatedly in the same file name, and serial numbers can also be repeated.]
Year_<YYYY>_Month_<mm>_Capture = Year_2011_Month_04_Capture
SerialNumber<###>_SerialNumber<#> = SerialNumber001_SerialNumber1
SerialNumber<## # # ##> = SerialNumber01 1 1 01
[Serial Number]
The serial number behaves differently depending on whether Automatically Save Captured Images is checked or not.
If auto-save is not checked, the serial number increases internally by 1 each time you capture,
and that number is assigned.
For example, if you capture 3 times and the file name is set to "Image <##>,"
the file name will become "Image 03."
If auto-save is checked, the serial number is assigned based on the auto-save path and whether a duplicate file name already exists.
For example, if the file name is set to "Capture_<##>," the program checks the auto-save folder
to see whether a file named "Capture_01" exists. If it does not, "Capture_01" is saved. If it does, it checks whether "Capture_02" exists.
If "Capture_02" does not exist, it is saved as "Capture_02."
In other words, the program keeps checking whether the file already exists and assigns the serial number accordingly.
If the serial number format is not included in the file name while using auto-save, the program automatically assigns a serial number internally
before saving. For example, if the file name is <YYYY>, it works the same as <YYYY#>.
====================================================================
The JPEG Quality section lets you adjust the quality to reduce file size when saving as JPEG.
Using the concept of subsampling, images can be saved with better image quality.
For reference, the medium-quality setting, 4:2:2, is the general default option.
In the Additional Features section, Use Tray Icon allows the program to run automatically when Windows starts,
and it can also be hidden to run from the tray icon.
In the Hotkeys section, you can assign whatever hotkeys are most convenient for each capture method.
For example, you can assign the PrintScreen key.