Problem: The voice sounds dull and boomy with far too much bass. This may have been caused by getting too close to the microphone, or by the improper use of EQ to add too much bass.

Problem: There is nothing wrong with this recording. Did you get this one right?

Problem: A car can be heard passing in the background.

Problem: The music is too loud (or the voice is too quiet). While this is not a terrible problem, you may notice that the voice is starting to get overwhelmed by the music, making the words less audible. This is especially evident at low listening volumes, which are common for people listening to meditation and hypnosis recordings.

Problem: The sound of the voice is distorted.

Problem: There is a humming sound in the background. It’s actually the sound of a computer fan whirring.

Problem: There are some rumbling sounds in this recording. This was caused by rough handling of the microphone stand, which causes vibrations to travel into the microphone.

Problem: There is far too much room reverberation on the voice. This is what it can sound like if you record in a mostly empty room.

Problem: There is nothing wrong with this recording. Did you get this one right?

Problem: A dog barks in the background at one point. Did you hear it?

Problem: There are “plosives” in this voice recording. Some of the “Ps” and “Fs” cause a bump in the sound of the voice. This is most evident in the word “Oppose” where the “P” is too strong.

Problem: The voice sounds very thin. This could be the result of using a poor-quality microphone (such as your phone microphone) or by standing too far away from you microphone.

Problem: A chair is creaking in the background. Lesson – don’t sit on a creaky chair while recording!

Problem: Poor editing has clipped the end of the word “grievances” in this voice recording.

Problem: The music is too quiet in this recording. However, you may note that this is not a major problem. Technically speaking the music should be little louder, but it’s not awful. Recordings with music that is too loud are much more unpleasant to listen to than those with music that is too quiet.

Problem: The volume of the voice varies at times, caused by the narrator moving his head too much during recording.