Audio Production for Videos

by Alejandro Segovia | Jul 2, 2020 11:15:00 AM

 

audio production for videos

In a previous blog we spoke with Alejandro Segovia, our audio producer, about the importance of creating jingles to sell a product or service. Now, there are many other services that an audio producer can offer to companies, according to the needs of each project, such as:

  • Podcasts
  • Audio production for videos
  • Multimedia
  • Events production
  • Discos
  • Radio/Streaming
  • Editing services at a studio

We will this time talk about creating audio for videos. Alejandro Segovia himself will explain what this service is about, as well as its uses and benefits.

What is Audio Production for Videos Exactly?

"There are two possible answers:

  1. It could be original music for videos or
  2. It could be audio for videos

These are tow different things. Let's start with:

Original Music for Videos

The guidelines are very similar to those of the jingle because in the end, we're creating music for your brand, the difference would be that the music for a video has to focus on the images and the narrative of the video itself.

For example, if I were to make the music for a video of the historic center of Mexico City, I'd have to make the music in such a way that it would frame your text and your images. In other words, I wouldn't be able to make any random music and then make it fit your video; it's the other way around, music should be specifically created to fit the video's content. Otherwise, I would't be musicalizing, I'd only be adding music... the intention is to create the music specifically for the content.

It's about creating music for your video, even to match its length.

Usually, when it's a video of... let's say 10 minutes, I'd produce at least 8 minutes of music, because we must also think about the different sequences, different scenes.

Here's an example:

About the Sequences, the Scenes 

Let's keep using the example of the video of the historical center of Mexico. Maybe there's a scene where we can see a family arriving there and a different scene of a family eating in a restaurant located there. Those two scenes will have very different musical atmospheres, that's why each scene will require different musical tracks, depending on the case. So if your video is 10 minutes long and maybe you have 4 or 5 scenes, then maybe two or three tracks will be used; or one track for two scenes; or maybe another track for two other scenes, etcetera, etcetera. Now, that's creating music for a video.

Original Audio for Videos

Now, making audio for a video different from making music. It's what we call sound design. Sound design is when we create an audible environment that may or may not be linked to the original video recording. For example, when creating audio for that same video of the historic center of Mexico City, I could do two things:

  • Record it at the time the video is being filmed.
  • Produce it afterwards at a recording studio, based on sounds that will be added to the video which weren't really there when filming it, yet the seem to belong to the scene. That's when we can add the sound of a busy city, of people walking by, of someone selling something...

Sound design is a mixture of sounds added to the video with audio editing software that may or may not be linked to music. That is, the music can be part of the audio mix, or it can only be a mix of sounds, separate from the music mix.

They're two different tools: One thing is to ask for music, and another thing is to ask for sound design.

Another example:

Let's say I have to create the sound design of a horror movie scene that takes place in a log cabin and all I have is the image, not the sound.

What elements could I add to a horror scene in a log cabin? Maybe:

  • The sound of rain (if the video shows rain)
  • A lightning sound when possible
  • A door that creaks
  • Heavy footsteps
  • The sound of something being smashed... like a glass
  • A scream of terror...

By adding these elements, I'll be designing a sound, an environment, that was never in the image, but that I artificially created in a recording studio, based on the sound design of the scene.

That's different from making horror music for that scene.

What Does a Company Need a Video For?

There are different kinds of videos that would work for a company, for example:

  • To broadcast its services
  • For internal use, for the employees to see
  • A training video on how to do something or use the product

And of course, whatever the reason a company has to make a video, will be the same reason it will have to ask for its original music and sound design. Obviously, if the video is only showing images, well, they won't have the need to call me! But almost always a video has music and sound. Whether it's a live image or an animation, it will require sound design and music."

Copyright

About copyright, the guidelines that Alejandro Segovia follows are the same as producing a jingle, which you can find at the end of this blog. Long story short, the music belongs to the customer that pays for it.

Audio and Digital Media

"When it comes to digital marketing campaigns, the audio production must meet the same goal of the whole campaign; it must be convincing, immediate, effective; it must build some sort of quick identification of the brand.

For example, most of YouTube's users use this tool for free, so YouTube places an add on each video and won't let you skip it before a few seconds pass by. This is why your publicity must be convincing enough so that users see it and "buy it" in just a few seconds.

Audio is hey to selling a brand. I think the video is just as important as the audio. An ad on YouTube may be pointless without audio.

The great plus of creating an audio music, logo or sound for your company, is that your client will listen to it and relate it immediately to your brand, and just by doing so, you'll be selling your brand to them! there's no need to do anything else. An audio recording is so powerful that, with just three seconds, you can sell your brand."

audio production for marketing

If you'd like to learn more about Alejandro Segovia and the audio production services that he provides with DataBranding, contact us! We'd be happy to help!

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