Audio Best Practices
The Recording Environment
Choosing the Right Room
✅ Ideal: - Small room with furniture (sofa, bookcase, rug) - Furniture and fabrics absorb sound and reduce echo
❌ Avoid: - Large empty room (significant echo) - Room with reflective surfaces (tile floor, bare parquet, bare walls) - Kitchen or bathroom (appliance noise, echo)
Reducing Background Noise
Before each session: - Close windows and doors (street noise, wind) - Turn off the television, radio, music - Turn off fans, air conditioning, space heaters - Move away from noisy computers (fans) - Put your phone on silent or airplane mode - Wait for outside noises to stop (plane, ambulance, dog…)
Testing the Environment
Before recording your first item, do a 3-second test: 1. Start recording 2. Stay silent for 3 seconds 3. Stop and listen 4. If you hear background noise → find a solution before continuing
Recording Equipment
Microphone Options
| Equipment | Quality | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in microphone (computer) | Passable | Fixed distance, sensitive to surrounding noise |
| Wired headset with microphone | Good | Kept at a fixed distance, less sensitive to echo |
| Bluetooth headset | Average | Bluetooth compression can reduce quality |
| External USB microphone | Excellent | Best option — direct sound, less noise |
| Smartphone alone | Good | Good microphone, but sensitive to handling noise |
Recommendation: a wired headset with microphone is the best value for most speakers.
Distance from the Microphone
- 10–15 cm: ideal distance for spoken voice
- Too close (< 5 cm): risk of clipping and mouth noise ("pop" on consonants P, B, T)
- Too far (> 30 cm): weak voice, more background noise
Tip: place your closed fist between your mouth and the microphone — the distance is approximately right.
Equipment Consistency
Use the same microphone and the same setup for all your recordings. Changing microphones mid-session creates sonic inconsistencies that learners may notice.
Delivery
Volume and Pace
- Speak at a normal conversational volume — as you would speak to a friend
- Avoid whispering (too soft) or shouting (clipping)
- Slightly slower pace than your natural speech — learners need time to break down the sounds
Articulation
- Articulate each syllable distinctly, without exaggerating
- Think of how you would pronounce for a child who is learning — clear, natural, without condescension
Tones and Intonation
⚠️ Crucial point for tonal languages (Pular, Bambara, Malinké…)
Tones distinguish different words in many African languages. A tonal error changes the meaning of a word.
- Respect the tones exactly: rising, falling, level, complex
- Slightly exaggerating tones helps learners distinguish them
- If you are unsure of the correct tone for a word, stop and verify before recording
- Report to the administrator any error you detect in the displayed text
Session Organization
Recommended Duration
- 30 minutes maximum per session — beyond this, vocal fatigue affects quality
- 15-minute break after each session if you continue
- Total per day: 1h30 to 2h maximum
Frequency
- Regularity beats intensity: 30 min/day × 5 days = more effective than 2h30 in one go
- Schedule fixed sessions in your calendar
Vocal Warm-Up
Before starting a session: - Drink water (hydrated voice = better quality) - Do a few simple vocal exercises (vowels, consonants) - Do 2–3 "test" recordings that you will re-record
Recording Strategies
Strategy 1 — In Order
Follow the card order from first to last. Advantage: clear progression, easy to track.
Strategy 2 — By Theme
Record all words of the same theme (family, then food, then nature…). Advantage: contextual consistency, thematic focus.
Strategy 3 — Difficulties Last
Start with the words/phrases you know best. Finish with the more complex ones when you are "warmed up". Advantage: fewer retakes at the start.
Recommended Workflow
Session 1 (30 min): 20–30 test recordings
↓ Listen back to the first 5: adjust if necessary
Regular sessions (30 min): 40–60 recordings
↓ After 100 recordings:
Review: filter on "Done", listen back and re-record if necessary
Additional Tips
Hydration and Voice
- Avoid coffee and alcohol before recording (they dry out the throat)
- Drink water at room temperature
- If you have a cold, wait until you recover — quality will suffer
Posture
- Sit up straight — this improves voice projection
- Avoid leaning forward or backward (changes the distance from the microphone)