How do you record gameplay and voice at the same time?

Recording gameplay footage and voiceover audio together in real-time can provide a more natural and authentic commentary experience. However, it also comes with some challenges. Doing them together requires more setup and can introduce audio issues like echo or background noise. Recording them separately gives you more control in post-production but can feel less spontaneous.

This guide will walk through the equipment, software, and steps needed to record gameplay and voiceover together. We’ll also cover troubleshooting audio issues and editing techniques. The goal is to help you achieve a polished end result – great gameplay footage synced up with clear voiceover audio.

Equipment Needed

To record gameplay and voice audio at the same time, you’ll need the proper equipment. The essential gear includes:

• A capture card like the Elgato HD60 S+ (https://www.elgato.com/en/gaming/game-capture-hd60-s-plus) to record and stream your gameplay from a console.
• A good microphone like the Blue Yeti (https://www.bluemic.com/en-us/products/yeti/) to capture your voice audio with clarity.
• Headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x (https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/ath-m50x) so you can monitor your mic input.
• Recording and streaming software like OBS Studio (https://obsproject.com/) to combine your gameplay footage and voiceover into one video.

With this equipment, you’ll have everything you need to record high-quality gaming videos with simultaneous gameplay and vocal commentary.

Capture Card Setup

To record gameplay footage from a console like Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch using a capture card, you first need to connect the console’s HDMI output to the capture card’s HDMI input. According to Epidemic Sound, connect an HDMI cable from your console to the HDMI IN port on the capture card.

Next, connect another HDMI cable from the HDMI OUT port on the capture card to your TV or monitor. This passes the video signal through the capture card to your display while also capturing the footage. The capture card will convert the HDMI signal into a digital file on your computer.

After connecting the cables, you will need to configure the capture card’s settings through its software on your PC. Select the input resolution and frame rate to match your console’s output. According to Descript, it’s important to disable HDCP protection on your console’s video output for the capture to work properly.

Once configured, the capture card will be ready to record high-quality gameplay footage as you play on your console. The video and audio will be transferred to your PC for recording, streaming, or editing.

Microphone Setup

Proper microphone positioning is crucial for capturing high-quality audio when recording gameplay and voiceover simultaneously. The ideal placement is to position the mic slightly off-axis (angled between the mouth and cheek) about 4-6 inches away from the mouth. This positioning helps minimize plosives and avoid breathing directly into the mic.

Additionally, enable any high-pass filter or noise gate settings on your microphone to cut out low-end rumble and ambient noise. Set the noise gate threshold so your voice activates recording, but soft ambient sounds do not. Adjust the mic gain so your recording levels peak around -12dB to -6dB, leaving enough headroom for louder outbursts without clipping or distorting the audio.

Headphone Setup

When recording your voice at the same time as the game audio, it’s important to be able to hear both clearly. This is where connecting headphones comes in handy.

Most microphone and capture card setups allow you to monitor your microphone input through your headphones. This lets you hear your voice in real-time as you record it, which is useful for adjusting your volume and positioning.

To monitor your microphone through headphones, first connect your headphones to the headphone output on your capture card, audio interface, or PC sound card. Make sure your headphones are plugged into the correct port for headphone monitoring.

Next, adjust the “monitor mix” or “direct monitoring” levels in your recording software. This controls how much of the input audio (your mic) versus output audio (game sound) you hear. Set it to a level where you can clearly hear both your voice and the game audio.

As you record, you can tweak the monitoring mix to get the right balance. Turn up the mic volume if you can’t hear yourself well enough over the game sound. Turn it down if your voice is too loud compared to the game audio.

Getting the monitoring mix right is crucial for being able to record high-quality voice and game audio simultaneously. Take the time to adjust it until you’re happy with what you hear in your headphones as you record.

Recording Software

When it comes to recording gameplay footage along with your voiceover audio, some of the most popular options are OBS Studio and XSplit. Both of these are free, open source software options that allow you to capture and record high quality video from your screen or specific windows/applications.

The key benefit of using OBS or XSplit is that they make it easy to set up scenes and sources, like adding your gameplay footage, webcam video, overlays, etc. They also give you a lot of control over your recording settings like output resolution, frame rates, encoding, and more.

When first configuring your recording software, some key settings to adjust are:

• Video Format/Encoder – Set this to H.264 or HEVC for good quality at smaller file sizes.
• Output Resolution and Frame Rate – Match this to your game’s resolution and aim for 30-60fps.
• Audio Tracks – Make sure to enable audio capture for your mic and game sounds.
• Output File Path – Set where you want your video files to be saved.

Properly configuring these software options will ensure you get high quality recordings with synced gameplay footage and audio commentary.

Recording Setup

To record gameplay and microphone audio at the same time, you need to properly set up your recording software. This involves adding both the gameplay source and microphone as inputs, adjusting their relative audio levels, and assigning hotkeys to start/stop recording.

In a program like OBS Studio, you would add your gameplay as a Video Capture Device source, and your microphone as an Audio Input Device source. The levels can then be adjusted in the Mixer panel so your voice is clear over the game audio. Make sure to reduce the gameplay volume so it doesn’t overpower your voice.

It’s also helpful to set up hotkeys to start and stop recordings, such as Ctrl+R to start and Ctrl+S to stop. This allows you to easily control recordings without having to click the mouse, which is useful when gaming. Set these up in your software’s Hotkey settings area.

Testing your audio levels beforehand is crucial. Speak at your normal volume while gaming to ensure your voice is audible over the game audio. Make any adjustments to the relative volumes as needed. Proper setup results in a clear, audible voice track.

Test and Troubleshoot

After setting up your recording software, it’s important to test it out before doing a long recording session. Start a short test recording, play back some game footage, and speak into the microphone. Listen closely to the playback to ensure your voice audio and game audio are properly synced.

If you notice the audio falling out of sync:

• Try restarting your recording software and/or computer [1]
• Double check all audio device settings and sample rates in your recording software and Windows settings
• Adjust audio delay/offset settings if available in your recording software [2]
• Consider using audio synchronization software or plugins [3]

Continuously check sync during long recordings, and re-sync if needed. Avoid sync issues altogether by using a direct line-in from your microphone to your capture card if possible.

Record and Edit

Once you have tested your recording setup and are satisfied with the quality, it’s time to record your final audio takes. When recording gameplay and commentary together, speak clearly and enunciate properly into the microphone. Listen through headphones to ensure the microphone audio sounds clear without picking up too much background noise.

After you finish a recording session, import the separate audio and video files into your video editing software. Most programs like Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve allow you to sync up external audio automatically by analyzing the waveform. You can also manually align the audio track to match the timing of the video.

Use the editing software’s tools to clean up the audio, remove unwanted noises, and adjust levels. Add fades if needed between edits. Equalize and compress the voice track to achieve a full, professional sound. Balance the game audio and voiceover volumes to sit nicely in the mix. Export the final video file when ready to share online or with your audience.

Conclusion

In summary, recording gameplay footage and voiceover audio at the same time requires a few key pieces of equipment and software. You’ll need a game capture card to record footage from your console, a microphone to record your voiceover audio, headphones to hear the game audio, and recording software like OBS Studio to bring it all together.

To get the best results:

• Use a pop filter on your microphone for clear audio
• Record in a quiet space to reduce background noise
• Speak slowly and clearly when recording your voiceover
• Adjust audio levels so your voice is loud and clear compared to the game audio
• Test your setup thoroughly before recording to troubleshoot any issues
• Edit out any mistakes or long pauses during the voiceover in post-production

Following this process will allow you to produce high-quality videos with synchronized gameplay footage and commentary audio.