I chose audio quality over video quality and it changed everything

Back in 2019 I was building a home studio setup and had to pick between a $300 Rode mic or a decent camera upgrade. I went with the cheap webcam and the good mic instead. My view count actually went up even though the picture looked like trash, people kept saying the audio was crisp. Has anyone else made a similar tradeoff that paid off?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_henderson868h ago

Wait, didn't you read that study from a few years back where they tested people watching videos with bad audio vs bad video? Like, viewers actually rated the whole thing as higher quality when the audio was good even if the picture was fuzzy. I remember this YouTuber I watch did the same thing, switched to a $40 mic and kept his old iPhone camera, and his engagement went way up. It's wild how much people forgive a crappy image if the sound is clean, but they'll click off instantly if the audio is staticky or low. Your move was smart, honestly.

pat_schmidt609h ago

I mean, isn't that just confirmation bias? If your video looked like trash, people probably didn't stick around long enough to even notice the audio.