A poor audio quality on video recording when recording with Note 20 Ultra 5G and using internal microphones on Pro mode video.

[HakimA1]

I have experienced a poor audio audio quality in videos recorded with Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (model nro: SM-N986B/DS), bought as new in Finland during the summer 2020.

I am not sure if the poor sound quality was an original phenomenon in this phone, or did it develep during my time of using the phone, and is it a unwanted result of some third party app that I have installed, or is it caused by some settings in the phone that I could change if I knew what to look for.

I've had the phone from august 2020 and had no other issues with it. The sound quality the phone produces when I am listening any other sources but my own video recordings with the phone is superb, so are my phone call hearing and microphone sound qualities ok.

The bad sound quality of my video recordings when using phone's own internal microphones sounds like there is somekind of "slight echo" that 'blurs' and makes somekind of slight 'wavy' effect to the overall video sound. This doesn't bother too much if I record anything else but live music, especially acoustic music, and especially classical music.

I think I have found one way around this issue and it is using a good external usb microphone like Zoom H1. Although to be true, I think I can even then hear a tiny bit of this unwanted wavy quality in the overall videorecording sound.

I have used only Samsung's own camera app and in it tried various video recording settings. I have used the Pro video -mode mostly and tried all the various microphone settings in it, but those won't make the wavy sound 'effect' go away.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of issue? Do you think this is the normal standard quality of this phone model?

What should I do to try to fix this problem?

[TTs Nate]

Did you ever find a fix to this? It seems like a noise canceling feature but it is absolutely terrible.  I bought this phone primarily to film live music and it is impossible with this setup. 

[HakimA1]

No, I haven't found a fully acceptable solution. Like you supposed, I too believe that the problem is caused by phone's noice canselling system. I've video recorded classical music conserts with different dolby settings that are awailable and can be adjusted in the phone, but found out no true solution from there. Same goes with Samsungs Pro video microphone setting. The best solution so far for me is to use a good external stereo microphone which for me has been Zoom H1 usb mic. But that needs a usb cable. Perhaps there are suitable wifi/bluetooth external (stereo) microphones that work with this phone, but at the moment I don't have one.

I have recorded pretty many conservatorio level classical music concerts with this phone, without and with external stereo mic, and my overall judgement for this phone is that I really can't suggest anyone who needs good sound quality video recordings of classical music concerts, forexample to publish in YouTube, to buy this phone.

[KindallR]

Ugh. I'm feeling sick reading this. I also bought the phone to record live music and the audio sucks and I'm pretty sure it's past my return date. 

[TTs Nate]

I've even used an external professional audio interface and a high end condenser mic. The audio is still rubbish. 

I don't understand not being able to tinker with audio at least in pro mode where gain sliders are available. 

Worst is the lack of concern from the company about the issue and is the main reason I will not upgrade to a Samsung phone when considering a new purchase. Same goes for most in the music community that have seen my struggle with this in the age of quarantined home music performance. 

[HakimA1]

Thanks for you comments. I haven't had time to experience more and find a solution for my original problem, of which I made my original post here.

I think you are right that Samsung company has not dealt with this issue at all, and that that implicates that a superb audio recording quality and how to get good audio quality consert videos doesn't actually interest Samsung so much.

If you, or anyone here knows good informative links to solve the bad audio quality of video recordings done by Samsung smartphones, especially the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, please ad those below.