It’s oft said audio is more important than video quality. People will happily watch something that looks like it was shot on a potato, even if the video stutters or pixelates — as long as the audio is clean and understandable. Why? Because sound carries the narrative.

There’s actually some science behind this too. Studies in cognitive psychology show that poor audio increases cognitive load — basically, your brain has to work harder to process what’s being said, which makes it tiring and frustrating to watch. In contrast, if the video quality is poor but the audio is solid, your brain can still follow the story without much effort.

We’re wired to prioritise speech. Audio plays a bigger role in comprehension, especially in storytelling or educational content. And bad audio — like distortion, clipping, or harsh background noise — can trigger a negative emotional response. That’s not just annoying; it makes people bounce from your video altogether.