How to Make ASMR Videos

Start with a quiet room, the microphone you already have, and one simple trigger such as tapping. This page suits beginners who want to publish a first video without buying a studio. Skip it if you already record regularly and only need gear comparisons.

Do this first

• Cover a phone microphone with a sock or foam to soften pops, and prop the phone up with a book.
• Record in a small room with soft surfaces, with the door closed.
• Pick one trigger for your first video and stay with it. Jumping between sounds early on breaks the calm before it builds.
• Upload as unlisted, watch it on headphones, and fix what bothered you before going public.

Fix the room before you buy gear

Your room matters more than your microphone. Sensitive microphones pick up refrigerators, traffic and heating systems. Before each session, sit still for a short silence test and listen back on headphones. Whatever you hear, the microphone will hear louder.

Bedrooms with carpet, curtains and a bed work well, and a closet full of clothes can too. Hard floors and bare walls create echo that spoils the close, soft sound. Heavy curtains, rugs and bookshelves full of books also help. If daytime is too noisy, some creators record late at night when it is quieter.

Choose gear in this order

• Microphone first. A decent condenser or binaural microphone matters more than anything else you buy. Entry-level options exist, but check the maker's published spec and your own budget.
• Binaural pair or cardioid USB condenser. Binaural microphones worn in the ears give the left and right separation many listeners like on headphones. A cardioid condenser placed close to the sound works for most triggers.
• Camera and light last. Audio carries the content. A phone camera and a steady tripod with consistent framing are enough at the start.

We have not tested these products. If you add a boom arm, it helps keep desk vibrations from tapping out of the recording.

Which sound to start with

• Tapping: the easiest start. It needs no script and uses objects you own, such as wood, glass, a plastic container, a box or a book. It also shows you what your microphone captures well.
• Whispering: effective but harder. Breath pops and hissing "s" sounds need technique. Angle the microphone slightly to the side of your mouth and speak a little slower and softer than feels natural.
• Crinkling: popular and easy, but results vary by microphone. Test first, because some microphones distort on sharp sounds.

Placement and routine

Experiment with distance. Closer sounds more intimate and detailed, and further away adds more room sound. Once you find a spot you like, do not move the microphone mid-take, because even small shifts change the sound. Sip water between takes to avoid mouth clicks.

Edit lightly

ASMR works through long, unbroken stretches, so editing is mostly removal. Cut dead air at the start and end, and take out mistakes and unexpected loud sounds.

• Use noise reduction gently. Heavy use sounds processed, and regular listeners notice.
• Even out the volume so quiet moments are audible on headphones and louder moments are not jarring.
• Check your loudest and softest moments before you export. Sudden spikes wake people up.

Publish with clear titles

Put the trigger first and the context second, for example a soft tapping title that mentions the object and the use. Thumbnails usually work best when they are calm close-ups that show the trigger. Busy, bright, text-heavy thumbnails look out of place in this niche. Upload on a schedule you can keep and keep audio quality consistent. Growth can be slow, so do not judge a channel on its first few uploads.

Next, read about microphone choices or how to start an ASMR channel.