Video Recording

[asuhayda]

Hi All,

I need to do some video recording for a certification I'm working on.  I've been having some problems getting the sound quality right.  I have a beautiful piano, but the room is opened and has hardwood flooring.  Consequently,  the sound is very harsh in the recordings.  Granted, I haven't purchased a quality video camera yet.  I've been simply recording music through my computer's microphone right now.  It is not my playing as I am easily able to reproduce the sound by simply playing a single note at mf.

Has anyone run into this problem.  Any suggestions on capturing a quality recording that is not in a recording studio?  Would purchasing a quality video recorder solve my problem?

Thanks.

[quantum]

Video and sound recording are two separate things.  Consumer camcorders do both in a single machine, however when it comes to more serious music recordings often it is the sound portion that is lacking.  

Getting a better video camera may result in better video, but not necessarily the sound you desire for critical listening to music.  You may need a separate sound recording setup.  You definitely need something better than a computer mic to capture sound for music.  

There are flash recorders that do sound with internal mics (such as the Zoom H4n), these should be good enough to make a demo recording.  News reporters use these flash recorders for broadcast, as well as people that shoot video with DSLR's who want an independent sound recording.  

If you want better quality than what these offer you are probably looking at investing in a more dedicated recording rig with individual components.  Mic, preamp, and recorder is the basic idea.  


For now, see if your equipment has some sort of "auto gain" feature.  If it does, turn it off.  It's fine for speech, but it will compress the dynamic range in music and cause any manner of artifacts.  When doing music recording you want to have manual control of the gain. 

[asuhayda]

Thanks. This is a big help.  The video aspect, I guess is just proof that I'm the one that's playing.  However, the sound quality is definitely more important.

Thanks again, I'll do some research and see what kind of a setup I can get.

[richard black]

And just to add to Quantum's good advice, you can quite easily add the sound you've recorded with a Zoom/Edirol/Olympus/etc. flash recorder to the video from your camera using most cheap video-editing software. Typically, you'll find that they line up easily enough and stay in sync accurately for the duration of a single piece.

[quantum]

Regarding software:  Lightworks, a professional video editor (the technical term is a Non Linear Editor or NLE) recently changed directions and has made plans to go open source.  For now it is available as a free download.  This software was used in numerous Oscar and Emmy Award award-winning films.  Before you consider spending your money on other expensive commercial NLE's it would be wise to check out this option. 
https://www.lwks.com

Such a heavy program is likely not necessary for just a demo tape.  You can very well get good results from basic programs. 

I'm anticipating the release of VideoLAN Movie Creator, from the people that make the excellent VLC media player.