Recording

Ukulelerick9255

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
444
Reaction score
59
I know the best way to record audio on a laptop is using a quality microphone through an audio interface but how do I record video at the same time? I want to make videos but with the superior audio of the interface but don’t know the best way to do audio and quality video together. Help please
 
My practice for the Flukutronic channel is to use a Zoom Q8 camera for video and (most) audio capture, but I post-process the audio in a DAW and then sync it back with the video in a video editor. I occasionally use other equipment like an iPhone or Blue Yeti mic but the process of separating out audio, editing it separately, and then joining back with the video is the same.
 
I use a Canon EOS 90D for the video (4k or HD) and mount it on a solid tripod. I don't want to look ugly so I use a couple softboxes for lighting. For audio, I use a Tascam audio recorder and two Neumann KM184 mics on a Shure stereo mount. For post production I upload the Tascam files in Logic Pro for minor tweaks—trim, maybe a dab of EQ and reverb. Finally, I load the edited audio into Adobe Premiere to sync the audio and video and add fades and other edits to make a final product. A decade ago I started with Garage Band and iMovie so the software can be pretty simple if you don't need to use multiple camera feeds.
 
I shoot with 3 Canon HD video cameras (1080p is still great quality), and 3 Sony stereo shotgun mics mounted on the cameras. (I recently bought 6 Nu-X wireless systems and plan on using 3 for the next shoot.) I then edit in Final Cut Pro 10.4 with the three channels stacked, using the audio tracks to automatically sync them, then keeping only the best quality audio active, cutting between the channels.

I haven't used the Final Cut Pro Multicam workflow yet because my 2012 MacBook Pro was not powerful enough, but I recently got a new Mac Mini 2018 8,1 with 3.2 GHz Intel 6 Core i7, 32GB of RAM, an 8TB RAID 0 NVMe drive via Thunderbolt 3 running at avg. of 3600 read/write (the MacBook ran at under 500). I plan on using Multicam on the next one.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 6 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 41)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
A while back, Booli used to have a link to his FAQ in his forum signature, but seems he changed it some time ago.

He's not been on the forum for a while, but I had the link bookmarked. On that page, there are links back to the forum for many discussions about recording and how to do it and how to get good sound, with different kinds of microphones, etc.

You may want to have a look, and get your favorite beverage and buckle in, because the discussions are extensive and quite informative.

You journey begins here:

http://bd.entropyadept.com/faq.html

Good luck! :)
 
Audio: Microphone attached to computer (eg: Interface or USB microphone).
In my case, a Shure SM57 with a Shure X2U interface.

Video: Use anything that has a recording camera. In my case, my phone camera.

After recording the Audio and Video, synchronise the audio with the video using a video editing software.

Example of result:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD9ZT30ycd0
 
As suggested, the cumbersome yet best way to do it is to record video on a separate device and sync it together in a video editor afterwards.
A smartphone camera is fine in bright daylight. If you want sharper images indoors, in the evening etc, using a camera with a bigger sensor will get better results.
But lighting and camera placement will likely be way more important than the camera for the result.

Regardless of the camera, you need some sort of tripod for it. Nobody looks their best from the low angle you get from putting your camera or phone on the table and tilting it upwards.
If you have none, you can either get a small "gorilla pod" kind of tripod that you can place on your tabletop, that will raise the camera to eye level, or a full size tripod to place on the floor for a more free placement. And you can get an adapter to hold your smartphone on the tripod if you don't have a camera and want to spare the costs of getting one. Just think of lighting.

As for the resolution, I would say that it depends what the video is for. I have been recording in full HD for a long time, but I am stepping down to 720p rather than up to 4k. My videos are just for Youtube, people are going to watch them in 720p 30fps, so I will save the storage space and go easier on the rendering in my video editor. Oldschool DVD's are just 480p if I am not mistaking, and I had fun watching those. But if you like hgiher resolutions, go for it. It is just that my stuff is not pro music videos.

If you record several tracks on you laptop, you will get the issue of you wearing headphones in the video, and having to decide whether to use one video track or mix more together, which requires more advanced video editors.

Before mixing the audio and video, make sure that the sound level on your audio is like you want it.
I often find that it is too quiet, and I have to mix down a new sound file and start over the video process.

In the video editor, sync the audio with the video audio - then mute the video audio, add whatever text you want etc. and render your video.
The more fancy stuff you want in your video, the more difficult the syncing process.
I have an old Windows PC, and keep going back to Windows Movie Maker. It can't do fancy stuff, but it is easy to learn and very stable. I have seen other freem software such as ShortCut Video Editor chrash or make glitches in the rendering. Naturally you need a more sofisticated software to make something like the video in the post before mine.
Sometimes I miss fancy stuff, like being able to fade the vdeo in and out without messing up the syncronisation. Every software have drawbacks.
 
Last edited:
I was recently advised by a great program called Movavi. You will be able to create an adaptive screen recording project that will play correctly on different devices. I also found an article on their site at https://www.movavi.com/learning-portal/vlog-ideas-for-beginners.html that details how to edit a video after recording it. This program recognizes screen actions in the recording window and automatically focuses on the appropriate areas to convert the recorded footage for display on tablets and mobile devices. I enjoyed creating robust software models in a single recording session, capturing all screen actions, including mouse movements, system sounds, and keystrokes.
 
Last edited:
I know the best way to record audio on a laptop is using a quality microphone through an audio interface but how do I record video at the same time? I want to make videos but with the superior audio of the interface but don’t know the best way to do audio and quality video together. Help please

If you get a decent mic and audio interface, you can set that as your sound input source (instead of your laptop's internal mic) and record your video just like you normally would. Make sure to get an interface with the necessary resolution and sampling rates for your desired quality level.

A cheaper alternative is getting a USB mic. It's basically a mic with a built-in audio interface, so you'll also need to be sure its sampling rate and resolution is good enough.

NOTE for Windows: If you notice lag in your audio, then you need to install an ASIO driver for your audio interface from the manufacturer or the generic ASIO4ALL.
 
As suggested, the cumbersome yet best way to do it is to record video on a separate device and sync it together in a video editor afterwards.

You don't have to manually sync the video and audio if your camera has a mic input jack. Although that jack is designed for an external mic, if you have something like a Zoom recorder, you can connect mics to the recorder and connect the recorder to the camera. NOTE: The recorder might have line or phones output, which will be at a higher level than mic input of your camera, so you'll either need an attenuation cable or settings on your recorder to reduce its output level.
 
I record my audio through a multitrack recorder. I mix my audio before I sync it back with my videos.

My videos are recorded on Logitech C920 webcam that I have mounted on an adjustable mic clamp on arm. By the time I import all of my files onto Premiere. The audio is done. I just need to edit the multiple videos on top. It's actually super easy.
 
I see that this old to thread has been revived by the movavi promo.

You don't have to manually sync the video and audio if your camera has a mic input jack. Although that jack is designed for an external mic, if you have something like a Zoom recorder, you can connect mics to the recorder and connect the recorder to the camera. NOTE: The recorder might have line or phones output, which will be at a higher level than mic input of your camera, so you'll either need an attenuation cable or settings on your recorder to reduce its output level.

I considered connecting the headphone output of my USB mic to the mic input on my camera to try this. But I think I get better audio recording to my DAW, which I also want to use for adjusting things anyway.
But I guess that if you are on the go, with something portable like a Zoom, it is a food way to record.
 
I see that this old to thread has been revived by the movavi promo.

I considered connecting the headphone output of my USB mic to the mic input on my camera to try this. But I think I get better audio recording to my DAW, which I also want to use for adjusting things anyway.
But I guess that if you are on the go, with something portable like a Zoom, it is a food way to record.
My experience is that, for how hard it is to sync audio and video (super easy if you clap), it makes far more sense to record independent audio. Cameras are for video, recorders/DAWs are for audio.

This has multiple benefits:
  • You can use dedicated audio hardware (mics, interface) that will be of higher quality than almost any camera
  • You don't have to worry about clipping the camera input (sensitive and fiddly in my experience)
  • You have a backup in case one source craps out or gets bumped/plosives
  • You can easily process the audio file
Yes, it's an extra step, but once you do it a couple times, it will take you an extra 10 seconds to import and sync the files. In the long run it will give you a better and more consistent product.

I can detail the setup I've been using to record my course lessons if anyone is interested.
 
My experience is that, for how hard it is to sync audio and video (super easy if you clap), it makes far more sense to record independent audio. Cameras are for video, recorders/DAWs are for audio.

This has multiple benefits:
  • You can use dedicated audio hardware (mics, interface) that will be of higher quality than almost any camera
  • You don't have to worry about clipping the camera input (sensitive and fiddly in my experience)
  • You have a backup in case one source craps out or gets bumped/plosives
  • You can easily process the audio file
Yes, it's an extra step, but once you do it a couple times, it will take you an extra 10 seconds to import and sync the files. In the long run it will give you a better and more consistent product.

I can detail the setup I've been using to record my course lessons if anyone is interested.
I'd be interested in what your setup is Brad.
 
I'd be interested in what your setup is Brad.
I've used two.

For my last course, I just used a lavaliere mic to pick up my voice and uke. Applied a bit of EQ and compression in post and then synced it with my video.

For this new one I'm working on, I have my Neumann KM184 in front of my forehead maybe 2' away just out of the shot. That goes into my audio interface and straight into my DAW. I've got a de-clicker, EQ, compression, de-esser, and limiter on this one. I'm shooting in a much quieter room so I can get away with pushing the sound harder. The export gets synced in Davinci and I'm off to the races - as long as I remember to clap! Otherwise it takes a minute to find my sync. Sounds great. Much cleaner than my last attempt, though I think it has a lot to do with the room. Gold in, gold out...
 
I'm hoping to simplify by recording video on my Chromebook. I have an external video camera (no mic attached) with better resolution and less wide view, as well as a USB mic (similar to Blue Yeti). I may try an unusual camera placement with the camera mounted on an instrument mic boom stand. Has anyone looked up Kurt Schindler on YouTube. Wonderful finger style player of classical, pop, and original ukulele? Anyway, try to figure out his camera angle. I THINK he positions the camera UPSIDE DOWN and possibly with mirroring. The effect is that you feel you are HIM with You playing the instrument. Very cool, and I think very instructive because you can see fingering as if you were really playing.
 
Top Bottom