Bass/Instructional Video Setup?

[Thunderthumbs73]

I would like to do some bass instructional videos and some play-along and demo videos and so on. I've never owned a video camera or done any videos before. I would like to do something that really has a nice sound and also some decent quality images, but is affordable. I'm sure the sky is the limit when doing videos- you could spend as much money as you have to make them. I don't have to have fantastic production values, but a clear, quality sound and video would be ideal.

What's your setup? Any issues I should be aware of?

There are a couple that I think are good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Cd98DH__U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyTQzA8_kI8

...as a point of reference...

Thanks!

[Thunderthumbs73]

More than 24 hours and no responses? I didn't know that not many people here made videos. Thanks for reading anyways...

[jimb213]

my day job is as a video producer, so I can help you out. Lots of inexpensive video cameras take very nice video nowadays. A friend of mine just got a hundred dollar panasonic lumix digital still camera that takes pretty darn good 720p hi-def video. Definitely not professional quality (it lacks pretty much any manual adjustability - a must for professionals), but for something like ed's video above, it'll work just fine.

Your two biggest issues are going to be lighting and audio. Ed's video has very good basic lighting. There's a large softbox or something similar to the right of the camera with probably a 300 or 500 watt light, as well as a fill light low and to the left to minimize shadows. You can probably make do with a worklight from a hardware store and some foamcore. Aim the light away from you directly at the foamcore, and it will bounce soft, even light back at you. This should cost less than 100 bucks, rather than hundreds (or thousands) for a video light setup. Look up an article online about 3 point lighting to get the basics, and you should be good to go.

As far as audio goes, You'll need some kind of direct or close-mic recording for the bass, plus a mic to pick up any speaking you plan to do. No on-camera mic will get the whole job done with any kind of quality, no matter how great the camera is. So we're probably talking some kind of mulit-track recording into a computer, and at least 2 inputs. I suppose you could record your dialogue with the on-camera mic, and then record your bass directly into your computer, but the sound might be iffy for your instruction.

Once you've got everything recorded, you get to sync the audio and video you've recorded and edit your piece together! For syncing, I would suggest hitting record on the camera and your computer, then smacking your strings over your pickups lightly. That'll make a very fast transient audio cue that will be relatively easy to sync with the video. Then DON'T STOP RECORDING until you're done or out of tape. If you stop recording at any point, you'll have to sync things more than once, and that can get to be a big pain.

As far as editing software, iMovie on the Mac works well, and I think windows movie maker on the PC will get the job done for free. If you're willing to spend a bit of money, Final Cut Express on the Mac, and Sony Vegas on the PC are good choices for under $500.00.

So once everything is sync'd, cut out the bits you don't want so you have a decent finished product, then upload it to youtube!

I hope this is helpful! Feel free to ask more specific questions, although I don't know much about consumer-level cameras.

[Thunderthumbs73]

Thank you very much for the reply. I know about some things, but video is honestly something I know nothing about. And I only know scarcely more about multi-media and computer/music/video issues. This is good information you have provided. I have a stand alone digital mixer and I think that will be of some help, but it seems this is going to require (for me) a decent amount of money on the video and computer side, and some experimentation. Fair enough.

I think my least expensive bet is to use my wife's digital camera with a tripod, and then run the bass into the mixer and/or the computer and synch up the audio with the video. From the depth of your response, this is going to be a project.

Well, thanks. I'm not deterred, and am actually interested in going down this road further when the money is available.

[oldrookie]

This is similar to "what bass should I buy," but jimb123 gave some good advice. A lot of "how much do you want to spend" room in any answer.

Any video requires that you control lighting, audio and shot framing. Proper attention to these items will mean the audience can see what you want them to see and hear what you want them to hear when you want them to see and hear it.

Minimum features I look for in any camera...Mic Input and DV Out. You need to be able to mix and control audio if the video is going to be any good. I find it easier to do that before hitting the camera with the audio. Good idea to confirm compatibility of the camera with your computer operating system before purchasing. Less of an issue than it used to be, but can still be a problem.

Getting more difficult to find consumer video cameras with Mic In, but there are several out there (Canon ZR series usually have a Mic In) for a couple of hundred. Supposed to be coming out with a new ZR next month with a nice feature set for $250. Haven't seen one yet, but will be checking them out.

That would let you put a little mixer (Shure, perhaps) between your mics and the camera. You just need to make sure you have a Microphone Out on the mixer. This would let you setup the audio before it hits the camera and eliminate the issue of having to record straight through to avoid losing sync.

Do everybody a favor and use a tripod.


If you don't know how to use the editing software...lynda.com has extensive online video training on common editing systems for $25.00 a month. Easy to cancel after you've figured out how to use the system you have. I have my students use it so I can concentrate on reporting/shooting/producing, rather than worry about how the software works.

Good luck.

[jimb213]

Originally Posted by Thunderthumbs73

Thank you very much for the reply. I know about some things, but video is honestly something I know nothing about. And I only know scarcely more about multi-media and computer/music/video issues. This is good information you have provided. I have a stand alone digital mixer and I think that will be of some help, but it seems this is going to require (for me) a decent amount of money on the video and computer side, and some experimentation. Fair enough.

I think my least expensive bet is to use my wife's digital camera with a tripod, and then run the bass into the mixer and/or the computer and synch up the audio with the video. From the depth of your response, this is going to be a project.

Well, thanks. I'm not deterred, and am actually interested in going down this road further when the money is available.

That's great that you have a camera and mixer already. You may be able to really simplify things... like oldrookie said, if you camera has an audio input (probably a 1/8" mini plug) you can put your bass and vocal mic into the mixer, then take a line out of that and send it straight into the camera (you'll probably need an adapter cable, like RCA to 1/8"). You'll have the quality audio already sync'd with the video, you'll only have to hit record on one device, and editing becomes much, much easier. Plus, if it's a 4-channel (or greater) mixer, you can also play along with tracks that will be recorded right along with everything else.

You're definitely a couple steps in the right direction equipment-wise. Good luck, man!

Oh yeah, also like oldrookie said, always, always, always use a tripod!!

[Baryonyx]

Don't forget to grow your hair long, wear tight pants and a tank top and demonstrate insane levels of chops. This is an instructional video standard set in the 80's!