Recording bass to a video camera

TKBassman · #1 10-02-2009, 09:01 AM

anyone know how to get the best recording sound when playing aliong with songs while video taping with a video recorder...sound quality is terrible when using the mic on the video camera? Thanks

IdealWay · #2 10-02-2009, 09:08 AM

You could run direct into your computer through an audio interface and then sync the audio and video with editing software. Or you could connect an external microphone if your camera accepts one.

lunarpollen · #3 10-02-2009, 09:09 AM

it depends on the video camera, really... some cameras have crappy built-in mikes, some have decent ones. Some digital ones have multiple settings to allow for higher-quality audio (takes up more memory). And some allow for an external mike to be plugged in.

hgregs · #4 10-02-2009, 09:11 AM

also see if it has a low-cut/high-pass filter - you may need to cut those <100hz lows out.

DWBass · #5 10-02-2009, 09:44 AM

Some cams have inputs to accept audio feeds. Honestly though, many of the newer vidcams can take HD video with high quality sound.

TKBassman · #6 10-02-2009, 10:08 AM

Is there a particular audio interface that would work best? Brand/model?

TKBassman · #7 10-02-2009, 10:09 AM

"sync the audio and video with editing software" .....this is something rather new to me....what editing software is recommended and what is meant by sync the audio and video.....thanks in advance

stinger12345 · #8 10-02-2009, 03:24 PM

Record the video, but also plug into a recording interface (I use a m-audio fast track pro) and plug that into the computer and record using whatever program you use. Then put the video into some editing software, take the sound out of it and in its place put the sound from the recording you made. One thing you can do to make it easier is start the video with a count off, it makes it much easier. That's what I did to make my vids on youtube and it came out exactly how i wanted. I used a webcam, so the video is sub-par, but the audio is cd quality.

TKBassman · #9 10-03-2009, 04:50 AM

Can you plug you bass line directly into the m-audio fast track pro?

seamonkey · #10 10-03-2009, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdealWay

You could run direct into your computer through an audio interface and then sync the audio and video with editing software. Or you could connect an external microphone if your camera accepts one.

With a digital camera, I was amazed how well this stays locked in sync without any fancy syncing techniques. For hours at least.
Just record from a zoom h2, and video camera an put them together in a video. Once you sync the audio it just stays in sync. Nothing complicated.

doctorrockit · #11 10-03-2009, 06:22 PM

TKBassman:

Any USB or firewire audio interface will do. Another world just below the surface awaits! What do you have to work with now? Tell Dr. Rockit, and the truth will reveal itself.

stinger12345 · #12 10-03-2009, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TKBassman

Can you plug you bass line directly into the m-audio fast track pro?

Yes you can. Or if your amp has a Line Out you can use that too, and it's better quality.

**Ukiah Bass** · #13 10-05-2009, 01:48 PM

You have two options. One is the "synch" route, where you record video with the recorder and sound with normal recording processes, then manually synch the files together.

The easier/better way is to use a prosumer camcorder that accepts an external mic jack. XLRs are idea, but most will be standard 3.5mm stereo jacks. I have the latter on a Canon VIXIA HF100, and it was the main reason I selected that particular camcorder.

Here's the signal path I use:

1. Mics (either a stereo mic /dual XLRs on the end, or two condenser mics using a "Blumlein Pair" configuration for surround sound recording. Google "Blumlein Pair" and you'll learn more.

2. The mic cables plug into a JuicedLink JL-CX431, which mounts on top of the tripod. The camcorder mounts on top of that. The JuicedLink is a combination preamp/mixer with four channels of XLR inputs. Works fantastic - highly recommended. See www.juicedlink.com for info. That site, BTW, has a slew of great videos that teach you how to record excellent sound with a camcorder.

3. A short cable runs from the JuicedLink into the camcorder's 3.5mm stereo jack. Everything is recorded direct to a SD card in the camcorder.

Sound is manipulated with your video editing software. I use Pinnacle Studio HD. It outputs the sound in a variety of formats. I usually use 16-bit stereo @ 44kHz (CD quality), but you can go higher than that if you want for manipulation in ProTools or whatever. The file is already synched with video so it's no big deal to drop the sound file back with the video track. BTW, Pinnacle has a bunch of sound editing tools built in so there's little need to export to a standalone application. Pinnacle is enough for me, especially for live sound.

This is not rocket science. Follow the steps above and it's easy to get fantastic sound into your camcorder.