Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Camcorder for Yewtoob music vids

3 views
Skip to first unread message

Max

unread,
Jan 3, 2010, 4:14:27 PM1/3/10
to
I bought a Panasonic SDRH80. The onboard mic doesn't pick up much at
all; the amplified guitar is mostly acoustic. I need a camcorder with
a good mic? This looks expensive. Any recommendations? Limited budget.

Jim Soloway

unread,
Jan 3, 2010, 5:14:51 PM1/3/10
to

The easiest way to get decent sound on a YouTube video is to record
the sound simultaneously to your computer as you shoot the
performance. Then synch the two on your computer and mute the audio
fro the camera.

esiegel

unread,
Jan 3, 2010, 8:24:29 PM1/3/10
to

There is this new gadget from Zoom, the folks who make the H2 and the
H4 recorders. It is called, poetically, the Q3. It has the audio
guts of the H2, more or less, and a video camera that is apparently
more or less the same as the Flip camera, which is to say...meh. But
if you have good lighting, you will get high quality video and sound,
more than adequate for utoob.

E

Rick Stone

unread,
Jan 4, 2010, 9:25:00 AM1/4/10
to

The best way is to use a separate system for recording the audio. Even
with expensive pro cameras, the sound sucks (location is very important
and the best place for the camera is generally NOT the best place for
the mic).

I've gotten decent results using my little Zoom H2 on the bandstand and
having the camera out in the audience. You can sync them up later by
dragging the WAV file into your video editing program (I'm using Sony
Vegas Studio right now). Find the first note, or a sound you can cue
to, zoom in really tight (till you're down to a single frame of video)
and drag the WAV file till it lines up with the audio track from the
camera. Then just MUTE the camera's audio track.

I was thinking that you needed time-codes and all, and was VERY
surprised to learn that what I just described above is pretty much what
the pros do as well. I've got a former student who's a videographer.
He's done work for Sony (Yo Yo Ma, etc.) and he says they always record
the audio with ProTools, run several cameras, and then just drag it into
Final Cut Pro or Avid and line it up by finding a cue visually. Pretty
simple.

In terms of video quality, unless you plan to spend REALLY big bucks on
a camera (the ones that you'll actually start seeing much difference
start at $5,000) you'll get MUCH more bang for the buck by investing in
LIGHTING (lower end digital cameras need LOTS of light). I bought a
couple umbrella lights, but because my space is so small, I'm starting
to think that the lights I made using 10" dish lamps, 100w screw-in
florescent bulbs, and a piece of translucent marker paper (to diffuse
the light) actually worked better. Just google photographic lighting
techniques and you'll get all the basics.

Have fun. . . .

--
Rick Stone
website: www.rickstone.com
Some of My Other sites: www.myspace.com/rickstonemusic
www.facebook.com/rickstonemusic www.sonicbids.com/rickstone
www.reverbnation.com/rickstone www.youtube.com/jazzand
www.cdbaby.com/all/jazzand http://jazzguitarny.ning.com

rickstone.vcf

Gerry

unread,
Jan 4, 2010, 11:16:15 AM1/4/10
to

I'd recommend a camera that has an input for an external mic, and the
option for regulating the volume. I have a great deal of confidence
in Panasonic products. Mine (GS300) has a mic input and access to
levels, and is was not a particularly expensive video camera. Of course
it also isn't HD. But I'm surprised the SDRH80 doesn't have one. I
assume the next step up on the Panasonic line likely does.
--
Dogmatism kills jazz. Iconoclasm kills rock. Rock dulls scissors.

Gerry

unread,
Jan 4, 2010, 11:17:45 AM1/4/10
to
On 2010-01-04 06:25:00 -0800, Rick Stone <rick...@rickstone.com> said:

> I'm starting to think that the lights I made using 10" dish lamps, 100w
> screw-in
> florescent bulbs, and a piece of translucent marker paper (to diffuse
> the light) actually worked better

I just turn the mounts around and bounce the light off the (white) walls.

Five Sharp

unread,
Jan 4, 2010, 12:32:24 PM1/4/10
to
Hey Max, I use a Camcorder with a built-in input for an external mike. I
connect my mixer to the Cam like that. I use a Canon FS 100. The on-board
stereo mic is not bad but never gets hifi resluts.

#####


"Max" <hepkatre...@gmail.com> schreef in bericht
news:3ae37bab-9875-4f8e...@a32g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...

charles robinson

unread,
Jan 4, 2010, 12:39:04 PM1/4/10
to

"esiegel" <esie...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:88901930-e3ce-48f5...@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com...

E

I just picked one of those up, I'll post something if I get anything
good.......Charlie


Nice Dan from UK

unread,
Jan 4, 2010, 1:57:01 PM1/4/10
to
On Jan 4, 5:39 pm, "charles robinson" <robinsonch...@comcast.net>
wrote:
> "esiegel" <esieg...@gmail.com> wrote in message

We've been using the Zoom Q3 for requested customer videos and it's
fantastic!!

Rick Stone

unread,
Jan 4, 2010, 9:14:13 PM1/4/10
to
Gerry wrote:
> On 2010-01-04 06:25:00 -0800, Rick Stone <rick...@rickstone.com> said:
>
>> I'm starting to think that the lights I made using 10" dish lamps,
>> 100w screw-in
>> florescent bulbs, and a piece of translucent marker paper (to diffuse
>> the light) actually worked better
>
> I just turn the mounts around and bounce the light off the (white) walls.

Gerry, that only works if you've got light colored walls. Just about
every inch of my studio is covered with studio foam, diffusers,
amplifiers, gear and bookshelves (this is NOT an exaggeration, if you
gave me a 8x10 picture I would literally have NO WHERE to hang it). So
the to translucent marker paper worked great and gives me a great deal
of control over where the light is going. The screw-in florescents are
efficient and give of very little heat, the 10" dishes cost about
$12/each at Lowes (they market them as "heat lamps" but that's only true
if you stick a 400watt incandescent bulb in them).

Also, bouncing the lights off the walls might diffuse it more than you
actually want. Same trouble I'm having with the umbrellas in a small
space. You want to have SOME shadows for contrast. A typical lighting
setup usually has one flood placed high and slightly off to one side,
another down lower, and one behind the subject to light the background.
This setup will keep everything looking nice and crisp and give a bit
of dimension. Too much diffusion will make everything look washed out.

Shoot against as plain a background as possible. When you compress
video, anything extra in the background is going to take up file space
and lead to a lower quality video. As I said, my place is really
crowded, so I invested in a few different muslin clothes and got a
curtain wire from Ikea that I can hang them from (They sell, or you can
make stands for the muslins, but I didn't even have enough room to put a
stand in here so the curtain wire was the best solution).

You can experiment with the combination of background and what to wear.
I made the mistake of wearing a black shirt and had a black background
on one of my early attempts and wound up looking like a floating head
(pretty cool, but not what I was going for :-) Just remember, high
contrast is GOOD!

rickstone.vcf
0 new messages