Page 1 of 1

Best way to record video and audio?

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:26 pm
by JamesLORE
Hey! currently getting ready for a few auditions that I'm sending in videos for in the upcoming months, and I'm not exactly sure what methods will get me the best results, or how to pull it off. Currently using an XLR mic hooked up to a scarlet-something or other interface and a mixer, and usually use logic pro for audio recordings but haven't ever included video. (other than bad phone videos) Is there a decent program I should be using? or any other way I should go about this while not losing sound quality? Thanks!

Re: Best way to record video and audio?

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 10:34 am
by rollo
I am not super familiar with Logic, but I would just use that to get the audio sounding just as you would like it, then using a separate video editor (I've used ShotCut which is free) for the video and replacing the audio track with the file from my DAW.

Re: Best way to record video and audio?

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 1:34 pm
by Paulver
Depending on what type of audition you are shooting for, you might investigate a little on whether or not they allow audio/video editing. Translation........ many schools/organizations do not allow any type of mixing or manipulating of the audio or video of the pieces required for the audition. They want to hear exactly what YOU sound like...... not what the mixer board, etc., can make you sound like. We went through a ton of auditions with our daughter for colleges, top tier summer festivals, grad schools, and pro auditions. Not one of them allowed mixing or editing of any sort, except for trimming the beginning where she's getting things ready or the ends where she gets up to turn it off, and obviously, any out takes that can be eliminated that don't affect the end results. She would just let the camera roll for everything three or four times through, pick the best take, then cut out what wasn't usable. A few of them even required having a clock in the frame... with a sweep second hand, to ensure that there was only one continuous take...... no stopping the recorder or editing for the entire required rep list. It can get nerve wracking.

We bought our daughter a ZOOM Q8 video recorder. It has excellent audio and video quality, and it's incredibly small. Although it also has the ability to mix the sound...... to a certain extent, she invariably uses it "flat"....... no manipulation of the sound. You can also add different mics to your liking, and connect it directly to your computer if you wish. The quality is such that it basically isn't even needed.
All you have to do is pick the right room/area for your desired acoustics. She connects it to her computer only for the convenience of converting the files to whatever format is desired by the organization she's auditioning to/for.

We've found the ZOOM Q8 to be a great little recorder with a fair amount of flexibility to do whatever you'd like to do. Connect it to your computer and you can do anything your computer programs will allow.

Re: Best way to record video and audio?

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 3:22 pm
by Mark
Zoom does make surprisingly good video/audio recorders for the price. The Zoom Q2n is cheaper than the Q8 and still does a good job.

Re: Best way to record video and audio?

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 8:05 pm
by Paulver
The way I understand it is that they don't make things in a "cheaper" way. Same quality in the other models. Just fewer options in them, which makes them less expensive.

Re: Best way to record video and audio?

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2023 3:29 pm
by travisd
Logic implies that you’re on a Mac. If that’s a laptop or iMac with a webcam, and that quality is sufficient, you may have what you need. QuickTime can record as well as play back, or you can use iMovie. Both will let you select the XLR-USB audio interface as the audio source.

Re: Best way to record video and audio?

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2023 4:43 pm
by Paulver
Travisd.....

That's how our daughter got started. We have a desktop iMac and a web cam. We bought a Blue mic and put both in the kitchen, as the acoustics are great in there, and kept the iMac in our office..... just for convenience. The recordings were extremely good, and QuickTime was easy to use.
When she went away to college we decided to make it even easier with the ZOOM Q8.