Thinking of doing a video

[unclrob]

So  what should I get?Must have good audio.My first project will be my version of Little Martha.The plan is to record 2 guitar parts and one bass part.Any and all suggestion would be helpfull,must user idiot proof

[lkjjr]

I've been looking into this myself lately too.  Much of the answer lies in how much you may already have in recording "apparatus" and how much you're willing to spend.  I'm a kind of guy that looks for doing things with as modest a budget as possible, so consider that in my response...

There are of course 2 "streams" to consider: audio and video.  I'm guessing you probably already have a good understanding of the audio side.  As a low $$$ option I use a Zoom R8 to record the audio.  With it I can use on board mics (decent quality), external mics, or plug guitars straight in.  I mix the audio tracks in Audacity (open source software available in Windows and Linux versions).

For video you need something that records in 1080p resolution.  There are a lot of options for this, including web cams, point and shoot cameras, GoPro style action cams and camcorders.  Most of the less expensive stuff have pretty crappy integrated mics, and often no way of plugging in an external mic.  Just a couple of weeks ago I got a Sony Cybershot WX9 (point and shoot) in excellent condition off eBay for $28.  It shoots very nice quality 1080p videos with sufficient light and mounted on a tripod.  If you go this way the prevailing opinion seems to be that Sony and Panasonic have the best video quality.

I marry the audio and video up in a video editor- Kdenlive (also open source and available in Windows and Linux versions). It plays very well with Audacity.  Most likely, unless you have some prior experience with editing video, this will be the most challenging point in the process.

You can see that I have a bias for open source software.  I use the Linux Mint OS (v19.1) on a not so recent Dell Optiplex 7010 desktop and it is able to handle the load of editing 1080p videos well.  If you have a Mac computer they generally have very good native audio/video software already loaded on their systems.

While none of this is "idiot proof" given the skills you have with guitars, you'll be able to conquer this, no doubt.  I've barely scratched the surface on this subject.  There's a ton of info available, some good stuff on YouTube too.  Don't let the sheer volume of info on this get in your way. Even though I'm still learning too, I have a good bit of experience in producing videos for corporate training and presentations.  Feel free to PM me.  I'm sure there will be a lot more support from board members too.

Happy hunting...

[jpmist]

So  what should I get?

Mac? PC? Is this for YouTube?

If Mac, then any phone camera can do video, then pop it into iMovie and marry it with the audio you did on Garageband. Note that YouTube will compress your audio quite a bit so perfection might not be worth the extra time.

[unclrob]

I have a 13 year old pc..so it looks like I need a newer one.As for camera I'm looking at the Sony as my best bet.

[lkjjr]

A 13 yr. old PC will likely struggle to process 1080p ("HD") video files.  As an alternative you might want to consider recording at a lower resolution (i.e., 720p "SD") if necessary.  Any camera that can record at 1080 will usually also have an option for lower resolution too.

Before going to a camera that can record 1080 I used a 720 camera that produced some reasonably sharp videos.  For me the main factor in getting good results was to avoid any "low light" recording. I had an older Panasonic camera I had only used for still photos, but eventually realized it could do great videos too.  A good, sharp, clear lens is the key.  That camera was a Panasonic Lumix TZ5, and they can be had on eBay in good condition around $30-40 these days.  Cnet.com has pretty useful reviews on cameras.

As jpmist stated above most better quality smartphones can also be a great alternative if you already have one.

[unclrob]

As I have stated I'm user idiot and a smart phone,I still use a flip phone.Thanks for the leads time for this old dog to learn more.

[ST]

Hi Barefoot Rob,

So  what should I get?Must have good audio.My first project will be my version of Little Martha.The plan is to record 2 guitar parts and one bass part.Any and all suggestion would be helpfull,must user idiot proof

Are you going to play all three parts or do you have three players?

[unclrob]

I plan on playing all three parts as I can't talk anyone into learning it.Once I get the first trac down which I plan using my OM03blackwood then I'll have to pick the second guitar either my OM03PA or my Guild JF30.The bass part will be my Guild Starfire.

[ST]

Hi Barefoot Rob,

You can use this virtual digital audio workstation in the cloud. BandLab.

If you've got a computer or tablet that connects to a microphone, headphones and connection to the web, you can do the multi-track recording.  All the processing happens in the cloud.

Assuming you've got a microphone that connects to the web, and headphones - you can try your hand at multitrack recording without spending any money.

Once you've tried that, you can do a video, extract the audio track, upload that to BandLab, add the other tracks, download the mixed result and re-sync that with the video.

I plan on playing all three parts as I can't talk anyone into learning it.Once I get the first trac down which I plan using my OM03blackwood then I'll have to pick the second guitar either my OM03PA or my Guild JF30.The bass part will be my Guild Starfire.

[lkjjr]

On a "wild hair" I made a basic/simple recording of an old Stills tune "See the Changes" this morning  Used the equipment mentioned in the post above (i.e. a "point and shoot" Sony WX9 and the onboard mics of a Zoom R8). 

I'm no expert picker to be sure, but thought you might appreciate seeing the output from a fairly modest video recording setup.

At any rate, here's a YT link if you're interested...
See the Changes

[unclrob]

Sounded great,what year is your D35?I know its been a while since I've posted but with my rib injury I haven't been able to play any guitar and the recording idea had to be put on hold.Whats the going rate for the Sony?

Plus I've decided to do Little Martha on the Guild 12 string and I was just going to add a bass part.Now its a hour a day getting my hands back in shape it almost like starting over.I've always liked See the change's.

Thanks it sounded great.

[lkjjr]

Thanks for the kind words.  It was pretty much just a pick it up and go sort of take, not very polished.

I was able to purchase the D35S in the summer of '72 on a bit of a fluke.  It was hanging on the wall of a music store in Atlanta, and I was looking for a good guitar on a severely limited "student's budget."  Dreaming of a D28, I really didn't have the funds for a Martin and was thinking about an Ovation Balladeer.  Nobody was giving the D35S much interest because of the slightly wider and shorter (12 fret) neck, so he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.  I found a way to stretch the budget a bit.  Street price was either $600 or 650 if memory serves, and I got for a little over $400... Been in love ever since.

The Sony cam is going for around $35 on eBay.  A couple of months back I paid $28 plus s&h. 

Been keeping track of your "set back" a bit through your posts.  Glad to hear you can at least get the hour or so a day.  One of my elders once remarked "old age ain't for sissies". How true...

[dberch]

Hi Rob!  Any progress on your video?

[unclrob]

OK heres were it stands...after a few issue of a health nature for both the wife and me,a friend is getting into doing a facebook or yahoo,I really don't know which video thing.So since I have a space to do it in we have been putting carpet on the walls so we can have a nicer place to do it.It will take a few more weeks to get it done and a little more gear but we are moving forward.

[danmcb]

I am in the process of getting fairly well geared up for this. I am all ready pretty OK at recording (had home studios etc in the past as well as a good professional level background in audio electronics). But video has been a whole learning curve. This is what I've picked up.

1. Lighting lighting lighting. Seriously, this makes more difference than an expensive cam. You need lots of consistent light. You can pick up LED lamps that you can adjust the light color of for around 50 bucks each. You probably want two of them. The colour of the light matters. I found that for what I wanted I set everything down to about 3000 (which is a reddish coloured light) or my face and everything else looks very pale and cold. Having a bit of back light behind me and a fancy old lamp for "mood" lightimng makes a lot of difference. You can use domestic lighting as well, in a pinch, but LED lights are well worth it.

2. I use a 2 cam setup with to GoPro Hero 4's which I got second hand for about 120 each. I love these things. They don't do 4k, but 2k7 OK. Fine for what I want. The great thing is that with the GoPro app you can control the shot (including getting a preview to frame things as you want) via smartphone or a tablet, which is really helpful.  The 2 cam setup really helps to keep the final video interesting as you can cut back and forth between the 2 cams.

3. For video you need good sound, so your record audio via your home recording stup (in my case an SE mic and a Zoom 16 track, then I transfer into Reaper/Ableton and edit/mix there). Sound from cams is never used, only to sync your video.

4. Editing - I use Cyberlink Powerdirector which is cheap and does  a great (ok good enough) job. The Adobe software that pros use costs a fortune and hogs processor power. PD uses your graphics card better than the cheaper Adobe offerings. This matters so that you can preview your edits.

5. Keep it simple - good lighting, simple shots well framed, and of course good audio. Avoid fancy transitions, video effects and so on. They look really naf.

There is a decent book called "Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck" which is worth reading.

(This has been a bit of a learning curve - only in the last months I decided to try to really focus on this. You can see how my efforts have evolved here if you are curious:

www.youtube.com/channel/UCyUlW75iP5YZ22Np911G9dg

)

[unclrob]

danmcb thanks for the info and the youtube site.

My latest update on health I have since fallen 3 times I have a balance issue's which with all the falls I have given myself three concussions and damage my right arm and hand making playing shall we just say "fun" but I'm pushing on.I hope to have the 12 string part video soon and if I can figure out how to post it I will.I may need to email it to someone to post it.

TATAA for now.

[danmcb]

ow that sounds pretty rough. Best of luck with recovery.

To be honest I've been at the vid thing a few years - probably best to start small and simple and just build it up as you feel you need. We all have enough GAS with guitars and recording without adding video gear to the list ;-)

[unclrob]

Thats the plan.My friend/brother has been researching it for a while.The plan is one camera,stage style lighting and we hope to add some audio.I've been a FOH guy for 35 years and have done some stage lighting both live and for studio.