Video recording guidance needed.

[Huggy Love]

I recently picked up a NOS Vivitar camera (DVR783HD) in a bargain bin at a Ross store, a cheapo and old model, but it does vids & has an underwater case. I was going to use it for underwater fishing shots but also for making solo Jazz performance vids.

Problem is the built in mic is very sensitive and I have to play at whisper quiet volumes or the sound signal is distorted really bad, and even then some of the stronger notes clip out. It's so significant that playing at that low of volume is even hard for me to connect musically and the performances are shaky at best.

So I hate to answer my own questions here but, is it a waste of time to try all this on a cheapo? Look into a better camera? Are there better cameras that have control over the mic sensitivity? Or better cameras that would sinc with my DAW somehow?

Any tips are appreciated.

 

[alantig]

Well, as a longtime veteran of shaky performances...

If the camera doesn’t have a setting for reducing the mic sensitivity, about your only choice is to move it farther away, which may not be an option.

I’ve been using my iPad for recording the stuff I’ve posted. That’s worked okay, but the audio could probably be better. I’ve debated getting a camera dedicated for that kind of thing. Zoom makes what looks like a good option for about $300. I’ve been very happy with my portable Zoom audio recorder and the sound it gets. The camera uses the same tech, IIRC.

 

[CandidPicker]

One alternative to look into is a better quality mic attachment for your iPhone or iPad. Sweetwater has these. The mics plug into the lightning connection. Downside is, you're recording on iPhone battery time. Be sure to home-button-twice and upswipe on all open apps to reduce the number of apps running in the background.

With the iPhone it is possible to use a tripod attachment and hold the phone horizontally for the best recording image. You'd need to google these ( I don't know where to find them myself ). An alternative is to use an iKlip device for your phone or iPad. The iKlip can be attached to an upright mic or music stand.

 

[Ovibos]

Record audio into your DAW (I use Reaper) and import the video without audio. Align the tracks. (You do this sync by clapping at the beginning and then lining up the video of the clap with the audio from the mic going into the DAW.

 

[Huggy Love]

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I don't have an iPhone or iPad so those options are out, and the NOS Vivitar is so old that there is no compatible software to manage importing of video only without audio, I can only plug it into my computer and drag the complete .avi, video & audio.

Looks like I'll have to work with camera distance for now, maybe turn my speaker around, or look into a better or more up to date unit. I'll look into the Zoom camera, I have the same Zoom recorder although I just use it as an audio interface for my DAW.

 

[CandidPicker]

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I don't have an iPhone or iPad so those options are out, and the NOS Vivitar is so old that there is no compatible software to manage importing of video only without audio, I can only plug it into my computer and drag the complete .avi, video & audio.

Looks like I'll have to work with camera distance for now, maybe turn my speaker around, or look into a better or more up to date unit. I'll look into the Zoom camera, I have the same Zoom recorder although I just use it as an audio interface for my DAW.

Hmm. Wish I could help more, but the mic and iKlip were the only things I could think of presently. There's bound to be Vivitar or old recording forums online somewhere. Best wishes.

 

[Ovibos]

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I don't have an iPhone or iPad so those options are out, and the NOS Vivitar is so old that there is no compatible software to manage importing of video only without audio, I can only plug it into my computer and drag the complete .avi, video & audio.

Looks like I'll have to work with camera distance for now, maybe turn my speaker around, or look into a better or more up to date unit. I'll look into the Zoom camera, I have the same Zoom recorder although I just use it as an audio interface for my DAW.

You can import the video and strip out the audio track with QuickTime player on Mac (I’m sure there’s a PC option)

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Well, as a longtime veteran of shaky performances...

If the camera doesn’t have a setting for reducing the mic sensitivity, about your only choice is to move it farther away, which may not be an option.

I’ve been using my iPad for recording the stuff I’ve posted. That’s worked okay, but the audio could probably be better. I’ve debated getting a camera dedicated for that kind of thing. Zoom makes what looks like a good option for about $300. I’ve been very happy with my portable Zoom audio recorder and the sound it gets. The camera uses the same tech, IIRC.

The Zoom Q2n is, on paper (and their website) a fantastic piece of gear. As expected, its audio capabilities are excellent, but the video quality is really sub-par in anything other than bright light. Outdoors in daylight is good. Indoors... unless you’re using very good studio lights, the image is super-grainy. I bought 3 of these, and was really disappointed. I worked with Zoom tech support, and they pretty much admitted that the example clips were done in a studio setting.

What is a great solution is this... an iPhone, used with a Shure MV51 - it has onboard pre-processing, with 5 different audio “scenes”, including a live band setting.

 

[aphantomvaper]

You could overlay the "good" audio over the bad. Experiment!

 

[Moondog Wily]

A lot of good suggestions here. One thing I would add is, when using other audio source, the longer the recording is, the more likely you will see a little "drift" in the sync. So using the hand clap method at beginning is a great way to line it up, but the more minutes in you get, the more likely you are to see them go slightly out of sync. To adjust that, you would need to slightly adjust the audio or the video to keep it synced throughout the entire clip (if longer). It used to be a lot worse when there was tape rolling, with the motors on the two devices spinning at slightly different speeds.

Anyway, this is all based on doing post work on what you shoot rather than getting something you like from a single source at the get go. There are plenty of vid cameras at reasonable prices that have a separate mic input I believe, so maybe look for something like that so you can have a descent mic feeding directly into the camera. You are will not get any drift in that scenario.

Good luck! Looking forward to seeing/hearing what you come up with!

Happy pickin'!
MW

 

[alantig]

The Zoom Q2n is, on paper (and their website) a fantastic piece of gear. As expected, its audio capabilities are excellent, but the video quality is really sub-par in anything other than bright light. Outdoors in daylight is good. Indoors... unless you’re using very good studio lights, the image is super-grainy. I bought 3 of these, and was really disappointed. I worked with Zoom tech support, and they pretty much admitted that the example clips were done in a studio setting.

What is a great solution is this... an iPhone, used with a Shure MV51 - it has onboard pre-processing, with 5 different audio “scenes”, including a live band setting.

I've never made the jump for the Zoom, but that's good info to know.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Record audio into your DAW (I use Reaper) and import the video without audio. Align the tracks. (You do this sync by clapping at the beginning and then lining up the video of the clap with the audio from the mic going into the DAW.

This is the correct answer.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I don't have an iPhone or iPad so those options are out

An iPad is like $300-400 and worth it. I can literally make videos, put it in iMovie, and then use garage band for post, post to YouTube, and all of it is included (or free).

I randomly do this with my son while playing hot wheels or some sh!t. It’s pretty easy once you put in a few random hours of messing around.

 

[markd21]

I use a Nikon D5600 and plug a Zoom H6's line-out into the mic input of the Nikon. I also have the option of simultaneously recording the audio to disk for backup/post-production. Works great.

 

[Huggy Love]

Thanks for all the tips, I've already learned a bit.

Unfortunately my arthritis/spine/computer issues prevent me from doing a lot of post production, and iPhones & tablets are even harder for me to use than my desktop. TBH this is the first actual thread I've posted here in a very long time, I really have to limit my duration on tech.

Economically this is all wagging the dog considering I only paid $19.99 for it and it actually gets the job done, if I can just tame the signal somehow I might get something done. That said the first suggestion of the Zoom camera looks to be most economical, simple & effective option at $200, the video reviews on it look pretty good.

 

[Huggy Love]

the video quality is really sub-par in anything other than bright light. Outdoors in daylight is good. Indoors... unless you’re using very good studio lights, the image is super-grainy.

Just bumping to say I picked up a Q2n-4k and my initial results are the exact opposite of what you describe, vids are clear & crisp except for the lowest quality setting, and the mics and audio adjustments work really well. It has a bunch of settings and I was able to easily get a decent picture with just the light from a north facing window. Not like top of the line video gear but as good or better than most cellphones.