Saturday, May 11, 2013

How do I record myself on video playing drums?

Q. I want to play drums and set up a video camera to record me, but at the same time actually sound somewhat decent.
Also to record myself doing drum covers to songs.
How do I do this without mic's?

A. I do that all the time! Keep the videos and over time, if you ever doubt that you are getting better, you'll see that practice really does work. You can use any small digital camera to record yourself. I put mine on a desk 2 meters in front of my bass drum and it recorded fine. It's better if you have a window near by for light. If you want to do covers a lot of people use an mp3 or CD player with headphones and play along to it then when they put the video on their computer they add the music on to the video.


What would be the best HD video camera for filming action?
Q. I need to film myself playing drums. Ideally the camera doesn't have to have any features, like zoom or any editing stuff, except recording because I'm just going to set it up on a tripod in a fixed spot. I just need a video camera that can record fast action well and has a sharp picture.

A. Consumer level HD camcorders have 3 problems. 1) Blurry, fuzzy, out of focus areas closely around people in videos taken by consumer level HD camcorders. 2) Any movement, even a wave or lifting an arm, while in front of a recording consumer level HD camcorder, results in screen ghosts and artifacts being left on the video track, following the movement. Makes for bad video, sports videos are unwatchable. 3) Mandatory maximum record times - 1 hour, 30 minutes, 8 minutes, 3 minutes - all times advertised as maximum record time for some consumer level HD camcorders. No event i have aver been to is that short. Either take multiple camcorders or pack up with out getting the end of the event on video.

With a MiniDV tape camcorder, record 60 or 90 minutes ( camcorder settings), 90 second or less to change a tape and record for 60 or 90 more and repeat till you run out of tapes.

You can get a Canon ZR960 for $250. It is a MiniDV tape camcorder, has a Mic jack. You need a firewire (IEEE1394) card ($25 to 30) for the computer and a firewire cable (less than 10) to be able to transfer video to your computer.

Just to add to Number 2 from up above, the movements of you playing your drums would not look good on a consumer level HD camcorder at all.


Need a good camera for recording drums live?
Q. Looking for a decent priced camera for recording drums live. Something that doesn't cost to much but gets the job done. Need it to record music primarily so it needs a good mic. thanks

A. Your requirement should read:

"Need it to record LOUD music primarily"

Which ever video capture device you get needs to have manual audio gain control.

At the low end, in consumer cams, this is usually a mic attenuator selection in the camcorder's menu. Normal for regular levels, On for loud audio. With these, lenses are small along with small imaging chips resulting in poor low light behavior. Spend a little on the camcorder, spend more on lighting.

Move up the food chain and the control gets more granular. 10-12 steps, again controlled in the menu. Get to prosumers and pro grade and the manual audio control is on the outside of the camcorder. Lenses and imaging chips get larger so low light behavior improves as the price of the camcorder goes up. Spend more on the camcorder, spend a little on lighting.

Step 1: Set a budget. $300, $1,300, $2,300, $3,000 or more? Be sure to include tripod, cables, mics lighting and all that.
Step 2: See what fits. Download the manual from the camcorder manufacturer. Be sure it does hat you need (manual audio gain control).
Step 3: Set your expectations accordingly. Pro grade gear (like your good drums) are not inexpensive.
Step 4: Any camera or camcorder can record decent video when used within its design parameters. Stray from these and expect problems. Be sure your computer can deal with the video files for playback and editing. Check your video editor, too.

If you choose to get a drum mic kit, you will need a mixer to attach them all to the camcorder. Be sure the camcorder has audio input jacks (consumer grade uses 1/8" stereo that can take XLR connections with an XLR adapter (juicedLink - BeachTek); pro grade gear uses XLR connections built-in.





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