Lining up Video with Audio Question!

[GuitarEvan07]

Hey guys, I have a Kodak Easyshare digital camera that has a video option(you can do videos as well). I am getting a Boss Br-600 digital recorder for Christmas to record me playing guitar(audio) and I want to use the camera to get video. Is there an easier way to match up audio and video rather than going in windows movie maker and manually aligning it? Thanks!

[courtney2018]

You need what is called a slate board, which can be easily made with scrap wood. The idea is that in your video editing software you can move the audio clip until you get the spike in the audio (from the slapping sound of the slate board) to match where the arm of the slate board touches the body of the slate board.

This is how the pros do it. This is why they do it.

[Yousef]

Lol, thats something I never actually knew. Thanks !

Why would the Camera not align the audio and video together? I have a Canon and it does it fine without any problems. Oh wait, it could be the video format it is recording in..

[GuitarEvan07]

No, I'm recording Audio through a Br-600(recording hardware) and video though a camera.

[IbanezFreak777]

and make sure you scream out "Action", its very important otherwise the video wont work

[GuitarEvan07]

Really? Ok Ill make sure to do that.


















































J/K, but it would be funny if I did.

[courtney2018]

Originally Posted by Yousef

Lol, thats something I never actually knew. Thanks !

Why would the Camera not align the audio and video together? I have a Canon and it does it fine without any problems. Oh wait, it could be the video format it is recording in..

Video cameras, even the professional and prosumer models, do an awesome job of capturing and recording audio, even with a highend attached microphone, but this isn't what they're designed for. They're designed for capturing outstanding video quality. An equally highend audio capturing device is typically/usually used to get the audio in pristine quality, because that's what it's designed for. You'll have a camera guy capturing the video and maybe an attached mic for audio. This audio is usually used for backup.

The audio guy is there to capture the audio. Before each take you use the slate board to make a noise and make note of which take it is, what day, what time, etc. The video is recording that information while someone is speaking out what that information is so the same is recorded on the audio tracks. The slate board noise is made while both the camera and audio are rolling. That way in post you can align the video with the audio.

In film it's alittle bit different. Film cameras typically don't have anything audio (mic) attached to them. That's totally for the audio guy to do, which there are several of. You've got someone doing the main action, someone probably doing it from afar and someone else that records background action. Then you also have foley artists that add there own audio to at post time.

Super low budget productions and home movies is where the audio is recorded with the video in the video camera. Low budget productions you might get someone recording audio with you. All movies and TV shows the video/film is recorded seperately from the audio.

Yea, I've spent quite a bit of time doing all this.

[Rip]

Originally Posted by IbanezFreak777

and make sure you scream out "Action", its very important otherwise the video wont work

well the 1st AD or director would say that..

If he is playing the role of "sound mixer"
he'd only say "sound speed" when asked by the 1st AD or Director to roll.



(i know you're kidding)

[Rip]

Originally Posted by GuitarEvan07

Hey guys, I have a Kodak Easyshare digital camera that has a video option(you can do videos as well). I am getting a Boss Br-600 digital recorder for Christmas to record me playing guitar(audio) and I want to use the camera to get video. Is there an easier way to match up audio and video rather than going in windows movie maker and manually aligning it? Thanks!

For the gear you mention, Yes a Slate is the way to go.

What you'd be using is called a "dumb slate" or "clap board"

Most productions (myself included) use "smart slates" or "timecode slates"
these days. On your recorder you have timecode being recorded. You have to properly set up the correct frame rate, sample rate for the correct Film speed, and also figure out what process will be used to "sync" the material,
This process is called telecine.
With a smart slate its very quick and easy to sync.

Every few hours you connect the Smart slate to the recorder via a special connector and "jam" the slate so it has the same
timecode showing on it that the recorder has in its display. Disconnect the cable, and the smart slate continues with those numbers
with its internal timecode generator.

On the picture when the timecode numbers are moving on the slate..
just pause the picture at any point. Say the number on the slate is
08.52.13.16
You just goto the audio file, and find the same moment in time...and line them up. In todays edit systems..its as easy as pausing the picture...
and with the audio already in your bin..just type the timecode number
into an import box..and the program goes and finds which audio file has
that timecode number, it imports it, and places it at the right place.


But anyway, back to your question.
The biggest issue you're going to have is drift on longer takes where
the audio/video will be in sync at the start..but a few mins in..
the picture/video start to drift apart. It all depends on the stability of
the clock in your recorders.
If you can, put a slate at the END of the take as well.
Sync the beginning.. and then play the ending..see if its drifting one way or the other.

If it is.. just watch the clip notice where it starts to visibly drift..
break the audio file apart..and slip the audio back in sync at that point.
Continue watching it again if it happens and repeat the process throughout.

Its not as bad as it sounds.

[IbanezFreak777]

Is there such a thing that can trigger both the Video and Audio hardware simultaneously ?

[GuitarEvan07]

Thanks so much guys!

[Rip]

Originally Posted by courtney2018

Video cameras, even the professional and prosumer models, do an awesome job of capturing and recording audio, even with a highend attached microphone, but this isn't what they're designed for. They're designed for capturing outstanding video quality. An equally highend audio capturing device is typically/usually used to get the audio in pristine quality, because that's what it's designed for. You'll have a camera guy capturing the video and maybe an attached mic for audio. This audio is usually used for backup.

The audio guy is there to capture the audio. Before each take you use the slate board to make a noise and make note of which take it is, what day, what time, etc. The video is recording that information while someone is speaking out what that information is so the same is recorded on the audio tracks. The slate board noise is made while both the camera and audio are rolling. That way in post you can align the video with the audio.

In film it's alittle bit different. Film cameras typically don't have anything audio (mic) attached to them. That's totally for the audio guy to do, which there are several of. You've got someone doing the main action, someone probably doing it from afar and someone else that records background action. Then you also have foley artists that add there own audio to at post time.

Super low budget productions and home movies is where the audio is recorded with the video in the video camera. Low budget productions you might get someone recording audio with you. All movies and TV shows the video/film is recorded seperately from the audio.

Yea, I've spent quite a bit of time doing all this.

no offence buddy..
but you gotta learn a bit more before you start to try to teach people about it.

(and yes, I make my living as a production sound mixer for TV/Film)

[Rip]

Originally Posted by IbanezFreak777

Is there such a thing that can trigger both the Video and Audio hardware simultaneously ?

The way to which you are refering is how people did it in the old days. ( jk hah 10 years ago)
There are plenty of devices out there that sync'ed machines together via
timecode.

And there still are.

Being that *audio for film* has finally for the most part switched over to non linear recording..
and the delivery format of choice right now is DVD-RAM or DVD -R (most telecines cant read DVD-R yet using the standard fostex machines)

Since its DVD...its easier to transfer the files into the comp..
and sync it in your edit program of choice. (some edit systems being easier than others)

[Rip]

Originally Posted by GuitarEvan07

Thanks so much guys!

if you dont have a clapboard..which im sure you dont.

Just clap your hands together right before you start making sure
the camera can see where your 2 hands come together.

Later, find that spike in your audio wave form and the moment where your hands come together.
slide them a few frames back and forth to get it where you want.

(dont forget to slap your hands together at the end to make sure
you arent losing sync throughout the recording)

[GuitarEvan07]

Thanks, but theres a problem with that...I have no hands...j/k, no but there really is a problem.
The Br600(audio recorder) is not being fed by a microphone. My guitar is plugged directly into it from my amp. Therefore, Clapping would only be seen(or heard) through the camera. So I guess I could strum a Loud chord or something, that way the video camera picks up on it and the recorder.