Youtube video problems.

musicftw · 09-07-2009, 01:26 PM

Hey everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I've been playing drums for about 12 years now, mostly freelance, but now i've finally found a band that i'd like to play with on a regular basis. My question pertains to Youtube videos. I've been trying to record one of our songs on video to post on Youtube, but the sound quality is horrible. I used a regular sony Digicamcorder to record the song but it could be a lot better (i didn't mike the drums, but they're still too loud). I just want to know if anyone has experienced similar problems while recording live videos? and if anyone could provide me tips on how to work around the situation (I have pretty limited resources, so i don't think i can afford a new professional camcorder). Should i mike the drums and feed them through a processor and mix them later?

Thanks in advance!

Urban Hat€monger ? · 09-07-2009, 01:36 PM

You'd probably have more luck if you posted this in the Stereo & Production Equipment forum rather than the lounge which is basically for off topic messing around.

Moved

musicftw · 09-07-2009, 01:43 PM

Sorry about that. Newbie mistake.

Freebase Dali · 09-07-2009, 03:26 PM

Well you're definitely limited by the sound quality a camcorder is able to reproduce. That much is certain.
But you can experiment with placing the camera in a position that provides advantages for the sound field as a whole. Try getting the camera away from the drums, as they're naturally going to eat up most of the headroom in the audio recording. Also, if you find yourself getting shrill high-end in the video, try experimenting by placing cloths of various thickness over the microphone input holes on the camera to filter some of the harsh bits out.

Really, your best bet is to place the camera in the optimum position for balance and sound quality as a part of the whole, which will require experimentation.
Just experiment with placement and record takes until you find the best possible position.

Edit:
If you're just planning on recording your drums for demo purposes, you can definitely mic them up and send through your mixer to your recording program... while at the same time recording the video. Afterward you simply separate the audio from the video recording in a video editing program and substitute it with your mic recording. It would simply be a matter of lining up the audio and tweaking to taste, then exporting the video with the new audio as a single video file.
You can probably find video editing programs for free on google.

09-07-2009, 01:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
musicftw Groupie Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 10	Youtube video problems. Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum. I've been playing drums for about 12 years now, mostly freelance, but now i've finally found a band that i'd like to play with on a regular basis. My question pertains to Youtube videos. I've been trying to record one of our songs on video to post on Youtube, but the sound quality is horrible. I used a regular sony Digicamcorder to record the song but it could be a lot better (i didn't mike the drums, but they're still too loud). I just want to know if anyone has experienced similar problems while recording live videos? and if anyone could provide me tips on how to work around the situation (I have pretty limited resources, so i don't think i can afford a new professional camcorder). Should i mike the drums and feed them through a processor and mix them later? Thanks in advance!

09-07-2009, 01:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	You'd probably have more luck if you posted this in the Stereo & Production Equipment forum rather than the lounge which is basically for off topic messing around. Moved __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

09-07-2009, 03:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
Freebase Dali Partying on the inside Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 5,584	Well you're definitely limited by the sound quality a camcorder is able to reproduce. That much is certain. But you can experiment with placing the camera in a position that provides advantages for the sound field as a whole. Try getting the camera away from the drums, as they're naturally going to eat up most of the headroom in the audio recording. Also, if you find yourself getting shrill high-end in the video, try experimenting by placing cloths of various thickness over the microphone input holes on the camera to filter some of the harsh bits out. Really, your best bet is to place the camera in the optimum position for balance and sound quality as a part of the whole, which will require experimentation. Just experiment with placement and record takes until you find the best possible position. Edit: If you're just planning on recording your drums for demo purposes, you can definitely mic them up and send through your mixer to your recording program... while at the same time recording the video. Afterward you simply separate the audio from the video recording in a video editing program and substitute it with your mic recording. It would simply be a matter of lining up the audio and tweaking to taste, then exporting the video with the new audio as a single video file. You can probably find video editing programs for free on google. __________________

09-07-2009, 01:43 PM	#3 (permalink)
musicftw Groupie Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 10	Sorry about that. Newbie mistake.