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Old 08-03-2017, 09:20 AM
lpa53 lpa53 is offline
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Default Syncing Audio and Video

For my Youtube recordings to date I've been using my Zoom recorder for both audio and video. However, I've been thinking of recording the audio through my old M-Audio Fast Track into Audacity to give me control over separated guitar and vocal audio tracks.

Two questions: Is this how most higher-quality videos are produced, and if so, how are the video and audio synced after the fact? I'm concerned about the latter because I don't see how one could start the two recording devices simultaneously.
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Last edited by lpa53; 08-03-2017 at 09:47 AM.
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Old 08-03-2017, 09:37 AM
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The method for synchronizing the pair is to provide a visual action on camera that creates an impulse sound, for instance a clap.

Once you finished the video you place the video and audio in the timeline and move the audio until the impulse, the clap sound, lines up with the visual, the coming together of the hands. et Voile'! Once in sync you edit the clap off the front end of both audio and video.

Bob
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Old 08-03-2017, 10:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
The method for synchronizing the pair is to provide a visual action on camera that creates an impulse sound, for instance a clap.

Once you finished the video you place the video and audio in the timeline and move the audio until the impulse, the clap sound, lines up with the visual, the coming together of the hands. et Voile'! Once in sync you edit the clap off the front end of both audio and video.

Bob
Thanks, Bob. I'll give this a try. It'll be fun to experiment with something new.
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Old 08-03-2017, 11:09 AM
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Thanks, Bob. I'll give this a try. It'll be fun to experiment with something new.
Sure! You can creep frame-by-frame in the video to find the frame where the hands come together and then drag the impulse right there.

Bob
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Old 08-03-2017, 11:12 AM
Brent Hahn Brent Hahn is offline
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Sure! You can creep frame-by-frame in the video to find the frame where the hands come together and then drag the impulse right there.
You have a little wiggle room, as long as the audio isn't early.
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Old 08-03-2017, 11:29 AM
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I forgot to ask, though, is there a program that would display both the audio and video in enough granularity to ease syncing? All I've ever used is Audacity for audio and the overwritten video audio in Avidemux.
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Old 08-03-2017, 11:58 AM
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I forgot to ask, though, is there a program that would display both the audio and video in enough granularity to ease syncing? All I've ever used is Audacity for audio and the overwritten video audio in Avidemux.
The are several. If you can spring for Adobe Audition it works great. The same is true for Cubase and Protools. I work all day long in Nuendo and it has precision all the way down to the frame of digital audio. Does anyone know of a cheaper program?

Bob
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Old 08-03-2017, 04:52 PM
Fran Guidry Fran Guidry is offline
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Here's a tutorial on syncing in REAPER: http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2010/...deo-in-reaper/ There are other REAPER video videos on the site as well, the program has been enhanced for video quite a bit in the last year or so. Here's the latest post I did: http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2016/...eos-in-reaper/

I've used other programs that are free.

Shotcut: https://www.shotcut.org/
HitFilm: https://hitfilm.com/
Avidemux: http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/

There are a number of commercial programs that support multiple tracks and syncing and cost under $100, you can see a bunch of choices here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...52f3160ebd3c37

Any and all of these options may be stress-inducing depending on how much patience you have for delving into computer obscurity.

Fran
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Old 08-04-2017, 09:47 AM
lpa53 lpa53 is offline
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Originally Posted by Fran Guidry View Post
Here's a tutorial on syncing in REAPER: http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2010/...deo-in-reaper/ There are other REAPER video videos on the site as well, the program has been enhanced for video quite a bit in the last year or so. Here's the latest post I did: http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2016/...eos-in-reaper/

I've used other programs that are free.

Shotcut: https://www.shotcut.org/
HitFilm: https://hitfilm.com/
Avidemux: http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/

There are a number of commercial programs that support multiple tracks and syncing and cost under $100, you can see a bunch of choices here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...52f3160ebd3c37

Any and all of these options may be stress-inducing depending on how much patience you have for delving into computer obscurity.

Fran
Thanks for the links and tips. I played around with Reaper several years ago and may try it again. I do use Avidemux now but it doesn't appear to allow for very accurate syncing.

Fran, I corresponded with you several years ago about your recording methods and you helped me a lot. I d have another question you might be able to answer. I currently use a Zoom Q3 HD unit to record audio and video, but I've noticed that after processing that video through, say, Avidemux and, I hate to say it, Windows Movie Maker, the video quality always seems to be of rather low resolution. Is it the case that running the Zoom MOV file through other programs will reduce video quality?

EDIT: I just found an old Youtube of yours about syncing audio and video in Reaper!
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Last edited by lpa53; 08-04-2017 at 09:53 AM.
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  #10  
Old 08-05-2017, 08:30 PM
Fran Guidry Fran Guidry is offline
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Yes, the YT video on syncing was included in the blog post I linked.

As far as video quality after the render, that depends a lot on how the render is specified. I don't have Avidemux on my system these days, but there were lots of choices for output format/codec and levels of quality. A 2 pass x.264 render at 1000 mbps or so should give output indistinguishable from the input.

I think Windows Movie Maker does sacrifice quality, but I've never made more than cursory use of it.

I'm doing a quick tutorial on Shotcut, it's looking pretty decent and I'd definitely recommend it over Avidemux or WMM.

Video is just annoyingly complicated, I'm afraid.

Fran
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Old 08-07-2017, 11:02 PM
Fran Guidry Fran Guidry is offline
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OK, I had fun with Shotcut doing a quickie Look At Me Play Guitar video, syncing video from my Lumix LX100 with audio from my Zoom H6.

http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2017/...a-lampg-video/

Here's the edited video:



and here's the tutorial:



I was pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness of the program even though I was using a 4K h.264 video.

Fran
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Old 08-10-2017, 09:11 AM
lpa53 lpa53 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran Guidry View Post
OK, I had fun with Shotcut doing a quickie Look At Me Play Guitar video, syncing video from my Lumix LX100 with audio from my Zoom H6. ...

Fran
That's a big help, Fran, and does look a bit more up to date than Avidemux. I'll give it a try.
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Old 08-11-2017, 09:44 PM
DupleMeter DupleMeter is offline
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Originally Posted by lpa53 View Post
I forgot to ask, though, is there a program that would display both the audio and video in enough granularity to ease syncing? All I've ever used is Audacity for audio and the overwritten video audio in Avidemux.
a lot of the film composers use Digital Performer. I find it to be the best DAW if you do video. You can get super granular (sub-frame level) for spotting your audio/video.

On pro shoots they usually sync the audio & video systems to a time code generator. That way you align the time code in post and know that everything will stay synched because they used the same clock...with the same drift & jitter all the way through. You probably won't notice much, if any, drift for short videos. That typically begins to show up on longer videos.

HTH
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Old 08-14-2017, 02:32 PM
lpa53 lpa53 is offline
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Well, after all of the great advice, I'm realizing I probably need a new audio interface. I've not been recording for quite awhile, using only my Zoom HD, and am now realizing that my old M-Audio Fast Track Pro does not work with Windows 10, to which I upgraded a long time ago. Now to figure out what newer options to consider ... ones that don't break the bank.
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Old 08-14-2017, 06:32 PM
Fran Guidry Fran Guidry is offline
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One knock I had was the lack of a mic preamp, but I worked around the issue by using an external pre into the line in port. There's a sample of that setup in my first blog post on the Q3HD: http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2010/...the-zoom-q3hd/

I also did some videos using a Zoom H2 as a powered mic, with the headphone out of the H2 into the line in of the Q3HD.

According to the manual you can use your Fastrack Pro as a standalone mic pre so you could try that approach for the cost of a couple of adapters. It looks like you'll need a couple of RCA plugs on one end and a 1/8" stereo plug on the other.

Fran
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