Zoom Q8; any critiques yet?

[Stevien]

Just got one of these, & still getting to know it. I'm adding two external condenser mics, that will plug directly into the Q8, which also provides the phantom power needed for the mics. Then going to the laptop using Audacity software, for a little editing. Should be complete. If anyone knows of a better software to use than Audacity (Windows, not Mac), then let me know. Anyone else using a similar setup? Very cheap, should be under $700 total when done.
Steve

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Stevien

Just got one of these, & still getting to know it. I'm adding two external condenser mics, that will plug directly into the Q8, which also provides the phantom power needed for the mics. Then going to the laptop using Audacity software, for a little editing. Should be complete. If anyone knows of a better software to use than Audacity (Windows, not Mac), then let me know. Anyone else using a similar setup? Very cheap, should be under $700 total when done.
Steve

Almost any audio editor is technically "better" than Audacity, but I don't see how you intend to use Audacity with a video cam.
I've been doing a bit of video editing with Reaper, which is very inexpensively priced for a non-commercial license and free to use while you evaluate it.
Do check out Fran Guidry's HomebrewedMusic.com for tips on doing video.

[Stevien]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Almost any audio editor is technically "better" than Audacity, but I don't see how you intend to use Audacity with a video cam.
I've been doing a bit of video editing with Reaper, which is very inexpensively priced for a non-commercial license and free to use while you evaluate it.
Do check out Fran Guidry's HomebrewedMusic.com for tips on doing video.

The Zoom Q8 creates two files when recording; the video & audio. The video is fine for me just like it is. I hope to edit the audio file in the software by itself. Haven't achieved this yet, however. Does Reaper allow you to edit the video & audio? If so, I'll check it out.
Steve

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Stevien

The Zoom Q8 creates two files when recording; the video & audio. The video is fine for me just like it is. I hope to edit the audio file in the software by itself. Haven't achieved this yet, however. Does Reaper allow you to edit the video & audio? If so, I'll check it out.
Steve

If you're going to modify your audio and then combine it with the video in a way that's usable, such as being able to upload to Youtube you're going to need an editor that will do that, and Audacity doesn't have that ability as far as I know.

Normally when you shoot a video part of the process of audio editing is being able to chop off the lead in or empty areas at the start of the track and also the excess material at the end. You also want to at minimum do a fade in at the start of your audio and a fade out at the end. This isn't the same as a "long fade" that is done for songs, but rather to get rid of the abrupt level changes at the beginning and end of your audio. This is all about treating your ears (and your audio equipment) kindly.

That's usually the bare minimum as far as editing, and if you trim material your audio will no longer be in sync with your video file. That's another main reason you would want to use an editor that is capable of doing both.

Reaper does that, as well as giving you the ability to do simple title and credit pages, although it's not as easy to do in Reaper as it is in other programs dedicated to handling audio and video.

The best thing I can offer is to tell you to try it out and see if it works for you.

[Stevien]

Thanks, Rudy4. I've downloaded Reaper & going that route. It's very affordable, & has more than I'll probably ever use. Now to get through the learning curve .....
Steve

[Winfred]

Originally Posted by Stevien

Thanks, Rudy4. I've downloaded Reaper & going that route. It's very affordable, & has more than I'll probably ever use. Now to get through the learning curve .....
Steve

Hi Stevien!

Now 2 yrs later, how did Reaper work for you? I have just received my Zoom q8 and trying to figure it out. I'm also hoping to use my two large diaphragm condenser mics too. I'm also looking for any tutorials on how to use the q8 as the owner's manual isn't very good. YouTube just has unboxing, reviews, and brief tutorials. I play guitar and sing and that's all I hope to create, yet with editing I also want to add things. I don't just want the camera on me, use editing software and get maybe free clips from a site like Pixabay etc and patch in clips of maybe nice scenes that relate to my songs. Do you have any suggestions or have any links to good tutorials on the q8?

Thanks!
Winfred