I never thought I would EVER subscribe to a RU-vid channel. But Chris just has so much amazing content! I'm just getting started, but I feel that his range of content will keep me glued for many years. I loon forward to signing up for some of his classes soon. Everything is easy, once you know it, but getting there can be overwhelming. Thank you for breaking it down into digestable nuggets. Thank you Chris for your generous and amazing work.
Now that I have watched a plethora of Videos on getting the right gear within my budget, I've found the 'right man'....... I look forward to watching the sequences to this video in how to process in Post. Thank you Curtis for taking the time to share your experiences with us. God bless you. Pete.
Such a smooth presentation; no reaching for humor or anything other than covering the subject in the title, that's why I have been a subscriber for a long time.
Curtis, consider doing a video on one of the main advantages of Fujifilm cameras like my X-S10. And that is you can tell the mic port to accept a microphone level or line level. My Sony's don't have this option and I'm pretty sure most other big brands don't either. You get to completely remove the cheap camera pre-amp from the audio chain! So I select line level and send great audio to it via line out from my Tascam Mixcast 4, 70D or Zoom H6 all with good microphones of course. So the video has the best audio already and that one file gets uploaded to YT. This is the BEST way to make videos considering time savings, work flow and quality of end product.
I use a Zoom F6 audio recorder, which features 32-bit float mode. This means it’s pretty much impossible to over-drive or under-drive my audio. Then I run that audio from the F6 into my DSLM for reference audio. My experience has been that the reference audio embedded in my DSLM video files work just fine - eliminating the need to sync anything. I’m not sure that I’ve ever needed to use the 32-bit float audio from the F6, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
I wish I'd had this video a few years ago. Very well done, Curtis, with not a single wasted word. The Tascam recorder you displayed has a "slate" function for syncing that requires the cameras to begin recording before the audio recorder. But I've learned--as apparently you have as well--that the process works better to start the recorder before the cameras.
Yes - over on my other RU-vid channel, we do Sound for Video Sessions with Q&A on Sundays. The name of the channel is Curtis Judd Audio. If you'd like to submit a question in advance, you can sign up (for free) to the mailing list at School.LearnLightAndSound.com. We'll email on Saturday with instructions on how to submit your question. Hope to see you there!
I decided to switch to this format for my channel. looking forward to using the loudness normalization techniques on this channel. glad FCPX has a synchronize feature!
Dropping a LIKE on your video! Watching and Supporting! I found the video on Google when looking for the recording of video and audio apart from each other. I specifically noted the Tascam recorder, and wanted to see that in action in the video. Nicely done!
In some cases at least, yes. Still can affect the sound if you do not optimize your gain staging which you can do on the MixPre II series but not on ZOOM F6.
You never disappoint! I'm still using your recommendation of the Giant Squid lav and Zoom H1. That combo still works good...but I really like those new recorders!
Excellent video as always Curtis, Thank you! I have purchased myself a program being Plurel Eyes which works so well for syncing any audio and especially handy for multiple camera shoots. As well I have the Zoom H5/H6 create backup files at -12 db for peaking issues. Have to thank you for those tips which you provided in previous videos. Highly recommend anyone watching your videos to subscribe and hit that notification bell. Your channel is extremely valuable to learning film making. Cheers, Pete
Curtis, Thanks so much for making all of these videos. Of all RU-vidrs making this kind of content, you seem the most sincere and helpful. I'm a huge fan and I appreciate your work. --John from Minneapolis
Great video as always! I own a Tascam DR 40 (and a boom, a hypercardioïd mic and a cheap shotgun): the way you recommend to set the gain not only prevents distortion, it also enhances the Signal/Noise ratio! This is because the DR 40 preamps are cheap (it makes sense: the device is super low priced) : I can get a decent amount of gain out of them, but it kills the S/N ratio (which overall kills the audio quality). I'd rather work with a relatively weak signal than with a noisy track, it is much easier to process. Context: I'm a no-budget sound engineer for a no-budget fiction.
Great video man, I was just wondering though, does the audio recorder need like a hard drive to save the audio? Or do you need to put like an SD card in them or something?
Curtis, Thanks for the info. "Audio will seem very quiet", ...that's normal? Oh good, that always scares me and fixing it in post always makes me feel like I messed. up. I'm looking forward to part 2 to know finally how to fix the audio. Also, when using head phones to monitor the sound, and in your example here you're using the Tascam, how high should the volume be on the headphone setting so as not to give the person a false sense of correct audio levels?
Hi Rudy, We'll cover loudness normalizing in the future episode. That's not exactly "fixing the audio" since we didn't make a mistake, just a normal part of the process when producing high quality audio. For live professional quality broadcasts, they typically have a bunch of large, expensive outboard processing gear so that they don't have to do it in post. For most of us, that's not practical so we have to do it in post. Always rely on your meters to know whether you've got the right levels and set the volume on your headphones to a comfortable level. The headphones will help you detect problems such as clipping, distortion, interference, etc. and not whether you have your gain set "loud enough". I hope that makes sense and best wishes!
To get better levels for dynamic audio buy a recorder with a good built-in limiter. like this Tascam DR 70D... www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1086798-REG/tascam_dr_70d_4_channel_audio_recording.html
Curtis, this is a great video. One question - I'm using a RODE Wireless Pro system - since the transmitters are also recording, why do I even need the receiver? The fundamentals you outline in this video make sense if I don't have a microphone and transmitter that natively record. Could you help me understand why I still "care" that the receiver is configured for something like the RODE Wireless Pro (mostly using with my phone)?
Good episode! I like auto leveling, when you're a one man show especially. Some recorders get it just right, some of them- no. Sony seems to have auto leveling figured out very well, using the ECM-XYST1M on sony hotshoe mounts ONLY allows auto level control and won't let me manually set it, I was upset about this until I began using it; it's incredible, I have yet to be in a situation where this is a bad thing.
Thanks for that, Curtis, another very helpful video. A video I'd like to see would be one where you expand on the various connectors and cables. I'm going to be doing quite a lot of run and gun recording, where I'll have to connect to various mixers and amplifiers - could be somebody busking in the street, could be a mixing desk for a live band. The different levels and connectors (and labels for the connectors) is a bit of a minefield. Being able to quickly workout what I need would be a godsend. Just thought I'd mention it in the hope that it can find a place on your list of possible ideas for future videos.
Thanks for another very helpful tutorial Curtis. It's always good to be reminded od the basics. especially after one develop some bad habits after doing it for awhile.
Curtis Judd no brother, the breaths are still way too prominent, and a car going past or internal car noise whilst moving is so bad. I go from avx into g7 direct, I know avx has processing. If I put mic under chin, its slightly better, but I cant record in a nice tree lined road outside for instance because wind in the trees would be quite audible, another example was stood between two walls near some garages for a scene, the echo of the walls was too loud in post to keep that link. Id been surviving without zoom but the background sounds I seem to be noticing more these days and it makes editing jump cuts quite messy, even been on to Senny. Yes I could try zoom and also a cartoid but I think cartoid is going to be tricky.
I'm very interested in more information as I have the very same Tascam DR60D II as used in this video and I struggle to properly understand how to set it up and get the best out of it.
In my course at school.learnlightandsound.com we show how to set it up and we also did this free session where we cover the basics of how to set it up for most scenarios: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RDNjQxtJSrU.html
Unless I'm doing a very quick and dirty recording, I still record audio separately to a dedicated audio recorder and then sync to the video footage in post. To answer your question, it really depends on your quality expectations.
Do you have any thoughts about the quality of sound difference between recording a Tascam to its own SD for dual sound, vs. recording from the Tascam "line out" to the card inside the camera? Trying to figure out if I should dare leave my production cameras at home (both of which have internal broadcast-quality audio).
It depends on the camera. The Tascam is really made to work with consumer grade cameras with 3.5mm microphone inputs. If you're working with a broadcast or cinema camera, many of the Canons and Sonys have pretty decent inputs so the Tascam would be redundant in many workflows, particularly corporate and news work.
Great videos, I've just discovered you. Question: Have you done a video which discusses the pros/cons of using an adapter from 3.5" TRS jack to XLR? You mentioned it here, that it requires a longer discussion. I'd appreciate the link or title of that video, thanks!
Typically with adapters like that you give up balanced audio which means you increase the risk of picking up interference in your audio, especially on longer cables.
In sync sound, it is usually recommended to record two channels of sound (excluding the in-camera scratch track). For example, one boom pole set-up and another set-up probably a lav mic set up or a recorder hidden in the set for an extra channel of sound. Why is this important and how can this help the sound post-production? Thank you. :)
So that you have options. Production is expensive and time consuming and one never knows which mic will sound best (Lav or boom) so using both allows you to choose the one that sounds best for each take in post. It helps avoid the need to reshoot which is very expensive.
purchased the Tascam DR-60DmkII, all works well and with RU-vid tutorials like this set up is no problem, i have one issue though and need advice on, when recording on phantom power the batteries dont last too long, i know USB power is one fix but that is not always an option what is your work around?
or will 48khz/24bit be the best for youtube? . . i like the info you share and the speed you deliver it!!!! thank you!!!! . . what do i get if i subscribe to you?? music/software stuff? synth stuff? drum machine stuff? photo/vid/lighting stuff? finishing compressing/ mastering stuff with photoshop cs6/elements 15-garageband and waves stuff and project sam? . . do you have headaches sometimes like i do?? . . seems like "no"!!!! cause if your calm cool-collect demeaner!!!!
Hi Curtis, thanks for the great video! I can't find the links you mention re: synching audio to video in post or increasing volume in post. The link you put in your description is dead.
How to sync depends on the app you use. Which video editing app do you use? As for loudness normalizing, this is the process I use: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lHNhxGojFRU.html
Thank you nice video and even better audio! You mention the 3.5mm connector as unbalanced? Does the product specify this because it looked TRS which is capable of balanced?
You've been a great help. thank you! Can you do a video about the best affordable and easy duel sound recorders? I am interested in sound engineering but don't have the expertise just yet.
sir. my mixer has a sub group output. which is 1/2 and 3/4 channel out. is it good to connect my sub group out to that tascam dr60? my 1 and 2 is for vocal then my 3 and 4 group is for the music player or audio. instruments.
Awesome video, simple and straightforward, thank you for it! I just got the wireless Rode Newsshooter kit and with it, I'm probably going to get a shotgun mic and / or the well-praised budget option lapel JK MIC-J 044 (actually watched your review of it). Any suggestions maybe for a good value shotgun mic?
This is a very good channel. Subscribed! I am surveying the recorder for my Nikon D800. I have a question: can I use TASCAM’s output “camera out” back to D800’s “mic input” ? Will it cause a noticeable latency? Sometimes just don’t want to do post processing. 😅 Thanks.
@@curtisjudd Thank you. 😄 I am planning to record my daughter’s performance in the school concert hall. Using two microphones, one points to the stage, the other points to the roof, then mixes both in TASCAM, outputs to D800. Hope I can record ambient sound reflection. 🤔🤔
Can you plug the Tascam DR-60D into a wall outlet with a simple USB adapter? Everything I’ve read talks about using external power packs. I’d like to give it consistent power if possible. Don’t want to try plugging it in and running the risk of screwing it up!
Obrigado Curtis, quando comprei o Tascam D60 Mark II aqui no Brasil, a primeira pergunta para mim é: como esse dispositivo funciona? Eu sou fotógrafo e nunca use algum tipo de dispositivo de som! Eu continuarei segui-lo, suas explicações são muito limpas
+Nat Funk I number and name all of the files at the time I download them. Some people use ingest apps which simplify the process if you’re dealing with a lot of files (Adobe makes one as part of their CC suite). To start/stop recording, you need a camera/recorder combo that supports this via HDMI. One example is the Panasonic GH5 and Sound Devices MixPre-3.
I'm planning on using an iPhone 11 Pro Max for a video shoot. However, to get better audio, I want to record the sound separately from the camera. I'm thinking of using a Tascam DR-60. I know the Tascam syncs well with DSLR camera in post. Would a Tascam recording also sync well with video shot on an IPhone 11?
Hi Michael, I haven’t tested the 11 Pro but I’ve found most phones drift quickly so your mileage may vary. Should be ok for short clips of less than 30 seconds. I’d test before the shoot. Best wishes!
Hey Curtis, love your videos. Will the new Tascam 70D work with the older Canon 7D camera? Can I input to the camera and also monitor what's going on? Thanks
someone in another vour video of yours directed a comment to me . . "he" told me (paraphrasing) to pay people for their teaching services-like how i would/should want to be paid . . with my daughter and not having a car and writing for a symphonic sound, edm, house, cure, punk, bluegrass, etc . . i just have to be patient!!!! :-)
Helpful. I am just begining at audio editing. For the quiet low volume audio from this method of recording. Can i just use "amplify" effect on my audio editor software? or it is a better effect for that propuse? i use audacity, and it seems i cannot do just what you did on Premiere Pro to make the sound louder.
Yes, you can do something sort of like this, though not as precisely, with the free app Audacity: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-L1FLali0xLk.html
i! I have a canon M50 and a xlr mic. I want to record straight to the dslr (I don’t want to sync audio and video later) so is it that I need a audio interface,a recorder like Zoom or a mixer? I’m still confused about this. Plus people say that if you use those wrong it will only record left side or right side only. thanks and awesome video!
The Tascam we used here has an output for cameras so you could feed the XLR microphone into the Tascam and then use the 3.5mm output from the Tascam into your camera so that the camera receives the audio from the XLR microphone.
I have noticed that you change your backgrounds from a light grey and a warm grey and sometimes a blue background. they are always perfectly lit. I was wondering if you are using a green screen and then filling in the background or are you using color paper or white paper with gels on the lights?
Hi Christian, I'm using a white paper backdrop with different lights. I do not generally use gels but instead use bi-color LED lights. The blue background is actually just an LED light set to daylight setting (5600K usually) while the key light on me or the product is tungsten (3200K). The camera white balance is set for 3200K. This makes the daylight light on the background appear blue.
Thank for your valuable info and classes. I am beginning to understand some of the points better. However, reluctant to buy. I would like to record audio out of a sound mixer/board. Which one is better suited for line level recording. Thank you for your help and professionalism.
Hi Emmanuel, there are thousands of options but the least expensive one I would consider for recording line level from a mixing board would be the Tascam DR-60DmkII as shown here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TRoIMPHS91U.html
Thanks for the video. Very clear explanation. What would be a solution/setup/equipment to improve microphone sound when doing podcast? Ie live and not with a recording which can be edited in post?
For a mic I would recommend getting a non-directional microphone for podcasts so you can have a nice proximity effect when getting real close to the mic (the bassy "radio moderator voice" sound). This does not really work with shotgun mics + shotgun mics can behave very strangely in small, silent and/or acoustically optimized environments (which you will probably have for a podcast), since they are made to work best in noisy enviroments.
Hi kubbyisjacob, If Final Cut Pro 7 could take VST plugins (which I believe it could), then you could look at adding something Like Izotope Loudness Control or NuGen VisLM-H 2. These are not inexpensive, but they work nicely. I hope that helps!
Hi Curtis, I have heard about clapping for syncing purposes from many sources. But with Premiere Pro CC, (and I imagine with Final Cut), this no longer seems necessary. Premiere Pro will automatically sync the video with the audio. I just highlight the video clip and the separate audio clip and click on "merge" using audio as the means of merging. Premiere Pro joins the video clip to the separate audio clip and drops the audio that was originally with the video. I have never seen this fail. For me it has worked perfectly every time. Also you can place the better audio on the timeline underneath the original video clip and its audio, highlight both, and then click on "sync" and PP will put the new audio exactly where it belongs in relation to the video.
I do this all the time now. As long as there is scratch audio from the camera and then the recorder. I find this better, especially in interviews, you aren't clapping in front of the subject or before hand and it makes for a more subtle interview process.
Thanks Dennis, yes, I agree and the same with Final Cut Pro X. However, I still like to clap because some cameras don't always record their sound in sync. When I shoot with my Panasonic GH4, particularly if I record with the Atomos Shogun via the GH4's HDMI port, the audio is often out of sync by a couple of frames. The clap then becomes necessary to nudge the audio back into sync. Hopefully for most this isn't an issue but the cost of clapping is so small that I usually still do it. Thanks!
Whether a sharp sync clap is needed depends on the environment and the recording situation. I've run into situations pretty frequently where without a sharp sync noise, Premier Pro gives up.
That's interesting. I haven't run into that yet. Once my wife recorded me from across the aisle on a plane with a lot of ambient noise. My voice on the scratch track from the video was barely audible. And yet PP synced it perfectly. What type of situations have you discovered where PP has trouble?
Two track files as I recall - both XLR inputs as left and right in one and the 3.5mm left and right in the other. *but it has been a long time since I used it so that’s from memory.
Hi Curtis, I have the Tascam DR-60mii and a Rode NTG2. It seems that the levels are similar in two settings. First Setting: Mid Gain / with the Pot at Max. Second Setting: Hi Gain / with the Pot somewhere near the middle. Again, the levels are similar (peaking around -12db). Which of these two settings would you choose? I don't love the idea of using the Hi Gain setting but I also don't love the idea of turning the Pot to Max! Thanks!
Hi Curtis: Great video! I have one question: when you use separate audio, must you shut-off the audio in your camera settings? I look forward to your reply. Best regards, Bob
Hi Bob, No, you'll want to leave the microphone in the camera on because you will use that to sync up the audio recording from your audio recorder. Best wishes!
I have the Rode Video Mic Pro and I use it with the Panasonic G7. I wanted to improve the audio quality and bought the Zoom H5. However, the audio quality is worse with the Video Mic pro plugged into H5....
Also, the VideoMic Pro has its own preamp so recording it into the H5 isn't really an advantage as you have found. You'd need to swap that out for a higher quality shotgun or boom mic to hear an audio quality difference (assuming the mics are boomed the same distance - less than 18 inches from the talent). But the biggest difference you can make in audio quality is to get the mic close to the person speaking - ideally within 12 - 18 inches of their mouth.
I’m just a little confused. Apart from the low-noise pre-amps, the major advantage with one of these would be avoiding having to sync in post. Is it (not) possible to send the recorded audio to your camera to avoid having to sync?
Hi Hugh, this video is primarily about recording audio separately which WILL need to by synced in post. However, yes, you can send audio from most audio recorders directly to camera. This eliminates the step of syncing in post, often with a minor degradation in audio quality.
This is a bit off topic but have you used the NTG3? I've read it is a bit of a power hog so should I get something besides the zoom H5 to phantom power it? I really enjoy your videos keep making them!
Hi Shocky Bolt, I have used the NTG3. I haven't found that some mics seem to drain batteries of phantom-powering recorders faster than others but I'll need to keep my eye out for that. I wouldn't hesitate to go for the NTG3 on that basis. It seems to use just as much battery power as other mics which need phantom power.
Can I connect a mixer to the recorder? I would like like to record with two microphones and record telephone calls that would be coming from the mixer.
Thanks Curtis. As new to making You Tube videos, the learning curve for me has been ferocious. So I have enjoyed and found your videos quite helpful. I may have missed this somewhere, but I have my H1N connected to my Canon M50, but when I upload the video footage to my editing system, there is no scratch track. I've heard there are no stupid questions but here goes . . . I just assumed that when the video was uploaded to the editor that the camera scratch track and H1n track would both automatically show up up. Not. Only one track shows up, and I assume it's the camera track. What I think I am getting is an improved sound from the camera but no H1n. So I'm now thinking that I have to upload the H1n audio directly to my computer and then add that to the editing program for syncing. Right? And of that is so, where will the audio show up on Movie Studio 16? Do I have to make a special file for the h1n files? Thanks!!
Hi David, yes, you'll need to import the audio file from the H1n and the video file from the camera into your video editing app. I have not used Movie Studio 16, but most apps have a feature which will automatically sync the audio clip to the video clip after you tell it which two go together.
Hi Curtis! Been gradually setting up my home studio for the last 6 months, love your channel! Awesome info and very well explained to us noobs. Was wondering, love how you have the Tascam 60Dmk2. This is the recorder i recently purchased, I hoping you could point me in the right direction re link to vid or maybe a site. I've test recorded a couple of files and only seem to hear sound out of one speaker etc. Is there something obvious Im doing? How do I hear it in stereo, am I setting this up incorrectly? Many thanks and keep up the great work. Peter, Vancouver, BC.
Hi Peter, If you're only recording one mic, you can change the input setting to mono instead of stereo. Then it will play back in both speakers. Good luck!
Hi fazlul, yes, the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders and the Tascam DR-701D can connect to a select number of cameras via HDMI. When connected, pressing record on the camera also starts the recording on the audio recorder. Here's a review of each: Sound Devices MixPre: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-piomdez4iSM.html Tascam DR-701D: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bl0DnLRkFDE.html
+Jimmy a Geek lots of options. See some on camera top shotgun mics, lav mics, and audio adapters for single system sound: ru-vid.com/group/PLLQDQ5OW1X3I-i68wz8dQ6wgbX1FlVOe6
Hi Curtis, just subscribed...great and informative Channel. Was wondering how you would hook up 2 wireless lavs for best quality sound when shooting with DSLR. Have a zoom H5 and thinking to hook it to two lavs via an 3.5 to XLR adapter and sync it post production. Another option seems to be into a preamp like Beachtek and directly into the camera and avoid post production but I"m assuming any preamp no matter how good will still lose quality if still going back into the DSLR preamp? Any suggestions?
Hi Vinh, thanks! I usually record to a separate audio recorder and then sync in post as demonstrated here. In some cases, the camera can do a find job with an audio adapter, but having a 24 bit recording makes it easier to process the audio for the sound I want and the correct loudness. But if turn-around time is the number one priority, then an audio adapter into the camera is probably the preferred option. I would say that it all comes down to the priorities for the piece; Quality or speed.
I am struggling with syncing two lavs. Not sure it's really something I do wrong in post, but more it's something I should have done recording. What is a proper workflow for that?
Would this be a good option if you were recording someone talking and doing yoga for a video where the person would be turning away from the camera and moving around on a yoga mat. So not moving across a room but mainly their voice would be directed in different directions to the camera.
Hi Gayle, most of the big Yoga video channels are using wireless lavalier microphones and send the audio directly to camera. This way the microphone goes wherever the instructor goes. If you’re interested, I have several recommendations depending on your budget and the camera you’ll be using.
Curtis Judd I am interested in your opinion. I have been using a Tascam DR 10L but am. It really that happy with it. Also I don’t like having the recorder on my yoga pants but I know everyone who uses a lavalier mic has to deal with that. Which lavalier mic with transmitters do you like best? I wish there was a way to get good sound with an on camera mic!
Well, the easiest solution might be a wireless system like the Sennheiser AVX which we reviewed some time ago here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U9RjMXtmVLc.html It's an old one so try not to laugh too hard. ;-) The system isn't cheap but it is really easy to use and reliable. On the more budget end, you might have a look at something like the Sennheiser XSWD which has a fairly small transmitter which isn't quite as imposing: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QMDg__BhIWE.html Best wishes!
