Camera advice (+audio sync doubts)

Game & Sound

Game & Sound

Member
Hey everyone,

I wanted to make this thread because -like some of you may have read on other threads- I was thinking of starting to make some VLOGS alongside my main videos. I make VGM covers, and I've always used my phone (an iPhone 6) to make my videos. It's worked for me well until now but I can't say it makes things easy, in fact it can get annoying sometimes.

Now, since I want to make these VLOGS I thought I'd consider buying an actual camera to do the job. I've read a lot of different stuff on the internet but I'm not really that savvy on this subject, so I thought I'd ask here.

My first thought went on buying a camera with a good quality/price ratio, like let's say a Sony HD Handycam. Then, I considered that maybe it won't be the best choice since I have a Blue Snowball (which is a usb only mic) and the audio syncing could be a pain.

So my thought shifted on a high end webcam like the Logitech C920, just because my audio and video could be synced without problems but I'm still not sure.

What are your suggestions? Would there be a consistent/not too painful way to sync my audio with the video in case I used an external camera?

Sorry for the long post and thanks to those who'll read it and reply.
 
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What video editor do you use? I have the Sony Handycam and I use a USB mic. With Premiere Pro it takes like 10 seconds to sync the audio, you just have to make sure you sync it before you start editing anything lol.
 
Talooka said:
What video editor do you use? I have the Sony Handycam and I use a USB mic. With Premiere Pro it takes like 10 seconds to sync the audio, you just have to make sure you sync it before you start editing anything lol.
Click to expand...
I started using After Effects for my music videos but maybe another software would be more suitable for things like a VLOG which just requires basic editing.

How do you exactly sync the audio in Premiere? Sorry for the question but I don't really know the software, and I don't really know about a lot of things about making this kind of videos, so I admit my ignorance on this subject. :D

The main thing I'd like to avoid is to search manually for the right video frame and stuff like that. I've done it in the past for my music videos before helping myself with a metronome and a frame counter, and it was a pain.
 
Okay so when you import a video file it imports as two separate tracks: The video and the audio. You then import the second better quality audio.
  • Line up the two audio files so that the wavelengths line up with each other.
  • Right click the video file and you will see that the video and original audio file are linked to each other. Select the "Unlink" option.
  • Then click the video file, hold shift, and click the new better-quality audio
  • Right click, and select "Link"
  • ???
  • Profit
 
Hello!

Within Premiere it's actually even easier than the method Talooka has suggested; even though that works perfectly well. There is an automatic function which scans audio files from the camera, and the separate audio tracks and syncs them together for you. Granted, the audio needs to be decent from both sources but it's very efficient.

When you have the video file with on board sound plus your external mic sound imported into a Premiere Project, highlight both files, right click and select 'Merge'. You'll get a dialogue box pop up. I'd suggested ticking the box that says 'remove audio from AV'. This removes the dodgy camera sound and automatically slots in the audio from your external mic.

A helpful tip is to do a big clap once both the camera and microphone are recording. This gives Premiere a really strong point of contact that links the files together. Anything that produces a short, sharp peak in audio waves will work.

With regards to your choice of camera had you looked into DSLR's? The great thing is you end up purchasing a top quality video camera but you also bag yourself an amazing camera for photography. They are however pretty expensive.

Lots to think about, best of luck!
James.
 
ItsJustJames said:
A helpful tip is to do a big clap once both the camera and microphone are recording. This gives Premiere a really strong point of contact that links the files together. Anything that produces a short, sharp peak in audio waves will work.
Click to expand...
Exactly this! I like to do a clap (or personally a Snap) regardless as I believe it's good practice. Not only will you have a big sharp peak to sync up manually if you had to (Premiere takes care of everything though) but you'll also have a distinct visual point if you had to sync video as well!
 
Thanks to all three of you, this solved some of my doubts! (Sorry for not quoting each of you separately but it would take a lot of space!)

As for camera suggestions, I just realized I haven't set a budget in the first post. Let's say I'd like to spend around a couple hundred euros - to quickly reply to James, I haven't looked into DSLR cameras because I already thought they wouldn't fit my budget.

So if anyone of you has good suggestions I'd gladly accept them!
Thanks again to everyone!
 
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