Topic: Need easy Video/DVD recording/burning setup for school

[schnoodc]

Hi,

I work at a high school music school.  We need an easy, simple equipment setup for our students so they can record their musical performances and get it onto DVD (and duplicate them) so they can send them to colleges and music festivals.  We are not going to be doing any real editing of these performances (just editing out dead time at the beginning and ends of tracks and such), but it does need to have good sound quality (for classical singers and musicians - lots of overtones that need to be picked up in the recording!). 

I welcome any suggestions.  We are a public school, so we don't have too much money to work with.  However, for the right setup, I could probably convice my boss to drop a few thousand....though I'd rather not have to ask for too much!

Thank you for your help! 

Kathy Osborne
Suitland High School
Suitland, Maryland

[sunjan]

Hi Kathy,

+T for coming to the right place!
Are you looking for a laptop rig, a whole classroom setup, or just one digital audio workstation?
Any preference between Mac/Windows?

Something like this springs to my mind:
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1541064

The good thing about Apple is that you can benefit from Educational rebates. Plus ease of use and the software bundles.

Or maybe I got your question wrong? You want a DV-cam + audio recording rig for taping performances + computer? It's doable, but perhaps you can clarify....

/Jan

[phanophish]

Yes,  More info please.  Do you need to do video & high quality audio or audio only?  Do you have ANY existing equipment such as Computers, recording equipment, AV gear, microphones?  If we have a better idea of your goals and current resources we can give you much better direction on possible solutions. 

[schnoodc]

Thanks for your responses.  I will give you as much detail as I can -

We have some Dell workstations and a laptop to work with.  Everything is Microsoft at school, so it is no use getting something that works only well with Macs (such a shame - I only buy Macs for myself!).

We need higher quality audio over video - pretty good video, better audio. 

We need something relatively portable so we can move it to different performance locations (something that can be moved and set up in no more than - oh, say - 30 minutes). 

I think the general idea is "The simpler, the better."  The operators will not be particularly skilled with this kind of equipment (I max out at my Mac Mini, Edirol R-9, Rode mics, and phantom power!). 

Thanks again!!

[illconditioned]

Hi,

I work at a high school music school.  We need an easy, simple equipment setup for our students so they can record their musical performances and get it onto DVD (and duplicate them) so they can send them to colleges and music festivals.  We are not going to be doing any real editing of these performances (just editing out dead time at the beginning and ends of tracks and such), but it does need to have good sound quality (for classical singers and musicians - lots of overtones that need to be picked up in the recording!). 

I welcome any suggestions.  We are a public school, so we don't have too much money to work with.  However, for the right setup, I could probably convice my boss to drop a few thousand....though I'd rather not have to ask for too much!

Thank you for your help! 

Kathy Osborne
Suitland High School
Suitland, Maryland

Mics > preamp > standalone DVD recorder
video camera   >

I've even seen some standalone DVD recorders that have a firewire (DV) input.  That is even simpler, just take DV camera straight into DVD recorder.

I strongly recommend consumer gear, not computers.  Much simpler and more reliable.

I'm currently installing a similar setup in a club I frequent so anyone (bar staff, sound crew, etc) can operate the gear and give DVDs directly to the performers.

  Richard

[schnoodc]

This sounds like an easy, portable setup.    

Do you have any product recommendations for these components?  I love the idea of having the DVD recorder with a firewire input and skipping the computer step.  Our computers (and software) are not stellar.

Many, many thanks for your suggestions.

[sunjan]

Do you have any product recommendations for these components?  I love the idea of having the DVD recorder with a firewire input and skipping the computer step.  Our computers (and software) are not stellar.

It sounds sensible, although your video editing options will be a bit limited.
For product recommendations, a search I made came up with these (All including HDD + Firewire in AND out):

Grundig GDRH-5625 (w/USB)
JVC DR-MHx00 series
LG RH-29x series
Panasonic DMR-Exxx series (no Firewire out, but with card reader!)
Philips DVDR7xx series
Pioneer DVR-545HX (w/USB)
Samsung DVD-HR7xx series (w/USB)

The model numbers differ between US and the rest of the world (due to the PAL/NTSC issue), so they are most likely called something else over there...

I don't know if you need a separate audio recorder, or if you will rely on the internal sound of the videocam only?
A recent thread about rugged gear might be interesting for you:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,96738.0.html

The Marantz PMD620 came up on top of this informal poll, so you might consider that as a separate audio device.

I let someone else chime in on the mic + preamp + videocam recommendations.

/Jan

[schnoodc]

Forgive me if I am not understanding this correctly, but the problem seems to be finding a prosumer-type video camera with xlr inputs.  From what I have been told, I will not get a good-quality sound with external mics without them.  From the research I have been doing today, it seems that xlr inputs are only available on pro-quality (and priced) cameras. 

Does anyone know of a video camera with xlr inputs that is, say, $2K or under? 

As always, many thanks!

[sunjan]

Forgive me if I am not understanding this correctly, but the problem seems to be finding a prosumer-type video camera with xlr inputs.  From what I have been told, I will not get a good-quality sound with external mics without them.  From the research I have been doing today, it seems that xlr inputs are only available on pro-quality (and priced) cameras. 

Does anyone know of a video camera with xlr inputs that is, say, $2K or under?

Hi again Kathy,

You're right, XLR by definition seems to be considered a pro feature, but it's a good choice, since they can take more rugged handling.

Take a look at models like Sony DSR-PDX10, HVR-A1(E) and Panasonic AG-DVX100.
They can be had for $1349, $1549 and $1499 respectively, if you trust the search engines:
http://camcorderinfo.resultspage.com/display.php?p=Q&ts=v3&w=*&af=&ccdsz=&ccdcnt=3&zoom=&still=&lcd=&mi=1&ai=&hd=&styp=&fmt=minidv&rvp=&rllp=&rsp=&rv=&rh=&reou=&ra=&rac=&romc=&rb=&submit=Submit

Here's a comparison, although it doesn't list the XLRs specifically:
http://www.pricerunner.com/pc/8/Camcorders-Product-Comparison?saved_products=0%2C152031%2C453917%2C131881&c_152031=152031&c_453917=453917&c_131881=131881
Here's another more detailed comparison (sorry, in Swedish only):
http://www.prisjakt.se/produkt.php?j=45633,26170,2845,72056

Looking at the feature set, Sony HVR-A1(E) seems to be the best bang for the buck, since it even records to HDV!
I can't vouch for the sound quality, but there is a forum dedicated to it:
http://www.sonyhdvinfo.com/forumdisplay.php?f=25

Maybe you can get some opinions there?!

/Jan

[allan]

I'll second the last posts mention of a panasonic DVX, its a higher quality camera with XLR inputs and 48v power that works well / is easy to use. We have one that we use for concerts, its very good in low light situations, much better than a consumer level model. We run it to tape, but I bet you could run it straight to dvd as well.

I would definitely recommend a camera of this level, i can dig up a sample if needed.

hope this helps!

[schnoodc]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I will float the idea of buying the Panasonic to my boss. 

[wilsonedits]

yes the dvx does a great job of taking audio .... would be a great buy... you can also just record straight to a hard drive to avoid the costs of tapes and increase the speed of your workflow