Topic: Need a microphone

[ears5551]

Hi, my brothers in a band and i just recently bought a camera so i could record there acoustic videos etc.  Now the sounds alright but i would like a real nice sounding mic for recording, so it would record everything strait to the computer, would this be possible?

Thank you,
Josh

[LikeASong]

Which camera do you have? And how big is your budget for this? This is a very wide question and the answer can radically change if the camera has a mic input or not, and if you have the idea of spending $80 or $500

[ears5551]

Camera does not have an audio input sadley, and i mean if the price could be around 100 that would be ncie

[myke2241]

The issue with cameras, consumer and professional is their inputs are often poor quality. i would say run what is called second system setup. This is where you record to a camera and audio recorder at the same time.

You can buy a all in one handheld recorder like the ones Zoom and Sony make for something like this. buy a 1/8'' cable. plug the cable into the line out or headphone output if the deck doesnt have a line out. plug the other side into your camera.

In the event you don't any inputs on your camera you can do this. Start recording on both the camera and your portable recorder. Before you start preforming, clap. This will act as a sync reference point. when you start the edit the video on your computer bring in the audio from the recorder. find the clap and match it to the audio recorded on the camera. Your done!

Remember all the best equipment in the world is no substitute to find good mic placement. as if you place the deck in a bad location all of this was for nothing. do some testing and see what sounds best for your application.

[LikeASong]

Are you

Camera does not have an audio input sadley, and i mean if the price could be around 100 that would be ncie

Ok, so I assume you're going to plug the microphone directly into your computer's sound card? $100 ain't a great budget but I guess something that fits your purposes can be suggested.

[ears5551]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tascam-DR-05-Handheld-PCM-Portable-Digital-Recorder-dr05-/271075727602?pt=US_Pro_Audio_Multi_Track_Recorders&hash=item3f1d5f58f2

would this be like alright?  At least a decent improvement?

[earmonger]

People seem to like it.

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/13883022284226515969/reviews?q=dr-05&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

You're not saving much on eBay--lots of stores have it at $74. If I were you', I'd go to a retailer who  would give you a chance to try it and return it.

As pointed out above, where you put the recorder is really going to make a huge difference. You need to place it at a spot in the room that sounds good to your ears. You're not going to just be able to leave it on a floor or on somebody's amp.

Also, note, if you're trying to sync the audio recording to a video from the camera, it's going to take some work with a video editing program. The handclap idea suggested above--like the clapper they use for movie takes--is a good thing to start with.

[LikeASong]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tascam-DR-05-Handheld-PCM-Portable-Digital-Recorder-dr05-/271075727602?pt=US_Pro_Audio_Multi_Track_Recorders&hash=item3f1d5f58f2

would this be like alright?  At least a decent improvement?

It depends on which camera you have, but the DR-05 internal mics most probably will be a decent improvement over the camera's mics. There are other (smaller) options out there if you wish. Moreover, depending on which you want to capture and where you'll be placed in the room/venue, you'll have to take into consideration the kind of pattern the microphones have; most common patterns are cardiod and omnidirectional, with the sound quality and texture being radically different from one to another. Tell us a bit more about how, where and what you're going to record and we'll be able to be a bit more precise

[ears5551]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klMocPToUYc

things like this, but i just want some better sound quality

[LikeASong]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klMocPToUYc

things like this, but i just want some better sound quality

Yes, I understand why you'd want better audio quality Well, the DR-05 will DEFINITELY improve that. It won't give you a professional studio-like quality but it will improve that quality a lot, and for ~$75 aprox you can't go much wrong. You can add some external mics later if you want to improve the quality even more!

[ears5551]

well thanks man!!

[fguidry]

The issue is way beyond mic quality. A parallel system with a separate mic allows you to place the mic at the optimum location for audio while you place the camera at a different location that is optimum for video.

Camera audio circuitry might well do more damage than the mic, since there's usually heavy processing aimed at keeping levels under control. This leads to pumping and distortion. As a result, many cameras with mic inputs are basically useless for audio even with an external mic plugged in.

Fran