Seeking Video Advice

[Sherry Cadenhead]

My objective is to create a video of my playing the melody of a tune. This much I can do, using my Android smartphone. I want to add audio of my playing chords in the background to accompany my playing of the melody.

Facts:
1. I'm technologically challenged.
2. I'd like to use equipment I currently own and not have to purchase anything extra (if this is possible).

Equipment I own:
1. Mandolin/pick/music stand w/cellphone holder for taking video
2. Smartphone (Android)
3. Tablet (Android)
4. Fender Frontman 10G amp (1 input, 1 aux in, 1 headphones)

Suggestions?

[Louise NM]

Hire a sound man.

[Sherry Cadenhead]

Come on, Louise! At least I've posted videos of my playing! Lol

[CES]

You may want to check out software similar to GarageBand, Cakewalk, etc. They're not always the most intuitive to use, but will allow you to multitrack. To get good quality you'll need an interface that you can plug a mic into (I've used sm-57, 58, and a Rode NT1). The computer's mic and even USB mic like those used in podcasts won't do the job well. I've gotten very good results with my rig. It's similar to a Focusrite Scarlett, but a different brand (haven't used it in months and can't recall the name, and not home to look).

Oops, you want to do video...sorry, I've got nothing. Hopefully some you tubers will chime in with useful info!

[lflngpicker]

The simplest way to do this is to record an audio backtrack of your chord rhythm first. Play this back on a separate device (such as an Mp3 player plugged in to an amplifier or burn a CD and play it through a CD player's speakers) as you video yourself playing with it. Your computer microphone will capture both at the same time. Experiment with the volume and closeness of the playback and after a couple of short practice recordings of the first few measures, get ready and go live! The fidelity of the background won't be perfect but it will get the job done and enable you to demonstrate your playing. You can record yourself on the rhythm track by downloading the free NCH software online. The video can be taken from your camera built in to your computer by clicking on the video icon, or you can use the Quicktime player and select make a new video. There are much more sophisticated ways to do this but this will work and is doable without a lot of expense.

[chrisoff]

My objective is to create a video of my playing the melody of a tune. This much I can do, using my Android smartphone. I want to add audio of my playing chords in the background to accompany my playing of the melody.

Facts:
1. I'm technologically challenged.
2. I'd like to use equipment I currently own and not have to purchase anything extra (if this is possible).

Equipment I own:
1. Mandolin/pick/music stand w/cellphone holder for taking video
2. Smartphone (Android)
3. Tablet (Android)
4. Fender Frontman 10G amp (1 input, 1 aux in, 1 headphones)

Suggestions?

Record audio on the tablet of you playing the chords, play it back through the aux of the amp and play the melody over the top while you video it with your phone.

[soliver]

I've been able to do this sort of thing using the split screen feature on my video editing software: I'm a Mac user so I always use iMovie. There are gobs of tutorials on how to use just about any kind of software on Youtube.

In short, I recorded (video) myself playing melody, then using earphones to listen to my first recording, I recorded myself playing along with chords. Then after transferring the video to my computer, using the split screen feature in iMovie, I had to line up the videos so they were in sinc. This was a little tricky, but I was able to give myself a "marker" to match line up the 2 videos by doing a 4-count count down.

Here's one:
https://vimeo.com/182176436

[bigskygirl]

Set up your video recording device and then start a rhythm track playing like this guy does. He’s posted a lot of videos and I’ve enjoyed them all...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=agfN27_Zg2o

Strum Machine and Flatpick Apprentice are two backing track sites I can think of off top of head...iRealPro is a good app but not a “real” guitar sound.

[bigskygirl]

Wanted to add check out song of the week group, good playing and lots of different recording techniques over there.

[gtani7]

there's apps for iphone and android, i've heard of one called acapella that seems to be widely used: https://www.wirerealm.com/guides/top...roduction-apps

[John Kelly]

Hi Sherry,

As a regular poster on the SAW group I feel I can offer you some help in your recording. I generally find that I record the melody first, rather than the backing. Either way works, but I just prefer to do it this way. You need to have a good steady rhythm in your melody playing (unless you are playing a slow air -more of which later) so that you can get the chords to fit when you add them to the mix.

My own system uses my laptop (still running Windows XP) with the REAPER software and I record via an Edirol UA-25 interface into which I plug my microphone(s). The Edirol connects to the laptop via the USB connection and has two inputs which let me use either condenser mics, non-condenser mics or my guitar lead plugged in to Input 2, which has a setting (Hi-Z) for taking guitar pickups. I record the melody, then using headphones I add other tracks as I wish. The headphones allow me to listen to the melody without having it bleed into the current active track. I usually have a chord or other sort of intro at the start of the melody track (even just a vocal count-in) to give me a lead-in to get the chords synced. Most recently I have used a Tascam DR-05 recorder to record the tune, then load this via USB into REAPER as one track, then add the rhythm tracks as I want to via the Edirol. Where my videos have footage of me playing rather than just being scenic backgrounds to the music, I record this on a wee Sanyo camcorder.

If you have only the equipment you mention, I'd still go with recording the melody on your Android device, loading this into a freeware program such as Audacity, then you can play this back while recording your rhythm track as a separate track on your phone/tablet. Load this in turn into Audacity and line up the two (or more) tracks you have recorded and you have your basic ingredients for creating a good mix. The syncing is greatly helped by having the count-in I mentioned above. This deals with the sound only, of course, and for video, you will have either the track from your melody recording or from your rhythm recording (equivalent to my camcorder clip). Load this into your video editing software (I use Sony Vegas) but there are lots of suitable programs out there, including free ones. In your video editor, load the video+sound from your android device and you can then add the sound track you mixed from your recordings of the melody and rhythm. Line them up to sync and then mute the sound track on the video you loaded, keeping just your sound mix.

If you want further help, PM me and we can work at this more. I have done collaborations here with other members where we e-mailed trackes to each other and aded our own tracks to create a final mix.

My point about the slow airs, of which I have several on the SAW group and on my YouTube channel, is that they do not have a fixed, steady rhythm but rather move along on their own, pausing in places and speeding slightly in others, as a good storyteller will do with a narrated story. I always think of slow airs as story-telling through music.

Looking forward to hearing your Birdfeeder Waltz soon!

[Folkmusician.com]

Adobe Premiere Clip is free. I have never used it, but it looks like one of the popular choices.... https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere-clip.html

This one looks like it only edits (pre-recorded videos). There should be plenty in the Google Play store that also record.

1. Recording backing chords on your phone. You can most likely do this right in the app, but if not, just use whatever is on the phone for voice memos, etc...
2. With that audio file loaded in Point the phone (or tablet), at you and hit record to play the lead.
3. Adjust the audio levels
4. Save
5. Show the world!

[Sherry Cadenhead]

Wanted to add check out song of the week group, good playing and lots of different recording techniques over there.

I'm a member of that group. Clueless as to how they do the videos, though.

[Sherry Cadenhead]

So many suggestions, so little time to try them out! I need to sort them, I think, starting with the simplest. Then I'll move down the list as necessary. I appreciate all the input.

John, still working on that one, trying to perfect it. (Perfect for me would be unacceptable for you.) I played it for my teacher for the first time yesterday. That piece inspired my "Slurs" post at my teacher's request during my lesson.