Recording equipment

keff

I have, perhaps, the simplest of recording equipment. An audio-technica 2020 microphone with a usb plug that attaches directly into an elderly MacBook Pro and I record using the QuickTimePlayer software. This means I have to make recordings in a continuous take. I do have Audacity but have never learned how to use it.

QuickTimePlayer produces files with .aifc extentions so these need converting to mp3. Readers will have noticed that I upload the mp3 files into Whyp.

kanadajin

keff
keff, the Audio-Tecnica 2020 usb mic is one which I am considering for recording my acoustic grand piano. I am just wondering if you are happy with the results, and if you have any comments about its placement for best results. Most reviews I have seen are from people using it for podcasts and other voice applications, … This leaves me wondering about rendition of acoustic musical instruments.

(So far, I have been exclusively using my digital piano onboard recorder for mp3 files)

Joseph-Fleetwood

if you have a MacBook Pro you surely have Garage Band on it which means you can do some editing. I have Logic Pro and I'm about to make a record using it, but it's going to be a learning curve.

keff

Joseph-Fleetwood Thanks Joseph. Garage Band is on this laptop and for some reason it entered my head that it wasn't suitable for use with an acoustic piano but I will explore it now that you have mentioned it. During covid lockdowns we ran our piano group using zoom but because music didn't come across well we recorded into Youtube so that during the zoom meetings we could cut across to YT videos. It was easiest to record on a phone for this purpose but its microphone was the let down.

danno858

I use two Røde NT5 condenser mics with a zoom h4n pro recorder and Reaper. It’s really quite easy to set up and the recordings are quite nice. It’s also relatively easy to splice the recording onto video you’ve taken with your iPhone in Reaper as I imagine it must be as well on Logic Pro or the others mentioned..,

Pallas

danno858 Would you consider sharing a recording made with your setup? I'm shopping for microphones and I feel overwhelmed. It would be super helpful to hear a sample!

TC3

danno858 I have a Zoom H4n as well, I love it. It's great for recording solo piano, either with just the built in stereo mics or adding one or two external mics. I especially like using a kick drum mic to pick up the lower end of my piano. It's also great that I can plug it right into my phone and get much better audio when I record video than I do with my phone's built-in mic.

danno858

Pallas sure just made a quick sample but not sure how I can post it here

iternabe

Pallas I'm shopping for microphones and I feel overwhelmed.

I am no expert, but I have good experience trusting Wirecutter's recommendation on many products. Here is their's on microphone for recording music.

Pallas

danno858
I think the file just has to be hosted somewhere, then you can post the URL as a link. Thank you for making the sample!

iternabe

Some of you commended on the split screen recording by me and Serge88 in PW Recital #74. Looks like we both use OBS Studio (software) and two webcams. OBS Studio is a free recording software designed for streamers. It can be configured to record audio MP3 only, too. But its real strength is to mix multiple video and audio feeds while recording.

For example, in my video the two view (side and top) comes from the webcams, but the audio is from the digital piano's USB output (to avoid any ambient noise). The mixing is done as the recording is made, so the only post processing needed is just to trim the video.

If you are recording from an acoustic piano, just add a microphone and set OBS studio to use that audio stream.

candela

iternabe Yes, OBS seems great from my fairly limited experience with it. Just wanted to add that it is not necessary to use a dedicated webcam. There are capture cards that make it possible to connect a regular digital camera to the computer to function similarly. My capture card has hdmi input (from camera) and usb output (to computer).

iternabe

candela Correct. Some of the newer digital cameras (SLR, mirrorless and point-and-shoot) can even connect directly to PC/Mac without the need of additional capture card. Many camera manufacturers released updated drivers to enable such feature due to high demand of webcams during the pandemic.

I do like webcams because they are so cheap. I have several permanently installed so that I can quickly switch between various angles in OBS Studio.

candela

iternabe Interesting! Thanks, I didn't know that about the newer camera models, as I've not been in the market to upgrade my dslr-s lately and I already had a capture card since before the pandemic. I should probably check for driver updates if I want to connect multiple external cameras simultaneously.

Which alternative is cheaper would depend on if you already own a camera (or several). I think I paid around 15 € for my no-name capture card a few years ago, and I don't think a cheap web-camera could compete in image quality with a dslr + optics costing several times as much (but already paid for and owned thus making the marginal cost low). Maybe someone else is in a similar situation I was and finds knowing about this option useful.

Pallas

iternabe Thanks, friend. I really appreciate how willing you are to share your equipment knowledge. It's one of my weakest areas and I need all the help I can get!

Gary001

I grew tired of using a dedicated camera for video and separate mics for audio and having to sync these up before sharing a recording. Not that it's hard, it's just extra effort I'd rather not do for practice/quick recordings.

What I do now is a compromise, I sacrificed video quality for convenience and use a Q8N-4k.

The camera includes 2 XLR sockets to hookup external mics as well as decent quality onboard mics. Video/Audio can be recorded in sync as one and you can optionally record separate audio tracks if you'd like.

The convenience comes at a price though and that is questionable video quality in low light conditions and a need to use a slight zoom to limit the fish-eye lens effect.

I really hope we see a model in the future that's a regular field of view. That said, the audio quality is superb. For practice sessions I don't bother setting my dedicated mics up and just use the on camera. Then for a full recording, I'll set the external mics up and connect and go. There's some decent examples on youtube.

iternabe

If you want your recording to be useful to remote teachers, or even to yourself as an observer, this guy has good suggestions on camera placement.

WieWaldi

iternabe If you want your recording to be useful to remote teachers, or even to yourself as an observer, this guy has good suggestions on camera placement.

I disagree with his importance-ordering of camera angles.
If you have only one single camera, the angled camera seems best to me (3rd option).

If you have two cameras, then add the overhead camera (2nd option), this is a no-brainer. But I still have my doubts the profile angle is more helpful than the angled one. All bullet points he listed for the profile camera happen to work with the angled camera as well, if not even better.
Especially with the use case he mentioned - online teaching (live, no playback) - I strongly doubt a teacher can split view multiple cameras at the same time and understand what's going on. The angled camera just delivers most information in one single view.

danno858

TC3 how are you connecting it to your phone? What kind of phone?

TC3

danno858 I have an Android phone, just connecting with a USB cable. Check pages 31-32 in the Zoom H4n manual. Hint: I had to change the sample rate to match the phone, otherwise the sound came through at the wrong speed / pitch.

danno858

TC3 I have an iPhone. I’ll have to check if it’s compatible

TC3

danno858 I would think so, iDevices tend to be good about that. Just check settings in the phone and the video app to make sure the external mic is selected and the sampling rate matches.