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Post by marcus on May 5, 2013 7:01:30 GMT
Hi All,
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question but here goes. I've got a newish computer with one of those built-in cameras in it. The last computer I had (which kind of died) had some kind of programme installed on which allowed me to video record a guitar once I plugged in an external camera/mic. I could even plug in a Zoom H2 to record the sound and the quality of the final sound was much improved. The new computer doesn't seem to have any such programme even though it's got the built in camera. Could anyone please recommend a free programme (hopefully one that's legal and safe) that can be downloaded from the internet so I could do this sort of thing.
Hope this makes sense.
All the best, marcus
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Post by scripsit on May 5, 2013 7:32:46 GMT
Marcus
If you are on a PC (as opposed to a Mac) you can download and install the free, open source audio editing program called 'Audacity'.
This allows you to record directly from the computer or external microphone, build up multitracks and do considerable fiddling with the built in suite of manipulation tools. You can use the Zoom H2 as an external mic and Audacity will recognise it without any problems.
I believe the latest version of Audacity also lets you install what are called 'VST plugins': these are software emulations of recording studio hardware devices like reverb and compression and so forth. If you have a bit of a hunt around you can find many useful and free versions of these.
Once you've done the recording, and used the tools in the program to do a 'mixdown' to your taste, you can export the sound files in a variety of formats, to burn to CD or use directly on MP3 players and the like. My memory is that you have to carry out a simple step to enable you to save to MP3 format the first time because of licensing issues with that format, but it is not difficult and only has to be done once on any computer.
I used Audacity for several years as the main recording software for various voice and soundtrack editing purposes when I worked in educational multimedia production, and it is a very powerful program which is easy to use.
For guitar recording I've now gone to full featured DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software: I use 'Presonus Studio One'. Most DAWs are expensive and the interfaces can be daunting (there are still bits of mine I don't know much about). You can download a free version of Studio One which has some of the more sophisticated tools left out. If you have access to a good microphone (maybe something that is just a microphone for about the cost of the H2) and a preamp to plug the mic into the results can be surprisingly professional once you get the hang of it. If you think you are eventually going to get into this recording thing in a big way, that might be a better way to go, and it's still free at the start.
Lots of home recording folk use a DAW called 'Reaper', which is free to begin with and very cheap even for the full version, but I've got no experience with it.
Kym
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Post by scripsit on May 5, 2013 7:40:58 GMT
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Post by marcus on May 5, 2013 7:54:18 GMT
Hi Kym,
Thanks for your prompt and very informative reply. I should have specified that I just dabble in recording (mostly just to hear myself and try and improve or simply to share the tone of whatever guitar I'm playing... or selling!). The "movie maker" programme you mention may well be the one I had on my last computer (it sounds familiar). I'll download that and the Audacity programme too as it sounds like it has a few additional features that could be useful. The DAW programme sounds a bit beyond my needs at present but thanks for sharing that... hopefully some other forum members will find your write-up helpful.
Thanks again Kym, I really appreciate it.
Cheers, marcus
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Wild Violet
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Post by Wild Violet on May 5, 2013 15:53:41 GMT
I use Audacity too, it's the only one simple enough for me to understand
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on May 5, 2013 16:49:54 GMT
I'm afraid Audacity might be simple - but it's beyond me! I'm hoping someone will offer a 'multitrack recording workshop' at HB4/ASBO1
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on May 5, 2013 18:43:01 GMT
Hi Marcus I just simply use Windows Movie Maker with the internal web cam on my laptop. The resolution is not great but I suppose it depends on what you want to do. For sound I simply plug my Zoom H1 as a mic into the mic socket on the laptop and it works adequately for what I want to do currently Hope this helps. Phil
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Post by marcus on May 5, 2013 23:34:30 GMT
Thanks Wild Violet and Phil for chiming in. Phil, I think I'll basically follow your set up using my Zoom H2 as the mic.
Leoroberts, best of luck with sorting out your recording needs.
Cheers, marcus
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on May 6, 2013 15:11:06 GMT
Thanks Wild Violet and Phil for chiming in. Phil, I think I'll basically follow your set up using my Zoom H2 as the mic. Leoroberts, best of luck with sorting out your recording needs. Cheers, marcus I think it's worth trying before spending any $. Cheers Phil
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Post by Martin on May 6, 2013 16:18:03 GMT
I have a Zoom H2 as a USB mic using Audacity, but for some reason I don't like the recording quality I get. Too muffled and indistinct. This is more than likely my own fault and will probably be a setting or two that I need to tweak, but thought I'd mention it anyway. The best recorded sound quality I currently get is onto my Tascam DP-004 portable studio thingy using the internal mics
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on May 6, 2013 16:32:56 GMT
Another Zoom as USB mic user! This time into a Cakewalk Guitar Tracks programme now way outdated and not update-able. It should work with Win 7, but the basic record, multitrack and edit functions still do, so I'm reluctant to change to anything more modern - it does what I want and I know how to do it!
(Leo - I suspect that what you need is specific help with whatever hardware and software you end up using - thay seem to vary so much...)
Keith
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Post by keithambridge on May 6, 2013 16:33:04 GMT
Any chance of a "Home Recording" forum on the board Martin?
I too use Audacity and, although it is simple I have spent the best part of a day in the past trying to get to the bottom of a problem with lots of trial and error.
This is certainly a thing that members could help each other out with.
Keith II
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on May 6, 2013 16:57:49 GMT
(Leo - I suspect that what you need is specific help with whatever hardware and software you end up using - thay seem to vary so much...) Keith This is entirely true. I'm going to collar Martin at HB4 to walk me through the Tascam thingy. I'm one of those folks as need to be shown stuff, manuals just don't help at all! The quality of some of the recording on here is incredible, and I'd love the know-how to add a couple of tracks to a recording, just for my own pleasure! As it is, it's voice and instrument both recorded at the same time into a Zoom H2 and then not edited at all as I haven't the foggiest idea what to do...
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Post by Martin on May 6, 2013 17:17:18 GMT
Any chance of a "Home Recording" forum on the board Martin? I too use Audacity and, although it is simple I have spent the best part of a day in the past trying to get to the bottom of a problem with lots of trial and error. This is certainly a thing that members could help each other out with. Keith II I think with the amount of times questions and topics about this arise, it might not be a bad idea Keith. Let me think about how we do this without cluttering up the look of the board too much - a bit of reorganisation might be helpful here. Thanks for the suggestion
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Post by Mike Floorstand on May 6, 2013 18:30:07 GMT
My recent videos have been done using the laptop's internal webcam (I did choose a laptop when I renewed it last year with a slightly higher number of megapixels webcam as I knew I'd want to use it for occasional recordings), plus a Zoom H4N plugged into the USB port. The video software is the Windows Live Moviemaker that gets shipped with Windows 7.
When I bought the Zoom it came bundled with Cubase LE4, I have recently had some success using this for mixing tracks - recording one track and then another on top - so maybe I'll be uploading some more interesting pieces in future. The recording will then have to be merged with the webcam video but Keith gave me some tips on that at the East Anglia guitar show yesterday. I think I now have all the knowledge I need to record videos of me playing with myself!
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