Whats a Simple setup for Video + Audio Syncing with Zoom H2n ?

[AjnabiZ]

Hello

Just purchased Zoom H2n with its accessories and a 16Gb Card.

I want to know the basics of using it for recording lectures of a teacher. the Recorder will be kept in front of the Speaker as he wants his lectures to be recorded. The speaker already has a Camcorder so I plan on recording the video with the Camcorder and using Zoom H2n for recording Audio and then syncing them both. Video will be recorded in PAL 25 FPS.

Which software should i be working with for Video + Audio syncing ? I have a PC with windows 7 and another PC with Windows XP

I read here in another site that PluralEyes work really well with syncing video with audio.

Is a Lavalier mic necessary or could i just use the Zoom H2n's mic by placing it in front of the speaker. The speaker would be sitting and wont be moving.

Also,Which Rec Mode should i choose for recording Speech/Lectures ?

44.1 / 16 bit
44.1 / 24 bit

or 48 / 16 bit
etc.

Can someone suggest a simple setup.

Are there any tutorials ?

[aedipuss]

simplest is still best. a clap board. if you can't find one of those then someone onscreen clapping their hands once so you can see them and hear it on the separate audio.

[edDV]

...
Also,Which Rec Mode should i choose for recording Speech/Lectures ?

44.1 / 16 bit
44.1 / 24 bit

or 48 / 16 bit
etc.

Can someone suggest a simple setup.

Are there any tutorials ?

Standard DVD/Blu-Ray/broadcast audio is 16bit and 48 KHz sampling. 24 bit is more for mastering music, not voice.

Great free software is Audacity. If you want more look at Sony Audio Studio or SoundForge.

[edDV]

simplest is still best. a clap board. if you can't find one of those then someone onscreen clapping their hands once so you can see them and hear it on the separate audio.

Or a clicker often used for dog training.

[ronnylov]

If you record to 24-bit 48 kHz then you have more headroom if the recording level is low (and by recording a lower level you have more headroom for high sudden sounds). I always record 24-bit and edit it in Audacity and export as 16-bit after editing. This way I can get dynamic sound even at low recording level.

[AjnabiZ]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Oddly enough, even though i am subscribed to this thread, i did not receive any email on the replies.

I did saw a small clip on using a Clapboard on youtube or even clapping hand, but the environment would allow me to do either of them as it would be seen as disrespectful to clap in a gathering.

Here is a video i found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuZX06U51zA


Regarding the rec bitrate, should i go with 44.1 / 24 bit ?

[budwzr]

I would worry more about setting the gain properly. The H2N is not a shotgun mic. It has a wide pickup range. I would definitely consider a wired lav or shotgun mic plugged into the H2N.

The enemy is background noise. You should choose the narrowest mic mode, I think it's 120 degrees, and get it in as close as possible.

If you can put the recorder in some kind of small box with the open end facing the speaker, that would dramatically improve sound.

Also, sound rises. Suspending the recorder overhead facing down will help a lot too.

[Cornucopia]

A professor is doing a lecture at a particular time, say 10:00am. Start the recordings at maybe 5 minutes before with a clapper right then and walk away. Students might look up, but will ignore you as soon as you continue to go about your business, and then there is no disturbance of the professor himself.

re: politeness...
In America, when you go to many weddings, you find a professional photographer. They often seem to be "pushy" and very directing. The reason is that, in order to get the kind of professional shots they are expected to provide, they HAVE to have more than the usual amount of assertiveness. Some are better and slicker at it than others.
This can sometimes be misconstrued as "rude" behavior (in some cases, maybe it is truly rude), but it is understood by the wedding party and the guests that this behavior is kind of expected.

So it may be with your recording of lectures. If you truly have been consigned to record these, be assertive about it and go about your business with the efficiency it requires, while still trying to mind the needs of others. For many, your "official" status will provide you with an extra measure of good will that you wouldn't otherwise get.

As a veteran audio engineer, I agree with budwzr - get lavalier mike (directional if possible, wired or wireless, depending on your budget and circumstances) or a very directional mike like a hypercardioid or shotgun.
Set your gain correctly, and if possible use a compressor/limiter, to optimize the speaker volume vs. the noise level.
If you can handle the additional filesize and bandwidth burden, and can remember to downrez at the end (done correctly, with dither), it really does make sense to use 24bit to record with. The additional headroom and the maintenance of natural reverb tails it noticeable (even after you downrez).

Scott

[aedipuss]

drop a book on a desk in view of the camera? you just need a loud quick noise with video of what made it to sync them on the editing timeline.

[budwzr]

Blow a lifeguard whistle And enjoy the fun of everyone thinking it's a police raid.

[edDV]

Regarding the rec bitrate, should i go with 44.1 / 24 bit ?

44.1 KHz is only used for CD. Modern video formats use 48 KHz.

[Cornucopia]

Clickers are very good for Acoustic Impulse Response work, and Lifeguard/Police whistles are mighty loud (and probably good for MAX SPL requirements), but neither of those are good for SYNCHRONIZING the Audio & Video, because there's no clear visual component.

That's why clappers are used so much - mark point is very clear both visually and audibly..

Scott

[budwzr]

How hard can it be? There's ONE speaker, there's ONE audio track, just put the two together and render out to a master, then do the editing.

[Cornucopia]

How hard can it be? Sometimes very hard - depending on if the camera can zoom in enough on the speaker's face, if the lighting is good enough, if there is a clearly defined transient that can be matched, etc. That's why a clapper makes it easy.

Scott

[budwzr]

I guess so, admittedly I only do short recordings and it's mostly sound effects.

[edDV]

I guess so, admittedly I only do short recordings and it's mostly sound effects.

You need to do one to understand. It gets tough especially when doing un-genlocked multi-camera where the cameras are running at slightly different speeds.

Pros sync all the cams from a central sync generator. Modern pro cams can do this with wireless sync.

[AjnabiZ]

A professor is doing a lecture at a particular time, say 10:00am. Start the recordings at maybe 5 minutes before with a clapper right then and walk away. Students might look up, but will ignore you as soon as you continue to go about your business, and then there is no disturbance of the professor himself.

re: politeness...
In America, when you go to many weddings, you find a professional photographer. They often seem to be "pushy" and very directing. The reason is that, in order to get the kind of professional shots they are expected to provide, they HAVE to have more than the usual amount of assertiveness. Some are better and slicker at it than others.
This can sometimes be misconstrued as "rude" behavior (in some cases, maybe it is truly rude), but it is understood by the wedding party and the guests that this behavior is kind of expected.

So it may be with your recording of lectures. If you truly have been consigned to record these, be assertive about it and go about your business with the efficiency it requires, while still trying to mind the needs of others. For many, your "official" status will provide you with an extra measure of good will that you wouldn't otherwise get.

As a veteran audio engineer, I agree with budwzr - get lavalier mike (directional if possible, wired or wireless, depending on your budget and circumstances) or a very directional mike like a hypercardioid or shotgun.
Set your gain correctly, and if possible use a compressor/limiter, to optimize the speaker volume vs. the noise level.
If you can handle the additional filesize and bandwidth burden, and can remember to downrez at the end (done correctly, with dither), it really does make sense to use 24bit to record with. The additional headroom and the maintenance of natural reverb tails it noticeable (even after you downrez).

Scott

Thanks for the wonderful advice.
I did talk to the speaker today and he agreed with using a clapper. So that issue is solved.

[AjnabiZ]

How hard can it be? Sometimes very hard - depending on if the camera can zoom in enough on the speaker's face, if the lighting is good enough, if there is a clearly defined transient that can be matched, etc. That's why a clapper makes it easy.

Scott

Thanks scott

There will only be 1 camera in the beginning and 1 audio recorder. So we are keeping it very simple in the beginning and we might add a 2nd camera later on. We will have to see how the complete project moves along.

[AjnabiZ]

I would worry more about setting the gain properly. The H2N is not a shotgun mic. It has a wide pickup range. I would definitely consider a wired lav or shotgun mic plugged into the H2N.

The enemy is background noise. You should choose the narrowest mic mode, I think it's 120 degrees, and get it in as close as possible.

If you can put the recorder in some kind of small box with the open end facing the speaker, that would dramatically improve sound.

Also, sound rises. Suspending the recorder overhead facing down will help a lot too.

Thanks for the advice.

I think Ill go with your Lavaliere mic approach. My question is that should i buy a Wired Lav mic or Wireless lav mic ?

Also, which would be best brand under $200 or $150 for a Lav mic ? I have no idea in this area.

[AjnabiZ]

How hard can it be? There's ONE speaker, there's ONE audio track, just put the two together and render out to a master, then do the editing.

Yes, thats what i am planning on doing.

But since this will be my first ever attempt at such a project, so i want to make sure that everything is setup properly. moreover, i have to learn to use the software as well

Should I work with Reaper for Audio + Video Syncing as shown in my earlier youtube video example ?

Or should i go with some other program ? Since I will be starting afresh, I want to pick one software and stick to it for good.

[budwzr]

I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-35S-Lavalier-Microphone/dp/B00006I51V/ref=sr_...8351179&sr=8-1

There's no chance of interference or signal dropout with a wired mic, but the speaker needs to be careful not to move past the range of the cord.

I'm not familiar with Reaper, I use Ableton, but Reaper is a DAW (digital audio workstation). You don't need the extra complexity of a DAW.

You might as well start off with Sony Vegas Movie Studio as an editor. It has everything you need. And you can upgrade to Pro later getting full value for your original purchase.

Vegas may take a while to comprehend because the tools are represented graphically and interactively, right on the timeline. Versus other software that shows the arrangement of clips on the timeline, but you have to apply tools from a dialog box full of numbers and dropdown menus.

But Vegas was born as an audio editor, and it's no slouch as an NLE.

[AjnabiZ]

I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-35S-Lavalier-Microphone/dp/B00006I51V/ref=sr_...8351179&sr=8-1

There's no chance of interference or signal dropout with a wired mic, but the speaker needs to be careful not to move past the range of the cord.

I'm not familiar with Reaper, I use Ableton, but Reaper is a DAW (digital audio workstation). You don't need the extra complexity of a DAW.

You might as well start off with Sony Vegas Movie Studio as an editor. It has everything you need. And you can upgrade to Pro later getting full value for your original purchase.

Vegas may take a while to comprehend because the tools are represented graphically and interactively, right on the timeline. Versus other software that shows the arrangement of clips on the timeline, but you have to apply tools from a dialog box full of numbers and dropdown menus.

But Vegas was born as an audio editor, and it's no slouch as an NLE.

Thanks for the reply

I checked out Audio-Technica ATR-35S Lavalier Microphone, its quite cheap. Is there a better alternative of it, below $100

I checked our Ableton, its a Music editor. Does it allow video ?

Should i just start with Vegas Movie studio or Vegas Pro ?

What about Adobe Premiere Pro, though its expensive as well .

[AjnabiZ]

Guys, i have some bad news.

I placed an order at www.uniquesquared.com/zoom-h2n-with-16gb-and-acc-pack.html for the pack. They just sent me an email stating " Thank you for your order. Your order has been determined a potential security risk. We have cancelled the order and fully refunded your payment. "

I really liked the package they were offering at that price.

Can anyone suggest another site where i can buy such a package ?

[AjnabiZ]

I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-35S-Lavalier-Microphone/dp/B00006I51V/ref=sr_...8351179&sr=8-1

There's no chance of interference or signal dropout with a wired mic, but the speaker needs to be careful not to move past the range of the cord.

One more question, if i use a lav mic, how would the Zoom H2n come into play ? If i stick the Lav mic into Zoom h2n, the recording would be dependent on the lav mic's performance as it would be using Zoom's mic .

Am i missing something here ?

[AjnabiZ]

Just found a review of Audio Technica ATR35S. Verdict was not good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9jBht1PnKE

[budwzr]

The H2N has an external mic input. When a mic is plugged in there, the H2N's mics are deactivated. You plug your headphones into the H2N to monitor the recording in the usual way.

Go for a Rode shotgun mic then. http://www.amazon.com/Rode-VideoMic-Directional-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0007U9SOC/ref...8364504&sr=8-1

As Far as security, that's surprising. I thought UAE was US friendly.

[AjnabiZ]

B&H sales rep suggested i go with Pearstone OLM-10 Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphone (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/659062-REG/Pearstone_9111930_OLM_10_Omnidirectio...icrophone.html)


And MXL FR-355K Lavalier Interview Microphone Kit

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/581525-REG/MXL_FR_355K_FR_355K_Lavalier_Intervie...icrophone.html

[AjnabiZ]

The H2N has an external mic input. When a mic is plugged in there, the H2N's mics are deactivated. You plug your headphones into the H2N to monitor the recording in the usual way.

Go for a Rode shotgun mic then. http://www.amazon.com/Rode-VideoMic-Directional-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0007U9SOC/ref...8364504&sr=8-1

As Far as security, that's surprising. I thought UAE was US friendly.

I actually want to use H2N's mic due to its good rec quality, thats the reason i purchased it.

Shouldnt i be using H2n's mic ? Is there any issue ?

The speaker is saying that he might want to move during the talk, so a lav mic would be good as he wont have to hold anything in his hands.

But i can convince him to give the talk while sitting down.

[budwzr]

B&H sales rep suggested i go with Pearstone OLM-10 Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphone (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/659062-REG/Pearstone_9111930_OLM_10_Omnidirectio...icrophone.html)

That's the same mic with a different name on it. Cheaper though.

[AjnabiZ]

As Far as security, that's surprising. I thought UAE was US friendly.

The email did include paying via Paypal with a Verified account.

I think ill go down that route and see if it works.