Combining synched sound with video - total absolute newbie

[Povster]

Hi Folks - my first post here. Please bear in mind I am a complete and total newbie to anything related to video editing, and have not even touched video editing software..

I have a DSLR that shoots 1080 video @25fps (app). I have a Zoom H4 digital recorder. I wouild like to shoot 5 or so minute videos of musicians (accoustic solo or small esemble) using the H4 as the audio recorder. The DSLR does not have an external mic jack.

How do I combine the audio and video and properly synch them so the hand motion of the musicians matches the sound? At this stage I don't see myself doing anything fancier than maybe a title. In the future I may end up using more editing processes, but for now I am looking for both the least expensive and simplest application(s) to use.

I am literally starting at square one.

I have spent some time looking through the various articles and posts. I have not really found an answer because I am often not quite sure what I am reading.

Thanks very much.

[bigass]

Well, that depends on what video software you're using. Here's how I've been doing it lately:

- start your video recorder (your camera) and audio recorder (your zoom) rolling and get your levels.
- do something to simulate a clapboard like you see the movie studios use. simply, have someone clap their hands on-camera.
- import the video and audio into your NLE.
- when you're editing, find that sharp transient. You'll *see* it on the on-camera audio and the zoom's audio.
- match 'em up. zoom in tight and match them up so that transient is right in sync.

now, i use Vegas... so, once I have the throw-away audio and the wanted audio matched up, I click the throwaway audio ... hit "U" to ungroup it from the video... delete it ... click the wanted audio & video and hit "G" to group them together. Now I have video and good audio together as though they always belonged.

If you don't have a clap, watch for some other sharp transient ... a drum hit might be good .. someone putting something on a table ... anything that makes a short, sharp noise that you can see on both audio waveforms.

That help?

[Povster]

Actually it DOES help. I cannot afford something like Vegas (just looked it up) but conceptually it is a big help!

I didn't even know that audio and video tracks could be separated like that. Is that more software based, movie format based (avi, mov etc) or both?