Recording music demo clips with the HV20
 

I run a small manufacturing company, and bought the HV20 to try to record amps, and show what they can do. The whole youtube thing is appealing to boost sales.

Problem is I'm not really digging the internal microphone. What can I do to get a better sound on the tape? FWIW - I have some high-end recording microphones, mic preamps, mixer, etc... but there's no apparent way to get this all into the camera.

Here's two snips of what I did already.

http://www.soultoneamps.com/clips/20WM_Wilbur.mov

http://www.soultoneamps.com/clips/18WM_Wilbur.mov

Get a mic-to-line-in adapter and connect your camera to the CD player's headphone output that the singer currently uses to lip-syncs during the shooting. You will need a splitter for the cable, because if you connect it to the headphone-out the singer/artist won't be able to listen to the music to lip-sync/play-instrument. So, the 3.5mm splitter will be connecting on your HV20 and a pair of external speakers. Then, during editing, you match the waveforms.

In other words, it will sound more natural if you A/V sync it later rather than capturing the live audio -- except if that's what you want to do...

16-bit audio & external microphone
 

See page 39 of the HV20 manual and be sure you have it set to capture 16-bit audio. See pages 61 & 62 about "Using an External Microphone". Pages 60 & 61 tell you how to adjust the recording level and display the audio level.

This is one of the more non-sequitor things I've read. There's no singer, no lip-synching, and no CD player.

The videos show me, playing a guitar amp. I want to make videos that demonstrate the amplifier features. However the sound needs to good - not a compressed cardboard sound like the clips above.

It was in 16 bit mode. I have good external microphones, but they're xlr.

I found the Beachtek DX2-AS and just ordered it from Adorama. I should have it mid-week. I'll use it to mix the line in sound from my mixing console.

Hopefully it will work better than the built in mic.

Thanks for the advice,

Mike

>There's no singer, no lip-synching, and no CD player.

My reply was a generic reply on how to record music videos.

Now, if you want to specifically show the amplifier instead, then yes, you will need another way.

(I assumed Eugenia's message was mis-posted and was trying to answer the original question.)

As you figured out, the audio "line in" jack isn't available unless you are recording/converting 'analog video' thru those jacks. There have been a few discussions here about XLR and XLR converters. I think you meant the "DXA-2S" product and it looks like a good fit. Nice video idea for your site, BTW.

I understand why Eugenia Loli-Queru responded the way they did. Your title made me think in the same way. The heading using the words "Music demo clip" made me think pre-recorded....or in other words....recording the amp with a line input into a mixer to an external recording device would help capture the best sound off the amplifier. This way you have control over the mix (if that is what you want) in post. The camera itself would have recorded its own "compressed cardboard sound", as you previously called it, but in post you would match up (sync) the audio files in your NLE and then get rid of the cardboard" version.
Using this method you have many options in post to "clean-up whatever problems you might encounter with the audio and it's also a more controlled environment as opposed to trying to get it right on one take with the on-cam microphone.

Edit: I forgot to mention that you have the ability to send the finished product back to the tape (since you said you wanted it all on tape). This would all just be an extra effort on your part.

Also, the method I mentioned above can be used (or should be able) directly to the cam with the Beachtek Adapter you are geting (never done it myself). Just come directly off the mixer board and it's sort of the same concept as the above mentioned but there will be no post work involved (though you can still do post work if you so choose with the WAV files from the cam).

Bottom line is you got options.