Sound Sync
 

I'm thinking about using a mini disc or DAT recorder to record audio but I was wondering what's the best way to sync the audio with the video?

The old-fashioned way works well - get a clapperboard and slate each take or you can make do by having a PA stand in the shot and clap their hands together. Some workers like to also tail-slate at the end of each take as well. Load the audio and video clips into your editor, line up the sound of the clack in the audio track with the exact frame that the sticks come together in the video and you're in business.

Some editing software allows you to change the length of an audio clip without changing its pitch - that's where the tail slate comes in. Line up the audio and video slates at the start of the clip and look to the end. If the tail slate remains in sync you're cool. But if there's a few frames drift, add or remove a little time to the audio to line them up.