how do you

[Guest guest]

I was wondering how everyone that has videos of their display outside gets the sound into the video. Are you using a fm receiver outside, such as a walkman, and plugging the headphone out into the camera as you record or how exactly do you all do it. I'm wondering since this is my first year with LOR and I want to video it with the sound so I can show friends who can't be around the area of the display and perhaps even post it on an internet site so anyone on here that wants to see it can watch.

Thanks

[Guest guest]

I haven't done it yet because this is my first year also but I plan on using a fm walkman like you said. I would do a test run first to make sure you have the volume on the walkman set properly so that you do not have distortion from having the volume to high or not being able to hear it because you have it set too low.

[Guest guest]

I agree. My Halloween videos did not turn out because the volume was set too high. I'm having to edit "post production" to get the sound almost in sync.

rns

[Guest guest]

I was planning on doing a little post-production editing...dump the video to my computer and then dub the MP3/WAV on top.

I use Pinnacle Systems Studio for editing video, but Windows Movie Maker (which comes free with most versions of Windows XP) has basic capabilities.

This way you can also add a title, credits, etc.

It's a bit time consuming, but not overly so. Plus it adds a touch of professionalism.

[Guest guest]

simply took a radio out sat it beside me and turned the volume up, I had the camera sitting close to the mic on the camera. Here look at this video clip to get an idea of how it turned out.

http://www.christmasdisplays.net/user/loganmoore/moorechristmas.wmv

[Guest guest]

The Sony camcorder I used had no line input for a radio, so I "taped" a set of headphones around the camcorder so the two earpads were covering the microphone holes in the front. It masked most of the outside noise except for extremely loud ones and the quality was not all that bad.

Mike

[Guest guest]

I have a speaker outside that allows me to hear a little bit of the audio when I am filming. It will never sound that great on the tape, but it is enough for me to overlay the real MP3 when I am editing the video. You can do the same with a portable radio next to your camcorder (assuming your are broadcasting your audio).

When you are editing your video, just import your original sound file and add it to the alternate audio track in your video editing software. I use Windows Movie Maker which is free with WinXP. There is a slider that adjusts the level of the taped audio vs. the imported audio. Move this around so you can hear both audio streams. Then slide your imported audio back and forth (on the time line) to sync up with the taped audio. Once you get it in sync, set the audio slider all the way over to your imported audio and you are good to go.

Jim.

[Guest guest]

I have a set of wireless speakers I'll use to capture real time sound.

Some additional night-time video pointers I learned at our So Cal Mini Plus are:

1. Keep some display lights on 100% of the time. This way the camera does not need time to re-establish intensity and color balance as lights come on and off.

2. Select a viewing location so that the camera does not need to be panned or zoomed. Panning and zooming create blurry, jerky and noisy videos.

3. For the very best results get or rent a "3 CHIP" video camera. This is a professional Hollywood type camera that has a photo receptor for each of 3 colors of light. This is especially helpful for low light night time videos. We're told these cameras can be rented over weekends for $100 or so.

[Guest guest]

I also used Windows Movie Maker with my Halloween display. Once you capture the video just use your usb connector from your camcorder to the computer and Import the video into Windows movie Maker. Then you can import the original MP3 or wav file right on top of your video. It may take a couple of tries to get it "Dead On" with the video, but when it is done you have a CD quality song with your video.

[Guest guest]

splicer480 wrote:

I also used Windows Movie Maker with my Halloween display. Once you capture the video just use your usb connector from your camcorder to the computer and Import the video into Windows movie Maker. Then you can import the original MP3 or wav file right on top of your video. It may take a couple of tries to get it "Dead On" with the video, but when it is done you have a CD quality song with your video.

Another vote for Windows Movie Maker. I used it for all of my 2005 videos. I think all of them came out dead on in sync.

[Guest guest]

I have used Windows movie maker and Pinnacle Studio, I prefer Pinnacle but Windows movie maker works well for a free editor.

To capture my videos I used the FM tuner on my MP3 player and connected a cable directly from the headphone port on the radio to the mic port on the video recorder. No background noise at all and the sound was crystal clear. Lower power is better, I used about 25% volume.

[Guest guest]

I synchronize sound to picture for a living and all of the above suggestions are creative and effective.

One method to add to the mix is to visually sync your sound up waveform-to-waveform.

1. Video tape your display with its music playing through a speaker loud enough to make it to tape.

2. Import the video with audio into an editing program that can display the audio's waveform.

3. Import the source audio file.

4. Line up the waveform of the source audio with the waveform from the camera, then delete the one from the camera.

Note: Be sure to look at sync at the beginning and end of each song as there is no guarantee of perfect speed in consumer equipment.

Push Eject

[Guest guest]

The problem with hooking a walkman up right into your camera (at least with my camera) is you'd have to have the volume VERY low, so low you couldn't hear it through headphones. So here's what I do now, as of last year:

1) I use a headphone splitter, so I can listen while I tape.

2) The headphones plug right into the splitter. I adjust the volume to a comfortable level on the walkman.

3) I bought an inline volume control from Radio Shack. This allows you to limit the volume coming out of the walkman and into the camera. The control plugs into the other side of the splitter, and the cable to the camera plugs into the control.

4) Setting the volume on the external control takes some trial and error. I tape a few seconds, then play it back. If it's distorted (or too soft) I adjust.

5) Tape away!

As others have said, you'll get even better audio if you dub it in after the fact, but this method works pretty well too.

-Tim