How To Record Yourself with Better Audio and with a Jam Track

[Bryce-AKguitar]

Howdy All,

Scotty117 sent me a question about how I got good quality audio on my videos. I thought it deserved a video response for all to enjoy. Hopefully this helps some of you out.

Happy Picking!

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Maradonagol]

Bryce, I can’t thank you enough, I’ve been wanting to join the video club here on AM….and have been learning as a I go….you just saved me a ton of time!!!! I am an Apple shop so this is awesome….

I’m also using my Fender Mustang III and Amplitube to record the guitar tracks……really interesting…

Thank you and regards,

Robert

Roberto

[Bryce-AKguitar]

@maradonagol wrote:

Bryce, I can’t thank you enough, I’ve been wanting to join the video club here on AM….and have been learning as a I go….you just saved me a ton of time!!!! I am an Apple shop so this is awesome….

I’m also using my Fender Mustang III and Amplitube to record the guitar tracks……really interesting…

Thank you and regards,

Robert

Hi Robert,

I’m glad you liked it and found it helpful. I look forward to seeing your first video post.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Canada Moose]

Thanks for this. Bryce.
A lot of work, and very well produced.
Not only is AM a great learning resource because of Brian, it’s also a great resource because of members like you.
thanks again

[Bryce-AKguitar]

Thanks Canada Moose! I have been feeling the love from the Active Melody Forum Community of late and I truly appreciate all of the kind words.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[charjo]

Great production, Bryce. That’s such a valuable resource for the site. Thanks for taking the time.
John

[Debra]

Bryce
Thank you so much for taking the time to prepare this video! It will help me to produce something of better quality for the next challenge.
Cheers.

[gquellet]

Great movie!! This is what I needed to know about audio.
Thanks Bryce

[Bryce-AKguitar]

@debra and @gquellet: Anytime. I am glad you found this helpful.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Midas]

Great Video Bryce, Thanks for taking the time to make it.

[gquellet]

Here is my thought after playing around with sample recording on Sunday.
Why not just mic your amp? I am using a Go Pro camera with the ability to put an external mic to my amp.
This way I can record once with music and video all in one. What am I missing?
Now if I want to create different instruments on the recording, that’s where I would use garage Band.
Just my thoughts, Someone please challenge me on this so I can learn.

Thanks
Gary Quellet

[Bryce-AKguitar]

Hi Gary,

You absolutely can mic your amp instead of using a digital amp in your DAW. I don’t own an amp currently so that is why I did not cover it in the video. One advantage to using a virtual amp is you can change the sound of the recording or add or delete effects to the track after recording it.

My video recording setup has changed a little since making this video. I use my iPad for video recording and I use condenser mics for my acoustics. If I get an amp I will probably mic it too. 🙂

Thanks for bringing this up.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[gquellet]

Thanks Bryce, I like the way you bring conversations back into focus.
Unfortunately Pandora’s box has been open and I will be playing more with Garage Band.

[Doug T]

Bryce,
Thanks for the information. I just used the web cam (that sucked) If I record with a mic into the DAW for both acoustic and electric, do I still need the interface?
Also I would like to hear all the EP027 recordings, is there a place where they will all be when its over? I can’t even find my post now… any way thanks for all your help,
Doug

[Bryce-AKguitar]

@Doug T:

Usually you plug your mic into your interface. I am sure there are USB mics that can send there signal directly into your DAW. So in that case no you would not need one. I would not recommend using the webcam or built in computer microphones as they usually do not sound great for recording.

If you want to record more than 1 track at a time (e.g. stereo mics, vocals and guitar, you and a buddy playing on separate tracks at the same time) then you will need an interface.

I will consolidate all the EP027 posts into one post tomorrow evening.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Doug T]

Thanks

[smilefred]

Hi Bryce
I come across in this thread only Now, and it’s very helpful indeed!!! I’ll save a lot of time!!!
Thank you !!

[Bryce-AKguitar]

You are welcome Ale! I am glad it helped!

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[strattastic]

Great lesson Bryce, I would never have sussed that out in a million years. Just purchased an apogee jam and getting set for the Feb challenge but you will have to spoon feed me some more.
This may have been covered previously but how do you download the backing track to you device and then import it to garage band?

Cheers George.

[Bob L]

Many thanks for the wonderful tutorial Bryce. I have dabbled with just using my MacBook to record everything. Always been slightly scared of Garage Band. Now I’m pretty confident enough to use the Bryce method. Kind regards Bob PS I did try a half decent stand alone Mic, which makes me wonder why you don’t. Wouldn’t it save on the Audio Track faffing?.

[Bryce-AKguitar]

Hi Bob(@boblonghursticloud-com-2):

I am glad you found this video helpful. I actually have upgraded my system since this video. I have a scarlet 2i2 interface and a couple of condenser mics. The process is still the same.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Bob L]

Thanks Bryce. I’m planning on giving it a go ASAP.

[Rudai123]

Hi Bryce, great video. Quick question, have you considered importing the video file into the DAW instead of importing the audio file into the Video software? I’ve tried it that way to varying degree of success. I have use Steinberg CI1 interface, Mixcraft 6, and Windows Movie Maker.

Thanks!
Randy

[Bryce-AKguitar]

@rudai123: I have not done that. I did not know you could do that. I just looked into it briefly and it appers you can import video in my DAW (GarageBand) and add music. I would rather use my video editing software as it allows me to edit the video with transitions and what not but it is nice to know I have the option of going the other way around. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[TheWolve]

Bryce Thank you for that, I was wondering how I was going to get my music or sound uploaded. I do have Sonar LE along with Band in a Box which I use to make Backing tracks, it does a lot more, just haven’t had the time to sit down and figure the entire program out yet. But it comes with another Program call Real band.

I am also a IPhone user along with Ipad so I’m assuming I can use one of those to record video. Now should I mic the amp into Sonar LE which I believe is my DAW? Now I would just need some interface to handle the video aspect of all this?

I’m I on the right path here, this is all so new to me.

Thanks
TheWolve

[Bryce-AKguitar]

@ddevine-56gmail-com: Hey Wolve! You can definitely use your iPhone to record video. You will need an interface to record the audio portion as shown in the video.

To keep it simple when you are starting out, you can just record the video and audio with just the iPhone mic. Then once you have figured out your DAW and video editing program, you can improve the audio as shown in the video above.

Check these videos out by @sunjamr.

Comparing iPhone audio input options

iPhone music video tips #2

Let me know if you have any more questions.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Billy]

This is all very interesting, hopefully I can figure it all out and find time to practise the challenge for November.. thanks for a very informative post Bryce.

Billy

..Billy..

[Ed H]

Hi Bryce, just trying to get up to speed here and I was reading the past posts from Oct 2015 where you had went to using your I pad for video and a mic on audio, could you elaborate on that a bit if you don’t mind?

I tryed just using my I pad with its built in video and audio and it turned out not too bad but when I tryed to enter into January’s challenge the file was too large for the 5.86 MB. Missed out but sent the vid out to friends on Facebook anyway.

There’s still a lot for me to learn as I am somewhat familiar with Logic but no camera there.

Thank you

[Bryce-AKguitar]

Ed @edhobxplornet-com,

I use the video camera app on my iPad to record video. While I am recording the video on my iPad, I use a separate mic to record my audio. That mic is connected to my interface on my computer and I record the audio in my DAW (GarageBand). So I am recording video on the iPad and the Audio on the computer in Garageband. When I am done recording, I stop the iPad and the computer. Then I import the video file from the iPad into my computer. I then export my audio file from GarageBand. I align them like I did in this video in my video editing software (iMovie). It is basically the same process in this video but you do it with an iPad instead of a webcam.

Another version of this is: I also have a stand alone Zoom H5 audio recorder that I can record the audio directly into. I still use my iPad but the difference is I import both the video from the iPad and the audio from the Zoom recorder into my computer and sync in the video editing software. The Zoom H5 is super fancy and is nice but not required.

One thing to note that I did not mention in the video that drives me nuts but I figured out is about audio drift. Audio drift is when you align your video and sound at the beginning of the clip but by the end of it they not aligned. It makes you seem like a bad kung fu movie because your sound does not match your video. How I fix this is: I process my video clips from the iPad every time I import to my computer using a Free program called Handbrake (https://handbrake.fr/). I tell it to make my video a “constant frame rate” and process it. Once that happens I have no problems what so ever with audio drift. I probably should do a Guitar Journey’s episode on it in all of my free time. Lol! iPad’s and Smart Phones are notorious for not recording video a constant frame rate. This leads to the audio drift problem. But now you know how to fix it.

Hopefully that helps.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Ed H]

Wow that sure is much easier to understand! I can see how you can create a good sound and that’s kind of the way I would rather go .
One more question, can you just do the audio on your GarageBand and put it straight into AM without buggering up others ?
Fore give me, I have only recorded onto disks and sent sound files to friends so I’m technically challenged on these areas.

Thanks again and take your time answering, I know you have much to do.

[Bryce-AKguitar]

You could go straight into GarageBand and just record audio then export it to an mp3 and attach it to the forum post. This is assuming the file size is less 5 megs.

The best way to do audio on the forum is getting a SoundCloud account and uploading your file there. Then posting a link to the forum. That is really the best way.

Same thing goes for video. Youtube or Vimeo link is the best.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Ed H]

Thanks I’m think I’m getting it now.
And also thanks for holding my hand here

Cheers

[Ed H]

This might be old but new to me. Using this which I have will certainly improve my submissions over just the I pad .
Pays to do a little research
Thanks Bryce

[Bryce-AKguitar]

Ed H wrote:

This might be old but new to me. Using this which I have will certainly improve my submissions over just the I pad .
Pays to do a little research
Thanks Bryce

You are most welcome Ed!

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[sunburst]

Thanks Bryce, very helpful going to watch this again a few times .. finally decided to start looking into this audio video computing DAW

[Anthony I]

You know what this means for me? I’m not recording myself. Yikes. Its so involved.

[Ryan C]

Hi everybody. How do I get the jam track into Garageband? With the lessons, I see a link inside the player box that says download MP3, but it just opens a webpage. What am I missing? Thanks so much

[sunburst]

It is almost 2020 I just watched this again after all these years.. finally decided to purchase a 3rd gen 2i2 Scarlett interface ,, going to spend time to learn this interface DAW maybe video too for better presentations..

[JiminFla]

Bryce, thanks for the very informative video. I note that you are using a Mac and I am having trouble getting my PC to record music from two sources. What happens is that I can hear the audio from the backing track OR the guitar, but not both. I have been told that I need a multi-client audio interface (software fix), so I got Voicemeeter from VB Audio. I installed the virtual cables but still can’t get the darn thing to work. Any ideas?

Jim

[Bryce-AKguitar]

Hi Jim,

Unfortunately I am not familiar with that software so I don’t have any ideas.

You might have the solo or mute button on for each track.

Sorry I can’t be more help.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Daniel I]

I’m trying to record my acoustic guitar (Taylor GS Mini with a Taylor ES Go pickup), using GarageBand on a MacBook Pro. I’m running it through a Scarlett Focusrite interface, but I’m having trouble getting the levels right. This pickup is passive (there’s no battery), and I’m thinking the output is too low for this setup. I imported an Active Melody jam track and dialed the volume way down on that track, increased the volume on the acoustic guitar track, and it just doesn’t sound right. Does anyone else here have any experience with recording acoustic guitars in this way? I’m wondering if I’d be better off getting a separate microphone and recording the acoustic that way instead.

[Bryce-AKguitar]

My personal experience is I haven’t got passive pickups to work with a similar setup to yours.

I always Mic for the best sound. A condenser mic that needs phantom power is preferred. MXL makes affordable options.

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Daniel I]

Thanks, Bryce. I’m looking at mics now. After doing some research on the GS Mini’s pickup, it gets mixed reviews.

[jaimeiniesta]

Thanks for the explanation!

I follow a simpler process to do it recording good audio directly, here’s how I do it:

1.- I use a mixing console for playing at home where I can input my guitar, and also a backing track from the tablet or the phone.

2.- From the mixing console master output I connect to the macbook, via a USB interface (Behringer U-Phoria UMC204Hd).

3.- I record using the macbook’s integrated webcam, using Quicktime Player to record it.

And that’s it. You can hear an example at https://www.activemelody.com/forums/topic/comfortable-numb-1st-solo/ and see a photo of my setup at https://www.activemelody.com/forums/topic/how-to-get-a-great-tone-to-play-at-home-low-volume-or-headphones/#post-159978

[David L]

So glad I watched this. I was able to get all of the video and audio content in iMovie, but it took me forever to sync them up. I love the “3 strikes before playing” so I can see both waveforms and line them up. Fantastic video that is going to save me soooooo much time!!

[David Walker]

Old post but still very helpful. Did you drop your series you were once doing?

David W.

[Nick P]

Very helpful video Bryce thanks. But right at the start of it you talk about importing the backing track into Garage Band and I’m not actually sure how to do that… Can you explain please?

Love Taylor guitars

[Nick P]

Bruce, I’ve found out how to do that import now thanks 👍

Love Taylor guitars

[Bryce-AKguitar]

I’m glad you figured it out Nick! Happy Picking!

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Andy]

Thank you, Bryce. That helps a lot. I’ll try it.
Andy

[Cal Cheatham]

Thank you Bryce. Now I just need to get the confidence to give it a try. CC

Trying to make my guitars sound as good as they look.

[Marie Jarreau]

Hey Bryce,
Thanks for posting this video and info. I think this is going to be very helpful for me once I wrap my head around all the bits of it! I do get how to “sync up” the files using the three taps at beginning, I’ve gotte accostumed to that part but Part of my issue is that my video software (VideoPad – I JUST got it yesterday!) and my DAW (I have Cubase 5) are on two seperate systems in seperate rooms – GULP! The computer on which the DAW is installed is a stand alone workstation, (NOT connected to internet) because the fella who “put it together” for me insisted that being online or ‘on the grid’ could and would cause electrical interference when trying to record or work on production.

SOOOOO I’m trying to think how I would get the THREE files together – guitar / vocal / video. I don’t think you can / or at least I’m not sure how to get a video recording into the DAW / Cubase to work things together there. This is still all new to me but I’ll have to go into problem solving mode and work thru it. I keep thinking there’s gotta be some simple method to address that!

If anyone else has that issue, and has figured it out, I’d so appreciate the chat.

Or maybe I’ll just try posting a recorded video from the iPhone again.
BUT – Challenge is Good!!

“Laissez les bon temps rouler“
Marie Jarreau

[christiaan B]

Thank you Bryce for all the great information, and for donating your time. Very helpful.

[Anonymous]

Great information. Thanks. Understood the audio part of it but had no idea how to integrate video in same recording.
Now I have to start playing with the video software!!!

[John]

Do you need to obtain a YouTube account? Do you know if a GoPro work for recording video and audio?

John Boo

[JoeD1]

Bryce, it’s been 8 years since you posted this but it was more than helpful enough so that I could figure it out. Many thanks.

John Boo, you need a YT account if you’re going to post there and then link here. I don’t have a GoPro but if you can get a MP4, MOV or M4V file from it you can import that into iMovie.

I’m a brand new user here and I’m trying to figure out how to upload an iMovie file directly to the forum but I suspect it will be too large and if that’s the case I’ll be trying to figure out YT myself.

Joe

The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge

[MANUEL M]

Maradonagol wrote:

Bryce, I can’t thank you enough, I’ve been wanting to join the video club here on AM….and have been learning as a I go….you just saved me a ton of time!!!! I am an Apple shop so this is awesome….

I’m also using my Fender Mustang III and Amplitube to record the guitar tracks……really interesting…

Thank you and regards,

Robert

Bonjour,
Mon fichier audio est plus grand que 512 kb, comment faire pour le compresser ?
Manuel,

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