How I record, edit and upload my videos ? Answered
Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:00 pm
I have explained the way I record my steel and make up my backing tracks. I often get asked how do I get a good quality sound when I upload to YouTube. Here's how.....
My finished track is always put onto Logic Pro 8 on the iMac, whether an acoustic guitar is added or not. This is simply because with one click, I can bounce the track to the desktop as a high quality .wav and an .mp3 at the same time. This .mp3 is then added to iTunes and put with my playlist of backing tracks on the iPod touches and iPad too. After this has been done, I usually, add the steel on a track on the Logic pro recording with an overhead camcorder running as I play it. If I get a successful audio 'take', that's then complete of course after another mix down to the desktop. It's not always that easy to play from beginning to end without a mistake or two, so if I think most of the steel was ok, I would then just drop in a note or a line just to correct the error. This is fine, but of course, if you play that 'drop-in' slightly different than the original take ( with the mistake ), when the video is synchronised with the audio, occasionally, it can look like I am 'miming' to the track and finger and bar moments don't match the audio in the finished YouTube video.
If I then feel like broadcasting the video, this is how I piece it together. I open up Final Cut Express on the iMac, and import the camcorder video into a new project. I will also import the recording, with the steel, into the project. The audio from the camcorder mainly has a tiny sound of an acoustically played steel guitar with lots of pedal rattle, as I only normally use headphones to monitor and not speakers. This tiny audio imported with the video track is enough to hear what's going on, and has enough waveform to align it with the main recording imported. When I am happy with the alignment, I will then highlight and delete the rattly camcorder audio leaving just the good quality completed steel recording perfectly in sync with the video. Adding a title, and uploading to YouTube I find easier using iMovie, the movie editing software that comes free with most all new iMacs etc. It's a simple drag drop and overtype the text with your own, then after checking it's all ok, 1 x click takes it to YouTube from iMovie in 720p HD.
On my last upload to YouTube, Almost Persuaded, I played the shobud through the Evans and miked up the Evans with my condenser microphone. I was also using the steel mixer by Mark Dunn. I was playing loud, and monitoring through the large Martin ITC 500 studio monitors. I had the iMac running and the camcorder on a stand capturing video. It did take a few run through's on this one as I was trying very hard to remember and copy exactly how I think Lloyd Green played it and how I re-learned it again recently after many years of not playing it. It has some fantastic, must know, licks, and licks that I had forgotten about after all these years. I took me back many years re-learning this instrumental by listening to each of LG licks and picking them out. I would be very surprised if it was played any other way by Lloyd himself all those years ago. You can find other positions for a run or lick sometimes, but it's sometimes hard finding exactly which position on the fretboard Lloyd, or anyone else for that matter, is playing if you only have an old audio recording to replay and learn from. These days, there are many videos on YouTube and other media to assist.
I will have tabbed this exactly how it is played, and will make it available soon from my website, along with many others I have written.
I really hope this video, tab, and track will assist some of you wishing to learn Almost Persuaded.
I would like to also say, I am posting this explanation of my video making as I get asked on a few occasions, how do I do it? I will therefore direct any further enquiries to this thread here on the British Steel Guitar Forum.
My final thoughts on things follow. I have seen many steel guitar broadcasts on YouTube and some are simply made with a webcam and PC microphone. Especially, just lately, I have been watching Bishop Hall and his fantastic playing using a very simple recording technique. Check him out! I have always liked technology and still enjoy learning the steel guitar, and learning about all the new gadgets, computers, software etc so whether it's broadcasting yourself playing with simple or more complex methods, please, just enjoy it. I still do after all these years.
Many Regards,
David Hartley.
My finished track is always put onto Logic Pro 8 on the iMac, whether an acoustic guitar is added or not. This is simply because with one click, I can bounce the track to the desktop as a high quality .wav and an .mp3 at the same time. This .mp3 is then added to iTunes and put with my playlist of backing tracks on the iPod touches and iPad too. After this has been done, I usually, add the steel on a track on the Logic pro recording with an overhead camcorder running as I play it. If I get a successful audio 'take', that's then complete of course after another mix down to the desktop. It's not always that easy to play from beginning to end without a mistake or two, so if I think most of the steel was ok, I would then just drop in a note or a line just to correct the error. This is fine, but of course, if you play that 'drop-in' slightly different than the original take ( with the mistake ), when the video is synchronised with the audio, occasionally, it can look like I am 'miming' to the track and finger and bar moments don't match the audio in the finished YouTube video.
If I then feel like broadcasting the video, this is how I piece it together. I open up Final Cut Express on the iMac, and import the camcorder video into a new project. I will also import the recording, with the steel, into the project. The audio from the camcorder mainly has a tiny sound of an acoustically played steel guitar with lots of pedal rattle, as I only normally use headphones to monitor and not speakers. This tiny audio imported with the video track is enough to hear what's going on, and has enough waveform to align it with the main recording imported. When I am happy with the alignment, I will then highlight and delete the rattly camcorder audio leaving just the good quality completed steel recording perfectly in sync with the video. Adding a title, and uploading to YouTube I find easier using iMovie, the movie editing software that comes free with most all new iMacs etc. It's a simple drag drop and overtype the text with your own, then after checking it's all ok, 1 x click takes it to YouTube from iMovie in 720p HD.
On my last upload to YouTube, Almost Persuaded, I played the shobud through the Evans and miked up the Evans with my condenser microphone. I was also using the steel mixer by Mark Dunn. I was playing loud, and monitoring through the large Martin ITC 500 studio monitors. I had the iMac running and the camcorder on a stand capturing video. It did take a few run through's on this one as I was trying very hard to remember and copy exactly how I think Lloyd Green played it and how I re-learned it again recently after many years of not playing it. It has some fantastic, must know, licks, and licks that I had forgotten about after all these years. I took me back many years re-learning this instrumental by listening to each of LG licks and picking them out. I would be very surprised if it was played any other way by Lloyd himself all those years ago. You can find other positions for a run or lick sometimes, but it's sometimes hard finding exactly which position on the fretboard Lloyd, or anyone else for that matter, is playing if you only have an old audio recording to replay and learn from. These days, there are many videos on YouTube and other media to assist.
I will have tabbed this exactly how it is played, and will make it available soon from my website, along with many others I have written.
I really hope this video, tab, and track will assist some of you wishing to learn Almost Persuaded.
I would like to also say, I am posting this explanation of my video making as I get asked on a few occasions, how do I do it? I will therefore direct any further enquiries to this thread here on the British Steel Guitar Forum.
My final thoughts on things follow. I have seen many steel guitar broadcasts on YouTube and some are simply made with a webcam and PC microphone. Especially, just lately, I have been watching Bishop Hall and his fantastic playing using a very simple recording technique. Check him out! I have always liked technology and still enjoy learning the steel guitar, and learning about all the new gadgets, computers, software etc so whether it's broadcasting yourself playing with simple or more complex methods, please, just enjoy it. I still do after all these years.
Many Regards,
David Hartley.
Re: How I record, edit and upload my videos ? Answered
Tue Aug 31, 2010 10:42 pm
I know this should be in PSG recordings and Barry and John have commented on it but 'too bad' ! I think we need it here on this occasion in follow on to D's explanation!
Thanks for that David, Great Vid and very comprehensive and informative info. My contributions alas are as yet much less technical but who knows some day a little more investment may go into them, I may have to invest in a little more playing too mind! Any I do go simply from the camera to a little program Sony do called Vegas Movies Studio Platinum 9 ...
I'll stick a little dittie on the (your fav self recording thread) just in case I get trouble from admin on here for putting vids in the wrong place !!
Thanks for that David, Great Vid and very comprehensive and informative info. My contributions alas are as yet much less technical but who knows some day a little more investment may go into them, I may have to invest in a little more playing too mind! Any I do go simply from the camera to a little program Sony do called Vegas Movies Studio Platinum 9 ...
I'll stick a little dittie on the (your fav self recording thread) just in case I get trouble from admin on here for putting vids in the wrong place !!
Almost persuaded tab and track
Thu Sep 02, 2010 10:25 am
Re: How I record, edit and upload my videos ? Answered
Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:58 pm
Nice if you have Apple hardware, Dave. Anyone out there have ideas on how to get the same sort of process happening with Windows/PC?
Will C
Will C