What's the best camera to use to tape two acoustic guitarists? Audio is more important than visual.?

Question

Should I use an external mike? If so, what (inexpensive) camera should I buy? What mike?

Answer 1

Audio recording is the weakest feature in a consumer camcorder. Because the audio record levels are all automatic they will go up and down by themselves in an attempt to get a decent record level. But what you end up with is an unpredictable volume shift which can wreck any music recording, and especially when it happens in the middle of a song.

Also, built-in mics tend to pickup (and record) the operational noises of the camcorder. So you should definitely get a couple of decent external mics (or a stereo one) to improve your chances of capturing decent audio. I would recommend that since you are recording acoustic guitars you invest in condenser mics.

Even better, record the sound directly to the PC through the sound card and insert it during the video edit. That way you can control the levels and tweak the sound file independently of the video. A small external stereo mixer can be very helpful in this procedure by providing physical knobs to tweak the levels as well as more tonal control over what is sent to the computer.

Using a clapboard or other syncing device which makes a sudden, synchronized visual and sound is very helpful to match the timing of the audio with the video later during editing. One usable substitute for a clapboard is a flash camera that has a loud shutter.

You should also get yourself a comfortable set of closed back headphones with a built-in volume control. Wear them at all times while recording to monitor the audio. Audio can be half of your production, even more for a musical performance, so don't neglect it.

WK

Answer 2

I have had good success with Sony. They created the market and they still dominate it.

As for sound recording, the onboard mic on my Sony has done yeoman's service for me, but an external wireless microphone would be a good purchase. I bought a kit with a lapel mic and a standard mic, both wireless, with the radios for under $300.00. I've used it to tape all sorts of things with great success.

Answer 3

personally, id think something in the 500-$700 range should do fine, like the pv-gs500 (gs400 is even better if you can get one. i think you can get a gs500 for around $600-700 at butterflyphoto.com). if you want something cheaper, go to camcorderinfo.com and search for them (id suggest a pv-gs300 or gs39). since audio is more important than the video, get a rode STEREO videomic. (there are two kinds, stereo and just videomic). you can get it at www.rode.com.au
hope this helps!