Help a budding videographer

April 14, 2011 9:18 PM

I've got a Nikon D7000 to record video. I've got a Zoom H4n to record sound. I've got Adobe Premiere Pro (which I'm just learning) to put them together. What's the best way to go about recording and combining audio and visual during post to ensure easy (I really don't want this to be a pain in the neck, if possible) and effective synching? If it matters, I'll be recording musical performances in a controlled environment.
posted by zachawry to technology (8 answers total)

I start recording the video and audio and then clap. The spike on both video audio from the cam and the audio from the audio recorder makes it very easy to sync.
posted by rmmcclay at 9:30 PM on April 14, 2011

This is, of course, what the clapperboard was invented for. You can probably improvise your own equivalent. The principle is the same as what rmmcclay says, but with the distinction that the camera part of the "sync signal" is visual rather than audio.
posted by rhymeswithaj at 10:01 PM on April 14, 2011

I've always wondered what those were for! Thanks. Blindingly obvious, low-tech solutions are the best.
posted by zachawry at 10:04 PM on April 14, 2011

I swear there's an iphone app for this but I forget where I saw it.
posted by stratastar at 11:08 PM on April 14, 2011

Hrm, I found this but I have no idea if its any good or not.
posted by stratastar at 11:12 PM on April 14, 2011

"Plural-eyes" plug in in post !!!!!
A sync lifesaver !
posted by StUdIoGeEk at 6:28 AM on April 15, 2011

Yes, start your sync with a clapperboard, but you'll find that inevitably the recordings will start to drift out of sync. I asked a related question to this a couple months ago and got some good answers on how to deal with that.
posted by monospace at 12:58 PM on April 15, 2011

If you have the mic close to the D7000, then use a 3.5mm stereo male to male cable and plug the output of the H4 into the input of the D7000. No sync necessary, the audio will be mated to the video file perfectly. If you feel like you need an audio backup, record the audio with the H4 separately.

Good luck!
posted by bach at 11:00 PM on April 15, 2011