Music video audio question

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Bmooreimaging

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So I am going to be shooting a music video with a 7d and rode video mic. The band has two members both singing and playing Acuastic guitar. My question should I keep the mic in normal mode or mode with high pass filter. I also have a ten food cord so I can get the mic off the camera. Wondering were I should put the mic to get est sound. I have a stand I can put it on or a boom. Also what place in the house would be the best for recording good audio. Thanks
 
Ehm.... you shouldnt really use the sound from the video. Record with whatever mic on cam for reference and then sync video with the song afterwards.Just bring a laptop and some speakers or a boom blaster so the artist can hear what to sing / play when.
 
Bmooreimaging said:
So I am going to be shooting a music video with a 7d and rode video mic. The band has two members both singing and playing Acuastic guitar. My question should I keep the mic in normal mode or mode with high pass filter. I also have a ten food cord so I can get the mic off the camera. Wondering were I should put the mic to get est sound. I have a stand I can put it on or a boom. Also what place in the house would be the best for recording good audio. Thanks
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The best place in the house to put the microphone in order to record good audio is approximately 20 inches away from the location in the house where the talent is performing. As said before, most music videos are shot without sound, the performance lip-synced to playback of a studio recording of the song and the video married to the music recording in post.
 
+1 for shooting "music videos" MOS (without sound). People want to hear studio recordings/mix of the music, not what you get when you are shooting video.

A music video has the studio recording/mix in the audio track as the "master reference". Then you can lay in video clips wherever you want of matching performance. Of course you play back the reference audio track during shooting so they can "lip sync" to it.

Unless you are shooting video during a studio recording, in which case people expect to see microphones in their optimal locations, often obscuring the view of the performers.
 
Quick question.... are you going to be doing fast cuts in the story line of the video? If so, you can gain a lot by having them sing 10-20 secs or so while walking etc, then going a couple of feet back (physically) and then do another 10-20 secs. Do this at several "locations" in the house... maybe you'll have some shots of them just sitting and sining instead of moving. Then you can cross cut (don't know the english word for it) throughout the video, bringing in a dynamic feel to it, as well as giving you a bit of freedom regarding syncing up lips and sound. While a well done one-take video can be really something, it sucks if the artist visibly messes up the lyrics, a beat or a stroke on an instrument. Short clips releases you from that as you can simply cut away from the bad stuff.

I know I'm gonna get smacked for saying so, but some jobs just don't offer the time (money) to do retake after retake to get it in the shot. That's how things are by now... at least the jobs I've done.

By the way... does the band have a finished mastered version of the number? Maybe that should have been my first question :D
 
Two singers plus two guitars = 4 mics for an optimal recording job. If I were drawing from my mic bag for this, I'd probably choose a pair of Shure SM81s for the instruments and either Sennheiser e835s or Shure KSM44s with pop filters for the voices. (The KSM44s are physically big, though, and look more appropriate in a sound studio type setting.) You don't say whether these are male or female voices, which could also make a difference.

Are you really making a "music video" -- by which I mean, in general, some kind of story or action that expands on the music and puts the performers in a different setting than in a recording studio or on stage -- or is this really a "concert recording" where you're trying to capture the experience of a live or studio performance? In the former case, you'd probably have them lip-syncing to a prerecorded music track; in the second case the presence of microphones in the picture would be kind of normal and expected, so you can do what you need to get a good recording.

If you must do it with a single mic, the main rule is "closer is better" -- except that a shotgun like the Rode may not accurately pick up sounds that are far off axis. A cardioid or even omni might work better for a single mic setup (not that I really recommend that).

- Greg
 
To inject excitement in the final cut, with one camera you'll need to video multiple takes from different angles and the guys will never match their tempos take to take .. especially after they get tired.

Even singing in tune can be a hassle over a couple of hours.

As has been said, do it a section at a time, record the song till they're happy, then lip sync to playback etc. Do it on separate days a week apart, find a quiet room they're happy with and record some tests if necessary. A great recording will give them much confidence for the video, and a week apart will let them rehearse to their track and you have time so you can plan your sequence of shots.

You'll be surprised how much falls into place if you storyboard it beforehand. If you don't have a another recorder, use your videocam to record the song and run off a few CDs from your NLE.

Yes, put the bass cut in on your Videomic, maybe even the 10db pad if it sounds like overload.

Cheers.
 
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Terminology? Music video or performance video. I consider a music video, picture content set to the pre recorded track. (for those of us who used to watch MTV.
 
With four sources, the correct balance depends on the distance from the microphone(s) to the sources. If you can't shift the miss, then you have to shift the sources. As for the actual distance, it depends on what you want it to sound like. Close miss give clarity, enhanced bass response (if they're cardioid) and isolation - distant mics sound thinner, and more 'acoustic'. The genre and song will determine if this approach will work, or not. There's nothing to stop you doing 'as live' with a small mixer and a set of headphones with decent isolation - or even better, speakers in the next room. You can have proper stereo panning, and even some gentle reverb if you wish.

There is no set distance guaranteed to sound best, because the room itself has a part in it. A room with solid, hard walls and floors will be more live than one with carpet and upholstery and curtains - so subject to mic distance is always set by listening, never with a tape measure.
 
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