So I have a GX7 which I love, except the audio leaves a lot to be desired. I purchased a Zoom H1 to record audio. Just a couple of questions. Is there a software to help sync the audio and the video? When I use the H1 do I have to somehow turn audio off on the GX7? I am assuming I should record in WAV? Anything I forgot that I should know about?
Hi, it would probably help to know which video editing software you are currently using. afaik, most can merge separate audio and video, but it helps if you do things like snap your fingers in the video frame at the beginning and the end of each shot, etc. Barry
I really have none I use right now. The most I have done is with iMovie. What would a great program to buy be? thanks
Try Sony Vegas Movie Studio, or Adobe Premier Elements. Both are pretty easy on the budget and will allow you to do what you are trying here.
Premiere Elements is one of the easier packages to sync with. You'd record sound on both the video and audio devices, use a common sound such as a clap and match both using the waveform. You can zoom in, and clearly see the peaks, then just move the audio to match.
1-don't turn off the audio on the camera. You need that to synchronize with the Zoom audio track 2-Plural Eyes syncs audio tracks on the Mac 3-Making a distinct, sharp noise at the beginning of recording helps the syncing program immensely by creating a short duration peak that's easy to see in the waveform. That's why they use clappers in Hollywood. You can get an app that does it or just clap your hands.
If you get into editing more take a look at Final Cut Pro X. It handles multicam syncing really well, even if it's just one camera and a seperate audio track. It i more expensive but you can buy iTunes gift cards on sale and use them to buy the software on the App Store. Through various sales on gift cards I saved about 25% off the full price. I shoot our training episodes for online upload with multicam and final cut has made this really easy. I haven't used premier so I can't compare but I am really liking final cut. Also being a new user helps as a lot of the legacy users done like the new layout. Me being fresh I like it and how simple and straight forward it is but yet really powerful.
To sync your video to audio use your hands and clap or get a slate. The camera needs to see your hands clap and the mic needs to pick up the sound. In your software line up the frame where your hands impact and the sound spikes, it's that simple. A slate works the same way but allows you to add some more info before your footage{and looks more pro and in fun too}. WAV is the best format to record in but others are still usable. DO MAKE SURE that you set the sampling rate to 48kHz. If you record your audio at 44.1 kHz it will get out of sync pretty quickly. When it comes to recording audio the biggest thing that will make it best is the quality and location of your mics. I assume you are using the built in mics which are much better than the camera's mics but no where as good as an independent mic. Also where you locate the mics can make or break good audio. And always use headphones for monitoring while recording.
You might want to try Pluraleyes. It's s very good syncing program for double-system video and sound recording. It's also platform agnostic (although not sure if there's a Linux version). Dr. Electronics
