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Re: Sony PCM-M10 and Panasonic HS700

Subject: Re: Sony PCM-M10 and Panasonic HS700
From: "James Shatto" wwwshadow7
Date: Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:46 am ((PDT))
That's something you'll have to gauge for yourself.=A0 It's not something y=
ou want to do a lot of, as it is tedious.=A0 But it's something I do.=A0 If=
 you tend to make longer recordings you only have to do the cut / squish / =
stretch thing once per clip.


These are a few of the reasons I do it.

a) no AGC / auto gain control on the field recorder

b) no MP3 / AAC / or other high compression on the field recorder
(although it is an option, but why?=A0 1TB HDDs are like $100 or less)

c) higher sampling rates on the field recorder
(useful if you have multiple outputs - 16/44.1 CD and 16/48 DVD or 24/96 DV=
DA)

d) no substantial wind screens on the camcorder.=A0 (and no audio input on =
mine)

e) DVD output doesn't use AAC or MP3 audio anyway

f) when you upgrade to your next camcorder, you don't have to choose one wi=
th that $500 audio input feature.

g) a minor backup should one or the other fail to record something.=A0 As i=
n no gap in audio if your batteries die on the field recorder.=A0 Or the ca=
mcorder pauses between 4GB files.=A0 Or whatever accident happened.


You don't need expensive software to do this type of edit.=A0 You can do al=
most all of it in audacity.=A0 Although I use a number of tools to try and =
maximize quality.=A0 And/or work around various quirks in each of the parts=
 that make the whole.

Basically record more audio than you do video.=A0 Open audacity on one of t=
hem.=A0 File -> Import -> Audio the other track.=A0 Of course you have to e=
xtract the audio from the video for this(ffmpeg for me).=A0 Find where the =
waveforms line up.=A0 Do some math, of where the start point of the longer =
audio track is relative to the shorter video track and trim to size.=A0 The=
n swap out the cams audio for the field recorders audio.

And it can be even more tedious.=A0 As the clocks / speed that both devices=
 record at can differ.=A0 Sometimes by a lot.=A0 At which point you need to=
 ID TWO sync points, Notate the time interval between.=A0 Notate the time s=
hift to align.=A0 Do that math and come up with something like 1.000117788 =
and adjust the speed of the field recorders audio.=A0 Re-ID the sync point(=
s) and trim to size.=A0 There is software that does most of this for you, b=
ut you can save a few bucks and do it old school like this.=A0 Effects -> S=
peed in audacity.=A0

There's also pitch and tempo, but those alter content to achieve results.=
=A0 Speed will alter both pitch and tempo, but it's such a minute amount in=
 most cases.=A0 Do it right and you can actually mix the camcorders audio w=
ith the field recorders audio.=A0 And once you have that value, it will rem=
ain mostly consistent for all your clips.=A0 There is a minor variance most=
ly due to the ambient temperatures and remaining battery capacities, but it=
's even less significant in most cases.


You can also use your headphone out to the mic input on the camcorder.=A0 a=
bout 10% of available volume is close to line level.=A0 about 5% for mic-is=
h level.=A0 i.e. If it's numbered 1-10, 1 is line level (sort of).=A0 Even =
less for mic level.=A0 You just need one of those double male headed headph=
one cables that comes with a lot of computer monitors these days.=A0 And pr=
obably a lot of trial and error to find what works best.=A0 And you'll prob=
ably loose your monitoring abilities going that route.=A0 So you wont know =
what you recorded until you've already made it home.


I tend more towards music and event recording than nature.=A0 Which is why =
it's worth it to me.=A0 No cell phone handshakes, wind noise, local radio s=
tations, or other typical noise from our suburbia lifestyles.=A0 But I spec=
ialize in outdoor stuff, so I've got to do all that other stuff too.


- James



--- On Tue, 7/20/10, rayb <> wrote:

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