question re: video setup

[Mykhailo]

Like many of us during this crazy time, I"ve been posting daily videos to my IG. I sort of had to bail from my condo in the city in a very quick time...I grabbed what I could and have been holed up in a house in the country. For for the last two weeks my videos have been the stock piano in an old yamaha DP into the internal mic on my ten year old macbook pro..(yikes!)

 

I finally managed to get my hands on an audio interface, (focusrite), which means I can start using the steinway in Logic X. My new plan for videos is as follows:

 

1. Record video of myself using photobooth (mac)

2. Simultaneously record audio of steinway in logic

3. import video

4. normalize audio

5. bounce movie file from logic.

 

If anyone can think of a better way to get a video with this setup, let me know! i.e. having to hit record 'twice' is a bit of a drag...i.e. once in photobooth and once in logic.

 

OT: thanks for letting me part of this incredible community! I really enjoyed getting to be part of a recording again. i.e. Quarrantunes. Special shout out to brother Dave Bryce for putting that together.

[ElmerJFudd]

Hmmm.

 

Just some ideas.

You can do screen capture with internal audio or internal mic using QuickTime.

You can record yourself on your phone placed where you like.

You can combine and edit in iMovie or Final Cut Pro if you have a copy.

 

What do your videos usually look like?

[Mykhailo]

The audio quality on the internal mic is not great....if you go to the 'post your music' section, I have a video up of me recorded through the internal mics...I am going to post one in a few seconds of me using the audio interface (still stock yamaha DP sound) but the quality is much higher. One sec...

[Mykhailo]

ok, I just posted the recording I did last night using the focusrite AI. If you go back in that thread, I posted a video of me doing 'The End' (Doors) using just the internal mic on my computer...big difference in audio quality IMO.

[ElmerJFudd]

Ah ok I see. You just want to capture live playing, right? You don"t need a vocal or voice over or a screen capture.

 

Ya the instrument outs of the Yamaha sound pretty good as is. But if you want to run Logic and capture the midi at the same time. You can A/B compare if you like the Yamaha or the Logic piano better. I know the velocity behavior will be different. But you can adjust that in the midi velocity editor - selecting all and raising or lowering a bit to get the piano sound to react the way you like.

[Mykhailo]

For sure...that"s what I"m going to do...I have time so the idea of tweaking the audio track is just a good excuse to learn more about logic. I"ve only scratched the surface of what I can do with it. Thanks for listening!

[ElmerJFudd]

Nice playing, Mike. Music brings peace and joy in difficult times like no other.

 

I was in the middle of a move when the state went into lockdown. My digital instruments are buried in storage at the moment. Thankfully I have the acoustic piano still here.

[Mykhailo]

Thanks. ð I am having dreams of my practice studio...I miss my yamaha A1, and my rhodes Mark V. That is great news that you have your acoustic...stay safe everyone, this too shall pass.

[Docbop]

I use a AT2020 USB mic into my Mac and record with Quicktime and with the USB mic instead of the Mac's builtin mic makes all the difference in the world. A excellent guitar player I follow has been making really good sounding videos for years with his iPhone with one of the good mic's that attach to the iPhone and his video look and sound excellent. Chick Corea's daily videos he says are his iPhone, but I bet he has a good mic connected.

 

Having a good mic and not using the internal is a big difference and make a very quick and easy setup.

[Mykhailo]

Amazon.ca has them in stock...going to order one.

[yamahaahamay]

Mike, try this out:

 

1) Install Soundflower: https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower/releases/tag/2.0b2 (This will allow you to virtually route Logic's output, so it can be used as an input device)

 

2) Use your Mac's Audio MIDI Setup to create a Multi-Output Device: https://support.apple.com/guide/audio-midi-setup/play-audio-through-multiple-devices-at-once-ams7c093f372/mac (Select both Soundflower (2ch), as well as your interface. This will allow you to hear your Logic piano, as well as send it to Soundflower.)

 

3) Open Quicktime Player and choose File > New Movie Recording. Click the little arrow next to the record button and set your microphone to be Soundflower (2ch).

 

4) Click record, and afterwards do File > Save or File > Export (to choose a specific resolution).

 

Hopefully this works with your slightly older machine. I'm no expert, but let me know if you have any questions

[yamahaahamay]

I forgot an important step:

 

2.5) In Logic, set your Audio output device to be Multi-Output Device.

[Mykhailo]

Right on....thanks for this!

[Mykhailo]

I actually managed to get a pretty good sound putting some effects from Logic onto piano #3 from my P200. I"m happy with the sound...I think this will be my 'go to' setup for doing videos during this crazy quarantine. I posted the clip on the 'post your music' thread...thanks to everyone for the tips! Maybe if I get bored I"ll try some of the other suggestions that were offered.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike