Recording Using Mobile Phone

ianjamie7

Recently I have recorded some bands with their permission when they have played in my local pub and then upload them onto youtube but they never sound anywhere near as good when I listen to them. One thing I have done is to pjt the volume really low on my media which seems a lot better but its still not brilliant asthere always seems to be a lot of static on the videos. The landlord has also set up a webcam and wants to broadcast the bands live when they play every weekend but the sound on that was worse than sound on my Xperia X10. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get better sound quality without spending hundreds of pounds on professional equipment. Are there any apps that could improve the sound? All suggestions would be very welcome and Iwould like to thank you in advance for any ideas that you may have.

paddyrg

Live music sound is tricky to get right. Trickier than you may think, in fact...

The best way is to do your *own* mix from all the FoH feeds mixed with crowd reaction audio. Second-best is to take the FoH mix and do your own mix with audience noise. Finally, you can just record the audio with something like a zoom H2 mounted at the FoH position and use a video editing package to lay it back on the video. Phone cameras and camcorders have terrible mics, even the professional ones.

Hammyman

The only way to do it properly with no interference is to get a feed directly from the mixer deck which would just require a lead with the right connections on each end depending on what was doing the recording for the sound. For example if you were using a camcorder, you'd have a lead going from the mixing desk to the mike input socket on the camera. However as the LL would be using a computer, they would need a lead going from the mixing desk to the mike input on the computer/laptop Depending on the length of cable needed, it should be feasible for under £30.

googler

How much do you want to spend on this, if not 'hundreds' of pounds?

ianjamie7

Dont want to spend more than ￡50. That is the very most I am willing to spend.

googler

Look on eBay for a used Sony WMD6C Pro Walkman with Microphone, or a Sony/Tascam/HHB portable DAT machine. Failing that, if you have access to mains power at the venue, a simple cassette deck which has microphone inputs and a decent stereo mike.

Professionals get results by using professional gear.

paddyrg

googler wrote: »

Professionals get results by using professional gear.

And by having the experience and technical know-how to use it properly!

geordieracer

If your getting the sound inputted separatly from the camcorder - which is the best idea then you will need an external sound card into your laptop. Ikey connects is a good product.

You dont have to spend a fortune on it all really to get decent quality and for streaming get the free stuff from Ustream as the streaming provider.

ianjamie7

Thanks for the rather obvious statement professionals get results by using professional equipment. All I asked was how to improve my sound without spending a lot of money.