Cheap YouTube Setup

[Dubs]

It's been 12 years since I've done ANY home recording and I'm out of date when it comes to any knowledge of hardware or software so I'm hoping I can rack the brains of you knowledgeable lot...

Appreciate this is is pretty broad, but I'm looking for the cheapest way to achieve a reasonable overdub/YouTube video setup. Assuming I have a bass, SansAmp DI and a suitable camera, what should I be looking at in terms of:

• 2 channel audio interface
• Software

I can spend whatever's needed but I don't think I should NEED to spend a lot to achieve a reasonable result, after all this is fundamentally only for my own amusement.

Cheers all.

[skidder652003]

Reaper does video editing as well as audio (obviously) so I'd recommend that and a 2 channel Audio interface like the focusrite 2i2 or if you're on a budget the Behringer UMC 22. A good camera is a big help and I guess a decent microphone but there are better experts on here than me.

I presume you will want to record and edit before you put it on YouTube rather than do a live stream.

Edited January 5, 2021 by skidder652003

[Dubs]

1 hour ago, skidder652003 said:

Reaper does video editing as well as audio (obviously) so I'd recommend that and a 2 channel Audio interface like the focusrite 2i2 or if you're on a budget the Behringer UMC 22. A good camera is a big help and I guess a decent microphone but there are better experts on here than me.

I presume you will want to record and edit before you put it on YouTube rather than do a live stream.

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Reaper, looks good and the license is free at the moment! 

I'm basically hoping to be able to play bass over a backing track and record video at the same time, although thinking about it I guess the way to do it is to sync the audio to the video separately using any video editing software? I've really not thought about this much 😂

[Dad3353]

17 minutes ago, Dubs said:

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Reaper, looks good and the license is free at the moment! 

I'm basically hoping to be able to play bass over a backing track and record video at the same time, although thinking about it I guess the way to do it is to sync the audio to the video separately using any video editing software? I've really not thought about this much 😂

If you're playing along to a backing track whilst recording, the audio will be in sync. Reaper is also a pretty decent video editor for doing the kind of stuff you seem to want, and can 'line up' an audio track with no problems. Good luck with your projects; there's plenty of folks here that can answer questions. 

[skidder652003]

28 minutes ago, Dubs said:

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Reaper, looks good and the license is free at the moment! 

I'm basically hoping to be able to play bass over a backing track and record video at the same time, although thinking about it I guess the way to do it is to sync the audio to the video separately using any video editing software? I've really not thought about this much 😂

The licence is a fully functioning demo and is always free until you decide to buy it.

It's an unusual and exceptionally generous business model that relies on goodwill and trust from it's customers. For this reason alone I really like it, plus it's an exceptional DAW with decent video editing included which is a real bonus.

[Happy Jack]

For my Santa's Sleigh video before Xmas I used one of these for vocals and (separately) for bass and guitar:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/170823313769008--presonus-audiobox-usb-96-audio-interface?gclid=CjwKCAiAudD_BRBXEiwAudakX5vqH1zj25p0qZk0eciynnMdrYs_xYHH5N2LvRkbll1VuuxL3EluLxoC1-cQAvD_BwE

It offers more than you need if you're just recording a bass part, but you can't go far wrong for £72 and it will provide you with additional possibilities such as playing your bass through the Sansamp into your bass rig, run the Sansamp DI into Ch.1 and mic up your cab into Ch.2 ... instant bi-amping.

I've been using Reaper for three months (video) and one month (as a DAW) and I'm happy to recommend it.

The elephant in the room is your "suitable camera". Can open, worms everywhere ...

 

[Dubs]

8 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

For my Santa's Sleigh video before Xmas I used one of these for vocals and (separately) for bass and guitar:

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/170823313769008--presonus-audiobox-usb-96-audio-interface?gclid=CjwKCAiAudD_BRBXEiwAudakX5vqH1zj25p0qZk0eciynnMdrYs_xYHH5N2LvRkbll1VuuxL3EluLxoC1-cQAvD_BwE

It offers more than you need if you're just recording a bass part, but you can't go far wrong for £72 and it will provide you with additional possibilities such as playing your bass through the Sansamp into your bass rig, run the Sansamp DI into Ch.1 and mic up your cab into Ch.2 ... instant bi-amping.

I've been using Reaper for three months (video) and one month (as a DAW) and I'm happy to recommend it.

The elephant in the room is your "suitable camera". Can open, worms everywhere ...

 

Thanks HJ, that Presonus looks like it'll do the job - still blows my mind how cheap interfaces are these days, would have been looking at the sharp end of £300 for something similar 'back in the day'.

I'm not looking for particularly high production values for this, so camera wise I was going to see how it turns out with a GoPro 8, alternatively I have a Canon 600D which is getting a bit long in the tooth but produces good 1080p video, and if it really comes down to it I can fairly easily get intermittent loan of a 5D - but I'm hoping either of the other options will have it covered. 

[Happy Jack]

1 hour ago, Dubs said:

Thanks HJ, that Presonus looks like it'll do the job - still blows my mind how cheap interfaces are these days, would have been looking at the sharp end of £300 for something similar 'back in the day'.

I'm not looking for particularly high production values for this, so camera wise I was going to see how it turns out with a GoPro 8, alternatively I have a Canon 600D which is getting a bit long in the tooth but produces good 1080p video, and if it really comes down to it I can fairly easily get intermittent loan of a 5D - but I'm hoping either of the other options will have it covered. 

If you're recording direct with a PreSonus (or a Focusright or whatever) then I'd suggest running with the Canon which - I suspect - will be higher quality and suffer less from latency than the GoPro. I haven't checked the specs mind, so I could be completely wrong about that!

For laying out guide tracks to play along with later, I'd also recommend:

https://www.studiospares.com/zoom-h1n-portable-recorder_378720.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQiA3NX_BRDQARIsALA3fILoVoCoZF4E3jBr_OiAjR_j7UbRIRCXuRQdUDIhIuqKWClt-CRwdaIaAsjeEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I've used exclusively Zoom handheld recorders for many years and @Silvia Bluejay now defaults to her H1N for pretty much all applications. Incredibly simple and reliable, and the sound quality is just superb.

The last recording sessions I did in a studio (just before Xmas) we took along the H1N to help us sync the multiple videos we were taking. When we later compared the 'raw' sound from the H1N with the early engineer mixes from the desk, in truth there wasn't that much difference in quality!

 

[Silvia Bluejay]

I have a Canon EOS 600D, my first DSLR which I have long superseded, and I must say, the video is fine, *when it does get recorded*. My camera seems to have problems staying on REC ON for more than a few minutes at a time. It always throws up some 'overheating, stopping recording' message at what are usually normal temperatures, both ambient and camera.

First I thought it was the sub-par SD card (needs to be as fast and reliable as possible), but there wasn't much improvement with a new, faster one.

It's not that it doesn't work, but it's very unreliable in my experience.

[skidder652003]

The canon ( I have a 5D mk2 ) will only record for a max of 30 minutes due to a strange EU law that designates the difference between a camera and a video camera as one that records either below or over 30 minutes. This apparently affects some sort of import duty so camera manufacturers set a max of 30 minute record time to avoid this. In most situations this isn't a problem as few people would record for 30 minutes without a break or scene change. I do however as I record our rehearsals/gigs etc by setting the camera up and pressing record before running back onto stage to play. It's a right pain. I've kind of got around this by installing Magic Lantern and a double battery pack but it's still not perfect. If you have a decent go-pro I'd stick with that TBH.

[Silvia Bluejay]

All true, but before you even get to 30 mins of recording on a DSLR, you hit the 4GB file size limit - around 20 minutes of video, depending on your chosen resolution. So you never do manage to record uninterruptedly for 30 minutes anyway.

We use two Zoom Q2n devices for unmanned recording (each with its own external battery pack). We have just added a Canon Legria to that team. On the DSLR (whichever I'm using for filming at any given moment) I make sure to only record for a max of 10-15 minutes, then start a new file.

The Zoom Q2n non-4k and the Legria also have the 4GB limit, but unlike a DSLR, they continue recording in a new file automatically. The Zoom Q2n 4k creates one single, large file from the beginning to the end of the recording.

[Paul S]

For the interface, if you want to do it really cheaply,  this has just popped up for sale.  I have no iron in this fire other than to say I bought one and it works.  No frills but it does the job.

 

[skidder652003]

1 hour ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

All true, but before you even get to 30 mins of recording on a DSLR, you hit the 4GB file size limit - around 20 minutes of video, depending on your chosen resolution. So you never do manage to record uninterruptedly for 30 minutes anyway.

We use two Zoom Q2n devices for unmanned recording (each with its own external battery pack). We have just added a Canon Legria to that team. On the DSLR (whichever I'm using for filming at any given moment) I make sure to only record for a max of 10-15 minutes, then start a new file.

The Zoom Q2n non-4k and the Legria also have the 4GB limit, but unlike a DSLR, they continue recording in a new file automatically. The Zoom Q2n 4k creates one single, large file from the beginning to the end of the recording.

No you're right. The magic Lantern overides this by re -recording on a new file but you loose about 2 seconds of video, not a problem if using more than one camera of just editing actual performances, quite often the overlaps are in between songs, think I've been caught out only once or twice.

[Dubs]

@Silvia Bluejay I've not seen the overheating issues with my 600D but yes the files do stop at 4GB, usually somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes for 1080p. I'll watch out for any overheating!

@skidder652003 interesting on the laws the differentiate between a stills vs video camera, especially given that some will use a 5D exclusively for video. 

[Dubs]

18 hours ago, Paul S said:

For the interface, if you want to do it really cheaply,  this has just popped up for sale.  I have no iron in this fire other than to say I bought one and it works.  No frills but it does the job.

 

Thanks for the prompt on this Paul, I'm looking for something with 2 XLR inputs though, at this stage I think it's probably the Presonus I'll go for but the Behringer 204HD also looks interesting at this price point.