A couple weeks ago I purchased a video recorder for the ridiculously low price of $29. The quality if OK for YouTube, the audio is marginal, but again, OK for YouTube. My primary purpose for purchasing the camera was to video some of my cruises down Chesapeake Bay and the east coast on my sailboat. My daughter talked me into using it to record some music jobs at various locations, which I recently did.

Unfortunately, I'm a true novice at working with these new, digital, video formats and when you're my age, the learning curve is like climbing Mount Everest. I finally figured out how to synchronize the audio with the video, and do some minor editing using Windows Live Video.

The best attributes of the camera is I can put it on a mic stand with the supplied adapter, press the start button, and record the entire performance. This provides me with the ability to peruse the performance, see exactly what I'm doing wrong, what I'm doing right, and make appropriate changes. I sincerely believe we are our own worst critic, which is a good thing. I also have my wife look at the videos, make suggestions, and yes, I value her criticism. (I don't tell her that enough, but I really do value her opinions.)

I place the video recorder about 6 feet from the keyboard, off to the side. It allows me to see the number of button pushes, etc... involved with each song, and the dead time between songs. I believe that anything more than a couple seconds seems like eternity to the audience. Consequently, toward the end of each song I find myself selecting the registration or MFD entry for the next song, which causes the loss of some eye contact with the audience. Despite the fact this is only for about 3 seconds, to me it's two seconds too long. I didn't realize this was happening until I perused the video.

Here's a cut from today's Father's Day performance, one that also tells me that I need to bring up the vocals a notch to achieve better balance. And yes, Tony, it's in sync and it's me using my right hand.



Cheers,

Gary

Nice work Gary! I record myself all the time just to make sure it's really as good as I think it is. The camera doesn't lie.

Joe

heeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaa Gary, watch it this may be that test I told you about.


Digadi Dog and only one finger now Gary, getting better every demo...

You will need to lower that camera a bit I can't see all the righthand you could be a magician and all.

Tony

Nice work Gary and audience enjoyed it too.

Thanks guys. I guess Tony didn't get the point, though about the post. (His nurse probably forgot to give him his morning medications.)

For me, that $29 video camera is a great tool, and as Joe said, the camera doesn't lie. I sincerely believe it's an investment in your musical career - not just a gadget to put stuff on YouTube. Not only does it allow you to see how you look to your audiences, it also allows you to hear what you are producing, albeit not high quality. I equate this to something I did 50 years ago when I first got into broadcast radio. I recorded my newscasts on audio tape (the wide stuff), then played them back, listening carefully to voice inflections, phrasing, etc..., things that made the newscasts sound both interesting and professional. It made a huge difference, led to several promotions, and eventually landed a job with a large, local radio station. Like I said above, we are our own worst/best critics. The camera just makes it a lot easier to critique our performances.

Cheers,

Gary

Thanks for posting this info and vids Gary. I bought a small Kodak video camera some time back, used it 2X and put it aside. Kodak has a proprietary OS and it requires purchase of software to edit. The free software is convoluted and for me, I didn’t think it was worth the time needed to get the desired results. You’ve given me some encouragement to give it another shot.
Ciao,
Jerry

Nice job as usual Gary.....good quality recording also!!

BTW Gary have you seen my new address no one appears to have noticed LOCATION in avatar

Jerry,

As long as you don't have to send the film away to be developed with no sound it will be OK.

Tony

Gary, your so smoooth when you perform and that voice of yours is killer!!!

I'm a huge fan. Thanks for posting. I really enjoyed it.

Tony,

I have to admit; I only understand about 1/3 of the things you post on this forum. It may be me and my grasp of the english language, but whew; I'm not getting much of what you say??

Tony, I appreciate your dry English humor and your appreciation for fun!


Keep it up, friend!

Russ

Have no fear.You're not alone

But it's maybe because Tony is from Lancashire and english is not well understood there

I will now stand back and defend my Yorkshire heritage.......

Eddie,

Drinking his Yorkshire tea, reading his Yorkshire Post, eating his Yorkshire Puddings, listening to his Yorkshire Brass bands, walking his Yorkshire
whippet, understood every word of this. sethi, Al won't understand any of this Eddie, it's all in Yorkshire code, heeeeeee, haaaaaaaaa

See? The Wars of the Roses continues to this day. The wife's a Yorkshire lass, so it's the White Rose for me. ;-)

And Yorkshire Tea, picked fresh every morning in the hills above Rotherham - yes, we get it here in the colonies!

248,

You can't just go off what your wife says if she is from Yorkshire, you need to know the fully history behind it and then you will have no doubt who you would want to take with you on a night out, take someone from Yorkshire and you will be buying the drinks all night, cause they won't, look out I feel and edddddie ache coming on. Men from Yorkshire can peel an orange in their pocket. I will PM anyone would doesn't undersantanze, yah!

LOL! Tony. You've obviously no experience of a Yorkshire lass. I don't have a choice.

BTW, I was in Manchester once, and it was so cold I even saw a solicitor with his hands in his own pockets. He reckoned Lancashire pockets were made extra deep so the bottom of them was unreachable.

124,

Who have you been talking to about deep pockets your Doris???and don't you know about global warming , much warmer in Manchester since USA won't abide to the kyoto protocol.

A Yorshire man went home one night and said to his wife "comon Doris get your coat on" she said "why are we going out down the mal shopping" he said " no I'm turning the heating off its costing a fortune to run!

The "kyoto protocol", eh? Is that a new model from Ketron? ;-)

124,

Yep you got it, that's exactly what the USA thinks it is or something similar, nothing at all to do with reducing carbon emissions, now if you live in Yorkshire they know all about saving energy...

Gary, It's hard to believe that's a $29 video camera. I don't think you've lied to me before, now I'm not sure.

Is that also the sound quality of the camera also from the speakers and the mic, or is the camera hooked up to the output of the keyboard or mixer etc? You know I have all I can do to play the keyboard and sing and that I'm not high tech.

Here it is, Boo. No wires attached, just sitting on a mic stand 6-feet from the keyboard and running on it's internal battery.

Alesis video camera

Gary

Thanks Gary, I just got one. I've learned so much from recording my gig and practices. Well worth the $29

Thanks Tony and 124
That was the best of banter since sliced bread for me!
Tony started it (or was it me?) just as I went off to Holland for a short break and got back today so I missed the fun of it at the time.
Now I'm back, I know I will stay around a little while longer and enjoy my Yorkshire heritage...and the Lancashire heritage (see, I even put that other county in capital so it must have some sort of dignity even if not too much)
I regret that the thread has been discourteously hijacked by us for a few ripostes (Tony---that means replies) but it was highly entertaining to a few of us.
By the way, I also enjoyed my break in Holland, Venlo actually at the time of the Floriade 2012, I love those Dutch people as if they were my own (Yorkshire of course) That's why I keep going back...my only beef is that they speak that strange language which we call double dutch and I can't understand a word...I bet they wouldn't understand me either if I spoke in "broad yorkshire"....THANKS GUYS, it's good to be back.

Later...By the way, I have to tell you that on my way back to Europoort for the boat home, I was held up for about half an hour by a rail crossing for a while, whilst a very long freight train was manoeuvering into the port (that's Holland...great, just like Yorkshire!) and a dutch fella got off his bike to speak for a while.He said he was looking forward to coming over to England in a few weeks time . I asked him where to and he said scotland! He's also in for a rude awakening when he tries to understand them, especially if he's going to Glasgow......