Zoom Q2n video/audio demo

https://youtu.be/AaTxumpfkJw

PA-900 into a Behringer mixer, and recorded on the Zoom's internal mics. The camera was placed in front of the left PA speaker (teeny Alto 8's, with a small Bose sub), and picked up the Korg speakers, as well. Commercial sequence (probably Tune1000), played Rhodes and organ over top.
The camera was set to wide angle to get some guests in the shot, so the frame is a little skewed, but I was really interested in the audio. I'll make a recording using the line ins next week to compare!

Next, using the arranger:

https://youtu.be/eIRQQpCFAlU

You can see it was a slow night, so my concentration wasn't great, but, mistakes and all, you can get a feel for the tone of the Korg, and the quality of the Zoom. I'll try to post a few more, but editing the master is time consuming for a newish movie guy. Enjoy.

It works!! Nice work Dave......smooth!

For you folkies ...
https://youtu.be/8YyT8n0vsME
Taylor 712CE (not mine)

Neat videos, Dave. I think they would have been a lot better had you used the line in on the camera, but overall, pretty darned good sounding. You voice seems a bit higher than I remember it from years ago when I saw you performing in the Italian Restaurant in Philly, though. I guess that's an aging thing.

All the best,

Gary

Excellent as always Dave. Nice recording, nice playing, nice singing, that's about it...

You know, I think I actually came out of the OR with a slight edge to the upper timbre in my voice. I noticed it, too. As for the camera, I fully expect fantastic results using the line-in, but geeze - the built in mics sounded pretty good, too!

Voice sounds great as always!!

Thanks Johnathon. I'm not at 100% yet, but darn near.

That's my Uncle Dave in action.....
Charts??? who the heck needs charts?
just play and enjoy yourself makes for great stage preence....
that's how it's done by the master!
Great stylings as usual sitting in the pocket....

Thanx for sharing

Those of us who are less fortunate and don't have the talent that others have. I'm not making excuses either, I have been successful in a couple of different careers but memorizing music/playing by ear is not one of them. Thankfully I can read and when playing a gig I don't need to stare at charts I do use them as a guide so that I can keep eye contact with the audience.

I am not taking anything away from Dave, but it looked like he might have had an iPAD or tablet in front of him ? ... not that he looked at it very often ...

Very entertaining Dave, ... relaxed, easy going, no stress or strain ... well done ...

Even though we might have charts or a tablet in front of us, that does not mean we can't spontaneously 'take off' on a medley of songs that we know by heart ... and I personally don't think using charts - paper or tablet - diminishes our ability to satisfy our audiences ...
Plus, performing without charts is easier when one is using backing tracks or midi files, and not just the KB styles ...
just sayin'

What a pleasant performance. I could listen all evening. I never really thought about using a pre sequenced solo independently while performing live. Excellent idea. That's why I love this forum. I always learn something.

Is that a FerroFish B 4000 + module to the left of you? How cool is that if it is.

Sir Thomas Beecham, a renowned conductor once said at a rehearsal of the London Philharmonic, "Play the phrases. Never mind the bars, they're just boxes that contain the phrases."

Nope. It's an iRig DJ mixer. Handy as hell - 2 stereo channels with EQ, and an independent HP out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcJfBmSmIQY
I plug an iPad into channel 2, and that allows me to mix the backing tracks, or break music back INTO the kb speakers with instant volume and EQ, and right at my fingertips. The PA900, itself is plugged into channel 1, but the main slider is OFF. I use the HP out to feed the house mix, or my system, depending on the venue. (Gain, and EQ are still active)
This allows me to have a 2 zone mixer within reach of my left hand. You might notice, I tweak it a lot. I'm kind of "conducting" the backing arrangement.

*** IMPORTANT - if you try this, be sure you have your MAIN VOLUME off in the KB channel, otherwise it'll get fed back into the internal sound system, and cause a never ending paradox-like feedback loop.

It's no different than when we used to play in a band, right? All we had control over was our kb parts, and the rest was done by the band. Well, today, it's a cyber band. During any given performance I'll utilize manual bass, auto accompaniment, sequences, drum tracks, MP3/Karaoke tracks, or straight piano (usually Rhodes). The pulse of the room determines the "fullness" of the band. Very often, if I'm using the arranger, I'll mute everything but bass and drums, so I have a clean, intimate trio sound. I like that. Then, as the tune progresses, I might add in the 5 acc parts. (I have a dedicated button that tuns them all on/off)
Very effective. In intimate settings, with small crowds, I find the arranger to be at it's "hokeyest" (is that a word?) when there's 7 parts playing behind my already full chord arrangement. Thinning out the arranger is ver appropriate in these cases.

I sure do have an iPad on the stand. It's my fakebook, my break-time jukebox, my backing tracks, my karaoke machine for guests, and most of all - my TIMEPIECE! I love having the time always in front of me - keeps me grounded. I use every tool available to me. Sometimes I read, most times, not, but I want the option in case I get an oddball request that I "sorta" know, but never played. Comes in handy!

Tony, though I hate to disagree, I will on this one. Most of the full time entertainers I've come across over the years only used their laptops and pads for references, and in my case, lyrics. For some strange reason, I was unable to remember all the words to more than 3000 songs I have been performing over the years - but for the most part, about 600 to 800 seem to stay in the cobwebs of my aging brain. As for the chords, they are there as well, and yes, I occasionally get one or two wrong, but that's pretty rare as well.

I primarily use onboard or USB loaded third-party style files, and maybe onece a night, use a midi file during a 4-hour job. All the other performers I know personally do the same. And, if I use that single midi file, I usually play over it using my right hand instruments.

The people that gave me the idea of using a laptop were UD and DNJ, whom I drove to watch in action on several occasions. They are both Pro entertainers in every aspect, and because they performed nearly every day of the week, they rarely even glanced at the laptop to do most of their songs. I guess when you perform a song regularly, some of that information is retained in the gray matter and can be instantly recalled.

One of the greatest features I discovered over the years with my arranger keyboards was the ability to recall the song settings using either registrations or my music finder director (MFD). Though it made it so I didn't have to think about what style to select, it made the transition between songs go from about 30 seconds to a minute, down to under a second, if I wanted to go that fast. In doing so, especially using the MFD, I really didn't have time to go into the laptop and look for the lyrics, though I could have in a few more seconds. I just wanted to keep the crowd on the dance floor and in that vein, I was very successful - just like DNJ and UD. I guess I stole a page out of their playbook, and was damned glad I did. Thanks guys for all the help you provided me over these many years.

All the best,

Gary

Gary ... I did not mean for anything I said to take away from Dave's performance ... I have been an admirer of his talents since I first heard his work on this board ...

I am having a hard time trying to figure out on what issue you are disagreeing with me. Is it that I said some of us can use a tablet or charts and still fully entertain our audiences? ... or that we could spontaneously 'take off' and do a medley of songs from memory? ...

Donny said Dave didn't need charts, and he probably doesn't, but I just commented that it looked like Dave had a tablet of some kind in front of him ... I also said it looked like he DID NOT look at it very often ...
I would have to think that Dave was using a backing file of some kind for "Spooky", otherwise where did the sax solo come from? ... he may have been using the Chord Sequencer for the end of the song when he was taking a right hand solo, but I have no idea about that...

And maybe I was born in Missouri, and I'm not saying it CAN'T be done, but for someone to be able play any of 600 - 800 songs from memory and have all the lyrics correct, and only miss one or two chord changes, WOW, that would be as impressive as hell ...

Well, I just read Dave's responses and I think that clears up an issue or two ...

I know a lot of guys who do this daily, Tony. One, in particular, Jerry Burns, performed five days a week, every week, since he was 18 years old, played piano and arranger keyboard for some of the greats, and never, to my knowledge, had a single sheet with him on the job, and did not use a laptop or notebook PC - the songs and chords, some very complex arrangements, were all in his head. Same goes for Helmut Licht, whom I posted a short video of his big band here. I rarely saw UD look at his laptop during the hours I saw him perform, and when I saw Don Mason perform, he rarely looked at his as well. With some entertainers, especially those that are constantly on stage and performing on almost a daily basis, the need to glance at the chords is often secondary - and the same goes with the lyrics. There are some songs that I performed so often that it would be difficult to forget the words, but then, there are times, when you fire up the keyboard, play the intro, and forget the first line of a song you have performed thousands of times - and at that point, that damned netbook PC sure comes in handy. I know it has covered my ass on several occasions, and the audiences were none the wiser.

Tony, my disagreement is that UD, DNJ, DonM and many, many others do NOT need the charts and often the lyrics in front of them in order to perform for hours on end. Joe Ayala was another great example of this. You saw Joe at my home perform many, many songs, he never looked at anything - it all spontaneously came out of his head and he never missed a beat, chord or word the entire day - and that was after a lotta Kickapoo Joy Juice!

Sure miss Joe. He was a dear friend.

Gary

Gary ... this may all be true, BUT Frank Sinatra used monitors with the lyrics on them, I recently saw Billy Joel in concert with the lyrics being shown on monitors, I have seen top entertainers on TV using monitors with for the lyrics ... more power to the people who don't need them, but that does not mean that these people who DO use charts entertain their audiences any less ...
just sayin'

Anybody remember that famous performance by Ella Fitzgerald where she forgot the lyrics to Mack the Knife? She just made something up (something like, "I forgot now, the lyrics to this song now") and it ended up being one of her most memorable performances. Not particularly relevant to this conversation but it just came to mind while reading the above posts .

chas

In high pressure situations, like TV, a distraction could be costly to a performance. I play small time rooms to home town crowds, and if I miss a lyric, or play the wrong chord, nobody dies. In the big time - sponsors get unraveled if a performer flubs up. There's no shame in having a "safety net" on stage. The trick is to use it like your rear view mirror - just quick glances to stay on track. The focus should ALWAYS be on the audience. If you and the crowd are not connected ... again, you better start playing jazz. (I'm not dissing the genre, but it's a different mindset) I can easily do most jobs with no ipad, no sequences, and no safety net, but I can offer more to my clients when I have those tools at my disposal. I've already started a sequenced song, had an electronics meltdown, and had to quickly shift gears and start a drum pattern to continue with manual bass and chords. No one was the wiser, but me. Being "in the moment" can be a lifesaver when you're on stage. If your face is buried in a book, or tablet, it's hard to stay connected. It's like Public Speaking 101 - glance at your notes, but always look AT your audience. It makes a huge difference.

Ditto!

Gary you're very welcome you have been a very good student..lol

Absolutely, Dave ...

Been considering the q2n for short clips to send out as demos..

Used it last night with the direct line-in .... haven't edited it yet, but it sounds great.

Great job!

the video sound quality of and the picture are fine ... but why the "FISHEYE" effect on the edges?

That's because it's a wide angle lens, Donny. The Go Pro is an ultra-wide angle lens, which fisheye is more prevalent. Some of this can be corrected with software, but not totally.

Gary

Thanx gary but what is the best video camera with stereo audio inputs thats reasonably in the same price range that doesn't give you the fish eye effect anyone?

Kodak Zi8 is great!

The Zi8 was discontinued some time ago, however, you may still find it on some online stores. Also, no direct input for audio that I could find on the spec sheet. It has a 4X zoom lens, but it is also wide angle when zoomed all the way in, so you will get some curving on the edges.

Gary

It definitely has direct audio input. No curving that I've noticed. Videos on my website. On some of them I had the input a little hot as it was a rush project.
www.donmasonmusic.com

what had taken the place of the Zi8?

I guess Don should know - he owned one!

When I looked at the video of Don playing Stand By Me, there was no curving, but as close as it was I wouldn't expect any.

Gary

Still own it. I need to use it more!

It doesn't always have the fisheye - it's the wide angle setting, and the bad positioning. I was going for sound, not picture when I recorded those segments. It does a fantastic job when it's in front of the subject, and a little back.

I have always been after the best sound in a portable recorder, and I still use my Zoom Q3. There may be products now with higher definition video, but I see no reason to change.

Dave, does it (Q2n) come with its own editing software? If so, how much can you do?

Yes, it does. It's called "Handy Share" if you'd like to do some research.
I only do simple edits, like trimming, fades, wipes, transitions etc. I'm really happy with it

I've been using Windows Live Movie Maker for a couple years, great program, very user friendly, excellent results.

Good luck,

Gary

If anyone looking at this and thinking Q2N, it's nice and I've also had, but consider the Zoom Q8 - spectacular!

Hopefully I can post some videos in the days ahead with the Q8 live!

heres a vid recorded on my zoom Q8 using just the onboard mics.
the venue was a very very large tent at a Harley Davidson dealership and the band was very very loud. fortunately the sound crew was outstanding imo with a very good mix. use headphones and you can actually feel the bass like you were right in front of the stage. zoom cameras audio is awesome again imho.

https://youtu.be/Jb-0TEzuyiI

Jim

Sorry Donny, maybe one day I’ll upload something. But the past 6 yrs I have been playing in a 6 piece band. And never recorded any video of The Brew City Rockers. I can upload some audio links if you’d like. Never played the omb scenario yet. But I’m working towards that lately .
Jim

P.S. Here are audio links to 3 songs recorded live from the mixer during an outside performance of myself with the Brew City Rockers from a few years back. we never recorded much audio or video for that 6 piece I was a member of. Guitar Bass Drums and me on everything else, with lead Male and female lead vocalists, besides guitarist basist and I also singing. I was using the PSR S950 at the time.
This is OT a bit but Donny asked for a taste. and so....

welcome to the 70's
Boogie Boogie Boogie
https://app.box.com/s/juguyogp1ofk2i9u74xa4gut55i6dmd8
Dance to the Music
https://app.box.com/s/yfvq8vlzwrfel02das04m9ktu7j15si1
Play that Funky Music
https://app.box.com/s/4tv8llc6z7vi59s041lu3xktd47lm4kv

Also Donny, I am also disappointed greatly in having no video from myself with that band which I am no longer with. I was with them for 6 yrs, and bought that zoom Q8 right at the end but never did get a chance to use it then. sigh
Jim