@ShiroKuro I have one more trick that will make later triming/editing easier. When you have a longer recording (e.g. 30 min or 1 hr), you need a way to find where is the good stuff to be cut and selected for upload. You don't want to waste time to watch a 3-5 minute playthrough only to realize that was the bad take. The method I found to make this quicker is noting down the time immediately after you realize the part you just played is worthy of saving.

Now, the trick is what time to write down. There are 2 ways to do this.

  1. Start a digital count up timer at the same time as you start the video recording. Then write down the time on the digital timer. When you edit video, this time will correspond to the timecode of the video playhead in the app.
  2. Include a digital clock in your video shot. Then write down the time on the clock. In the video editor, you just scrub the playhead and watch the clock on the video screen to find your spot.

I use a Canon EOS M-200 camera. It does reasonable quality recordings except very low light. I normally prefer to make recordings during the day. The camera has an onscreen playback. There is a beginning & end trim button so I can trim the video (leaving a few seconds slack on both ends) before exporting the video to a phone or computer for uploading online.

During the recording I'd place the camera on a tripod. The camera has optical zoom so zooming in doesn't degrade quality. I'd try to avoid extreme wide-angle or tele-photo to give a natural perspective. If I'm recording with a phone, I'd avoid zooming in. Older model phones usually have digital zoom which is basically cropping the video and degrading the quality. I prefer putting the camera on the left or right side of the piano /keyboard and shoot at about 45 degrees showing both hands playing.

At home there is a cabinet in front of the keyboard. I'd put the tripd on it and shoot down at a high angle for a bird's-eye view.

The least preferred shooting angle is from the left or right side of the piano straight down like the piano pokes into your face. I've seen many people shoot this way.

My 2 tripods for many years both have the brand name Manfrotto. These are made in Italy or China. It's a high-end brand that is very sturdy.

From the beginning I realized that the sound always have some background noise. I'd import the audio portion into a sound program like Audacity and remove the background noise later. Recombine the audio with the video in a movie editor after audio noise is reduced.

My latest recording is the intro of "Harmonious Blacksmith" by Handel. It's a piece I worked on before the Christmas break and recorded a few days ago.

    • Sam

    • Post #36

    Quicktime is also a fast and easy way to trim videos. Just go <Edit><Trim> and it puts up a slider that you can use to trim the beginning and end of your video.

      @thepianoplayer416 thanks!

      @Sam I used to use QuickTime when I was in grad school (not for music but for linguistic data) -- I thought it was no longer supported?

        • Sam

        • Post #38

        ShiroKuro @Sam I used to use QuickTime when I was in grad school (not for music but for linguistic data) -- I thought it was no longer supported?

        Quicktime is the default video program on a mac - well supported. I use it to trim all my videos.

        Sam

          ShiroKuro Do you have any recommendations for tripod/holder? The tripod I have is a pain in the rear to set up and it's not really designed to shot straight down.
          I use this.

          I have a Lenovo 1080p Webcam that I bought for something like $25 mounted on it permanently.
          I rotate it 90 degrees counter clockwise to get it out of the way, but I don't have to take the camera down.
          I cover the camera with a plastic bag when I'm not using it to keep dust out of it.
          I think you can the set up in this shot.

          This is how things look.

          My process is a little more complicated than Sam's. I record audio & video into OBS. This is great for me, because this way I can use my DSLR and a webcam and not have to invest in a pro video camera with XLR inputs. Prior to using OBS I would have to match up the audio from my good microphones and my audio interface with camera footage in "post". This is a big time saver.

          I'm using the same setup for teaching lessons remotely, but in that case instead of just making a recording, I make what OBS is seeing available to ZOOM as a virtual camera. The audio is a little more complicated, but my audio interface, a venerable RME 800 Fireface comes with software that allows "loop back" and makes it easy for me to route that into ZOOM as well.

          Hope this is helpful.

          Addendum: I forgot to mention that you can't see the microphone in the setup shot. It is mounted on a stand BEHIND the piano bench at a height just over my head when I am seated on the bench. This way it picks up essentially what I hear when I am playing.

            thepianoplayer416 I use a Canon EOS M-200 camera

            The video looks great; sounds good too. Are you using the in camera mics on the EOS M-200? If so, have you got the automatic gain turned off? I ask, because if have an EOS-80d, a great camera, but I'm not satisfied with the sound.

                Seeker
                When I got this camera, it was a replacement for a Canon Powershot SX-740 which is a tiny portable P&S camera with 40x optical zoom great for vacation. This Canon EOS M-200 with a "crop sensor" instead of "full-frame" is considered entry level. The other EOS cameras are bigger and heavier but allow for better lenses and external mic. Besides the built-in mic, there is no sound boost of any kind. In a small room the volume sounded loud but wasn't excessive. The thing I only thing I can do after a recording is to import the recording to a program like Audacity and reduce noise.

                  Sam Quicktime is also a fast and easy way to trim videos. Just go <Edit><Trim> and it puts up a slider that you can use to trim the beginning and end of your video.

                  ShiroKuro I used to use QuickTime when I was in grad school (not for music but for linguistic data) -- I thought it was no longer supported?

                  My experience with QuickTime and PC/Mac is that QuickTime can trim videos on Mac but not on PC.

                  *
                  ... feeling like the pianist on the Titanic ...

                        • Rob

                        • Post #43

                        Animisha The Windows 'Photos' app can trim videos using a slider on a PC.

                            Rob oooh, I didn’t know that. I wonder if that might be the easiest, since that’s pretty much all I’ll doing (trimming the beginning and end)

                              • Rob

                              • Post #45
                              • Edited

                              If you want to go further, and have Microsoft Clipchamp included in your Windows version, you can add fade in/out, Titles/text, as well as trim, and make other adjustments. There is no need to subscribe to the paid version.
                              (If you don't want the words 'Microsoft Clipchamp' in your video title, simply re-name it)