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Posted by: Mertay Jan 4 2014, 01:36 AM

So I made a quick search on options for webcams, prices go from almost a pack of cigarettes to a beginner level guitar

would something like this work well in a bedroom lighting?

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/hd-webcam-c270?crid=34

also, I play guitar from the computer. When recording visual from one and sound (+plug-ins) from another program, does one need to increase the soundcard buffer rate?

Posted by: Barthandelus Jan 4 2014, 03:41 AM

Nothing wrong with that cam, mate. I have a Logitech at work, and have no worries at all. It adapts to the light pretty good.

Depending on your card (ASIO drivers?), if you increase the buffer, you'll introduce some lag which will make playing bl00dy hard - a delay between when you hit the note and hear the sound.

Webcams are not really processor intensive, so you should get by without increasing buffers. Most cams process the video internally, and just stream the video to your machine - kinda like watching a YouTube video. You'll be fine - unless you have an old 486 computer running Windows 95... :-) Just dont forget to select the correct inputs for your video recording software.

Posted by: Yash Jan 4 2014, 11:00 AM

So, on a slightly related note, is it OK to record the video and audio via an onboard webcam from the laptop ? Because I feel like recording some videos now, BUT, I don't have any camera to record, except the webcam.

Posted by: Darius Wave Jan 4 2014, 11:40 AM

Mertay - that's exactly the cam I have. Unfortunately I'm not able to stream full quality thruogh live chats but it gives really nice quality and i think it's a very good price to quality relation. I also didn't wanted to go for "beginner guitar" price level Cam works very well

Laptop webcam is ok if You ain't got any better Yash Just make sure You have descent lightening. In case of video/photography a good ligth is a 75% of the job. Try to record in a daylight as often as possible and even those built-in cams from notebooks will do the job

Posted by: Lexman Jan 4 2014, 11:41 AM

I got a Logitech HD Webcam C525 for christmas, you can check my profile for the latest videos I have recorded with it.
It's a good webcam but the logitech software included keeps crashing. I use open broadcaster software instead (free) and I record the sound via yamaha preamp THR10 and Reaper.
The sound quality of the webcam is good for voice recording, but pretty bad for recording an instrument

Posted by: Mertay Jan 4 2014, 12:07 PM

Thanks everybody!

Posted by: Gitarrero Jan 4 2014, 12:30 PM

the Logitech webcam you posted is the cam I use for quick recordings (like in my bootcamp thread with Todd), it works great with room lighting.
For my green screen videos, I use my laptop with integrated webcam, which also works great when I put on some additional lights.
So Mertay, buy this cam and Yash, use your integrated cam.

Posted by: eMGie Jan 4 2014, 12:52 PM

I use Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 for my videos and I'm pretty happy with the results.

You can see them here: https://www.youtube.com/user/MJShred

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jan 4 2014, 03:39 PM

From my own experience I can say that Logitech Webcams are really good. You will be able to do all the things that you are planning so go for it and start recording videos!

Posted by: Mertay Jan 11 2014, 06:21 PM

Hey everyone

Since the price difference was so small I went with the upper model C310, I think its only plus is having a better auto-light function.

This function seems to be using the hardware, it works pretty good considering the lighting in the room is currently bad but the downside is it doesn't capture movement as good as when the auto-light is off (movements gets shady like ghost effect? )

Finally I'd only like to ask if anyone knows a good (if possibly free ) video recording program that has good auto-light correction? I'd like to test for myself to see whats the best option when recording at room light (since most of the time I have a job or stuff to do on day time besides guitar )

Posted by: Darius Wave Jan 11 2014, 10:06 PM

Your webcam comes with some software. IT makes You able to record vis and gives pretty nice adjustment options Before looking for external software take a look at the logitech soft

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 11 2014, 10:14 PM

This is a good time to suggest that you actually buy a few cheap lights (clip on lights, work lights, etc.) just to get started trying to light your setup so that when you go to record, you just turn on your lights and go

I leave all of my lights setup ( I use a lod of LED based lights) and I have a remote control that turns the power to them on and off. These are cheap too.

With just 2 or three cheap work lights, you can get good light on your videos and keep them from looking like about 90 percent of the poorly lit, grainy, videos that one sees on youtube. You've got your cam! Just add some cheap lights and bingo!

Todd

Posted by: Mertay Jan 12 2014, 01:06 AM

Ah thanks I previously installed the driver and the main program but didn't notice the extras as they needed to be downloaded installing them now





Thanks hopefully I'll make my tests this week and soon share something to get further opinions. Led's are a good idea as such custom solutions are rather affordable where I live, I'll keep this in mind

Posted by: Mertay Jan 21 2014, 01:45 AM

which program renders to .mp4?

The webcam saves default .wma

The freeone I got with the webcam (magix) save only .wma (can edit video length but can't on audio)
Latest reaper can do .mkv (and .avi but it gives error) but crashes if any editing done

incase needed my workflow is I record directly from the webcam program thats on the taskbar and record guitar from daw, seems to work fine after 1-2 adjustments. Current problem is combining sound+video, edit and render, pm's are also welcome

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 21 2014, 09:39 AM

The quickest and handiest way to do it: http://www.convertfiles.com/convert/video/WMV-to-MP4.html

It usually helps a lot when you need a quick solution Let me know how it works, ok?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jan 21 2014, 10:23 AM

Besides that converser that Cosmin suggested, you also have software like Vegas and Adobe Premiere that are great to edit video, audio, add effects and export to endless formats. However, if you just want to convert files, the converser will do the job perfectly.

Posted by: Mertay Jan 21 2014, 12:12 PM

Needs a coffee break but yeah it worked thanks



Thanks

Posted by: Darius Wave Jan 21 2014, 02:16 PM

Good points by Gabriel and Cosmin. You can try any on-line converter. Unfortunately I haven't found and option to record mp4 directly from this webcam.

Posted by: Mertay Jan 21 2014, 09:02 PM

I checked a lot of freeware today before going a "different route" and realized the video edit guys don't have something like our reaper. Pretty much all freeware feature non-linear editing which to me makes no sense. Anyway, problem solved...

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 22 2014, 08:54 AM

Glad to have been of help mate - sometimes, when I am away from my studio PC, I find it handy to use all sorts of online format transformers, for a wide range of objects. Another very trustworthy and efficient one would be: http://media.io/

Posted by: Aaron A Jan 22 2014, 10:38 PM

Logitech makes solid webcams and I have never had a problem with mine (c615). The only thing I can't do is record video and audio on the same computer, it becomes extremely choppy and I have to cut the video quality down to its minimum setting. I also don't have the best computer around so it might just be me.

Posted by: Mertay Jan 22 2014, 11:57 PM

Hey Aaron this really depends on the computer and system health but you're not alone the c615 is way ahead compared to what I have but let me share what I managed to find till now, I'm also open to others suggestions too

To record 720p (wide screen) without crackle, first I record at 44.1khz and adjust latency to 5 ms. which is my personal maximum (longer latency better if you're comfortable). I'm using as less plug-ins as I can.

This wasn't enough so I disconnected the internet from the internet access icon at the clock(I'm on windows 7 by the way) and this really helped. Not sure if totally eliminated but I'm still testing and notice it made a difference. Also I have no active virus protection programs as they really make recording a terrible experience

Worst case is find a plug-in thats a de-clip or de-crackeller. If you're playing distortion this really helps cause it only affects the di signal of the guitar and simply don't care the clips while you play as they can be fixed later. But when playing clean you really have to listen and analyze to find a sweetspot, they can be destructive on guitar tone.

I'm still in my testing/learning phase but I also expect that recording visual with a different program and disabling the recorded image while recording might also help, at least my default logitech program can't do this disabling.

By the way, I haven't formatted my computer for a long time now and pretty sure lots of junk is working on the background

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 23 2014, 04:36 AM

It may be time to add more ram (8 Gigabytes is a good spot for audio/vid work, but the more the merrier) or maybe upgrade your entire rig when possible. dual core or quad core is a good place shoot for. Recording audio and video while using real time plugins requires a bit of computing muscle.