Conference napalm::commusic_v1

>I don't think my VCR has separate audio and video connectors,
>just one connection to the TV monitor.

I looked. Sure enough, there are separate video in/outs and audio in/outs.
I get the feeling I'm gonna need two VCR's though.

Any input appreciated.

/Mitch

    
    
    I have experimented with a low cost option for doing this which
    basically removes the total smpte solution. What I did was record
    a stripe on to the audio track of my video. I have a sony C7? which
    allows audio dubbing without losing the video signal. I used a JLcooper
    PPS for the striping and sync.
    
    I then played the video back driving my sequencer with the signal
    from the sync-box. I had already pre-decided on the base tempo for
    my piece, but did actually manage some timing changes here and there
    by ignoring the click from the sequencer (ala moeller).
    
    Whilst not ideal I did find this reasonable effective and the enduser
    was very happy with the music provided. What we did in the end was
    re-record the video going machine to machine and mixed in the original
    soundtrack with the sequenced piece which was restarted manually.
    
    A bit Heath Robinson. But it worked.
    
    
    						Paul.

    Some VCRs have a "dub" feature that allows you to "dub" audio without
    losing the video signal.
    
    However, there is a few catches to that "feature".
    
    HIFI VCRs actually have two (actually depending on how you count it,
    as many as 4) audio tracks:  A Hifi audio track which is modulated
    into the video signal (recorded helically on the tape), and a low-fi
    signal recorded linearly on the edge of the tape.
    
    Since the HIFI signal is recorded with the video signal, obviously
    you can't dub the HIFI signal without losing the video signal.
    
    The "dub" feature works only on the low-fi signal.  If the playback
    deck is a HIFI deck you will (most likely) only hear the "dubbed" track
    of a dubbed tape if you "turn off the hifi" of the deck playing back
    the dubbed tape.  I'm not even sure that all VCRs have a switch for
    this.
    
    If the playback deck is NOT a HIFI deck, than it plays back the dub
    track as you would like.
    
    So to summarize the key gotchas are:
    
    	1) You can only dub on the (very) low-fi (sub AM) track and
    
    	2) You probably have to do something special to play it back
    	   properly on a HIFI deck.
    
    I think the conventional way of adding HIFI tracks to existing video
    is to go tape-to-tape (two VCRs).  On even the best VCRs this will
    produce a noticeable-to-significant degradation in the video quality.
    
    Thus you are faced with a trade-off of HIFI audio vs Hi-res video.
    And of course, there's the trade-off of bucks as well.
    
    	db

    
    
    Yep Dave is basically right.
    
    I dubbed onto the linear track of the Sony which is not hifi. The target was
    to produce a piece which worked with the film. It was always intended
    to be reconstitued at a later satge in a Video remix studio. The
    only reason I needed a video signal in the studio was for reference
    purposes and to check that my music had no major clashes with the
    original soundtrack. As the subject matter was a motor-race and
    promo-event then this was not a problem. I even offered to dub back
    some synthy motorised-pans for them but they were a little to purist
    for this.  
    
    					Paul.
    

Any ideas on where/how I can learn more about this subject? I'm still
left with alot of questions.

----------
PK: What does "striped" mean?   Is that like a click track?

/Mitch

>    What I did was record
>    a stripe on to the audio track of my video.   
>    What we did in the end was
>    re-record the video going machine to machine and mixed in the original
>    soundtrack with the sequenced piece which was restarted manually.

How did you maintain the original soundtrack if you recorded a "stripe" on
the audio track? Was the original soundtrack on a separate hi-fi portion
of the tape (or mixed with the video like db indicated)?

What did you mean by "restarted manually"?  Wasn't the sequencer slaved to
the VCR?

/Mitch. I'm not a video guy.

    Seems like to me that MIX bookshelf had several selections on audio for
    video production. 
    
    MIX Bookshelf
    6400 Hollis Street
    Suite 12 
    Emeryville, Ca 94608
    (800) 233-9604
    
    good luck!
    
    dbII 

    
    
    re: Audio dubbing on HiFi.
    
       I haven't tried it, but my VHS HiFi deck's instruction manual
    states that because the HiFi tracks are on a different azimuth from
    the video tracks, you *can* dub the HiFi separately from the video
    portion. 
    
      As far as audio track dubbing is concerned, I just completed a
    rather lengthy video here in Burlington for a plant-wide "appreciation
    week". At least I got to use some reasonable editing equipment (a
    pair of Panasonic video editors, and an editing controller). It
    was a LOT of work, but it can be done without striping the tape.
    Basically that's how people used to do it when there was no SMPTE
    anyway.... But it is a lot of fun to do, and just because you don't
    know much about it now is no reason not to try it. Good luck. 
    
    /pjh

    
    
    Re -??.
    
    Striped is jargoneeze for putting the sync track on tape. I don't
    think that this is the same as a click track.
    
    As to the other bits. When I actually had to create a copy of the
    video and music for home use I recorded the video tape to tape taking
    the audio signal of the source into my desk and mixing it with the
    music. However there was no sync available in this pass so I had
    to start the sequencer manually for this pass. This was not ideal
    but it worked.
           
    		Paul.
    

    So, then, a MIDI desk?  This some new UK toy?

-b