Effects How do I easily add sound effects (e.g. reverb) to a video recording?

Guenne · Aug 18, 2020

nigeld said:
Using separate devices to record audio and video seems to be the way a lot of people do it, but for what it's worth, the easiest way I have found so far to record video (plus audio) on a Mac seems to be to use Photo Booth with a USB camera.

Screenflow would also be a solution.
You can capture your desktop, yourself (via webcam) and computer audio of any kind (play-alongs, iPad via Airplay and so on).

Screenflow

Cheers, Guenne

Guenne · Aug 18, 2020

nigeld said:
But he uses FinalCut to sync the audio track automatically, which I didn't know about.

Just tested that 🙂
It took about 2 seconds for my iMac to sync an audio and video/audio file. I don't think I can beat that.

Cheers, Guenne

nigeld · Aug 18, 2020

So, in summary so far, there seem to be two main workflows proposed, each with variations:

1. The way most people seem to do it using two separate recording devices and two separate editors for audio and video. Described by Jay Metcalf in one of his videos above. This is the most flexible and powerful method, but clunky.
a. Record audio using the usual DAW and microphone (including backing track if used) on a computer, and record video simultaneously but separately using a phone or a tablet.
b. Add sound effects to the audio, mix as usual and export the combined audio-plus-backing as a single audio file.
c. Import the audio and the video into a video editor, synchronise them (Final Cut Pro can do this automatically), and replace the audio on the video track with the "improved" audio track.
d. Clip the combined media (e.g. top and tail and splice as necessary) and add any video effects.
e. Export.

A variation on this method is first to record the audio and then to record the video afterwards by playing along to the audio track.

2. @BigMartin's suggestion using Reaper. This is a much simpler workflow, but does not allow adding video effects as far as I know. (I may be wrong about this.)
a. Record audio and video on a single device, such as a phone, possibly using an external microphone to get better sound quality.
b. Import into Reaper. (On a Mac, LogicPro can be used instead of Reaper.)
c. Add the backing track and synchronise.
d. Add sound effects and mix as usual.
e. Clip the combined media (e.g. top and tail and splice as necessary)
f. Export.

Both methods can work on Windows and Macintosh.

ScreenFlow, as proposed by @Guenne, can combine the tasks of audio capture, video capture, and editing in one piece of software, thus simplifying the workflow.
Correction: And it allows audio editing too - see post below.

Final Cut Pro (Macintosh video editor) allows the user to add audio effects to a video, but the consensus seems to be that it is very fiddly.

Guenne · Aug 18, 2020

nigeld said:
but as far as I can tell it doesn't allow the user to add audio effects. (I may be wrong about this.)

You are.
You could record with your DAW (decide whether you capture your desktop or not) using effects.
Or you coud add effects afterwards like you would do it in Final Cut.
With my Universal Audio Interface I can have the effects calculated by the interface, not the Desktop. But that goes for UA and some others, not for all interfaces.
When I make videos with Screenflow for my students, I put a compressor on my voice, and add some room to my sax, without my DAW.
You can turn on or off the channels you record from your audio interface, turn the volume up or down.

The drawback of course is the webcam's video quality. I don't use the built in cam, I bought a logitech some time ago for €40,- which would have been about €120,- normally, but still - you cannot compare it to a real cam.

Cheers, Guenne

nigeld · Aug 18, 2020

Guenne said:
You could record with your DAW (decide whether you capture your desktop or not) using effects.
Or you coud add effects afterwards like you would do it in Final Cut.

Sorry for underestimating ScreenFlow's capabilities.
I have edited my post to correct it.

Guenne · Aug 20, 2020

Hello,

I've made a clip with may Cam and Studio One on my iMac using the Auto-sync-function in Final Cut (going to sell the Yamaha Tenor and the Falcon Florida MPC I'm playing here, so it's killing two birds with one stone - no, three, as I also have get used to my new mic, a Sony C100).
I'm not sure if it looks 100% natural, please let me know what you think. Thanks!
The other clip (from the side) was shot with my iPhone and synced by hand in Final Cut.

Cheers, Guenne

MikeMorrell · Aug 20, 2020

Interesting question. I use Cyberlink PowerDirector for Video editing. Don't ask me why. It seemed the cheapest option at the time (years ago) and I've upgraded since then. So I took a look in PowerDirector to see whether I could edit audio tracks. To my surprise and delight, it seems I can. I've never tried it but here's a screenshot. Open image in new tab to read. Edit functions include compression, equalization, echo and reverb (see pic below).

.

nigeld · Aug 20, 2020

GarageBand on the Mac allows import of video, so it should be possible to use it like Reaper.

Mark Hancock · Aug 20, 2020

Guenne said:
Hello,

I've made a clip with may Cam and Studio One on my iMac using the Auto-sync-function in Final Cut (going to sell the Yamaha Tenor and the Falcon Florida MPC I'm playing here, so it's killing two birds with one stone - no, three, as I also have get used to my new mic, a Sony C100).
I'm not sure if it looks 100% natural, please let me know what you think. Thanks!
The other clip (from the side) was shot with my iPhone and synced by hand in Final Cut.

Cheers, Guenne

Looks natural to me. Sounds great too!

Guenne · Aug 20, 2020

nigeld said:
That would certainly simplify things, Using an external microphone on the camera would provide good sound quality. I could also add the backing track as a separate track and mix with the recording.

I think it would be hard if not impossible to find a proper mic like that for capturing saxophone sound.

rhysonsax · Aug 20, 2020

Mark Hancock said:
Looks natural to me. Sounds great too!

Yes, great sound and playing, as always.

I find it distracting that the sideways shot is a mirror image.

Rhys

Guenne · Aug 20, 2020

rhysonsax said:
I find it distracting that the sideways shot is a mirror image.

Right 🙂 iPhone, Frontcam...

nigeld · Aug 20, 2020

Guenne said:
I've made a clip with may Cam and Studio One on my iMac using the Auto-sync-function in Final Cut (going to sell the Yamaha Tenor and the Falcon Florida MPC I'm playing here, so it's killing two birds with one stone - no, three, as I also have get used to my new mic, a Sony C100).
I'm not sure if it looks 100% natural, please let me know what you think. Thanks!
The other clip (from the side) was shot with my iPhone and synced by hand in Final Cut

The video seems a bit dark to me. Sound is fine.

Guenne · Aug 21, 2020

nigeld said:
The video seems a bit dark to me. Sound is fine.

That's because I was using that (pretty useless) second video 🙂 and fiddled around with (I'm not sure about the translation 🙂 ) opacity.
I did a second video later (see screeshot) where it's ok (for my rather dark room).

6441 · Aug 21, 2020

I use a Canon camcorder on a tripod for the video and Logic for the audio. I then sync the two files manually with Screenflow. (When I first bought it, that was something like $40, it's now over three times that price.) It's a lot of work, but the audio and video are always excellent, since it uses the highest quality version of the backing track and a good microphone. I hope some day my playing will be as good as the recording results.
Final Cut has a very generous 90-day trial version, but the two times I've tried it, recently and long ago, I just can't get my head into that space. I used Adobe Premier (7-day free trial) for years on Windows, but tried a recent version and couldn't learn it, either. Real video editors have extensive feature sets that I don't need. Screenflow isn't complicated or hugely versatile, and I don't find its user interface particularly good, but it's way cheaper than true video editors and much easier to learn. At least is used to be cheaper, now maybe the others have come down?
Note I just looked and Adobe Premier Pro is $240 a year. Final Cut Pro is $300.
I'm in no way a pro, so I'm happy skipping these. If you run a business, you can use Adobe Cloud ($636/year) and deduct it. Is anyone here making that kind of money?

Nell · Sep 27, 2024

Since you find Final Cut Pro a bit challenging, you might want to try using iMovie on your Mac. It's user-friendly and integrates well with GarageBand, allowing you to import your edited audio tracks easily and apply additional sound effects directly within the app.

If you're looking for an alternative that's also easy to use and offers great features without leaving a watermark on your final product, you might want to check out this resource: Best free video editing software of 2024 [TOP 20] | Movavi.

It provides options for free video editing software that are perfect for quick edits and enhancing audio in your videos.