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On Jul 19, 10:10*pm, Ben <n...@way.com> wrote:
> My wife has taken her digital camera to several concerts, and the audio
> is always very distorted. *She takes 720p video. *Are some camera's
> simply better than others recording at a loud concert? *Or could it
> have to do with the fact that she alwas gets seats close to the stage?
>
> Would placing tape or something over the microphone help?
>
> -Thanks

Assuming it's legal to record it, use a good quality external
microphone like a Rode and you might try a wind sock of foam cover..

"RichA" <> wrote in message news:
f8fa4f1c-2341-4ed7-a28f-a7d889e560a8...oglegroups.com:
> On Jul 19, 10:10*pm, Ben <n...@way.com> wrote:
[From a video NG -- "Frank" <>
wrote in message news:: ]

> > My wife has taken her digital camera to several concerts, and the audio
> > is always very distorted. *She takes 720p video. *Are some camera's
> > simply better than others recording at a loud concert? *Or could it
> > have to do with the fact that she alwas gets seats close to the stage?
> >
> > Would placing tape or something over the microphone help?
> >
> > -Thanks

> Assuming it's legal to record it, use a good quality external
> microphone like a Rode and you might try a wind sock of foam cover..

>- .....and if she really wants good sound, she'll likely need
>- to patch into the mixing desk, with proper permission from the
>- engineer, of course, and perhaps use a pro grade dedicated recorder
>- rather than the ordinary consumer camera or camcorder that she's
>- probably using now.

The "720p" description for the camera likely implies the
use of a compact still camera that also takes video (which
would unlikely be of very high image quality), so it is my
guess that she would be very unlikely to want to buy a high
quality audio-only recorder and to go to the trouble of
synching the audio and video later during editing - and it
is also very unlikely that she would get permission to get a
board feed. Also, a board feed may be worthless, as I found
out the hard way once, when I lost a mike's audio from the
feed every time the person mixing the sound checked that mike.
UGH! 8^)

>- Or maybe try something like a Sony PCM-D50 or, at a higher price
>- point, the Sony PCM-D1.
>- --
>- Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY

These are amazing compact devices that sure would have made
life easier back in the days when I lugged tall stands, the
mikes, a preamp plus the power supply, a noise-reduction unit,
a heavy open reel tape deck, tape, and large amounts of cable
to a concert recording session. Bleah...
--DR

[More, for this NG...]
Making good recordings in high sound pressure environments
such as pop concerts near the sound sources requires several
things: a microphone that will not overload at such unusual
levels, a preamp that will not overload at such levels, an
unusually good AGC (automatic gain control) circuit (VERY
unlikely present), an available manual setting for audio
levels, and recording media type, software, codecs, etc.
that can handle material they were not designed to normally
handle. Simply putting material over a mike will just muffle
the sound (cut off HF material and make the result sound
dull), but will not cure the problem. The best cheap solution
if she wants to use a compact still camera for this is to try
one with manual audio level and stereo sound, and hope that
nothing else in the chain fails to withstand these levels.
Um, speaking of which, she should understand that the levels
she is likely experiencing ARE DANGEROUS TO HER HEARING!!!
Much of this will likely result in some HF losses and annoying
tinnitus at first, then some irritating hearing of some sounds
with the ears a-harmonically "filling in" for lost frequencies,
then deafness in some frequency areas, then...
--DR