Audio for Video using Avidemux

Capturing the delicate sound of the acoustic guitar can be challenging with the microphone built-in to a lower cost camcorder, and these devices rarely offer an audio input.

One solution is to record the audio with some other system, perhaps a hand held recorder like the Zoom H2, or digital audio workstation. In the past Windows Movie Maker has been a useful free tool for syncing audio and video, but it does not handle the 720p MP4 format of my little Flip Mino HD.

Avidemux is a free video editor that works with the Flip HD video output. This video demonstrates the process of replacing the native audio with an external file, bringing the two streams into synchronization, and trimming the video to final length.

Please visit http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2009/06/10/audio-for-video-using-avidemux/ for more details on this process and links to the Avidemux software. While you've at the blog, please look around at other topics related to recording solo acoustic guitar at home.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• homebrewed
• video
• solo
• acoustic
• guitar
• homebrewedmusic
• fran
• guidry
• kaleponi
• avidemux

[albinowolf2]

Thank you. Your "clap" technique is the answer to many of my syncronization problems. Also, avidemux is what is needed for the RCA Small Wonder camcorder as well. Windows needs to update the moviemaker, as it has not improved for these camcorders, in the past 2 years.

[homebrewedmusic]

The "clap" is such a cliche in movies about movies, but it really is amazingly useful, isn't it. In fact, good "clap techique" really helps make syncing a no-brainer.

I understand that with Win 7 WMM is available in versions that handle the new AVCHD cams.

Fran

[franguidry]

@romainlange Thanks for visiting and commenting. So I went to your page for examples of your expertise as demonstrated in your uploads ... and I found that you have uploaded nothing.

In answer to your question, I'm constantly learning about audio and video, and setting levels is one of the trickier aspects of both. Since that 2 year old video I've learned to calibrate my monitors in an effort to get useful levels, and I'm still learning.

Fran

[romainlange]

If you know how to edit audio, how can you post a video with so low volume? Hardly hearable.

[franguidry]

@take50productions Avidemux has built-in capabilities for many different video formats, so a Windows codec is not needed for these formats. When I created this video I was working with a Flip Mino HD cam, and Avidemux could handle the files from that camera.

Fran

[take50productions]

how do you save the video into a file format that the windows computer can read???

[Snapscape]

@franguidry No, Movie Maker is not for me. I encode HD movies and so I need something that handles various output containers and codecs. I was using Avidemux before but under Windows Vista x32. The development team are apparently aware of this issue and are working on fixing it.

[franguidry]

@Snapscape Sorry to hear Avidemux is acting up. How about Windows Movie Maker? I understood that you could download a version for free that handles newer video formats.

Fran

[Snapscape]

The latest version doesn't even work properly with Windows 7 x64. It runs but the encoding starts off with a frame glitch. Also when I choose "No" for h.264 importing, the encode turns out with slow motion audio and frame stutter.

[albinowolf2]

Microsoft can keep it... I found between avidemux, and "trakax" that they will do all the video editing i need, and don't balk at the file format. Keep on grooving and recording!

WW