Mic setup/software for adding audio to slideshow

Redfax

I have a big brazilian trip coming out and I thought it would be nice to record some ambient audio to add to slideshows. Forest sounds, street music, that sort of thing.

I once bought a video camera, but found out I didn't have the mettle to put in the time and effort for planning and editing videos, so its critical that this be a simple thing to implement from start to finish.

I have basically no audio experience, but I am "literate" at the "freq response/cardioid pattern/Stereo Imaging" level, and would be willing to read a few hundred pages on topic.

I don't do this for profit, so it should have decent quality, but be inexpensive and simple.

What i've been looking at is the Zoom H1, which has stereo microphones and sounded quite reasonable in youtube videos and the like, as well as uncompressed wav files found on the net.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Package-Accessories-Cable-Bundle/dp/B0040ZK6GY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1305296578&sr=1-2

Something in that price range, or if possible even cheaper. I want it to sound amazing relative to your run of the mill cellphone recorded youtube video, but i'm not out to impress the Hi-Fi crowd!

I am interested in having some sort of decent stereo, since that always sounds cool in headphones. I could in principle be tempted by some sort of binaural rig, but i'm not sure if decent quality exists in the price range.

I have a Nikon D90, but as i said i'm not particularly interested in video, so I don't really care if it connects to the camera or whatever.

As for software, I simply have no clue what's out there.

Thanks a lot in advance for any input!

ziggy53

I moved this to our Action forum which is where both video and audio production probably belongs.

Carry on.

Redfax

Thanks, Iwas on the fence re: the appropriate forum.

hgernhardtjr

Cheaper than the Zoom H1 and with similar quality sound?? ... IMHO, not too many options. I use the Zoom H4n, which is out of your price range.

The H1 does a very nice job, also ... but I would personally not recommend anything "lesser" for what you are wishing to do. The H1 is available "barebones" for US$ 96.88 directly from Amazon, but I would suggest a windmuff of some kind if you plan to use it outdoors. Such as the "Furryhead" which does an excellent job of killing wind noise. ( http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H1-Furryhead-Windscreen-Black/dp/B0042GUXQ4/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1305313834&sr=1-5 ) ... you want the "furry" type of muff for outside work ... the foam type is not too great for that purpose.

Personally, the minimum I would get is the H1+Accessory Pack. The AC adapter and foam windscreen, as well as the mic stand adapter are useful. Your link included two accessory cables which I am not sure you would have a use for. I would also get the above mentioned "Furryhead" or similar windmuff to kill the noise of slight to heavy breezes. That brings you to a relatively low price of between $132 to $144 depending on the package you choose. (Get the H1 barebones plus the APH-1 Accessory Pack plus the Furryhead for 132.40)

Hope this helps.

Redfax

Yeah it's starting too look like the H1 is the most sensible option.
Incidentally, if I were to spend a similar amount of money on just a microphone/microphone pair and then plug it into the D90, do video and chuck the footage?
It does sound a little convoluted, but would the higher quality mike compensate for the compression etc?

DavidTO

I would get the Zoom rather than use your camera. Depending on where you are you could even leave the Zoom recording, then walk off and shoot some pictures while it's going, as long as you're out of range. Come back, grab the Zoom and move on.

In any case, I would think that the hassle of recording it with video, dealing with the cards and downloading, etc would be a hassle that would far outweigh any advantage you'd gain in the microphone.

SamirD

Redfax wrote: »

Incidentally, if I were to spend a similar amount of money on just a microphone/microphone pair and then plug it into the D90, do video and chuck the footage?

Recording audio isn't these cameras' forte, so I'd simply stick to just audio, especially if that's all you need. Dumuxing a audio/video stream to just get the audio just makes the process more complicated.

Redfax

Yeah that idea doesn't look so good upon reflection.
Software-wise? What looks good and is reasonable to use?

DavidTO

Redfax wrote: »

Yeah that idea doesn't look so good upon reflection.
Software-wise? What looks good and is reasonable to use?

Your question is too vague. Can you be more specific about what you want to do and what operating system you're on, what software you already have, etc.?