Instruction manual

If needed, secondhand clothing stores, yard sales, and flea markets are ideal
places to find an inexpensive and/or unusual wardrobe. If the budget allows, a costume
shop can make a performer look like anyone from King Arthur to King Kong.
6) MASTER AUDIO - The Master audio of the music video will be recorded by the
camcorder during the shoot. Most home camcorders have only one audio channel, so the
sound will be in Mono, not stereo. If the music video is played back on a stereo TV,
sound will be heard in both speakers, but it won’t be stereo sound. The 8mm and Hi-Fi
VHS-C camcorders offer Hi-Fi (High Fidelity) audio quality.
The performers will have to Instrument/Lip Sync to a recording of a song, or
perform live with a PA system, and multi-channel audio mixer. For live audio, an audio
cable and adapters will be used to connect the audio output of the audio mixer to the
audio input on the camcorder.
INSTRUMENT/LIP SYNC (Easiest Option) - You’ll need a song on an audio tape.
During the shoot, the audio tape will be played back through an audio tape player, and
the camcorder will record the song from this tape. An audio cable and adapters will be
used to connect the audio output of the audio tape player to the audio input on the
camcorder.
If you’ll be having fun with friends - who are playing air guitar and other air
instruments (meaning no instruments) - it could be a song by your favorite band. If a
compact disc and CD player are available, they can be used instead of an audio tape and
player. If your music video will be for a recording that’s not commercially available, the
options are:
A) The band can perform live, and record the song using a PA system with a multi-
channel audio mixer, and an audio record machine. The audio record machine could be
one of the following:
Home Stereo Audio Cassette Recorder Stereo VCR Hi-Fi stereo VCR
Or professional gear, like a 2-track stereo reel-to-reel tape recorder, or a DAT digital
audio tape recorder
Note: The sound quality of a Hi-Fi stereo VCR is close to that of a compact disc. Some Hi-Fi
VCRs need a video source (camera, cable TV or antennae) in order to record Hi-Fi audio. The
sound quality of a regular stereo VCR is about the same as a standard audio cassette recorder. As
for stereo VCRs, always record audio with the fastest tape speed (SP). Always use a brand new
videotape for audio recording.
B) The band can record the song in a recording studio, using a multi-track audio tape
recorder. When recording a song, it allows each instrument and vocal to be recorded on
individual tracks, that are independent of each other. Small recording studios use 8 or 16-
track machines. Many musicians have “basement” studios at home, with gear ranging
from 4, 8, or 16-track machines. Some stars have 24 tracks or more!
If desired, each part can be recorded one track at a time. If a mistake is made on
any track - say, during the lead guitar solo, it can be re-recorded as many times as
needed, without affecting the other tracks. It’s possible to have more than one sound on a