Help make this section useful (tips for riffing)

[RoninFox]

The solution is called setting a level.  Whatever program you're using should monitor your audio level (the bar that shows how loud you are, on audacity it should be near the top of the window). You may need to be recording or click an option to monitor levels for it to work.  You should also be able to go through your control panel to get to your microphone properties.  You should find a slider bar in there to set the audio level for the mic.  Its trial and error from there.  Try a setting on the slider bar, then speak in the microphone as loud as you intend to at your loudest.  If the meter gets as close to the top without going over then you've got it set right.

[The Man in Black]

Might as well, ask this here. What programs would you recommend for recording a commentary with someone online? Besides Ventrillo and there mean "we're a company looking for profit" cost?

[stansimpson]

Might as well, ask this here. What programs would you recommend for recording a commentary with someone online? Besides Ventrillo and there mean "we're a company looking for profit" cost?

I say record separately and then combine the tracks into one (very, very simple process).  It would be a million times cleaner that way.  If you really need to hear the other person, I'd recommend just being on the phone with them (but make sure your mic doesn't pick up the phone).  Or try using Skype (or if you have a Mac, iChat) and use headphones so that the mic doesn't pick the other person up.

On a personal note, I wanna put outtakes in our zip file (I guess technically, it'd be replacing) but it looks like I can only select one mp3 per zip.  Am I even doing this right?  How do I add an extra mp3 to peoples' purchases?

[fireyf]

Might as well, ask this here. What programs would you recommend for recording a commentary with someone online? Besides Ventrillo and there mean "we're a company looking for profit" cost?

I say record separately and then combine the tracks into one (very, very simple process).  It would be a million times cleaner that way.  If you really need to hear the other person, I'd recommend just being on the phone with them (but make sure your mic doesn't pick up the phone).  Or try using Skype (or if you have a Mac, iChat) and use headphones so that the mic doesn't pick the other person up.

On a personal note, I wanna put outtakes in our zip file (I guess technically, it'd be replacing) but it looks like I can only select one mp3 per zip.  Am I even doing this right?  How do I add an extra mp3 to peoples' purchases?

You could just make another zip with the out takes and call in "bonus material" or something.  I've never tried adding two mp3's to one zip.

[Father Time]

Anyone have some advice if youtube takes down videos for copyright? Are these previews covered under fair use?

[RoninFox]

Yes they are fair use.  There should be a way to click over and send a message to youtube for this, tell them what the videos are and say they're fiar use, and eventually they should just put the videos back up for you.  Depending on who you're dealing with it might take awhile.

[Father Time]

The only thing I found was some legalese counter notice that involves me having to swear under threat of perjury I am acting in good faith or some sort. Is this what you were talking about?

[mr.b.natural]

This is a topic that has been discussed a lot on the forum including some threads with good advice.  This should be a place to start: http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php/topic,13143.0.html  Try the search feature for more.

[D.B. Barnes]

I have a question about preparing a VOD.

The high-quality shorts from archive.org are in .mpeg format. I re-encoded the .mpeg into an x264 .mp4 video. My question is how do you mux an .mp4 video with an .mp3 audio file into an .avi?

Am I missing something? Should I not be using .mp4?

Thanks.

[fireyf]

I have a question about preparing a VOD.

The high-quality shorts from archive.org are in .mpeg format. I re-encoded the .mpeg into an x264 .mp4 video. My question is how do you mux an .mp4 video with an .mp3 audio file into an .avi?

Am I missing something? Should I not be using .mp4?

Thanks.

What are you using to make your video?  If you're using a video editor like Vegas or Elements or Windows Movie maker (you get the idea) you can import the video and then import the audio file and drop it into one of the lines for music/commentary.  Then make sure your audio levels are good and export.  I would suggest using an uncompressed format for the audio such as a .wav because it will maintain better sound quality when the movie is compressed (found that out the hard way).
If you're using Super you can import the video and the audio file and then go to the Mux option and render the video.  Just make sure your frame rate is set to 29.97fps because I think it defaults to 25fps.  Don't see why you shouldn't be able to use mp4 although your editor should be able to transcode it when you select your format options.  Oddly enough though, even though rifftrax says to use mp4 format they transcode it to avi when they get it anyways so I'm not sure what the deal is with that.

[D.B. Barnes]

I have a question about preparing a VOD.

The high-quality shorts from archive.org are in .mpeg format. I re-encoded the .mpeg into an x264 .mp4 video. My question is how do you mux an .mp4 video with an .mp3 audio file into an .avi?

Am I missing something? Should I not be using .mp4?

Thanks.

What are you using to make your video?  If you're using a video editor like Vegas or Elements or Windows Movie maker (you get the idea) you can import the video and then import the audio file and drop it into one of the lines for music/commentary.  Then make sure your audio levels are good and export.  I would suggest using an uncompressed format for the audio such as a .wav because it will maintain better sound quality when the movie is compressed (found that out the hard way).
If you're using Super you can import the video and the audio file and then go to the Mux option and render the video.  Just make sure your frame rate is set to 29.97fps because I think it defaults to 25fps.  Don't see why you shouldn't be able to use mp4 although your editor should be able to transcode it when you select your format options.  Oddly enough though, even though rifftrax says to use mp4 format they transcode it to avi when they get it anyways so I'm not sure what the deal is with that.

Ohhhh. They transcode it to AVI! That explains it. I don't have to mux an AVI, I can just use the .mp4 container.  Thanks for explaining that!

I don't have a good video editing app. I recorded and did noise reduction in Audacity then imported the WAV into Adobe Soundbooth along with the video. I used Soundbooth to sync up the riffs with the video. I went back into Audacity to duck. For some strange reason, Soundbooth doesn't have auto ducking (unless I'm just not seeing it.)

Anyway, thanks again for the info.

EDIT: I suppose I could have actually read the FAQs! It states right there that they convert it. Sorry, I'm a tool. 

[MattMcClowry]

We have kind of an emergency here...

We're technologically....inept.   One reason it takes us so long to get our riffs up.  Anyway, the first time we recorded with live mics through a mixer, and this time we're trying to record with headset mics (the Microsoft LiveChat Lx-3000) and a USB hub.  We're having a hard time getting the computer to recognize all four of them.  It will recognize one at a time, but that's it.  Oh, and our computer is a Macbook Pro.

We still have a mixer, but, since the headset mics are USB, and, as far as I know there are no USB-to-XLR converters, I don't think we'll be able to go that route. 

Is there something obvious that we're doing wrong here?  We really need help guys, we're down to the wire.

Thanks!

-Pete

[Invisible NanoGhost]

I've never done anything fancy with sound inputs, but maybe the following will help:

http://www.podcastconsultant.net/2007/03/14/using-multiple-usb-audio-devices-in-garageband/

[Hor-RIFF-ic Productions]

We have kind of an emergency here...

We're technologically....inept.   One reason it takes us so long to get our riffs up.  Anyway, the first time we recorded with live mics through a mixer, and this time we're trying to record with headset mics (the Microsoft LiveChat Lx-3000) and a USB hub.  We're having a hard time getting the computer to recognize all four of them.  It will recognize one at a time, but that's it.  Oh, and our computer is a Macbook Pro.

We still have a mixer, but, since the headset mics are USB, and, as far as I know there are no USB-to-XLR converters, I don't think we'll be able to go that route. 

Is there something obvious that we're doing wrong here?  We really need help guys, we're down to the wire.

Thanks!

-Pete

Wish we could help but we use the old headsets with the audio jacks and we use splitters, sounds horribly I know and everyone told us it would be awful quality but so far it's worked pretty well.

[RoninFox]

I have USB headsets myself and the only way I can get them to work with my recording program  (Audition) is to have a separate audio track of movie audio for each one and use the on screen mixing panels to send them specifically to the separate headsets, and though I use a separate shared mic I imagine you could have separate recording tracks linked to different mics the same way, but I don't know how to do that with another program.