Audio problems

[London]

Hi, I'm trying to use VidBlaster with FME and uStream and struggling. I'm using the trial software, to see how it works, with the Pro version. I have a Sony Z1 camcorder connected via firewire, plus for second cam, my Sony laptop's webcam.

1) It does't recognises the Sony Z1 sound. I need it to take the feed from the camera, it just doesn't. I right click, select the camera, and nothing comes out.
2) Sometimes when you hit stream, nothing happens.
3) When i launch FME, I can set the video feed to come from VidBlaster, but when I select VidBlaster on the pull down menu for FME the programme just crashes and closes inexplicably.

oh, and :

4) when I launch uStream, I can get the option to stream video from VidBlaster, but it won't let give me a pull down option for streaming audio friom vidblaster.

[Mike]

May I suggest first downloading v0.47 and reading the help file regarding streaming. That should answer most if not all of your questions.

[London]

Okay, so it took 3 or 4 rebooted of the new version to get it to recognise the camera.

But from the help text it says "but can't use (virtual) audio devices like the microphone in a webcam or camcorder"

So essentially, you can't take the audio feed from the camcorder via firewire straight into VidBlaster? You have to take it through a sound card?

And testing this new version again with FME, the pull down for audio doesn't have a VidBlaster option to choose. It does on the video side.

[Mike]

Correct, as is explained in the chapter about the Streamer module. Proper way to setup the audio is explained in the chapter about the Audio module.

[agilpwc]

So when you will you have the audio working properly like it does in other video mixing programs like Wirecast or CutFour2 so we don't have to do these workarounds as explained in the help file?

[Mike]

This has been asked and answered on this forum before. VidBlaster is intended for the more professional user who will not be using one camera with built-in microphone. You'll have more and standalone microphones and want to have hardware faders to mix speech and audio from players. Consequently enabling this in software does not have a high priority.

[London]

But ironically, if you've got multiple microphones and a mixing desk etc, plus someone to operate all that, you've also got the money to invest more than £400 on a piece of software to run that kind of kit.

You've developed a great piece of software, really easy to use, i quickly made a test clip mixing between cameras, with name graphics and cutting to pre-recorded footage. I was thoroughly impressed (although it does seem to take a couple of attempts to get it to recognise my camera) at the software's potential.

I recently started offering streaming of conferences to my clients, and with this software (if I can take audio direct from 2 different firewire feeds) would enable me to offer a fantastic service. I think you're missing a huge chunk of your potential market by not focusing on fixing this issue.

[London]

Oh, re: "the more professional user who will not be using one camera with built-in microphone"

Professionalism is not entirely related to the amount of kit you use! ;)

I'm a highly professional producer/director. I would be using two cameras to stream at conferences. I take a feed from the venue's mixing desk via the XLR cable on one of the cameras, so I can record on camera and stream at the same time.

I suppose I could take another feed from the desk and into the computer, but then there might be synching issues between the feed coming from the camera and the feed direct from the desk. Would have to test that.

Easiest thing would be to have one camera pushing audio and video, another just video, and using VidBlaster to switch between the two.

[agilpwc]

Then there is the added problem of if you use audio fed from a mixer direct into the computer soundcard it will not be in synch with any video coming in via firewire due to the approx 1/2 second delay firewire introduces. So the only way to have in synch audio is to take the audio through the camera over the firewire with the video.