**SOLVED** Recording video and audio with iOS / phone or ipad? Covers vids.

fretmeister

I know that a lot of people doing covers / play-a-long vids use their smartphone for the video while recording the audio into a DAW and then editing /  matching it all up with Da Vinci Resolve, or CapCut or even just Windows Movie maker etc, but...

If I don't want that hassle is there an sensible way of doing it all in an iOS device?

So video using the onboard camera, audio in from my bass (interface needed of course), and backing track selected from iTunes so no post work is necessary at all?

When the fancy takes me, just plug in the interface and go?

ta

Lestratcaster

Pretty sure most interfaces are usb-c compliant so would be able to connect to all modern smartphones.

Been thinking of doing this myself actually as my Samsung's camera is actually quite good with the right lighting (I normally film a few angles though) and record the audio first so its all neat and tidy, and like to double track guitar parts etc.

fretmeister

Yeah - but what video recording app will allow a backing track to be played at the same time as the recording?

Lestratcaster

I don't know I haven't tried using it but I did used to record live takes straight into my laptop webcam via a mixer playing the track off my phone. Its a lot of connections but it worked well.

Unless you have an amp with a line in that can take a signal from somewhere to play a track.

Bezzer

I am probably being dumb but ... wouldn't the only way really be to play it all live into the DAW and take the headphone or line-out to the iphone interface. Then the video software would just use that as the mic/line in, no?

I don't think doing it all in the phone would be possible.

fretmeister

Bezzer said:

I am probably being dumb but ... wouldn't the only way really be to play it all live into the DAW and take the headphone or line-out to the iphone interface. Then the video software would just use that as the mic/line in, no?

I don't think doing it all in the phone would be possible.

I think you are probably right.

It's annoying because there's software that nearly does it all.

Like Amplitube can deal with my guitar sound, and import a track from iTunes so I can play along to it. I want that to have video recording at the same time.

Maybe smartphones would struggle processing raw audio and dealing with video at the same time.

cruxiform

I've asked this very question on a few forums and FB groups and the answer is always no. The answer tends to be to record video on iphone (using the pick sound hitting the string to set an 'align' point for the music track), record the sound into a DAW and then align using a video editor.

I've done it once and yes, it turned out great on a Yngwie cover I played but was an ball ache. Haven't done it since 

I've had decent results from playing my guitar through my Spark amp with the backing track matched and then having the phone near to the speaker. It works but not as cool sounding as the above method. 

LionAquaLooper

I started a thread about this same thing a 2-3 months ago as well.  In the end I was able to do it albeit with a nifty little gadget called a Cube Baby.  It's a Chinese made mini multifx pedal that has bluetooth and USB.  Costs about £30 but it's magic.  

It has built in FX which are decent, but you don't need to use them.  I just use it as a compact bluetooth audio interface

So my set up is:

                                             Headphone monitor
                                                    I
                                                    I
Guitar -> pedalboard ->  CUBE BABY -> USB cable to Phone (built in camera records video and audio)
                                                    I
                                                    I 
                                  Bluetooth from iPad playing backing track

So basically iPad (or whatever 2ndary device you choose) plays backing track, bluetooth into the Cube Baby.  Cube Baby mixes guitar signal and backing track.  Combined signal goes to my phone via USB where camera records video and takes audio from Cube Baby.  

Cube Baby also has a headphone jack which is where I listen to backing track + guitar signal while I play.

Only glitch is Cube Baby only has micro USB but phones/tablets are USB-C (or lightning even).  So I had to buy an adapter because I don't think there's such a thing as a micro-USB to USB C cable.

Stratavarious

The post work would be adjusting levels and EQ…. So you lose that.. so you need the mix right going in.

Any digital mixer with usb main mix out and more than one input will let you input the full stereo mix to the iPhone and the camera app will use that rather than the internal mic.

So bass into one channel (an active DI box will keep it nice and clear) and your backing track into another and vox etc into another.  

A mixer will let you mix the levels, add a little reverb to make it sound sweet if singing and send the stereo to the iPhone to use as audio.   Do you have a second device to use as a source for backing tracks? 

Edit… I do wonder if Audiobus routing app might help to direct audio from interface and iTunes to camera… need to study manual.  I think it can access the camera.

Danny1969

You cam record high quality audio with an iPhone at the same time as taking a video but you need a camera adapter £20 and a little powered USB hub. 

• Connect the Apple camera adapter to the phones  port ... USB that to the little powered USB hub ... connect any USB compliant interface to the hub and start iPhone video and hit record ... it will take the audio then from the interface

I've done loads of videos like this and during covid we streamed a whole live gig using this setup ... basically feeding the phone with decent audio direct form the mixing desk 

fretmeister

LionAquaLooper said:

I started a thread about this same thing a 2-3 months ago as well.  In the end I was able to do it albeit with a nifty little gadget called a Cube Baby.  It's a Chinese made mini multifx pedal that has bluetooth and USB.  Costs about £30 but it's magic.  

It has built in FX which are decent, but you don't need to use them.  I just use it as a compact bluetooth audio interface

So my set up is:

                                             Headphone monitor
                                                    I
                                                    I
Guitar -> pedalboard ->  CUBE BABY -> USB cable to Phone (built in camera records video and audio)
                                                    I
                                                    I 
                                  Bluetooth from iPad playing backing track

So basically iPad (or whatever 2ndary device you choose) plays backing track, bluetooth into the Cube Baby.  Cube Baby mixes guitar signal and backing track.  Combined signal goes to my phone via USB where camera records video and takes audio from Cube Baby.  

Cube Baby also has a headphone jack which is where I listen to backing track + guitar signal while I play.

Only glitch is Cube Baby only has micro USB but phones/tablets are USB-C (or lightning even).  So I had to buy an adapter because I don't think there's such a thing as a micro-USB to USB C cable.

Do you have a link for the Cube Baby? When I search I get a few different things show up.

ta

fretmeister

Actually, I might be being a bit thick here.

I've got an Audient ID4MK2 USBC powered interface gathering dust. It is iOS compatible. It has 2 inputs. I also have an iPad Pro with USB-C.

So I think I could wire up my good old ipod touch via a cable to 1 input on the ID4 for backing tracks, and then my pedal board to the other input for bass sounds... as long as the usual video / camera bit in the ipad recognises the interface as a pseudo microphone for that app.

My pedal board has a very nice Mark Bass Vintage Preamp as last in the chain. It has a massive dynamic range so I'll compress the signal to death before it gets to the preamp... then that into the ID4.

I'll try that after work, as long as I can find a mini jack to jack cable and a 1/4 adapter. I must have bought dozens over the years but they disappear like plectrums!

LionAquaLooper

fretmeister said:

LionAquaLooper said:

I started a thread about this same thing a 2-3 months ago as well.  In the end I was able to do it albeit with a nifty little gadget called a Cube Baby.  It's a Chinese made mini multifx pedal that has bluetooth and USB.  Costs about £30 but it's magic.  

It has built in FX which are decent, but you don't need to use them.  I just use it as a compact bluetooth audio interface

So my set up is:

                                             Headphone monitor
                                                    I
                                                    I
Guitar -> pedalboard ->  CUBE BABY -> USB cable to Phone (built in camera records video and audio)
                                                    I
                                                    I 
                                  Bluetooth from iPad playing backing track

So basically iPad (or whatever 2ndary device you choose) plays backing track, bluetooth into the Cube Baby.  Cube Baby mixes guitar signal and backing track.  Combined signal goes to my phone via USB where camera records video and takes audio from Cube Baby.  

Cube Baby also has a headphone jack which is where I listen to backing track + guitar signal while I play.

Only glitch is Cube Baby only has micro USB but phones/tablets are USB-C (or lightning even).  So I had to buy an adapter because I don't think there's such a thing as a micro-USB to USB C cable.

Do you have a link for the Cube Baby? When I search I get a few different things show up.

ta

They're all the same, just branded differently.  Some are M-Wave, some are Cuvave etc - but they're all made in the same factory.  There's a bass, acoustic and an electric guitar version.  So take your pick.  

There's one on Amazon for £40.  If you search for Cuvave Cube Baby, you'll see a black one with Cuvave written on it.  I tried to post the link here but it's too bloody long.

By the way - you can do the same with a Nux Mighty Plug Pro, Boss Katana Go or Fender Mustang Micro Plus.  They're more expensive, but they plug straight to your guitar.  You plug a USB from these to your phone, and plug headphones into them as well.  Bluetooth your backing track into these plugs and the combined bluetooth audio + guitar signal will go to your phone and headphones. 

They've all got USB C as well, which is better than the micro USB on the Cube Baby.  This makes the audio transfer more seamless and stable, and onboard phone cameras definitely prefer audio from USB-C much better.  Only bad thing about the Cube Baby is the manual is in Chinese, and is a ball ache to upgrade firmware (which is mandatory).   

  I went with the Cube Baby because it's cheaper, AND it's a cute little multi switch fx unit that if you wanted to you can actually use in band rehearsals or even gigs.  And don't need a phone app to operate it.

fretmeister

That sounds like a plan then!

fretmeister

I have solved the problem. 

Bit of a ballache but it works.

bass into tuner, compressors, and the Mark Bass Vintage Preamp.

iPod with backing tracks into the Auxiliary Input on the MB. Now, as the regular outputs on the MB do not connect to the Aux input (presumably because it would sound like arse into a bass amp) I connected the headphones output to the Audient Interface with a Stereo splitter cable. TRS at one end and a pair of TS at the other. Thus into both channels so no single sided hard panning nonsense that iOS would do to it otherwise.

Audient ID4MKii into the iPad.

IPod backing track up nice and loud, balance the bass audio to match.

Job done, if a bit fiddly.

Prepare to be spammed with simple bass covers!