Getting the most out of a VCR

[Krakit]

It has been suggested to me that I set up a VCR to record all of my practice time. Hit record when I start practicing and obviously hit stop when I'm done.

My question is whether or not it pays to record one channel on both audio tracks (L/R) and one channel on the video track.

Will the audio and video (used as audio) be balanced?

To be clear, I'm suggesting using a "Y" connector to play my left channel into both audio channels (the red and white RCA inputs) and just a straight through to send my right channel into the video channel (the yellow RCA input).

Thanks,
Carl

PS, this is just for reference purposes. I don't plan on mixing this down or mastering it or anything. Just keeping my practice sessions for later use.

 

[Rokket]

It has been suggested to me that I set up a VCR to record all of my practice time. Hit record when I start practicing and obviously hit stop when I'm done.

My question is whether or not it pays to record one channel on both audio tracks (L/R) and one channel on the video track.

Will the audio and video (used as audio) be balanced?

To be clear, I'm suggesting using a "Y" connector to play my left channel into both audio channels (the red and white RCA inputs) and just a straight through to send my right channel into the video channel (the yellow RCA input).

Thanks,
Carl

PS, this is just for reference purposes. I don't plan on mixing this down or mastering it or anything. Just keeping my practice sessions for later use.

You can't record audio on the video track. Only video. Are you planning to use a video camera to record your practice sessions too? If not, you only have the two soundtrack channels on your vcr.

 

[Krakit]

Why wouldn't you be able to record audio on the video track? If you shred a signal onto an electromagnetic media (regardless of the design) should it not replay those signals back to you? I'm not expecting my TV screen to become a speaker, but if I hook up a speaker to the video output after recording audio into the video input, why wouldn't I hear playback?

Carl

 

[lpdeluxe]

Someone here may know more about this than I do, but it seems like there was such a system back before everyone went to harddrive recording. A VCR records digitally, after all. I don't know what's available at this point in history, but the original Alesis ADATs used video tapes of some sort for the media.

 

[lindseyp]

No, it won't work. The video frequency is higher. Infact, if you plug into your TV after recording and turn the volume down you'll see alot of noise on the screen--plug that screen noise into your audio playback and you'll hear how nasty it sounds. Video circuits turn the inputs in frequencies required to play back the shades of the red, green and blue light spectrum. Some people confuse the input jack on the VCR as being the same whether or not it says video or audio. Not true. It's the circuits behind the jacks that make all of the difference. Also, the stereo tracks on a VCR record at the same time, unlike the professional audio equipment this system was originally based on, so you can't record on the left track first and come back to record on the right track later without losing the left track, it will be blanked out. Hoiwever, this is a great reason to use your VCR at the fast recording speed to evaluate your masters. Videotapes are great for archives; that's what ADAT and TASCAM tapes are, running at a higher speed with an audio-specific formulation.

 

[AGCurry]

Someone here may know more about this than I do, but it seems like there was such a system back before everyone went to harddrive recording. A VCR records digitally, after all. I don't know what's available at this point in history, but the original Alesis ADATs used video tapes of some sort for the media.

1. VCR is an analog device, not digital.

2. Yes, the Alesis ADAT still uses S-VHS tapes, but digitally and at a higher speed than a VCR runs.

3. Record your left channel and right channel to the audio tracks. Forget about the video track.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Thanks for the correction. It seems like, with all the digital gear available new and used, that a VCR would be pretty far down the food chain for recording.

 

[Krakit]

The point of using the VCR for recording is multifaceted.

1. Six hours of non stop recording.

2. The VCR can be set to turn on as soon as I power up my equipment.

3. Cheap media (especially for the amount of time per tape) that can be stored indefinately for future perusial. I don't know how it is for you, but when I get "in the zone" I can't stop and hit record on my desktop unit, I will lose my muse. This way, everything I do is recorded. The tons of crap AND those fleeting moments of, dare I say it? genius will always be available to me after the fact. Maybe what I did wasn't that great after all, a quick review will let me know. I'll never forget "that chord progression I came up with last week" using this safety net.

4. By utilizig this method, I can capture all of my practice time for the foreseeable future. This means that whenever inspiration hits me, the fruits will always be recorded for future reference. When inspiration dosen't hit me, I can relisten to old recordings of noodling et al and perhaps find a diamond in the rough for polishing.

Carl

 

[lpdeluxe]

That sounds pretty good, especially if you already have the VCR.

 

[dr.colossus]

i know a guy who recorded to vcr all the time, sound quality was well above regular audio tapes.

 

[BentRabbit]

2. The VCR can be set to turn on as soon as I power up my equipment.

hahahahahaha
I just love that idea! Set the 'Program Timer' to start when I sit behind the drums so I have one less thing to tinker with...

 

[Rokket]

hahahahahaha
I just love that idea! Set the 'Program Timer' to start when I sit behind the drums so I have one less thing to tinker with...

Now if only other equipment would do that... I think I will write to Fostex and have them put that feature on the MR-8! My wife would kill me if I unplugged her (yes, her) VCR so that I could record on a timer. I'd hear all kinds of flak about buying the damn MR-8 to begin with.... sigh.... wives can be a pain when they have common sense....

 

[EdWonbass]

Now if only other equipment would do that... I think I will write to Fostex and have them put that feature on the MR-8! My wife would kill me if I unplugged her (yes, her) VCR so that I could record on a timer. I'd hear all kinds of flak about buying the damn MR-8 to begin with.... sigh.... wives can be a pain when they have common sense....

My wife has a Tivo/DVD recorder downstairs and regular Tivo and a DVD player upstairs so I guess at this point I can do whatever I want with the VCR.
I think we last used it 3 years ago.

 

[Rokket]

My wife has a Tivo/DVD recorder downstairs and regular Tivo and a DVD player upstairs so I guess at this point I can do whatever I want with the VCR.
I think we last used it 3 years ago.

We have two vcr's too, but the one I could use is mono. Good for jotting down ideas, but I have my MR-8 set up for "turn it on and go" right now, so it's a convenience thing right now. Maybe if I buy her one of those DVD/VCR combo's I can get her to part with it....

 

[Krakit]

I've come to the same conclusion. I've designated the VCR in my office (the newest and best condition machine of the four we own) as my new studio stenographer.

I'm even considering setting up a camera along with it. Hey, why not?

Carl

 

[grn]

this seems like a neat idea... I'm going to try this

 

[Rokket]

I've come to the same conclusion. I've designated the VCR in my office (the newest and best condition machine of the four we own) as my new studio stenographer.

I'm even considering setting up a camera along with it. Hey, why not?

Carl

I thought about doing that too, mostly so that I could critique my technique and figure out why I was having hand cramping problems awhile back. But it's good for jotting down ideas when you don't want to go the full-blown studio route. I like my MR-8, but sometimes it's a pain in the ass to set it all up. Most of the time all my gear gets stowed because I am living in government housing and we don't have shit for room.
I am retiring from the Navy soon, though, and the house we bought has plenty of room. And there is enough room in the back for a separate building for my studio.



And my own VCR!

 

[Rokket]

Hell, you could do your own music videos, who knows?

 

[usernamebob]

makes me wonder, if a video player is analog, and has considerably higher quality than a normal tape, it might be good for us extreme budget studio guys to run tracks through to get abit of that analog sound, well, obviously not for realy major tracks in a song, but prehaps things like backing vocals and backing guitars?

 

[Farview]

makes me wonder, if a video player is analog, and has considerably higher quality than a normal tape, it might be good for us extreme budget studio guys to run tracks through to get abit of that analog sound, well, obviously not for realy major tracks in a song, but prehaps things like backing vocals and backing guitars?

The analog sound that everyone is after is 'good' analog sound. The analog sound circuitry in a $50 VCR (that was designed primarily to play video) will not give you the desired analog sound. The sound on a high fi vcr is encoded into the picture information, so it is affected by the same things that affect picture quality on a helical scan setup. Also you have a very good chance of introducing the 14k scanning frequency whine into your music.
It is fine to get down a rough idea or for rehearsals and stuff like that, but please don't confuse just anything having an analog signal passing through it for something that will give you that majic 'analog sound'