New equipment- how to set up??

[asd70]

Hi there,

I'm new here and have a bunch of equipment that I'm not sure how to set it up properly.


I have a yeti pro microphone that has USB and also xlr capabilities, radius shock mount, pop filter, and tripod mic stand.

A casio full keyboard with usb input.

My macbook pro laptop.

A nikon d5100 camera that records hd video, has usb input, and has a mic stereo input.

A camera tripod.

A USB cable.

A short xlr Y cable.


I'm a performer/musician and I'd like to make some quality videos. How can I connect these items together? Is it worth it to record my microphone in xlr or should I stick with usb for everything? Do I need to buy a mixing board? If I use xlr for the mic what sort of cable would I need to buy? What simple but effective software should I use on my laptop? Do I connect my mic to my laptop or to my camera?


Thank you!!

 

[mjbphotos]

I assume the camera has a mini (1/8") stereo mic input, not XLR or 1/4", so you are not going to be able to plug your keyboard and mix directly into it - nor would you want to as you will get lousy sound with no control over it.
If you want to record video AT THE SAME TIME as you record music - both playing keyboard and singing into the microphone, you will need an audio interface with at least 3 simultaneous inputs (1 for mic and 2 for the left and right audio outputs of the keyboard). You could get away with 2 simultaneous inputs and record the keyboard in mono only.
The interface will take the audio analog signals and convert them to digital, which then goes to your computer (via USB most likely), then in a DAW (recording software), you can mix and adjust the sound as needed. Once done mixing, you export the mix to an audio file (WAV or MP3). Then import to the computer the video file from the camera and using video software, load that file in, and then mute its audio track, add the mixed audio track (WAV or MP3) and align them so everything is synched.
Sound like a lot of work? It is! You can also record the music by itself, do the mixing, then lipsynch/play to the audio while videoing. You'll still need to put everything together in video software, of course.

Or, if all this is too overwhelming, forget the mic, use the built-in speakers in thekeyboard and the built-in mic in the camera and just play/sing away.