Multi-channel audio/video recording

[adamjb]

Hi. I'm new to the forum and this is my first post!

This may be a question for a different community, but I'm hoping that you guys can help me out.

I am somewhat knowledgeable about audio recording, but new to video. This question deals with both hardware and software, and I am going to post it in the appropriate hardware section as well.

Here's what I want to do. I am helping to build a usability lab. We have 6 cameras recording from different angles, and 6 microphones. The microphones are separate from the cameras. Each camera outputs over a combined BNC connection, at a resolution slightly over 480i (520 vertical lines I think) and has no built-in recording. The microphones all output over XLR, and some require phantom power.

Here's the software question:
Is there a program (Mac or Windows, although preferably Windows) that will allow separate capture of all video and audio signals to a computer? I do not need editing, just capture and review. Ideally, the program would keep all audio and video time-synced, and allow export for editing in Final Cut Pro.

For the hardware, I was planning on getting an 8-channel pci-express capture card and an M-Audio 8-channel USB audio interface. I don't know if this is the best choice, or if there is any software that will work with these two devices for simultaneous multi-channel audio and video capture.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. My budget is around $3000.

Thanks for your help!

[Andrew Okunev]

Probably a bit too late, but still.


You can take a look at Direct Take, the multi-channel video recording software by Medialooks. It will keep the audio and video channels in sync and it can create files that are compatible with Final Cut Pro and other NLE applications. It is also well within your budget. Just make sure that the I/O devices you want to use are supported.


If you are into doing programming yourself, MFormats SDK is worth looking into. It is an easy-to-use multimedia framework focused on frame accuracy, minimised latency, simplicity and performance.