From Stage to Studio: How to Edit Live Music Performances Like a Pro

Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of recording and editing a live music performance? Here is a peek into the process behind creating a video of a live music performance that looks and sounds great!

Recording Audio from Live Music Performances:

There are two main ways Sean and I have recorded live music performances:

Live Event Style

The first is how we normally record live events. This is the most simple setup. For this we just bring 2 Zoom H4Ns and place them on opposite sides of the room from the performance to capture a stereo image.

Studio Style

When we record tiny sessions in our studio, we record each instrument individually to have greater flexibility in post. This method takes much longer and is too intricate to do when we go to a show.

Recording and Editing Multicam Footage of Live Performances:

To record I use a Canon EOS RP, Canon 6d Mk2 and a canon t5i. Sometimes I use a GoPro for another angle. The important thing is to match all of the frame rates, shutter speeds and color temperatures. This ensure the cameras match each other.

When editing, I first try the built in multicam sync function in premiere or davinci to sync all of the cameras and audio. If that doesn’t do a good job, I’ll throw all of the footage into pluraleyes. This software is made specifically for syncing lots of clips and it does a great job in tricky situations.

I prefer Davinci Resolve to edit my videos because it has the best color editing tools. It’s also fast, efficient and the UI looks nice.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading about the BTS process of making a multicam recording of live music performances.