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Hi all,

We've all seen 'em: those Youtube videos of music scores with synced audio. My question is, one Mac, how best to make them. The image part is easy: slicing each page of the PDF score up into multiple parts. The problem is how to sync those images to the audio track and export as a movie. Last summer I asked around, Googled, even emailed some of the people who had created them (those that replied all seemed to be on Windows), and stumbled around finally using the podcast part of GarageBand. I did make a few videos in a clunky fashion (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3UbVWhCvCY). But with 10.9 I was told that the new GargeBand has done away with some of these features and no longer works. It wasn't so much fun doing it that way regardless.

So, there must be a relatively simple way of "authoring" these, no? I'm sure I'm missing something obvious as people are creating some really long involved videos of pieces. Any thoughts of software and methodology? I seem to remember trying iMovie and having issues with being able to sync up the image to the exact moment in the audio.

Thanks!

Joel

Hi Joel, that's a great piece you posted there!
I'd like to know also a good solution to do the score videos. So far I've just used iMovie, and managed with that although syncing up the changes didn't seem so efficient or accurate.
I'm enjoying listening to your Viola Concerto right now.

Thank you for the kind words Nigel! I see you're a violist. No wonder you're listening to the concerto. FYI: I did make a viola version of Uncle Hokum since violinists shouldn't always have all the fun. There's also a cool and intense "fractured scherzo" solo viola piece "When the World Disintegrates Before Your Eyes" up there to. it's VERY different from the violin piece!

I'll keep searching for a solution for the videos. I seem to remember trying iMovie last year and I think I got frustrated with trying to sync the jpg to the exact spot in the audio since it was so small and you couldn't slow it down etc.

This seems SO simple... and yet...

Best,

Joel

I have seen some amazing videos being made with ScreenFlow. It's a little pricey but you can do all kinds of effects to really make a score come alive. You would basically record a still frame of your score and then manipulate that still frame in any way you like over a specific timeline. Adding an audio track to the video is a snap.