Question about Elgato Game Capture HD & Blue Snowball Mic

[ChintzyTurtle]

So I was just curious how I can record in game voice and my voice as well using the elgato and blue snowball. Any response would be appreciated as I have been trying to find this out for awhile now! I am not sure if I posted this in the right area so move if necessary! Oh and I play on PS3 if that makes a difference.

 

[Ms16bit]

Don't worry, it's in the right section
I don't use Elegato, but I'll assume it works similarly to the capture card I use. There should be a feature that allows to you record commentary as it records the gameplay, but if not you could record it with an audio recording software and then when editing just layer the audio file over the video file. Looking online at a tech support guide, it says that as long as you have a mic or some sort of audio input you should be able to record live commentary;
"When Live Commentary is on, anything you say will automatically be inserted into the gameplay that is being captured.
If you make a recording, that Live Commentary will permanently be in your gameplay, mixed in with the other audio.
To use Live Commentary, connect a separate microphone to your computer, and orient it so it can pick up your voice, while you are playing a game. Then, your voice will be recorded along with other game sounds, including the voices of other players."

 

[A+Start]

We use the Elgato HD for any PS3, WII, Dreamcast, Sega Saturn or basically any console. It comes with software and you can use a mic to record your commentary. You can adjust game volume and mic volume in the software and also as you live record. But make sure all your settings are good as audio and commentary are one file together.

We actually record using a Rode Podcaster as its one of the best mics out there for this kind of thing. And we record our commentary straight into logic pro to EQ it and get it all sounding really professional. Head to our channel to see what I mean.

 

[Parallax Abstraction]

Yep, the Elgato software (which is pretty awful but does the job) will record the mic independently. You can even have it automatically scale your game play audio up and down depending on when you're speaking, though I don't use it as I find having a lower but constant background volume is preferable to my viewers. The two limitations are that (as someone else said), it puts the commentary and game audio onto the same track so it's impossible to re-mix the levels independently and also, it will only record from one device at a time. So if like in my case, you occasionally do videos with two people, you either need to record the commentary in another application or use software like the hideous Virtual Audio Cable to blend multiple inputs into one virtual input. We did this for a while and I absolutely hated it. I have had problems with the Elgato software putting the occasional or click into the audio from my USB mixer but I'm still not 100% sure if that's the software or the USB 3.0 controller on my ultrabook.

 

[A+Start]

Yep, the Elgato software (which is pretty awful but does the job) will record the mic independently. You can even have it automatically scale your game play audio up and down depending on when you're speaking, though I don't use it as I find having a lower but constant background volume is preferable to my viewers. The two limitations are that (as someone else said), it puts the commentary and game audio onto the same track so it's impossible to re-mix the levels independently and also, it will only record from one device at a time. So if like in my case, you occasionally do videos with two people, you either need to record the commentary in another application or use software like the hideous Virtual Audio Cable to blend multiple inputs into one virtual input. We did this for a while and I absolutely hated it. I have had problems with the Elgato software putting the occasional or click into the audio from my USB mixer but I'm still not 100% sure if that's the software or the USB 3.0 controller on my ultrabook.

So far, I've not had any trouble with the Elgato HD, so i've got to recommend it as a solid product to buy for any LPer. that being said, make sure you test your setting for whatever game it is you're doing. PS3 will have different settings than say, the dreamcast. Write them down to remember them, as many a time i think im using the correct settings only to have game footage stretched and then losing quality when its scaled correctly in Premiere Pro. Just a helpful tip!

 

[Parallax Abstraction]

The Elgato hardware is fantastic but their software (at least on Windows) is definitely buggy and lacking some features that it would be nice to see. Dxtory costs a lot less than an Elgato box and it can split commentary into a separate track. But this unit isn't that old and I'm hopeful that they'll add more features to the software going forward.

 

[A+Start]

The Elgato hardware is fantastic but their software (at least on Windows) is definitely buggy and lacking some features that it would be nice to see. Dxtory costs a lot less than an Elgato box and it can split commentary into a separate track. But this unit isn't that old and I'm hopeful that they'll add more features to the software going forward.

Im running the Mac ver., wonder if thats the difference? Either way, its shortcomings are few

 

[Parallax Abstraction]

It very well could be. When you look at Elgato's web site and packaging, everything photo shows their products connected to Macs and iPads. I mean it makes sense, their first business was making TV tuner devices for Mac. But I have found that companies that tend to focus on Mac first usually don't put as much effort into their PC stuff. I don't care if they support Macs first but if the PC software isn't going to get the same amount of effort and care, PC users shouldn't be paying the same $150 price tag. I may see if I can compensate for the device's audio lag and try to do my recording through XSplit or Open Broadcaster instead and see how it improves. Their software's getting better, it just needs a bit more work.

 

[FireshockHD]

The Elgato hardware is fantastic but their software (at least on Windows) is definitely buggy and lacking some features that it would be nice to see. Dxtory costs a lot less than an Elgato box and it can split commentary into a separate track. But this unit isn't that old and I'm hopeful that they'll add more features to the software going forward.

I agree i find the software laggy so i edit it on a diffrent software program

 

[Parallax Abstraction]

I agree i find the software laggy so i edit it on a diffrent software program

Oh yeah, I've never so much as clicked the edit button in the Elgato software. Everything I record in that I edit in Sony Movie Studio Platinum.