Syncing voice memos from a recorder with photos?

[david_r._edan]

<p>More and more I find myself out in the field... and I do mean some hardcore wilderness. Right now it looks like I'm going to be at it for many years to come. So, mostly I've been busy with all the trekking and camping side of it but a few issues with the photo gear have to be addressed too.<br /> <br />Often what happens is that I need to annotate the photos in some way and jotting down that info on a piece of paper isn't that practical or even doable. Apparently someone has thought of this a long time ago. Nikon D4 owners know what I'm talking about. Well, all I have is my lousy D800 (not really, no..).. How hard was it to implement the voice memos feature anyway?<br /> The good news is that keeping the audio annotations next to the photos in Lightroom is super-easy. As long as the audio file has the same name as the photo (minus the extension, of course), it's always just a mouse click away. Just to make it clear: the voice memo is kept as a sidecar. And theoretically this "voice memo" can come from just about any source.<br /> I figure that what I need is a utility that can automatically rename the audio files based on the NEF and (preferably) TIFF filenames, taking the timestamps into account.<br /> And by the way, if this thing works out, I'm planning on getting a dedicated voice recorder, which means I'll be able to get something that fits the bill just right.<br /> I realize that the syncing part can be done manually but then I picture myself getting back from a trip with thousands of photos and hundreds of audio files and just go: "naaahhh......". Who needs that kind of cluster**** on their hands?<br /> There has got to be something that can remedy the absence of this very basic feature in our very capable, yet apparently, somewhat lacking cameras.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>I would use Premiere Pro to synchronize slides (image) with a sound track. The sound track could be continuous or segmented, laid out on a single track. You could even put in a parallel track for music or sound effects. Images can easily be slid into alignment with the sound, stretched to fit, and joined with a great variety of transitions. You can even zoom or add motion in a Ken Burns fashion.</p>

<p>Premiere Pro is expensive and has a long learning curve. I'm sure there are similar programs, even freeware, with similar functionality. I mention it because I use it every day, sometimes all day, and understand its functions. It's easy to animate titles and other things with PPro and its adjunct software, like AfterEffects.</p>

<p>In the end, you compile the results into a DVD for play, or MP4 for display on a computer or the internert. I prefer MP4s because they can be HD (720p or 1090p) or even UHD (4K), whereas DVDs are strictly 720x480. Compiled videos lock down the content and timing, unlike programs like iPhoto or PowerPoint.</p>

[david_r._edan]

<p>My mistake. I wasn't clear enough. I'm not looking to create any sort of slideshows, presentations or Google Earth tours. The audio annotations would be for my personal use only. No one else is supposed to listen to them. EVER.<br /> Since we're talking thousands of photos + hundreds of voice memos per trip/hike, the audio annotations have to be easily linked to the photos and then be readily available for playback from inside Lightroom.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>For voice memos in the field, you need to use a camera with this feature built-in. It is standard with D2 and newer single-digit cameras, and many other manufacturers incorporate this feature as well. Many cameras also have a video option with sound, which could be used to record a message up to 30 minutes in length together with a visual record and time stamp. At this stage, you probably wouldn't need a detailed message for each frame, just the location.</p>

<p>Alternately, some voice recorders used by journalists and for movie locations record a time stamp on each clip. I know there are iOS applications which correlate the time stamp on Nikon photos with GPS location from the phone. Why not sound clips too?</p>

<p>A quick search of Adobe in particular and the web in general didn't produce a likely candidate. However, you can import photos into PDF using Acrobat DC, and add voice memos which can be played in that application. You would write your own application, or hire it done.</p>

<p>For my part, I can type almost as fast as I can compose my thoughts for a voice memo, and Lightroom has a box for comments which is attached to the image. Combined with notes written in the field, you could compile a permanent record of your peregrinations in relative silence.</p>

[david_r._edan]

<p>Thank you, Edward. Prior to posting my inquiry here, I did run a pretty extensive search on Google myself and it felt like I hit a brick wall. Before that, I imagined that syncing voice memos with photos was common practice.<br /> The whole point of this is, I guess, convenience but then there are times when I simply can't take any written notes. And even if I do manage to scribble something down, how exactly am I supposed to match that piece of paper to the actual photo? Look up the filename in the camera which will be changed on import to LR anyway? Start recording the time and date for each note and see if that helps? One can realize how the simple task of annotating a few hundred photos can quickly turn into a complete cluster****.<br /> BTW, I'm not ranting. Just trying to get my point across.<br /> And I do thank you, Edward, for understanding. The voice memos are intended to serve their purpose and be discarded. The information is meant to be eventually written down (typed in) elsewhere and I myself do type almost as fast as I think (in 3 languages I might add).<br /> Everyone else, do take note that any advice that has anything to do with iPhones and the like would not work in my case. Even if I did own a smartphone (which I don't), it would be of no use to me in the <strong>wilderness</strong> where there's zero network coverage (and no AC outlets to charge it). All the electronics I bring with me run on AA batteries, including my camera. This makes a small voice recorder the perfect candidate for what I need accomplished. One that can timestamp the recordings, anyway.<br /> Having all the photos in Lightroom along with the corresponding voice memos is my goal. A big part of it is getting there painlessly. As I see it, all it takes is a cheap voice recorder and a smart file renaming utility and I know for a fact that there's at least a ton of those for every platform and every decade of that platform's existence. I'll probably have to post an inquiry in a computer forum. Anyway, I'll keep looking.<br /> Back in my coding days I would have been able to knock this baby out in less than a week. Well, this is not the 90's anymore. Who knows? Maybe I will have to actually pay someone to code this thing for me.<br /> Can't wait to get the real specs on the Nikon D5. Because having the voice memos simply built into the camera would have been so much easier.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>Most of us take photos in clusters, so a single annotation may get the job done for a dozen or more images. You might consider using the video recording feature in the D800 to record a short clip while speaking. That would be extraordinarily easy with my Sony A7. The dedicated video record button can be programmed to be active in any mode. Lightroom will import these clips, which you can play with a mouse click. They have their own naming system, but they bear a time stamp from the camera which is easy to correlate with ordinary images.</p>

<p>I have several portable audio recorders with time code. Unfortunately they're not all that portable compared to the little ENG recorders reporters use. Besides, Lightroom won't import sound files, but will import and play MP4 video files which have an embedded sound track.</p>

[Uhooru]

<p>David, if you don't mind, if you come with a solution could you post it back here? There's been a few times when doing forensic photos for work this would come in very handy. Now when I have to annotate shots and things are going fast, I take a series of photos of a particular thing, than a photo or two of the ground before moving on to the next subject, with a few written notes. It gets a little cumbersome if moving fast. I have worked with CII people in the past doing other stuff, but come to think of it, it might not be a bad idea to contact your local PD CII photographer and ask if they use something like that for documenting scene photos with field notes.</p>

[david_r._edan]

<p>Edward: I know I don't have to tell you that producing a 'keeper' involves a lot more than just clicking the shutter. What you're describing is fairly cumbersome. I don't shoot video of any kind, so adding this kind of step to my already extremely complicated workflow would be an 'overkeel'... Yeah, it would make me 'keel over'.<br /> As luck would have it, getting what I need is actually pretty easy. I just want to make it A LOT easier. But if you have Lightroom, try this. You'll understand exactly what I'm talking about. <br /> Find a WAV file (just about any type will do).<br /> Make a copy. Put that copy in the same folder where you store a few of your Lightroom photos.<br /> Give that WAV file a new name. It should bear the exact name of one of the photos with only the extension being different (WAV).<br /> Run LR and select the photo that you borrowed the filename from.<br /> Now, in the metadata panel, if LR is set to display all the sidecar files, you should see that that photo indeed has a 'WAV' sidecar (and possibly an XMP too). There should be a little arrow right next to it. Clicking that arrow will play the audio file. It's that simple. No import or anything. *Don't forget to delete the WAV file when you're done.<br /> With my system, the key is figuring out how to batch rename the WAV files on a mass scale.</p>

<p>And Barry: I believe that I've described a pretty solid solution for your needs. If all you have is a couple dozen voice memos per day, simply renaming and then moving a few files to a different folder should be relatively painless. Get a voice recorder with an accurate clock and make sure to sync it with your camera's. I wouldn't worry about it, but it's probably a good idea to check that the audio format(s) is compatible with LR, prior to the purchase. There's a dedicated Lightroom forum for this kind of inquiries.<br /> Just a heads-up: If you rename the photos (even in LR), you lose the link to the voice memos, until at least you rename them again.</p>