How to Add a Waveform to a Performance Video Without Covering Your Face or Hands

• Add a waveform that moves with the sound to a video of your singing and playing.
• Keep the waveform outside the area where your face and hands move.
• For a portrait video, try a thin waveform near your feet or at the top edge.

Before you start

Load the video you recorded and the waveform will react to its audio. You do not need to extract the sound first.

Chrome or Edge is recommended. It may also work in a mobile browser. If the app says that it cannot export, move the video to a computer and continue there (supported environments).

If you also need subtitles, cuts or audio fixes, do those in a video editor first.

Watch where your face and hands move

Do not choose a position from the first frame alone. Your face and hands can move much farther during a performance than you expect.

Play through these moments to see the full range of movement:

• The start of a sung phrase, when your face may move forward
• A strong strum, when your picking hand moves more widely
• A large body movement, when your fretting hand shifts along the neck

Space near your feet, an open wall or outside the instrument is easier to use. A broad area along the bottom often works better than a narrow gap beside your face. If you want viewers to see your technique, keep the strings and fingers clear.

Keep the waveform short in a portrait video

For a portrait video, start with a thin Line near your feet.

Faces and instruments often fill most of a portrait frame. If your hands reach down that far, try the top edge instead. If the waveform still overlaps the performance, reduce its height and width until it fits the open space.

Choose the same format as the original video so you can check how faces and instruments are cropped. If there is no clear space, leaving the performance without a waveform is also an option.

Load the video and save it

Sonoray loads your recorded video directly, so you don't have to extract the audio first.

1. In the Editor, choose the video with Choose a file (or Change media if something is already loaded)
2. Under Setup → Visualizer, choose Line or another shape
3. Under Adjust, place it away from the full range of face and hand movement
4. Set the passage under Range, then save an MP4 from Export

Your recorded video and audio are processed in the browser and are not sent to a server.

Play the saved file at the start of a sung phrase and during a large hand movement to check that faces and hands remain visible.

See Create your first video for the detailed controls.