What's the best camera to use to tape two acoustic guitarists? Audio is more important than visu

Should I use an external mike? If so, what (inexpensive) camera should I buy? What mike?

Audio recording is the weakest feature in a consumer camcorder. Because the audio record levels are all automatic they will go up and down by themselves in an attempt to get a decent record level. But what you end up with is an unpredictable volume shift which can wreck any music recording, and especially when it happens in the middle of a song.

Also, built-in mics tend to pickup (and record) the operational noises of the camcorder. So you should definitely get a couple of decent external mics (or a stereo one) to improve your chances of capturing decent audio. I would recommend that since you are recording acoustic guitars you invest in condenser mics.

Even better, record the sound directly to the PC through the sound card and insert it during the video edit. That way you can control the levels and tweak the sound file independently of the video. A small external stereo mixer can be very helpful in this procedure by providing physical knobs to tweak the levels as well as more tonal control over what is sent to the computer.

Using a clapboard or other syncing device which makes a sudden, synchronized visual and sound is very helpful to match the timing of the audio with the video later during editing. One usable substitute for a clapboard is a flash camera that has a loud shutter.

You should also get yourself a comfortable set of closed back headphones with a built-in volume control. Wear them at all times while recording to monitor the audio. Audio can be half of your production, even more for a musical performance, so don't neglect it.