With the MegaCon Live Masquerades, we’re incredibly proud to be able to have a show that takes performance into account at 30% for Best in Show and Best Adventurer. With that, audio and video are both components we’re excited to be able to offer at some of the shows. If you’re new to tech and file types, this may be a challenging area to take on and figuring it out on your own can be daunting.
This post is meant to be a guide for all things AV with the MegaCon Live Masquerades!
MP3, or MP4?
All Masquerade entrants in the MegaCon Live Masquerades must provide a backing track in the form of an MP3. If you’re using an Apple product be careful to check the file type, as Apple likes to export audio files as an M4A which our system can’t play.
Video elements are completely optional, and not all of our shows have this as an option. For the ones that do, you’ll need to submit both an MP3 and an MP4 to have a video option. For entrants incorporating video, the MP3 of your audio is a backup in case there are on the day issues with the video display system. This audio can be different than your MP4 audio if your backing track requirements are different without video, as it’s a backup for display issues.
Your MP4 will need to have your backing track within the video, as we won’t be able to play an MP3 and MP4 simultaneously. We’ll cover how to accomplish this!
Downloading an MP3
There are so many ways to get an audio to an MP3, and each depend on what device you’re using, where the audio is from originally, and more. For your specific situation try giving it a google, with your device name, file origin and end file format goal. So for example- iPhone 8 YouTube video to MP3.
Please be aware that some of the sites for downloading MP3’s can be risky- you should always be careful what site you use, what you click, and for good measure have adblock and anti-virus protection on your device.
For a guide on downloading YouTube videos to MP3, check out this blog post from PC Mag. This is often the easiest way to get an audio to an MP3 format.
Audios must be under 120 seconds, as our system will automatically trim audios over 120 seconds to the 120 second mark. An easy way to trim your audio is by using AudioTrimmer. For more complex edits outside of simple trimming from the end or beginning of the audio. If you want to try tackling more serious editing, we’ve got a whole blog post dedicated to audio editing!
Downloading and Editing an MP4
If you’re opting to use a video component for your entry, you’ll need to submit an MP4 with your backing track in the MP4. You will still need to submit an MP3 as a backup.
An easy and free editing option is CapCut, which has both a mobile app, a desktop application and a browser based editing application. This is an easy and straightforward editing tool for videos. You can add your MP3 to a video or a still image in CapCut, and drag the image timeline out to the end of the audio.
You would need to add your photo, and then the audio to the editing page in CapCut, and then select the end of the image and drag it to the end of the audio. It should snap to place as it nears the end of the audio.
As with an MP3, your MP4 can’t be over 120 seconds in length. So make sure you’ve checked that it hasn’t gone over 120 seconds before exporting as an MP4.
13 February 2024
[…] You can use a maximum of two live microphones for your performance, but we cannot provide microphone stands. We can’t provide props or set elements, and use of lighting and screen aren’t guaranteed, but if you have a request then please include it! If you intend to use the video screen, you’ll want to upload an MP4 file with the audio built in. For more tips on audio editing, read our blog post here, and to learn the difference between MP3 and MP4 files, read this one. […]