I hit the trouble of auto-gain sound recording when I tried making
some Duo-Art recordings for YouTube.  After asking some friends who
are into such things, and digging 'round on the web, I identified
the Canon HF100 as about the cheapest full-HD model that offers manual
sound level control and has a sound-input jack.  I recall the comments
saying that this type of sound control is getting ever-rarer on cheaper
models.

I got one secondhand on eBay, and have been very pleased with it.
The HD files it produces can be uploaded straight onto YouTube,
straight from its SD card plugged into the PC.  Windows 7 plays the
HD files in media player with no other software needed (despite what
loads of advice on the Web might have you believe).

I've coupled the camera with the sound-recording setup described on
MMD by Johan Liljencrants, and you can see the results on my recording
of Percy Grainger playing Richard Strauss's Rosenkavalier love duet,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3yVXNvCEmk  The piano was doing quite
well at the time, but I've got it better since so I might post another
to show the difference.

I quite agree with the approach of sharing reproducing piano
performances this way and hopefully improving the overall quality by
raising expectations, because most instruments play substantially below
their potential.

Julian Dyer

 [ See "Economical audio recording", by Johan Liljencrants, at
 [ http://www.fonema.se/blockhead/blockhead.html  -- Editor (Robbie)