Can Avid Express Pro master without deck control?

[David Braswell]

Reliable frame accurate editing requires 422 machine control. That’s why the insert functions are greyed out when you connect a DV cam to print your master. I just lay my timeline out the way I want it to appear on tape and crash it in from the digital cut tool and set time code to “ignore”. For example, a minute or two of black at the head followed by 30-60 sec of bars and tone, then another 30 seconds of black before start of program. This should work fine for archiving purposes, however you may need access to a machine controled deck if it’s for a broadcast tape. That’s the only way to assure acurate TC track.

[Al J. marschke]

I’m actualy going the other direction. I need to get the Avid to capture from a live camera feed via firewire.

[Jon Zanone]

Based on this and your last post, do you still need TC? There is a mode (which quite frankly I’d forgotten about) called VTR emulation. I’ve never used it, and as I type I believe it’s for playback (it allows you to control the Avid as a deck from, say a switcher). The thing that might help you is you can get a serial to RS422 adapter, and possibly record TC that way. As I think on it a little more, it might not be in XPress (I hate Monday mornings!)

If you just need a signal recorded, click on the little deck icon in the record tool. When it has a ‘prohibited’ sign on it, it means you won’t have a tape associated with this particular file. I believe you have to click through a couple of dialog boxes, but you’ll be able to record your signal. Just select the correct input and you’ll be gooten2go.

Jon