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Edit to Tape weirdness
Trying to edit a DVCPro HD sequence to DigiBeta. Using KonaLHe for downconvert. First off, I get a dropped frames error about 20 minutes in. This is pretty normal, so instead of re-doing the whole show ( and probably get more dropped errors), I want to insert at the point of the drop with the hopes that I can actually get this whole show to tape in a day (it’s a 90 min show). So I back up a few seconds, set new in points, hit assemble, and whoa, it cuts to black. Hmmm. Ok, move the edit point back a few more seconds, try again. Now I get pics, but seconds out of sync. OK, try again. Now , I’m getting digital audio noise ( clocking issue). Wow, what else can go wrong? Restart the machine, try again. OK seems to work now.
Should I just make it a habit to restart before a major operation such as Edit to tape?
I had just printed the show to HDCAM with only 1 (yea!) dropped error. None of this other weirdness.
FCP 5.1.4
MacPro
Kona LHe 3.4
10.4.10
QT 7.2 -
13 Replies
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Oh, forgot to mention, I don’t get any video on my local broadcast monitor after the restart. But it’s gong to tape, so I figure I’d let it go. Yea!
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What kind of drives do you have and did you mix down your audio?
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XSAN/XRAID , and yes, did the mixdown.
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And you are sure absolutely everything is rendered (even full rt effects) and that all of your media you are playing back is on your fast media drives? Dropped frames usually means a your throughput is through or that you have your formats setup incorrectly.
Jeremy
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The SAN is the scratch for both captures and renders. As for formats, are you talking seq and capture settings? It’s all DVCPro HD. As far as rendering goes, isn’t that the job of the software? I mean it typically goes through it’s render process before an ETT anyway. I assume it’s rendering what it thinks it needs to render based on disk speed, processor, RAM, etc. I tend to render everything anyway, but occasionally I let the software figure it out. What is RT Extreme anyway, if nothing but a bunch of marketing hype?
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[Gordon Gurley] “What is RT Extreme anyway, if nothing but a bunch of marketing hype? “
Not really. Make sure that in your sequence > render all and sequence > render selection all the options are checked including ‘full’. After checking all the options hit option-r to render all.
Dropped frames is usually hard error (drives aren’t fast enough) or project organization is lacking and Final Cut Pro can’t keep up when trying to play files off the boot drive, other drive and media drive, or operator error in the formats or output is not set correctly in FCP.
Jeremy
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Jeremey,
With all due respect: My SAN is reporting 160 MB/s according to Apple’s own testing app. Quite enough for 2 streams of DVCProHD. Except for a few graphics, all files and seq are set the same (or I would have to render everything). The edit is actually quite simple, albeit long.My problem isn’t so much with the dropped frames, I’ve come to expect that. It’s the completely wacky behavior of ETT. I just think that this part of FCP is way too unstable for a “Professional” app. It drives me nuts and makes me long for Avid, which hardly ever had this problem.
When I need to do an insert edit, and ETT decides to cut to black instead of the shot I wanted, or is multiple seconds off, I think the problem lies deeper than disk speed or rendering.
Maybe it’s XSAN. If most out there are having great success with ETT, then I guess I need to look elsewhere for the problem.
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[Gordon Gurley] “My problem isn’t so much with the dropped frames, I’ve come to expect that.”
That’s your problem. You shouldn’t. If you have a fast drive array and everything is setup properly, you shouldn’t see dropped frames on output.
[Gordon Gurley] “When I need to do an insert edit, and ETT decides to cut to black instead of the shot I wanted, or is multiple seconds off, I think the problem lies deeper than disk speed or rendering.”
Are you set to editing or mastering in ETT? What deck is this again?
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Mastering. I just assemble from in to end plus 20 sec black. Sorry, I incorrectly used “insert” a few posts back. Pick-up edit would be a better term.
DVW A500
From the manual:
Final Cut Pro automatically renders all effects that cannot be played back at full
quality in real-time prior to output using the Print to Video or Edit to Tape
commands, so long as Full Quality is selected in the Real-Time (RT) pop-up menu in
the Timeline.Just to clarify, ETT works quite well about half the time. That’s what’s so frustrating.
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[Gordon Gurley] “Just to clarify, ETT works quite well about half the time.”
Meaning no dropped frames?
As a test (and if you have the storage), export a self contained movie and then being that back in and lay off. This will tell you that there’s something not setup right in your orig. timeline.
When you mixed down your audio, did you select all first?
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