importing tape?

[Tom Wolsky]

FCP can import tape via FireWire. It’s a very simplified function, no log and capture.

There was a save problem that could occur in older versions. It’s not been reported in the current version.

All the best,

Tom

“Final Cut Pro X for iMovie and Final Cut Express Users” from Focal Press
Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP7,” “Basic Training for FCS” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Coming in 2012 “Complete Training for FCPX” from Class on Demand

[Ty Ford]

Thanks, Tom,

I thought log and capture was pretty easy actually. Can I capture portions of a tape, skimming to the spots I want and leaving others behind? Can you hear audio during capture? Did they fix that thing where anamorphic video looked really nasty during import?

Regards,

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Ty Ford Blog: Ty Ford’s Blog

[Tom Wolsky]

You can select pieces to capture, but only by manually controlling the camera from the basic capture interface. I don’t know about the anamorphic display or the audio. I don’t recall either way and I can’t test it at the moment.

All the best,

Tom

“Final Cut Pro X for iMovie and Final Cut Express Users” from Focal Press
Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP7,” “Basic Training for FCS” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Coming in 2012 “Complete Training for FCPX” from Class on Demand

[Shane Ross]

So tape capture has taken a HUGE step backwards with FCX, then? Even the most basic firewire capture?

Yeah…it’s pro (HEAVY sarcasm)…

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[T. Payton]

For what it is worth, I’ve done a fair amount of capture in FCP X, mostly HDV footage, and some older SD DV footage. I find that although the options appeared dummed down, I was surprised that it works far better than my workflow in FCP 7. In FCP 7 I found that my work went faster if I captured an entire tape and then did my logging and notes after the fact. This sometimes became complicated as I had to rewind the tape, and do a “capture now” and hope I didn’t get timecode breaks, especially the first take on a tape.

With FCP X, rather than use the transport controls and import for a tape, I just choose “create archive” and it will take care of rewinding the tape and capture in the background while I do other work. If I need to edit, I just use my MacMini reserved for clients to capture to an external drive. Even on tapes that perviously had timecode breaks, the Create Archive function just captures the whole tape without trouble. This also moves tape be on the same “level”, i.e. file based, as solid state media. Capturing a tape is now something even an untrained assistant can do.

Once the Camera Archives are created they behave just like solid state media which each take is timestamped and broken up into individual clips. I can understand that the whole tape capture doesn’t work for everyone, but for me it has been a great timesaver. (If I was still editing in FCP 7, just this feature alone would be worth the $300 for FCP X.)

Regarding your issues, I haven’t had any problems with anamorphic footage capture, audio monitoring or loosing edits in FCP X. I did see an error pop up in FCP X 10.0.3 the other day that there was a problem saving to my project and was prompted to quit and restart FCP X.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[Ron Priest]

“Once the Camera Archives are created they behave just like solid state media which each take is timestamped and broken up into individual clips. I can understand that the whole tape capture doesn’t work for everyone, but for me it has been a great timesaver. (If I was still editing in FCP 7, just this feature alone would be worth the $300 for FCP X.)”

I’ve just recently made the switch from FCP7 to X along with a new iMac which doesn’t even have FCP7 on it. So, Im in the middle of editing my first X project with the ProRes 422 footage that was actually captured to an eSATA drive on my old Mac Pro in FCP7 from tape.

I simply plugged the original eSATA drive up to my iMac via the Sonnet Echo Thunderbolt Adapter and created the new X project using the original source files captured in FCP7. This has worked out great because If needed to, I can still connect that eSATA drive up to my old Mac Pro and edit in FCP7 since the original 7 projects files are untouched by FCPX on the iMac.

So, I’m wondering if maybe I shouldn’t just continue capturing ProRes 422 files for future projects on the old Mac Pro in FCP7, and edit them on the new iMac in FCPX. Since the files are already ProRes 422, they don’t need to be optimized for FCPX. I also like the fact that FCP7 creates new files for every take on the tape. My past workflow has been to capture the complete tape in FCP7 with the base name of C1T1 (Camera 1 Tape 1) and as it captures it will create the files C1T1-2, C1T1-3 etc… for each time I paused or stopped the camera during the shoot, until it reached the end of the tape. Then I start capturing the tape from Camera 1 Tape 2 and assign the base name as C1T2 etc…

So my question to you is, I have heard that FCPX doesn’t capture a new file for each time I paused or stopped and restarted the recording on the tape. I’ve been told that FCPX will just create one long file the length of the tape and overlook the start and stops. However, your post seems to indicate that FCPX will in fact create a new file for each take on the tape. Is this the case, or did I misunderstand your post?

Thanks

Ron Priest
Videographer
Louisville, KY

[T. Payton]

[Ron Priest] “I’ve been told that FCPX will just create one long file the length of the tape and overlook the start and stops.”

This has not been my experience. That source who reported that might have had a problem with their camera. However, at the Finder level when you create a camera archive it will look like one file but it is actually a package with a bunch of individual clips in it. So perhaps that is what they were talking about.

Here is a HDV Camera Archive (in FCP X import from camera)

[Ron Priest] “So, I’m wondering if maybe I shouldn’t just continue capturing ProRes 422 files for future projects on the old Mac Pro in FCP7, and edit them on the new iMac in FCPX”

Sure. Whatever works for your workflow! I would try the Create Archive in FCP X and see if it offers you any advantages. For me just the ability to not have to bother with any transport controls or buttons is a blessing. I just put in a fresh tape click “create archive” and in a bit it is done.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[Ron Priest]

[T. Payton] “Sure. Whatever works for your workflow! I would try the Create Archive in FCP X and see if it offers you any advantages. For me just the ability to not have to bother with any transport controls or buttons is a blessing. I just put in a fresh tape click “create archive” and in a bit it is done.
“

So, I’m assuming you don’t have the ability to provide a starting file name like C1T1 (for Cam 1 Tape 1) to then have it auto name each additional file in proper numerical increments such as C1T1-2, C1T1-3 ect..? If not, I believe it would be more beneficial for me to capture on the old Mac Pro in FCP7 then. That would allow me to be capturing one project on the Mac Pro, while editing another project on the iMac.

One of these days I’ll get to graduate from tape, but for now, I had to spend my money on new computers and new software. I might even start shooting some stuff on DSLR’s you never know, sometimes old dogs can be taught new tricks! LOL

Thanks for your input.

Ron Priest
Videographer
Louisville, KY

[T. Payton]

[Ron Priest] “hen have it auto name each additional file in proper numerical increments such as C1T1-2, C1T1-3 ect..? If not, I believe it would be more beneficial for me to capture on the old Mac Pro in FCP7 then.”

Ron. That is a great point! Indeed, all the file names (in the Finder) will be time stamps. But you can rename those without a problem. See below:

However, with FCP X, media management is totally different than it was in FCP 7. In your current workflow it seem like file names are very important, but in a perfect FCP world, all media is copied to a FCP X event folder and is renamed inside FCP X (which doesn’t actually rename the file in the Finder.) and this isn’t a problem in this case because each event is really self contained and doesn’t refer to external files. The file name of the clip is irrelevant. That is unless you need to mess with the media outside of FCP X and then it would be advantageous to have properly named files.

Hopefully Apple will restore the ability to write the “clip name” back to the file, like it did in FCP 7.

If I were you I would load up FCP X on your second machine (the license allows it) and just try an Camera Archive.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[Ron Priest]

[T. Payton] “If I were you I would load up FCP X on your second machine (the license allows it) and just try an Camera Archive.”

I’m a little apprehensive about installing FCPX on this old Mac Pro. I’m worried that it would might get jealous of FCPX and make things difficult for FCS3 and give me problems. I also have a Matrox Compress HD card in the old fella and don’t want to loose the good standing relationship it has with the old version of Compressor, if you know what I mean. I might change my mind though if BlackMagic ever gets their act together and provides a working FCPX driver for the Intensity Pro card that I also have stuffed in the Mac Pro.

Looking at the image you provided of your movie files, it looks like FCPX is assigning a file name based on the time of day timecode versus the tape timecode? Is this correct? If that’s the case, it might well be more beneficial to have FCPX name the files according to time of day, and I can always keyword the files shot with different cameras.

Ron Priest
Videographer
Louisville, KY