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Syncing multiple video takes to a single live audio recording
Hi, I’m a beginner at FCPX and video editing in general and new to this forum and not sure if this is the right place to be asking but…
Recently I’ve been taking on projects where I’m using multiple takes to create one whole video from just one of the audio takes. So the best audio recording of a band playing the song is used, then I use multiple takes to come up with the best comp.
I was wondering if anyone has any tips on a faster process than what I’ve been doing which is to import all the video takes and sync them manually to the audio, (as the take used for video might not necessarily be the same as the audio, although close enough to look real). I then am cutting them up manually from the beginning of the song (usually on the beat) and the using the best bits. This means I have usually around 10 layers of video above my timeline at least. Navigating them and choosing the best parts is tricky and time consuming.
Are there any quicker techniques that could help me get started? As in somehow applying the same cuts of one take to another.
Any help and ideas would be much appreciated.
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2 Replies
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Google “FCPX Multicam” and watch a good tutorial!
Jason Jenkins
Flowmotion Media
Video production… with style!Check out my Mormon.org profile.
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Yep, Multicam is the right tool for the job.
But as you note, live performances vary a lot from take to take. So it’s not going to be as simple as traditional multicam where you have a consistent audio track and multiple cameras all recording in real time.
This is why it’s usual in music video performance to have the band mime to a recorded track. That way the soundtrack timing is consistent. And the visuals follow that.
But It’s still possible. You just might need to not only sync up the various takes, but probably mess with the retiming area in X to make the performance of an alt take match the take from the soundtrack. You can also chop “sections” of the various takes and use their own audio to keep sync, but there will likely be some tempo mis-matches at the edits.
This is one reason why good production and editing results typically takes both lots of planning – and lots of patience! Good luck.
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