[Bob Kessler]

Okay, we know that video files are referenced in PT and not actually imported into a file folder in the same fashion as audio. If the video file is moved after the reference link is established PT can become “confused.” Also, PT seems to prefer DV stream video, at least for me, and I’ve found that PT works better if the video file is on a different drive than the session file(s). Neither the video file nor the sessions should be on the same drive as the OS and software.

I’ve found that PT does not “play nicely” with RAID drives. And, personally, I’ve found that PT works better with FireWire then USB.

And, sometimes, once the session is “corrupted” (had a DEA error) it’s easier to create a new session – start with the video link/import first to insure it works properly – and then “Import Session Data” of all the tracks from the “corrupted” session once you’re sure that the video works okay. If the problem persists after importing the session data import the tracks one at a time until the problem recurs.

I hope this helps…

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

One more thing that quality mixers do is provide superior battery life, even when supplying multiple mics with phantom power.

To sum up from the other post:

Built for purpose
Rugged build
Ergonomic design
Superior sound quality
Flexible signal routing
Extended battery life

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

There was a very strange sound underneath all of the mics whenever someone was speaking, somewhere between a car alarm and a dial tone. Sort of sounded like when you overuse noise reduction. It wasn’t loud, but noticeable.

The music was very loud when compared to the singing.

I doubt that the average listener noticed much, but it was enough to drive soundies crazy.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

I’ve had a lot of luck with Serato Pitch ‘n’ Time. Surprisingly seems to work better on “dense” music like a full band or orchestral material rather than solo instruments like a violin or piano. Sometimes I will have to do it 2% or 3% at a time rather than all at once. Even PTs time compress/expand tool does a decent job as long as you don’t do it all in one shot.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

It’s always tough to tell with low frequency tones like that. This is just a guess, but to me it sounds like a sample of a muted timpani roll (w/soft mallets) played at a lower pitch (real timpani don’t go that low) with some of the top end rolled off. Probably a low synth tone mixed in as well, as other posters have mentioned.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

Raising the volume, when your hearing is okay, is the result of having lots of background noise. Also remember to take breaks because even your ears can get tired (ear fatigue). If you are editing sections that don’t actually require you to hear what’s going on take the headphones off.

Be sure that you are using close-backed headphones to reduce the amount of background noise from your environment. There is even a company that install headphones into pistol range ear protectors (don’t remember the name right now) for those who need to record audio in high dB situations. And get headphones that sound good to you; you’re not editing the audio (are you?) so be comfortable with how the headphones sound. I personally like “around the ear” headphones that keep the speakers further from my ears.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

Why does everyone insist on buying? Why can’t you rent? It will be a lot cheaper.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

If it’s for a film you do it music video style – pre-record the music, play it back on the set and have the musicians play and lip sync with the playback.

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

Why don’t you want to see mics?

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.

[Bob Kessler]

To reinforce and then sort of ramble on…

A “studio” environment is much easier to deal with, and hence a lot less expensive in relative terms. The lack of the need for everything to be reliably battery powered reduces the cost of the gear. Audio could be recorded onto a laptop or tower. An audio interface of passable quality is not too terribly expensive. For the most part studio interviews are seated, so wireless lavs are not needed. Once the system has been set up – it is to a large degree, “set it and forget it” – there is not going to be too much in the way of major settings changes. A well instructed intern could learn to run everything after a few sessions with an experienced pro to teach them the ropes.

Working in the field is an entirely different story. The environment is constantly changing, requiring the operators to change with it and equipment that can also handle the rapid changes. Reliability is the main issue, ease of use is a very close second. Other important consideration are flexibility and upgrade-ability.

If you start off with Sound Devices as the standard for recorders and mixers when you start to get into cheaper units you begin by making tradeoffs. The biggest tradeoff is that it requires more skill, rather than less, to get optimum performance out of the unit; so an unskilled operator will not get you the quality recordings you desire. It may eat batteries, so that actually adds to the expense if you don’t invest in battery packs.

The same sort of criteria applies to all the other equipment needed to produce quality recordings in the field.

Anyhow, my client finally showed up, so it’s off to work I go. I’ll try to finish up later…

Peace,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________
Filmmaking is the art of the invisible;
If anyone notices your work you haven’t done your job right.