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This is not a joke.
I own and use several expensive studio condenser microphones.

But here is a link to a Mic that simply will work perfectly for VO work (and yes, it can make an “adequate” voice sound good and a “good” voice sound GREAT.)

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/s=mics/search/detail/base_pid/273156/
The price is $59.99 (yes, that’s 1 cent under $60).

I’m not kidding, this is a terrific mic. It requires Phantom Power to run (the standard is 48 volts, but I have easily run this mic on 12v -20v Phantom power from a battery-powered mixer.)

This mic also sounds quite good on string instruments and woodwinds.
It is very sensitive and can be over-powered by percussion and some brass instruments.
There is another version (for about $100 more) that has a 10db attenuator for use under LOUD conditions.

Info on this mic has been posted on the COW many times and it ALWAYS gets surprised and grateful responses from those who buy it. There are hundreds (thousands?) of these mics in studios around the world.

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As you can see by the overwhelming response (cricket sfx here), this is just a bit too “odd”.

There is simply no way that there ever once WAS video on the (now) blank, no TC, section of tape if all the kid had was access to a consumer camcorder.

It would be possible on a PRO deck or camcorder (DVCAM mode) to set the TC generator in the wrong position (“set” position) and record “nothing” with a locked TC for a certain amount of time.
But even that would be a “stretch” as you say the first “good” take (“scene 2”) starts with a clean, zeroed TC.

I don’t buy the story that he “viewed” it and it was fine.

But I’m not there… I’d really need to examine the tape further.

If you find out more, please post back here.

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You answered your own question.

If you DON’T have a clip selected (highlighted), then the zoom will change at the point at which the cursor is sitting.

If you DO have a clip selected (even if its not seen in the Timecode window) the zoom will enlarge centered on that clip.

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[Bob Vick] “or even necessary”

Certainly its not necessary.
It just gets a bit “crowded” in the Timeline Window.

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[Rozanne] “I have put the de-interlace and the flicker on it and it doesn’t help any.”

First, are you viewing on an EXTERNAL VIDEO MONITOR?
You can not judge QUALITY on the computer monitor.

Assuming you RENDERED the effect, if the De-Interlace filter does not stop the flicker, its not an interlace flicker.

How LARGE are the slides (what dimensions in pixels).

If they are too large and “detailed” they will “shimmer” on a video monitor.

Try this: Apply the Video Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur.

Adjust the Gaussian Blur to a setting of between 0.25 and 2.0 and render.

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[jens] ” i’m doing mostly offline editing for commercials where literally every frame counts.”

Unlike the rest of us here who just “play around” with editing and those silly frame-thingies just don’t matter.

Well, you started it 😉

Anyway, FCP will stop much faster (almost immediately) if you turn off the “External Frames” playback for this purpose and just view on the Canvas window on the computer monitor.

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There may be another setting in FCP that could be causing problems.
If your audio “output” is set incorrectly, it MIGHT cause the audio to “split” instead of “mix”.

Open FCP.
Click once anywhere on the Timeline Window.

Hit “Apple-0 (zero)”
Sequence Settings Window will open.

Audio Outputs (tab) > Load Audio Output Preset… > Default Stereo Preset

Let us know.

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[Matte] “FCP HD is really FCP 5x.”

That should be “FCP HD is really FCP 4.5x.”

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It is not a SPECIFIC numbered version of FCP.

There are academic and retail versions of most releases of FCP 1 thru 5.

FCP HD is really FCP 5x.

I guess you’re shopping eBay?

Be careful what you are buying.
Ask the seller the questions you want answered before you bid.

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For years, you’ve seen shows about “the movies” where there is a slate (Name of shot/take chalked on it) with a “clapper-bar” that some crew-member holds in front of the camera (and SLAPS the bar down) at the beginning of each scene (AKA: a Clap-board) .

THAT is how you match dual-system audio and video.

But, you don’t really NEED a clap-board.
At the start of each take, just roll both camera and audio and have someone stand before the camera and “call out” the name of the shot and the take and… CLAP his HANDS together, once.

That sharp sound and the point at which the hands come together is the “match-frame”.

All that said…
It is far easier to keep the audio connected to the camera than to spend all that time trying to capture all the audio tracks and the video takes and then try to match them up.
I would suffer piles of cables before I chose “dual-system” when I didn’t HAVE to.