[Craig Alan]

Bill,

Seriously?

I’m asking if there is a fast way to select an entire layer.

I’m asking how to assign a channel of audio a role.

If I import a days shoot from a b-roll camera, I can import it with the keyword “3-14-14 b-roll”. The fact that I integrate those clips with a-roll clips from a different date doesn’t mean I can’t sort them by 3-14-14 b-roll. I assure you there is nothing about X being a database program that stops the ability to select a layer or track in the timeline. In fact, FC does not let you just drag your clips anywhere in the timeline window. They must be in or or connected to the primary and must be on a layer. In other words there are still tracks. Different rules for those tracks than in legacy but tracks just the same.

FCP X uses a linear timeline and the top layer dominates just like it does in every other NLE.

Channels of audio are not any different in FCP X than they are in any other program.

I need to select one. That is what I’m asking.

Right now if I want to select an entire layer I need to command shift and then apply the lasso. Then I loose my degree of zoom and my playhead position and its additional mousing which I would like to avoid if possible.

Period.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Thank you!!!

I found a splitter in an old small rack mount case someone was throwing away. They had some of those cheap receivers (2 channels) in there which were either broken or they upgraded. But there were some perfectly good interconnects inside the box. When I get back to work I’ll do a search on the splitters and see if it is like the one you are recommending. That’s what I love about audio — everything could be ok or NOT.

I wish I could go back in time. When I worked in the studios I paid attention to what the lighting designer/gaphers were doing, what the talent and director were doing, set designer, etc. Can’t even recall the audio techs — like they were this invisible crew that somehow never had a problem. Now if i get good sound or even decent sound in a run and gun situation, I am proud of myself or my students for pulling it off. The hardest part of production bar none.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Ty,

1) Could we use a mike with a Sennheiser plug-in and two receivers set to the same channel, one for the house board and one on our field mixer?

2) Or a Y-splitter and an XLR for each?

3) Could we use a splitter on the output of the house board to feed a PA and our mixer?

4) Does splitting an audio signal effect its gain?

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Yes content is king. If the sound is good enough.

Play two clips for a client and ask them what they would prefer. That way they don’t feel you are being an impractical perfectionist, but just the opposite. As Eric just said, sometimes what you get is good enough and sometimes it’s a distorted mess. No matter what the gig, it’s best to test in advance of the event.

What I did on my last shoot in an auditorium was to go on-line and download a copy of the manual for the house board. I found the picture of the boards inputs and outputs and saw that there was an empty output. I brought a yoga mat and flashlight so I could climb under the thing and plugged in an XLR. I couldn’t control the mix but at least I had a feed from the board that was better than miking a PA. We used the on-board mike of the camcorder for the ambient sound.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Thanks Eric. I’ll give it a shot.

What I have found with a hypercardioid aimed at a house speaker is it sounds pretty much what the audience heard live. Not very good. But no worse. It’s as good as the person mixing the live performance from the house board. An acoustic solo singer can actually sounds pretty good. Anything complex usually becomes a mess. Schools do not have the technical skill or enough cordless mikes to get more than a few performers miked and mixed correctly or even decently. When I say not worse that’s assuming the settings of the field mixer are set correctly. House board guys tend to get carried away with their own power and boost the bass too high and the overall sound levels to the point of distortion. Added to that is poor mike placement and inexperienced talent and you get what you get. Just the same people want copies of the performance and with no tech rehearsals you need to capture the event. There are certainly environments in which a mike on a stand would be in the way and its always nice to have other options.

Another thing I’ve noticed about house boards: A lot of times they are not in a location that sounds the same as what the audience (or recording) will hear. Move from the booth (which tends to be higher and more isolated than the actual audience seats or in the case of an event like a dance or party or wedding off to the side) and it sounds very different to the actual audience.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Did you follow the advice we discussed below? All of this data is on what drive? Are you putting everything on an external raid or on your system drive? What you should be doing on a project that is not active is back it up on a different drive and clearing the space on your media drive. If your media drive becomes more than about 75% full you are going to have problems.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

10.9.4 broke my nvidia driver. I get an error message that’s its not compatible. I tried uninstalling and installed the latest driver and get the same error. so i’m using os x’s default graphic driver. When I called Nvidia tech support told me that Apple actually makes these graphic cards so ask them. I’m using the quadro 4000 in a 2009 Mac Pro.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Works for a multicam clip. Notes in browser or inspector will show up in the other. I think its a bug.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

So off the surface though to avoid picking up vibration? I’m really surprised this will work. I’d have though it would get overwhelmed by the sheer volume. I have powered speakers in the studio and omni wireless lavs. I really want to try this out. I don’t have to worry about the lavs getting damaged?

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Eric,

Literally tape a mike to the front of a PA grill? What type of mike do you use? An omni lav?

Where exactly do you tape it? I have pointed a hypercardioid on a stand at a house speaker when I had no other option.

Don’t most PA speakers have some form of audio out that you can tap into send to your own field mixer?

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.