Dave Schweitzer
Forum Replies Created
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A couple ideas…
for starters, when outputting to a stand alone recorder VHS or DVD I like to do a digital cut preview – no deck, hit the yellow button. This allocates the system resources necessary to ensure locked 30 fps playback, as well as no interruptions from screensavers and the like. From what I understand as we’re just playing the sequence in the composer, the app is always looking down the timeline and loading what is coming up into RAM. Maybe after over an hour, the software only Xpress can’t load in the new clip quickly enough…?
The other thought is if the Xpress 4.6 is on a mac, I’ve read that having your display set to a non-native resolution can cause sync issues, but what I’ve read you’d notice it from the get-go, not as far in as you indicate. -
While I strongly believe Avid will not play with the Io directly, I think you could potentially use it to digitize analog video (BSP? VHS?) to Avid Codec’d QTs that would fast import into Xpress Pro. IF the Io will let you select a codec to use when digitizing, choose Avid DV or Avid 15:1s. The ugly caveat to this is Xpress Pro won’t read the embedded TC info on its own. I’ve seen many posts here and on the Xpress Pro Mac forums over on the Avid site which explain how to use Sebsky Tools (free) to create a bin in FCP, then batch import the QTs into XPro with TC intact.
Of course the Mojo will give you hardware acceleration allowing for more realtime streams, plus the ability to work in D1-sized uncompressed Avid 1:1 resolution for much cleaner titles and chroma keys. -
Another thought is that if your coworker is using Avid Xpress DV the footage won’t be exactly the best for keying, depending on the quality you are expecting for the finished piece. If you’re doing chroma keys (talking head for example) and the footage was shot on DV you’re in for a little work.
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If you have Adobe After Effects on the same machine you’re running Avid on (i.e. with Avid Codecs installed) drag the OMF files (not the whole folder) into the AE project window.
Bada Boom Bada Bing!
You can see a thumbnail in the AE project window, open and scrub through the video of the OMF and see what you’ve got.
My PB won’t play them in real time, but seeing what they are does the trick.
DS
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Of course it does…check Avid’s site for all the details.
Plus, you may want to check this forum for questions like this.https://creativecalf.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_view_posts.cgi?forumid=45
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Full access to the Timewarp Effects and speed effect editor is a big one, also one-key clip slip using m,./ is a huge timesaver over the Xpress – has been for years.
I’m assuming you get the full MC effect palette, including Paint, and 3DWarp – the new Spectramatte keyer is supposed to be great as well. -
I think you’re going to have to wait until NAB to find out when the Universal Binary version of AXP will be released. Until then, there’s always iMovie, or as of a couple weeks ago there’s FCP.
Neither is Avid, but you should be able to get things done in the meantime. -
So when you write “the process worked fine on an AVID Xpress pro operating on a PC,” are you saying that on the PC you are doing an File >Import > Audio Documents and select the WAV that on import you’re retaining embedded TC information in the master clip for the WAV? I’ve always had to live with the default TC setting for every import in Avid since MC5.5. Is the ability to read embedded TC on import an AXP HD (Windows-only for now) feature? If so, can you tell me if it can also read embedded TC from Quicktime movies too?
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Usually I do it this way:
In your project,
Duplicate the sequence and move it to a new bin, I usually name this bin CONS.
Delete the video tracks and activate all the audio tracks. Select the sequence in the bin and then Export. In the settings, do OMF2, consolidate and embed media, and whatever other settings may apply to your audio person…transcode to sample rate, convert ot WAV or AIF, etcetera. You’ll need to pick the drive location to consolidate to, then pick the location and the name you’ll be saving the OMF file to.
The Avid will then do its thing, and you’ll end up with one big file name.omf to give to the audio mixer.
Once you hear the file worked for your audio person and they have what they need, open that CONS bin back up and you can safely delete everything in it – media included. Your original sequence with video will remain untouched and intact, ready for color correction, titles, letterboxing… -
One thing you can try using the Title Tool is to create a title with a soft white drop shadow of say 8. Make the fill color fully transparent, and you’ve got a blurred avid title. Edit the title into your sequence, then step into the title and replace the graphic fill with something: some video, a still image, a pattern… when you step back up to the sequence your Avid title now has a soft edge and is filled with whatever you’d put in there. Sometimes I’ll put a move on the graphic fill so there’s some motion inside the title. Experiment with this and you shouldn’t have to go outside the prog.