Mark Barroso
Forum Replies Created
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I just looked at the test on vimeo and yes, it looks stretched. So now I’m hoping someone here as a quicker fix than re-exporting from FCP. I have Handbrake, but that doesn’t look like you can adjust the size.
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Yes. I-tunes will play the two channels together. FCP can play them separately if mute one channel. If you have the file in the FCP timeline, double click the audio and it will appear in the browser. Follow the above steps.
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You may, in fact, be listening to a mix of one “bad” channel and one “good” channel.
I don’t know what you don’t know, Chris, but in FCP you should see 2 channels of audio. Put the file in the browser window and see if there is two tabs labeled 1 and 2. (The zoom always records two channels, unless you force to record four) Click on one of the tabs and then the other. If you recorded a mic on one channel, it will look very different from the other channel with a healthy waveform.
In FCP, de-link the channels and delete the one that has the weak waveform, based on the above tabs. Play the remaining one and get happy.
This is basic in all audio editing software, but since you mentioned FCP I used that as an example.
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You’ve got my sympathies, Chris, and sorry if I lectured you, but this board is also read by others in your same predicament and my posts are directed at them as well.
IMO, it wasn’t realistic that you could pull this off with a 2-3 hours introduction to new gear, your experience level and have nothing go wrong, unless you’re some kind of video genius. Sometimes we have to say “no” to people who don’t have a clue as to how much is involved in doing what we do.
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Chris:
I don’t know why you’re baffled after what’s been said here. The “quality” issue is not because the device didn’t work properly. It works great for, literally, millions of people. If you want it to work for you in the future you need to learn how to use it. That begins calling things by the correct name. If you plugged a transmitter into the zoom you have bigger problems than what you’ve described here.
You can’t show up on a job with a new piece of gear and expect it to work fine without a little study and testing. I’m sorry if this is harsh, but it’s not as bad as the reaction of a client who thought you knew what you were doing.
Read the manual. Listen to professionals. Figure out what you need to do before you need to do it.
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My first mistake as a soundman was relying on headphones for an indication of how loud the sound was being recorded. You can have the headphone volume cranked and still be recording at a low level. You really need to play the file back on the zoom to determine what happened. “Half-way up” is not an accurate description of the levels you recorded. The Zoom has levels ranging from -48 to 0, and the optimum range for recording sound is -20 to -6. Anything less will need serious boosting.
An almost flat line in FCP is not a good sign; it tells me this is exactly what happened. You can try “normalizing” the audio to boost the peaks a little, as well as apply the gain filter to your clip.
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When you play it in the zoom, where are the levels hitting? Try listening with another program, like i-Tunes or QT or whatever. What does the waveform look like in FCP?
BTW: you should always be prepared to be fired. That’s why I submit invoices the day after a job.
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If you listen closely to Breaking Bad (and I happen to listen on headphones), you’ll hear when they are using lavs. A slight clothes rustle is the give away, but the sound is different, too.
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Nope. You’re screwed. It’s an awful feeling – one that took me weeks to get over when it happened to me.
You are correct in your diagnosis in what happened.
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Thanks for your response.
If I record it as a data file, will it play on a standard DVD player? Will it not only play on QT on a computer?