Mark Raudonis
3
COW Coins
Forum Replies Created
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If you include cable in your “prime time”, then….. MTV’s “The Real World”. MTV’s “Gauntlet 2”, NBC daytime : “Starting Over”, E! “The Simple Life 4”, are all cut using FCP/X-SAN.
mark
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Aside from these issues…. please be aware of a bigger issue. That is, make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that your timecode is identical on both cameras. You said you are “jam syncing” the code. My experience has been that this is NEVER frame accurate. Close… but never spot on. You will probably end up having to adjust each clip to maintain sync between them.
So… once you’ve figured out how to “trick” fcp into digitizing the other angle, you can start worrying about sync.
Good luck.
Mark
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I agree with Graeme. More spindles equal more throughput. Fill out the spaces and your performance will increase.
There’s also a fair amount of arcane settings when configuring your X-SAN. Did you have a qualified installer help you set it up?
mark
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Chris,
How many angles are you trying to play simultaneously? Dropped frames are usually a bandwidth issue more than anything else. If you’ve done all of the steps suggested, then I suspect that your drives are choking on the number of streams you’re trying to play back. Do you have access to a SATA raid to test this on?
Another suggestion. Stack up video tracks (not multi cam) with as many tracks as angles in your multicam. Do a simple Picture in Picture of all angles and see if it can sustain play. If that works OK, then it’s NOT just a simple band width issue. If this “stacked” sequence doesn’t work either, then you need a RAID that can sustain the bandwidth.
Mark
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Also, try turning OFF all “duplicate frame detection”. Even in sequences that are NOT currently open.
Mark
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mark,
Quick answer: Yes.
If you have four projects open, and “shift F” (matchframe) a shot in the timeline , it will bring the “correct” project to the forefront in your browser and show where the clip lives.
If you’re coming from the Avid, you have to get used to the fact that FCP has a MUCH different approach to projects. In Avid, Projeccts are everything. In FCP, they really are NOT that important. Media lives all on it’s own in basic folders. In fact, if you really can’t find a clip, use the “reveal in finder” feature (in the “view” pull down menu). This will open up a finder window and show you exactly where you put it. Very helpful if you have large, multi project media organization.
Mark
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matt,
Yep, you’re right.
My understanding of this process is that it requires TWO macs to pull it off. One to run FCP and output the timeline via Firewire. The other to run iChat and accept the “timeline” output as the iChat camera. You can’t run FCP and iChat all at the same time. (at least not yet)
mark
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Unfortunately, Tom is correct. However, here’s how we’re using STP.
If you bring in a SINGLE audio file to STP it will round trip back into FCP with no problem. So, we’re using STP to fix specific audio tracks (noise reduction) and then send them back to FCP. At that point, you now have replaced your “original” QT file with an STP file. You can move forward with your edit, making changes till the cows come home since your STP files are now a part of the timeline/project.
Obviously this is not as easy or elegant as dealing with a whole sequence, but it does enable us to access the tools of STP and integrate them into our workflow. Since we’re on X-SAN, we can have a dedicated audio guy “fixing” selected scenes very early in the off-line process. Once this “fixes” are done, they’re done. They move along with the rest of the audio up until picture lock. Then we export an OMF and go out to Pro tools or a Fairlight for the final mix.
I personally believe that we’ve only scratched the surface of what STP wil be capable of. Looking forward to NAB.
mark
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Wayne,
first of all, Media Manger is NOT necessary for this kind of move. You can just do it at the finder level.
You do have all your media in one, clearly marked folder don’t you? (Let’s say yes!) Just copy that folder to your external (firewire) drive. If you want, you can pull the render files as well, but most people do NOT keep or store them since they can be easily redone. Then, next time you want to access this media from this drive, you’ll probably get an “off-line media” notice. If all your media is in a single folder, the reconnect process is just one click.
By the way, we use Media Manager every day to deal with projects. With the exception of certain widely known pitfalls (speed changes & stills) it works JUST FINE!
mark
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Be able to explain the difference between drop frame and non drop frame time code. I always ask potential candidates to try to explain that… it really separates the wheat from the chaff.
Mark