Mark Spano
Forum Replies Created
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Saying anything to the effect of “OMFs from FCP are solid” is laughable for me in my work. For example: any OMF created in FCP from a 23.976p timeline shows up in Pro Tools as 24.0fps. In other words, everything out of sync.
As Shane suggests, use the (amazingly now free) Automatic Duck Pro Export FCP and make AAF files and be done with any of your problems. It’s free, works insanely better than FCP’s shabby built-in OMF exporter – what more do you want?
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Easiest thing to try: launch Compressor and go to the Compressor menu and choose Reset Background Processing. Choose Reset and Cancel Jobs. Quit and relaunch Compressor and try submitting a job again.
If that does not work, you must uninstall and reinstall Compressor.
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If you are given stereo tracks and you need to sum them into the discrete channels you specified, then I would set your Sequence Settings / Audio Outputs to 4 channels, DUAL MONO. That way each channel can be addressed without the need to worry about panning anything, and it will save you some headache when trying to assign things. Make your sequence have eight tracks and drop all of the audio onto the tracks. Then figure out which tracks you want to go to which outputs. Once you’ve determined this, you can right-click on the audio track and assign it to the output desired. You can assign more than one track to go out the same output. Use the Audio Mixer’s output meters (should now show four meters to indicate the four outputs) to see the result. If you are summing two tracks to an output, you may have to lower the level of each track by 6 dBFs so that proper summing (with no overmodulation) can occur. Once you have the correct output assignments, right-click the sequence in the Browser window and choose Export to QuickTime Movie. Do not use QuickTime Conversion – that will fail. In Export to QuickTime Movie, use Current Settings / Audio and Video / Self-Contained. This will give you a QuickTime at sequence codec which has four audio channels as you mixed them. Open it in QuickTime Player and hit Cmd-J. This brings up the Movie Properties window. Here you can isolate each audio track and hear what is assigned. This is how you can double-check your work.
Once you have this file (1080 / 23.976p / 4 audio channels), you can put it through Compressor to add the correct pulldown. Create a setting in Compressor that uses Video Settings: (your sequence codec), 29.97, INTERLACED, Top Field First. Audio Settings: PASS-THROUGH. In Frame Controls, turn it ON, and set Resize=Fast, Output Fields: Top First, Deinterlace: Fast, Retiming: Fast. In Geometry, make sure the output is set to 100% of Source. Leave everything else set as default. It will take some time, but the output file of this compression will be a 1080 / 29.97i / 4 audio channels version of your master, with proper 2:3 pulldown. You can check the pulldown by going into FCP, setting up a sequence with a 59.94 FRAME RATE, and dropping this 29.97 FPS file into the sequence. When you step through frame by frame, FCP will show you basically what your file has field by field. The pattern should be 2 duplicate fields, followed by 3 duplicate fields, over and over.
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You don’t output timecode from FCP. That’s not what the serial control is for. The serial control passes timecode information back and forth from the tape deck to FCP.
You need to stripe a bit of code onto the tape before you can achieve an assemble edit from FCP. Once the tape has a small amount of code, you can invoke “Edit To Tape” from FCP and assemble-edit your sequence. ETT allows you to remotely control the tape deck and set an in point where you want the sequence to go on tape. Then you can set an in and out point in the sequence, drag the sequence to the Assemble button in the ETT window, and the deck will automatically preroll and roll in, recording your edit.
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I don’t think you can capture multiple streams at once with LHe. It has one SDI input. However, you should be able to capture them separately. The deck should have a feature in its VTR Setup menu to choose which stream will play out the standard 1.5G HD-SDI port. Set to Stream A, capture, switch to stream B, capture again. You’ll have separate L and R files, which most 3D post pros know how to work with.
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Are you familiar with the entirety of the Edit To Tape module of FCP? The reason I ask is that if you are not, the answer could be as simple as this: the bottom right of the ETT window shows which ‘tracks’ get armed for an insert record when ETT is set to ‘Editing’ mode. The filmstrip icon is the Video track of the deck, then to the right of that is a drop-down menu where you can choose which audio tracks you want enabled. Perhaps in your insert, you have not chosen any audio tracks to insert. Can you see at the deck when you do this which audio channels are enabled? If you only see INSERT—-VIDEO and no lights under the audio channels, then nothing must be chosen in FCP’s ETT window.
Other than that, check your reference situation.
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Ryan – also, why not try a 3.0 file? Don’t use 5.1 with LFE when you’re only adding 3 channels. Unless the system can only take AC3 with 5.1 channels. But I think that any system that can decode AC3 can decode AC3 with any number of channels supported.
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Without plugin capability, you’d need a standalone app that can measure LKFS. That’s Dolby Media Meter. You export your mix as a WAV or AIFF and then feed it into this and it will spit out a number. Keep mixing until you hit the -24 +/-2 LKFS.
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ALSO
make sure your deck is set to CUT and not XFADE for audio editing. You can’t crossfade a Dolby E stream.
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One additional note, given the context. The Westone in-ear monitors I recommended have an added benefit in that when worn they’re hard to detect. Westone comes from hearing aid devices and their in ear monitors fit so well most people I meet on the street or on the train don’t realize I’m wearing them. I usually have to make a pronounced move to take my earphones out so they understand I couldn’t hear them asking for directions the first time. The earpieces fit flush in the outer ear and the cable loops over the ear and drapes over the back of the ear. You can then route the main cable under the chin or around the back of the head.
For example, this short video shows the fit.
