[Nick Meyers]

” FCP does not like importing polywav files with odd numbered tracks, e.g. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.”

i haven’t had a problem with odd numbered files.
what specifically does your friend mean?

there might be slight issue when working in the timeline, if you, like me, prefer to have all your audio clips starting on the odd numbered tracks.
but this is a very slight issue.
no problems with the actual importing.

nick

[Nick Meyers]

“-What are the pros and cons of each method?”

DVD will look bad. that’s a con.

” All of the different export settings/options are driving me mad…”

just export as a self contend file, same settings. very simple, plus best quality, assuming you’ve been cutting in a timeline that matches your clip settings.

2 options for playback to projector:

1. set the projector as a second desktop of the computer.
you can then play the file back in FCP, via DIgital Cinema Desktop Preview,
or playback from QUicktime using the “Present Movie” command under the view menu.
Quicktime might look the best of these two.
but it most likely will have interlace issues, with obvious combing
you can open the flew Visual Settings in quicktime, and check the de-interlace box

2. send a true video signal out of FCP via a breakout box,
use something like the Decklink Ultrastudio Mini Monitor.
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/ultrastudiothunderbolt

this will look the best.
sort of.

you are used to seeing your video on the FCP canvas which does not show fields,
so when you view it as video, and see both fields, it will look like more like video, which can be a bit disappointing depending on your taste.
so you may want to consider de-interlacing your exported file in FCP and then re-exporting it.

nick

[Nick Meyers]

Sync n Link will do what you want.
it’s a bit pricey.

“click over every single cut and writing down the timecode beginning and end”

how about copy / paste the start TC, and use in/out points in the Timeline to edit.

nick

[Nick Meyers]

hi, Sarah.

answer is YES, it involves jumping from the Timeline to the browser.
so for starters, double click the bin with the clips in it into it’s own tab in the Browser,
and open the Label column and sort by it. Colour labels are involved.

find your stack of clips in the timeline, and COLOUR the clips in that stack the one colour.
i use the keyboard commands Option +Command + 2 through 6 for each of the 5 avaialable colours
Option +Command + 1 for no colour. this is the top row numbers, not the number pad.

go to the start of the last clip in the stack,
and blade the stack, (Control + V) so there is a common edit point on all clips.

in the timeline select each clip in that stack in turn and hit f to match-frame it into the viewer
this will update the browser version to have that new start time.

now go to the clips in the browser, (Shift + F will take you there from a selected timeline clip or from the viewer)
select the clips (easy to do as they are now coloured) and Create Multiclip based on the new in-point.

i love shortcuts, so i gave Create Multiclip Shift + Command + * (asterisk on the number pad)

move the multiclip into a bin

finally remove the colour on the clips so that the next group is totally obvious.

it’s pretty fast and efficient once you get rolling.

cheers,
nick

[Nick Meyers]

yes that’s a common problem.
no idea what causes it, as it’s pretty random

i used to toggle the tracks to a larger size, (Shift T) but it still happened!

other solutions are to double click the clip into the viewer, and add keyframes there,
or select the clip, and add a keyframe using the keyboard command: Option + Command + K

nick

[Nick Meyers]

“when I highlight the different tracks in the sequence to create a multiclip in my viewer – it does not allow me to do this”

you need to select the component clips in the BROWSER, not the timeline.

nick

[Nick Meyers]

this is not the FCP X forum, BUT…

a mask is probably the way to go.
you might just need to make a better mask.

try SliceX
https://www.coremelt.com/products/slicex.html

nick

[Nick Meyers]

could be in your previous system you had simply turned off the “Stop playback on dropped frames” preference.

nick

[Nick Meyers]

what is the format / codec of your media?
what settings are your timeline?

nick

[Nick Meyers]

it means nothing (serious),
just a glitch in the way FCP displays,
it will probably clear up if you trash your prefs.

you can do that manually
or Digital rebellion has a tool for it:

https://www.digitalrebellion.com/blog/posts/how_to_trash_preferences.html

of course once you trash your prefs you will have to re-set them
(unless you like having only 10 undos!)

once you reset them use Digital Rebellion’s pref manager to back them up for next time you need to trash them.

nick