[Rich Rubasch]

>I use SoundConverter frequently for converting to and from mp3/aiff/wav. It works with a gazillion audio >formats. It is $30 though.

And it’s PC only and the subject is MP3 Encoder for MAC!!!

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Rich Rubasch]

This is exactly my gripe about iTunes as a convertor…the steps look like something you’d have to do on a PC. It’s not real intuitive and the folder hierarchy on the hard drive is insane. iTunes should have interface changes to streamline the process of converting a single audio file. It does work, but seems like a kludge.

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Rich Rubasch]

Where are you located? Try to find an MCA-I chapter in your area. Have your business cards and demo ready. Lots of producers and production company guys out there. Be a partner to them…offer to do some of the overflow at a reasonable rate. You’ll get clients and if you’re good, you’ll get a lot more work.

Rich Rubasch
MCA-I Board Member fror 3 years
Madison, WI

[Rich Rubasch]

I like the Knoll Glow filter. It worked pretty good for me to emulate a light behind a wall etc. Casts nice soft rolloffs toward the subject, and with some clever masking can seem to illuminate their faces.

Go to Reg Giant Software to get the specs/cost etc.

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Rich Rubasch]

i’ve been using it for 5 years now since I started my company. I have every logged hour on every darn job I’ve done in there…makes putting together an estimate a breeze.

I too have been wondering if I need another gadget. Glad I have the leather planner…it has been good to me!

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Rich Rubasch]

I have shifts as well….At first I thought it was only a 10-bit problem, but I was working with the DVCPro 50 codec and when Iexport a clip from FCP as self contained (without any conversion) it is definately lighter in AE. The ONLY solution I found is to export the clip out of FCP to an Animation codec clip. It is perfect in AE and then I render back to the DVCPro 50 codec for FCP and it is a match.

Many people are blaming QT 7 (I still run QT 6.5, AE 6.5 OS 10.3.9, FCP 4.5) or their video card’s codec (but we are seeing this lightening effect when bringing DV clips to AE). I blame AE 6.5 but I’m not positive.

This is sort of what we get when we have an app like FCP and AE that can accept any kind of Quicktime…the problem is interpreting the proper color space. I have done some experimenting and with a simple levels effect but I cannot get an exact match to the source file. I can darken it but not make an exact digital match.

This is frustrating, but like I said, exporting a Quicktime from FCP (with conversion) to an Animation codec clip for AE work, then rendering out of AE to your FCP project codec seems to work for me, even if the interim clip is quite a bit larger than using either a reference clip or self contained with the FCP project codec.

You are not alone!

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media Inc

[Rich Rubasch]

I just went through this with my accountant. He swore post production wasn’t taxable, and was similar to accounting. He hands me a stack of paper and his service isn’t taxable…I am paying for his service to fill out the papers. BUT,in Wisconsin, post production services are taxable because the final product, a tape, DVD or even a web stream is considered art or creative property and is taxable. We are, in fact, creating something and giving that to the client in one or more of many different forms. An accountant is only filling out forms correctly and is not, infact, creating anything. Lawyers are in the same non-sales-tax category in Wisconisn.

However, sales tax is only charged if you are selling those services to the end user of the product. If I sell a service to another production company and they will resell my services to their client, then I don’t charge sales tax. If I make 200 DVDs for a client who is then marking them up to their client and selling them, they charge the sales tax, not me. But if my services are direct to the end user of them, I do charge sales tax.

If you go to your state’s Department of Revenue page and go to the business section and look for Sales Tax, try to find a PDF that lists all the categories. In that PDF do a search for the text “advertising” or “video” or “tape” etc. In Wisconsin tax law it is listed under Advertising, but includes actual production and post production services.

It is going to be a state to state basis…

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

Paying corporate taxes since 2001…

[Rich Rubasch]

I have been having a similar problem with a Pipe Studio setup on a G4 with FCP 4.5 and OS 10.3.8. I can only digitize 10 minutes at a time to the DVCPro50 codec or it errors out. So I just upload in 10 minute chunks.

In general the DVDPro50 codec is excellent, but somewhat unreliable, and I agree the Aurora uncompressed seems to give better, more consistent results.

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Rich Rubasch]

Do you have a Disk Warrior Bootable CD-ROM disc? Startup from that and see if it can see and repair it. I’d be surprised if it couldn’t.

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Rich Rubasch]

Good point. That’s is another good reason Avid has been able to create a versatile media managment tool across platforms and software versions, and make it more and more robust over the years. One thing I was thinking about is that Avid does not care what you name a clip, or other data you attach to it, like comments etc. Apple uses the clip name in the finder, and that very relationship can get you into trouble. If you have two shots called “sunset” for two different projects it is certainly possible to link to a clip froma different project. In Avid that is much less likely.

But the issue with slo mo, still frames and reversed clips is too big to ignore. Apple might have to come up with a way to label those clips with all the metadata from where it came from…EXACTLY…so it can redig them at a later date…EXACTLY.

Avid does this with one hand tied behind its back.

I really like that whole “software is doing the work for me” concept of professional post production.

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media