[Sam Linder]

Have you been using MPEG Streamclip?

I too have been experiencing this on a recurring basis. Just when I thought it was fixed, the issue reappeared. Now it seems maybe MPEG Streamclip is the issue.

The audio channels are intact until transcoded with MPEG Streamclip, and after transcoding they become irreparably mixed.

As a work around, I have been transcoding with MPEG Streamclip, and then swapping the original, uncompressed audio into the synced timeline. This works for my projects because I have been working on sequences with one or two long clips; it would be a mess if there were many short clips.

Have you given it a try with Compressor?

[Sam Linder]

Hello all, I use a 5D and a 60D, with 70-200 f4 & 2.8, and the EF-S 17-55 f2.8, all with IS. I find IS crucial to handheld and also use it while on sticks. I never turn IS off, unless I’m doing certain pans; have found that I see the IS working through the pan and it detracts from the camera move, but on most pans the IS does not exert a negative effect.

I have had an issue with the noise from the Image Stabilizer being picked up by a Rode Video Mic, and that’s why I’m posting here. I had a shoot with tons of audio issues, and found myself having to use several shots from the on-camera mic, where the IS gurgles and has been tough to remove. Does anyone have experience and luck with removing the IS noise in FCP or X-crackle in Pro-Tools? Searching for a plug-in but can’t find one.

Thanks very much

FCP 7.0.3 / OS X 10.5.8 / MacBook Pro 2.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

[Sam Linder]

Hello Jerry, and thanks very much for your response.

The panning in FCP was the first thing I checked, but the fact that both waveforms looked the same (when I knew they were supposed to contain separate mic sources) tipped me off to the problem, initially.

I’ve since solved the issue, or rather, created a temporary work-around that will need to be refined when I have more time.

Because the audio was fine when previewed in XDCAM Transfer, and because the audio tracks were combined into two mono mixes immediately upon importing into FCP, it seemed liked the issue was with with the XDCAM Transfer settings. I tweaked the settings until the audio was imported correctly– this involved unchecking the “MONITOR: 1/2” box and sliding the L/R fader to one side; Also, in XDCAM Transfer preferences, under General, I checked ALL the audio channel boxes (“1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8”). Somehow this allowed the footage to be imported with the proper audio.

When next I import EX3 footage with different audio on both channels, I’ll first do some test imports to see which of the settings results in proper import. I know the work-around above is by no means ideal, and that I’m having a greater issue of some sort that will hopefully be revealed when my proper settings are discovered. Will have to investigate further when time allows.

Thanks again.

Sam

FCP 7.0.3 / OS X 10.5.8 / MacBook Pro 2.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

[Sam Linder]

Hello All, I know this is a rather late-breaking addendum to this topic, but this is also my first posting to this site, after years of benefitting from the collective trouble-shooting to which (most) everyone here contributes. I’m indebted to these forums. And I also want to relate a strange incident that occurred yesterday, in which FCP (accidently) over-wrote it’s own source footage.

I was working on someone else’s rig at work, and needed to slap a new music bed onto an existing graphics package. My methodology here is not the best, but I was under deadline, and trying to move too fast. I grabbed the graphics clip from a drive and dropped it onto the desktop. I created a sequence in the project already open, added the graphics to the browser, dropped it into the sequence, dropped in the music, (added slugs, tweaked levels, etc), and outputted by sending to compressor.

Here is the fatal mistake I made– in compressor I chose desktop as my destination, and renamed the file. I accidentally renamed the output the same name as the source file, which was also on the desktop. When compressor finished, the source file on the desktop had been replaced with the output, and in that file, while the music was intact, the image was that beautiful red “media offline.”

While it would make sense for Compressor (or any program, for that matter) to see a file of the same name in the destination and prompt the user to overwrite/rename, Compressor did not ask and thus the source file was overwritten. I guess this is one of those FCP black-holes in which the program works in mysterious ways– but it is possible for FCP to overwrite– destroy– its own source footage.

I’m not mad, because the onus for media management falls to the user, and I will never operate off the desktop again, even in a rush– I will pay much more attention, and do it write the first time (ie, creating folders and putting said folders in the proper place), because it took me several minutes to figure out what had actually happened, and then I had to start again. I should say that I’m not a professional editor, rather a departmental assistant occasionally asked to do tasks like this.

I write about this here in case it happens to someone else, but also to acknowledge that no machine or program is perfect, and that as professionals, no matter our job titles, we must be vigilant, and prepare for these unforeseen circumstances with rigorous back-ups and media management.

Failing that, lawyer up!