[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Here’s a link:

https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/qt_movies_from_fcp.html

The suggested settings work for me.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

[Bob DeLano] “looking for a way to bring it back to life”

That all depends on what “died”.

This is a question for a techie, preferably one who is currently working at Lacie.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Exactly 12 days, 9 hours and 26 minutes.

How’s that?

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Very common issue.

To reduce the problem on capture, break your captures into sections no longer than about 10 minutes each.
If there is a “timecode break” that is “seen” by FCP, it won’t abort (lose) the entire capture.

You can then “reconstruct” the full tape’s recording (or any longer takes) quickly if you need to.
Mark (and log) your first clip to End (Out-point) about 10 minutes or less from its In-point.
Continue to mark (and log) your clips this way throughout the rest of the tape.
Just make sure the In-points of the subsequent clips are EXACTLY ONE FRAME LATER than the Out-points of the previous clips.

You can do all this while actually scanning the tape(s) or just by inputting arbitrary TC numbers, logging them… then use Batch Capture to bring in all of your clips.

Its very easy to then “reconstruct” the shorter clips back to any “continuous” length you want on the timeline by just “clicking” them on in order.
EVEN FASTER… select ALL successive clips at once in the browser (with the browser column-order set to “Media Start” highlight all clips) and drop them, all at once, on the timeline… they’ll all pop up in continuous order.

Also, many would alternately suggest to actually “off-line” (pre-screen) your raw tapes before capture and mark only the actual “keeper” clips, then Batch Capture them.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

[george dv] “…to get the most use out of my computer speakers.”

[Thax] “…connect an A/-B switch on your speakers.”

Not exactly a major investment:
https://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=15-1982

And there are many others for even less money.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Better that you connect an A/-B switch on your speakers.
Better still to use an inexpensive mixer and use it to choose your sources.

But to answer directly:

Final Cut Pro (menu) > Audio/Video Settings… > A/V devices > Audio: “Built-in audio Controller”

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

[zoltan77] “I’m assuming it can be done that far if someone makes the cables for it.”

Well, I would not give THAT assumption in much esteem.
(Cable mfg. will make anything that will sell and leave the final usage problems up to the engineers to worry about).

That aside, many (most) TV stations and post houses have “machine/tape rooms” a sizable distance from various edit suites and control rooms.

BTW, 20 feet is “nothing” for a cable run of any kind (except for maybe SCSI… the design of the cable is important).

Now, a THOUSAND feet is “pushing it” for non-equalized coax runs (although I’ve seen many do that and more in stadiums and arenas.)

Inside a TV studio building, 100′ coax runs are not uncommon.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Try “trashing” the FCP preferences.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

[mushyosh] “but telling FCP by turning off layerrs, and making others active”

That isn’t how to best select the Match-frame track.

You turn on the “Auto Select” icon on the track you want to choose from (turn off the others if its not the “top” track).

If you “option-click” on the track’s Auto Select icon, its just a one (or two) click command.

That said, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if you could just position the cursor over a clip and then hit “F’.

[Thaxter Clavemarlton]

Where are you viewing the output?

Many monitors have poor “DC restoration” (ability to hold a “pure” black level).

When you also have other video (titles or clips) on the screen at the same time (not just black-on-black) does the black appear to “jump” back down?

View FCP on the Waveform Monitor [Tools > Video Scopes] and check at the black-level there.