Syncing Sound in Post : FYI : Also posted in FCP

[mrbimmer]

Ok here's the deal. I own this HHB Portadisc and I am going to be using it to record the sound durning my next film coming up. I have a couple of topics I would like discussed.

First off, I will be shooting in 24PA. Mind you that you need to remove the pulldown in post (FCP/Cinema Tools) making it a true 23.98 time line. This means that it is exactly the same as editting 16mm, 35mm film. Now with that said, when my audio is recorded in real time by my Portadisc and I go to sync in post will the audio be thrown off. i.e will the voices not match the mouth movements of the talent.

On a website concering film and the syncing of audio here is what someone said:


Sound syncing is just as simple on an AVID, but you may end up paying more for editing time on the machine syncing sound than it will cost in the lab. WARNING: if you plan to sync sound in this manner, you ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE THE AUDIO RESOLVED AT THE LAB. If you don't, you will have a horrible nightmare trying to match pix running at 30fps or 29.97fps to sound that was recorded in real time with pix at 24fps.

Second, Is recording sound to the Portadisc the way to go. It records using the ATRAC 4.5 compressor and the sound quality is supurb. It is very comparable to DAT. I have been told by many to do it this way. It seems the smart way to go.

I would love opinions on this subject.

[Barry_S]

The HHB is the cream of Minidisc recorders--if I owned one, I wouldn't hesitate to use it for double system sound. *Unlike the Sony's, it has true digital output, so you should get excellent fidelity. *It's first class in every way.

Regardless of the frame rate you're working in (23.98 or 29.97) you will have the same issues to deal with in post. *The HHB doesn't have an internal timecode generator, so you will not be able to *exactly* synchronize the audio recording with the DVX footage. *There will be a very small difference in the speeds that the image and sound tracks are recorded.

Is it important? *Well, it all depends on what you're recording. *For dramatic films, a scene may last a minute, or maybe 6 minutes. *Over the course of say, 6 minutes, that difference in speed is going to be imperceptable. *So if you slate the scene at the beginning (with a clapper), you can safely run through the whole thing without worrying about the sync slipping. *If you were recording uninterrupted shots of 15 minutes or longer, then you'd start to notice the sync slipping.

In practice, you're probably going to be splicing audio and video from several takes over the course of the scene--making sync even less of an issue.

There are a lot of options in postproduction--easy options--that allow you to properly sync a soundtrack. *You can slice out a bit of video or audio from time to time. *You can slightly stretch or compress the length your audio track to match your image. *Because the Portadisc records at a very constant speed, you should be able to easily sync things in post.

[mrbimmer]

Thanks for the awesome (as usual) post Barry! I am going to really have to figure out what I am going to do. I guess using the unit will be the best way being that I already have one. What type of Minidisc media would you use...any favorite brands or are they all basically the same? Thanks again Barry!

If others have more to add on to Barry's post please don't hesitate even if you think you may sound stupid...I need to hear all the different scopes I can on this situation...Thanks!

[Barry_S]

Kyle,

I don't have a recommendation for specific MD media, but I've gone to http://www.minidisc.org/ when I've needed any MD-related info. My best advice is to do a practice run before you start the real shooting. Shoot a test scene and play around with editing and syncing the sound. Figure out your workflow before you start production.

[oleg]

Clap in start and and end of the takes , if you will have difference , you can drug the time line in the editting room