Why is FCP creating its own clips?

Shinobi

Shinobi

Active member
I got a isssue that I could use some help with.

While trying to capture the footage I've already logged, FCP is creating its own clips. It is not following my in and out points , its is creating like 5 or six random clips within the in and outs......Any ideas? (I'm doin bath capture to an external Harddrive)

Also when I was logging all the sudden my MAC Pro and A1 would lag and stutter.
 
Are these clips labelled -av0, -av1, -av2?

If so, then your drive is formatted Fat32. Your drive needs to be formatted MacOS Extended. Fat32 has a 2GB limit. Look at these files and se how big they are.
 
Hey thanks for the reply. I am not sure where I can check to see what the clips are labeled. I don't see -av_, anywhere. Yet i did check my harddrive and it says Format:MacOs estended (journaled) when I go to its info................?
 
Ok... let's start over...

What format are you capturing?

Are you saying that FCP is creating these clips in its browser?

You are sure you are putting in the correct tape? (sorry)

Give us a better workflow and what you are actually seeing description.

Did you trash your preferences?

What drive (external, internal, system drive???)

Thanks,

CaptM
 
ok here is the scoop.....

HDV 1080 24 frames

Yes it is creating random clips in the browser. For example...I have logged "repair" then i when I'm capturing it will serch for "repair" then start to capture, but instead of capturing all of "repair" it will capture the first 4 seconds of "repair" and then create "repair-1" for 6 seconds, then "repair-2" for 9 seconds and so on.

yes its the right tape, i've done this a hundred times but this time one thing is completely new to me.....

I am using an OWC 750 gig external hard drive. My 250g internal is full except for 2 gigs. So I changed my capture settings to the external harddrive by clicking on "scratch disk" then unclicking my internal and checking all the boxes on my External hard drive. The only things set on my internal h.d. are.....webform cache, thumbnail cache, and autosave vault.

??

Thanks for your help...
 
It sounds like breaks in timecode... or dropped frames on capture.

Odd.

This 750 gig drive is FW, yes? What's the camera you are capturing from? I'm not familiar with the whole HDV process... but could it be that there is a pulldown issue? You said you've done it before, so I'll wager you know what correct capture settings to use.

So it DOES give you the 'repair' clip... just in a bunch of subsections. (?)

Very odd.

I'm still looking.

CaptM
 
Its the Canon XH A1, so as far as i know there is no pulldown.

The External Hard drive is FW but......I am using the usb connection...where am I suppose to plug in the dumb firewire cable, the rear fire wire connection is taken by my moniter and the front connection is where I plug in the camera. So I have to use USB right?

Oh and I just got it to capture two individual clips in a row. I deleted all my logged clips and started to capture a clip one by one...so far it has worked twice. I am wondering if maybe FCP was confused by my odd Names of clips....such as Repair, Repair1opening, Repair2drilling, repair3cleaning....etc......but still I though FCp just cares about the timecode...

I don't know I'm confused....

thanks again.
 
USB is your issue!!

Plus everything else on it.

Not ideal, but I suggest you move files off the system drive onto the external and capture to your system drive (I can't believe I said that!!).

Really -- this FW drive should be fw800, yes? Isn't there another FW port on it? You must have a laptop. I suggest getting a FW card (PCMCIA or whatever the format is these days) for the lappy and going FW to the external drive.

USB is fast... but not for the sustained results you need with the video capturing.

Good luck,

CaptM
 
Ok....it happened again, but I think I am getting closer to figuring it out.

First off, I don't think I understand completely "dropped frames", but I think that is my issue. I have seen "dropped frames detected" while editing but have never run into this problem.

Ok so it worked twice before, but this time while logging (one clip at a time) it stuttered...the camera and the computer. It did this about three times, while logging this clip. I then went to capture this one clip and boom....it did it.....it would kinda stutter and start creating its own clips. It would have issues about where it stuttered when I was logging. So I now have 4 spaced out clips of what should be 1 continuous one minute clip.

hmm...it it because I'm using usb connection. Do I need to plug the camera straight into the hard drive? When I did this I could not get FCP to recognize the comp.

........
 
ok so i wrote that last one while you were writing. Should have guessed it was the usb. Good call, thanks. So it does have other firewire ports, but they are s400....Should have gone for the s800. Will fw400 be good enough? (I don't have a laptop) If that does not work for me then, I'll do what you say and transfer files over to my external from my system.

thanks dood
 
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HDV is not the best format out there and has many restrictions. What you are most likely seeing, regardless of USB, FW400, or FW800, is that HDV automatically creates new clips on each stop and record and dropped frames on the tape. The reason it does this is because HDV is recorded in MPEG2 GOP frames (a group of frames compressed). So, it can't simply slice in the middle of a group or connect two groups, i.e. the end of one record session to the beginning of the next.

One way around it is to capture to another HD format or DV.
 
Wano540 said:
HDV is not the best format out there and has many restrictions. What you are most likely seeing, regardless of USB, FW400, or FW800, is that HDV automatically creates new clips on each stop and record and dropped frames on the tape. The reason it does this is because HDV is recorded in MPEG2 GOP frames (a group of frames compressed). So, it can't simply slice in the middle of a group or connect two groups, i.e. the end of one record session to the beginning of the next.
Click to expand...

You can capture HDV with in/out points just like other formats, but there is an option in FCP (it's in the HDV capture window) to create a new clip on stop/start that is set "on" by default. W/that being said, because of the GOP structure of HDV you are more likely to get random recording errors that interrupt the data stream and cause FCP to create a new clip. I've had new clips created in the dead middle of a take w/o a visible TC break or dropout.


-A
 
Oh man....I should have checked this thread earlier. I have already sent my external Hard drive back to get one with FW800. O well.

Thank you guys for the insight, now I am realizing that dropped frames were my issue.

But I still have afew questions.......So are dropped frames on the actual tape or what? I just ran into dropped frames as I was trying to capture straight into my system drive....then I unplugged tha camera from the computer and played back the tape again....it still stuttered with dropped frames. Then after watching it again a few times the stutter (dropped frames) went away....I then was able to capture that clip just fine.

So does this mean they just randomly come? What causes them and why have I not ran into this problem before??
 
The HD w/FW800 will be still worth it.

Dropped frames AREN'T on the tape (well... might be... but not usually in the case we're talking about)... what's happening is as FCP is chugging to capture if IT drops a frame due to bus speed issues, or CPU issues or something like that it will generate a STOP and give you the Dropped Frames warning.

HOWEVER... it could be that your heads on the camera are a bit funky. Go ahead and give them the once over.

CaptM
 
Whats a good way to clean the camera heads? I bet there are cleaning tapes right?

I still can't seem to get around these dumb dropped frames...I have 23 gigs left on my hard drive that should be plenty to run smoothly right?

It takes me an hour to capture one 1 minute clip. I keep going back till there are no dropped frames in the clip.....
 
yes... cleaning tapes aren't the best... but will do if you don't want to take your camera in for a professional cleaning.

Dropped frames... you still trying to capture with the USB???

CaptM
 
No...The camera is plugged into the system drive via firewire. I'm thinking it has to be my camera heads since it does it sometimes when the camera is unplugged from the computer.

So I bought a cleaning tape but am afraid to use it....I'm looking to see if somewhere close can close can clean it professionally.
 
Shinobi said:
So I bought a cleaning tape but am afraid to use it....
Click to expand...


HAHA!! Indeed you should be... however... using it once won't kill you...

AND - if you really want to use one on an AS NEEDED - can't do anything else basis... get one that is the same brand as the tapes you use.

You ARE using the same brand and type of tape EVERYTIME, yes?

If not, you should. If you get it cleaned by a pro - always stick with the same tapes. Different tapes are made with different lubes (heeheee, sorry) and when combined, those lubes (heehee, sorry) can cause a glue-like substance on your heads (heeeheee, sorry).

CaptM
 
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