Problem Capturing in FCP 5

[Turkeychuk]

Hey guys im new to FCP5 so can someone please tell me how to capture footage from my dv cam to my computer? whenever i go to capture. i click on "capture now" and then it says "waiting for timecode". then nothing happens. someone please help me get capturing.

 

[Grug]

press the play button underneath the preview screen in the Capture window, then hit "capture now". Or press play on your camera and then hit "capture now".

 

[VaricamLife]

When your DV Cam is hooked up to your computer and you open the Log and Capture window, does it say "VTR OK"? If you take the tape out does it say "Not Threaded"? Those would be the first tests to make sure its seeing it properly. I hardly use the Now feature, but last time I used it and had it hang on the same message/screen as you describe it was because of lack of proper VTR communication. So I would make absolutely certain of that first.

As mentioned, if you use capture now, you have to manually hit play (it won't use deck control and just play for you). You can push play after pressing Capture Now, it will just record some dead space at the head (which might not be a bad thing if you need those first few seconds).

The overall capturing process in FCP can be quite involved, so if you don't have experience with you might want to get a reference text for your own sake. Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 5 would be a good one to have. You could also go for the materials offered here by folks like Barry Green or Noah K.

In the long run you'll be better off logging the tape into small clips/portions and then using batch capture. It would make for an easier edit and will make FCP happier. Too many full tape ingestions (and then cuts from those) can make outputs a less than enjoyable experience.

cheers.