blackbudget
Member
I would like to record timecode from Protools into an audio channel on my dvx. I know it is possible to record, but how do I get FCP to recognize the timecode? Avid Xpress can do it.
Recording external timecode to an audio channel
- Thread starter blackbudget
- Start date
pheboglobi
Well-known member
I looked into this a while back, like a year ago, and I was never able to find a solution for FCP to read TC over audio. No 3rd party support either.
But if you find anything, let me know - I'd sure like to hear about it.
Garrett
But if you find anything, let me know - I'd sure like to hear about it.
Garrett
bbalser
Veteran
Ok, audio nativley does not use TC like video does. Some software will add that to help with doing video editing. Audio is recorded in Sample Rates, not frames. Sound does not get "recorded" with SMPTE TC, but at a Sample Rate, and you have to have something embed that extra TC metadata somewhere. For example, in SoundTrack Pro, you can switch the Tlimeline from beats per minute (native music timing) to Time Code (native video timing). But switching does nothing but change the ruler at the top of the Timeline window, it changes nothing about the actual audio.
When you bring in an audio track, it'll get assigned video TC on import, unless it has this data stored in metadata somewhere that FCP can recognize it. What file format are you exporting from Protools? AIFF files have NO video TC in them anywhere, although some NLEs will assign it on import. Which is why Final Cut Suite's apps use Scoring Markers for sound tracks between video and audio apps. If I import an AIFF file into FCP, it get's TC that starts at zero.
I would ask, what are you trying to achieve?
When you bring in an audio track, it'll get assigned video TC on import, unless it has this data stored in metadata somewhere that FCP can recognize it. What file format are you exporting from Protools? AIFF files have NO video TC in them anywhere, although some NLEs will assign it on import. Which is why Final Cut Suite's apps use Scoring Markers for sound tracks between video and audio apps. If I import an AIFF file into FCP, it get's TC that starts at zero.
I would ask, what are you trying to achieve?
blackbudget
Member
this has been a tough subject for people to understand. i have posted on a few boards. i dont think i am explaining myself well enough.
i am shooting in an audio recording studio that uses ProTools. Audio recorded in ProTools has timecode and that same timecode is fed into my DVX via XLR into one of the audio channels (timecode is actually 2khz audio). In order to match the ProTools cuts to video cuts, I need FCP to recognize the timecode in the audio channel. I wish I were using Xpress, which does that natively.
i am shooting in an audio recording studio that uses ProTools. Audio recorded in ProTools has timecode and that same timecode is fed into my DVX via XLR into one of the audio channels (timecode is actually 2khz audio). In order to match the ProTools cuts to video cuts, I need FCP to recognize the timecode in the audio channel. I wish I were using Xpress, which does that natively.
shawnmaddock
Active member
I think Ben understood. Audio doesn't natively have TC; as you pointed out PT encodes it at a certain freq. (I thought it was 20kHz? I could be wrong.) Have you looked into something like http://www.automaticduck.com/products/pifcp/ ? It sounds like it would do what you're looking for. I would also ask around on http://duc.digidesign.com/ if you haven't already.
imgentertainment@mac
The Reverend
So your saying it is recoding some kind of beats on the tape. Its not timecode but some kind of 4/4 count or something. And your saying you want FCP to understand the beat count for the audio. Right?? Why don't you export from protools to an XML or OMH or OHM i can't rember what it is... that way it will have no prop. I've done it with XML worked awesome.
bbalser
Veteran
Native audio digital recording measures it as a "sample rate" to match it's analog nature. It's much less data than video, so it can be more closely handled to it's native linear form. Well, it has nothing to do with any actual TC. It has to do with quality of the recording. Audio is not recorded frame by frame like video is. It's constant, no divisions. Sound is analog, we make it digital, but its not natively digital, no naturally occurring time slices in the recoded material. Video is time sliced into frames, audio files don't have such time slices.
Think about this: In FCP, the most common cause of audio drifting off time from it's associated video clip, is that the DV camera recorded audio "by accident" in 32khz sample rate, but FCP was set up to capture at 48khz sample rate. The sound "sounds" the same, no humanly detectable difference to speak of. The difference in speed of playback is very minimal. That's why it takes a minute or two into the clip to notice the audio drift. Sound isn't natively recorded in anything like "frames", although "sample rate" is somewhat analogous to "frames", it's not literal.
Sweetwater Sound has a forum that's pretty good for sound recording/processing information.
http://www.sweetwater.com/forums/
But an OMF files should be just fine. Should do you just what you need. Let me quote from page 158, Vol. 4, of the FCP users manual, the really easy to search, on-line version, found in FCP's help menu.
"Exporting OMF Audio Files
...OMF can store far more information than traditional EDLs, especially when it comes to audio interchange. When you export your sequence audio as an OMF file, the resulting OMF file contains a description of your audio edits (the clip In and Out points in the Timeline) along with the audio media files. You should use the OMF Export command if you plan to deliver your audio to an editor using an OMF-compatible digital audio workstation (DAW). Most audio facilities are able to use OMF files.
Using OMF for audio export has several important advantages:
Exported OMF files preserve your audio clips and audio media files (with or without
handles) embedded in a single file. This allows you to open up the audio from your
sequence in another audio editing application and still have access to individual clips.
You can export as many tracks of audio as you have in your sequence. EDL export
limits you to a maximum of four tracks of audio at a time.
Using OMF files, editors can send edited and synchronized audio tracks to an audio postproduction facility, maintaining the original tracks, clip In and Out points, and cross fades. Audio handles can be added so that the audio editor can still trim and crossfade
the audio as necessary."
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I hope this info helps out. I know some other editors who use ProTools with FCP a lot and seem to really like it. And I do believe they use OMF file format, not AIFF, or whatever one may end up using...
Think about this: In FCP, the most common cause of audio drifting off time from it's associated video clip, is that the DV camera recorded audio "by accident" in 32khz sample rate, but FCP was set up to capture at 48khz sample rate. The sound "sounds" the same, no humanly detectable difference to speak of. The difference in speed of playback is very minimal. That's why it takes a minute or two into the clip to notice the audio drift. Sound isn't natively recorded in anything like "frames", although "sample rate" is somewhat analogous to "frames", it's not literal.
Sweetwater Sound has a forum that's pretty good for sound recording/processing information.
http://www.sweetwater.com/forums/
But an OMF files should be just fine. Should do you just what you need. Let me quote from page 158, Vol. 4, of the FCP users manual, the really easy to search, on-line version, found in FCP's help menu.
"Exporting OMF Audio Files
...OMF can store far more information than traditional EDLs, especially when it comes to audio interchange. When you export your sequence audio as an OMF file, the resulting OMF file contains a description of your audio edits (the clip In and Out points in the Timeline) along with the audio media files. You should use the OMF Export command if you plan to deliver your audio to an editor using an OMF-compatible digital audio workstation (DAW). Most audio facilities are able to use OMF files.
Using OMF for audio export has several important advantages:
Exported OMF files preserve your audio clips and audio media files (with or without
handles) embedded in a single file. This allows you to open up the audio from your
sequence in another audio editing application and still have access to individual clips.
You can export as many tracks of audio as you have in your sequence. EDL export
limits you to a maximum of four tracks of audio at a time.
Using OMF files, editors can send edited and synchronized audio tracks to an audio postproduction facility, maintaining the original tracks, clip In and Out points, and cross fades. Audio handles can be added so that the audio editor can still trim and crossfade
the audio as necessary."
----------
I hope this info helps out. I know some other editors who use ProTools with FCP a lot and seem to really like it. And I do believe they use OMF file format, not AIFF, or whatever one may end up using...
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