audio

[flvideo]

I did a stand up Saturday night and the PA, at the facility where I was, failed. A friend of mine was recording the interviews for radio broadcast and when the PA messed up I ask him to e-mail me his audio from his DAT which he did. I layed down the video from my tape including the screwed up audio. I put the audio from Jacks e-mail on the first music track on my mix screen. I had a little trouble syncing them but finally got them synced. Well i went off to do other things in the production. Split and insert Cam 2. I looked back at those audio tracks and they were badly out of sync. What can I do to lock them when I get them synced? Also whats the easiest way to sync them? I found a common place in the audio that was on the video with the audio on the DAT and that usually works well for me but today it didn't work as good as I'd like. I ended up puting Black inbetween the interviews so I could move the inserts a little that seemed to work ok all though I'd rather have a crossfade betwen them Thanks in advance. Bob...

[Jeanton]

Hi Bob

When you have the audio in sync and are happy with the sound I would make a scene of it and work with that scene instead.

[jimmeeker]

Yes, Making a "Scene" of your edited work will lock everything in place and then allow you to make dozens of other changes after that like adding a second camera using inserts or using Quad Cam or adding titles etc. Having the base scene audio locked in place with a purposely created "SCENE" will solve a lot of problems.

[IanPearson]

Bob
I fully agree with Jeanton and Jim, that is once you have a synchronized the video/audio scene, make a scene of it and they will now be cemented together.

To answer your best method of synchronising question. With your video scene in the scene bin, using “trim” – “start”, scroll to the point you have identified as your reference. Now switch to “trim” – “out” and scroll all the way back as far as it will go, so you will now just have one frame of your common reference point.

Again using the “trim” “start” scroll back to the point where the video clip is going to start and note the time length of the clip, which will be the time from the start of the scene to the reference point. Now again using the “trim” “finish” scroll forwards to the point where the video clip will finish and make a note of the total scene time.

Now in the audio edit screen, use “trim” – “start”, scroll to the audio point you have identified as your reference. Now switch to “trim” – “out” and scroll all the way back as far as it will go, so you will now just have one frame of your common audio reference point.

This time using “trim” “start”, scroll back the same time period that was noted on video scene and again using “trim” “finish” scroll forward until the total length of the audio is the same as the video scene.

You will now have an audio sample that is exactly the same length as the video and should be perfectly in sync, which you can add to the video in the mix screen.

From your initial question, I’m not sure exactly what you are saying. Is the sync OK at beginning but out at the end. If so there may be an issue that the timing of the video is not quite the same as the audio file and that the audio slowly moves out of sync. If this is the case you may have to split the samples up into shorter sections and sync then in shorter batches.

Ian

[MichaelD]

I agree with the above as you will probably always want this audio locked to the scene - as if it were the original audio.

However you could either use one of the FX tracks, in Audio Mix, that are 'locked' to the scenes or in Project Settings go to Audio Settings and have all the tracks locked.

[flvideo]

Thank you guys, I didn't think of making a scene. That will certainly lock it. MichaelD, you are saying I can lock all the tracks in project settings or the FX tracks are locked in? That's what I need. In all these years I have never used those FX tracks. To tell the truth I didn't know what they were for. I guess thats the difference between youth and age. When you are young you have inquiring minds. when you are old you are content with what you've always done. I guess I'd better speak for myself, HUH, Ian is my age or older and he's able to give me advice. Thanks guys agin, you have been a big help. Bob...

[RonaldPawlak]

After reading all the hints about making a scene, which is a good way of doing it, however some one finally mentioned about locking the audio tracks in the project menu. You can either lock all of them, or none of them

As far as not knowing things about different operations of software, that is why we got "THE CASABLANCA EXPERT" If you are not a member, you should be. Chet, is the guy that taught me how to operate different kinds of software, plus it would open up my mind to a lot of different ideas,

[IanPearson]

If I can just clarify something, all the tracks can be locked from the project settings menu, but all this does is ensure that the audio is locked to the scene in which it was placed. Therefore if scenes are later added at the front of the story board, then the audio will also move along to stay with that scene.

However, this is not the same as what Jeanton and Jim were describing. If after placing and rendering the audio to the story board, a scene is then made of the story board or part of the story board, then everything including effects, transitions, titling and audio are welded together as one permanent scene.

Now no matter what is done to this scene, cutting, trimming, inserts, more audio, etc, the separately added audio will remain in tack, no matter what.

Ian

[flvideo]

Yes I think in the future I'll make a scene and make sure. Does the FX tracks lock it or does it move when you add a scene too? I really had a chore yesterday. I had 8 full tapes to put in the Renymay. I had a car with a camera in it, and that was a challege to get that footage in the right place. I finnaly got the audio right and rendered it. I have copys in the mail already. Thanks for all you guys help. Some one ask about the Casablanca expert, yes I have joined thats how I found this board. Chet sent me an e-mail with some information and that was part of it. I haven't had a lot of time to go there except for just looking. I usually have to learn on the run. I am a 1 man band most of the time, except for camera work when my wife helps some and a friend helps me every week end. I think I soon need some help. I am forgetting stuff. I get involved in a project and forget something else I am supposed to do. Maybe that's OLD AGE. huh! Bob...

[IanPearson]

Bob
It may help if I can explain a little about the audio mix screen, it will be a little lengthy, so please bear with me.

The historical default settings within the mix screen are:-
1. The cam symbol, which is the audio that was taken by the microphone on the cam, which will of course be fixed to the appropriate video scene(s).
2. The track with a mic symbol, which is traditionally where any voice over audio is added. Any audio placed in this track will be fixed to whichever scene the audio sample is placed in. In other words if scenes are added or deleted afterwards, this audio will stay attached to the scene it was originally placed.
3. The first music track, if scenes are added or deleted later, the audio will shift position such that it always remains at the same time from the beginning of the story board as it was originally placed.
4. The second music track is the same as the first music track.
5. The fx1 track acts exactly like the mic track, the audio stays with the scene.
6. The fx2 track is the same as fx1.

In fact it does not matter what audio is placed in which track, they are all the same, except for the fixing point. So music, sound effect, voice over, etc can be placed in any track, the symbols are just identifying symbols.

Why tracks 3 and 4 are fixed to the start of the story board, I don’t know, since I have never had a project were I would want this arrangement.

From I think about OS V4, there has been an option to change these settings. Going into “Project settings” there is a button labelled “Audiosettings”, where first clicking “Audiotracks” and changing the setting to “Selection” each track can be set to either “locked” or “unlocked”. Locked means the audio will be fixed to the scene it was originally placed and unlocked means it will be fixed to the start of the story board.

At the start of a project I always set them all to locked, which incidentally the symbols are replaced with track numbers, 1 through to 6.

None of this means the audio will remain in place, if alterations are made to the story board later. Changing scenes after the audio has been added, or putting inserts, transitions, etc, can still screw up the audio and at a minimum may require the audio to be rendered again.

This is why in your case Jeanton and Jim recommended the making of a scene after you had added the imported audio. Once you have done this it will be like any other scene imported from your cam, the audio will be fully locked to the video. In other words all the audio will now be in track 1

Sorry for the diatribe, but I think it was necessary to fully understand the audio mix working.

Ian