Hello, for over a decade now I have changed my Default Starting TC in the General Settings to something else to allow for tone and bars at the head of my cuts so the first video will start at 1 hour exactly.

NOW when I do this in MC6.5.2 however, it also changes the source timecode of all audio clips I import into bins!. VO, Music, et...... One editor swears it has always done this and I swear it hasn't, and the user manual clearly states that the TC value entered here adjusts the starting timecode of all new SEQUENCES created. Can someone please clear this up and/or fix it.....

Thanks!

Is it just audio imports or does it affect video imports as well?

Just audio.....

I just tested this on both MC 5.5.3 and Symphony 6.5.2. The starting TC for imports does indeed change according to what is entered in the window under general settings. Never noticed it before, but that window does say Default Starting TC, not Default Sequence Starting TC.

On my end, it affects both video and audio imports.

Which is bizzare because the manual clearly states for Sequences......... Why would anybody want ALL the timecodes to change on every single clip? That's not normal....

Since it's this way on version 5 as well, I have to conclude that it's always been that way. But I agree with you, I would prefer that it only affected sequence start times. Or an option tab to allow setting both import and sequence start TC.

You can always create a "dummy sequence" that you use as a base and put in a separate "elements" type project.  (We have one where our bars/tone, slates, and black slug files live).

Create a sequence starting at the TC you want with bars/tone and whatever else you want.  Then duplicate each time you start a new sequence.  Then you have the best of both worlds, and don't have to add bars to every sequence you do.

Kevin Klimek:

Create a sequence starting at the TC you want with bars/tone and whatever else you want.  Then duplicate each time you start a new sequence.  Then you have the best of both worlds, and don't have to add bars to every sequence you do.

That's exactly what I do in my Common Elements project - master sequence templates for each show series that start at 58:30:00 for bars, tone and countdown with program start at 1:00:00:00 that we duplicate as needed per episode. Perhaps that's why I never noticed this issue before, since my default is 1:00:00:00.

Yeah I know..... I'll probably do that. It just sucks because I know this is not right and it just makes my life harder that's all. Especially since I freelance around town a lot and can't bring preset sequences with me from facility to facility because they all use their own tone and bars and slates.....

Thanks anyway guys......

I guess for you John it's best to just leave the default at 1:00:00:00, which I think most people use anyhow and use "Get Sequence report..." to change the start TC of any sequence in progress.

Does the footage you are importing have TC to begin with?  I've just tested this and imported a wav file (with TC), a 5d file (no TC) and a pro res mov (with TC)... The 5d file came in with new starting TC matching the general setting.  The others retained their timecode.  MC needs timecode and if it is not seeing any on clips it imports I think it assigns it based on that setting.  Would be nice if this is mentioned in the user guide (i'm not saying that its not there - i just have not seen it....)

Anyone else confirm this?

architectspiders:

Anyone else confirm this?

(digging up and old thread) Yes, and it's a major PITA when it comes time to online a sequence cut in MC on some other system when the clips refer to timecodes that don't actually exist in the source file -- because every other sane system on the planet (correctly) assumes that no timecode in a file means a start of 00:00:00:00, not some random number plucked from a user preference.

How MY definded timecode on non timecode sources on import has changed over time.

At one stage it used the creation date time (no use as this could easily change if the file was modified) I think this was V5.5

V6 or V6.5 it changed to using the general setting so any source with no timecode as well as new sequences started with that timecode which sort of was ok while your general setting was 01:00:00:00 as in the US but no use here in the UK where we have it as 10:00:00:00 or even 09:58:00:00

So they then reverted to any non timecode source having 00:00:00:00 as it's start and the general setting now only affects sequence start timecodes.

But you need to be on Version 7 to have the revised working.

Basically your on an older version and it wasn't right then.

Pat Horridge:

So they then reverted to any non timecode source having 00:00:00:00 as it's start and the general setting now only affects sequence start timecodes.

But you need to be on Version 7 to have the revised working.

Maybe on Mac.. I tested on 7.0.3 and 7.0.4 Windows and that's not the case, it still uses the 'Default Starting TC' code from the General prefs.