Oh, yes.  The amazing format that is VHS!

I'm trying to capture footage from my VHS into my Avid by RCA cables through my DVCam deck (which is firewire into Avid).  I'm getting picture, but no audio.  Cables seem to be patched correctly.  There is definitely audio on the tape.  I'm switched to "video" on my DVCam deck.

The "toggle source" is diabled and the TC is not activated in the CATURE TOOL.  Only V,A1,A2.

Any idea why I can't get audio? 

Just a thought, I prefer to first dub the VHS to a DV tape as trying to capture directly through the deck has nearly always caused given me problems.

I know it takes longer, but another reason is that a lot of VHS's I use to be irriplacable archive material and one pass through the VHS deck secures the material with a minimum of risk to what are often delicate tapes.

As for the audio not being there at all, I once had that problem when the audio on the tape seemed to be at some strange rate when the deck was looking for 48k. But there are many with much greater knowledge more able to comment.

Good luck

Chris

 May I recommend you insert a bust tape into the deck and simultaneously record whilst capturing.

Using a deck as a passthrough device was fixed in later versions. It was never a feature, it was a bug that was fixed. However recording whilst capturing allows the passthrough.

 That did it! 

Thanks!!!!

 Hi

 The audio problme is a Bug that started at Avid Xpress Dv Pro 5.6 and untill now Avid didn't fix it
as this was a reason that i didn't move to new versions as the last versions this work is 5.5 of Xp Pro after that you will have this problme and I thought that in this new Mc 3.0 this will be fix but i see still Avid development  team didn't do there job as to fix this Bug.

 This is a common problem routing analog devices through DV for FW capture. Put a tape in your DV cam deck and roll record while you capture and the audio should come through. You may need a time base corrector (TBC) on the output of your VHS if the source material is ratty and unstable.

 "The audio problme is a Bug that started at Avid Xpress Dv Pro 5.6 and untill now Avid didn't fix it"

It is not a bug. A feature to use a FW device, camera/deck, as a transcoder was never an advertised/available feature - that is what the Mojo is for.

Seriously, think about it, why would Avid create a feature that would circumvent the purchase of a $1,600 Mojo? Simple answer, they didn't. It was an unforseen capability that was eventually removed.

A bug would be the feature, advertised and promised as available, to capture 720p HDV 29.97 from JVC gear (from 5.2 onwards) and not being able to actually perform that.

Avid may have numerous faults - all actual valid bugs - and it is folks, such as yourself, who scaremonger issues that don't exist.

p.s. Sims Carter - glad it worked out for you though.

 Avid admit that this is bug and if you want i can find it in the forum.
as i was told by there support that this will be fix in the next release and this is what they are telling me sens then that in the next release this will be fixed.

As for the Mojo i have a Mojo and i have seen a lot of case that the VCR in my case the Sony DSR-11 PAL do a better job then the mojo or any other converter as Mojo have a problem that if the material is not stable enough you will get a bug of quares in the video if you have any drop in the video and the VCR will  ignore this drop and in the worst case you will get a small line or so but you can work with the material, i have also a TBC from For-A to stabilize the material but again there are cases that you will get the best result only by the VCR with no TBC.

So this Bug need to be fix

And it need to be FIx ASAP

Funny you just ran into this problem.  I had the same problem yesterday as well!  Luckily I was able to learn about the workaround (recording on the dv deck as you capture) but it is still frustrating.

While some will debate whether it's a bug or a feature that Avid removed (either way it seems they don't care much to fix it) I think it stinks that Avid will still do this to it's customers. It wasn't a feature that never existed, it is one that they broke or removed.  When I upgrade from Xpress pro 5.2.4 to MC 3.0 I would think that I would gain features and not lose any.  Making your customer base frustrated over these small things (think center duration box in Xpress Pro) seems like bad business sense.  Some customers will never be able to buy the Nitris DX box and by removing this feature (or not fixing the bug) it's just making the Avid software weaker (for my home MC system I will never buy extra hardware boxes just to edit my personal family videos) compared to the competition.

My $.02.

-Peter B

 I would agree that in general, Avid needs to focus on the goal of "Easy In - Easy Out" for acquiring source media and outputting final product. Once you're in the edit mode and using the edit interface, things are usually nice and smooth, but the roadblocks and obstacles to getting stuff in and out of the platforms are SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE.

This should be a sharp focal point for Tewksbury's "New Thinking" teams.

How the heck does Avid know whether you're using a deck as a transcoder or not?  I mean, a Firewire DV stream either has the audio in it or it doesn't.  Avid shouldn't care whether the deck is transcoding material or playing it back from a tape.  This seems like a problem with the DVCAM deck to me.

Did you try just pressing record on the DVCAM deck with no tape in it?  I seem to remember running into a similar problem once, and that may have fixed it.  I could be misremembering, though...

 Yale, not all decks have a record standby mode. Some need to be rolling to pass the signal completely through. Keep in mind this is a workaround, until the bug gets fixed. I'm just thankful it works, because Avid is taking their sweet time getting around to this one.

For those of you who are interested, here's a related thread that will give you the complete back story. Note the start date of that thread.

 ah yes...a problem I hoped I had left behind moving from AXP to MC, then hoped again as I moved to MC3, but alas...

The recording tape workaround is a simple enough, plus it gives you a re-capturable source for the media should you need it.

another work around I often use (when there's no possible need for recapture) is drop the deck into "free run TC" and tap the record button on the front panel to get the numbers spinning. It's not the deck AVID cares about, its a continuous/contiguous stream of TC so the audio can be properly synched (locked) to the video stream.

good luck

There are multiple threads on this, that date back too.. what I find funny about that old thread is - and I cannot recall the name - but the user who proclaimed they are moving their entire company over to FCP because they cannot use a deck as a transcoder.

Ever thought of buying a Mojo for these purposes?  And, if that is how someone bases their business decisions on something that is EXTREMELY simple to workaround... power to you.

I based my decision to goto FCS2 on the fact that Avid DOES NOT work with JVC HDV format.. regardless of frame rate. There is no workaround. It is a bug that is yet to be resolved.

Regardless of Avid bowing to the whimpers and referring to the 'no deck as a transcoder' as a bug... It was something that was there (never promised nor a feature) and then they fixed some other bugs in the software that removed the 'deck-transcoder'.

There are those that are moaning about how Avid should be 'new thinking' with this in mind... Business and logic minded for a moment, does this make sense... 'let's make any/most/all DV decks act as an analogue transcoder and destroy the market sale of OUR analogue transcoder'.

Or, 'let's make the software work like it should and make serious hardware' - I am all with those on the 'cheaper hardware' argument... no contradiction from me on that one.

But which one makes the most sense. Not which one do YOU want.. company, stockholder, business-wise. I guess the next step, Avid should make their software work with every computer and any configuration because there are those who cry about the 'non-supported' hardware they have on their home/gaming system and how Avid is not accomodating their customers.

I, for one, support Avid being limited to specific hardware requirements. I like to know that when I use the program - with the supported configuration - it works. No weird errors.. no odd glitches.. it simply works. Hey, HDV 720 still a major thorn in my side.. I cry about it, but I went and purchased the right tool for that job.. FCS2. I will continue to bother Avid about this because this is something they announced as working, promised and specifically promoted their partnership with JVCs format. 2005 to present day... still waiting.

 I've always dumped my VHS to tape first (usually SP, Digi or DV). While it may seem like double handling it has a number of advantages:

1. Archive

2. A timecode reference to recreate your project if necessary

3. Limits the use of the actual VHS tape which as others have stated is less reliable.

Doing it direct via a transcoder, an analogue mojo or adrenaline is tres riske...

I wouldn't *** too much about Avid's support for this - just be glad VHS is dying as a format. I *hate* it when clients turn up with nothing but a VHS and no sign of an original...