Hi, I have a problem.

I am going to work in a system where a video recorder system records 4 video clips contemporaneously in SD video, Quicktime uncompressed format with 2 audio tracks.
I need to import the 4 clips (different angles of the same event) on Avid Media Composer and edit them. Later I will have to add a stereo audio track mixed from a Pro Tools system that performed the multitrack audio recording.

The 4 video tracks have 2 audio tracks each, on one (A2) there is a mix of the sound from Pro Tools (just for reference), on the other (A1) there is LTC coming from Pro Tools. So all the video clips carry the same Timecode information sent by ProTools to the first audio input of each channel of the video recorder. 

How can I get the four tracks in sync among them using this TC on the audio track? And later, how do I sync the audio coming from ProTools with the video sequence?

I am not sure I explained myself clearly enough but don't want to be too long, so please ask me if I need to specify anything.

Any kind of help, suggestion or explanation would be of great help!

Thank you.
Regards,

Simone 

So you basically want the clips synched by TimeCode?  If so, just create a Group Clip (or MultiGroup) based on the Source Timecode. 

Kenton.VanNatten:

So you basically want the clips synched by TimeCode?  If so, just create a Group Clip (or MultiGroup) based on the Source Timecode. 

Thanks for the tip, but I am not sure about this...

As far as I understand, my clips do not share Source Timecode. The Timecode that I need to use for syncing is written only as audio information on the track A1. And it is the recording of the LTC that has been sent from ProTools to one audio input of the video recorder. This Timecode has different time information than the Sourche Timecode (the one that can be selected in the Tracking Information Menu of the Composer in Avid).

I have never worked with this kind of settings. It reminds me of the sync achieved in old analog audio multitrack recorders using a track to record SMPTE to sync a MIDI sequencer to the audio recorder... but with Avid I have no idea on how to proceed.

Any further idea?

Kenton.VanNatten:

So you basically want the clips synched by TimeCode?  If so, just create a Group Clip (or MultiGroup) based on the Source Timecode. 

UPDATE!

I think I just found out what I have to do. When in Bin, in the "Special" menu I should select "Read Audio Timecode" and then I can choose the audio track to read it from. It should create an Auxiliary Timecode track...

Unfortunately I cannot try this now. I have been trying on a PC workstation with Avid Media Composer 2.6 but could not find this command. Now I was trying with Avid MC 4.02 on Mac and I quickly found it on the Avid Help!

Tomorrow I will try this and update the conversation.

Thanks!

When grouping the 4 clips You have to load them in the source monitor, display A1 TC on one of the TC rows on top of the source monitor itself, mark in at a given A1 TC, repeat this for each clip (marking in at the very same A1 TC of the first clip), group using inpoints. hth

Read Audio Timecode should do it... I'm not aware of it being removed but it is many years since I touched it.

What is the disk recorder you are using that generates the Quicktimes? It might be able to create them in a format that is more avid friendly (IMX50 for example) - Uncompressed QT's might take a while to import...

Yes, in a file based workflow it's required to fake a tape name before reading audio TC (use the modify command); then use the aux TC to autosync (not A1 TC as erroneously stated in my previous post) .

Hi. Thanks for your precious feedback.

I am very confused now.

I spent hours doing tests and I got quite lost.

On the PC workstation (Avid MC 2.6) after many attempts I managed (good advise from Luca about the fake tape name, as on the PC there is no warning about this, but it's needed) to read the timecode and create an Aux TC1 track. But it is messy and the timecode is not continuous. At some point it goes back in time! I will have to check the sound levels, but now it does not seem to be usable.

On the MacBook Pro (Avid MC 4.02) I made a surprising discovery. Right after importing the files, I could read the LTC as the Source Timecode. It's like if the Mac recognizes the TC information (that I thought was written only in the audio track), while the PC reads standard timecode starting from 1 hour and counting.
Anyway, once the timecode is correct (other as Source TC or as Aux TC), the suggestion of sync grouping the files is good. On the Mac it actually works both by Source TC and Inpoints.

My problem is that I am supposed to work with the PC (which is part of a large audio/video system). I will keep trying :-(

To answer TrevorA, the video recorder I use is a ClipRecorder AV by DVC (Digitalvideo Computing). Controlled by the software QuickClipXO by Drastic Technologies.
I cannot find IMX50 among the format types available. Uncompressed MOV is what was suggested by the supplier. The only alternatives I can see (as far as I understand), would be AVI (which would save separate audio and video files).

Thank you all for your help. 

Perhaps release 4 vs 2.6 is making the difference, can You digitize and autosync on an external drive with the Mac and then move the project/disk to the PC?

Hi Luca. Thanks.

I think I managed to get things working also on the PC. I have to check the option "Fill Undecodeable Frames" during the Read Audio Timecode process. And maybe I messed to much my previous test project... so, using this option and starting a new test project, everything seems to be working now.

Another problem I am left with is the long wait when I have to import the files in Avid from the drives of the video recorder. It take more than realtime! So for 30 minutes of event recorder on 4 cameras... it's more than 2 hours only to have the clips in the Avid project. And then the TC work...

Does anyone know if I can import several files at once into the bin, even if they are stored on different drives?

Thank you. Cheers.

TrevorA:

What is the disk recorder you are using that generates the Quicktimes? It might be able to create them in a format that is more avid friendly (IMX50 for example) - Uncompressed QT's might take a while to import...

Can Your disk recorder save QuickTime files with an Avid codec? Those will fast import.

starsitani:

Does anyone know if I can import several files at once into the bin, even if they are stored on different drives?

No way that I know of, and this is something badly needed for file based work; this is my workaround: move (not copy) all the files to be imported to the same location, if the files are stored in the same hard drive it's going to take a couple of seconds, if the files come from different hard drives this is unfeasable...

luca.mg:

starsitani:

Does anyone know if I can import several files at once into the bin, even if they are stored on different drives?

No way that I know of, and this is something badly needed for file based work

Use the windows Finder window to find all your clips. e.g. type *.mov  Select the clips you want to import and drag them to a bin.  This does work across multiple drives / folders

regards

Brian

sorry, duplicate post