Briandash

Q: Audio Files Import with Blank Dummy Video(blue) Files

I've never come across this before, been using FCPX since day one. I'm editing a wedding for someone and all of the externally recorded audio imported with dummy blue files attached (see photo.) Each row (4 clips) represents 1 piece of recorded audio. I'm used to having two green audio clips as many recorders spit out a stereo mix file in addition to the file containing the individual multitrack audio. I'm not used to the two blue clips that came with it for some reason. The audio was recorded on a Zoom H6, but that doesn't really matter at this point.

 

Each row in the photo is 1 audio recording. I gather from the filenames that the first clip in each row is the stereo mix. the second is channels 1-2. Then the two blue ones would be channels 3-6 which weren't used. I'm used to audio recorders spitting out a stereo mix in addition to the multitrack file, so that's not a surprise that there are two green clips. The problem is that I cannot click on or select the blue clips. I can reorganize the green clips just as I normally do, but all the blue clips remain unchanged cluttering up the "No Data" section. I just want to delete them, or hide them, or anything really. I can't select them to reject them. Clicking on them does nothing. They're like ghost clips or something.

Screen Shot 2016-05-16 at 5.09.42 PM.png

 

Late 2014 Retina 5K iMac

32gb RAM

Radeon R9 M290X 2gb

OSX 10.11.4

FCPX 10.2.3

 

Side note: After spending a really long time writing this post just before hitting the "Post" button I clicked to "add or edit product" which forced this whole post to revert to the last auto save which deleted 90% of what I wrote. It's a little infuriating to have that happen in the middle of attempting to seek help with something. I hit back several times, I even got to a page that still had my entire post on it, then watched as it reverted to auto-saved right in front of my eyes and I couldn't get any of the text back . How is that even an option?

Then while writing this, I deleted something and changed my mind. Hit command Z to undo. Instead of bringing back the text I just deleted, it deleted everything I just wrote, then the "Redo" button was greyed out and I couldn't get that text back either. What's the point of undo/redo if they don't work?!

iMac with Retina 5K display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)

Posted on May 16, 2016 5:55 PM

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Q: Audio Files Import with Blank Dummy Video(blue) Files

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  • by Briandash,

    Briandash Briandash May 16, 2016 5:56 PM in response to Briandash
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Video
    May 16, 2016 5:56 PM in response to Briandash

    and why won't the image show up?! Why is everything broken?!

  • by Luis Sequeira1,

    Luis Sequeira1 Luis Sequeira1 May 17, 2016 6:16 AM in response to Briandash
    Level 6 (12,196 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 17, 2016 6:16 AM in response to Briandash

    How are you importing this? From a card? From a usb attached recorder?

     

     

    If you have your clips organized according to some criterion (say, by date), then any clip for which no corresponding metadata exists will be listed under "No Data". That by itself is not unusual. What is unusual is the inability to select or delete. What happens if you try to click on one of those?

     

    One other thing: as you cannot select those clips, try this (with FCP X close; and, most importantly, DON'T delete or change anything while navigating through the library contents): in the Finder, select the library, control-click, Show Package Contents, and navigate to one of these files. Press Command-I and post a screenshot of the Get Info window.

  • by Briandash,

    Briandash Briandash May 17, 2016 10:28 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Video
    May 17, 2016 10:28 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

    The files were copied to the hard drive I'm using, then imported with "Copy to Library" selected.

     

    I know why they are all categorized as "No Data" I'm just OCD about my library and hate having things categorized as such. Clicking on the clips does nothing. As far as I can tell there is no way to select them, move them, or change them in any way.

     

    Good idea checking out the files inside the library package, don't know why I hadn't thought of that yet. In the Library file there are 4 distinct WAV files with corresponding names matching the ones in the image. The ones appearing as blue clips in the browser look like regular old WAV files in the finder. I can open them and play them back as normal, although they are silent as there isn't actually any audio on channels 3-6. The "get info" window is attached below. They just look like regular audio files.

     

    I'll try manually deleting a few out of the Library file and see what happens. I have a very strong understanding of how the library works, so I'm not worried about messing that up.

     

    Screen Shot 2016-05-17 at 10.21.15 AM.png

  • by Briandash,

    Briandash Briandash May 17, 2016 10:40 AM in response to Briandash
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Video
    May 17, 2016 10:40 AM in response to Briandash

    Update: So I manually deleted two files, emptied the trash can restarted, confirmed files no longer in the library file, but somehow they still show up in the browser within FCPX.

     

    Am I just going to have to live with these ghost files forever?

     

    Could this be a result of FCPX doing it's automatic thing and removing silent channels or whatever it's doing? I typically leave those boxes unchecked on import, so I wouldn't have done that intentionally.

     

    Also, I was mistaken, these files came from a Tascam recorder, the files from the Zoom H6 do not have this problem. Just the Tascam files. Is the solution to never use this recorder again?

  • by Luis Sequeira1,

    Luis Sequeira1 Luis Sequeira1 May 17, 2016 11:14 AM in response to Briandash
    Level 6 (12,196 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 17, 2016 11:14 AM in response to Briandash

    A few things you might try:

     

    1) Export xml of the problematic event: select the event, File->Export XML...

     

    You may open the xml file with a text editor and search for the name of one of those problematic files. See if it is present and if the markup around it is similar to what you see for a "good" audio file.

     

    You may also import that xml back, which will create a duplicate event. With any luck this new version may be normal. If it is then you can just delete the old event and keep the new version.

     

    2) Close FCP X and locate the library in the Finder. Control-click, Show Package Contents. Drag the "currentVersion.flexolibrary" file out of the library bundle.

    Start FCP X and let it reconstruct the library database. If it was corrupt then everything may be normal now, and you can trash the file. If not, close the application and put it back where it was.

  • by Briandash,

    Briandash Briandash May 17, 2016 11:48 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Video
    May 17, 2016 11:48 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

    For the removal to the currentVersion file solution... In the original media folder there are WAV files for all the blue clips that I don't want to me there. Should I manually delete these before letting FCPX reconstruct the database? If I leave them there wouldn't it just rebuild with them included still?

  • by Briandash,

    Briandash Briandash May 17, 2016 11:50 AM in response to Briandash
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Video
    May 17, 2016 11:50 AM in response to Briandash

    Ok, tried removing the library file. When it rebuilt itself the two files I deleted earlier still show up in the browser, but are not in the original media folder in the finder.

  • by Luis Sequeira1,

    Luis Sequeira1 Luis Sequeira1 May 18, 2016 2:31 AM in response to Briandash
    Level 6 (12,196 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 18, 2016 2:31 AM in response to Briandash

    Briandash wrote:

     

    Ok, tried removing the library file. When it rebuilt itself the two files I deleted earlier still show up in the browser, but are not in the original media folder in the finder.

     

    They must be there somewhere - as you took out the flexolibrary file, FCP X had to look inside the folders to reconstruct things. Maybe you created optimized or proxy media for them?

     

    I take that back. It looks harder than this. The files are referenced in the event itself, and that is why they "reappear".

    However, you can't just delete the event database, as then the event would just disappear.

     

    What *may* work: create a new event, copy only the "good" files to the new event. Then, delete the old one.