Captured stereo convert into Dual Mono

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Level 4

3,155 points

Captured stereo convert into Dual Mono

Hi all,

Some of the footage I have to work with is captured as DV with stereo audio tracks.
That's not so nice, because the audio is actual 2 mono channels (2 different mics on interviews)
I know I can switch off the stereo pair in the timeline. But that's tedious. I need to alter everyclip everytime I drop it in the timeline. Also I cannot Unpair the clip in the viewer, while I do need that because I want to lower the level of only one channel during chosing the quotes (because of wind in 1 mic for instance).

So it would be nice to be able to alter the master clips in the browser from stereopair to dual mono.
But I canot figure out how. Can this be done in FCP?
Can this be done in Quicktime.

Any ideas.
thanks

Rienk

NB (I know how to set up dual mono in Log and Capture. It's just that 10 tapes, that someone else did capture in stereo, and I need to work with)

MacPro dual Core, Mac OS X (10.5.6), MacPro DualCore, FCP 6.0.5, Decklink Extreme HD

Posted on Nov 6, 2009 3:16 AM

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Answer 1

Jim Cookman

Level 7

23,447 points

Nov 6, 2009 5:38 AM in response to Rienk

Just for fun, you could ask them to recapture, and do it right this time.

There doesn't seem to be a way to do it in the browser.

If you haven't started cutting and have nice big long tape or half tape captures, you could click through them pretty quickly. I always shoot with two mikes (boom, lav) so I feel your pain!

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Answer 2

Rienk Author

Level 4

3,155 points

Nov 6, 2009 6:25 AM in response to Jim Cookman

Thanks Jim for responding

Jim Cookman wrote:
Just for fun, you could ask them to recapture, and do it right this time.

Yeah. That's what I would like and if there was time to do so, I would.

There doesn't seem to be a way to do it in the browser.

So in Quicktime maybe? Is this Stereo/Dual Mono thing determined in the QT file itself, or is it in the FCP-project-file.

If you haven't started cutting and have nice big long tape or half tape captures, you could click through them pretty quickly.

Started cutting already and will encounter this problem everytime I do a match frame or searching for another part of the interview, etc. Pretty much frustrating.

I always shoot with two mikes (boom, lav) so I feel your pain!

Thanks Jim. That helps 🙂

Rienk

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Answer 3

Andy Mees

Level 6

12,610 points

Nov 6, 2009 6:27 AM in response to Jim Cookman

Open the clips in Quicktime Player (v7) and go to the Movie Properties window (Cmd J), highlight the Sound Track and switch to the Audio Settings tab ... there you can re-assign the channels to Mono (or as needed). After you've saved the changes then you'll need to reimport the clips into FCP

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Answer 4

Jim Cookman

Level 7

23,447 points

Nov 6, 2009 7:24 AM in response to Andy Mees

Futureman to the rescue!

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Answer 5

Rienk Author

Level 4

3,155 points

Nov 6, 2009 7:25 AM in response to Andy Mees

Hi Andy,

Thanks for looking into this. However I already tried that (in QT set both channels to mono and then Save). But after reimporting the clips, FCP still says "1 stereo" in the Audio column in the browser.
Tried in Quicktime to save as Discrete channels instead, but still fcp sees it as stereoclip...
Using QT 7.6.2 by the way...

Am I overlooking something?

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Answer 6

Jim Cookman

Level 7

23,447 points

Nov 6, 2009 7:29 AM in response to Rienk

What if, in fcp you make the clips offline first, close fcp then do the qt thingie, then open fcp and reconnect?

But wait... fcp is already expecting them to be stereo, because that's how they were logged. Andy doesn't he have to physically delete the clips from the project and then reimport after fixing the qt's? How hard will it then be to repopulate his sequences?

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Answer 7

Andy Mees

Level 6

12,610 points

Nov 6, 2009 7:38 AM in response to Rienk

Delete the existing master clip instance in your browser window, then reimport the altered and newly saved clip ... does it show as 2 mono now? It does for me.

Or Make Offline... (leave on disk), then Reconnect Media... to the altered & saved clip ... that works for me too

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Answer 8

Rienk Author

Level 4

3,155 points

Nov 6, 2009 8:15 AM in response to Andy Mees

Hmm does not work for me.
Tried both suggestions.
Keeps saying 1 'stereo'.

Even importing in a new project keeps the file as stereoclip. In this version of FCP at least (not my setup. Of my client) FCP 6.0.5, QT 7.6.2, OSX 10.5.8.
To Resume: altering the clips settings in QT (SoundTrack > Audio Settings > set ch1 and ch2 to MOMO, then save. Then reopen FCP throw away master clip. Reimport altered master clip. Still stereo. Also in new project...

And if I would get it fixed Jim's question would be the next: How will this affect/reconnect work/not work with the sequences already cut?

Rienk
Rienk

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Answer 9

Rienk Author

Level 4

3,155 points

Nov 6, 2009 8:44 AM in response to Rienk

UODATE:

Just opened one of the good clips (captured as DUAL Mono) in Quicktime. Then I see 2 seperate soundtracks. Sondtrack 1 with one ch1 set to MONO and Soundtrack 2 with one ch1 also set to MONO. It that way it differs from the two channels in the one Soundtrack 1 in the clips that were captured as Stereo.
Export the original masterclip from FCP with Export using QT conversion. and set it to export 2 discrete channels will indeed create a file with 2 Mono cannels. And they import as such. "2 Mono" it says.
Reconnecting the master clip to the newly created Dual Mono clip let FCP still think this is a stereoclip (As Andy pointed out, this is indeed not working)
Reconnecting the sequence clips to the newly created Dual Mono clip seems to work. But when I do match frame, then there comes again a stereo-version of the clip in my viewer. (also of course this is because it is looking to the original masterclip that we cannot change in FCP, as we saw in the previous sentence).

So I found a way to create new Dual Mono masterclips, but still I'm not able to alter the originals to the sequence clips.

The building will close here. So have to leave.
But I will try if I can change the settings of the masterclips from within an XML...

OR the solution would be in QT to split the two channels in two soundtracks in Quicktime... But how?

Rienk

Message was edited by: Rienk

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Answer 10

Nov 25, 2009 10:04 AM in response to Rienk

If you Select the clips in FCP, Make them off-line but leave the files on the disk. Then in FCP right click the clips and select clip settings and click on the lock/link between the 2 audio channels an hit OK. All of the clips should now show up as mono in the browser. Then reconnect all the files.

You don't have to change anything in QTPlayer.

This will fix the mono/stereo issue, but you still have to center pan them on a clip by clip basis in the viewer.

Jim C

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