12 SDI audio for HDCAM-SR

this may be a bug...

I have in the past tried to do an 8 channel output to a Sony IMX vtr, and couldn't get it to work with ETT.

If I chose 8 channel audio mapping in the Device Control preset, with RS222 control, then in my ETT window the destination track control popup for the audio tracks showed channel 4 as pre-enabled and greyed out so that it couldn't be modified.

(If anyone else would care to experiment, just create a device control preset with Audio mapping set to 8 channels and see if your ETT window will allow you to enable/disable channel 4.)

Furthermore, regardless of ouput channel selection, FCP's device control was unable to control channels 5 to 8 on the recorder.
In FCP, if I selected any output channels above channel 4, then all channel selections below 4 were ignored, and the recorder only recognised a signal to enable channels 1 to 4 relative to my selections in the ETT window on channels 5-8.

Bizarre.

The actual output from the Decklink card was exactly as it should be with the output assignments correctly mapped to the output channels. The only immediate workaround I could find was to put the record deck next to the FCP and manualy override/enable the tracks to insert directly on the deck ... it worked but was far from ideal.

Alternatively, it worked using PTV and crash recording on the deck.

I'm guessing your problem with 12 channel output / deck channel control is closely related to the problem/bug which I describe above.

I'd assume the same workaroubd will work for you ... manually enable/disable the tracks you need, or use Print to Video

Hope it helps
Andy

I could be way off base here but from both of your posts I'm noticing a pattern. Andy, you say that when you set device control for 8 channel mapping only the first 4 actually go out in ETT mode. George, you say that when you set device control for 12 channel mapping only the first eight actually go out in ETT mode. In both instances the last 4 channels are disabled. Have either of you tried setting channel mapping higher than needed in device control? If it is possible George, try setting 16 channels out in device control, leave the audio on the timeline mapped from 1-12, and then do an ETT. Does anything change? Andy try a similar setup, but set 12 out and map 1-8 on the TL, ETT and report back if it makes a difference.

Like I said, I could be way off, but there is a pattern to what you guys are reporting.

sadly not the solution ... I won't go into detail in fear of threadjacking, but needless to say we tried everything at the time, eventually it was submitted to Apple who couldn't fix it either.

lucky for me that this is no longer my problem ... but just a heads up to those that don't usually go there, there are bugs you haven't dreamed of yet!

[note: that all of above on FCP 5.0.x]

Oh well, I thought I would give it a shot. I never layoff more than four channels since I mostly work with D-beta and SP. I guess until this is fixed in FCP you'll have to do audio laybacks from Pro Tools or some other DAW.

George

If you manually enable all 12 channels on the deck, or use Assemble/Crash record, does it still only output 8 channels or do you get all 12?

My experience pointed directly to a problem or incompatability with FCP, or between FCP and the deck. We quickly ascertained that the Decklink card was operating correctly.

Cheers
Andy