syncing externally recorded audio and video workflow

Question

Level 1

10 points

syncing externally recorded audio and video workflow

I'm looking for advice to sync externally recorded dialogue to video, exporting them, and importing them back into fcp7.

I've done this before, but not on this large scale. I have many clips and I did record audio with the camera as well.

I know how to sync everything up, I'm mostly looking for the best way to combine the footage and export it without loss of quality. Also wondering if I can keep the in camera audio AND the externally recorded audio. So, if at the end of the day, I absolutely need to use one or the other, I can choose which one and hide or delete the other.

My questions are...

1. What's the best way for lossless quality re-exporting and importing for this (some fomat that is still editable)?

2. Is there a way to keep multiple channels of audio (from the camera and the h4n) or do I have to choose before exporting?

3. Is there a "batch" way to do this? Does it consist of making multiple sequences?

Thanks for your help!!!

J

I shot it on a PMW EX3 and the audio was recorded on an H4N, if that helps.

Final Cut Pro 7, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Feb 7, 2013 9:04 PM

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Answer 1

Shane Ross

Level 8

43,110 points

Feb 8, 2013 12:25 AM in response to hkhkjh

1. Why are you re-exporting? No, that's not what you do. You use the MERGE CLIPS command. This will make a NEW clip with the audio and video files merged. Typically you have a slate to sync to, or timecode is jam sync'd so the camera and audio recorder have the same timecode.

2. When you merge the clip, all the audio channels will be present.

3. Sorta. If you get PluralEyes that will automatically sync everything...but will do so by making a sequence with the video and audio. So a sequence of sync'd audio...not a clip. And if you use the sequence as a source, you need to make sure to use the OVERWRITE WITH SEQUENCE CONTENT mapped to the F keys, otherwise FCP will make those nested clips, and nested clips are not a good thing in this case.

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Answer 2

darbypsnm

Level 3

730 points

Feb 12, 2013 10:01 AM in response to hkhkjh

An alternative to exporting:

Once you have synced everything merge/link the desired audio to the video (3 &4 boom audio/1& 2 can or cannot be linked)

select the clip/linked audio and drag to a new bin

You should see a dialog box that says creating master clip
clip in new bin will now only reference the newly linked audio.

Drag all clips into a sequence and you will no longer have to have camera audio(if that is what you desire) on the timeline and you will always have a reference in the original sync sequence.

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