Multicliping merged clips

So, I'm on a shoot with 2 cameras and and audio HDD recorder for backup that all have timecode generators so that they are running exact timecode - which is fine.

We've been creating multiclips using timecode (which is fine) and sometimes merging clips with the files from the sound recordist using timecode (which is also fine).

However, when we try and multiclip two clips that have been previously merged with the audio, the audio slips by six frames on one clip and over 5 seconds on another. It seems to be syncing using media start and not timecode like we're telling it to.

Any ideas?

Merged clips won't work as sources for a multiclip - you'll get the sync errors you're seeing. Instead take the raw clips and make a multiclip from those.

Martin Baker
[www.digital-heaven.co.uk]
Unique plug-ins and tools for Apple Pro Apps

Bassman! Hope it's going well up there, apart from the sync thing. You're on P2, right? How's the workflow in general?

As Martin said - that's something which won't work.
Something which does work is to export/import the merged clips before creating multiclips.
If you're sure the "file management" won't be changed you can export as dependent movies, otherwise you have to create self-contained files. The disadvantage of the latter is that the time code for the audio might be lost in case it's not the same as the video TC.

Regards
Andreas

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yes, you cant make multis from SOME FORMS of merged clips,
and yet you cant merge audio with a multiclip!

what's going wrong with the merged or linked clip in the multis is that the audio is longer than the picture.

if you have shots where the audio is NOT longer than the picture, they will work.

so what can you do?
you could sync your audio in a timeline trimming the ends, then batch export it to create new files.
bring them back in and lay into the timeline,
then link & make multis

as suggested my Andreas:
you could sync in the timeline, then link audio to image, and batch export the linked clips as new files.
so audio & video are married in one file.
con: you lose the audio TC

what i've done in the past is to sync in the timeline always trimming the ends of the audio,
(but never triming the video)

link audio & video,
open into the viewer,
and MAKE A SUBCLIP
this trims the audio.

these clips can now be made into multiclips that work.
they worked for me nearly two years ago back in FCP5.14, and that project is still alive and kicking.


as you can gather i much perfer to syncin hte timeline, tehn link,
rather than merge in hte browser,
it gives me the chance to check sync as i go,
plus linking can be automated with keystrokes,
or even via XML if you know what you're doing.

(but then i haven't worked with matching TC.)



nick