HELP: Entering Time Codes In FCP5 is TOTALLY Wacked!!

* NOTE: Appeal for help previously posted in Apple Discussion Forums without ANY replies! I am sincerely hoping members here are more responsive.

I am trying to enter timecodes in FCP5 and what ever I enter gets translated to a completely different code. Oddly enough, depending on the window and what I enter, the timecode translation is completely consistent or inconsistent.

For example:
I have the Timeline window active with the playhead at the first frame of the sequence, if on the number keypad -
I type "1", the playhead jumps to 0:00:00;08
I type "2", the playhead jumps to 0:00:00;15
I type "3", the playhead jumps to 0:00:00;23
I type "4", the playhead jumps to 0:00:01:00
I type "5", the playhead jumps to 0:00:01;08
I type "6", the playhead jumps to 0:00:01;15
I type "7", the playhead jumps to 0:00:01;23
I type "8", the playhead jumps to 0:00:02:00
.... etc.

I get the same results in the Edit Marker window when typing (or pasting)numbers into either the Start or Duration boxes.

Back to the Timeline:
If, however, the playhead is NOT at the first frame, at say, 0:00:1;00:
I type "1", the playhead jumps to 0:00:07;23
I type "1" again, the playhead jumps to 0:00:52;23
I type "1" again, the playhead jumps to 0:06:30;20
I type "1" again, the playhead jumps to 0:48:45;06
I type "1" again, the playhead jumps to 6:05:15;06

This is the first time I have ever experienced the problem, and it is driving me nuts, and needless to say, very frustrating with trying to navigate through a sequence or trying to set timecodes for Markers.

I have trashed my preferences and nothing has changed.

If I try to copy a timecode, the same aberation occurs as soon as I press cmd-c:
i.e.
I try to copy (cmd-c) the timecode 0:00:01;00 from the time code box, and as soon as I press cmd-c, the timecode changes to 00:00:07;15, and if I press enter with that code, the play head jumps to 0:00:56;08.

If I copy a time code I typed into Textedit, and paste the time code into FCP, I get the same result as if I had typed the time code:
i.e. I paste 0:00:01;00, the playhead jumps to 00:00:07;15.

I hope this makes sense.

Can anyone tell me why this is happening and what I can do to correct it so that I can enter timecodes and not have them translated to totally inappropriate values?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Gary



Thanks
Gary Sumlak
thumbprints Multimedia Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
[www.thumbprints.ca]

*** Superior Film Transfers at a Reasonable Price ***

I'm going to appear to be helping you when I'm doing nothing of the sort.

Just to cover the bases, what happens if you open up Text Edit and try to write a letter to your mom with numbers in it?

<<<If, however, the playhead is NOT at the first frame, at say, 0:00:1;00:
I type "1", the playhead jumps to 0:00:07;23>>>

What happens if you settle on 1;00 and type:

+100 [enter]


Koz

Our timelines start with hour 1. Do yours not?

(I'm not an editor, so don't jump up and down. I'm fishing.)

Koz

Thanks, Koz for the reply.

>>What happens if you settle on 1;00 and type +100
If the play head is at 1;00 (my sequences all start at 0:00:00;00), when I type +100, the play head jumps to 0:00:08;15, not 2;00 as it should.

BTW - the sequence is set to the NTSC DV (3:2) preset as is the job.

As for Text Editor, or any other app, everything functions as it should. This problem is 100% localized to this sequence. I have opened up other FCP jobs, and this problem does not occur. So my guess is, it has to something with the sequence settings. But I have cmd-0'ed the sequence and reviewed every tab, and everything seems to be as it should.

Very frustrating! I suppose I could start this job over from scratch, but there is 8 hours of video, already marked by timecode break, date and time of shoot, AB rolls, etc., and it would be a lot of work to rebuild all that. And I would be very upset if all I had to do was change one tiny little option to get it work properly again.



Thanks
Gary Sumlak
thumbprints Multimedia Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
[www.thumbprints.ca]

*** Superior Film Transfers at a Reasonable Price ***

Sounds like a corrupt sequence. Try copy/pasting the clips into a new sequence. If that doesn't work, open a new project and copy the clips to a sequence there.

Sequences, Projects, Clips and Render Files all can become corrupted so you always have to keep that in mind. The longer you work on a file, and the more information it contains, the more the tendency is that it will become corrupt.



Kevin Monahan
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Thanks, Kevin

I still have not figured out why the goofy behavior with the problem sequence. I was able to create a new sequence in the same project and rebuild the sequence from scratch dragging the clips over from the browser. It was a little over 300 edits, but I had them already mapped out, so it went pretty fast. Fortunately, being able to create the new sequence in the same project, I did not have to re-catalog all my edits - probably saved me just a *few* hours.. ;-)

BTW - I will keep a look out for your book in the local stores. I've been using FCP since v1, but I am always learning new tricks, so maybe I can pick up a couple there as well. Is there anything in it specific to FCP5?



Thanks
Gary Sumlak
thumbprints Multimedia Inc.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
[www.thumbprints.ca]

*** Superior Film Transfers at a Reasonable Price ***