I have many short sequences (less then 2minutes each.) I need to archive them to tape with split audio tracks. In our house we put vo on ch1, sots & nats on ch2 and/or ch3 & music on ch4. When I try to Edit to Tape I get either no audio at all, a stereo mix or a "mix minus" (everything on ch1 & everything minus vo on ch2.) I'm sure this is a simple fix, perhaps a setting I'm overlooking, but I'm at my wits end here. I know the routing to the deck is correct, I know the deck's connections are good. When I Print to Video all four channels come across so what the flock is going on?? For now, Print to Video is fine but I'm afraid I'll actually need to lay some stuff off with frame accuracy at some point and I'd like to get this worked through.

FYI, I'm using a Mac with a Kona card for video IO, FCP 6.0.1 and I'm outputting to digiBeta.

Thanks in advance.

What are your output settings under Sequence > Settings > Audio Outputs?

It looks like your sequences may have a jumble of audio settings - I often have to assign FCP audio tracks to different outputs so some of the following may help.

I would create one new sequence for all your edits - before you lay anything, under sequence settings click 'audio outputs' tab - set 'Outputs' to 4, select 'dual mono' in Grouping (asssuming everything is mono), and select 'down mix' to 'off'. If FCP's audio mixer is open from the Tool Bench you should see four outputs in the 'Master' area, and check here also that downmix is deselected. You obviously need 4 audio tracks in the sequence so add more if necessary. Then for each track Control-Click on that little box shaped thing just to the right of the padlock icon - this allows you to assign track 1 to Audio 1 or 2 etc, etc. As far as I know by default tracks stay with outputs unless you change this. Then if you cut and paste your original edits preserving the original track layout into the new sequence and play them you should see in the master section of the Audio Mixer audio levels of each track independently moving in the correct place.

You will also need to check a couple of other things. I have no knowledge of the Kona card but you may have to check that it's set for 4 track output. Do this by looking at 'Audio/Video Settings>>Device Control Presets>>Edit' (of the selected device). And also check in 'Audio/Video Settings>>A/V Devices>>Playback Output>>Audio>>Options' that your card is set for the number of audio channels you wish to output.

Also from the 'Edit to Tape' window you may need to assign the output tracks correctly from that 'sausage' shaped icon in the bottom RH corner with little yellow/green boxes and a loudspeaker icon.

And your digibeta must have it's A3/A4 tracks set to sw/sw in it's menu....

All this is covered in the FCP manual but (IMHO) does assume some knowledge of how an audio mixer works. Always best to get everything correct before you start editing as putting it right later causes one hell of a lot of work.

Hope this helps
Richard Thirkettle

Rich/Jude,
I've already done most of what you suggested. My sequence audio output settings are 4chs = dual mono (1&2)(3&4). Last week's sequences were created with incorrect settings. This week's were created just as you outlined above.

When I am back at work on Thursday I will see if cutting and pasting into a new sequence works, this I have not tried. Also I didn't realize I would have to change any settings on the digiBeta. The AV devices>playback>output>audio>options is set to 16channels, and there doesn't seem to be any other options (when I pull the menu down I don't get any other choices.) I've made sure the monitoring and playback are correct. I use my Bose USB speakers for monitoring at my desk and the Kona for playout. The control clicking you mention. Is this on the sequence or audio mixer? When I right click on the A1, A2 etc on the LH side of the mixer it allows me to change audio channel assignments as well. I've made sure these are all normalled. Is this the same thing?

When I have my timeline and the audio mixer open I can see 4channels on the output side with the correct channel assignments. When I press downmix everything goes to two channels. That isn't really the issue. What I get with Edit to Tape is.

Thank you for your help. Please don't think I've posted here frivolously. I've gone through the manuals many times. I've also tried changing the Kona settings from their controller software and spent many hours doing test layoffs. Unfortunately I'm the only one in house using FCP so there's no help coming from my colleagues.

Well it seems you're on the right track (!).

>>I will see if cutting and pasting into a new sequence works<<
it's essential that your new sequence has 'downmix' selected to 'OFF' in the sequence/settings/audio output tab - this had me fooled for a very long time...

>>I didn't realize I would have to change any settings on the digiBeta<<
it's a menu item in the 800's, can't tell you exactly as my deck is on hire this week but one of your collegues should be able to help...as I said the setting is A1/A2 to sw/sw...

>>The control clicking you mention. Is this on the sequence or audio mixer? <<
you can control click on either the 'tracks' in the Tool Bench audio mixer or the little box thingy in the sequence - it seems to do the same job (I didn't know that!)...

>>I've made sure these are all normalled. Is this the same thing? <<
if you mean that track 1 is assigned to A1, track 2 to A2, track 3 to A3 and track 4 to A4 then yes - that seems to be the default (with downmix OFF) that can be changed.

>>When I press downmix everything goes to two channels. That isn't really the issue<<
I have to disagree totally here - it is a big issue. Think of the audio mixer in the tool bench as the start of a chain of events - if settings are wrong here then as far as I know it will reflect all the way down the line including edit to tape. Cut and paste one of your edits into a new correctly setup sequence and watch what the tool bench audio mixer master outputs are doing (Downmix OFF). If you're getting independent tracks of audio in the right places in the Master section of the mixer as the timeline plays then you've done it. I assume that as you're working in mono your audio clips are all centre panned - it not this may become a problem as well.

>>The AV devices>playback>output>audio>options is set to 16channels<< looks like you might have a HD card. I'm out of my depth totally here but I would have thought that you require an SD output with SDI 4 channel embedded audio thus preserving the digital integrity of your edit.

Good luck and let us know how it goes...

Richard Thirkettle

it's essential that your new sequence has 'downmix' selected to 'OFF' in the sequence/settings/audio output tab - this had me fooled for a very long time...

Ok, looks like this was my problem. I had the sequence setting's downmix set to -3db.

post script:

I've been able to lay off three sequences now with Edit to Tape. Seems this was my problem. New sequences default to downmix -3db. I've created a sequence for layoff that I drag the other sequences into at the end of the day, then drag that into the EtoT window. I'd work with downmix off but then I wouldn't be able to monitor with downmix on during my regular editing sessions (I like this better then 1&2 going L&R and 3&4 going L&R.)

One other thing, I didn't need to change any of the settings on the digiBeta.

Thanks for your help and suggestions folks.