Where does the file go to on abort capture on timecode break

I am away from the Mac right now, but under general preferences there are two tickboxes
in FCP 6.x that say abort on timecode break, or that effect.

If you leave them disabled you get a world of pain, because even if you tick synch audio to
video, the 2 hour digitize audio is out of synch.

In FCP 4.5 the finder used to leave the partial reel in the capture scratch, but in 6.x,
it seems to delete the file!

I search and search using finder and it seems if you spend two hours digitizing your
DVCam into FCP, it makes ALL of what it got to before the abort disappear!

Please advise!

The file doesn't go anywhere. "Abort" means you're ditching whatever you've captured. If you want to preserve whatever you've captured up to a timecode break, then use Make New Clip.

> In FCP 4.5 the finder used to leave the partial reel in the capture scratch

I used FCP4.5 the longest out of all the versions and I'm pretty sure that file never saved if the abort happened.

> if you spend two hours digitizing your
> DVCam into FCP, it makes ALL of what it got to before the abort disappear!

This is why I repeatedly advocate not using Capture Now, but Batch Capture. Trying to capture one continuous two-hour clip is asking for trouble. Break that sucker up into 20-minute segments. Or use Make New Clip if you have to use Capture Now, though Make New Clip also has major issues -- eg. if you have a bad section of tape that reads as eight timecode breaks back to back, Make New Clip will generate 10 clips for you -- a nightmare for organization.


www.derekmok.com

derekmok Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I used FCP4.5 the longest out of all the versions
> and I'm pretty sure that file never saved if the
> abort happened.
>
>

Then it is totally possible that I do not have Make New Clip active.

I know that log and capture with timecode control is the best; but
some times it not practical. i'd rather be over at my PC (as of right now)
and using Autodesk 3ds Max; and let the Power PC Mac G5 "do its thing"
unattended.

Thanks for your help!

Actually I just checked my settings, and "ON ABORT-make new clip" is set.

But when it aborts no clip whatsoever, is anywhere in the capture scratch.

> "ON ABORT-make new clip" is set.

There's no preference called "ON ABORT'.

You need to be able to distinguish betwen dropped frames and timecode breaks. They can be related, but FCP treats them as two distinct occurrences.

In User Preferences:

"Abort ETT/PTV on dropped frames" means when you're going out to tape, whether dropouts would automatically stop the playback. If unchecked, the output will continue and you may have a flawed tape.

"Abort capture on dropped frames" means whether the capture will stop itself if it encounters dropped frames -- usually because of inability of the system to keep up with the tape's playback speed in real time. If the capture aborts, you won't get a clip. If this option is unchecked, FCP will attempt to ignore dropped frames and the resulting clip could have stutters.

"On timecode break" is what you're looking at. It can be "Make New Clip", "Abort Capture", or "Warn after Capture". Timecode breaks are not the same as dropped frames. "Make New Clip" means if FCP encounters a timecode break on the tape, it will save what's been capturing up to this point, then cue itself automatically to after the timecode break and continue capturing as a new clip. "Abort Capture" means a timecode break will stop the entire capture and whatever's been capturing up to this point will not be saved. "Warn after Capture" means FCP will attempt to ignore the timecode break and capture across it while "manufacturing" its own continuous timecode on the resulting clip. The section of clip after the break may therefore have timecode that doesn't match the tape.


www.derekmok.com