Questions about how to match multitrack audio with edited video
 

Hope some of you experienced guys can help me. I'm basically a serious hobbyist and I am ignorant in the various terminologies used in Post.

This should be fairly simple.

I have video edited a multi-camera live event in Final Cut Pro X. In this case it was a Christmas service at our church, that had some songs and speaking. Basically it was like editing a live concert, in that all cameras were rolling for the whole time (about an hour). The audio was a feed from our mixer, which I just used as a reference for editing.

For the sound, we made a multitrack recording via our digital mixer, which I have been mixing, and will serve as the final soundtrack, rather than the audio from the camera.

I had imported the master video and the audio (which I used to line up the sync) and it's all synchronized and everything is fine.


If I just wanted to match up the entire thing, there is no issue. However, what I want to do now is go back to the master video, and simply take out a few parts, for example, the offering, and a couple other things. It would be the video equivalent of shuffle mode, where I take out 5 minutes, and the remainder of the video moves left to close the gap. At those cuts I would use either a dissolve or fade to black to smooth the transitions.

What I'm wondering is once I'm done with that, what would I need to do for the Protools audio to match that newly edited video? Is this considered re-conforming? Would I need a plugin like Ediload? X2 Pro-Convert to convert to AAF? Or is there a simpler way, especially if we're only talking 2 or 3 cuts?

Also, slightly more complicated, what if I want to make the cuts, but then extend individual tracks for a few seconds where these overlap. For example, extend audience applause for a few more seconds so it doesn't abrubtly stop where a cut was made, etc.

In looking at these other plugins (X2, etc.), it seems that what they're doing is way more complicated than what I have, so it might be overkill.

Note that I am just trying to get the final audio to match up. I can import the video from FCPX and the audio mixdown from Protools, as long as they match, into a DVD authoring program to make a DVD. I don't really need to send the audio back to FCPX.


Thanks for any help.

Re: Questions about how to match multitrack audio with edited video
 

This would be standard conforming. Here is a “trick”.
Export a stereo mix from pro tools of the original edit.
Import the stereo mix into Final Cut Pro x.
Make your “Video edits”.
Export a new QuickTime as well as a new AAF/OMF (with endless handles if possible).
Import the new AAF/OMF into pro tools along with the new QuickTime and place the two new items as your top two tracks for easy reference.
In the clip view, show original timecode.

What this will set you up for is easily showing you where every cut is, and where in the timeline you need to go to from your full edit/mix to easily conform in shuffle mode.

When all else fails, compare stereo mixes and conform by waveform and/or alternate which QuickTime track is online and verify that they’re showing identical frames.

I’m not good at explaining it in English but it’s not as hard as I made it sound.

Re: Questions about how to match multitrack audio with edited video
 

2 or 3 edits and you want to do some L cuts for sound?

Pro Tools can edit video so just write down the timecode for frames cut in FCP X. (I don't remember if FCP X can do a proper EDL in which case it could just export a text file with this info)

Go into Pro Tools and turn on the ALL group (so you are editing everything) and put your grid to frames. The select the edits you need and then delete time by timecode in Pro Tools.

Then bring in your new picture and smooth out the audio for where you wanted the L cuts. (you can stretch out the edited audio clips at the edit points that were created by "delete time" for the L cut and then crossfade/fade)

Hopefully you have Ultimate and you can line up both videos on two different tracks and make sure they match in edits after you did your slicing in Pro Tools. (just go to a frame or two after every edit and online the old video edited and then the new video imported in to make sure the frames match.)

You can do a similar thing using audio tracks if you create a stereo guide track -- one edited in Pro Tools and one from FCPX and make sure they match up after the edits.

Re: Questions about how to match multitrack audio with edited video
 

Unfortunately FCPX can't do a proper AAF/OMF export without a separate $150 plugin.
The genius of Apple.

Re: Questions about how to match multitrack audio with edited video
 

I'm guessing the same is true of an EDL, because you could use that to show you where to make the cuts in your pro tools timeline. You coups also use confirmalizer from Maggot Software, and used to be the free version would let you do up to five edits.

sent from a stupid phone using Tapatalk

Re: Questions about how to match multitrack audio with edited video
 

Hey thanks guys for the great suggestions! BScout I do have Ultimate and I think your method will work since it's pretty simple.

Another question for all of you, I know X2 Pro Convert would be the best choice if I'm going to buy a product for this, but I'm wondering if just getting Logic Pro X would be a good choice as well. I saw a Youtube video where they exported an XML from FCPX to Logic Pro, and then in Logic Pro created an AAF that could then be imported to Protools. Or is this not reliable?

Just thinking that spending $200 for Logic vs $150 for X2, I'd get way more usefulness for my money if it works okay for this, meaning, getting all the other things Logic offers, vs. a plugin that just does one thing.

Re: Questions about how to match multitrack audio with edited video
 

Logic AAF is audio only if I remember right. So no visible video edits... which I'd find annoying for sync.

Re: Questions about how to match multitrack audio with edited video
 

Logic is not a good way to solve this unless you were wanting to buy it for other reasons. The easiest way to conform what you've done is via the first answer you got--do your new video, put it in a new PT project along with your old multitrack and cut the latter to fit the former. We do it every day.


You can get a usable AAF (not OMF) from FCX via X2Pro, with some caveats. If you have not assigned "roles" to all your audio clips then X2 Pro (and moreso the cheaper version) will make separate audio tracks for many or all of the clips. Thus you can end up with an export that has 500+ tracks (this has happened to me). No matter how organized you are about your editing in FCX you will find that dealing with the exported tracks in PT (or whatever DAW) will require a lot more detective work to sort out where everything is than exports coming from other NLEs. Thus if you decide to make another production and want to do extensive (ie professional) audio post on it I would strongly recommend that you use just about any NLE OTHER THAN FCX.