How do you get in sync?

[Basslab]

Hi all!

I will have some postpro jobs to do and need the facility to work with video. Since I don`t have that much budget for that, I need to run it as simple as possible.

One naive question: If I let the cutter play out the video as quicktime with tc in the image, align it to the timeline, do my recordings and edits, bounce the audio and pass it back to the avid dude... would this work or do I have to expect the outcome will be not not in sync?
If no, is there any chance to avoid a syncbox and external video pb machine?

I read about the mojo compatibility in PT7.. how should I comprehend this? Can I record vieo directly into ProTools?

Sorry, I`m a bit of a videofool...

regards,

c

[trakbytes]

Quicktime video works fine for sync. Have your picture editor make the quicktime file. Make sure he includes a guide track at the sample rate you will be working with. Spot the quicktime movie to it's first frame of burn-in code in your Pro Tools timeline. Check sync at the end of the movie. If the timeline and burn-in are still in sync, you should be good to go.

You will need at the very minimum a two monitor computer setup. Run the Quicktime file on one of them and Pro Tools on the other (just click on the quicktime window in Pro Tools, and it will jump to the second monitor). If your video card supports it, you could also output the movie to a video monitor.

You cannot record video into Pro Tools without a Mojo. However, you can capture video with a much less expensive Canopus DV converter box, or something like the Fuse X card (which will also give you better playback possibilities). However, neither is necessary if the picture editor gives you the file.

You can either bounce your files back to the picture editor or export them via OMF if you have Digi translator. Most likely though, your session will be used for the mix, and the picture editor will import the mix files back into his session for the next version, or the Print Master will be layed back to the master tape.

Good luck in your video endeavors.

Bob

[Basslab]

Thanks, Bob for your helpful answer.
What should I have this guide track for?


If I play out a quicktime file on an AVID system, it is played out using the avid clock. When I import it in PT, it must run under a different clock. I just was in doubt about the file is still in sync then...

Regards,

C

[Ken P]

when i first started doing it this way for a 60 min technical piece and had the same sync concerns, i had the avid guy make me a quicktime video, put a 2-pop (1 frame beep of tone) 2 sec before the program as well as 2 sec after the end of the program, along with a 1 frame flash of white. when i imported the movie as well as the audio, the audio beep synced perfectly with the flash of white at both ends. that worked for me, been working that we ever since... but now that i am doing bigger post-to-pic projects more often, i am exploring the virtual VTR route because my system is becoming flakey being tied up with a video file.

[Basslab]

...seems like the quicktime thing is working perfect. By now, I don`t have budget for buying a V1 or something :-(

But couldn`t you do without the sync-beeps when the timecode is shown in the image and you just compare the video-TC and the timeline in the end?

Regards,

c

[cmaynes]

...seems like the quicktime thing is working perfect. By now, I don`t have budget for buying a V1 or something :-(

But couldn`t you do without the sync-beeps when the timecode is shown in the image and you just compare the video-TC and the timeline in the end?

Regards,

c

Never - ever do w/o sync pops on both head and tail of your project- It is the only way you can be sure that the speed is really correct- Sometimes you will not have the benefit of easy to recognize sync audio at the end of a reel.

charles maynes

[Basslab]

c

[/QUOTE]

Never - ever do w/o sync pops on both head and tail of your project- It is the only way you can be sure that the speed is really correct- Sometimes you will not have the benefit of easy to recognize sync audio at the end of a reel.

charles maynes

[/QUOTE]



so, if I ask the Avid guy to play out in 48k with technical preroll plus a 1-frame beep with flash in the end, I should be safe (hopefully

[JKD99]

You'll also need the head pop when (if) you give your picture editor the mix to be imported back into the Avid. Otherwise, how would they know where to spot the audio files?
Hope this helps, good luck!

[Basslab]

You'll also need the head pop when (if) you give your picture editor the mix to be imported back into the Avid. Otherwise, how would they know where to spot the audio files?
Hope this helps, good luck!

Thanks, Joe...
But this is what I meant with "technical preroll".. I don`t know how you call it in the US (colour bars with sine).
Coulnd`t one also tell the editor, the mix was bouced from exact start point for example 10:00:00:00?

Regards,

C

[JKD99]

Hi C,
Ahh, we just call it "Bars & Tone".
The point of the 2-pop is that it establishes an absolute start reference for your audio. Who knows, at some point the audio may be part of a completeely different edit or something (for example stringing together several reels of a film) and just having that "hard" 2-pop will serve you well. Or, what if the picture editor adds "a couple frames of black" to the head of the reel? Then, with head and tail pops you can accurately (and absolutely) sync the audio back up without any guessing.There's a million other reasons to always use head and tail pops (as well as Academy Leaders, but we won't get into that).
Anyway, put a pop 2 seconds before the 1st frame of picture, a tail pop 2 seconds after the LAST frame of picture, and you'll be good to go

Hope this helps, Viel Glück!