In the first new MacBreak Studio of the year, the FCPX topic of conversation is syncing audio. Plus we have multi take voice overs and how to make a rack focus effect in Motion.
So, the first new MacBreak Studio of 2015 and Sam Mestman returns to take a look at the Sync-N-Link X application from Assisted Editing.
Sync-N-Link X is a $199 application that batch processes the syncing of video rushes to separate sound. By automatically matching up the timecodes of the clips, this can be achieved with a few clicks, rather than having to pair up and sync each clip manually.
It might appear pricey, but the money saved in post will easily be recovered by the time saved. As you will see demonstrated by Sam, there are other benefits as well such as the transfer of metadata.
If you would like to know more about audio in Final Cut Pro X, make sure you visit the Ripple Training website. There's a huge range of tutorials on FCPX, Motion and other professional video applications including some dedicated to getting the best sound out of Final Cut.
Mark Spencer might not have been in the episode this week, but he returns with his five minutes of Motion. This timek he shows us how to build a rack focus effect.
Steve returns again with his five minutes and this week he's looking at how to do multiple take voiceovers.
Two beefs whilst we are talking about using the voiceover tool. The first is you really should be able to assign a chosen role to voiceover clips automatically on recording. Everything is assigned to a dialogue role by default, why not have a voiceover role by default?
Secondly, we have yet to find a way to feed the clean fx from FCPX to a voiceover artist's headphones without them hearing themselves with a delay. We have tried AJA & Blackmagic boxes to interface with the existing broadcast VO booth setups without any joy.
I am the Editor-in-Chief of FCP.co and have run the website since its inception ten years ago.
I have also worked as a broadcast and corporate editor for over 30 years, starting on one inch tape, working through many formats, right up to today's NLEs.
Under the name Idustrial Revolution, I have written and sold plugins for Final Cut Pro for 13 years.
I was made a Freeman of Lichfield through The Worshipful Company of Smiths (established 1601). Though I haven't yet tried to herd a flock of sheep through the city centre!
Current Editing
2020 has been busy, the beginning of the year was finishing off a new property series (cut on FCP) for Channel 4 called The Great House Giveaway. I also designed and built the majority of the graphics as Motion templates. It has been a great success and the shows grabbed more viewers in the 4pm weekday slot than any previous strand. It has been recommissioned by C4 for 60 episodes, including prime-time versions and five themed programmes. The shows have also been nominated for a 2021 BAFTA.
Although both were postponed to later in the year, I worked again on ITV's coverage of the Tour de France and La Vuelta. 2020 was my 25th year of editing the TdF and my 20th year as lead editor. The Tour was the first broadcast show to adopt FCPX working for multiple editors on shared storage.
BBC's Snooker has played a big part in my life, I've been editing tournament coverage since 1997. I'm proud to be part of a very creative team that has pioneered many new ideas and workflows that are now industry standard in sports' production. This is currently an Adobe Premiere edit.
Covid cancelled some of the regular corporate events that I edit such as trade shows & events. I was lucky however to edit, from home, on projects for Amazon Kindle, Amazon Black Friday, Mastercard and very proud to have helped local charitable trust Kendall & Wall secure lottery funding.
As for software, my weapon of choice is Final Cut Pro and Motion, but I also have a good knowledge and broadcast credits with Adobe Premiere Pro, MOGRT design and Photoshop.
Plugin Design & Development
I'm the creative force behind Idustrial Revolution, one of the oldest Final Cut Pro plugin developers. It hosts a range of commercial and free plugins on the site. One free plugin was downloaded over a thousand times within 24 hours of release.
I also take on custom work, whether it is adapting an existing plugin for a special use or designing new plugins for clients from scratch. Having a good knowledge of editing allows me to build-in flexibility and more importantly, usability.
FCP.co
Now in its 10th year and 4th redesign, running FCP.co has given me knowledge on how to run a large CMS- you are currently reading my bio from the database! Although it sounds corny, I am pretty well up on social media trends & techniques, especially in the video sector. The recent Covid restrictions has enabled live FCP.co shows online. This involves managing a Zoom Webinar through Restream.io to YouTube and Facebook.
The Future
I'm always open to new ideas and opportunities, so please get in touch at editor (at) fcp.co. I've judged film competitions, presented workflow techniques to international audiences and come up with ideas for TV shows and software programs!
