Sony NX5 camera - Multicam sync

Leaving everything on auto doesn't work with this camera, however these settings work for me.


Angle Assembly: Clips

Angle Clip Ordering: Timecode

Angle Syncronization: Automatic

and flag <<use audio for synchronization>>

Starting Timecode: 00:00:00:00

You can also place markers in your clips before hand. FCP X will analyze the audio sections around those markers and compare them to each other first when syncing.

First, I'd give each clip an Camera Angle Name, and use that for Clip Assembly. I like to determine the order of my angles myself.

As for Angle Clip Ordering, do you have more than one clip in each angle?

Sync method seems fine.

I'm not having issues. What is the quality of the audio in these clips? How exactly are you recording audio?

The audio was generated by an app called MovieSlate and recorded through the internal mics. The quality is relatively clear but quiet with a distinct clap at the front.

I had something like 20 run throughs of 1 song from start to end and 5 partial takes. When I tried to create a multi cam clip using the auto settings the clips were simply lined up in one angle seemingly random distances apart (it happens in less than a second so clearly it was not doing what the tutorials were suggesting should happen). I Googled this and found a couple of threads and it appeared to be common (for this camera). I created 24 more empty angles and dragged a clip into each one and synced them manually - including the audio track and just got on with it. This was my first project with fcpx and had to move on.

I've now finished that project and have had a chance to go back and experiment with the settings. I used the auto settings first to check that nothing had changed and sure enough fcpx generated 1 angle with all the clips lined up along the timeline. After a few different combinations these were the settings that worked. And very well too. Including managing to place the partial clips in the right place. All I needed to do was select them all and and lose any empty space at the front.

Another issue I came across was that once I had my edit I created a compound clip and then added an fx (broadcast safe) to the compound clip. When I went back to my original to make a change some of the multi clip angles in the viewer were blacked out and not visible. It turned out that by disabling the fx in the compound clip my missing views were restored.

But despite all this I will be sticking with fcpx. Especially for music video.

Andy

Rather than using a compound clip, use an Adjustment Layer effect.

www.fcp.co/forum/9-free-fcpx-plugins-and...nt-layer-effect#6089

And yes, low audio levels can impede the sync process as much as bad quality audio, I've found on occasion.

I know Movie Slate, great app! You need to amplify that audio to all cameras record it at a decent level. Or get as splitter and run the audio from Movie Slate (iPad I assume) to each camera's input for really clean audio.

Glad you've got a workflow that helps you out!

Hi Ben thanks for your comments. I'll have a look at the adjustment layer effect tomorrow.


iPad. iPhone more like. I can't justify, or afford, both. It was a folky song so could just about be heard by the singer. None of us had a ghetto blaster. And I wasn't gonna lug a PA around so it had to do. And I only have one camera.

Please bear in mind that -in this case- the audio is the same whether I use the auto settings or my randomly discovered manual settings (No logic has been applied to these settings, they just worked). But I get entirely different results. So I agree that getting as cleaner audio as possible is desirable it is not the cause -in this case.

I think it is something to do with the video files the NX5 generates. I just thought I'd stick these settings up in case any other NX5 users are experiencing a similar problem.

Andy

Andy...thank you for this post. I spent the better part of a day watching various tutorials and struggling with getting a multi-cam edit to work using footage ingested from my Sony NX5. You're a life saver, at least in terms of getting this project done without tearing my hair out :blink:

By the way, how can I get all the clips to show up down in the timeline? Right now it is only showing me one camera.

Hi,

Glad to be of help.

I watched some tuts as well and everything was as explained except the audio syncing when creating a multi cam clip.

If you haven't found these guys yet at MacBreak Studio:


To get to see all the clips in your multi cam clip: either double click on the multi cam clip you want to view (In the Events window) , or right click and select "open in angle viewer".

A window should open with all the clips stacked on top of each other - if the syncing has worked. Here you can rename, fine tune, move angles (like layers) up or down, add new angles and delete angles.

It may take a bit of clicking around to figure out exactly what is being inspected and or viewed.

One other tip when compiling an edit from a multi cam clip is to use the 9 (or less) clip view. You can then use the keyboard numbers to drop a clip into the edit as opposed to clicking on it. I found this to work better on my system.

Hope this helps.

If you're still struggling try the MacBreakStudio tutorials .

Andy

I'd recommend doing a full training on multiclip editing. There's a lot they don't get to cover there.
www.macprovideo.com/tutorial/finalcutprox201-multicam-editing

Radio Shack, some cheap cables and a splitter, run the boom box directly to all of your cameras?