Editing interview with host and guest on different cams: workflow: multi cam or what?

Hi guys!

looking for advice and feedback from experience:
I shoot quite a few interviews, in a studio, usually with 2 cams: Cam A for guest, Cam B for host.

My FCP7 workflow was to record both Audio from tie mics to cam A, get ambient audio on Cam B for sync.
Then import everything in the timeline, manually sync and edit using the multi track razor blade (which i have not found on X, if it exists, just tell me where it is and you can stop reading this post.)

In X, I have tried several things:
1. Replicate the same workflow but it means I have to use the blade on each track (clip), only I have 4 tracks (Video from A, video from B, Audio 1 & 2 from A, audio from B is deleted). And to get rid of the unused audio, I simply disable ( V ) the portion of the track which I do not need. But this is quite time consuming.

2. Then I have done the same thing with making a compound clip first to edit my interview. Once the interview is cut, I simply go inside the compound clip and clean the audio and cut the b-roll (noddies and questions) that I need, but this is not ideal as well.

3. I have recently decided to give a go at multicam editing, much faster to cut the interview and place the b-roll, but it does not let me split the audio tracks, so I cannot clean it the way I want by just leaving the active mic and cannot even change the level on one of the audio tracks, I can only adjust the level for both channels.

One way might be to export the audio from Cam A and add it in the multi cam as an independent clip but I am not sure this would solve the problem.


So for those who managed to go this far in the post:
What is your workflow for this basic interview style videos, what is your trick for cleaning the audio track, is there a multitrack razor blade, can you split audio from a multicam clip?

Thanks for enlighting me

I'd put the mic for that subject to that same camera. Separating out the audio from one video to a different one I just don't understand.

You can then record room tone to Channel 2 of each camera. Self contained Cam A with Billy's voice on CH1, room tone on CH2, then self contained Cam B with Sally's voice on CH1, room tone on CH2, would make for MUCH faster workflow. Then just make a multicam clip of the two, cut away, done!

I would have (always did) it this way in FCP 7, too, with multiclip editing.

Pay attention to audio levels during the shoot! It will save you time in post. Have the camera operators monitor that audio! Then in FCP X, when you assemble your multicam clip, you can adjust levels, pan, etc, before you even start to cut. Then you cut once, and you're totally tone. Minimum time spent, minimum effort spent.

Thanks Ben, the reason why I am doing this ( I forgot to mention ) is that I am on my own, therefore nobody can monitor the audio on the 2nd camera. And I don't want any surprises due to the recording, because it won't get fixed in post.

Ah ha! I see! So in that case, here's where FCP X being based on Timelines is super handy!

Take the clip from Cam A with both audio tracks in the Browser, select, Command-D to duplicate it. Then right-click the COPY, Open In Timeilne. Delete everything but the audio you want for Cam B.

Now sync Cam B with the Cam A copy.

Or copy and paste the audio from Cam A into Cam B's Timelne.

Bunch of ways you can make this easier.

Or just have you Cam A copy that you've deleted everything but the Cam B audio track in, and use that by itself as an angle. Then when you do multicam, edit one pass as cutting video only. Do a second pass editing as cutting audio only.

Thanks Ben,

I'll give it a try, but Man I wish there was some way to expand and split the audio channels in Multicam...

Yep, that would be a nice feature. Fill out the feedback form!

You can edit your audio and set levels and all that jazz in compound clip that you create in the event. Then add the compound clip as an additional angle in your multicam sequence. This way, you can get in and adjust the levels for each mic independently, but as a multicam sequence it will operate as a single audio track.