Marc Wielage

Jeff is right -- trying to use the Mac's internal clock as a reference for timecode is not a good idea. Either an Ambient or a Denecke crystal-controlled TC generator is the only way to go. I went through this last year when I had to use Metacorder for two different products, and wound up going with the Denecke GR-1, simply because I liked the design. One caveat: I heard some timecode bleed in the analog inputs of the Yamaha 01X mixer we were using, so I opted to feed the timecode in to the Mac's own analog input. This is a delicate mini-phone jack, prone to getting bumped, but I was able to get a right-angled plug that was a little more rugged. You can get more info on this on the Metacorder user group on Google. --Marc W.

All the post houses here in LA have essentially the same equipment and deal with the same problems. There are exceptions (like Rushes and Matchframe, which have the Aaton system), but most dailies and editorial companies use Fostex DV-40s and DV-824s for audio playback. I would add to Modern's document that Metacorder discs work fine, provided they're DVD-Rs written with Toast in UDF format. As far as I know, Mac OSX isn't capable of writing to DVD-RAM. (I just tried it, and Toast 7 specifically said "cannot write to DVD-RAM and spit the disk out.) We do not recommend trying to burn a DVD-R directly from the Finder, because of the difficulty in doing this in UDF format; it works much better with Toast. When I used Metacorder for a project last year, I found that the discs it burns from within the program are not recognized by a DV-40; they only work if you burn the disks from Toast. I have a preliminary document that I made for Technicolor last year ("Location Sound Delivery for Post"), and I'll upload it here if anybody would like a copy. --Marc W.

The only problem with that is that we still work with a printed copy for telecine dailies. If the PDF is on the audio disk, we'd have to eject it from the Fostex DVD drive, put it in a conventional computer, pull up the file, print it out, then return it to the Fostex drive. On the other hand: Technicolor has an entire department devoted to logging the audio disks that come in for telecine, so we have "clap logs" already. But I like having the mixer's own notes, just in case we have to deal with something non-standard (unusual track assignments, operating levels, etc.). --Marc W.

And in case anybody reads this, a correction: as of 4/19/2007 is that the 606 will be "under $8500" and the 204 will be "under $3500." --Marc W.

And just to update my note: I spoke to the Fostex rep at NAB this afternoon, as I dashed through the show on Thursday (the only day I could get off this week), and learned that the PD-606 will be "around $8500" and the PD-204 will be "around $3500." I personally think these prices are a little high, but still much cheaper than the PD-6's original list price. Availability on the new Fostex machines is supposedly going to be September/October. The machines on display were just mock-ups, not working models, and I suspect a lot of features could be added or changed between now and October. --Marc W.

Yeah, I've seen that happen before. We usually do two things in post when that happens: 1) we pull the file into another computer, and use Courtney Goodin's BWF-Widget to check the file and make sure it's intact and has the right TC. 2) assuming the file is OK, we play the DV-40 or DV-824 back in "manual" mode (turning List Play mode off), cue the take manually, and try syncing it up that way. 3) and when all else fails, we try a different DV-40 or DV-824 unit. Some machines have compatibility problems with certain discs, and this solves the problem maybe 1 out of 10 times. If #1-#3 don't work, then and only then do we ask for a backup copy. Worse comes to worse, we have the ability to lay down "phantom" audio timecode with the film transfer (which matches the slate), capture that in the FLX files, and let the assistant editor sync up the audio the next day. At least if the audio timecode is already in the Avid (or FCP) session, it makes syncing it up very fast, assuming the assistant editor can import the missing audio himself. Those guys must be morons. 30NDF and 48kHz work fine, as does 30NDF and 48.048. If you use the latter, the post house plays it back at 29.97NDF, and it should sync up fine. The moment the slate is X number of seconds wrong, there's almost always a problem with playback rate. (That's assuming the slate was jammed correctly to the record TC.) The only possible exception would be if the camera was running off-speed (like at 23.976), in which case the sound would have to be resolved at 30NDF without a video reference (i.e., no pulldown). That's pretty rare, though.

We tell our dailies guys at Technicolor/Hollywood, if a file appears to not be on the DVD, get out of List Play mode and just advance to the file manually. 99% of the time, it's just a timecode conflict (exactly as you describe), and the file can play back correctly. The only problem is, if the sound mixer didn't provide enough preroll prior to the slate, that causes a lot of trouble, since the machine can't physically "play" before the start of a take in the regular playback mode. Same thing with a situation where the audio TC goes from 23:59:00:00 to past midnight (00:00:00:00). The Fostex DV-40's or DV-824's will stop dead when this happens. You can either switch the playback machine to "midnight mode" (under the TC menu) or just do what I do, which is play it back manually. BTW, I think the best way to handle disc labelling is just to use Inket Printable DVD-R's (or DVD-RAMs), printing the name of the show, track format, and so on, and then hand write just the date and roll number. I personally prefer the DVD-RAM disks in the caddies (with a small label on the outside), but the regular DVD-R's work fine, too.

The list price appears to be $12,500, according to Coffey's site. If that's true, then I expect that Zaxcom will have to adjust the prices on the Deva V and IV, because I think that's less than the V used to cost. Anybody find out what the Fostex PD-606 is going to cost? I assume it'll be at NAB this coming week...

The info on the PD606 is here: http://www.fostexinternational.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EEZuAZkllVtRxMOncV&tmpl=viewnews_pro_head and the PD204 is here: http://www.fostexinternational.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EEZuAZFpFFhyumDJdF&tmpl=viewnews_pro_head I assume both will be on display at NAB around April 14th. I dunno for sure about prices yet, but I assume that the 204 will be under $2K, and the 606 will be $6K. --Marc W.

Dave, I think the Fostex 204 is just a cheaper version of the 604. They're only providing 2 tracks, basically as a solid-state replacement for a PD-4 DAT machine. If you need more tracks than the 204 can provide, then you'd get the PD606, with is 6+2 tracks. The rumor is that the PD606 will be under $6K, which (if true) will be a heckuva deal. --Marc W.

Sorry I missed this question earlier! (Better late than never.) Two reasons: if the sound crew isn't aware that a camera has started early elsewhere (very typical in multi-cam shoots), we may need sound for that "moment." Secondly: though we technically don't require pre-roll anymore for non-linear material, there are situations where, because a file format is bad or there's a compatibility problem with the DV-40/824, we have to play back the file in non "LTC Linked" mode. If we have to resort to that, then we *have* to have at least 5-6 seconds of pre-roll prior to the slate or no one will hear the clap. If the editor doesn't hear the clap, they can't verify the dailies are in sync. There is also the possibility that the non-linear copy is bad (or failed to roll), and only the backup copy has that particular take. If the backup copy is on DAT, we have to have pre-roll. Often, we don't have the time necessary to dub the DAT to DVD-RAM prior to telecine, so anything that takes time delays our dailies deliveries and makes the producers nervous.

This is probably overkill, but Megaseg is a terrific application that can simulate a cart machine setup for sound effects, music cues, and so on. Definitely not a toy. Info is here: http://www.megaseg.com/ It's Mac-only, has a very slick interface, and isn't too expensive ($199). Also good for Windows users is a similar program called DRS2006 (at DRS2006.com), and their cart machine application is a free standalone download. --Marc W.

That would work, except: 1) what if you use more than one roll a day? This is often the case for long days, where there's a break-off and 50% of the footage is rushed to the lab so that dailies can meet a specific schedule. 2) what if there's a second-unit crew working on the same show? I can tell you from a post perspective we do use the sound roll numbers all the time, even when the "roll" per se is really a disc or a directory. This is particularly true for B-negative shots, where a production comes back weeks or months later and has us transfer a before-unused shot, and we have to hunt down the sound for that specific take. Finding the negative (at least for a film shoot) is often easier than locating the sound roll, especially if the latter is split between DATs, DVD-RAMs, and sound files. --Marc W.

The problem with going with inDaw is that it only works as part of the complete Aaton system, which is about $60,000. From a user standpoint, I can tell you that the Aaton system has the best hardware, in terms of reading keykode and timecode off film, but I think the Evertz Tracker system has far better software. (The issue of Aaton vs. Tracker in post is roughly as controversial as, say, Deva vs. Cantar in the audio world.) The DV-40 (or the newer DV-824) is pretty much compatible with everything, and costs less than $5000 (sometimes a lot less). The advantage of using it is that the telecine operator merely has to slip the disk in and go. With the inDaw, you have to physically copy all the files to the internal hard drive. The inDaw does have some advantages in terms of features like automatic pull-up/pull-down, and correcting varispeed problems, but these can generally be done manually with the DV-40. --Marc W.

Yeah, I totally agree. I mentioned at the local 695 meeting in early June that, contrary to what a lot of production mixers might think, often, we try to fix sound problems in post, and we don't even bother complaining to the producer or even contacting the mixer. It's just easier for us to find a workaround and go with it. I was telling one of the guys at Coffey Sound a few weeks ago we just wrapped the telecine dailies on a major studio picture where every single day, the timecode and pull-up/pull-down was totally wrong (another 48.048 project). We figured out the drift problems by the second day, and came up with a fix just by modifying the speed of the Fostex 824 (forcing a double-pulldown to make the thing work). I asked the colorist why he didn't mention this to the production sound mixer, and he just shrugged and said, "there've been so many issues with this job, I figured it'd be better not to make any waves." So I can tell you there are some dailies people out there who are trying to help, and are not trying to make trouble for mixers (or anybody else). I agree, though: just having the mixer have one conversation with the colorist at the beginning of the project is appreciated. Usually we hit a few bumps in the road the first day or two, but we typically will go 40, 50, even 60 days without a problem on many projects. At least, that's been my luck for the last few years. --Marc W.

The guys at Location Sound told me yesterday at the Cinegear Expo that they had a few microphones and peripherals stolen that same day. My first thought was that Tony Soprano's gang was going into production on their new film, "Zombie Godfather" (mentioned in several episodes of THE SOPRANOS), but you gotta wonder why and how the thieves would go out and grab specific gear. Scary. Coffey has posted photos of the guys up on his website, and I sure hope they catch the bastids. I briefly worked for a video rental house in the late 1970s, and I vividly remember what a drag it was whenever our gear wasn't returned from a shoot on Monday morning. --Marc W.

Thanks, Jeff. I've been heavily involved with telecine and post for the past 25 years, but audio has always been a keen interest for me. Seeing things on "both sides of the fence" has given me a lot more respect for the production side of things. --Marc W.