Larry Watts

I did a test and this is what I found. I opened an mp4 video in RX4. I fixed a really bad audio glitch using the replace feature in RX4 and saved it. When I opened it in Premiere the audio was fixed and the video was still synced in a single file. Question: Did RX4 recompress the file when it did that? How much degradation occurred if it did? THX Larry

Thanks Jay! (and the great comment,Steven) I'm jumping in at the tail of a project end helping a non-profit get their video in decent shape for replication, so the mp4 is what I got handed to me. The project has already been authored for DVD menus etc and I need to go back and level the audio, take out some pops, clean up one area that peaked and bring it back into Encore to burn the master for replication. (Which is why I was looking for a short cut.) My normal personal workflow is to shoot on my canon C100 recording on a Ninja 2 in Prores at 200mb/s and record sound on my sound devices 644 as wav files double sound so I get clean sound and video. Sync using FCP sync or clapboard. I'll start using the 2 pop/flashframe technique. My dilemma here is how to fix things and not introduce any new problems. Because of the compressed audio and with your comment in mind, would you suggest I work on the audio within the mp4 format and not save out a wave file which will recompress again? What I don't know is if I open a premiere mp4 video and send to audition/RX4 will it uncompress and recompress in the process and therefore diminish the quality? Thanks Jay, and I went to your website and am going to order your book!

My workflow as a video producer to finish audio is to round trip audio from premiere or FCPX to audition or logic or protools and from there send it to Isotope RX4. I'm fairly new to RX4 so I'm wondering: If I open an audio/video mpeg4 file directly into RX4 can I save it back INTO the mp4 AV file intact, or does it become only an audio file? Same question goes for Audition or protools? Right now I have a 1.5 hour video that needs audio leveling and some spectral repair. It seems faster to just do it all in RX4. I just don't understand what an audio editor does to the video portion of the file. It seems like I don't have all the same tools when using RX4 as a plugin versus as the standalone program. So is there a shortcut workflow to fix audio in a video that does not require using a video editing program to keep audio and video together? THX Larry

Is the same limitation in Adobe audition?

I jumped in to help a small non profit with their documentary program that had audio problems. Mostly it needed to have the audio balanced between two on camera talents shot outdoors while demonstrating with small animals. Each talent was mic'd separately, but I received a stereo audio track where one was left channel and the other on the right. The project was done in Adobe Premiere which cannot change stereo to mono once edited into the timeline. There are a lot of edits, so recutting it was going to be huge. I tried a round trip to Adobe Audition and it appears the problem is the same there. I'm told Pro tools can handle this easily, but I don't have it or know it. Is there a workaround that I'm overlooking? Finally, the video with audio file is a mp4 format, not an editing format. THX

I've read all the posts I could find here on power options for mixers and recorders but most seemed to needs to charge older batteries. So I'm looking for options to power a new SD 664 recorder mixer. Batteries plus a charger. I'd like to go lithium ion. Any problems with the batteries for broadcast battery and charger solution? It appears to be at a great price point. THX. I've seen the IDX stuff. Only other battery needs I will have is for LED light via a v mount

The picture that NWSound posted is definitely the mic I received. (With no other components) FYI my friend is a naturalist, now almost blind, and thought he had a 416. He was just trying to help. From the comments here, I don't want to spend any money on a mic of this low quality. It's for sale! I found a rode NTG-3 with blimp and pole and have heard this mic comes close to the MKH 416. Thanks everyone for the help. It saved time and money. Larry

I was about to buy sennheiser 416 mic when a friend told me he had one in pristine condition and would sell it to me. It arrived yesterday and when I unpacked it I saw that it was not the entire microphone. It looks like a modular mic that requires a capsule since it has no XLR input and about 2 inches inside the tube I can see metal connectors. It is about 12" long and about the length of a 416 as I recall. It has the name sennheiser on it but no other name or number. Could this be a 416 missing some electronics or is it the ME66 capsule system? I just went to the sennheiser site and from the pattern of openings it cannot be a 416. It looks like the ME66 with out the base. So my question is ---Can I buy the rest of the mic? I doubt if it is as good as the mkh 416 but would it be worth it? THanks

Thanks for not totally running me out of town for that question. I knew I'd get a little bit of roasting. Let me say right off that it has been my practice for years to hire a sound guy. I have deep respect for the skills they bring to the table. I've given the same advice myself "Hire a sound professional". I had to be the sound guy for a couple of years when working for a small operation so I know how tough it is. Having said that, the reason for the temporary departure is that I'm self funding this series which will never have the advertising revenue of main stream broadcast. I have a little method to my madness in that due to the location we are in and with the less than full day shooting schedule I must work with it will be challenging to bring in a pro for all the shoots. So, I will bring in a pro to train a local crew on our equipment and schedule one for the more difficult situations. As a director and a shooter I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that people will forgive a less than stellar image at times, but never put up with bad audio. It may not work out to produce good audio in the way I've outlined, but the vision for the series is worth the attempt. So if you know any sound pro's in north Texas I'm looking. And thanks for confirming the need for iso's. I wanted the information to demonstrate the need to investors. Thanks!

How important is is to you to record isolated tracks for each actor (in a cast of up to five) when recording for a film or television drama format? As opposed to mixing all actors down to two tracks. I'm producing a television drama and I think it is essential to have each actor recorded as a separate channel so if a single mic rubs or introduces noise it doesn't trash the rest of the recordings. I'll admit I don't know what the industry standard is for this kind of work. It's new to me. I'm asking because the Sound Devices 552 seems like a nice unit, but I'll never have the iso's recorded. If I only buy a mixer then the camera will be the only recording and be two tracks. The Sound Devices is a couple of thousand more, but I'd have a true mixer and a true multi track recorder with plenty of options in post. I assume the bigger the production the more redundancy there is, but do productions of a more modest nature just record two tracks and with a seasoned pro it is not a problem? I'd appreciate any with this experience to chime in. Thanks Lawrence I meant to say the Sound Devices 664 in the fourth paragraph. sorry

Thanks everyone, especially Mr. Alexandris with that nice link. L

Any techniques that sound great and still cannot be seen? Thanks Larry