Coming to grips with Final Cut Express

[Nilfennasion]

I bought Final Cut Express for my iMac and installed it yesterday. Everything seems to be pretty hunky dory so far, except I am having an absolute bastard of a time sussing out how it works. For my first project, I decided to get to work on this video that I originally planned to finish in 2006. So I deposit files in the browser and add them to the timeline, but for some reason the audio in the files I am putting into the browser does not get there. All the footage turns out silent. I am having a hard time even explaining it.

Is there a Final Cut Express for dummies book or similar out there?

[Baldrick]

http://www.amazon.com/Final-Express-Dummies-Helmut-Kobler/dp/0764541110



Or check http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=936

[Nilfennasion]

*Loads first page...* *looks at price...* *faints*

Damn, that must be one good book there.

I keep going through the menus of this program and I just have no idea what I am doing honestly. I feel even more clueless than I did when I bought my first DVD+RW drive.

[lordsmurf]

Check the local libraries, college labs, school labs, etc.

[Nilfennasion]

Well, so far I have dragged MPEG-2 and AIC files into the FCE browser and no matter what I do, I cannot get any files in FCE to make any sound. It is like FCE thinks I want everything silent. I do not understand what I have to do to get the audio as well as video component of my files into FCE.

[Case]

MPEG-2

This is the first time you mentioned that your source file is MPEG-2. Most QuickTime based applications are not able to convert sound from muxed MPEG-1/-2 streams. This is why you get no audio. Get MPEG Streamclip. Load your MPEG file. Convert to DV. Load DV into FCE. Continue editing.

[terryj]

Case is correct. All Apple NLE apps worth their salt ( iMovie 6 HD, FCE and FCP)
are all based around DV Stream files, and AIFF (uncompressed) audio.
Any other file type you try to import will give you headaches.

Three simple rules to keep in mind:

1. DV Stream is what Quicktime likes.
2. FCE ( and iMovie and FCP) are based on Quicktime.
3. 90% of what I want to edit in FCE will have to be converted
to DV Stream before I can do anything.

I say 90% on that last part, becasue within the last few years more people
are mashing up and creating projects based around clips of video
acquired, rather than the old methods of ingesting SD mini DV Tape footage,
which most of Apple's NLE's were made for.
More people use footage from Youtube, downloads, torrents, ripped dvds,
etc., and all this footage is in an END FORMAT, suitable for viewing,
LOUSY for editing.

A good book to get through the library system is this one here.
but if you use your library's Inter Library Loan System
(ask for it at the circulation desk) you can check out ANY FCE book,
so long as you have:
1. the author
2. the ISBN
3. a valid library card.

I would recommend this one here, through ILLS.

[GT Music]

You should of had a Vegas --------- Sony Vegas

[Nilfennasion]

Apple-logies. I failed to mention that the source files were MPEG-2 because at the time I was writing the original post, I failed to anticipate that it might be a problem. The camera records in MPEG-2 TS format, which of course has been a great source of grief to me ever since I began shooting with it. *sigh* Okay, let me start from the beginning...

The footage in question was shot with a JVC GZ-HD7, which as mentioned records in MPEG-2 TS. When they are copied directly off the camera, they are basically files with a .TOD extension. The files are 1920x1080I. I am not sure exactly what format the audio is in. Some of the files have already been converted to an .MPG extension on my old IBM PC, but I am not sure what modifications the software made to the actual content of the files. If indeed it made any.

The basic problem is that I want to chop and change this footage in FCE, but when I add the files to the browser then attempt to add the files to the timeline, the audio that I know is in the files never gets added. I have tried opening the files in MPEG Streamclip and exporting the audio as AIFF, but this creates headaches with syncing. I have looked through the export options in MPEG Streamclip a fair bit, but the options I see under DV all convert the video down to SD.

I need a new hobby.

[edDV]

I did a quick Google search and came up with this ...
http://www.fixya.com/support/t674898-jvc_camcorder_gz_hd7u

This fellow recommends converting .TOD to HDV format with MPEGStreamclip for FCP.