Vegas - Syncing audio and video and saving as a single element?

[busydoingnothing]

I'll preface by saying that I'm completely new to video editing. I have more experience in audio but this is my first real video project. I shot video with a Canon HF10 and recorded the audio to a Zoom H2. I'm editing it all in Vegas Platinum.

So let me draw this scenario out...I have a scene which we recorded in 3 different shots: medium shot of both characters, closeup of one character, closeup of the other. I want to cut between all of those shots for the end scene. So what I need to do is sync the audio from the H2 to the video of the HF10 for each take, and save those takes somehow so that I can easily cut between the different shots.

What's the best way to handle this? Should I sync the audio for one, render it to a new file, then repeat the process for all three? Doesn't that result in a degradation of the quality? Should I have 3 video tracks and 3 audio tracks, then split it all up and move them onto a single track?

Help a newb out, please!

[zoobie]

huh?
you'll only need one audio track with one video track

[guns1inger]

I put all three clips on their own timelines, and use the audio to sync them up, then I start to edit the video. A simple starting method is to just split the video where you want the cuts, then drop the opacity on the takes you don't want. Try different variations until you are happy, then look at what, if any, transitions you might want to use instead of straight cuts. Of course, this assumes you have camera audio to sync with.

Once the audio is synced, I usually just solo the best audio track to keep the noise to minimum.

If you don't have camera audio then you work to same method - audio and all three camera tracks on their own timelines, but you will have to sync visually instead.

[edDV]

Audio needs to be planned from the start. I put wireless vocal tracks to the continuous wide cover cam up on a tripod and use this as the base edit track. Other shots (including handheld) are edited in as needed. Music and voiceover are mixed in async as needed.

ADR (if needed) would be done before edit.

[lacole]

LATE BREAKING EDIT: Just realized you were using one camera with three takes and not three cameras in one take. Never mind the following answer, one of the previous posts really does make more sense.....

Put all three video / audio tracks into vegas. Figure out which of the three audio tracks is the best and then use it as your master.
Sync the other audio tracks to your best audio track by locating a sharp spike in the audio or by looping one of the characters talking and moving the video event back and forth until it looks just right. Even if you do use a sharp spike, that may only get you close due to the distance between your subjects and the camera so looping will need to be the final check.
When doing this, zoom into the time line and use the right and left arrow keys on the keypad to make small shifts. Once all the tracks look synced, delete or mute and minimize the other two to get them out of the way. Use Vegas multicam mode to then mix the three video tracks. Once mixed, render the result.

One hint, just before you go to multicam, save a backup as once you multicam you can't go back. I've saved alot of time when I've found out that my tracks were a little out of sync and I did not catch it prior to multicam.