Monitoring Audio During Capture

Posted on by Larry

[This article was first published in the January, 2008, issue of
Larry’s Final Cut Pro Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.]

 

Emily Rumsey, from Madison, Wisconsin, writes:

I’m logging and capturing on a laptop with no external monitor, using a DVCAM deck. The log & capture window registers sound on the meters but I can’t hear it. Once out of the L&C window you can hear clips fine.

 

Where can I set the L&C to hear audio while logging?

Larry replies: Emily, monitoring during capture showed up with Final Cut Pro 5.

Open the Log & Capture window and make sure Preview is checked in the Clip Settings window. This turns on audio play-through during capture.

Clip Settings

UPDATE – Jan. 27

Michael Grenadier sent in the following caution:

I think this is a dangerous recommendation to make without the following caveat: Monitoring the audio during capture adds to system overhead. Occasionally this will create problems in the captured file usually manifested as random clicking. I saw this way back in fcp1. Since in my opinion, a good fcp system includes an audio patchbay, it should be possible to monitor your audio directly of the camera or deck. So I haven’t left myself vulnerable to this problem in a long time. I figured this wouldn’t be a problem with faster mac’s and newer software, however recently someone recently posted on the Apple FCP forum a problem with random clicking in captured media that was not there in the original material. Sure enough this was the cause of the problem.


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5 Responses to Monitoring Audio During Capture

  1. Josh Benson says:

    Larry, you’ve done it again. Thanks. I’ve been trying to figure this out for years. I forgot about it and just figured it was normal not to hear the audio. But the simple preview click did it all. Wow. can’t believe I waited this long to figure it out. Thanks again for your sage advice! Every time I have an FCP question, you have the answer.

    • Nhan NGUYEN DINH says:

      Hi Larry
      I use FCP 7 and I am in the same case as Emily, no sound during Log an Capture, please help me me how to do because I don’t have the window above as the window of Emily
      Thanks
      Nhan

      • Larry Jordan says:

        Nhan:

        Remember, to see this setting, you need to open the “Log and Capture” window, then click the Clip Settings tab.

        I’ve never seen a case where this tab is not there.

        Larry

        • Nhan NGUYEN DINH says:

          Hi Larry
          I found it, my FCP 7 is in French version, Clip Setting is “Réglage de Plan” It works when I click to “Preview” as you showed to Emily.
          Thank you very much Larry and excuse me for my stupidity.
          Best regards
          Nhan

  2. Kate says:

    Larry,

    Thanks. I’m doing a mini-doc pro bono about autistic kids. Logging and capturing no
    fun without audio!

    I thought I tried everything, but then I did what you suggested with the preview. Sound is a beautiful thing,,,

    Kate in PA

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