Proper Audio Syncing in FCP

A couple months back I posted a little note about how to get nested audio into Soundtrack Pro from FCP and I have a better method that is surefire and doesn't take much longer. You can bring this into play at any point along the workflow but at the start is the best so you dont have to even think about how it might effect edits.

This all works whether you are syncing with Pluraleyes or doing it manually with a slate and is pretty easy.

1. I've found depending on your time and computer speed you can either a) batch convert into Prores ahead of time/on import or you can wait until you sync.

2. Sync your timelines up with Pluraleyes or by hand. One thing, if its interview footage, that can save you time and give you a little boost in logging better is to group takes into single timelines. Make sure your timelines all match with the correct codec you are using for your workflow, i.e. Prores HQ 1920x1080

3. Here's really the last step already, select all the timelines you have created and set them up with Media Manager to render out. I use referenced Quicktime clips so I dont need to rerender everything.

4. Reimport all the new clips you just created and you're ready for editing. If you decide to do this as a later step, for instance, if you are nesting sequences, you can drill down to the timeline you need to condense and media manage it into a referenced clip.

How to get audio from nested FCP sequences to Soundtrack Pro

I was having a serious issue today trying to send sequences over to Soundtrack Pro for finishing. I would send them along and then sit there and stare blankly at Soundtrack wondering why the first track of audio didn't import. It turns out because Final Cut nested sequences don't like to include themselves inside the XML that is sent to Soundtrack Pro. Go figure. I searched everywhere and the only answer I could find was I would have to do a bunch of copy and pasting or cmd+dragging around of sequences to get them ready to ship. Then I had the good fortune of noticing a sequence I had already color corrected in Color didn't have this issue. Hmmm... a little testing and I found it seems to work every time (in this case 9 sequences).

This is good for any of you out there editing with a 7D or 5D and syncing audio to them with Pluraleyes.

1. Select your timeline in the browser
2. File > Send to > Color
3. Allow it to open up in Color
4. In Color: File > Send to > Final Cut Pro
5. Open the sequence that Color sent back over - will have (from Color) added to end of the seq name
6. Select that new sequence in the Browser
7. File > Send to > Soundtrack Pro Multiclip Sequence

Let me know how it works for you. It seems to work for me every time so far. It seems as if once the roundtrip is done from Color back to FCP that it either mixes down that audio or surfaces it somehow.