Seperate video and audio file

[funkytwig]

I have a video file with stereo and an audio file with 5.1 mix. Can I use the 5.1 mix, rather than the stereo mix for the DCP?

[Carsten]

Yes. You can add both to a DCP-o-matic project, then disable the stereo audio in the audio matrix and route the 5.1 file to the 5.1 DCP channels (should happen by default if the channel order is L/R/C/Lfe/Ls/Rs).

You may also use the stereo file as a reference for syncing the 5.1 audio if the video and 5.1 audio files are not frame aligned, which sometimes can happen.

[funkytwig]

Thanks, that was simple. I think it is OK but how do I use Stereo on video as a reference? Do I play them all and check there is no strange echo?

[Carsten]

Yes, basically that should work.

[funkytwig]

OK, doing this again, so thought I would add to this thread.

So I have a number of files with the channel naming convention and added to DOM.

I turned off the main MOV's audio mapping and checked that the others were all mapped OK for the WAVs.

I then went into DCP tab and looked at the Audio Graph, which was too high, so I went back and did -3 to all the audio files (individually) in the Content tab and went back to the Audio Mappings in the DCP Tab.

Bit of a faf but I guess this is how I need to do it (shame there is no gain in DCP tab).

[carl]

The quickest way to fix this would be to select all the audio files in the content list (Shift+Click to select a range, or Ctrl+Click to add individual items to the selection) then change the gain in the audio tab - that will change the gains for all the content you selected at the same time.

I worry that yet another gain control in the DCP tab might add more confusion to an already-confusing GUI...

[Carsten]

There is no advantage in using separate audio files, so, if possible, use a combined video+audio file.

[IoannisSyrogiannis]

[...]
I worry that yet another gain control in the DCP tab might add more confusion to an already-confusing GUI...

The matter of the fact is that, while it could make sense in this case, in another, where there are multiple video files, it could bring trouble. The common vs. individual audio graph is really useful, though. I didn't know about shift-selecting, and was thinking that maybe some kind of optional linking between the individual files could help. But if it works...

[Carsten]

The select-multi feature is a very useful one, but it is also very well hidden for obvious reasons. I also use it often to apply the same crop or trim to segmented video files, or timing parameters to slides.