Advanced techniques

Given a folder of many media clips concurrently shot on several cameras, you can pick relevant (audio and video) clips and select the menu  Create multicam entry (not the menu  Autosync entry). This results in a “default” multi-camera set.

The several clips within folders which you select will have timecodes which correspond to each other.

A new multicam clip will appear at the same level as your selected material, which contains all which you had selected. Note the multicam symbol in the top right corner of the clip icon. The name will initially be “new multicam”, you will be prompted to rename it at this point. When the clip has been renamed this is also reflected in the name appearing in the top left of the multiviewer.

The viewing size of the multiviewer is stepped up to the next size up (which for the purposes of this manual makes it easier to see).

Here, we are adjusting the sync relationships of the multicam clips. Secondary-click one of the multiviewer sources and select Sync Multicam.

This will give you another (similar, not quite the same) multiviewer player for multicam sources, and also a timeline view of the set of Video Waveforms.

The Video Waveform display bars may be grabbed and slipped back or forth against the others, to alter the time relationship of individual clips within a multicam group.

Dragging the multicam clip onto the play panel will open a new play panel displaying all of the clip or cameras sources as a multi-view arrangement to the left, and the selected source on the right.

The Video Waveform spanning beneath both the sources and the selected displays is much the same as on a single cam clip, and only relates to the selected display. Clicking on a clip within the multicam view on the multi-viewer on the left side of the player panel will start it playing and show it on the right side of the player panel. Clicking on a different clip within the multicam view on the left side will switch the selection of the player on the right side. This is the choice which will go through to the recording destination in the case of editing. In the meanwhile, all other clips in the same multicam view remain sync locked all the way through, as expected. The navigation buttons (play forward/back; frame forward/back; start and end) and the timecode displays (current position, in and out selections) are the same as on a single cam player.

Within the multicam player, Secondary-click the audio monitor button for the multicam configuration menu (this is the one to the left of the Video Waveform, not the main volume control of the player up on the top). This allows you to specify which audio tracks are to be heard, and whether switched, with which camera.

With single camera clips, added log information pertains to that camera (as would be expected). With multicam clips, the log information may or may not relate to the selected camera in view on the right of the player.

It is possible to log to a different camera than the selected camera. Hold Control down as you press the associated camera number (1-9), log entries will now be associated with that camera source.

If you later wish to edit which camera source relates to which log entry, this is possible with Secondary-click on the camera number in the camera column of your log view in the sequence panel. You can also edit it to “Multicam or All cameras” from here. In each case the original source clips will also receive the entered log information, according to selection.

“Autosync” gives more flexibility in creating a multicam set.

With media clips captured within the same time period, for example, a multiple-camera shoot, it is often possible to “autosync” them together, synchronising them automatically for you. When you Secondary-click (or Option+click/Alt+click) on a folder of such simultaneously shot items, you see a menu  Autosync item, which when selected will ask “multitrack” or “multicam”.

“Multiclip” gives a separate “sync clip” per source clip. Given some content not shot simultaneously, or out of time, but there is continuous audio available (for example from an audio recorder), “Multiclip” will sync whatever audio is in each clip synchronised to the continuous audio which they all match up to in common.

“Multitrack” is appropriate if the media in the folder is a concurrent shoot where different cameras were running simultaneously, “Multitrack” will result in a sequence with each camera on a separate track. “Multitrack” asks you to name a sequence.

“Multicam” provides a sequence with one track, where all the cameras are within a multi-camera group (together with the special player – a multi-view of all the sources on the left, and the selected one on the right).

“Move sources to folder” will tidy up relevant clips into a folder with a name you may specify.

It is possible to select a range of tracks of external audio you wish to keep. If guide audio is present, you may keep or reject any of the tracks.

“Collapse video” and “collapse audio” options can create timelines with up to 12 video tracks and up to 36 audio tracks. If exceeded, Ascent will try to rearrange items on tracks to fit into timeline gaps.

“Use aux timecode” allows use of material with no timecode, by letting you assign your own timecode to it (this will be an “aux” timecode), to use as a timing reference.

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