Best way to edit sync'd clips or tracks (Davinci Resolve)

[Skybuyer]

I've got a project that I'll be shooting and editing in a few weeks. It's a dance and all of 3:13 long with multiple takes that I can edit to pop in and out of. All the tracks will be sync'd via the music which will be indentical for each track.

My plan at this moment is to run it start to finish multiple times using the music to sync all the clips. After I get each take on separate tracks and sync'd I would like to find the easiest fastest way to get the snippets cut out and linked together contiuously as if there were multiple cameras runnign simultaneously on one take with a guy on a switchboard that can switch views at random, like you might see on MTV videos.

I suppose I could just generate one "master track" above all the others, find the clip I want and cut (or copy) it and get it up on the "master" track, linked so the movement still stays in time with the music. If that's the best way, what's the best technique to do that? If not the best way, I'm open to some education. I haven't been editing all that long. I can always figure out ways to hack my way to what I want, but I really want to learn more about the best way to do a quick and professional looking editing job (after hopefully getting professional looking footage).

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Glhs958]

Scroll to around 22:30 in the video for a great explanation of how you can accomplish what you are wanting to do.
RESOLVE 17 CRASH COURSE

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Usually multi-cam editing uses a time sync for the different cameras to ensure the sound stays in sync from one cut to the next. If I'm understanding you correctly, you want to just add different parts in but not necessarily at the same point in the song just the same beat so the timing matches. You will more than likely have to do that manually by using the audio waveform as a guide to match the video to the beat. There is (somewhere I think) an automation that will attempt to match the video and sound but it might be a 3rd party plug-in and I don't know that I'd trust it without carefully double checking. You should have pretty good success with the waveform method though.

 

[Skybuyer]

Usually multi-cam editing uses a time sync for the different cameras to ensure the sound stays in sync from one cut to the next. If I'm understanding you correctly, you want to just add different parts in but not necessarily at the same point in the song just the same beat so the timing matches. You will more than likely have to do that manually by using the audio waveform as a guide to match the video to the beat. There is (somewhere I think) an automation that will attempt to match the video and sound but it might be a 3rd party plug-in and I don't know that I'd trust it without carefully double checking. You should have pretty good success with the waveform method though.

The facts of the situation are that because I’m flying with no sound recording on some if not most takes I will not have simultaneously recorded music track on each track to sync up with, at least within the original recordings. But yes, I want the movements in the music to be in sync across all tracks.

I could potentially go to the multi cam route, put on some of the tracks it would require me to have the music track to each take, then somehow figure out how to get DR to view the attached the non-native audio as something it can use to sync the tracks. The multi cam method might not be the most elegant way to do what I need.

 

[Thomas B]

The facts of the situation are that because I’m flying with no sound recording on some if not most takes I will not have simultaneously recorded music track on each track to sync up with, at least within the original recordings. But yes, I want the movements in the music to be in sync across all tracks.

I could potentially go to the multi cam route, put on some of the tracks it would require me to have the music track to each take, then somehow figure out how to get DR to view the attached the non-native audio as something it can use to sync the tracks. The multi cam method might not be the most elegant way to do what I need.

IMovie will put your chosen soundtrack on any video. Lots of free music to use... including those free from Eric Matyas, a member here.
Try soundimage.org.

Attribution Info | Soundimage.org

soundimage.org

 

[EricJT]

I have done multi-cam edits....not having RTC to work from, I did use a triggered flash to visibly align the 3 video sources in the first instance.

In the second instance I used DR's multi-cam sound alignment tool to sync the multiple video sources...all of them had mics, so it worked nicely.

I must say that DR's multi-cam editing capabilities are very good. There are some great YouTube tutorials covering multi-cam editing.

 

[Skybuyer]

I have done multi-cam edits....not having RTC to work from, I did use a triggered flash to visibly align the 3 video sources in the first instance.

In the second instance I used DR's multi-cam sound alignment tool to sync the multiple video sources...all of them had mics, so it worked nicely.

I must say that DR's multi-cam editing capabilities are very good. There are some great YouTube tutorials covering multi-cam editing.

Flash to sync to get the timing right would be difficult as I will be shooting the different tracks sequentially rather than simultaneously. It shouldn't be that hard to manually sync the tracks. I suppose the easiest way might be to get the visuals sync'd with the master audio track and just go through each with I/O selections.

 

[Skybuyer]

IMovie will put your chosen soundtrack on any video. Lots of free music to use... including those free from Eric Matyas, a member here.
Try soundimage.org.

Attribution Info | Soundimage.org

soundimage.org

Thanks. But the music is already selected. I know what it is and will be 3:13. I could do the same thing in DR by syncing the music and each track then exporting each as an MP4 and reimporting each with the sound attached. then I could work with the multicam. I don't know enough about using multicam yet but will learn it even if I don't use it. Besides, iMovie requires an Apple device. And while I have an older Macbook, an older iPad and an iPhone XR and after decades of being a Mac evangelist I have to report that I prefer the PC.

 

[Tiger64]

I use different software but the principle is the same.
I would start with the sound track.
Then look at the beat of the music.
Make the cuts in video match/on the beat.
Discard any sound tracks from video unless there is something you want to use like a crowd cheer at the end etc.

Trev

 

[EricJT]

Thanks. But the music is already selected. I know what it is and will be 3:13. I could do the same thing in DR by syncing the music and each track then exporting each as an MP4 and reimporting each with the sound attached. then I could work with the multicam. I don't know enough about using multicam yet but will learn it even if I don't use it. Besides, iMovie requires an Apple device. And while I have an older Macbook, an older iPad and an iPhone XR and after decades of being a Mac evangelist I have to report that I prefer the PC.

My understanding of DR's multi-cam is to have multiple cameras recording the same event from multiple perspectives and distances.....then you can edit the video(s) to change perspective with the sound synced so that the transitions are smooth and the video is focused on what you want during that event. Sort of like a concert when the video transits from the singer to the guitarist, etc.

This summer I am going to try and have 5 cameras recording footage simultaneously of my granddaughters playing in our swimming pool. The final edit in DR's multi-cam should be more interesting than just 1 camera.

 

[Skybuyer]

I use different software but the principle is the same.
I would start with the sound track.
Then look at the beat of the music.
Make the cuts in video match/on the beat.
Discard any sound tracks from video unless there is something you want to use like a crowd cheer at the end etc.

Trev

I've done that in a practice edit, taking a number of projects and using select portions of each finished tracks, times to changes in the music. The project coming up would be of a similar nature, except that all the tracks would be aligned first to sync with the music, then I would want to take various clips and views to use in the final edit. I'm just trying to find the fastest and easiest way to do it. What I did (sample below) was ok, but clumsy, cumbersome and more time consuming that I'd like.

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[EricJT]

I've done that in a practice edit, taking a number of projects and using select portions of each finished tracks, times to changes in the music. The project coming up would be of a similar nature, except that all the tracks would be aligned first to sync with the music, then I would want to take various clips and views to use in the final edit. I'm just trying to find the fastest and easiest way to do it. What I did (sample below) was ok, but clumsy, cumbersome and more time consuming that I'd like.

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That is quite well done.....good job!