mycoderm
03-08-2003, 12:35 PM
Cutting a 25 minute documentary on an Express DV system recently, I came across a limitation that I'd never heard referred to before. It seems that Express DV is incapable of subframe editing. No big deal when you are cutting pictures, but a major butt pain when you are attempting complex audio edits. The workaround that I figured out was to cut as close as you could to the sound modulation and then use trim mode to either extend or trim back to the modulation you wanted. This actually doubles the time it takes to cut sound. It took a couple of days to figure out that it was a software limitation and not just me. Three calls to the local distributor finally got the admission that subframe editing was not possible. I had tried to use the sample plot (waveform) information on the timeline view and tried to line the position indicator (both the solid line and the dotted line) up on the waveform representation of the mod. It took me a day to realise that the system couldn't see into the frame. It was only then that I noticed that one of the major advertising highlights emphasised in the marketing of FCP was its ability to handle subframe audio edits. Now I understand why. I would like to hear from Express DV users if they have experienced this shortcoming and if there is a way around it.