|
| |
IMPORTANT:
When positioning your Mixer and Smartlead - make sure they
are well clear of any potential electrical interference - such as your PC's monitor or
power supply transformers - which WILL affect performance and results!
GLITCH DOCTOR IS HERE!!! |
GLITCH DOCTOR is a superb piece of software written by 'SPARKY' (Jeff Caunter),
that enables you to create a PAL or NTSC tape for accurate calibration of
your VCR's Record and Pause delay times - and it will help you to assess the performance
of your PC as well. Comprehensive and clear instructions - together with valuable
information about the Delay values and why they're needed, sound glitching problems
- and so on - are also included in the zipped up file.
The program is very 'clean' - it won't make entries in your Registry or create
hidden 'ini' files anywhere: in fact you could run it from a floppy!
It is easy to use, and is a MUST for every serious Studio 400 user!
AND IT IS FREE!
(See below for the Quick Start Guide to using Glitch
Doctor)
No Registration fee for this
version at all! A 'Shareware' version - offering even more facilties - is being prepared,
and will be available later in the year! ALL OUR THANKS GO TO 'SPARKY' FOR MAKING
THIS AVAILABLE! |
File Size: 270kbytes
|
To DOWNLOAD the ZIP file, RIGHT CLICK (or SHIFT+RIGHT
CLICK) on the Glitch Doctor picture
and select a 'Save file' option from the menu. You must 'UNZIP' the file (WinZip) before
use.
(When you've checked your calibration, how about sending me the details for
my VCR Table?) |
| QUICK START GUIDE TO USING GLITCH DOCTOR |
1) WITH NO OTHER APPLICATION RUNNING, video the
Glitch Doctor running on your PC for 2
to 3 minutes, and using Time Code, if you have it.
2) Capture it with Studio 400 as you would any video.
3) Edit it as per instructions - about ten clips starting on a 'START'
closed scissors and ending on an 'END' closed scissors. No transitions. No added sounds.
(You can copy the same trimmed clip ten times if you want).
4) Make movie
5) Step frame by frame through the edit points: compare what is made with
what you created during edit.
Take the average of the Record delay corrections needed, and the average of the Pause
delay corrections needed, and adjust the Record and Pause delays accordingly.
6) Make Tape again with the original edit to check your corrections are
now spot on.
7) Now add transitions and music, to check the freeze frame and
sound glitching. Check the work-around in this section if your freeze frame is out.
|
| HOW CAN I SET UP THE INFRA-RED SENDER ? |
My thanks to Dr Keith Baker for this tip... The comments in brown are my additions to (possibly) help clarify the
procedure.
For some, artificial lighting can interfere with
the good, accurate, repeated operation of the IR transmitter: it is therefore best to
shield the IR unit from external light sources (even daylight)
WARNING: You make the following
adjustments at your own risk: neither I, nor Dr Keith Baker, can be held responsible for
any damage caused by fiddling with your IR transmitter device. Having said that, many of us have done it without ill effects. But be
warned, it's your responsibility...
Here's how to adjust the IR transmitter. The smartcable has an adjuster in
it. You can see it through the hole but its a bit difficult to see so I dismantled mine (Note: you can adjust it without dismantling, using a watchmaker's
screwdriver. It is advisable to mark the current position before making any adjustments).
The adjuster has a range through about 300 degrees (its a surface mount preset) but it has
no end stops so you can't easily tell if the adjuster is in range.
Anyway, here's how I did it ...
I set the IR burst rate to 3000 (Options>Make Video) and pressed play (on
the On screen record VCR control panel). This way I got about 5
minutes of play commands. NOTE: It has been pointed
out that, in V1.03/1.04 it is not possible to set the IR burst rate greater than 99 using
Options. Adjusting the Registry is not recommended.
I then held the cable about 1 metre from the VCR and turned the adjuster
1/8 turn until the VCR came on (I reset the VCR with the remote each time) and determined
the range of the adjuster settings needed for the VCR to play.
I then turned it to somewhere in the centre of this range. This ended up
about 1/8 anti-clockwise from the factory setting.
Using a similar technique I found the ranges for the distance from the
VCR that it will operate as well as angles up and down and chose a position central to
all. My IR transmitter is about 12 inches from the VCR, slightly to the left (about 10
degrees) and about an inch above the VCR's IR sensor.
Once the adjuster is set up, you should find the actual position of the cable is not too
sensitive. Don't forget to reset the number of IR pulses
back down to a reasonable figure - from about 1 to 6!
|
| HOW CAN I CALIBRATE MY RECORD VCR MANUALLY? |
For some, the automatic calibration process simply doesn't work (often,
using a brand new tape can be the answer). For others, the automatic calibration is
not quite good enough. Manual calibration enables you to 'fine tune' your set up -
and also shows the capability of your record VCR to provide consistent results. Knowing
how consistently your record VCR can 'hit the target' can be useful in determining how you
edit: if your VCR has a variation of five frames, say, on clip end points, there is no
point in you trying to edit tighter than that.
Pinnacle suggest
calibrating using two clips. I prefer to calibrate using ten clips: with some VCRs, the
Record delay value for the start of the first clip can be quite different from the delay
for the rest of the clip starts. Similarly, the Pause delay for the last clip can be
different from the rest - possibly because the delay for a 'STOP' command is different
from the delay for a 'PAUSE' command. Using ten clips (or thereabouts) will show up these
differences, if they exist on your VCR.
For a
Table of timings for various VCRs - click this line.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It has
been found that some (a few?) record VCR's don't have a consistent PAUSE delay.
Instead, the delay value changes progressively as the tape advances through its length,
indicating perhaps that it is related to the 'amount' of tape already wound on the reel.
This should definitely not happen with flying-erase head VCR's. If you suspect it
could be happening with your machine (because the clip trims get progressively worse on a
finished movie), you can check it out by performing the delay test twice - first using the
start of a tape in the VCR, and then using a tape that is near the end of its maximum
time. I can offer no real workaround (unless you want to create a complicated table of
values, where the PAUSE delay is changed according to how much has been recorded 'so far'
on the finished tape, and to break your movie up into short segments - changing the PAUSE
delay value appropriately for the amount of tape recorded on each time... No. I
thought not!!). If there's another VCR you can borrow/use, that may be the simplest
answer... Frankly, I believe that it is a problem that cannot be addressed by
Pinnacle. Since the PAUSE delay would depend on how much tape had been used (if that is
the cause), and since Studio 400 has no way of knowing how much tape has been used
(because there is no feedback from the record VCR to Studio 400 - it is a one-way control
process) in order to make the correct adjustments to the PAUSE value.
Fortunately, I think
that the majority of VCR's do not exhibit this peculiarity.
Back to the plot...
To perform this test, you first need a source tape where every frame is different and identifiable. There is an excellent test tape (PAL systems only)
available from Graham Prosser. And
you can create your own NTSC or PAL test tape with the powerful GLITCH DOCTOR - abailable
from this site!! (click here
for details) It will also be a
great asset if your record VCR can be controlled frame by frame, for viewing the results.
NOTE: Both GLITCH
DOCTOR and Graham Prosser's PAL Test Tape come with quite explicit instructions. If you
use either of these aids (and you jolly well should) the following instructions are
totally redundant - and are far more complicated than those provided by Glitch Doctor or
Graham's Tape. In fact, used properly, both these alternative methods will tell you
exactly the correct values to add or subtract from the Record and Pause delay values.
So why have I left these
instructions in?
* For masochists, who want to do it the hard way.
* Because it was one of the core reasons for starting these pages in the first place.
* To let you gloat over the way the 'pioneers' of Studio 400 had to work, before modern
science and bright enthusiasts took over.
* Because....
I have made them smaller though
(specially for the masochists...)
- Write down - in a table - the actually selected start frame and end frame of each
clip, by identifying the time (for example) seen in the frame. The start of a
typical table is shown alongside
Be sure you are clear about the frames you are using for the starts and ends - you will be
assessing how close the result is to these frames
|
| CLIP ID |
Start frame ID |
Actual frame |
End frame ID |
Actual frame |
| Blue |
45s 10f |
|
48s 12f |
|
| Red |
1m 20s 00f |
|
1m 26s 5f |
|
| Green |
30s 10f |
|
35s 8f |
|
| ...etc |
|
|
|
|
|
- Using a single frame advance VCR (it is almost essential!), view the made movie.
Compare the start frame of each scene with the frame you actually selected for that scene
- and use the frame advance/retard to count the 'error', if any. Thus, looking at the
video around the required frame the on the made movie, if you have to advance
from the actual start by 3 frames to get to the
'correct' start frame that you really wanted, then the record started 3 frames
too soon and you would record that as '-3'. Example: The first frame of a clip on the made video is marked 4.20. But
you selected frame 4.23 as the first frame. 4.20 is -3 frames from the
one you selected, 4.23, so you record it as '-3'. If a clip in the made movie
starts with a frame after the one you selected, then assess how
many frames there are from the frame you wanted, to the one actually used (if necessary,
go back to the edit view of s400, and see how far ahead that frame is from the
wanted frame, but remember that the capture is every two frames, or 4 for slower
captures). Example: The first frame of a clip on the made movie is
3.10. But you wanted 3.07 as the first frame. 3.10 is +3 frames from the
one you wanted (3.07), so you record that as'+3'. The recording started too
late and so the delay needs to be increased - the
command needs to be sent earlier, and that means a longer delay period.
- Do exactly the same with the end points of every clip.
|
| CLIP ID |
Start
frame ID |
Actual frame |
End
frame ID |
Actual
frame |
| Blue |
45s 10f |
+4 |
48s
12f |
-2 |
| Red |
1m 20s 00f |
+6 |
1m
26s 5f |
-3 |
| Green |
30s 10f |
+4 |
35s
8f |
-1 |
| ...etc |
|
|
|
|
|
Look at the average of the results. Ignore any results that are
outlandishly different (especially on the first and last clip). Use the average 'start'
error to correct the RECORD delay, the average 'end' error to correct the
PAUSE delay. Thus, if the average start error is +5, add 5
to the current RECORD delay value. Similarly, if the average
Pause error is -2, subtract 2 from the Pause delay value:
you'll find these on the Make Tape tab of Options.
It is then worth repeating the test a few times, to check it out.
The 'spread' of the results you get in each test tells you something about the ability of
your VCR to start and stop on a frame - the better it is, the better the consistency of
results you'll get in a movie - and the better the sound matches will be
NOTE: Using the latest PAL 'Test
Tape' available from Graham Prosser, all you need to do is Capture the tape, then drag
non-white clips down to the time line in the same sequence as they appear in the album,
and make the movie: when you check the made tape - it will tell you, at the edit
points, what to add or subtract from the Record and Pause delays. Extremely easy to
use!
|
| MY
FREEZE FRAME IS WRONG, HOW CAN I ADJUST IT? |
| This
problem is being examined by Pinnacle. What follows is a work-around. You first
need to be absolutely certain you have pretty accurate RECORD and PAUSE delay
times (see the Tip above). And you will need to have assessed the average discrepancy
between the freeze frames and the associated last frame of the clips. (You can use the
technique discussed in the previous tip, by adding transitions to the test movie). The
objective of this work-around is to make the freeze frame and the clip end frame the same.
That's what it should be, of course, without adjustments or fiddling. However, there are
circumstances which, currently, mean the wrong freeze frame is grabbed for transitions.
- Let us say, for explanatory purposes, that the freeze frame for transitions is on
average four frames after the last
frame of the clip. Obviously, there will be a visual jump to the freeze frame which
(depending on the transition used) will be on the screen for a short period of time. To
stop this from being noticed, the idea is to make the clip last four frames
longer so that it actually ends four frames late - making the end
frame of the clip the same as the freeze frame.
You can make a scene (every scene) last longer, by subtracting
the appropriate amount from the Pause delay value. A shorter Pause delay
means the Pause command is sent fewer - insufficient - frames before the Pause is
required. The VCR needs (say) 6 frames of time to pause, but the command is sent only 2
frames in advance - and so the clip will run on by 4 frames.
- However, as stated above, this will then make all clips overlength, by
the same amount. If you were doing a calibration test, you would find that all the clips
end late. BUT the last frame of a clip leading into a transition will now be the same as
the frame being selected for the freeze frame.
- Now, what we have done is deliberately make all clips run beyond the end
frames as displayed on the edit time line, or on the album
trim display.
If the frame you see or have trimmed to at the end of an edited clip is 'x',
then when the movie is actually made, if you look at the last frame of that scene on the
video tape, you will see that is a number frames AFTER the one seen on the time line - and
those frames are the ones that follow the scene on the SOURCE tape, of course.
If the original scene on the source tape actually ended at frame 'x', then
those EXTRA frames would be FROM THE NEXT SCENE
And that would be as bad as having an incorrect freeze frame.
- THUS, it is necessary to shift back the end point of every
clip, so that the frames that will be added never take the
end of a clip into the next scene when the movie is made.
If you do not manually trim every clip yourself, that can be done by
appropriately setting Autotrim - in the example under discussion, to 4, or to be
absolutely safe, say 5. (Remember that the Autotrim is used when you don't manually
trim the end of a clip. You can see the effect of Autotrim effect by switching on 'show
trimmed clips on Time Line' (which I strongly recommend you do)
When you MANUALLY trim a clip to an edit point that you want, it must be at
least four frames back from the end (using our example of a four frame discrepancy, of
course. The value used will be the number of frames your freeze frame is out).
If you want a scene to end at a very specific frame, then select that
frame on the trim view, then MANUALLY click back by four frames - the end frame you
actually want will then be the one that appears on the final tape. Even though it isn't
the one that appears on the time line.
NOTE: It has been pointed out to me (by Sparky, of Glitch
Doctor fame) that changing the Pause delay will change the difference between the
RECORD and PAUSE delay values (thus changing the length of each clip) - and that this
could well cause sound glitches. To maintain the correct difference between the two you
should change the RECORD delay value by the same amount that you change the PAUSE delay.
Thus, if you subtract 4 from the PAUSE delay, you should also subtract 4 from the RECORD
delay value. This means you must also make sure that the start of every clip is
trimmed in by the same value - otherwise a scene could start with the end frames of the
previous scene.
- Changing the PAUSE delay value could also result, in some instances, in 'Pause failures'
during Make Tape: if this is the case (and it is a known problem), try changing the number
of IR pulses.
In this example, every clip has
been deliberately lengthened by 4 frames, so that its end frame on a made tape matches the
frame chosen for the freeze frame of a transition. Autotrim is set to 4 or 5, so
that the now overlength clips don't include the start of the next scene from the source
tape. And you can trim any clip to a required end point, by first determining that end
point, then MOVING IT BACK by four frames.
PLEASE REMEMBER that the accuracy and
consistency of results is only as good as your record VCR, and that the s400 specification
does NOT guarantee better than +/- 1 frame, usually +/- 2 frames. Remember too - you
capture every OTHER frame - so you can be 1 frame out and still be spot on as far as s400
is concerned. If you don't have time code, your system will be hard pressed to achieve +/-
1 frames, I think.
|
| HOW
CAN I TELL WHETHER MY VCR CAUSES GLITCHES? |
However
perfect Studio 400 may (or may not) be, if your record VCR is not able to perform seamless
joins during the Pause/Record/Pause Make Tape process, you will get sound glitches. A VCR
with flying erase heads helps minimise glitching, but other VCR's can also provide equally
satisfactory results - particularly those that use four rather than two heads. Pinnacle's
testing has also found that the sound card can be a contributory factor in minimizing
glitches across clips and transitions. Here's how to tell if your VCR can create
seemingly seamless joins...
- Connect your camcorder's output directly to your VCR's input (sound and video)
- With a recorded tape in the camcorder, press Play on the camcorder
- Start the VCR recording
- After about 5 seconds, pause the VCR
- After about another 5 seconds, start VCR recording again - usually by pressing 'Pause'
again.
- Repeat this Record/Pause process about half a dozen times, then stop both the camcorder
and the VCR, and rewind the VCR tape
- Playback the VCR tape. Watch for the 'Pause' points - you will see a jump in the video
content, of course. At these points, watch specifically for glitches - static noise or
colour distortion. If you don't see any glitches or the glitches you do see are acceptable
to you, your VCR is performing OK.
|
| HOW
CAN I TELL IF THE INFRA RED SENDER IS WORKING? |
| Infra
red is invisible to the human eye, so it is difficult to see whether or not the
infra red sender in the Smartcable is working just by looking at it. It is NOT
invisible, however, to your camcorder ... set your camcorder into record mode, then look
through the viewfinder at the sender whilst transmitting a signal. If it is working, you
will see a white spot as the signal is being transmitted. This will also work with
the infra red senders on your vcr and tv controllers. Good way to check them out!
|
| HOW
TO SET THE SOUND LEVELS |
Here
is a tip to change the overal volume setting for Studio 400. This will allow Voiceovers,
Wav files, Camcorder Audio, CD and Smartsound rendered to Wav files to play louder - and
will eliminate the need to open your soundcard mixer software and adjust the volume
manually every time you load up Studio 400.
(This tip has appeared on the Pinnacle web board ). Warning: Playing with the Registry can be dangerous - always make a
copy of Registry files for safety!
Do the following:
Go to windows explorer. Open the folder c:\windows
1. Double-click on the Windows program REGEDIT.EXE (Alternatively, click on START, RUN,
type in REGEDIT.EXE and press Enter)
2. Choose HKEY_CURRENT_USER
3. Choose Software
4. Choose Pinnacle Systems
5. Choose Studio 400
6. Choose Preferences
7. Double-click on Wave audio volume and set it to 50 (decimal)
This should increase the volume level Studio 400 uses for all wav audio (voice over, Wav
file, captured audio ect.)
|
| THE
SET-UP JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK. WHAT CAN I DO? |
| Some
systems can be extremely tricky to set-up. If you are in the unfortunate position of
having such a system, and it seems as though you will never get it working - having tried
all other tips - then the following is a 'final' check list. It was originally
written by Pinnacle (adapted for these pages), and it is designed to eliminate all the
possible basic causes of problems. PLEASE WORK THROUGH THE LIST METHODICALLY. It is
possible that your system has more than one 'problem area' - and the presence of more than
one problem can be clouding the issue and making it harder to isolate and identify each
one.
Check video cable type and connection
Check which type of video cable is being used (composite, or s-video).
Ensure the cable is connected from Video Out on the Camcorder or source
VCR, to From Camcorder on the Studio Mixer.
Ensure the correct cable type has been selected in Setup/Studio Mixer.
If possible check that the cable you are using is working OK - by connecting it,
for example, between camcorder and a television and checking that a tape played back can
be viewed on the television.
Check DirectX Certification
Studio 400 requires DirectX 5.0 (or greater) compatible sound and graphics drivers to
operate properly. Lack of compatible up-to-date DirectX 5.0 (or greater) drivers can cause
erratic operation of the Studio 400 software. To check your system`s DirectX
compatibility, do the following:
1) Locate the Studio 400 directory on your hard drive (the default location is
C:/Program Files/Studio 400)
2) Open the following folders: Studio 400/Programs/Dxsetup
3) Double click on Dxsetup.exe
This will open a list of all DirectX components and their current certification status on
your system. Check specifically the components “Display Driver” and
“Audio Driver”. Both of these components must have a version number of
the form 4.XX.XX.XXXX. Furthermore, after the version number, the Dxsetup program must
display either “Certified” or a blank field, for both the “Display
Driver” and the “Audio Driver” components. If the version number is less
than 4.XX.XX.XXXX, OR the field next to the version number reads “No Hardware
Support” or “Not Installed” for either the “Display Driver” or
the “Audio Driver” component, you will need to contact the
manufacturer of your graphics and/or sound card to obtain the latest drivers.
Check LPT mode setting and pass
through devices
Ensure the parallel port mode is set to ECP or Bi-Directional in the
system`s BIOS. ECP mode is preferable.
Disconnect pass through devices (such as printers, scanners and zip
drives) from the To Printer port on the back of the Studio Mixer.
Set printer to print to file:
On the Windows Task Bar, go to Start/Settings/Printers, then click once
on your printer to highlight it.
Once your printer is highlighted, go to File/Properties and
select the Details tab.
Change the 'Print to the Following Port' setting from 'LPTx'
to 'File' by clicking on the down arrow to the right of the current setting.
Once the setting has been changed to File, click Apply and exit
Printer Properties.
Disable other video capture devices
Go to Start/Settings/Control Panel and double click on Multimedia.
In Multimedia, click the + symbol next to Video Capture Devices
to view the device list.
If there are other devices listed besides the Pinnacle Studio
400, select those devices and click on Properties.
In the device`s properties, select Do Not Use This Video Capture
Device for any device other than the Pinnacle Studio 400.
Close down all background
applications
Before opening Studio 400, hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys on
the keyboard, then hit Delete.
This will open the Close Program window.
Click on the individual applications listed in the Close Program
window and select End Task.
Do this for all applications listed in Close Programs except
Explorer and Systray.
Ensure the Studio Mixer is connected
directly to the LPT port
using
the original 3-ft parallel cables supplied with the unit.
Ensure the Studio Mixer is not
connected through an A/B switch box on the LPT port.
If it is, disconnect the Studio Mixer from the A/B switch box.
Remove the switch box from the LPT port.
Connect the Studio Mixer directly to the LPT port using the
original 3-ft parallel cable.
Disable other audio devices if
running Windows 98
Go to Start/Settings/Control Panel and double click on Multimedia.
In Multimedia, click the + symbol next to Audio Devices to view
the device list.
With the exception of your Sound Card, select the individual
devices and click on Properties.
In Properties, choose Do Not Use Audio Features on This
Device,
and Do Not Map Through This Device for any device other
than your Sound Card.
Finally, make sure you have installed
the latest Studio 400 update.
|
|
Home of the 
