Fairlight Tips and Tricks #10

Developing Macros to
Improve Your Workflow

by Andy Somers

Hello and welcome to another edition of Fairlight tips. Before we get started with macros, I’d like to mention a few additional tidbits about version 15 software. In version 15, you can COMMIT with handles. Now, in the SPACE menu, the HANDLES size not only affects KEEP BORROWED, but also affects COMMIT. So if you have set your handles to ALL when you press COMMIT, you’ve – done nothing!

Another feature that’s new in version 15.5 is called SUPER TRIM. With super trim (which you activate in the "BLUE - S" page), when you go to the GRAB menu and set TRIM and then press HEAD (or TAIL), the clip will suddenly extend to it’s full length, allowing you to scrub the audio and find the point to trim to. As before, press ENTER to set the trim point. If you want to cancel the extended view of the clip, just press HEAD again and the clip will behave as before.

Macro Mania

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, macros are one of the most important features of the Fairlight, since they allow you to greatly reduce the number of keystrokes needed for a particular task. Macros do nothing more than record a series of keystrokes. Since the Fairlight’s user interface is entirely keystroke-driven (instead of mouse driven) you can create very complex macros that automate nearly any repetitive task.

Look Ma! Two Hands!

Macros allow you to do something else, as well – two handed editing.

To use the two handed editing approach, you re-map the most needed commands or command combinations to a closely grouped set of macro keys, then rest your left hand on the macros. You use your right hand only to JOG, and possibly ENTER and ZOOM. You can work very efficiently this way, as your "motion control" hand never leaves the jog wheel, and your "command" hand never leaves the command (macro) keys.

The AJAX Macro (for scrubbing the sync…)

One example of how this can work for you is in syncing dailies to the guide track. In this example, let’s assume that you have an assembled track from dailies on track one, and your guide track is on track two. Now, we’ll write some macros on macro keys 1,2 and 3. I’ll assume that you already know how to write a macro, so for the following examples, we’ll just list the specific keys to press. A key in brackets, [like this], indicates a regular mode key, such as [EDIT]. If it’s surrounded, <like this>, it’s one of the five soft keys under the LCD display, such as <CUT> or <HEAD>.

Macro Key 1:
press [JOG], hold down [ZOOM], press [1], [6], release [ZOOM].

  • This macro simply puts you in jog mode, at the closest zoom level so that you can inspect the waveforms as accurately as possible.

Macro Key 2:
press [GRAB], set <SLIP>, press <SYNC>.

  • This macro sets you into SLIP mode and grabs the sync point of the clip to be slipped.
  • Note that slip SYNC moves the audio within the clip and not the clip itself.
  • Be careful with this one because macros do NOT recognize different toggle settings. That is, on your console, you may have the GRAB menu set to default to TRIM mode, but someone else may have theirs set to default to SLIP. If you write the macro so that it works on your machine, with your setting, it will not work on theirs!

Macro Key 3:
press [ENTER], hold down [ZOOM], press [1], [2], release [ZOOM], hold down [SHIFT],
press [JUMP -> ], release [SHIFT], press [PLAY MENU], press <HERE>.

  • This macro performs the edit (enter), then it zooms out to level 12 (you may want to substitute level 10 if your preference is to see more of the timeline).
  • It then jumps to the end of the clip and uses the play menu command "here". What this does is preroll the MFX and play forward. The preroll size is noted in the PREROLL OFFSET menu. I typically set the DISK preroll to 1 second. Thus, you’ll hear the last second of audio of the clip, which is typically enough to ensure that it is "phasing" properly.

Now, go to the first clip in the assembly, select track one only (the track with your assembly) and set a 2 or 4 track display. (You may also wish to adjust the waveform display sizes to make them roughly equal on the two tracks. Do this by going into the LEVEL menu, change CLIP mode to DISPLAY mode, and then adjust the waveform levels).

Rest the three middle fingers of your left hand on macro keys 1,2 and 3. I recommend that you use 3 keys that are next to each other, and are comfortable for your left hand to rest on. I use M1, M2 and M3.

Set your right hand on the jog wheel and you’re ready to rock. Press Macro 1 with your left ring finger, and jog with your right hand to a convenient sync point on the assembled clip on track 1, such as the beginning of a word, or a sharp sound like a door close.

With your left middle finger, press Macro 2. Jog to the corresponding sync point in the guide track.

With your left index finger, press Macro 3. You’ll hear the last second of audio of that clip, and you’re onto the next one!

Press Macro 1 to sync the next clip and continue. With some practice, you’ll find that you’re able to sync up a typical reel in less than 10 minutes.

Tip: if you’re syncing up dual channel (or 4 channel) production tracks, make sure that all the tracks for that particular shot are selected at once, otherwise you’ll end up with minor sync differences between tracks that can cause phasing.

Killing Fleas and Ticks…

Here’s a pair of macros that are also good for dialog, as well as other audio that needs pop and tick removal. Together they provide a way to fill very small areas with surrounding material to hide minor blemishes in a clip.

Macro Key 1:
Press [JOG], hold down [ZOOM], press [1], [6], release [ZOOM], press [BLUE] + [1T],
double-click [EDIT], set <COPY>, press <CLIP>, double-click [EDIT], press [FROM].

  • This macro takes you out of play and focuses you on a problem area. It combines several functions, including copying material to fill the "tick" with. You will typically press it more than once (see below).
  • It includes a "double click" of the [EDIT] key which clears any ranges that may be present. Remember that in version 15 software there’s a new range mode called "manual", that allows an active range to be remembered when you press [EDIT].
  • It includes a second double-click after copying the clip (material to fill with) to clear the "ghost" image of the clip that you get when copying.

Macro Key 2:
Press <FILL>, hold down [ZOOM], press [1], [0], release [ZOOM], press [BLUE] + [12t] , press [PLAY MENU], press <HERE>.

  • This fills the tiny range you have selected with whatever material is in the clipboard. In this case, that material is simply a copy of the clip you’re on top of. Thus you are filling a small area with the surrounding material. Remember that the <FILL> command fills relative to the cursor, back-timing the material into place.
  • Important: for this to work as advertised, you must set the <OVERLAP> setting to zero frames. <OVERLAP> is in the [EDIT] menu only when a range is set.
  • Finally, this macro plays over the edit you just made, and sets the screen display to 12 tracks so you can play forward to the next tick.

To use these macros, play along until you hear a tick or other tiny obnoxious sound. Next, with your left hand, double-click the track that the clip is on, and press Macro 1. Jog and place the cursor a few subframes before the tick and press Macro 1 again.

Now, jog a few subframes past the tick and press Macro 2. You’ll hear the edit you just made, and if all is well, just play on till you find the next gink.

That’s it for this issue – remember that macros are the Holy Grail of Fairlight-dom. As you can see from the above examples, they’ll help you do much more than set a fade. Use them to automate all your repetitive tasks, including setting things like the display size, jog factor, and so on. For instance, if you have a macro that "Trims Tail", and you typically want to make a fade after the trim, make [FADE] and [JOG] the last button presses in the macro, so you end up ready to jog to a point to fade the edit you just made.

Till next time…Happy Cutting!

 
Andrew Somers is a picture editor, sound editor,
mixer and Guild member. He can be contacted via email

 
Reprinted from
The Motion Picture Editors Guild Magazine
Vol. 21, No. 4 - July/August 2000

 
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