Avid NewsCutter 3.0 User guide

Brand: Avid

Model: NewsCutter 3.0

Category: Video software

Type: User guide

Avid

NewsCutter

User’s Guide Supplement

Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on

the part of Avid Technology, Inc. The software described in this document is furnished under a

license agreement. You can obtain a copy of that license by visiting Avid's Web site at

www.avid.com. The terms of that license are also available in the product in the same directory as

the software. The software may not be reverse assembled and may be used or copied only in

accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any

medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. Avid products or portions thereof

are protected by one or more of the following United States patents: 4,746,994; 4,970,663;

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6,317,515; D352,278; D372,478; D373,778; D392,267; D392,268; D392,269; D395,291;

D396,853; D398,912. Additional U.S. and foreign patents pending. No part of this document may

be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including

photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of Avid

Technology, Inc.

The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the

use of their TIFF library:

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its

documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright

notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the software and related documentation,

and (ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or

publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written permission of Sam Leffler and

Silicon Graphics.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS,

IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF

MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL,

INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES

WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT

ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT

OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

Portions of this software are based on work of the Independent JPEG Group.

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any

action to derive a source code equivalent of “Install-It,” including by reverse assembly or reverse

compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable for any damages resulting from

reseller’s failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of

reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages, including but not limited to, incidental,

direct, indirect, special or consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from

loss of use or inability to use reseller’s products or the software for any reason including copyright or

patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates has been advised, knew or should

have known of the possibility of such damages.

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this

product, including warranties with respect to its merchantability or its fitness for any particular

purpose.”

“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0

products developed by Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by

third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this software will allow “frame accurate”

editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”

The following notice is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win

software and Sample Source Code:

The following notice is required by Ultimatte Corporation:

Certain real-time compositing capabilities are provided under a license of such technology from

Ultimatte Corporation and are subject to copyright protection.

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U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial

computer software” or “commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such

Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government,

all rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License

Agreement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.

Trademarks

AirPlay, AudioVision, Avid, Avid Xpress, CamCutter, Digidesign, FieldPak, Film Composer, HIIP,

Image Independence, Marquee, Media Composer, Media Recorder, NewsCutter, OMF,

OMF Interchange, Open Media Framework, Pro Tools, and Softimage are registered trademarks and

888 I/O, AirSPACE, AirSPACE HD, AniMatte, AudioSuite, AutoSync, AVIDdrive, AVIDdrive Towers,

AvidNet, Avid Production Network, AvidProNet, AvidProNet.com, AVIDstripe, Avid Unity,

AVX, DAE, D-Fi, D-fx, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, DINR,

D-Verb, ExpertRender, FilmScribe, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, Intraframe, iS9, iS18, iS23,

iS36, Lo-Fi, Magic Mask, make manage move | media, Matador, Maxim, MCXpress, MEDIArray,

MediaDock, MediaDock Shuttle, Media Fusion, Media Illusion, MediaLog, Media Reader,

MediaShare, Meridien, MetaSync, NaturalMatch, NetReview, OMM, Open Media Management,

ProEncode, QuietDrive, R&A, Recti-Fi, Review & Approval, rS9, rS18, Sci-Fi, Sound Designer II,

SPACE, SPACEShift, Symphony, Trilligent, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video Slave Driver, and VideoSPACE

are trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc.

iNEWS and Media Browse are trademarks of iNews, LLC.

Abekas is a registered trademark of Accom, Inc. Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Adobe, After Effects,

and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated in

the United States and/or other countries. Alias is a registered trademark and Alias|Wavefront and

Wavefront are trademarks of Alias|Wavefront, a division of Silicon Graphics Limited. Amiga is a

registered trademark of Amiga, Inc. Apple, Bento, FireWire, Macintosh, and QuickDraw are

trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Betacam, Betacam

SP, Betamax, DVCAM, Hi8, I-LINK, and Sony are trademarks and/or service marks of Sony

Corporation. Chyron is a registered trademark of Chyron Corporation. Cineon, Keykode, and

Photo CD are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company. Cinepak is a trademark of Digital Origin, Inc.

V-LAN and VLXi are registered trademark of Videomedia, Inc. FaderMaster Pro is a trademark of JL

Cooper, a division of Sound Technology. Focusrite is a registered trademark of Focusrite Audio

Engineering Ltd. GIF is a Service Mark property of CompuServe Incorporated. IBM is a registered

trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. IEEE is a registered trademark of the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are either registered

trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Paintbrush is a trademark of Zsoft Corporation. Panasonic is a registered trademark of Matsushita

Electric Industrial Company, Limited. Pixar is a registered trademark of Pixar Animation Studios.

QuickTime and the QuickTime logo are trademarks used under license from Apple Computer, Inc.

Silicon Graphics is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Sound Forge is a registered

trademark of Sonic Foundry, Inc. Sun is a registered trademark and Sun Raster is a trademark of

Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States or other countries. TARGA is a trademark of Pinnacle

Systems, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Video Toaster is a trademark of NewTek. X

Window System is trademark of X Consortium, Inc. Yamaha is a registered trademark of Yamaha

Corporation of America. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective

owners.

Footage

Arizona Images — KNX-TV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc.,

Editor/Producer Bryan Foote.

Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service, Harpers Ferry, VA.

WCAU Fire Story — Courtesy of NBC-10, Philadelphia, PA.

Paragliding — Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment, Inc.

Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide Supplement • April 2002

Contents

Using This Supplement

About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

If You Need Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Related Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

If You Have Documentation Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

How to Order Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Appendix A Using AudioSuite Plug-Ins

Accessing the AudioSuite Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Description of Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

DeEsser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Expander/Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Gate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Invert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Duplicate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Mod Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Normalize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Gain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Reverse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

DC Offset Removal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Signal Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Time Compression Expansion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Pitch Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Additional Supported Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction—

Broadband Noise Reduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Focusrite d3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Maxim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Digidesign D-Fi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Digidesign D-fx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Appendix B File Format Specifications

Graphics (Image) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Preparing Graphics Files for Import. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Graphics File Import Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Animation Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Audio File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

OMFI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Field Ordering in Graphics Imports and Exports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Appendix C Avid Log Specifications

Log Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Understanding Avid Log Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Describing an Avid Log File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Global Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Column Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Data Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Sample Avid Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Appendix D Configuring an External Fader Controller or Mixer

Supported Fader Controllers and Mixers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Using the FaderMaster Pro and MCS-3000X. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

MCS-3000X Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Using the Snap Mode Feature on the MCS-3000X

Fader Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Ganging Faders on the FaderMaster Pro Fader Controller . . . . . 82

Using the Yamaha 01V Digital Mixing Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Setting Up the Yamaha 01V Digital Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Starting NewsCutter with the Yamaha 01V Attached . . . . . . . . . 85

Operational Notes for the Yamaha 01V Mixer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Soloing NewsCutter System Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Appendix E Using the JL Cooper Media Control Station3

Overview of the MCS3

Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Opening the MCS3 Controller Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Mapping the MCS3 Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Using the Default Button Mappings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Custom Mapping MCS3 Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Configuring a Shifted Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Customizing Jog and Shuttle Speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Customizing the Maximum Jog Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Customizing the Maximum Shuttle Speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Operating the Jog/Shuttle Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Moving Through Footage in Jog Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Moving Through Footage in Shuttle Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Editing Footage with the MCS3 Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Creating Multiple Controller Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Appendix F Using SDTI

Recording via SDTI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Digital Cut via SDTI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Limitations of SDTI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Using the 4X Transfer Rate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

PAL Versus NTSC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Performance Issues with SDTI Passthrough Monitoring . . . . . 111

Consumer Digital Video (DV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Notes on SDTI VTRs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Index

Tables

Table B-1 Graphics File Import Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Table B-2 Animation File Import Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Table B-3 QuickTime File Import and Export

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Table B-4 AVI File Import and Export Specifications. . . . . . . . . . 59

Table B-5 OMFI File Import Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Table B-6 Recommended Field Settings for Two-Field

Import and Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Table C-1 Avid Log Global Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Table C-2 Avid Log Column Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Table C-3 Avid Log Data Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Table D-1 Fader Controller and Mixer Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Table E-1 Default Button Mappings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Table E-2 Maximum Jog Speed Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Table E-3 Maximum Shuttle Speed Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Table F-1 List of VTR Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Using This Supplement

The appendixes in this document contain reference material that

supplements the information provided in the Avid NewsCutter User’s

Guide. You should consult the Avid

NewsCutter Release Notes for any

late-breaking information that might apply to your system.

About This Guide

The Contents lists all topics included in the book. They are presented

with the following overall structure:

• Appendix A, “Using AudioSuite Plug-Ins,” lists the supported

AudioSuite

™

plug-ins and describes the core AudioSuite plug-ins.

• Appendix B, “File Format Specifications,” contains descriptions,

specifications, and notes for importing and exporting specific file

formats.

• Appendix C, “Avid Log Specifications,” describes the formatting

requirements for logs you can import into NewsCutter

• Appendix D, “Configuring an External Fader Controller or

Mixer,” explains how to connect an external fader.

• Appendix E, “Using the JL Cooper Media Control Station3,”

describes how to set up and use the MCS3 controller.

Symbols and Conventions

• Appendix F, “Using SDTI,” provides an overview of SDTI and

lists all known models of SDTI videotape recorders.

•A detailed Index helps you quickly locate specific topics.

Symbols and Conventions

Unless noted otherwise, the material in this document applies to the

Windows

2000 operating system.

The NewsCutter documentation uses the following special symbols

and conventions:

1. Numbered lists, when the order of the items is important.

a. Alphabetical lists, when the order of secondary items is

important.

• Bulleted lists, when the order of the items is unimportant.

- Indented dashed lists, when the order of secondary items is

unimportant.

t One arrow indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a

list indicate that you perform one of the actions listed.

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

Look here in the margin

for tips.

In the margin, you will find tips that help you perform tasks more

easily and efficiently.

A note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations,

and strong suggestions.

A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to

your computer or cause you to lose data.

Using This Supplement

A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm.

Follow the guidelines in this guide or on the unit itself when

handling electrical equipment.

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using NewsCutter, you should:

1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that

task.

2. Check the documentation that came with your hardware for

maintenance or hardware-related issues.

3. Check the release notes supplied with your Avid application for

information on accessing the Avid Web site and the Avid

Knowledge Center.

4. For customer support, contact your local Avid Reseller, or contact

Avid Customer Support directly:

• Broadcast customers — call 800-NEWS-DNG (639-7364).

• Postproduction customers — call 800-800-AVID (2843).

Related Information

The following documents provide more information about

NewsCutter:

• Avid NewsCutter Release Notes

This document describes new features, hardware and software

requirements, software installation instructions, and summary

information on system and memory requirements.

Related Information

• Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide

This guide provides complete information on all editing tasks,

such as recording footage, viewing and marking footage, editing,

trimming, importing, exporting, and generating final output. This

guide also provides a glossary that defines and explains many

industry terms.

• Avid NewsCutter Setup Guide

This guide provides installation and configuration instructions as

well as suggestions for troubleshooting problems that might arise

with system hardware.

• Avid NewsCutter Effects Guide

This guide describes techniques for using digital video effects,

titles, third-party plug-in effects, mattes, keys, and layering

options.

• Avid NewsCutter Quick Reference

This folded card lists convenient keyboard shortcuts.

• Avid Products Collaboration Guide

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for transferring

project files, audio files, and graphics and effects files between

various Avid products.

The most recent update of the Avid Products Collaboration Guide is

provided online. Check the release notes supplied with your Avid

application for information on accessing online documentation.

Using This Supplement

• Avid NewsCutter Online Publications CD-ROM

This online collection provides electronic versions of this guide

and other guides listed in this section. You can view these

documents with Adobe

Acrobat

Reader

, which you can install

from the CD-ROM.

• Avid NewsCutter Help

The NewsCutter application includes a Help system that can be

viewed using your default Web browser. Help can be run as a

standalone application from the Avid NewsCutter Online

Publications CD-ROM.

If You Have Documentation Comments

Avid Technology continuously seeks to improve its documentation.

We value your comments about this guide, the Help, the Online

Publications CD-ROM, and other Avid-supplied documentation.

Please e-mail your documentation comments to Avid Technology at

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Include the title of the document, its part number, revision, and the

specific section you are commenting on in all correspondence.

How to Order Documentation

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placing an order from outside the United States, contact your local

Avid representative.

APPENDIX A

Using AudioSuite Plug-Ins

This appendix describes how to access and use the AudioSuite

plug-ins, including the set of core plug-ins that comes with your

NewsCutter system. It also provides a list of other plug-ins that are

supported by this release. These topics are covered in the following

sections:

• Accessing the AudioSuite Plug-Ins

• Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins

• Description of Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins

• Additional Supported Plug-Ins

For details on installing and accessing the plug-ins, see “Digidesign

AudioSuite Plug-Ins” in the Avid NewsCutter User’s Guide or the Help.

Using AudioSuite Plug-Ins

Accessing the AudioSuite Plug-Ins

To access the plug-ins:

t Choose AudioSuite from the Tools menu.

The AudioSuite window opens.

Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins

The following basic plug-ins are installed automatically as part of the

NewsCutter system software installation:

• DeEsser — Reduces sibilants (“s,” “sh,” and “t” sounds) and other

high-frequency noises that can cause distortion in audio signals.

• Compressor — Reduces the dynamic range of signals that exceed

a selected threshold by a specific amount.

• Limiter — Prevents signal peaks from exceeding a chosen level so

that they do not overload amplifiers or recording devices.

• Expander/Gate — Performs the same function as the Gate plug-in

with the addition of expander features. Expanders are particularly

useful for reducing noise or signal leakage that creeps into

recorded material as the signal level falls, which often occurs with

headphone leakage.

Drive

Selection

pop-up

Plug-in

Selection

pop-up

Status display

Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins

• Gate — Reduces noise by decreasing the gain of signals that fall

below a user-selectable threshold.

• EQ — Allows you to adjust frequency equalization on individual

audio clips.

• Invert — Inverts the polarity (phase of the audio file).

• Duplicate — Creates a new master clip from a selected audio clip.

The plug-in uses the IN and OUT points on the selected clip to

define the boundaries of the new clip.

• Mod Delay — Provides time-delay-based effects. Effects obtained

through the use of Mod Delay include slap echo, doubling,

chorusing, and flanging.

• Normalize — Finds the peak value in the source audio file and

scales the entire file proportionally to that maximum value.

• Gain — Same as Normalize, but allows positive or negative gain

adjustment.

• Reverse — Rewrites the selected audio in reverse.

• DC Offset Removal — Removes an audio artifact that is common

in digital audio files. A DC offset is caused by poorly calibrated

analog-to-digital converters (A/Ds), and can produce clicks and

pops on clip edit transitions if not removed.

• Signal Generator — Produces audio test tones in a variety of

frequencies, waveforms, and amplitudes.

• Time Compression Expansion — Allows you to adjust the

duration of a selected clip by creating a new master clip. This

increases or decreases the selection’s length without changing

pitch.

• Pitch Shift — Changes pitch with or without changing length.

For a brief overview of each plug-in and, where appropriate, a

description of how to use the plug-in, see “Description of Core

AudioSuite Plug-Ins” on page 18.

Using AudioSuite Plug-Ins

Description of Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins

The following sections give a brief overview of each plug-in and,

where appropriate, describe how to use the plug-in.

DeEsser

The DeEsser plug-in isolates and attenuates sibilants (“ess” sounds:

“s,” “sh,” and “t”) and other high-frequency distortions. It removes

these sounds by using a fast-acting compression monitored by a

Threshold control that sets the frequency above which compression

starts and a Frequency control that sets the frequency band in which

the plug-in operates.

The DeEsser is a monophonic-only plug-in.

Using DeEsser Effectively

For best results, use the DeEsser before any other compressor or limiter

plug-in.

Because too much “de-essing” can make audio clips sound lifeless,

apply the plug-in to individual tracks rather than entire mixes. To

improve audio quality in your project:

• Set the Frequency slider to remove sibilants (typically in the 4– to

10–kHz range) and not other parts of the signal. This prevents

de-essing from changing the original character of the audio

material.

• Set the Threshold control high enough to trigger de-essing by

sibilants only. If you set the Threshold too low, a loud, nonsibilant

section of audio material could cause unwanted gain reduction or

overattenuation of sibilants.

Description of Core AudioSuite Plug-Ins

• Automate the Threshold control so that it is lower on soft sections

when the audio material has both very loud and very soft

passages.

DeEsser Parameters

The DeEsser plug-in has the following parameters.

Input Meter

Indicates the level of the unprocessed input signal to the DeEsser.

Output Meter

Indicates the output level of the DeEsser.

Reduction

Indicates the amount of gain reduction in decibels. It remains at the

0-dB level when the input signal is below the threshold.

Threshold

Sets the threshold level. Signals that exceed this level will be

compressed; signals that are below it will be unaffected. A setting of

0 dB is equivalent to no de-essing.

Frequency

Sets the frequency band in which the DeEsser operates. Frequencies in

the specified range will be gain-reduced. To find the optimum

Frequency setting, slide this control back and forth during playback.

Key Listen

Monitors the sibilant peaks used by the DeEsser as a key input to

trigger compression. This is useful for listening only to the sibilants

and fine-tuning settings to remove them.

Using AudioSuite Plug-Ins

Compressor

The Compressor plug-in reduces the dynamic range of signals that

exceed a selected threshold by a specific amount. The increase of input

signal needed to cause a 1-dB increase in the output signal of the

compressor is called the compression ratio. With a ratio of 4:1, for

example, an 8-dB increase of input produces a 2-dB increase in the

output.

Audio material often varies in loudness and can be above the

threshold at one moment and below it the next. The Attack slider sets

the Compressor’s response time, or attack. The Release slider sets the

amount of time that it takes for the Compressor’s gain to return to its

original level.

Using Compression Effectively

To use compression most effectively, the attack time should be set so

that signals exceed the threshold level long enough to cause an

increase in the average level. This helps to ensure that gain reduction

does not decrease the overall volume.

Release times should be set long enough so that if signal levels

repeatedly rise above the threshold, they cause gain reduction only

once. If the release time is too long, a loud section of the audio material

could cause gain reduction that persists through a soft section. Of

course, compression has many creative uses that break these rules.

The Compressor has built-in metering that allows you to monitor the

amount of gain reduction taking place. The Gain Reduction meter

usually remains at 0-dB level when the input signal is below the

threshold, and falls to the left to show the amount of gain reduction in

decibels when the input signal exceeds the threshold.

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Avid NewsCutter 3.0 User guide

Brand: Avid

Model: NewsCutter 3.0

Category: Video software

Type: User guide

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