4-Channel video capture?
 

Shot some stuff the last few days in 4 channel, and none of my current capture utilities support 4 channel import.

Downloaded scenalyzer demo.. but it has been giving nothing but errors.. the audio/video it captures has a messed up sample rate, either too slow or too fast.. and i know this isnt a problem with the footage, as i can capture it 2channel into vegas just fine. Maybe the scenalyzer non-demo works better, but i'm not going to shell out the cash to find it doesnt.

Do any other software-only 4channel solutions exist? Only other one i'm running into atm is "DV NOW" which has a hardware cards too (and i'd really like to just pay for something and download it asap).

Yes, i know i could rca-out to rca-in on my breakout box... i'd rather not.

Other software suggestions?

Are you judging the "messed up sample rate" by what your hearing while it captures?

Scenalyzer Live works great for capturing the 4-channel audio. I use it whenever I need to capture 4-channel for use in Vegas. It's nice in that it will capture Video + Stereo 1 into an AVI file while simultaneously capturing Stereo 2 into a separate WAV file. This is on a PIII 750MHz computer.

How exactly is it failing for you? What settings did you pick?

I am using the demo.. so that may affect it (meaning, the demo might be a bad copy on their site, but the full version works fine).

I have it set for AVI 2 (vegas, premiere), and to auto detect the sample rate (e.g. 48khz, 32, etc), pickup the second audio track "when present" and save as a WAV, is checked. I'm capturing to a local drive. Beyond this, i didn't see any settings that seemed like they would affect the capture one way or the other.

The video AND audio captured is slowed by at least 10-15%.. the talent's voice now sounds like Barry White. No one else has ever experienced this issue? I am judging from the ACTUAL files captured, played back both in Vegas 4, and in WMP.

I've never seen that issue and those settings sound correct. I believe that the "demo" and "real program" are the same program - i.e. you register the demo to make it "real".

This may not help you much if Vegas means you use firewire for your captures. I have an old DV Raptor and the Raptor Edit software that came with it will capture tracks 3 and 4 as a wav file at the same time as it captures the avi with video and tracks 1 and 2. I used it successfully this weekend with a friend's XL1.

David Hurdon

Adam,
After your Barry White comment, I do remember once I had the same thing happen with a 4 channel capture...
I can't remember exactly how it happen or for sure how I cleared it up...but somehow the "rate" slider in Vegas went a little screwy and tinkering with it fixed things....with I could be of more help....

Good thought, Mark. However, he says the same thing happens in both Vegas and WMP. Any thoughts there?


I am judging from the ACTUAL files captured, played back both in Vegas 4, and in WMP.

woops...I missed the WMP....

i think part of the problem might be the editing machine i have at my disposal at work (which is a piece..). I'm going to do some investigation tonight on my media machine at home with the scenalyzer demo.

Ran into an issue using sound card audio a while ago. Capture had been from S/PDIF input using the data stream as the clock for the sound card. Forgot to reset the sound card to internal clock for later playback. The sound came out about like playing a 45 at 33 rpm. Setting the clock to internal fixed the sound.

UPDATE.. my media machine at home rips the second channel to WAV just fine, however the video itself has no audio at all. This is the reverse of what happened at work for me (at work, the video had audio, but the wav was empty).

If i understand correctly, when you set "audio channel" capture to "capture second channel when present" in the options menu, this is not to capture ONLY the second channel, but the first as well, right? I am assuming so. In which case, it isnt working for me. This this option is to capture only the main video stream and the second audio channel to a seperate wav, with no audio 1 on the video.. then i guess it worked for me.

All in all, 4 channel seems more of a PITA than it's worth.. i am thinking it's time to just use a portable DAT :( ..i can't believe Canon has been offering this since.. 97? and no major NLE's offer it for import.

Dat can be a pain in the butt
 

I’m coming in kinda late. And isn’t much help for you Vegas guys and girls - I capture using FinalCut pro with two capture passes. It has worked well so far, but does mean double the capture time. On the other hand it’s as much work as capturing from a DAT. And unless you have a way to sync your DAT and Camera TC-wise you will have even more work.

My two Eurocents.

All the best.

Many major (mainly pro oriented) NLEs do offer 4-channel capture, but not the ones that depend on Microsoft standard drivers for capture.

Pinnacle Liquid Edition supports 4-channel capture.