Transcode Error - Help!

Anything and everything to do with DCP-o-matic.
JordanCanni
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2019 8:54 pm

Transcode Error - Help!

Post by JordanCanni »

This is my first time using DCPomatic. And I'm in a pinch as the premiere of my movie is on Saturday.

I exported a Apple ProRes4444 quicktime from FCPx 10.2.3 with 5.1 sound (6 mono audio tracks). When I imported this file into DCPomatic, all sound went to the center channel. The picture of the DCP creation was fine, but the test at the theater confirmed that the sound was all in the center channel.

So for my next attempt, I imported the video separately into DCPomatic, then the 6 audio wav files individually. DCPomatic seemed to successfully recognize which audio file went with which channel (I think?). But after hitting "Make DCP" and waiting 7hrs, the process seemed to finish, but had a message like "transcoding error" (or something to that effect). Unlike my first attempt, this time there was no DCP folder (within the main folder) and no assetmap.xml.

I am making another attempt, but I fear I'll have the same result. Am I doing something wrong? Please share your advice. Thank you kindly.
carl
Site Admin
Posts: 2355
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 2:53 pm

Re: Transcode Error - Help!

Post by carl »

Please send the log and metadata.xml files from inside your project to carl@dcpomatic.com
carl
Site Admin
Posts: 2355
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 2:53 pm

Re: Transcode Error - Help!

Post by carl »

Also your first test would probably have worked if you had set the mapping for each different file to the correct place. Audio mapping is described in the manual here.
JordanCanni
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2019 8:54 pm

Re: Transcode Error - Help!

Post by JordanCanni »

Thanks Carl! I have emailed you with the log/metadata. To clarify, it didn't actually say "transcoding error", but rather "programming error."
Carsten
Posts: 2663
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:11 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Transcode Error - Help!

Post by Carsten »

To get back to the initial issue: There are different ways to package multiple audio channels. If they are wrapped 'unassociated', then DCP-o-matic recognizes them as unrelated (e.g. as multiple different languages). In this case, DCP-o-matic obviously recognized 6 unrelated mono files, thus put them all onto the center channel (the default). You may find other options in your video editor to export multi-channel audio, or simply use the DCP-o-matic audio matrix to send these individual channels to their actual DCP destination channels before encoding. It is very easy and only takes a few seconds once you understand the working of the audio matrix.

There is an old tutorial video by Carl showing this, but I think he has taken it down recently in favor of more recent tutorials.



- Carsten