Multicam with three MRC-1s
 

For some time I've been trying to overcome the confusion caused by the MRC-1 numbering files from 0001. As you know the Sony MRC-1 units allow us to insert the camera number as a fixture. Thus with the date and time (not TC) of the clip its name looks a bit like:
01_0001_2010_08_27_144521.

If, like us you typically use four CF cards per camera per wedding, you can have four files each starting 01-0001 etc. They are distinguished only by the time (and the date if it runs past midnight). Of course you can expand the column to read the entire line but that's a real drag.

So, this time I numbered the MRC-1s 01, 05 and 09 then, before importing the clips into Avid, edited camera 1's second card's files to 02, the third card's to 03 etc. Camera 2's cards were already coded 05 so all that had to be done was to rename its second card's files to 06 etc.

Because we don't, unless desperate, use cards out of sequence, the result is that I have three groups of files in true chronological order.

It does, of course, add some prep time but I believe the result will be a rack much easier to navigate.

But wouldn't that mean that the base number for the first card in each recorder is 1, 5 or 9, and therefore that files with the prefix of 2 would actually be shot later than those with a prefix of 05 or 09? Thus not really in chrono order at all.

I mean, yeah, within each group they're chrono order, but that would be true whether or not you changed the file names because of the extended time stamp in the name.

Or am I not understanding?

Adam, my apologies; what you're missing is what I failed to mention and that was that Avid sorts on card no, shot number and then date and time. Thus if cards 1(3) has a lot of small files and cards 1(2) and 1(4) have just one or two files those will appear higher in the sort than earlier shots on cards 1(2). By renumbering (the card numbers in parenthesis above I overcome this.

I'm sorry for not making this clear - that my solution is relevant to the MRC-1 and any NLE working like Avid Liquid.

Ah, got it. Thanks for the clarification.

This is a useful tip. I've been trying to come up with something like this but it never occurred to me that I could use parentheses in file name. (Yeah, I know that you can do this with more recent versions of Windows; it just did not cross my mind.)

Thanks, Philip.

Jay, thanks, I'm pleased you found it useful.

However, I should make it clear that I don't actually use parenthesis in my re-numbering. I did so in my example only to make it clear which card was which ie 1 (2) is the card recorded second in camera 1 and renumbered 2 as per my suggestion.

Not only is this simpler and quicker to do but I'm not even sure what Avid would do regarding sorting numbers in parenthesis.