MEP 2020 "Takes" Issue?

CubeAce wrote on 9/24/2019, 4:09 PM

@Richard-Curtis

Hi Richard.

Check you aren't in multi-cam mode where the sound tracks can be muted by default.

Short of that try opening a file in an external editor to see if you can 'see' a waveform.

Make sure your project is set to import files with sound.

Try to import files with separate sound tracks rather than using one track to support both.

It may help to provide a screen shot.

Ray.

Richard-Curtis wrote on 9/25/2019, 3:36 AM

Thanks, Ray. More information: I can see and hear the audio in a given MXV file on a single track (having already imported and combined video and sync audio in MEP). So typically I have one MXV track in the arranger with an integrated audio waveform shown in it. If I chop it up (eg keyboard T) each separate clip still has full audio. Now, I select all the clips and "Save objects as takes" in the Edit menu, which - in MEP 2019 anyway - did just that, placing the clips as TK2 files in the Takes folder, each TK2 file still containing the audio component as you'd expect. In MEP 2020 everything looks good until I import a TK2 file back into the arranger, when it appears without audio or audio waveform. Earlier takes generated by MEP 2019 still contain audio when imported. I think I may have to uninstall MEP 2020 and revert to MEP 2019 if I can't get this sorted: it starting to look like a real bug to me, albeit perhaps one that only appears in Windows 7.

Richard

Scenestealer wrote on 9/25/2019, 6:33 AM

@Richard-Curtis

Hi

Try closing the project then look in Win explorer for, and delete all .HO and .HDP files that relate to the source clips for your project or takes ie That have the same file name and a .HO and .HDP extension then reopen the project.

Richard-Curtis wrote on 9/25/2019, 9:53 AM

Tried it, Scenestealer, but no change. Thanks anyway.

johnebaker wrote on 9/25/2019, 12:32 PM

@Richard-Curtis

Hi Richard

I can replicate the takes issue - IMO it is a bug.

The sound track is missing totally when adding the take to the timeline.

Can you raise a bug report through the Contact link at the bottom of the page, I will do the same.

Added: bug report sent.

Thanks

John EB

Richard-Curtis wrote on 9/25/2019, 2:05 PM

Hi John

Thank you for that. Are you using Windows 7, too? If you're using Windows 10, the problem's not going to go away for me when I upgrade to same - as is my intention - in a couple of weeks time.

Bug report submitted.

Richard

johnebaker wrote on 9/25/2019, 2:10 PM

@Richard-Curtis

Hi Richard

I am on Windows 10 1703 on my laptop, which is good as it shows the issue is not OS dependant.

John EB.

Scenestealer wrote on 9/25/2019, 6:09 PM

@johnebaker

Wow still on 1703!

My workstation finally loaded the 1903 update a couple of days ago. All good so far.

OT but BTW there are experienced IT savvy members on the German forum who think there are performance gains for MEP/VPX with 1903 and certainly fewer conflicts than 1803 and 1809.

I am not sure of any specifics but I got the impression that there are some updated system drivers in 1903....??

Peter

Richard-Curtis wrote on 9/26/2019, 12:31 AM

Hi John

If this really is a bug - as now seems likely - it's a pretty serious one. Let's hope Magix affords it the appropriate degree of attention and fixes it without delay.

Richard

johnebaker wrote on 9/26/2019, 11:09 AM

@Richard-Curtis

Hi

Magix have confirmed that this is a bug and has been sent to the development team.

@Scenestealer

. . . . Wow still on 1703! . . . .

Despite Microsoft's persistent attempts, so far the count is > 100, my laptop will not upgrade to a later version - tried everything to force the upgrade alas nothing works.

According to Toshiba's compatibility lists the laptop is not compatible with Windows 10 1709 or later, yet it has the same hardware as my old PC that 'blew up' and upgraded seamlessly, my even older Core 2 Quad Q9300 based system upgraded to 1903 😲😲😲

John EB

Richard-Curtis wrote on 10/1/2019, 11:05 AM

Magix today released update 19.0.1.23. The Takes Bug has still not been fixed. Makes you wonder why they bothered.

Richard-Curtis wrote on 9/2/2020, 7:44 AM

Dare I ask if the "Takes Bug" has been fixed in the 2021 release? Anyone tried it yet?

johnebaker wrote on 9/2/2020, 11:30 AM

@Richard-Curtis

Hi

. . . . Magix today released update 19.0.1.23. The Takes Bug has still not been fixed. Makes you wonder why they bothered. . . . . if the "Takes Bug" has been fixed in the 2021 release . . . .

Yes and no - if you import the Take as is there is no sound, as before, however if you right click it and select Audio functions, Restore original sound the sound is there - try this in your version of MEP.

Do note that a take is not a video file - it is a reference to the original video file and contains information such as the start/end points if the take was a section of a longer video.

John EB.

johnebaker wrote on 9/2/2020, 12:19 PM

@Richard-Curtis @Richard-Curtis, @CubeAce

Hi

While checking further on the Takes issue, I have stumbled upon a bug in MEP 2021 - creating a second take from the same clip does not create it properly, the icon in the Takes folder is a generic one and it crashes MEP 2021 if you try to load it.

MEP 2016 works fine.

Bug report filed.

John EB

CubeAce wrote on 9/2/2020, 1:30 PM

@johnebaker

Hi John.

Do you mean using a file again in a second location and maybe altering it in some way? If so I can't replicate that.

Ray.

Richard-Curtis wrote on 9/2/2020, 1:47 PM

@johnebaker

Hi John

Thanks for the information. The bug was in MEP 2020, and in response I downgraded to my original MEP 2019. I think I tried your trick at the time, but can't be certain now - and I can't try it again because I no longer have the upgrade path to MEP 2020. Perhaps someone else with MEP 2020 can confirm one way or the other. Anyway, it's useful to know that that solution does exist should I do decide to move to MEP 2021 (once others have sorted out all the teething issues, of course).

It always seemed to me that takes were a really useful way of cutting up an imported video into identifiable parts without having to render each part as a separate video file: as you know, each take is only about 2k in size and the entire series is generated more or less instantaneously on command. Having said all that, I'm not using them now... While I was blundering about with my first editing efforts in MEP, I encountered video/audio sync problems when using takes that were actually impossible to fix without starting all over again - it got so bad that on occasion audio from one take inexplicably became the audio of another. Eventually I gave up, and moved to rendering individual clips like everybody else. I would still be interested in using takes if they were more robust - and bug-free, of course.

Richard

johnebaker wrote on 9/2/2020, 1:47 PM

@CubeAce

Hi

Add a video clip to the timeline, trim it both ends, create a take, extend one end then create a take again.

The second take looks like this (second from left) and crashes MEP if you try to load it.

John EB

browj2 wrote on 9/2/2020, 2:05 PM

@Richard-Curtis

Too bad you didn't go for the 25$ HumbleBundle offer for VPX11.

No takes are made with VPX11. You simply add the trimmed object to the Project Temp Folder (PTF) in either the root or a subfolder. You can then add a description and some other information to that entry, export the PTF and import in another project and simply take the entry in the PTF and put it on the timeline. It does the same as a take but without having a bunch of take files on the hard disk. Great feature of VPX!

John CB

CubeAce wrote on 9/2/2020, 2:26 PM

@johnebaker

Hi John.

I get it now. Sorry, I've never used MEP that way. I keep learning, slowly. 😉

Ray.