How do I use a variety of mouth sets while computing lip sync from scene audio?

[RockyDavies]

Okay!  So, I recorded a couple different audio tracks for my various puppets in Audition.  Now I have imported them into Ch and I want to apply them to the puppets.  I can do this - but - it lip syncs the whole thing to the default mouth set.  I want to be able to show a variety of emotions though.  I have other mouth sets present and rigged for angry, worried, etc.  How do I trigger them and also sync to the existing audio file?  I want it to sync and to be able to tell it when to switch to my angry mouths, worried mouths, etc.

Do I have to chop up the audio file for each emotion or something?  How do I tell Ch which mouth set to use when syncing?  If there is an easy way to keytrigger the syncing, that would be awesome.

Any help?

[oksamurai · Accepted solution]

If it's set up correctly (like Character Animator Tips & Tricks (September 2016) - YouTube ), then it should just work. Bring in the audio track, compute lip sync from scene audio, then disarm everything except keyboard triggers. Do a recording pass with just that and trigger at the right times - and the lip sync should carry through to the other mouths.

[RockyDavies]

Okay awesome!  I knew it was probably something simple like that.  I just needed the part to disarm everything else except the keyboard triggers, I think I had been trying to keep lip sync on along with lip sync "keyboard input" thinking that was it.  Your way worked like a charm!  Thanks again.

[RockyDavies]

Okay, I have another question on here that hopefully gets through even though I marked the question answered.  I got the different mouths and emotions to work with the "compute lip sync" thing, but I have a new need/question.  I have a handful of emotions and I want to be able to fine tune where they come in at and how long they last.  In the screenshot, you can see the "keyboard triggers A, C, W."  I tried shrinking the length of the keys and moving their boxes around (like you can see there) but that didn't really seem to do anything.

So can I do the key triggers manually in the timeline and tweak them instead of recording them live on the fly?

[El Wombat]

Hi Rocky,

I had a similar task at hand the other day and I think:

a) Yes, you can, but…

b) it's a bit tricky because the bars show only that there is activity for that specific trigger, not which: on or off.

I think a possible workaround is to set the default position to another trigger (normally, you don't do that for "default" layers or groups…) and that way you would be able to just turn "on" with a key, then another with a different key "on" that overrides the former, and so on. And with bars that show only one kind of activity you can then finetune.

I *think* that was how I solved my similar issue… Hope this helps.

[RockyDavies]

Thanks El Wombat for the suggestion, I'll see if that helps!

[El Wombat]

Welcome! Good luck!

[oksamurai]

Yeah, it can be confusing. A bar means something was happening during recording - but there isn't a heatmap or pattern or anything that makes it clear the button was being hit or not.

Make sure everything is set to latch, and the try to record a full pass and do the keystrokes as perfectly as possible (3/4 speed recording speed might help with the timing here). And then you can always go back and split, delete, trim, or record small fixes to edit the timing of the switches.

This will be way better in the next release, we're working on some interesting new stuff.

And please let me know when this launches, looking totally radical dude.

[RockyDavies]

Thanks Samurai!  I appreciate the responses.  It's too bad you can't do the intuitive tweak, but sounds like the next version may have a good fix.  The program really is so incredibly awesome, I'm excited for what comes next.

I'll have to post the little video when I'm done.  I've been doing some Ninja Turtle work for Nickelodeon, but all flat still illustrations, I'm trying to use Ch to branch out a bit and pitch doing some animated fare for them too!  Hopefully it all goes well!

[RockyDavies]

My super high tech way of directing myself where and when to hit what keyboard triggers, haha. Post-it to the rescue. Yeah, I hope in future iterations, you can easily see and edit when you trigger what key and add, delete, chop, or extend the trigger events instead of catching them on the fly.

I think the decreased recording speed should help too.

[RockyDavies]

Here's a test clip for doing the expressions and everything together.  I'll chop it up and use it in the final animation.

[oksamurai]

Looking awesome!