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Question

Audio Out of Sync - Why and How to Correct

Forum|Forum|13 years ago
June 30, 2012
4 replies
29377 views

I nested two 90 minute clips from 2 separate cameras which were both shot in AVCHD. I am using Premiere CS 5.5 . As a former FCP editor, whenever audio went out of sync, a message in FCP came up immediately and told you the audio was out of sync and it was an easy fix. How come Premiere is minus such an important feature?

I shoot stage productions where there may be music but no dialogue so chercking sync becomes rather difficult. After finishing a 2 hour video, I found the audio was out of sync in the nested sequences. Is there any way to auto resync the audio automatically?

Seems to me that Premiere Pro is a sub Pro App if simple audio sync is so hard to maintain in nested sequences. Makes nesting a sequence a waste of time if you have to redo the edit as a reslut of audio out of sync.

This topic has been closed for replies.

B

boris georges

Participant

Unfortunatley for multicam and very complex productions, Premiere Pro is simply not usable. With many video angles, there are audio gaps or no audio.
Depending on the setting of the sequence and with "audio follow video" activated, you will get the "out of sync" indicator, but if both audio and video have been shift, there is no indication.
For a classical music production, you have to split and then with the "Rate strech" tool, to reduce or expand the video event with match the edited audio. But after reducing the event the frame indicator is droping frames. There is also no possibilities to verify the succession of the frames on the timelines.

F

fsuarez

Participant

I've had issues with nested comps before.

Im not sure if this is a bug in PPRO or not, but I have had this problem occur on and off. After some troubleshooting, I found a workaround that worked for me in my specific situation.

It seems when you NEST audio files not linked to video files (it may happen even if they are linked, but I have not tried it), PPRO will replace your clips with the nested composition but will offset the time. Let me give you an example to illustrate.

Say I have have audio clips that start at 10 seconds into my sequence and I nest them. PPRO will nest them and show me the nested comp starting at 10 seconds, but it will really not play there, it starts to play exactly 10 seconds later. Solution? Drag my nested composition back to 0 in the timeline. Again this worked for me and it may be a work around.

If Im doing something incorrectly, please someone point it out.

Thanks.

M

martinv2012Author

Known Participant

Hi Frank,

I saw your post just as I was checking a DVD I edited 5 months ago. I used the Nest tool in PPro and good thing I checked the DVD before duplication as half way through the video, the audio was out of sync. This was another example of what I originally posted. There should not be, I REPEAT FOR THE ADOBE STAFF, "SHOULD NOT BE" THE NEED FOR WORK AROUNDS, PERIOD.

Those who comment " well it could be your system, your set up, etc" STOP DEFENDING A FLAW IN THE SOFTWARE. Would you buy a car that catches on fire when you start it up? I think not. The reason FCP became the leading software for 80% of the editing houses out there was its consistency and smooth workflow. If Adobe wants the same market share, they should examine the problem determine the causes and then inform the user as to work arounds and updates and fixes for this problem. It is not the job of the customer to fix the product. Jason, I appreciate your comments. Apple sank FCP because they make more $$$ from iPhones and iPads.

Fixing the software is not our job. Editing is our job. This forum should be for an exchange of ideas and help from other users. BUT, when an issue arises and is confirmed by other users, the Adobe staff should jump on it within a week at the most. We should not be referred to their library of instructions on how to use PPro as a solution.

I like PPro for the most part. If some one had referred me to an exact cause of the audio problem and I was able to see it and correct my timeline, then no problem.

BTW Jason the audio goes out of sync about half way through the Timeline in the affected projects. Also, Simon, I realized that if I adjusted a nested part of the timeline the audio would go out of sync. My process was to sync up two cameras (2 layers of video and audio) then followed the Adobe Help instructions to nest them. Once done. I simply cut back and forth between shots in the Nested Sequence Window. Nothing else was done to the Timeline or the Nested components.

Shooternz, guess some one else chimed in.

P

panelist

Participating Frequently

Hey Martin,

I totally agree with you that the software should just work, independent of someone's system! I just started a small corporate documentary project and found your post while trying to figure out how to solve this mysterious sync problem. I don't have any nested sequences; just multiple clips of talking heads, some of which have literally randomly out-of-sync audio/video.

Finding no solution in the software for troubleshooting this problem, I have resorted to manually un-linking the audio and video of clips, manually sync-ing the video to the audio by eye, and then re-linking them. This was the first time I saw the +/- indicator Mr Jim Simon spoke of, because it's now showing me how out-of-sync I have MANUALLY made them, which is not the problem! I KNOW how out of sync they are, NOW...!

Sorry to sound like I'm shouting, I'm just frustrated that I've had to spend so much time futzing with this when I could have been further along in the project by now. Martin, I just wanted to say that it is not your system and your problem is not unique.

-Paul

M

martinv2012Author

Known Participant

If there is no response to this, then I will assume this is an Adobe "dirty little secret". A problem everyone runs into but Adobe is silent about.

John T Smith

Community Expert

>problem everyone runs into

I edit AVCHD and do not have that problem

Do be aware (in case you are not... ignore if you are) that the "approved" way to get AVCHD from camera to hard drive is to copy the entire folder, not just the files

Read http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1015001?tstart=0 for more information

M

martinv2012Author

Known Participant

Thanks John, but I know that you have to copy the entire file folders out not the individual AVCHD files. I read up on editng AVCHD files before tackling Premiere. So whether I copy the files from my Panasonic AC130 or my Canon cam, the entire folder system gets copied not files. So far, unless someone can specify the fix or how to resync audio in a nested sequence, I have gone back to editng the FCP way. Sync the two cams based on video (can't use audio in Premiere as the audio channel graphic waveform is not as well defined as in FCP - another Adobe minus) in the timeline and then reduce the opacity of Video track 2 to 45% and then use the Razor Tool to cut the clips you need. Of course the audio channels shouuld be locked to avoid cutting the audio up as well.

You know John, maybe after I finish editing my projects, I should compile all my work arounds and list the Premiere problems and how to deal with them. Good thing you Adobe guys have us FCP editors here not to clean up the Adobe mess. Imagine how worse things would have gotten here in Premiere Amateur Editing software if the Apple people didn't chase the money and dump FCP for better iPhones and iPads, etc to boost revenue.

M

martinv2012Author

Known Participant

Let me add this, if audio can be moved out of sync in Premiere Pro so easily without any notification, warning and abillity to move it back into sync easily as soon as it happen or provide a quick fix after the video has been editied using the original video clip to match the timecode for both video and audio in the nested Sequence then Premiere Pro should be a free app. An app that can be freely shared, as it is not professional editing software no matter how many other things it can do. Audio sync is at the very basics of video editing and Premiere Pro functions as though this is about as important as whether you used an upper case or lower case letter in part of a title. The whole point to editing is video and audio. If I wanted silent video then no problem. But that want out back in the 1920's. I think Adobe misleads the consumer.

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