Legend

Question

Timecode changed 30 minutes or so into me working and wont go back. but its fine on other computers

Forum|Forum|8 months ago
July 28, 2025
5 replies
220 views

I was syncing an MOV and a wav file this morning in premiere 25.3.0 (Build 84) on a Mac desktop computer. I was able to sync it so fast because the quicktime and wav file had matching timecodes!!! 09:46:43:00 was the start timecode of my wav file. About an hour or so into the edit I noticed that the timecode for my wav file no longer matched the MOV. And the only way to make it temporarily match is to double click it in the bin, hold down command and press the blue timecode in the source window 3 times. but if you match back to it or go back to it later the start timecode is still wrong. its now saying the start timecode is 12:13:23:18 (when it was 09:46:43:00 an hour ago). I cleared the cache. restarted my computer. and the issue persisted. I started a new project file and dragged the raw wav into the new project and it was still saying the start timecode of the wav was 12:13:23:18. So I opened the same wav file on my laptop instead of my desktop computer and it told me the start timecode was 09:46:43:00. So its fine on other computers. Ok so back to the desktop computer: I quit out of premiere, held down shift, and opened it back up, and check marked "reset app preferences" and "clear media cache files" and that didnt solve it. I tried to open Premiere beta to see if the problem persisted there but every time I open premiere beta, it crashes on me and i dont have time at the moment to troubleshoot it. This clearly seems like a bug the fact that the start timecode changed on my file an hour or so into my edit. What did I do wrong? how do i fix this? (update: I deleted a folder from mediacore to get BETA to stop crashing. and when I open the file in beta, the start timecode is 09:46:43:00)

rachelcenterAuthor

Legend

but why is it being interpreted at a differnt frame rate? why is it switching? holding down command is the only way to toggle BACK to the correct 09:45:43:00 but it should be STAYING on that. because that was the original start timecode that it showed when i first started the project but now whenever i click on it, it defaults to start time being 12:13:23. Why? Why wont it default and STAY at the original start timecode? it makes no sense. I shouldnt have to be command clicking to get back to the original start timecode

jamieclarke

Community Manager

Hi @rachelcenter - Premiere has always allowed you to view source timecode in different frame rate bases typically 23.976 or 29.97 fps regardless of the native frame rate of the file. This is helpful when working in mixed frame rate timelines. What you’re seeing is Premiere switching how it interprets the timecode display, not changing the underlying media. Holding Command and clicking the timecode cycles through those interpretations, which is why it temporarily appears to ‘fix’ the mismatch.

rachelcenterAuthor

Legend

I dont think you're following me here when I'm describing the core issue. yes i know you can toggle / cycle between frame rates but thats not the issue. at the start of the project, if you go to the start timecode of that wav file it was displaying as 09:46:43:00. but then an hour or two into the project it would not display as that. and its annoying that I have to keep command clicking to get it to show the original start timecode that it was showing at the top of the session. why is the clip (an hour into the session) now defaulting to showing me 29.97 timecode instead of 23.98 timecode or vice versa. It doesnt make sense. no matter what I click, its now defaulting to the start timecode of 12:13:23:18 when it should be defaulting to the start timecode of 09:46:43:00 like it was at the top of the session. Yes i know its still the same timecode but its reading at 29fps instead of 23fps but There is no reason it should have switched an hour into the session. Why wont it default and STAY at the timecode it was displaying at the top of the session? Can we please videochat to discuss this to make sure we're on the same page because I feel like we're not. I shouldnt have to command cycle through these at all to see the 23.98fps frame rate of this WAV. I need it to go back to showing me how it was at the top of the session when I didnt have to command click on the blue timecode jsut to get it to show me the correct matching timecode to the mov.

jamieclarke

Community Manager

Hi @rachelcenter - If your original timecode was 09:46:43:00 and you’re now seeing 12:13:23:18, it’s likely that the timecode is being interpreted at a different frame rate switching between 23.976fps and 29.97fps. That would explain the discrepancy. When you hold down Command and click the source timecode, you’re toggling between different timecode displays: 23.976, 29.97, frames, and footage.

rachelcenterAuthor

Legend

On both the laptop and desktop, "indeterminate media timebase" is set to 29.97 fps drop frame.

Issue – Please see paragraph at the top of this post for the issue.

Steps to reproduce – sync audio and video based on timecode. check timecode an hour or two into edit session to see if timecode on wav file has changed even though you didnt do any steps to change it.

Expected result – i expect the timecode to stay uniform the entire edit sesssion.

Actual result – the timecode has changed and only gives me accurate timecode when I hold down command and press the blue timecode in the source window 3 times. (but then when I go back to editing and then match back to it again a few minutes later, the timecode is still not what it originally was at the start of the syncing process).

Screen recording – please message me privately for that link. I cant share it publically.

Adobe Premiere Pro version - premiere 25.3.0 (Build 84)

Operating system – macOS sequioa 15.5 (on an Apple m2 ultra)

GPU driver version (Windows only) – If you're on Windows, please let us know what version of the video card (GPU) driver you are using.

Video format –MXF. but the issue is with WAV files not the video files.

Comparative information helps us understand more about when the issue occurs:

Does it affect all projects or only some projects? Hard to say. I havent experimented with this.

Does it affect new projects? Yes. if I start a new project on the desktop computer and drag the wav file in, it still has the wrong start timecode, but when I drag it into a new project on the LAPTOP instead of desktop, it has the correct start timecode.

When did the problem begin? Hard to say. I've had this problem before but didn't understand why.

rachelcenterAuthor

Legend

i hit reply and typed out all the answers to "how to report a problem" but i dont see it posting on this forum. I guess I'll try to private message you. Weird. Not the first time this has happened on this forum where I past the "report a problem" text into the reply and then fill out my answers and then post them. and then they're not there.

jamieclarke

Community Manager

Hi @rachelcenter -
Thanks for submitting your bug report. We need a few more details to try to help with the issue.
Please see, How to Report a Problem.

In your preferences under media is your "Indeterminate Media Timebase" the same for both computers?

Sorry for the frustration.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded