Audio not synchronized when importing XML from Premiere Pro to DaVinci Resolve

[Noah347163857vmm]

I'm trying to import a sequence from Premiere Pro into DaVinci Resolve as an XML file. The audio is synchronized in Premiere but unsynchronized in Resolve. Is there a way that I can *resolve* (Ha!) this?

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi @Noah347163857vmm,

I read about your problem. I have not heard of this issue before so it may be project specific. Let's try, though! 

Can you double-check the sequence settings for Resolve and make sure that the sample rate and frame rates match precisely? If not, you may need to make manual adjustments.

I hope we can help you. Sorry for the issues.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Noah347163857vmm]

The frame rate is 24 and the sample rate is 44100hz. I also noticed that the audio files don't begin where they're supposed to. In other words, the audio clips are all where they're supposed to be on the timeline, but the correct part of the file isn't being played.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi @Noah347163857vmm,

Which camera are these files from? Do you have a sample file to share? I can check it out on my end, if you like. I've found media from cameras is usually pretty solid, but media from things like screen caps, drones, and mobile devices can wreak havoc when moving projects around amongst other applications. Along with media info, please also share any other details about your workflow. That might help. Again, this is an unusual problem, but I hope we can help you here.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Noah347163857vmm]

The video files are from a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. The camera audio is synchronized with the video files, but the audio recorded with separate microphones is unsynchronized. It seems to me like the issue has solely to do with the audio files. The video files transfer perfectly to Resolve and everything—including the audio files—is where it should be on the timeline. But as I said, the incorrect portion of the audio is being played. As in, I can often hear the audio from before the scene begins, which isn't present in Premiere because I edited it out there.

I've included a very short clip in the following Google Drive link. If you need something longer, then let me know. Most of the files are rather large, so I tried to find one of the smallest ones for ease of downloading. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer much in the way of visuals as it appears that the cameraman was recording by mistake.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rrxbohfO57Jd334_QqPj07Idi1IzSDSv/view?usp=drivesdk

[Noah347163857vmm]

I assume you're busy helping others, which is totally okay, but I haven't heard back from you. Do you think this might be a problem with Resolve as opposed to Premiere?

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi @Noah347163857vmm,

I got your note. I put your case in front of engineering. I hope they reply to me so I can pass along details soon. Sorry for the delay in response. Be sure to include "@Kevin-Monahan" in your reply so that I will not miss your messages. I hope I can help you.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Ben Insler]

@Noah347163857vmm Any chance you could post one of your Audio files for us as well - one of the files that is not transferring to Resolve correctly?

[Noah347163857vmm]

@Ben Insler @Kevin-Monahan Of course. In the following Google Drive link is one video file and two audio files.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ki2scAUEmpVD4jUSxki-dUig2UyQI_6F?usp=drive_link

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi,

I had a product team member offer a possible cause for this issue:

Any chance there are disabled clips in the sequence? In a previous case, the report was “audio drifting out of sync” but the real issue was missing (disabled) clips in the edit that shifted everything in the track to the left.

Can you check that out as a possible cause for the drift?

Thanks,
Kevin

[Noah347163857vmm]

@Ben Insler @Kevin-Monahan That unfortunately isn't the cause because the issue isn't exclusive to just one sequence. For example, I created a sequence out of the three files in the Google Drive link that I provided to Ben Insler and the audio was still unsynchronized even though none of the files were missing from neither Premiere nor Resolve.

[Ben Insler · Accepted solution]

Hey @Noah347163857vmm,

Your issue is resulting from the fact that your Indeterminate Media Timebase (located in Settings > Media) is not set to correspond to your editing timebase.  This is resulting in a calculation mismatch between Premiere Pro and Resolve. 

Audio doesn't have a frame rate.  When recorded audio is tagged with BWF frame rate metadata, Premiere Pro can use that metadata to determine which frame rate was intended for the file.  Without this metadata, there is no way for Premiere Pro to know, or guess, the intended frame rate.  In these cases, Premiere Pro will default to using the Indeterminate Media Timebase unless you explicitly modify the timecode of the media in Premiere Pro to a specific Time Display Format.

Resolve, on the other hand, handles this differently.  Since your entire Resolve project is given a single timebase, Resolve will interpret untagged audio to the timebase of the project.

In your case here, your footage is 24FPS, as is your sequence in Premiere Pro.  But your Indeterminate Media Timebase is set to something else, likely 29.97FPS.  Your Resolve project timebase will be set to 24FPS when you import the 24FPS XML from Premiere Pro.  This is creating a conform mismatch with your recorded audio - the math between Premiere Pro and Resolve doesn't line up becasue Premiere Pro thinks it's making an XML from 29.97 media, but Resolve is trying to conform that XML against media that it sees as 24.  The frame counts end up all over the place, and your Resolve conform ends up wrong.  The Resolve conform works with your on camera audio becuse the audio is encapsulated with the video, and thus paired with the video's embedded timecode and framerate metadata, which both apps can read.

Luckily, there's an easy fix.  Just change your Indeterminate Media Timebase to match your editing timebase: 24FPS.  All indeterminate media will recalculate its Time Display Format, and the math Premiere Pro performs to generate its XML will now correspond to the frame rate that Resolve will be enforcing in its project.  Re-export your XML and bring it into Resolve.

[Noah347163857vmm]

@Ben Insler @Kevin-Monahan That solved it! Thank you!

[defaultvz3m4cu01t2w]

I am still having audio sync issues after exporting the xml file from Premiere to import into DaVinci...any solutions suggested when both the fps in both timelines are the same?

[Noah347163857vmm]

I don't have any suggestions as the above solution worked for me, but @Kevin-Monahan may be able to help since he's a Community Specialist and could thus direct someone to assist with your problem.

[Ben Insler]

@defaultvz3m4cu01t2w Can you describe your sync issues in detail?  Are the clips lined up in resolve, but the audio incorrectly shifted within them?  Or are the audio clips themselves in a different position between the two application timelines?

Just to confirm, the solve above did not have to do with timeline fps.  It had to do with the fact that the clips within the timelines were being interepreted at diffeent frame rates by each application.  Have you confirmed that you have set your Indeterminate Media TimeBase (the first pulldown in Preferences > Media) in Premiere Pro to match your sequence fps?

[prabh_7212]

FACING THE SAME ISSUE, the camera linked audio are importing correctly, but facing complete out of sync situation for the dubbed audio. kindly reply @Kevin-Monahan @Ben Insler