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Sync CD audio to Video
Hello there, hoping for help to solve a sync issue.
Trying to edit a music video shot on DVCPRO HD. During the shoot the music was played back for singers using a computer and only the camera mics where used to record audio. I imported the footage into FCP and converted the emailed mp3 audio to 48KHz using iTunes thinking this will solve any sample rate issues. But the audio is still not syncing completely about two minutes into playback. Does anyone know of a fix to solve this issue in FCP? Also, not knowing at first, I imported the footage in a drop frame project originally. If I open a new project, change the sequence setting to non-drop frame can I just import the QT files on my hard-drive into that new project or will I need to re-capture my original footage to have a non-drop frame project? Sorry, I’m an old Avid editor still learning FCP.Thanks so much for your help,
kat
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10 Replies
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[Kathy Chatham] “Trying to edit a music video shot on DVCPRO HD. During the shoot the music was played back for singers using a computer and only the camera mics where used to record audio. I imported the footage into FCP and converted the emailed mp3 audio to 48KHz using iTunes thinking this will solve any sample rate issues”
That sounds like a disaster, I hate to say. The problem could be coming from anywhere. Ask them to send you a WAV without making an MP3 first. Don’t convert it and just put it in your sequence. And make sure they gave you the right cut of the song.
[Kathy Chatham] “Also, not knowing at first, I imported the footage in a drop frame project originally. If I open a new project, change the sequence setting to non-drop frame can I just import the QT files on my hard-drive into that new project or will I need to re-capture my original footage to have a non-drop frame project?”
None of that matters. Drop/Non-Drop is just a timecode format. Has nothing to do with playback speed.
Sean
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[Kathy Chatham] “converted the emailed mp3 audio to 48KHz using iTunes”
You can do that in FC. Drop your MP3 in a 48Khz sequence and export QT ONLY AUDIO. You will get a .mov only with the sound. No picture, but TC.
Make sure that the sequence have the same Time Base (DF or NDF) that the sequence in which you will edit.
rafael -
[Rafael Amador] “Make sure that the sequence have the same Time Base (DF or NDF) that the sequence in which you will edit. “
Timecode format (DF/NDF) means nothing in regard to speed or length of playback.
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[Kathy Chatham] “During the shoot the music was played back for singers using a computer and only the camera mics where used to record audio.”
Yet the title of your post says “CD Audio.”
Was the computer playing a CD track during the shoot?
Where is the CD?
If you get that CD (or a cloned copy of it) it should sync perfectly with your video.
I have synced many, many times, dead-on, to video “lip-synced” to a CD during a shoot (for up to an hour, straight-roll) and not slipped a frame in post.
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You’re right Matte. But if you export a .mov only audio, is better when the TC match the sequence you will edit in. I heard here in the Cow many complains about the time base problems when importing .aiff or .wave audios.
Rafael -
(Was the computer playing a CD track during the shoot? Where is the CD? If you get that CD (or a cloned copy of it) it should sync perfectly with your video.)
Matte thanks so much for your positive input and leaving me with the feeling this is not a lose cause. Your question dealing with the CD audio, I will need to ask the producer today if he was playing the music back from iTunes off he’s computer or a CD inserted into his computer? He emailed me a mp3 copy of the music and I converted that file into a 48KHz aiff file for FCP. Should I have converted the file from 44.1KHz to 48KHz to match both the video recording sample rate & timeline sample rate in FCP? Not sure how that works. Because if there playing the CD back at 44.1KHz and the video is recording audio at 48KHz what is the final sample rate for editing? My quess would be 48KHz or am I over thinking the process. My head is hurting right about now..lol….
If you have time Matte for yet another question thank you for your answer. If not, no worries. As a Director/Editor could I have done anything that would have helped the process move quicker during editing before camera even started rolling for this music video?
Thanks so much for your help and blessings,
Kathy
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Thanks, Rafael for your help. I’ll try that process today with my fingers crossed.
You guys rock!!!
kat
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Sample rates, properly converted, should not change the LENGTH of a track.
All are based on X-Hz per SECOND (time) and, if converted properly, they do not change lengths.
As an editor, you likely would have little-to-no say in most shoots.
If you were asked, of course you should offer opinions.If you work for a production house where all there can offer input to projects, you could have more opportunity to discuss these kinds of things.
But in many (most) cases, editors are not consulted by the shooters. -
I read your last post again and noticed that it looks like you were the DIRECTOR as well as the editor (I do this myself.)
You can usually trust a standard CD player to play a CD at exactly the correct speed.
I use standard portable CD boom-boxes for playback (“lip-syncing”) during the shoot and have never had any sync-slippage in post.I have no idea what kind of file was used for playback in your shoot, but any digital audio file should play in sync with your video.
If you ever get this resolved, I hope you post the steps you took.
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Hi all,
Unfortunately, I am not posting here to give a solution to this problem, only to tell you that I have exactly the same problem although slightly differing circumstances. So Kathy, you are not alone!
I shot many different takes for a music video this week, also in HD. We used a portable CD-Player for the Artist to mime to, and recorded the audio (for the sake of making it easier to sync) on the Camera’s mic.
When this was imported, and married up with the supplied WAV master file, the audio was out of sync after about a minute or so (perhaps less). At the beginning of the track, everything is in sync, but as it moves through it gets more and more out of sync. I am using Final Cut Express.
I am assured that the CD was mastered from the WAV file, and have checked that the audio is in sync on the master tape I captured from. The timecode suggests that the video is running faster than real time – as the music from the Video capture finishes a good few seconds before the master version. As this is the same track, I have to assume that for some reason, the duration of the video capture has shortened somehow. My captured video is running at 25fps (although I have tried converting this to 29fps to see what happens – no difference).
I am at a loss, and have not found a satisfactory answer (or solution) to this. If I do, I promise to come back on here to post it.
I hope someone has some more info on this problem! 🙂
John
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