-
omf sync issues
I am starting post sound on my short next week and I am having a major issue with the omf. When I export the omf, and a QT reference movie with time code burn and bring them into Protools they are not in sync…sometimes…
Here is what is strange: The first two clips are in sync, then the third is not, then the fourth back in, fifth out and so on and so on. The sync always changes on a cut, so something is going on with how FCP is creating the OMF.
I shot it on a Panasonic hvx at 720, 24p. My settings are as follows:
My clip settings are:
Vid rate 23.98
frame size 960×720
Compressor DVCPROHD 720p60
Data Rate 5.9 MB/sec
Pixel Aspect HD (960×720)
Audio is 48.0Khz 16-bit InegerMy sequence settings are:
Frame size 960×720
Aspect Ratio: HD (960×720) (16:9)
Pixel Aspect Ratio HD (960×720) (not anamorphic)
Quick time video settings DVCPro HD 720p60
Audio 48kHz 16-bit, Channel GroupedDoes anyone have any ideas what would cause this? And more importantly how I can fix it? I am running out of time, and need to have this resolved in 10 days. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
-
9 Replies
-
Try a self contained video movie for reference in the audio app.
Jerry
Apple Certified Trainer, Producer, Writer, Director Editor, Gun for Hire and other things. I ski.
8-Core 3.0 Intel Mac Pro, Dual 2 gig G5, AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona 2, Huge Systems Array UL3D, AJA Io HD, 17″ MBP, Matrox MXO2 with MAX Cinema Displays
-
I have encountered the same problem and haven’t found a solution yet. I’ve never had OMFs from FCP work properly. I’ve had sync issues and automation randomly missing from time to time.
-
[Michael Craven] “I’ve never had OMFs from FCP work properly.”
My experience is the opposite. I have imported many hundreds of FCP OMFs into systems like dSP and Fairlight and ever since vers 3 FCP I have not had issues. There have been some operator error issues like putting mp3 files into a FCP timeline or not setting handles but otherwise OMF has been really solid.
Obvious questions arise with 24 versus 23.976 being set properly. Also when making the quicktime using quicktime conversion, set the frame rate rather than relying on auto. I have had issues with reference quicktimes made with auto reporting weird frame rates. I suspect that is the problem as ProTools may well be try to frame rate convert the video on the fly. I have also had that in Fairlight which does a miraculous job of converting frame rates and holding sync to an OMF. So my prognosis is that the OMF is solid and the reference video may be the culprit.
-
[Michael Gissing] “my prognosis is that the OMF is solid and the reference video may be the culprit.”
That could be the case. If so, then Logic is the culprit. Most recently, I’ve exported OMFs from FCP and imported them to Logic. I then exported an aiff from Logic and brought it back into FCP. With doing nothing more then exporting, importing and exporting again, some parts were out of sync. The out of sync portions were always where a cut had been made and they were completely inconsistent in the amount of discrepancy. Some were ahead and some were behind and off by different amounts. I wish I knew what the problem was, but it’s been consistently inconsistent with the last 3 projects that required OMF exports.
-
Michael,
I have also never had a problem with an omf. In fact, this is the second short film in a series that i am doing and I used the exact same camera and system and had 0 problems with the export and import on the first one.
I tried a few different reference movies, I tried compressing and I also tried just sending it as a quicktime movie with the current settings, just to make sure something wasn’t happening in the conversion. I also tried one by setting the frame rate-In FCP 6 it doesn’t give you a 23.976 as a preset option, you have to type it as custom frame rate. I also did the reference movies on two different computers, just to make sure that it wasn’t my computer. I had the exact same problem every time. Whether it was a straight QT or an .h264 crunch. Each time it goes in and out of sync.
I would also understand if there was sync drift because of frame rate issues, but it locks dead back into sync on a cut and then back out on the next one. I have never seen that before.
I am going to export an aiff and bring that in. This may narrow it down to the omf.
Any other ideas what the culprit may be?
-
Hi jerry,
The QT is self contained. By reference movie, I just meant video and audio reference for sync.
-
Okay, I just exported an aiff out of FCP and brought it and a new QT movie (.h264 with a hard frame rate of 23.976, audio Linear PCM 48 kHz 16 bit) in to Pro Tools and STP and they run perfectly in sync.
The omf, is still out of sync. And yes, the degree of out of syncness (is that a word?) varies just as Michael C. describes. Some are behind, some ahead, and looking at it in pro tools, they are sometimes off by 1/4 frame, and other times by over 2 frames, and anything in between.
Michael C. describing this, is the first I have seen of anyone else having this problem. It has to be some setting that we are missing. Something in the creation of the OMF. Both PT and STP do the same thing, so it’s not those programs.
I love a mystery, but I am running out of time, and I can’t think of anything else to troubleshoot this that I haven’t tried already. Advice????
-
I also did another test to rule out the QT reference movie. I exported the OMF, and brought it into STP. I didn’t touch the clips at all. I then exported those tracks as an aiff mix and brought them back into FCP and put them into my sequence. They are out of sync in the same places as they are in the STP and PT projects.
-
Do you have any gaps between video clips in your timeline? If you do and you haven’t filled them with slug, those gaps can introduce a sync problem.
John
MacPro 8-core 2.8GHz 8 GB RAM OS 10.5.8 QT7.6.4 Kona 3 Dual Cinema 23 ATI Radeon HD 3870, 24″ TV-Logic Monitor, ATTO ExpressSAS R380 RAID Adapter, PDE enclosure with 8-drive 6TB RAID 5
FCS 3 (FCP 7.0.2, Motion 4.0.2, Comp 3.5.2, DVDSP 4.2.2, Color 1.5.2)Pro Tools HD w SYNC IO & 192 Digital I/O, Yamaha DM1000, Millennia Media HV-3C, Neumann U87, Schoeps Mk41 mics, Genelec Monitors, PrimaLT ISDN
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up