audio conforming issue – P2

[Tim Kolb]

Hmmm… First off, I’ve never been a fan of the many aftermarket or shareware codec packages like the k-lite package.

You don’t need any additional codecs to use P2 footage In PPro as it handles DVCPHD P2 footage quite easily on its own. I’d like to see what would happen if the k-lite stuff was pulled completely and CS4 was uninstalled and reinstalled cleanly…

The audio conform (probably just generating peak files…or does it actually say “conforming” on the bottom-right of the interface when you’re loading?) has a lot to do with where the scratch disks are targeted and sometimes to do with what user level was logged on when the app was installed.

I’ve seen odd cases where the application was loaded under a user account instead of the administrator and there was an issue with a project re-linking to cache files due to the app’s authority level, so it decides to make more… Eventually the media cache is huge and scrambled and the software starts to struggle.

I’d check where the cache is currently targeted and check how full that volume is…and definitely clean the cache (in the preferences).

P2 should run like butter…

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Andrew Thompson]

Thanks for the reply Tim.

I only did the k-lite thing becasue i read elsewhere as that was one solution Adobe support were suggesting themselves.

The problems started before that of course.

It does actually say conforming all the while in the bottom right with the yellow bar. conformed audio now lives next to originals on an external raid0 drive (g-raid). Weird thing is no other codec seems to give this problem except p2. Could it be the registry or something to do with the installed codec for p2 on my system has become damaged? Would a clean install of cs4 remedy that do you think?

I guess a part of me was reluctant to try that because of the hassle of re-installing a myriad of plug ins etc. Just wanted to see if anyone else had experienced a similar issue with p2 on cs4. The conforming thing is really annoying. I understand you can turn it off in cs5? One more good reason to upgrade!

[Tim Kolb]

I don’t know what was meant by “turning it off”…it just doesn’t do as much conforming by design.

OK…in your preferences, in “media” do you have the two check box choices for “write XMP ID…” and “Enable Clip and XMP…Linking” checked?

It sounds as if PPro isn’t able to update the metadata for the media through the project…what are the write priviledges on the external drive? If you’re on Windows, does it come up as the same drive letter every time? Does the project know where the media is when it’s opening?

Also…in preferences–audio, what is your source channel mapping default track format set to?

…and how many audio tracks are in your P2 files?

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Andrew Thompson]

Thanks again for your reponse Tim.

The media boxes (xmp etc) are currently unchecked. Again, i’d read elsewhere from Adobe support that this is a good thing to uncheck in these circumstances. Do you agree?

Audio mapping is ‘use file’ and the p2 media has 4 x mono channels (one of which is empty).

re: the drive, always comes up with same drive letter, never have a problem seeing the media when the proj is opened. under write priveleges for the drive, all is ‘allowed’, owner is my as a vista user i log in to prevent any administrator blocks.

Sehd any light?

[Tim Kolb]

So you have the “save media cache files next to the originals when possible” checkbox checked in preferences -media?

What happens if you uncheck that box and send the cache files somewhere central on your system? Let it re-process (it should be simply recreating .pek files, which would be where the waveform comes from…as far as I know it should not conform audio that’s native to the sequence settings), then close the project (after saving it under a different name of course) and see if it does the same foolishness when you reopen the project.

This has something to do with the project being unable to either “remember” that the cached files exist (access to them is restricted somehow?) or the project is unable to update the files so that it can find them (the XMP preferences).

Usually what causes something like this is someone choosing to “clean” their cache database while an external drive with media and cache files on it is disconnected, meaning that the cache database dumps the reference to the actual cached files because it doesn’t see them on the system any longer and assumes the database entries are obsolete. Then you re-attach the drive…the media isn’t in the media cache data base…and we re-index because we think it’s new.

The problem is if the media cache database is written somewhere while you were running a session as “administrator”…there are are situations where a simple user logon will not allow PPro to update the media cache database…so the footage is new every time as it never gets permanently entered into the media cache database.

Any of this make any sense at all?

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Todd Kopriva]

> I only did the k-lite thing becasue i read elsewhere as that was one solution Adobe support were suggesting themselves.

No. No, no, no, no, no. No.

Speaking as the lead for Adobe Technical Support for the professional video products, I can tell you that this is the opposite of what we recommend. We see terribly many cases where installing the K-Lite codec pack wrecks your ability to work with Premiere Pro and After Effects.

If you see anyone who claims to be an Adobe employee recommending that people install the K-Lite codec pack, please email me at kopriva -at- adobe -dot- com, as this is something that I would need to quash.

Unfortunately, once you have K-Lite on your system, it is a devil to get off, and it can impair your use of other codecs.

Now, regarding your original problem: Tim is certainly doing the same troubleshooting that I would be doing. One thing, though: You haven’t mentioned which exact version of Premiere Pro you’re running. I.e., have you installed the most recent updates? The current version of Premiere Pro CS4 is 4.2.1.

———————————————————————————————————
Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
Technical Support for professional video software
After Effects Help & Support
Premiere Pro Help & Support
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[Tim Kolb]

[Todd Kopriva] “We see terribly many cases where installing the K-Lite codec pack wrecks your ability to work with Premiere Pro and After Effects.”

That is more like my idea of what the current line on K Lite was…

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,