Can’t hear audio

[Frank Cervarich]

Okay. Here are the specs on my setup.

I am using a MacPro running OS 10.7.3. The processor is 2 X 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon. The memory is 12 GB 1066 MHz DDR3. The Avid Media Composer version is 6.0.1. I have an AJA Kona LHI board. I do not have a mixer. I listen via Sondsticks, Apple speakers. I had been editing with FCP up until late last year but have, for a few clients, put together pieces using Avid (at least five years ago).

I bought Avid 5.5 late last year and opened it long enough to see and hear various things that I pulled into the edit software. I then updated to 6.0.1. I am only just now trying to do a shakedown cruise by editing a short piece in 6.0.1. When I tried to do that I found out I could not hear the audio, even though I could see the video and the meter reading audio just above the timeline.

The audio that I have been referring to is an AVCHD interview clip (1080X30)that I recorded on a low-end Sony camera I bought last year. I pulled the same clip into Premiere Pro (I decided to try that software as well) and I see and hear it just fine.

Back in Avid, I pulled in a QT file and was unable to hear it either. I could see the picture just fine. The AVCHD clip I pulled in is 16 bit and Avid is set to recognize 16 bit.

Does this shed light on possible solutions to my problem? Do you need more specs? If so, which ones?

Thanks for your continued support and suggestions.

[Michael Hancock]

You typically listen to speakers attached directly to your Mac? That’s the issue.

With MC6.x, the Kona card is now an operating breakout box. The audio is going out through the Kona, and I don’t believe you can change that. Here are your options:

Attach speakers to the Kona. Sound!

Remove the Kona from the system. Avid will use the Mac output like you’re used to. Sound!

The reason this changed from 5.5 to 6 is that, in 5.5, Avid ignored the Kona. Now it doesn’t. I had the same issue with a Blackmagic card (currently have the issue, actually – I need to hook a mixer and speakers to the Kona).

Shut down your system, remove the Kona, reboot and start Avid. I bet you have audio playback.

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Michael Hancock
Editor

[Frank Cervarich]

Thank you so much. I will try this out tomorrow. Have to run to a meeting now. I’ll let you know how it works out. And thanks again.

[Stacy Lincoln]

Excellent information! I didn’t know this. Why oh why has editing become so difficult. So many settings, so many hiccups. That’s why we need these forums to keep us all informed! It’s incredibly hard to keep up these days.

[Frank Cervarich]

Thanks to Michael Hancock I have resolved my problem. I plugged a set of speakers into my AJA board and, trumpets please, I heard the audio of my clip in MC 6.0.1. Now I will have to rethink my edit setup since I use audio for other software and the internet.

Is there a way that we can encourage Avid, in a future update, to fix this problem? I think it would be merely a matter of allowing the software to recognize other configurations than it now does.

Again thanks to all. I really appreciate it.

[Michael Hancock]

Glad that solved it!

I agree that there should be ways to bypass the Kona/Blackmagic outputs for audio (or video, if that would be helpful to people).

Avid has a feature request forum they monitor. You can find it here: https://community.avid.com/forums/44.aspx

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Michael Hancock
Editor

[Stacy Lincoln]

Glad you found an answer! Thanks Mr. Hancock!