FCP audio out of sync after export

[David Roth weiss]

[Rachel King] “Occasionally, when I capture footage the audio and video will be slightly out of sync. This itself isn’t a massive issue as I am able to match it up by adjusting it on the timeline.”

This does not compute Rachel, if you’re editing audio and video that were recorded together. My guess would be that you have not adjusted your frame offset setting from the factory default of “4,” to the proper setting of “0,” as in the image below.

You need to change that in every new project, and you’ll neither have the problem with the footage being out of sync during editing or upon export.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.com

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[John Pale]

As an aside, the default 4 frame offset is there because there is a delay when monitoring via a FireWire device. The 4 frame offset makes the canvas and the external monitor (via FireWire) appear to be in sync.

When FCP was introduced, the majority of users were using FireWire DV devices. Obviously, things have opened up quite a bit since then, and there are many possible Setups … But the default setting has persisted until today.

[Craig Alan]

Thanks John and David,

I follow the logic for monitoring via a DV deck and an external monitor, but with a default of 4 frame offset wouldn’t the exported footage still be out of sync?

And if so what was the proper workflow?

OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz MacPro4,1 2.66GHz 8 core 12gigs of ram. GPU: Nvidia Geoforce GT120 with Vram 512. OS X 10.6.x; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[John Pale]

I think what is happening is that you are “fixing” the sync based on seeing the 4 frame offset, but what you are really doing is throwing it out of sync.