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FCP stereo tracks echo and get out-of-sync
Hello all,
On a deadline – need an answer, fast. (Don’t we all…)
I have used FCP for years and encountered this issue only twice. Just can’t remember what magic incantation fixed it before!
I edit short pieces, 30-60 second TV spots, etc.
Suddenly, yesterday, FCP started doing this: stereo AIFF on timeline, plays fine the first time, but subsequently plays back with one of the stereo tracks out of sync (and slower) than the other. It looks fine on the timeline (not slipped, etc.) and the audio is a separate VO or music, not associated with a video clip.
I opened other, previously working fine sequences, and now those play with the stereo echo, too. So it’s FCP, and not one particular sequence. It even shows up on simple, newly created sequences with a single stereo clip.
Curiously, my system has worked super super SUPER fine, for the most part. Not a slow computer or disk, plenty of memory, and I’ve tried everything from Disk Utility to trashing prefs. Threw away a sequence and recreated it. Every time the audio plays right once, maybe twice, then gets wacky.
What would cause this sudden audio fluke? More important, how to stop it so I can make my deadline?
Any outside the box solutions are welcome, as long as they don’t involve a sledge hammer…
THX!
MacPro 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 14GB memory – OSX10.5.8 FCP6
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9 Replies
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Plug some headphones directly into the Mac and listen. Perhaps there’s a problem in your audio hardware?
Are you getting this in itunes,etc?
what happens if you export a QT and listen to that?
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What is the sample rate of the audio files?
If they are not 48k, FCP will try to convert it on the fly….doesn’t always work well.If it’s other than 48k, convert it using Compressor or Quicktime Pro.
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Aaron, thanks for replying. Let me see if I can answer your questions.
The audio runs through a Sony HDV deck to a Eurorack and out to headphones. But this has been the case for 2 years without problems.
I rolled the sequence to a Quicktime, and played back via quicktime through the Mac’s front speaker. This Quicktime, created today, echoes out the front speaker, too. But this was, of course, created today from FCP during this problem.
iTunes works just fine. As do other clips played in Quicktime, which were created prior to this problem.
This is not isolated to one FCP project or sequence, nor does it seem to pertain to specific audio clips. It’s happening across the board when I open previously created projects that used to sound fine (which only now show echo problems).
To John — I’m doing everything the same as I always have (the audio files are 48k, as usual). The weirdest symptom is that one of the two tracks in one stereo audio clip seems to slow down during playback, getting more and more out of sync with the other track.
Rendering doesn’t help, either.
I should mention this all started when I got the dreaded Dropped Frames warning (and as usual, none of the suggested remedies applies here). Trashed prefs, ran Disk Utility, tried Safe RT, opened just one sequence, lowered real time audio to 4 tracks (was 8) and the system should be fast enough.
Is there something other than the usual software Roto-Rooter routines that I can look into?
MacPro 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 14GB memory – OSX10.5.8 FCP6
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It’s 48k.
The problem is occurring on all of my FCP projects, not just the current one.
MacPro 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 14GB memory – OSX10.5.8 FCP6
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Just did a little experiment.
Put the VO on a timeline (it is 48k, created within FCP). I split the left and right channels, and the Left channel ONLY appears to be the one that slows down and gets out of sync with the Right channel. Playing the Right channel alone sounds fine. Then I added a stereo clip of some music – not underneath, but after the VO clip. Now, both clips sound bad, both channels sound bad, and the dreaded drop-frame warning showed up.
Poo – thought I found which channel was acting up. Seems like the real situation is that 1 playback is not too bad, but repeated playbacks make the problem worse.
Can Soundtrack Pro mess up your RAM for FCP? If so, how do I fix that?
MacPro 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 14GB memory – OSX10.5.8 FCP6
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What are you using for storage?
Hopefully not your boot drive.
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The program resides on the main drive and all files are stored and accessed from a secondary internal drive. Everything about the system is pretty standard. The problem is unusual.
MacPro 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 14GB memory – OSX10.5.8 FCP6
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Trash your prefs. Its usually the first thing I do when I encounter behavior that spectacularly goofy.
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Just to follow up, and for anyone in the future bumping into this same problem, here was the solution that worked for me in this case.
I typically use Waveforms, as they are vital to the intensely accurate cutting that is required for commercials. (So, please, nobody tell me to turn them off – I need ’em!)
I opened several projects on the main disk I use for editing – every project exhibited similar audio sync problems. (And no, my active projects do not reside on the same disk as FCP.)
I opened a project on a different disk, and its audio sounded fine. So, I returned to the disk where most of my active projects reside, and discarded the files inside the Waveform Cache. This allowed FCP to start fresh with new waveforms, and the problem disappeared.
Prior to discarding the waveforms, I had already tried the usual things, which I do BEFORE jumping on Creative Cow for help: trashing preferences, running Disk Utility, even recreating sequences to replace the sequences where problems occurred. None of these basic steps had an effect.
The one move that worked was discarding waveforms. I don’t know if this was the fault of FCP, because it is possible that a waveform file became corrupted through other means. However, if audio problems seem to persist across different projects, discarding waveforms may be a solution.
I realize that only an editor with numerous, audio-intensive projects may ever bump into this issue, but if there’s anyone else with this problem, perhaps my solution is one way of solving it.
Hope this is helpful.
MacPro 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 14GB memory – OSX10.5.8 FCP6
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