Topic: video editing sync problem

[bconnolly]

I'm doing my first audio/video sync in Premiere Pro 2.0 and I'm having an issue.  I have each song cut separately so I can sync it with the video and everything is going fine until the fourth and final song of this act.  For some reason, it drifts terribly by the end of the song and I can't figure out how to properly go about fixing it.

What is the right way to fix something like this?

It seems like the only way I've found is to space out two video clips and insert some black space which I DO NOT want to do.  I really don't understand why all of a sudden the last song started going way off like that.  It's like ten seconds off but there is no footage missing (there is no jump between the two captured clips).

[willndmb]

common prob

some programs will let you compress the audio/video or stretch it to match up
otherwise you might be able to overlap the "dead time" between songs to get it to match up

[BayTaynt3d]

I'm not sure I'd say a 10-second drift is common for a single song, that sounds screwed up to me. I sync a/v all of the time, and there's no doubt that is a lot. And, considering it did NOT happen with the other songs, that is even MORE strange. Are you absolutely sure there isn't a long dropout in the audio or in the video?

That said, will above has it right. Typically, you'd sync up the head (beginning) of the a/v, then move out to the tail (end) and stretch/compress (not compression like audio compression, compress like squish it shorter in length) either the audio or the video. Now typically, I'd stretch/compress the audio so it syncs near the end because it usually is only a few frames/secs off, which can be easily handled on the audio front without pitch problems in most apps today. I say this because compressing/stretching the video will cause more noticeable quality issues in all likelihood. However, when you're talking a full 10 seconds, that's pretty bad, and makes me wonder if stretching/compress the audio will be audible or not (even with an algorithm that holds pitch constant). You'll have to listen to it after it's been stretched/comrpessed and then decide. If it is audible, you might decide to leave the audio intact, and stretch/compress the video instead. But the main point is this: (1) sync the head, then (2) stretch or compress either the audio or the video's time length such that the tail also gets into sync. Then, hopefully, the entire song will have sync (unless you're using analog to tape, in which case tape speed changes can screw things up, but I'm betting you're using MiniDV, in which case that shouldn't happen).

[bconnolly]

Thanks for the tips about sync'ing.

I'd say I agree with you about the drift.  There has to be some kind of disconnect somewhere and I don't know where it is.  I think I'm going to recapture the video tonight and see if the problem still exists.

[BayTaynt3d]

One other tip, I'd personally just keep rolling video tape through the whole thing, even if you are walking around and getting a new position, just keep rolling tape the entire time. Then, in post, I'd sync the entire thing in one fell swoop (sync the head, stretch/compress the tail until it's synced too), lock down and group the a/v events in the timeline, and THEN, I'd start chopping it up into pieces. That workflow saves you from syncing every freakin' piece/song seperately, which is a PITA.

[bconnolly]

One other tip, I'd personally just keep rolling video tape through the whole thing, even if you are walking around and getting a new position, just keep rolling tape the entire time. Then, in post, I'd sync the entire thing in one fell swoop (sync the head, stretch/compress the tail until it's synced too), lock down and group the a/v events in the timeline, and THEN, I'd start chopping it up into pieces. That workflow saves you from syncing every freakin' piece/song seperately, which is a PITA.

Yeah, I never stop/start my recording once I start rolling.  I just split the songs up in post to make it easier to sync the beginning in Premiere.

I ended up recapturing the video in Premiere (not Scenalyzer this time) using a different camera and it's fine.  It's only about a half hour of footage so the audio stayed lined up the whole time.

Next up: The two-cam from the following night.

[BayTaynt3d]

I just split the songs up in post to make it easier to sync the beginning in Premiere.

That's my point though, that workflow is making it HARDER not easier. You could easily lay the entire thing down in the timeline, sync the start, then fix the drift by stretching/compressing the audio at the tail, and then the ENTIRE thing is sync'ed in two simple steps. Then you can basically "track it" and split it up once the entire concert is synced. Anyway, that's how I do it all the time and it saves tons of syncing hassles.

[willndmb]

One other tip, I'd personally just keep rolling video tape through the whole thing, even if you are walking around and getting a new position, just keep rolling tape the entire time. Then, in post, I'd sync the entire thing in one fell swoop (sync the head, stretch/compress the tail until it's synced too), lock down and group the a/v events in the timeline, and THEN, I'd start chopping it up into pieces. That workflow saves you from syncing every freakin' piece/song seperately, which is a PITA.

great point for anyone taping
the person converting will be happier rather its you or someone else