audio falls out of sync with FCP sequence after export from STP

audio format on my captured video/audio in FCP is 16-bit integer,
but when you create a sequence it changes to 32-bit floating point.

No, bit-depth won't affect the sync.

My guess would be that there is a discrepancy of sample rate (44.1 or 48kHz)
or timebase (drop-frame or not) between the two applications.

helped me out, thank you much

http://www.screencast.com/t/B5JxUWV36yK

Wow, great tip!

i wonder if i could use this work around for particular clips inside of the sequence, i had an edit of say 50 clips, i highlighted one of the clips, sent it over(which it sends the full clip and not just the in/out points i set, im looking into this) and i sweeten it, do the normal save, and its fine and all synced up in FCP, but when i sent over another clip further down the timeline (say clip 22) i did the adjusting in STP, saved it, and it was off in FCP, intersting

I tried this fix (both ways) and my audio is still out of sync!

Actually this didn't work for me either. Luckily I did catch something that did work for me. If you project material isn't set to whatever the sample rate is, for instance 44.1 and you send it to STP it will use 48kHz. This messed up the syncing all the time. So I checked my sequence settings in Final Cut Pro and sure enough it was wrong there. So I switched it and then sent it to STP and it read it correctly at 44.1. After making my changes and saving it or exporting it, it worked just fine and it synced perfectly.

OK....maybe not. Oops. Upon further examination the clip still did not sync correctly. I have had to rely on exporting the Master Mix using the compressor option listed and preserving the video and that seemed to work. But this method would be way unacceptable for an HD project because then I wouldn't be able to get it ready to be sent out though Qmaster which is how I normally deal with my files. So, still looking for a reliable fix.

Hi,

This did not solve the problem for me. But I found the bug. FCP 7 has a problem with NTSC/PAL formats. Here is the issue: If you have setup under "Easy Setup" "(all formats)" you will get into trouble. If you setup "Easy Setup" the exact format, which you are editing in, i.e. NTSC, 29,97 fps, DV-NTSC Anamorphic, then the out of sync issue is gone. You can export and re-import or send it to Sound studio Pro - it works, no difference. I tested it with PAL too - the exact same issue.

ciao
christof

I just experienced this same thing, and as Christof says, it had to do with 'Easy Setup' and 'all formats'. I've been editing a picture shot on RED in Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) at 2K (2048 x 1152) and 24fps...FCS 3 (FCP 7 latest version). Whenever you trash preferences or start up FCP new, you get the 'easy setup' menu. Previously, I could just hit 'okay' and go ahead into FCP and change the settings/resolutions within the project...even if the 'easy setup' default was, say, DV/NTSC 29.97. Also, when opening up an active project after trashing prefs, the project itself would still have the same editing/playback settings/resolutions, even if the 'easy setup' window had its default DV/NTSC setting. Plus, if you create a new timeline and its default is one format, once you drop a different format into it, it asks you if it should adjust to that format anyway, and of course, you say yes and everything is fine.

Well....in this most recent FCP update, whenever I'd export an AIFF from the timeline and reimport....or if I'd just import an AIFF...it would do something to the playback rate of that newly imported/reimported sound file and suddenly its sync has drifted all over the place within just a minute or so. But strangely, it wouldn't do it to audio that's attached to picture (.mov/MP4/etc.)....only isolated audio files (AIFF/WAV). So naturally, I wondered if something was going on during the export process or the like.

The solution is to make sure that when you open FCP (newly, or after trashing prefs), make sure you pick the settings/format/framerate in that 'Easy Setup' window that matches what you intend to edit as closely as possible. In my case, the format is Apple ProRes 422 (HQ), 2048 x 1152 @ 24fps, and I use a Blackmagic Multibridge so I have settings for it. Hence......*Format; HD, Frame Rate: 24, Use: Blackmagic HDTV 1080P 24 - 10 bit.* Whereas the default upon startup is....Format: (all formats), Frame Rate: 29.97, Use: DV/NTSC 48KHz.

You can also set these in the 'Audio Video Settings' menu. Now, whenever I export and reimport an AIFF, or just import an AIFF (like the soundmix prepared by our sound designer), sync stays and there's no drift. So make sure you've picked the right settings when starting or reopening a project, again as Christof pointed out.

After reading through all the posts regarding the loss of sync after sending audio from Final Cut, to in my case soundtrack pro, none of the solutions worked for me, although pretty much, the consensus that it 's something do with differing frame rates or audio frequency rang true for me.
Where I fixed it for me was in the Audio?Midi set up ( In Utilities )
I was not using any 3rd party peripherals, relying on hearing the audio through a connected pair of speakers or headphones. The In line inputs and outputs were set to differing frequencies. Once they were ALL set to a consistent 48kHz then all the workflows synced perfectly. It's worth pointing out that I'd confirmed all the programs, FCP, STP etc were all configured as such, which I did following the various discussion suggestions prior to me getting to this last step.
Fingers crossed it's the solution for others pulling their hair out over this.