Transfering vhs footage into imovie. Issues with audio.

Question

Transfering vhs footage into imovie. Issues with audio.

I have a wedding tape from 1999 that is on VHS that I am converting to a DVD. I have my camcorder hooked up the vhs player with the av cables hooked up correctly. Then I have a fire wire cable running from my camcorder to my imac and importing the footage into imovie. Everything is working well except one little problem. The original footage that is on the vhs tape was shot with two camcorders. They are both transfering the video just fine but I am only getting audio transfer from one of the original camcorders. You can hear both audio on the vhs tape just fine but when you transfer it only the one camcorders audio comes through. So, it will show camcorder 1 footage shot and you can hear and see the footage fine and then it will go to the other camcorder 2 shot and you can only see the footage and not hear the audio. What do you think the issue is. Do you think it is the original camcorders or something that I have set-up.

I appreciate any help or advice I can get.

Posted on Mar 30, 2012 8:51 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 30, 2012 9:58 AM in response to Joseph Risteau

Hi

Interesting problem.

A. Your Camera works as a video bridge ? Or do You record in between (I do)

Then You can find out if Audio comes this far.

B. Can it be so that it's only one canal that came's trough from VHS-VCR and that second recording failed on this side ?

I think I would try to break down the problem step by step to find out where Audio goes missing.

BTW I use two methods

• to miniDV tape (no video trough on my Camera - SONY TRV-900E) - Works nearly always

• via Canopus ADVC-300 - I love it especially when VHS is 8hours long (LP-mode)

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 2

Klaus1

Level 9

52,749 points

Mar 30, 2012 10:09 AM in response to Joseph Risteau

More info on audio missing in iMovie here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2289

(May not apply to your version of iMovie, but then you didn't say which one it is)

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Answer 3

Mar 30, 2012 10:18 AM in response to Klaus1

But Klaus1 if the material is on same VHS tape and analog out then the matter of different Cameras on the tape can not do any difference as signal now is analog.

So why one comes trough and not the other - to me is more in the region of bad connections (on analog side).

Still I would take it step-vice to find out where it disappears.

Yours intrigued Bengt W

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Answer 4

Mar 30, 2012 11:14 AM in response to Bengt Wärleby

I tried taking it step by step and just transfering the footage from VCR to camcorder with a mini DV tape and ran into the same problem with the audio. The Camcorder 2 audio will not transfer from the VHS tape to the camcorder. I have done this many times with other bits of footage and never ran into this problem. However, I have never transfered footage from a VHS that had two camcorders AV on it. It puzzles me that you can hear both audios on the VHS Tape but only one when you try and transfer it to mini DV tape or when I use my camcorder as a bridge and bring it straight into imovie.

Any other ideas?

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Answer 5

Mar 30, 2012 11:22 AM in response to Joseph Risteau

And from the VHS-VCR You use a Cable that connects as ?

• SCART (with in/out switch)

• RCA-pluggs

And the connection to Camera a 3.5 mm Japan connector (look alike head-phone connector but one more band)

If You change left to right - still no audio ?

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 6

Ziatron

Level 5

4,186 points

Apr 2, 2012 6:23 PM in response to Joseph Risteau

Any other ideas?

Use the Canopus ADVC-300, it WORKS.

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