Audio problems

Question

Level 1

17 points

Audio problems

I am having the strangest problem in iMovie 11: I drag an edited audio file into an iMovie project, but it won't play. I can see it in the timeline but there's absolutely no sound. I have checked in the Inspector panel and the level is at 100%; there is no ducking or fading checked; I've "normalized the volume - nothing. Probably even more astounding is that if I click on "Clip Trimmer" it shows up in the editing window. I can hear it; I can shorten it, but when I click "Done" and go back to the timeline there's no sound.

Any ideas?

Alan

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Mar 5, 2013 2:42 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 5, 2013 2:54 PM in response to Lysergic

What kind of audio clip is it? MP3? AAC? AIFF?

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Answer 2

Lysergic Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 5, 2013 2:58 PM in response to AppleMan1958

It is an MPEG 4.

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Answer 3

Mar 5, 2013 3:00 PM in response to Lysergic

MPEG 4 is usually for video. I'm stumped. Maybe someone else can help.

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Answer 4

Lysergic Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 5, 2013 3:03 PM in response to AppleMan1958

Yes, it is very strange. Thanks for trying.

Alan

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Answer 5

Mar 5, 2013 11:38 PM in response to Lysergic

Hi

Explain - Can't do that

Tell how I do - Yes

• I only use .aiff 16-bit 48kHz or Audio-CDs (.aiff 44.1khZ) audio in my projects in iMovie or FinalCut

• in iMovie'08 to 11 - I export out as "Share to Media Browser" and as Medium - to be imported to iDVD. Audio still there

All other as .mp3 etc - I convert to .aiff via AudaCity (free from Internet)

or if from iTunes - Collected into a new PlayList ===> to a standard Audio-CD (no .mp3)

and the I use these .aiff files in my projects

I have about ZERO percent problems with my Audio - even on the DVDs (as I make my movies to this)

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 6

Lysergic Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 6, 2013 9:03 AM in response to Bengt Wärleby

Thanks Bengt, but no. I converted the file to AIFF through GarageBand and still nothing. There are lots of other MPEG-4 clips in the show and most of them work fine. I can see the waveform in the iMovie window, it just won't play. It's almost like iMovie can't find the file - which is crazy because I'm creating new files and dragging them in - or that it is muted, which the Inspector tells me it is not.

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Answer 7

Lysergic Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 6, 2013 1:31 PM in response to Lysergic

Incredibly frustrating: I can see the waveform in the timeline; I can lower the volume; I can move the file, and I can hear it in the clip editor, but it absolutely will not play in the timeline. If I drag the audio file into another project, it plays fine. So, I'm giving up. There must be some kind of corruption in the project. I will start a new project. Does anyone know how to take the photos and videos from one project and bring them into a new one? I've tried copy/paste using just a couple of photos but it doesn't work.

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Answer 8

Mar 6, 2013 11:01 PM in response to Lysergic

I wrote this a time ago - anything of use ?

No Audio

Most common origin is use of audio from iTunes.

Work around -

• Select needed audio to one new playlist

• Copy out this as an Audio-CD .aiff (not .mp3)

• Use this in the movie-project

Other origins are

1. strange / alient file formats as -

• .mp3, .avi, .wmv etc

• Convert them into .aiff 48kHz 16-bit and use this

2. the Mac is set wrongly in regard of midi -

• Close iMovie and other programs

• Start GarageBand

• Make a new GB-project and play some notes

• Close GB and Save

• Now try iMovie again

3. No audio when playback in iMovie 1 to HD 6.

a. in iMovie pref. - deselect ” Playback via Camera”

b. in System preferences - see that Audio out is not set to zero. Mine often does this

without me knowing why.

4. iMovie’08 & 09 & 11

• Toggle audio-scimming by cmd-K

Stuttering audio and video

1. FileVault is ON - Turn it off

2. More than 50 audio files in a movie-project

Mix down to one audio clip

3. Project is stored on one (USB) external hard disk - should be a FireWire one

4. the External hard disk is not Mac OS Extended formatted - but

UNIX/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange and this will not work for Video.

5. To little free space on internal boot hard disk.

I go for a minimum of 25Gb free space when project is imported and edited and this goes for

4x3 SD Video. For 16x9 HD my guess would be about 5 times more at least.

Neither Mac OS, iMovie or iDVD can address any other hard disk than the boot drive for it’s

scratch files. (Unlike Final Cut Express/Pro where You select scratch disk/s)

6. Network storage - DOESN’T WORK

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 9

Lysergic Author

Level 1

17 points

Mar 7, 2013 10:15 AM in response to Bengt Wärleby

Sorry Bengt. I tried all of your suggestions (some before and some after reading your post) but no success. Then I noticed that there was an audio file later on in the project with a yellow exclamation point - meaning that iMovie could not locate the file (even though it was in a folder with all the other audio files). I deleted that file from the timeline and then dragged in the same audio file, after renaming it, and so far everything is working.

Thanks to everybody for their suggestions.

Alan

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