iMovie (10.0.1) won't export iTunes music in movies. The music turns into static.

Question

Rob Schmidt Author

Level 1

4 points

iMovie (10.0.1) won't export iTunes music in movies. The music turns into static.

Hardware:

iMac 27" (Late 2013)

Software:

OS X 10.9

iMovie 10.0.1

iTunes 11.1.3

QuickTime Player 10.3

After finishing a movie project I used the Share to File (HD 720P, .mp4). The project contains mixed photos, AVI video, iTunes (.MP3/.M4A), and iMovie built-in Sound Effects (.CAF). While playing the movie/project from within iMovie the video and audio are just fine. Playing the .MP4 movie file with QuickTime Player the iTunes music is just static (meaning there is no original sound from the music). Where there is audio from the AVI video it plays fine as well as the built-in Sound Effects (.CAF) from iMovie. The video is completely intact through the entire clip.

To troubleshoot I've gone through re-rendering the output file using music purchased from the iTunes store as well as music imported from CDs. Converting the music to AAC doesn't seem to make a difference. I've also gone in to the iMovie Library file (Movies -> iMovie Library (right-click and "Show Package Contents")) and deleted the ./Project/Render Files/ 3 sub-folders. Shutdown and restart.

The end result is I want to be able to export the movie to a file that I will eventually burn to a DVD to be shared with family on their DVD players.

Thanks for any help!

-Rob

Posted on Nov 29, 2013 3:33 PM

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Answer 1

Rob Schmidt Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 7, 2013 8:03 PM in response to Rob Schmidt

I still haven't been able to find a solution for this.

I create an iMovie and save the movie file. Playing back the movie file I get only static for the MP3 and M4A audio added to the movie. Everything else sounds just fine. When playing the movie as I edit in iMovie, the entire movie sounds just fine. It's only the exported movie file that doesn't play correctly.

Help?

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Answer 2

GeeD

Level 6

9,173 points

Dec 8, 2013 3:21 AM in response to Rob Schmidt

I can confirm that I have successfully included iTunes audio in an iMovie 10 movie and it plays OK after sharing to a file.

It sounds as if iMovie did not not have access to your iTunes file when it was rendering (sharing). Unlike the other audio sources, your iMovie library will contain a link to the audio in your iTunes library and not a copy of the file. Did you move anything between editing the movie and sharing that might have broken that link?

One thing you could try is finding the file in iTunes and dragging it to the iMovie timeline. This will create an actual copy of the file in your library and no longer rely upon a link.

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Answer 3

Dec 8, 2013 12:45 PM in response to Rob Schmidt

I'm seeing the same problem after upgrading from iMovie 9

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Answer 4

Rob Schmidt Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 13, 2013 9:41 AM in response to GeeD

I'll give that a try and post the results. Thanks for the suggestion!

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Answer 5

Dec 17, 2013 2:15 PM in response to Rob Schmidt

Rob, have you found any solution? I have the same issue with static instead of music on export/share. Sounds right in iMovie but loses it when shared and somehow static from nowhere gets inserted.

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Answer 6

GeeD

Level 6

9,173 points

Dec 17, 2013 3:21 PM in response to Rob Schmidt

Its been reported elsewhere that old purchased iTunes songs with DRM will not play in iMovie 10 wheras they did in iMovie 9. However you should get a warning that they are 'protected' when you try to import them. Could it by any chance be that your music is protected but was added to a project created in iMovie 9 then upgraded to iMovie 10? On the other hand that it is not quiet but produces 'static' suggests a codec imcompatibility. .mp3 sound files certainly play in iMovie10.

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Answer 7

Rob Schmidt Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 27, 2013 3:34 PM in response to Chris Kerins

I haven't found a working solution yet. A closer look at the rendered file shows that it's not just portions with music. There are gaps where there is no music and just the audio from the video where I hear static in the rendered file. I'm starting to feel like I need to do a screen capture with audio from iMovie while playing the preview of the entire file just so I can export it.

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Answer 8

Rob Schmidt Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 27, 2013 3:35 PM in response to GeeD

I didn't upgrade from iMovie 9 to iMovie 10. Started everything out with iMovie 10.

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Answer 9

GeeD

Level 6

9,173 points

Dec 28, 2013 2:11 AM in response to Rob Schmidt

This is puzzling. Do the video clips with audio problems after sharing have anything in common (e,g different original camera source, mono/stereo) compared to the clips without audio problems?

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Answer 10

Rob Schmidt Author

Level 1

4 points

Dec 30, 2013 11:45 AM in response to GeeD

The clips of video and pictures are all from one camera. The audio clips are a mix of built-in iMovie audio and iTunes library files. I'll try duplicating the project today and creating a version with no audio other than the audio from the video files (no iTunes or iMovie clips). I'll see if that makes any difference.

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