Is there a fix for the GH4 audio sync problem?

Question

Is there a fix for the GH4 audio sync problem?

I have the Panasonic GH4 running firmware v2.0, and when I import my files into FCPX, 10.1.4, the audio leads the video by more than a frame, maybe two. It does not seem to matter what codec I shoot in, what resolution, etc. The DVX100 had a sync situation for which there was a plugin to resolve the way the camera recorded audio, but I think in this case, the files are in sync in the camera, just not importing correctly.

When a long clip is broken (Thank you, ExFAT32) into 4.27GB files, then reassembled in a project timeline, there is a clear audio gap at the end of each file.

Panasonic and Apple have worked closely before, and I see no other issues even playing back files from the camera without optimizing. I'm surprised I don't see more on this topic, but that may be a function of a workflow many people use with DSLR or similar to use an H4n or the like to capture audio, then sync in post.

Any advice would be appreciated.

iMac (27-inch Late 2009), Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Jan 29, 2015 6:09 AM

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Answer 1

BenB

Level 6

13,348 points

Jan 29, 2015 7:35 AM in response to Flat Out Films

I used to use a DVX100 back in the day, and there were never any known audio sync issues. There was a plugin from Canon to import it into FCP7 for the DVX100, but not to fix any audio sync issues.

I have a colleague who uses a GH4 with no issues, no plugins needed. Unfortunately, that camera doesn't offer any spanning options for importing, so yes, you have to assemble them into a Compound Clip timeline, in a Sync Clip, or directly in a Project timeline.

My suspicion is hardware.

- How much RAM to you have?

- Are you putting your media and Libraries on a secondary drive, not the system drive?

Most importantly; Are you importing directly from the camera card, or are you copying the ENTIRE contents to the hard drive first, keeping the folder structure intact?

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Answer 2

Jan 29, 2015 12:17 PM in response to BenB

I'll run through it again along the lines you suggest. Hardware should be good enough. 15" Retina, i7, 16GB RAM, discrete graphics, etc, but I like the idea of copying the card completely. The drive I use is a G-RAID Thunderbolt striped as a 0, so yes, it's an external. Optimized media as Apple Prores 422 behaves just the same. When you view the waveform and the picture, single-framing through the clip, you see and hear they are not in sync.

Thanks, Ben. I'll report back. If your friend's works, it may be the camera. I have a case number with Panasonic in case that's possible, and I'll try an import into Premiere CC, though I don't use that personally.

(The DVX100 Audio Sync Tool was a thing, but it was a long time ago in a galaxy buried underneath our own. It came as an optional install on the DVD for FCP 4 for sure, but I may have used it with 3.0.)

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Answer 3

BenB

Level 6

13,348 points

Jan 29, 2015 12:24 PM in response to Flat Out Films

I go several of the DVX-100 cameras when they first came out. We never touched the DVD that came with it. Wasn't needed, no clue what was on it.

Yeah, your hardware is good. In our studio we almost always do a camera archive of the SD cards on one drive, then import as optimized into a Library on a second drive.. Then when reusing cards over and over in the field, we have a backup of the actual card.

Very odd issue. Let me know what you find out in PPro and from Panny.

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