Audio going out of sync after ProRes transfer

[McFudpuck]

I'm really new to Red and I'm editing a feature shot on one, using FCP. All of the audio was recorded separately (grrrrrrr) so I have to sync every take. When editing with the _p reference files, I have to render absolutely everything, but the audio is fine. When I work with the ProRes files after transcoding the footage in the Log & Transfer window, I don't have to render, but the audio slowly goes out of sync.

If I have a 3 minute clip and I sync to the slate at the beginning, by the end the audio is 6 frames off. The longer the clip, the more it goes out of sync.

What's going on here?

 

[Aaron Hucker]

what happens to us commonly is we shoot in 23.98 fps (.97 whatever) and process the 720p in 24fps. so by the end of each clip it drifts out of sync.

this seems to be your problem, hence why the _p reference would be fine, because it's referencing a 23.98 unprocessed file.

the way to fix it, re-process every 720p.

 

[McFudpuck]

Ok, I just checked and, according to the FCP browser, all of the footage is in 24p, _p files and transcoded files, but the sequences are set on 29.97. That would actually make a lot of sense since I've been constantly getting repeated frames. I've been editing with the Sequence Settings on DV/DVCPRO - NTSC, because that's what all the _p files are rendered to (I clicked yes when it first asked if I wanted to change the sequence setting to match the clip settings.)

It's not letting me change the framerate so I tried creating another sequence and changed the fr to 24 and the setting to Apple ProRes 422 before pasting the footage in. I tested out that same 3 minute clip and it's pretty much the same thing, 5 frames off.

I hate trying to figure out settings.

 

[Aaron Hucker]

I'm not quite sure why FCP wont let you change settings, but.

to be a bit more specific. Make sure that what you shot (before processing) in the camera was 24fps, not 23.98 (or whatever the red shoots) and that the audio was recorded at the same rate.

It sounds like whatever the FPS was on your CAMERA and AUDIO recorder were the same (im guessing 23.98) and when you use the seperate audio with the proxy file (_p) it works because that file is still 23.98 fps. BUT, whoever processed your 720p versions may have not changed the frame rate in the program which some of them default to 24FPS, which would cause about 5 frames off by the end of the clip.

(23.98 vs. 24 = about 1 frame off every 40 seconds)

i'd suggest contacting whoever shot it and who recorded the audio to see what frame rate they used, because if it isnt 24 fps then there is your problem. even easier, check the frame rate of the proxie or _p file.

 

[Scott Mason]

FYI. When there is footage on a timeline fcp will not allow you t change frame rate. I just select all. Apple x (to cut). Change frame rate and apple v (to paste). Note when doing this from 30 to to 24 (or 29.97 to 23.98) there will often times be an extra space between cuts after you do this. I just hit home and down arrow (to go to next edit) and when the screen is black I hit apple g (close gap) (might be contol g but I think it's apple g) and then hit down arrow again and again.