FCP Sync Issue, Help!

[Rusty Cromwell]

Ill make this as short and to the point as possible.

I just switched to the FCP suite ( I have previously used Avid Liquid 6). I have the newest version of FCP Studio.

Anyways so I just videotaped a concert with about 2 hours of footage. Then I captured the footage on to my Macbook Pro. I captured by clicking "Capture Now" and then pressing "Play" on my camera. I also captured each tape as a big clip (for Multicam).

The audio seems to be out of sync by about 20 frames. Now I have compensated for this offset manually by simply adjusting the audio in the timeline. However I would like to make sure that this issue does not occur again. What can be the cause of the audio sync loss? How can I solve it?

My camera is a Panasonic DVC30. I used the DV easy setup in FCP.

2.16 ghz Macbook Pro
120 gig HDD (5400 rpm)
2 gig ram

[Boyd Ostroff]

The only time I've seen this happen was when I captured a full tape (like you) and there was some sort of error due to dropped frames. Ever since then I've broken my captures into smaller chunks and I haven't had any problems.

However this was back during my FCP 4.5 days, so there might be some new software issues. But generally speaking I think it's best to capture shorter segments. If nothing else, you won't waste as much time re-capturing a clip if there's a problem like this.

[Victor Kellar]

You can use Capture Clip to capture (almost) entire clips. Set In and Out points to cover the clip, leaving a few secs either end for post and pre roll. Somethings this will make a diff, sometimes not

Also make sure your audio matches; if you are capturing DV NTSC then your audio must be 48 K, not 32 K

I noticed your HD specs: Is that the book's internal drive? If so, it is kind of a no no to have your Scratch Disc (your media folder) on the same drive that holds your system. Also, 5400 rpm is pretty slow for video; minimum 7200 is preferred. You may want to look at purchasing an external HD to capture to; if the drive is external, it is still too slow

[Nate Weaver]

I'll echo the comments here...there was most likely an error on the tape. When FCP comes across these sometimes it does it's best to recover (creating a sync issue) when it would have just been better to have either a black dropout or to throw an error.

I haven't had sync issues due to slow drives in years...although if the drive did have a hiccup while capturing it's not inconceivable that it would cause sync slippage.

I'd look to find where in the tape the sync fell out (hopefully before program starts), and try to recapture after that point.

[Rusty Cromwell]

At first I captured the video to my external drive (USB 2.0, yeah yeah I know firewire is better) then I captured the video to my computer directly (after I noticed the sync problem). However capturing directly to the computer did not solve anything. I will take a look at the audio settings on my camera.

Right now I am almost done with the project, but I am disappointed that it took so much time to re-sync. Keep the suggestions coming, they are very helpful.

[William Hohauser]

Tape dropout. That's the only reason I've had the problem. Sometimes the dropout doesn't manifest itself visually. And sometimes the problem is a recorded dropout not a result of a temporary playback dropout.

The only way to fix it is to recapture after the dropout. I've experimented with making firewire tape to tape dubs but that doesn't always remove the problem.

Haven't had the problem recently. That last time it happened was during an important celebrity interview (of course). Really bad tape stock.