Can't playback captured RAW audio

[Caroline Greville]

Hi everyone

This is driving me nuts - I have new Panasonic 3CCD and I'm capturing video with Vegas 5.0 (same problem with demo of 6.0) and I can playback the video, but NOT the audio.

When I capture with Windows XP's 'Windows Movie Maker' it's OK.

After some thought it seems to me that Vegas is capturing both the video and audio in RAW format and for some reasons Windows can't play this back.

Am I missing some 'RAW audio codec'? Or am I going deaf??

Help!

[Edward Troxel]

Is this one of those DVD cameras? If yes, the problem is that the audio is in AC3 format which Vegas can't read. If no, can you give us some more details about how you "captured"?

[Caroline Greville]

Hi,

It's a Panasonic GS 400 (I think it starts with different letters in the US; NV or something).

And the capture process goes:

I select "use external video capture application" from the capture menu and off it goes.
Whilst it is capturing I can see the preview of it on the computer screen but can't hear it.

What added to my confusion initially (and is still really annoying should you know how to fix this problem as well) is the camcorder plays sound during the capture.

On the preferences general tab everything is selected except:
dbl click on media files...
auto save trimmer markers...
render large wave files as wave64
use microsoft DV codecs
strictly conform to avi2 specification

On the video tab I have this as my external video ap:
C:\Program Files\Sony\Vegas 6.0\VidCap60.EXE

On the Audio Device tab:
I'm using Microsoft Sound Mapper as my audio device

My computer is pretty new, pretty nice and built by someone who knows his stuff (this audio problem has been confounding him too), so feel free to get technical in your response, 'cos he'll understand. : )
I know sod all about this stuff so if I've just unloaded a whole pile of useless info I apologise.

[Edward Troxel]

Are you capturing via firewire?

If yes, is the audio on Stereo 1? (Vegas can't capture Stereo 2 but Scenalyzer Live can)

I don't know that particular camera.

[Caroline Greville]

HI, thanks for replying, go here for pic and specs of Panasonic 3ccd NV_GS400. It's about the nicest camera you can get in australia before you start paying the serious dollars. http://www.unbeatable.co.uk/CatalogueItem_26373.html

No I've been capturing via USB. I don't think it's the connection that's the problem (although you never know with computers :)

When I get properties of the AVI that's been captured the Audio Stream is coming thru is 44100Khz 16 bit stereo in 'Uncompressed' format - to me that means RAW audio format - and for some unknown reason my newly built WinXP PC (+ usual patches) can't play it back.

Conversely when I capture with Windows Movie Maker (ugh) the audio format comes thru as 'DV Audio' which plays back (i.e. I can hear it) thru my speakers.

When I open an AVI in Vegas that's been capture thru Win Movie Maker I get this error: 'An audio proxy file is being built. You can cancel this operation...'. Not sure what this is about but it sounds bad :-/

Sorry about sounding skitzo, currently I'm typing as two people, me (good looking) and my partner (computer savy).

Anyway, thanks for putting the time in to help me. : )

[Edward Troxel]

Take a look through this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=47294

In my standard DV-AVI files captured via firewire, my audio reads as 32,000KHz, 16 bit, stereo, uncompressed.

[Patrick King]

Originally Posted by Caroline Greville

When I open an AVI in Vegas that's been capture thru Win Movie Maker I get this error: 'An audio proxy file is being built. You can cancel this operation...'. Not sure what this is about but it sounds bad :-/

Caroline,
I think Vegas was trying to let you play the file and you were just getting nervous and canceling the operation before it was complete.

For all sound files, Vegas builds an audio proxy file which shows the waveform of the audio track which is quite useful in selecting in/out points during editing. Try to load it again in Vegas and just let it complete the proxy build and see if that will solve the problem.

[Dan Euritt]

Originally Posted by Caroline Greville

No I've been capturing via USB. I don't think it's the connection that's the problem

actually, it could be a really big problem... what edward was basically saying in that other thread is that there may not be an easy way to capture the native unaltered dv bitstream that is recorded to your dv tape.

for instance... right off the bat you mentioned that your audio has been captured at 44.1 khz? dv only records at 32 khz or 48 khz, so what you captured has apparently been altered from it's original form... that sort of thing is never good for quality, so whatever method you used to capture that file should be abandoned asap.

you need to verify that you are capturing unaltered digital data off of your dv tape directly to your hard drive... that is a no-brainer when you use the firewire port, which is why everyone does it that way.

there probably is a way to do that via the usb port, but we don't what it is, lol.

[Dennis Vogel]

Originally Posted by Caroline Greville

No I've been capturing via USB. I don't think it's the connection that's the problem (although you never know with computers :)

Vegas does not capture video over USB. You must use Firewire. I don't know where you are getting video without audio but it isn't via Vegas Vidcap.

[Edit] It has come to my attention that Vegas can capture video via USB but special drivers are needed. I was not aware of this. My apologies if I misled anyone. Caroline, are you set up this way? If not, I suggest you switch to Firewire.

[Edit 2] I see Edward already corrected me!

Good luck.

Dennis

[Edward Troxel]

Actually, vidcap CAN capture from devices other than firewire given the correct Windows drivers. I wouldn't rule out the possibility that it could capture via USB but firewire is definitely the preferred method.

[Guy Bruner]

The problem with capturing video over USB to a PC is that the DV is stored as AVI Type 1 and not Type 2 which is what Vegas wants. USB video drivers are all DirectShow and not Video for Windows. Vegas is a VfW application. You can capture and edit Type 1 in Windows Movie Maker and the Motion DV software that came with the GS400. If you capture over Firewire, you won' t have this problem.

[Caroline Greville]

Hi everyone,

I've been trying out all your suggestions, and still have a couple more things to go.

Here are the results so far:

Can't do the fire wire, as my video camera doesn't have the connection. It mentions the capability in the manual once, but it came with USB only. Maybe it's one of those weird-ass-international-differences

(like sometimes they don't supply certain products in a country as they figure a lack of interest - funnily (like tv programs I like- now&again, firefly, the list goes on) I'm always in the minority. australia doesn't really do macs too much, though with the ipod revolution that'll probably change - I like macs but I can hear my partner groaning in the back ground).

If anyone knows the drivers I specifically need to capture on Vegus by USB as suggested by Dennis Vogel...

As for capturing 'unaltered' digital data off of my dv tape directly to my hard drive... I dunno if I do that or not via any program.
-I've been doing some stuff with Windows movie maker, but am losing all patience with the complete lack of control it gives me, nevertheless the stuff looks and sounds fine.
-I tried using the stuff panasonic supplied with the camera last night, and that worked fine for capturing and rendering too. I didn't enjoy using it much, but if someone can promise its infinately better than WMMaker, I'll give it a decent go.
-I've tried importing clips (into vegas) from both the panasonic program and WMmaker and they work fine (unaltered though? dunno). SO I GUESS I could do it all that way. I just hate messy filing structures on my computer.

It seems so odd that I should have this sort of trouble with Vegas when USB is by far the most common product used internationally.

Anyway, I'm a gonna do that 'leaving it to build its audio proxie thing' as soon as my partner gets off his ass (he just discovered ebay - he's set up our computers to network without cables, we have Broadband2 (18times faster than normal broadband-ADSL), and he's not done ebay before - the world is a very strange place) and helps me again, as that's more his domain.

Anyway, just thought you might like to know that I'm appreciating all your help. thanks x

[Ben Lynn]

Check the camera again because it definitely has a firewire port. It's labeled "DV".

Get the correct cable to hook it to your computer and you will be good to go.

Ben Lynn

[Caroline Greville]

nup.
I cannot find it for the life of me. Does it look like the connection that ipods have? Could it be my av in/out? Is it the same hole I plug in the USB cable to?

I've written an email to Panasonic asking about this, just in case there is actually a difference between PV-GS400 and NV-GS400. I have the later. In the instruction manual it doesn't point it out in the picture. And I can't find anything at all on the camera that says "DV".

Of course I'm notoriously ditzy (but intelligent deep down)....

[Ben Lynn]

if the av in out port is circular then that's not it. If it's almost like a rectagle then yes that's the one.

Ben