What does everybody use to sync audio and video in Premiere Pro?

Jesse Frank · May 3, 2016

I've been using Pluraleyes from Red Giant to sync footage for years now. Pluraleyes has never given me any issues...until now. A month ago we shot a wedding and everything was normal as always. But whenever I would use the software to line up the footage this happened (this is not my video):

The exact same thing happens to me. We then shot another wedding two weeks later, and I wanted to see if Pluraleyes would line that footage up. Guess what...I lined up everything perfectly, just as it always has. So I'm thinking, "Great it works." Now I have the same issue just slightly different. Pluraleyes lined up the wedding ceremony, no problems. Pluraleyes lined up the rehearsal dinner speeches, perfect as can be. But then I tell Pluraleyes to line up the reception, it will not sync it.

For the record, Comcast has better customer service than Red Giant. I even called during their listed business hours and they did not answer. I also sent them an email a month ago, and they have yet to get back with me.

I have tried using Adobe's version of video/audio syncing and it doesn't work for crap.

Landon D. Parks · May 3, 2016

I feel your burn about Red Giant. I believe it's ran from someones home. They where closed for an entire week for Christmas and couldn't get any support. Most emails are not returned, and if they are not for a week or more.

As for what I use - most of my footage I record in camera, but on the off occasion I work with audio recorded separately, I use plural eyes without any problems. Then again, I don't use it very often.

Max Field · May 3, 2016

Sorry I think I'm missing something, why can't you just manually sync the audio by dragging the video clips around the master audio? I understand it might take a little longer, but for me, that's all I can trust.

Landon D. Parks · May 3, 2016

Another option within Premiere Pro is merge clips. See article here: https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/synchronizing-audio-video-merge-clips.html

Sorry I think I'm missing something, why can't you just manually sync the audio by dragging the video clips around the master audio? I understand it might take a little longer, but for me, that's all I can trust.

While certainly an option, it might well depend on just how much audio needs to be synced. I tried to manually sync clips once and found that trying to get it spot on correct for proper sync was near impossible.

Max Field · May 3, 2016

While certainly an option, it might well depend on just how much audio needs to be synced. I tried to manually sync clips once and found that trying to get it spot on correct for proper sync was near impossible.

Well I see he has the cam audio linked to the video files. That makes it even easier. It's a pain, but not nearly impossible if you have an eye/ear for it.

Jesse Frank · May 3, 2016

I realize that the guy in the video only has one camera with attached audio, and an external recorder.

We have three cameras and an external recorder.

Plus, we are not shooting all five hours of the reception, just little bits here and there. So going through and pulling out each little segment of footage is logistically impossible if you expect to have the product delivered in a decent amount of time.

Like I said, up until now its worked fine. I just don't understand the criteria for why sometimes it works great, and then two weeks later its crap. But there has to be other software companies that make a product similar to this?

Tyler Purcell · May 3, 2016

I've seen problems like this if you're using the Long GOP MPEG files directly out of your camera. You would have to first convert the files to Pro Res or some I-Frame format with real timecode, before using Pluraleyes. It needs frame accurate timecode to place things properly into a new sequence. This is simply because you're moving between programs. If it were all done within Premiere, this wouldn't be a problem. The moment you shift it outside of Premiere, pluraleyes in this case and back again, it will loose sync due to the lack of timecode.

That's the only thing I can think of that makes any sense and I've seen it over and over again. I use Pluraleye's every day and it always works fine for me with original I-Frame material with timecode. The moment I give it Long GOP MPEG material, it stops working.

Robin R Probyn · May 3, 2016

Does Pluraleyes work better,easier if you record a scratch track on your original video in camera.. or doesn't make any difference..

Thanks

Landon D. Parks · May 3, 2016

Pluraleyes uses the scratch track to sync the separately recorded audio. I'm not sure it would even work without a scratch track recorded in the camera.It does this mainly by comparing waveforms on both tracks, ensuring they match up. If you don't record an in-camera track, there would be no waveform to match to.

Tyler Purcell · May 3, 2016

Does Pluraleyes work better,easier if you record a scratch track on your original video in camera.. or doesn't make any difference..

Pluraleyes takes two audio waveforms and matches them together. So it requires a scratch track to work.

The scratch track wave form needs to match the separately recorded track in at least one spot. It could be a short piece of dialog from the person marking the shot with the slate. But there needs to be variation for it to work. You can't use slate marks or cue tones for instance, it doesn't know what to do with those.

Robin R Probyn · May 3, 2016

Ok thanks guys.. I had been told this but wanted to check for more knowledgeable sources .. Ive never used it but it seems the answer to alot of problems when you have DSLR,s as b.c.d cams.. which had at least internal mic,s.. but they would have to be picking up a fairly decent audio track would they.. even if a scratch track.. ?

Tyler Purcell · May 3, 2016

Throw some small shotgun mic's on them and you MAY be ok if the noise in the background isn't so bad. I've found if you have someone scream what the slate says and it comes out good on the other cameras, it can sync it OK. The other solution is what I've done many times, which is send wireless audio from the mixer to the cameras so they have identical audio. All you need is one transmitter and put the receivers on the same frequency. I use the EW100 kit's and bought a bunch of receivers and hot shoe mounts, so the receivers just sit on top of the cameras. Then turn the limiter on the transmitter and receivers, crank the gain up on the camera to get rid of the noise floor and bam, done. It will sync every time hands free.

Timecode is still the fastest way to do it. There are many timecode based auto synching systems on the market, which are WAY faster.

Robin R Probyn · May 3, 2016

Ok thanks.. yes good idea re the small shotguns.. TBH I try to avoid DSLR at all costs :).. but alot of dir,s these days bring them.. pretty useful for time lapse or no audio stuff on a slider.. generally try to do the clap thing if audio involved.. I heard about puraleyes a while ago but didnt know it needed a scratch track to work with..

Thanks for the info..

John E Clark · May 3, 2016

Pluraleyes takes two audio waveforms and matches them together. So it requires a scratch track to work.

The scratch track wave form needs to match the separately recorded track in at least one spot. It could be a short piece of dialog from the person marking the shot with the slate. But there needs to be variation for it to work. You can't use slate marks or cue tones for instance, it doesn't know what to do with those.

I've never used PluralEyes... I did watch couple guys 'work' with the app to sync clips during a 48 hour film event... For 'narrative' work it seems to me to be a bigger hassle than just using a clapper and what's more one has the shot call audio wise, as well as the visuals and if hell breaks loose, one can recover what clip goes with what audio...

But for events, given that shots may be 'minutes' long, does Plural Eyes account for time drift between the video stream and the audio stream when there is no synchronizing time code generator driving both?