No audio fading out on render

[ToddyGee]

Videostudio Pro X6 with SP1.

Hi there, I've searched the boards in vain for a solution to my problem, so I'm hoping someone can help!

I've created a 55 minute project which has footage obtained from a Canon 5dmk3 and a Contour. I've added music files to the project and adjusted the volume to coincide with the action etc (fading up and down using the sound mixer). When playing back in the timeline everything is fine, but once it's rendered the audio in the finished video doesn't fade out completely. The volume decreases along with the 'downward slope' in the sound mixer but doesn't fade to silence - there's an abrupt cutoff to the volume.

I've tried outputing to MPEG4 and to AVCHD and the problem occurs every time. I've tried increasing the audio transition from the default 1 second to 2 seconds and also turned off smart rendering (searching these boards seemed to suggest these could cause issues). Auto crossfade is also checked. I don't really know what else to do!

I would appreciate any advice you could give.
Many thanks.

[lata]

Hi ToddyGee

and welcome to the forums.

I find the sound mixer quite difficult to use, certainly setting the fade out at the ends of a clip tricky to locate the last frame.

Some edit options to consider…
For end fades I use the Fade In – Fade Out ramps from the Attributes tab which do fade to zero, whereas the rubber banding using the sound mixer achieves a minimum of 40db(I think 40?) (Set the default durations from preferences f6)
The overall clip volume level can also be adjusted by modifying the 100% setting.

The mid stream volume levels are then adjusted using the sound mixer.
If I wish to fade out mid stream I simply cut the clip using the scissors and apply the fade ramps. As I say I don’t particularly like the rubber banding options?

Smart Render
When rendering your project some users have had similar problems where the sound does not render correctly, particularly when transitions are involved,
Disabling Smart Render has been known to cure these issues.
From the Create Video File window choose Options and deselect the Smart Render before hitting the Save

Hope that helps a little.

[ToddyGee]

Thank you very much Trevor - that definitely did the trick as regards reducing the volume to 0. However, using the fade out option overrides the slide that I've used with the rubber bands. I'll try to explain...Say I used the rubber bands to fade out the volume gradually over 10 seconds; if I use the fade out option it adds a rubber band at the end which lasts about 1 second. This is too abrupt a fade out for my liking, so I tried moving the square that had been added by the fade out option back to my original one (10 second point), hoping the fade out would be maintained, but what has actually been maintained is the 1 second fade out. Sorry if that's confusing but I'm not sure how else to explain it!

[lata]

Hi
The reason for using the fade ramps is to easily set the fade to the last / first frame.

It sounds like you are adding another key point rather than moving the existing one.

A couple of options.
1 / Go to F6-Preferences, change the default duration to 10 seconds, when using Fade ramps should now use 10 sec

2 /After adding another keypoint at 10 seconds, drag the Fade Ramp down to remove the keypoint, (mouse pointer as a Hand)
Fade should run from the new point

[ToddyGee]

Thank you Trevor - that worked! I'm really grateful for all your help. What would be the best format to save the finished video - AVCHD? The clips in the project are a mix of 1080 25fps and 720 50fps (slowed down for slow motion). I've tried it with the best quality AVCHD option (the first on the list), and while the 1080 clips come out brilliantly the 720 ones aren't as good. Many thanks again.

[Ken Berry]

I'm afraid you are likely to hit problems no matter which output format you choose, given that you have mixed 25 fps with 50 fps video. (You don't actually say if the 25 fps video is interlaced i.e. 50i -- i.e. 50 half frames per second -- or fully progressive 25p i.e. 25 full frames per second. But if you are choosing that first AVCHD output, and your resulting video is fine in the 1080 parts, then I suspect your 1080 footage is 50i and not 25p.)

That same first AVCHD choice uses interlaced field order of Upper Field First, whereas your 720p footage does not use UFF but is progressive, or Frame Based. To get it to match those AVCHD output settings, VS is in effect throwing away every second frame to get it to match the 25 fps of the output format. That might involve flickering or jerkiness, especially in fast shots in the 720p parts of the project.

Frankly, I am not sure what to suggest as I have never been in that position before. But I would be tempted to experiment with either the 1920 x 1080 at 50p or 1280 x 720 at 50p choices down at the bottom of that AVCHD set of output choices. If neither of these is satisfactory, then I would also experiment with 1920 x 1080 at 25p -- though I suspect you might get the same sort of jerkiness as in the interlaced choice since again VS would be throwing away half of the 720p frames.

[lata]

Hi

Test the 50 fps video in a separate project, you say you are slowing it down then rendering to 25 fps.

Slowing the video will add frames, then you are removing frames to achieve 25fps
Maybe a bit to much in one go.

Try slow motion and render to 50 fps. ( Same as original clip.)
Then add the resultant file to your main project to render again to 25fps.

Even so I don’t know what the final quality is gonna be, like Ken says experiment with a few options.