VideoStudio Clicking, Ticking & Popping Noises: my Solution

[Ameee]

No questions here... just posting this solution for others. I had nearly given up on VideoStudio (Pro 8X Ultimate) due to intermittent clicking, ticking, and popping noises which could be heard in both the editing panel, and once the video was exported.

My source files were all 60 fps MPEG-4 (mp4) files directly from my camera. The noises were not present in the source files.

What drove me crazy was that the clicking noises were random, intermittent and inconsistent. They were often heard during transitions (even if the transitions were occurring on separate, muted tracks). Although it would often happen in the middle of solid, uncut clips as well.

The noises were only heard when audio from the mp4 clips was used. (i.e. If I stripped the movie's audio and just added a random mp3 file to the background, no noises occurred.) The noises were not present when previewing segments in "clip" mode. Only in video mode, or after exporting.

I even installed VideoStudio on my husband's PC (which is a bit better than mine) - still the clicking noises occurred, although not in the same positions.

I scoured the Corel forums and, based on the advice given for similar issues, ensured the following items were addressed:

- Made sure "Show message..." was checked in the preferences.
- Ensured the export format matched the original files (i.e. Same as Project Settings)
- Updated all PC drivers (windows 7)
- Made sure my PC met the minimum system requirements
- Ensured clip volume didn't spike or peak (In my case, I reduced the volume by 40% overall)
- Removed any audio transitions or filters
- Other stuff that I'm sure I'm forgetting....

In the end, one simple switch fixed my issue: I quit using mp4 files.

I converted the source mp4 files to AVC (.mts) files, replaced the mp4 audio clips in VideoStudio with their mts counterparts, exported using "Same as Project Settings" --- and viola. No more tickling, clicking, or pops (as long as I had overlaps between audio clips -- even the tiniest overlap worked for me).

I just wanted to post this for others who might be struggling with the same issue. I absolutely love VideoStudio, and was heartbroken at the thought of having to spend money on another program and learn a whole new system. Hopefully this will save someone else the hours and hours of frustration I experienced.

Cheers!

[trailryder42]

>>>>>>>>>>In the end, one simple switch fixed my issue: I quit using mp4 files.

I converted the source mp4 files to AVC (.mts) files, replaced the mp4 audio clips in VideoStudio with their mts counterparts<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

What did you use to convert and how / where do you find the mts audio clips?

I've experienced the same popping with my VS rendered clips.

[Ameee]

To convert the files from mp4 to mts files, I used the AVC Any Video Converter (but there's a number of video converters out there that'll do the trick). In Any Video Converter, I loaded my mp4 files, told it I wanted to convert to mts files, chose a framerate and and audio specs for the new files that matched the original video as closely as possible, then exported the new mts files.

Mts (AVCHD) files are similar to mp4 files, in that they contain both audio and video together -- they're not separate files.

Then, in VideoStudio, if I needed audio from a specific clip, I'd drag the new mts file onto the "audio" track of the program. (So only the audio is used from the file.)

As long as I had a proper overlap (transition) between audio clips, no clicking or popping was heard. It doesn't need to be a large overlap -- mere fractions of seconds was enough.

Hope this helps.

[Ken Berry]

Glad you found this solution works. But it all begs the question of exactly what kind of mp4 your original video was. I ask because some video which uses the .mp4 extension is also AVCHD which is of course mpeg-4 video produced using the H.264 codec. My Hero 3 GoPro camera does this. Other AVCHD camcorders however produce AVCHD using the .mts extension, and in Video Studio this video usually emerges as .m2ts. But with my GoPro mp4 I have never had the problems you describe.

So just to satisfy my curiosity, could you please right click on one of your original mp4 clips in the Video Studio timeline and copy ALL its Properties here, or take a screen grab of the Properties box and upload it here as an Attachment. Then we might be able to get a better idea of what you have been dealing with. Where did your mp4 come from, by the way?

[Ameee]

Sorry for the delay. (I didn't see the reply notification in my inbox.)

Here's a screencap of the original file properties (the ones that were problematic for me):



The file is from my Panasonic LUMIX G6.

[melomalley]

This exact issue is happening - popping and clicking in "Project" mode but not in "Clip" mode. Also present on exported video but not on original video. Driving me crazy and I am thinking of getting a refund. I do not want to have to convert my files first though. I use a ZOOM video camera for recording music videos and I don't want to have to change the format but I appreciate the post. I was a little relieved to see that I am not the only one having this issue.

[aljimenez]

This post is almost three years old and a lot has happened in Video Studio about handling mp4 files very well now. I have not heard of anyone complaining recently about these pops, so if you want let's try to figure out what your problem is. I have used nothing but mp4 files of the 4K and 1080p variety and they are handled very well.

First give the details of the mp4 files that are giving you problems. Then if you can place a small sample in a cloud drive site so we can try it, I am sure we will diagnose your problem.

[Ken Berry]

To get the Properties of your mp4 files that we are after, please right click on one of the clips either in the VS timeline or the VS Library window. Copy all the Properties here or take a screen shot of the Properties box and post it here as an attachment.

[JEB]

I know that is reply is happening years later, but I have an old machine that was unable to upgrade to Windows 10, so I have been running Windows 7 up to today - that explains why I'm still using CV X8, as it still will run on a Windows 7 machine. That said, I too have encountered the odd clicking, ticking or audio artifacts only after rendering out a video. From all my experiments, from what I encountered was that they seem to appear most when the following three events occur:

1. You are not using the native sounds from the video, rather the video is muted or has its audio "track" removed.
2. You are using MP3 or MP4 audio sources with any form of trimming or clipping.
3. You have tiny misalignment between elements, video, audio, effect, dialog track, etc. usually by a single frame.

This combination tends to produce the click or stutter effect. This is most annoying when the sound is a narration track that needs to be clipped up to match the video which has its native sound mute and I would like to insert a transition at the end of a scene. This is exactly where I always encounter the audio weirdness.

What is very frustrating is you do not hear this while in edit or test the playback, but only after you have spent hours rendering.
I did try importing the entire editing files over onto a machine running VS 2019 and it did the same thing and that is a jump of 4 version.

Again, this may not be exactly what the original poster was talking about but if it is still there in 2022, 7 years on, well I just don't know. I will have to say that the handling of audio by VS has always felt like a weak point.

[dorothyeross]

I have a computer with Windows 10 and 8gb RAM, so I do not think the problem is because of an old operating system or insufficient RAM. I created a short video with mp4 created in Zoom. I inserted a jpg with title and credits at the beginning and the end of the video. After I rendered the video into the same mp4 format, there is rapid clicking and hissing only during the jpg, not during the mp4 clips. The jpg does not have any audio associated with it. There is no noise in Edit or in Share during the preview, only in final rendered video. I just created a sample that had only the jpg, and there was no noise. But when I added a short video clip to the jpg, there was noise throughout the jpg. The video sound was normal. Here is a link to the 6 second rendered video, demonstrating the noise during the jpg and normal sound during the mp4.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cMBf4g ... share_link

Thanks to anyone who can give any insights as to how to eliminate the noise!

[Ken Berry]

Welcome to the forum.

You don't give the Properties of the mp4 from Zoom. Normally we could make a guess, but I am wondering if there is something special about them. I am also wondering, along the same lines, if you could do a little experiment and put a small piece of the mp4 into a converter program like the freeware Handbrake some of use here use. It would still be set to produce an mp4 with otherwise identical properties. I am of course wondering whether, with this new mp4, and with the same jpg Titles and Credits, you get these very invasive and strange sounds.

[lata]

Are you able to provide the original video rather than the rendered video then we can try replicating this issue

You can try deselecting Enable Smart Render (next to Start Button)

[dorothyeross]

Hi Trevor, thank you for answering so quickly. There was no clicking when the mp4 was rendered. There was only clicking when a jpg was added to the video, and then the clicking was only during the jpg, not during the mp4 of the rendered video.

I did find a work around. Split the audio track from video track (left click on the video track, > Audio > Split Audio. After the audio is split, cut the tracks to isolate the clip with the clicking. Left click on the offensive audio clip, and reduce volume to zero. After doing this procedure, the video rendered perfectly.

I will also try your tip to disable Smart Render on my next project. Thanks!

[dorothyeross]

Just an update - the intrusive noise in the rendered video was completely eliminated when I disabled Smart Render. Thanks for the tip!

[koerper70]

Thank you! Converting my mp4 files worked to fix a related problem that I was having.

I enabled "Duplicate Audio Channel" on the clip, but this caused severe audio distortion when playing the project. If I selected only the clip, it would play fine. There were no audio enhancements or filters. There were no other audio tracks, images, or titles. It was just a single mp4 audio clip and nothing I did would make the clip play normally unless I selected and played only the clip rather than the project.

I followed your advice and converted the file to avi and now it works fine.