where are my audio waveforms?

[Leonie Reynolds]

I'm on FCP 6, there are no audio waveforms on some of my clips but they're there for others. These are clips from the same tape. Any ideas on what might be up? thanks.

[David Chapman]

If you see waveforms in your timeline (Apple + Option + w), then it's not the timeline unless it is just taking a while to render onscreen.

Check to see that you have audio at all in the viewer. Double-click a clip to load it and check the audio tab.

1. You may have not captured this clip with audio
2. There may only be one channel of audio
3. The audio might be really low, making the waveform look more like a straight line
4. The audio feed might have been cut when recording (if it was a lav or line feed)

Can you hear audio from these clips?

[Leonie Reynolds]

I can hear audio in the clips that have no waveforms in the viewer. All my clips were captured with the same settings. There are clips that do show waveforms and clips that don't that were captured from the same tape.

[Jonathan Levin]

Leonie,

In your USER prefs> Timeline options, make sure show audio waveforms is checked.

This will now affect any NEW sequences that you create. You still won't see waveforms in sequences that were created BEFORE setting this option. Only in new sequences.

Maybe you can create a new sequence, copy all from the sequence in question, and then paste into a new sequence.

I know exactly what you are talking about.

Jonathan

[Robert Lane]

It might be your waveforms are actually there but based on the timeline zoom settings it simply can't be displayed.

Try zooming "in" on your timeline by stretching the zoom bar underneath, those waveforms might pop-up and become viewable - at that zoom setting.