Audio pops from .mxf in Vegas Video 8.0
 

Camera - PMW-EX1, NLE - Vegas Video 8.0

I created my .mxf files through the latest clip browsing utility from Sony and when I imported the files into Vegas I now receive a "popping" and "clicking" noise over the audio track. The video looks great and the only way I can get rid of the pops is to bring the video into Adobe Audition and run the filter. I have tried many different things to get this resolved and I am at whits end. Any suggestions?

48hz, 16 bit audio is what the properties of the file say, I have matched up my settings in the project properties as well.

Thank you!

Is this the first or only clip this has happened on?

- Ray

I probably have about 40 clips from my project I shot and all 40 .mxf files have the same issue. As I mentioned, in the clip browser, they sound great.

I Have had the same problem audio is fine when played with the clip browsing software but in Vegas you here the popping

Brian and and Bob, have you tried to render from Vegas 8? Probably the popping is completely gone in the rendered file. I myself have experienced this quite often with HDV-audio as well.
Anyway: I'd like to know the cause of these popping/clicking audio artifacts, too.

I have tried to render the file and the popping is still there.

Sorry guys,
I just tried and cannot repo this. I have some more clips elsewhere with some reasonable audio on them that I played out a few days ago and it sounded remarkably good, certainly no clicks.

The most common cause of what you're hearing is sample rate errors although Vegas will normally do a sample rate conversion without causing any clicks. Are your project properties set to 16/48K? If so try changing Resample to Best in the Audio tab of the project properties.

I second that - no clicks here.

Bob Knauf, if possible please mail me a short clip, I'd like to reproduce it.
mann.michael@online.de

Bob did figure out what the problem was. I getting same noise plays ok in clip broswer when I convert to .mxf popping sound on most clips in Vegas Pro 8. I did A shoot this weekend for a friend I can hear the noise in every clip on the DVD. I going to try bringing the clips in with Cineform to see if the noise is still there.

The noise is not there when I use Cineform

Sample MXF file with noise
http://www.dvdaction.net/dvdaction_048.htm

I have quite similiar probelm. When I preview a clip on Vegas 8.0 I can hear popping sound but when I drop that clip into vegas timeline, it is not there.

Also after render it is not there too.

I really wish that Sony would add native EX1 MP4 file support to Vegas Video. I really don't want to keep large repositories of MP4 files around and then go through the process of making MXF files. Clip browser has its value in stiching together large clips or cutting them, but the Vegas timeline would be faster. VLC media player is faster for previewing MP4 clips, although the audio is not understood. (Weird, because the audio is uncompressed).

The next update for vegas will allow using files from EX1. July i think.

Paul.

Is based on reliable information?

Rgds,

Eva

Read the part about clip broswer,allowing your editing system to use clips straight from the cam.
I also read somewhere else about vegas getting an update, to do the same.

http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=174

Paul.

I recevied an email from BOB that contain a bug fix for SONY VEGAS Pro 8 to fix the Audio problem. I try it later today.

It's hard to tell what "will allow you to bring clips in to your edit system directly from the EX1 and EX3 camcorders" means. This implies that ClipBrowser2 will do the necessary conversions involving your own labor. If these files are indeed MPEG2 video with uncompressed audio, I would rather see the change in-camera so that transferred files are directly compatible.
ClipBrowser1 and 2 offer indirect conversion.

What is Sony doing with ClipBrowser? This sort of functionality should be in-camera.

Please ask him about their plans to allow Sony Vegas to read EX1 MP4 files straight from the transfer from the camera.

Now I can repo this problem. Doesn't seem to be a clip browser problem or a Vegas problem as I can hear the clicks in the clip browser and in both the MXF and mp4 versions of the file in Ppro. The clicks only occur on the loudest and most complex sounds. A large low frequency component in the sound really brings it on e.g. pipe organ full tilt in the opening bars of a performance. Once the organ backs off a few stops and the orchestra starts up problem goes away. It comes back later when the organ takes the lead.

This is not clipping, checked waveforms. Recorded the same piece with the gain backed way down, same result. Occurs with both camera mic and external mics such as CS-1. SPL is well within mics capabilities and recording into R-4 no such problem with same section of score.

The clicks sound much like sample rate errors but that's hard to imagine, if that was the problem then it'd be level independant. Efforts to remove them using declick filters in SF or Audition require so much declicking as to do serious harm to the sound i.e. the audio is useless. Thankfully I can patch the offending few bars from recordings I made during rehearsals with my Edirol R-4. I'm lucky this time.

Bob,

I've recently encountered this problem. You can view the evolution of the thread here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/sony-xdca...nsfer-ex3.html

If you need to fix your audio, a temporary solution is to download the NEO HD demo (I purchased it)and convert the clips. This was suggested to me and it works fine. Other benefits such as faster rendering and previewing are prevalent as well.

Until this is fixed I'm obviously not going to film in 720/60p if I need any sound.

Roger,
I was shooting in 50i SP. There may well be two problems, one in the camera and one in the Clip Browser.

I've not tested 50i. But if you try other modes (say 1080p) do you still get the crackle? It might be two different problems because the original mp4 on my end sounds fine. The mxf I render out sounds fine in everything except vegas. (such as VLC) It's quite difficult to figure out where the fault lies but I'm leaning toward software through my experience.

Roger did you try using clip browser 1.01 and the MXF patch for Sony vegas 8? I emailed it to you yesterday.

Thanks for the email Brian.

I'm going to test it out at the office tomorrow.

So, sounds like there is no solution to this problem yet, is this correct? 720/60p is a real nice format for a lot of things as you have the option of smooth slow motion while maintaining audio (ideally!).

I noticed while reading Sony's .pdf regarding HDcam workflow for Sony Vegas that 720/60p is not listed as one of the formats that can be imported with audio. It was left out. Here's the link: http://pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/f...Vegas8_FR3.pdf

and here is the excerpt from chapter 5:
5 – XDCAM EX
Key Workflow Features and Restrictions
• Support for 1080 50/60i, 24/25/30p
• XDCAM EX MP4 files must be rewrapped to MXF files in order to import them in to the
Vegas system. This does not change the MPEG2 Essence, i.e., video and audio, it only
changes the“container”.

You may also notice 720 missing here -- odd.

This ALMOST made me quit on this feature, thinking that getting any audio whatsoever was the glitch and that I shouldn't expect 60p to work at all. Except for one thing...

In the Vegas Pro 8.0 Release Notes, available here:
Sony Creative Software Inc. - Vegas Release Notes

It states in section 2.0 the following new fixes/changes for version 8.0b:

-Added support for 50p and 60p MXF formats created by XDCAM EX Voyager software.
-Fixed an issue in the MXF reader that could cause small audio gaps when rendering to some formats.

Does this indicate that Vegas 8.0b should be able to import MXF-wrapped 60p content?

I have one of my cams in for service to fix paint issued etc. The service rep was able to recreate the problem. This was odd to me the tech, said they did not have Sony Vegas loaded on any of the computer that Final cut pro the most popular so thats what they used. I got him to download Vegas trial and recreate the problem, got a call back from the tech stated that it was nothing he could do ,the clip played fine in clip browser but he did hear the poping sound in Vegas 8b.. call Sony software division.. still waiting on an answer from them. Sony clip browser 1.01 and the MXF patch for Vegas is working for me now or Importing with Cineform Software. Hopefully Vegas 8c will fix these issues. Aslo when I created a help ticket for this problem about three weeks ago they said this was the first time hearing of this issue.

Brian,

I have a backup of ClipBrowser 1.01 - where do you find the mxf patch?

I have an EX1 and I also have the audio problem in Sony Vegas Pro 8.0b when shooting at 720 60P.
I have installed the 8.0c version and now the problem is worst, no more usable audio, all I can hear are glitches.

I contacted Sony Vegas support, they sent me an mxfplug folder to replace the old one, but it doesn't work and Vegas crashes. So at this point I am waiting for a fix from Sony.

-Un-install clip broswer 2.0
-Install clip broswer 1.01
-Convert your clips to MXF using clip browser 1.01

This should fix the problem

That, and the MXF patch totally worked for me. Thanks, Brian for your help on this. I just shot a soccer game and it was great to be able to use some real slow motion and maintain fluid video. Also, I lowered most of the audio but used the sound of the kick played back in real time, just shifted to match the shot. Audio was clean, effect was effective. I really enjoy shooting 720 60p!

No problem... If you are using Sony Vegas 8c update you do not need to apply the patch.

Thanks Brian, it works!!! And thanks also for the Sony XDCAM Viewer PDZ-Vx10 version 2.11 also. That is really great!

So the problem is in the Sony clip browser 2 and Vegas. Strange, two Sony apps.
At some point I believed it was the camera, then the browser and then Vegas.
So I will stick to Browser 1.01 which is faster than version 2 until it gets fixed.

Much appreciated Brian!