Audio files out of sync

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mpolakow
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Audio files out of sync

Post by mpolakow »

I am running Multiquence 2.55 and having a problem just syncing 2 audio files. I recorded a guitar track in Goldwave and brought it into MQ as a track and then recorded another vocal track live. Whe I played both tracks back the second track was coming in slightly ahead of the original and the timing also got worse throughout the second track.
Ive use MQ before and not had this problem but this may be the first time I used this version. I have no idea why I am not able to simply make a two track recording now..
Thanks in advance for any help with this.
DougDbug
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Post by DougDbug »

As far as the initial sync problem, I don't know why that happend, but you can fix it by adding silence to the beginning of the "faster" track.

The drift (getting worse) is usually caused by a soundcard clock (oscillator) problem. It usually happens when you record on one computer/soundcard and play-back on a different soundcard. (One soundcard or the other has a clock that's off-frequency.) It can also happen with a USB microphone, since the mic has it's own clock.
Kummel
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Post by Kummel »

Having a similar problem, when i record my instruments once by once, synchronizing on the initial sound take, I add first some silence at the beginnign and the end of this one.

I select the first second, and put just the digit 1 in the expression evaluator, and do the same on the last second.

When I record next tracks, I let the sound of the computer open on the mixing table (audio hardware) at the beginning and the end of the take, to get two clicks at the beginning and at the end. The initial take is played in a separate software, usually in Winamp.

I trim the takes from the start of the first click to the start of the last click, and I adjust the length to the same than the initial take, with the time warper.

I know that it is a clock problem, and a driver one also, but it isn't so much an issue, while I have to record with instruments that are not tuned the same way, (the tune of my barocco recorders can also vary with the ambient temperature, and my 40 years old electronic organ is completely out of the standard tune) so there is a compensation needed anyways.

The radical solution would be to work with another sound card than the one implemented insdide the motherboard, if really the play and recording speed must be prefectly the same.
:D
GoldWave Inc.
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Re: Audio files out of sync

Post by GoldWave Inc. »

Using the same sound hardware for both recording and playback may minimize that problem (though some sound devices have different clocks for recording and playback).

If the syncrhonization drifts off at a consistent rate, then you can use Effect | Speed on one of the sections to cancel out the difference. It may take some trial-and-error to figure out the right speed value, but you should be able to use the same value in all future adjustments.

Chris
lorricerro
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Post by lorricerro »

Chris, can you elaborate on how to actually do what you've suggested here? I'm having the same problem. Isn't there some way to record my vocal file on top of the guitar file so it's synched the way it is during the performance?
DougDbug
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Post by DougDbug »

Chris, can you elaborate on how to actually do what you've suggested here? I'm having the same problem.
Are you using GoldWave or Multiquince? With GoldWave, you use Effect -> Time Warp to adjust the speed.
Isn't there some way to record my vocal file on top of the guitar file so it's synched the way it is during the performance?
GoldWave wrote:Using the same sound hardware for both recording and playback may minimize that problem (though some sound devices have different clocks for recording and playback).
If you use the same soundcard for recording and playback, this shouldn't happen. You may have to manually align the files, and you may get a tiny amount of "drift". But, you shouldn't get noticeable drift over the period of one song. If you are getting speed differences, this is a hardware problem. Sometimes, musicians will also notice a pich-shift when the playback speed is different from the recording speed.

Pro studios use a "master clock" and pro hardware that works with the master clock. They also use professional multitracking software. ;)
lorricerro
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Post by lorricerro »

I was using Multiquence, but I have GoldWave too. Very new to both. Just wish I could record the vocal directly on the guitar track we layed down first. I'll look into the hardware issue. Thanks for your suggestions.
GoldWave Inc.
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Post by GoldWave Inc. »

If you hardware plays and records at the same speed, then you can use these steps.

Chris
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