DaVinci Resolve 20 Beta 4 - Bugs, Issues & Feature Requests

Davinci resolve 20 Beta 4 - My List of Bugs, Niggles and Requests

Apologies this is a big mind dump...

Bugs & Issues

1. Timeline and Source Tape Sync Drift
In the new full timeline view (with the blue playhead) and Source Tape mode, sync can drift significantly. Audio can become misaligned by several seconds. The only fix is restarting Resolve.

2. Monitor Blackout During Source Edits
Now that it's possible to stay in the new full timeline source view (with the blue playhead) while performing insert and overwrite edits, the workflow is much smoother without needing to constantly switch views. However, the Monitor window currently stays black during this process - both before and after making an edit. Ideally, the Monitor should update to display the current frame from the timeline after an edit is made. Having a live visual reference would make editing in the new source timeline view far more intuitive and efficient.

3. Audio Not Updating Between Clips
When loading clips sequentially in the source view, the video changes correctly, but sometimes the audio remains from the previous clip.

4. Render Cache Loss on Copy/Duplicate
Render cache isn’t retained when clips are copied or timelines are duplicated. All render files are lost, requiring a full re-render.

5. Target Track Selection Issues
The red target indicators (e.g. around A1, A2) can disappear and only return after an edit action (insert/overwrite). This has been an ongoing problem from Resolve 18 through to 20.

6. Track Patching Limitations
Currently, it’s not possible to patch specific tracks when editing from the source timeline (e.g., V3 to V1). Full timeline edits are necessary.
Related thread: https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=155147

7. Hidden Keyframes Can't Be Deleted
Keyframes outside a clip’s visible edge can't be removed. A right-click option on the automation line to reveal/delete hidden keyframes would be very useful.

8. Maximizing the Keyframe Panel Causes Crash
Maximizing the keyframe window can crash Resolve entirely. (Crash log attached.)

9. Auto Backup Interrupts Workflow
Auto backup doesn’t wait for user inactivity, interrupting your work and with a big project for some considerable time

Feature Requests

1. MIDI Support in Fairlight
Native MIDI support would massively improve workflows for shortform trailer editors like myself and many others. It would allow the use of VSTs (drums, synths, vocoders) directly inside Fairlight without needing a separate DAW like Logic or Cubase. Being able to load a drum machine VST with favourite trailer drums and SFX triggered by a Midi controller / Midi Drum Pads, or being able to modulate a Vocoder VST to tweak a vocal stem - all directly inside Fairlight - would mean I wouldn't have to jump over to Logic or Cubase just for simple tasks. Sometimes I just need to quickly add a piano intro or a little extra sound design, and while it’s possible to record audio directly, having full MIDI control would make the workflow much smoother and more creative without leaving Resolve.

2. Smart Source “Out” Marker Override
Add an option to ignore the source "out" marker if the timeline’s in/out range requires more media - similar to Avid functionality. Image attached below

Screenshot 2025-04-28 at 17.47.36.png (482.5 KiB) Viewed 2582 times

3. Selective Track Patching from Source Timeline
Enable selective patching (e.g., only audio tracks A1 and A2 mapped into A3 and A4), instead of editing from one timeline to another and patching in all tracks at once. As per image below:

Screenshot 2025-04-28 at 22.48.35.png (38.11 KiB) Viewed 2582 times

4. Dedicated Transcription Window
Introduce a transcription window built into the UI that can be permanently open showing the transcript of the currently selected clip, plus an option to auto-transcribe all project media after a short inactivity timeout of say 10 or 20 seconds.

5. Timeline Layout Presets
Ability to save and recall custom timeline layouts - for example, one optimized for VO recording (large audio track view), another for multicam editing, etc. These could then be assignable to shortcut keys (F10, F11, etc.).

6. Multi-Track, Multi-Clip Keyframe Editing
Allow selecting and editing keyframes across multiple clips and multiple tracks simultaneously, rather than limiting adjustments to one clip at a time.

7. Head/Tail Frame Preferences
Allow preference settings for head/tail frames when marking clips, rather than always including extra frames.
Related thread: Frame preference request. As per image below

Screenshot 2025-04-28 at 17.48.03.png (185.69 KiB) Viewed 2582 times

8. Shortcut for "Detail Zoom"
A shortcut to toggle between detailed zoom and and out again would be a complete life changer. The Zoom to Fit function is great for showing the whole timeline and pressing again zooms back to where you were before but being able to click a button and zoom in real detailed would be incredible.

9. Disable Scroll-to-Zoom
Scrolling on a Magic Mouse often causes unwanted timeline zoom. I'm doing this accidentally around once a minute and having to press "H" to reset the zoom. An option to require Alt+Scroll (or similar) to zoom would solve this.

10. Snap-to-Closest Clip While Dragging
There is no shortcut to temporarily enable snapping while dragging with snapping off. Implementing a modifier key to activate snap temporarily would help (CMD/ALT/SHIFT etc).
related thread: https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=104440

12. Crossfade Improvements in Edit Page
Enable adjusting crossfade alignments in the Edit Page itself
Related thread: https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=159446&p=845277&hilit=crossfade#p845277

13. Speaker Detection in the Transcription Window
It would be really helpful if the transcription window could also include speaker detection - automatically identifying and labelling different speakers during transcription.

14. Full Screen Panels
Being able to hover over any panel in the user interface ie Timeline/Mixer/Bins and press a shortcut key to maximise the panel to full screen and back again.

Struggling to attach system spec and crash log

Here is first page:

Screenshot 2025-04-28 at 23.15.49.png (386.46 KiB) Viewed 2556 times

Model Name: Mac Studio
Model Identifier: Mac13,1
Chip: Apple M1 Max
Total Number of Cores: 10 (8 performance and 2 efficiency)
Memory: 32 GB
System Firmware Version: 8422.141.2.700.1
OS Loader Version: 8422.141.2.700.1
Serial Number (system): RR9391GJVK
Hardware UUID: 91FADC08-C0F7-5595-97E9-EDC209E7725F
Provisioning UDID: 00006001-0008499C0E20C01E
Activation Lock Status: Disabled
model_number: Z14J0004HB/A

10. Snap-to-Closest Clip While Dragging

You can accomplish this by starting to move the clip and activating snap via keyboard shortcut (N) and continuing to drag the clip. Once it has snapped to the location you desire, just release the left mouse button and snapping will turn off. At least that is the way it functions on a PC.

10. Snap-to-Closest Clip While Dragging

You can accomplish this by starting to move the clip and activating snap via keyboard shortcut (N) and continuing to drag the clip. Once it has snapped to the location you desire, just release the left mouse button and snapping will turn off. At least that is the way it functions on a PC.

Thanks for the reply - Just checked and it's working for me too so this must have been fixed

please add bringing back the retiming curve on a clip level in the timeline!!

please add bringing back the retiming curve on a clip level in the timeline!!

I agree having the option of this was useful in the timeline and you could then work vertically matching a curve to the waveform of your audio or other keyframes on different tracks. The automation button on the clip was annoying though - the amount of times I pressed this accidentally when trying to move a clip.

I think now that they've added that Keyframe tray down below the solution would be to allow you to expand those same old timeline curves down there so they're not on the clip in the way but they're still in the timeline

15. Clip modulation line colour
I've always found the modulation line very difficult to see on the clip when changing clip volume in the timeline especially when your audio waveform is turned on. They are both white. Could the waveform be a darker shade or something?

Screenshot 2025-04-29 at 13.55.38.png (60.54 KiB) Viewed 2413 times

You can record VST instruments as sound in a TL track. actually works pretty well. It would be nice to record MIDI data instead to keep it all live, but how far down this road does one go ? especially with MIDI 2.0 gaining traction which should help solve a lot of common config problems.

If one wanted to really go into this, where is the line ? where is the point where you say use a DAW app instead ? I'd be happy with basic recording of MIDI data, and basic editing knowing if I want to do much more than I should be able to export the MIDI tracks as MIDI data, import into DAW and work from there.

I could also picture that folding this all into a Failight Audio Folder Clip would also be important. When working in the edit page, you should be able to cache all live instruments into a rendered mix file so it's not eating lots of CPU cycles. Same for color page to give its functions maximum performance.

So there are a lot of considerations in going down this path beyond just recording MIDI data and feeding that into a VST.

S

Fairlight Audio Folder sounds like a great idea for wrapping MIDI data so it kind of makes a mix-down of your MIDI data to limit CPU use on your Edit page. You could right click in the Fairlight window and open a clip to make changes. I wonder if this could be done without a delay whilst it renders. A bit like the Elastic Wave function, you step in make your changes then step out.

I agree Fairlight doesn't need to do everything. But basic MIDI would be a game changer!! Basic MIDI and the ability to control some VST modulation parameters with keyframes and automation.

I think I've used the workflow you mention recording a VST instrument straight to track and it is quite fiddly to route it through each time just to add some trailer drums or some extra pads to an edit. But it works. I just don't find myself using it.

Another small bug I'm experiencing. Maybe an issue with the render cache not updating. I'm finding that the ordinary TEXT title effect doesn't update when you type an amendment into the Inspector (into the Rich Text panel). It flashes as you type but will only update when the clip is moved a frame forward or a frame back in the timeline

Video Linked below
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/g0dc2bif ... xtmxh&dl=0

I would also really love an option to dock the transcription window into the UI, and also would love for it to be able to run in background or after user inactivity!

Update for Beta 3 below in <CAPS>
Generally seems to be much more stable and responsive with regards to the new full screen timeline view. I've updated some of the issues in <CAPS> below

Davinci Beta 20.2 - My List of Bugs, Niggles and Requests

Bugs & Issues

1. Timeline and Source Tape Sync Drift
In the new full timeline view (with the blue playhead) and Source Tape mode, sync can drift significantly. Audio can become misaligned by several seconds. The only fix is restarting Resolve.
<THIS SEEMS TO BE FIXED IN BETA 3>

2. Monitor Blackout During Source Edits
Now that it's possible to stay in the new full timeline source view (with the blue playhead) while performing insert and overwrite edits, the workflow is much smoother without needing to constantly switch views. However, the Monitor window currently stays black during this process - both before and after making an edit. Ideally, the Monitor should update to display the current frame from the timeline after an edit is made. Having a live visual reference would make editing in the new source timeline view far more intuitive and efficient.
<STILL DON'T SEE ANY UPDATE TO THE IMAGE IN THE TIMELINE MONITOR AFTER EDITS>

3. Audio Not Updating Between Clips
When loading clips sequentially in the source view, the video changes correctly, but sometimes the audio remains from the previous clip.
<THIS SEEMS TO BE FIXED IN BETA 3>

4. Render Cache Loss on Copy/Duplicate
Render cache isn’t retained when clips are copied or timelines are duplicated. All render files are lost, requiring a full re-render.
<STILL AN ISSUE IN BETA 3>

5. Target Track Selection Issues
The red target indicators (e.g. around A1, A2) can disappear and only return after an edit action (insert/overwrite). This has been an ongoing problem from Resolve 18 through to 20.
<STILL AN ISSUE IN BETA 3>

6. Track Patching Limitations
Currently, it’s not possible to patch specific tracks when editing from the source timeline (e.g., V3 to V1). Full timeline edits are necessary.
Related thread: https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=155147
<STILL AN ISSUE IN BETA 3>

7. Hidden Keyframes Can't Be Deleted
Keyframes outside a clip’s visible edge can't be removed. A right-click option on the automation line to reveal/delete hidden keyframes would be very useful.
<I THINK THIS IS POSSIBLE IN THE FULL SCREEN KEYFRAMES CURVES VIEWER>

8. Maximizing the Keyframe Panel Causes Crash
Maximizing the keyframe window can crash Resolve entirely. (Crash log attached.)
<THIS SEEMS TO BE FIXED IN BETA 3>

9. Auto Backup Interrupts Workflow
Auto backup doesn’t wait for user inactivity, interrupting your work and with a big project for some considerable time
<STILL AN ISSUE IN BETA 3>

7. Hidden Keyframes Can't Be Deleted
Keyframes outside a clip’s visible edge can't be removed. A right-click option on the automation line to reveal/delete hidden keyframes would be very useful.

Has anyone found a way to remove keyframes other than the large keyframe curve viewer?

Screenshot 2025-05-12 at 12.25.34.png (885.07 KiB) Viewed 1714 times

When using the Basic Title Tool in beta 4 any changes made to more than one clip such as adjusting the line spacing seems to cause all the Rich Text contents on each clip to be deleted.

In DaVinci 19 I'm fairly certain this was possible: you could have a whole timeline of titles and change the font or size or any attributes collectively.

Video link attached below
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1rtyu706sb7wag24232aw/Basic-Text-Bug.mp4?rlkey=l54n6r9qg1fkgeq6mqzm4rfkk&st=jcj2nquo&dl=0

Timeline view Breaks Transcript Functions Beta 4
Opening the new Timeline View (with the blue playhead) breaks the connection to the Transcript Window so you no longer have a reference for which word is being spoken (with the red triangle arrow above the current word). Highlighting sentences within the Transcript Window whilst in the Timeline View also exits this full Timeline View.

Screenshot 2025-05-22 at 13.15.42.png (893.04 KiB) Viewed 1365 times

Screenshot 2025-05-22 at 13.16.38.png (632.8 KiB) Viewed 1365 times