Audio Waveforms not visible in Timeline

Hi.

I have all the settings set to see waveforms (Timeline View Options/Audio Waveforms) but for some reason the waveforms aren't showing. The “Clip Attributes” for the footage I'm using are as you see in the attached.

In the Viewer I've also set it to “Show Zoomed Audio Waveforms” and no waveforms are visible here either.

Does anybody know what's going on here? And how I can fix things?

Thanks.

John

Screen Shot 2023-01-23 at 12.33.01 PM.png (37.42 KiB) Viewed 1116 times

Can you share a problem clip?

Can you share a problem clip?

Hi Jim.

How would I do that?

John

Upload the clip to a file sharing sight and post the download link here.

Upload the clip to a file sharing sight and post the download link here.

Hello Jim.

So here is link to a clip shared to Amazon's file sharing site.

Clip's from a birthday message I helped make someone make from hospital. For what it's worth, when I put the couple-minute project into IMovie to use its ability to create e-mailable videos I could see the audio waveform.

Yeah, looks like a normal Panny clip. Waveforms work fine here.

What are your Cache and Media Storage settings in Project Settings and Preferences?

Jim.

Here are a couple of screen grabs. Hope it's what you asked for.

I'm working on another project where there have been no problems with waveforms. I used the same camera, same settings, both on camera and in Resolve, for this little birthday video. Only different things in past days was a few weeks back I helped a friend make a video for his work. He brought over video footage he'd received from the BBC (25 fps .MOV file with mixed sound), and I noticed then that this video was not showing waveforms in Resolve, but editied fine otherwise. I suspected that had someting to do with the 25 fps, but was just guessing.

Thanks
John

I suspected too that as a mixed piece of footage, that is without separate audio and video tracks, that may have been reason why that BBC footage showed no waveforms in the Resolve timeline. An audio track did appear, and I could adjust volume, but there were no waveforms showing.

OK.

This is a Network or Cloud Library?

The options in your images look different. I use only Local Libraries myself.

OK.

This is a Network or Cloud Library?

The options in your images look different. I use only Local Libraries myself.

Hi.

Thanks for the reply. Not quite sure what you are asking. If you are asking about the BBC footage, my friend just brought over a .MOV file on a thumb drive. I suspect he got it from some file sharing service. If it would be helpful I could ask him how he got it.

I've just tried something. I took that clip I sent you and imported it into another project I've been working on, one where waveforms are showiing correctly in the Timeline. Imported into this project the clip I sent you displays waveforms correctly.

Seems then that there imust be something screwed up in the birthday greeting project, though, as I say I, made no changes to any settings when I created this new project - same settings as in the earlier project and same settings on the camera.

John

Not quite sure what you are asking.

What kind of Library (Database) is your project in?

Library Type.png (7 KiB) Viewed 821 times

Ah I get it .

Here's my set up.

OK.

You're still using Resolve 15?

Updating would require that I also update the OS. If I did that I could no longer run FCP7. Occassionally I like to open old FCP projects, so for that reason I've kept things as they are. I see several things on newer Resolve versions that I like, on the other hand all I really need is available on 15.

No prob if you want to stay with the version you’re using. But what you’re seeing is probably a bug that’s been fixed in a later version. Can’t really help you much with that!

PS I love FCP7 and have a machine and a few disk images with the old MacOS at the ready whenever I want to refer to it. But I’d don’t use the old OS as my primary system. I want and need the new features and bug fixes.

Thanks for the comment Joe.

Guess I'll have to figure out how I can update the OS (and get a newer Resolve) while retaining the old OS, activating it only on those occassions when I want to use FCP7. Any tutorials you know of that would show me how to create these dick images?

John

a bug that’s been fixed in a later version.

My thinking as well.

how I can update the OS (and get a newer Resolve) while retaining the old OS

I used a hot swap bay for my System drive.

That works, as does booting from a fast USB SSD like this:

SanDisk 1TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD - Up to 2000MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 - External Solid State Drive - SDSSDE81-1T00-G25,Black https://a.co/d/fBjkSaK

I've been doing some experimenting to try and figure out why in one project my footage shows no waveforms in the Timeline but does so when imported into an earlier project.

Don't know why, but I've been assuming that a new project will retain the Project Settings of the last project, that is that there is no “default” they'll return to, but I seem to be discovering that is not the case. When I open a new project and look at the Project Settings I see they are in some areas different to the ones of the most recent project I have been working on. Many remain the same but a few, specifically frame rates, have changed.

In Project Settings/Master Settings/Timeline Format/Timeline Resolution remains Ultra HD but Timeline Frame Rate has change from 23.976 to 24 fps.

In Project Settings/Video Monitoring/ Video Format is now HD 1080PsF 24.

In Project Settings/Capture and Playback/ Deck Settings/Video Capture and Playback is HD 1080PsF 24.

Now this shouldn't create a problem for once I import the 23.976 UltraHD footage I get that message:
“The clip(s) have a different frame rate than the current settings. Would you like to change your timeline frame rate and video format to match”

I choose “Change” and when I look at the Project Settings now, sure enough, all the 24 fps settings mentioned above have become 23.976. BUT when I open the project and look at the Timeline the waveform is not there. Look as I might, I can see nothing else that's changed in the Project Settings.

To experiment again I created a new project and this time opened the Project Settings and changed the frame rate settings from 24 fps to 23.976 before I imported any media. When I did this the imported 23.976 clips that had been a problem before display waveforms as they should.

So am I confronting a bug of some sort or am I missing something in the settings? Also, what determines the settings that are there when you open a new project? As I say, many things from my most recent project remain (like the UltraHD setting), but things like fps settings have changed.

All a bit confusing to me I'm afraid. Guess I've learned it's wisest to change Project Settings before importing media (rather than relying on the little message asking you if you want to conform Timeline frame rate and video format to the media etc.).

But is there some kind of default Project Settings setting?

Jim and Joe, thanks for those ideas about how I can retain my FCP7-friendly OS. I've got an SSD as you describe Joe, but it will take a lot of reseach before I can figure out how one might use/create that dual OS system.

I also fought this for the last week, then realised that on the first row of the timeline options it is multi-select. For some reason I thought the 3 options were mutually exclusive. The last of the 3 options is Audio Waveforms. Make sure it is selected.