Workflow - audio and video syncing with multiple of each

I would like to sync multiple video and audio files together so that I can use the Speed Editor to make a rough cut of the video, and then already have all the "good" audio already synced and in there when I go to the Edit page.

Scenario:
(1) Interview Scenario:
Audio - 3 audio files: eg using the Rode Wireless GO II microphone system (ie two lapel microphones, one on each of the interviewer and the interviewee and producing separate audio files), and also a boom microphone.
Video - 2 or three fixed cameras concurrently recording the scene each with its own scratch video to assist in audio syncing.
How to sync all these up in Davinci Resolve so that I can use the multicam sync-bin to cut/edit the video?

(2) I have wedding footage on multiple concurrent video files from multiple cameras, and also 3 separate audio files (on the groom, boom mic, and audio mixer panel).

What is the workflow to get all this working in Davinci Resolve so that I can edit the video and have all the audio synchronized allowing me to make audio file selections at a later time (eg if the groom overloaded his lapel microphone for a section and I need to substitute that section with the boom mic audio.

Ideally I would like to sync everything up and use the multicam options in Davinci Resolve to "paint" a cut of the video using the Speed Editor. It's the audio I am having trouble with.

I look forward to your help. Thanks in advance.

In Part 3 of the Reference Manual, there is a chapter called Syncing Audio and Video. It's only 5 pages.

In Part 3 of the Reference Manual, there is a chapter called Syncing Audio and Video. It's only 5 pages.

Of course I read that before posting my question.

Specifically, I am not searching for a dual sync option - I know how to do that. Instead I am interested to know of a workflow to deal with multiple simultaneous cameras and more than 2 audio recorders recording the same scene. I gave two example scenarios to explain.

Jim Simon - You would do well to read my question carefully before flippantly pointing me to "read the manual" which does not address my question. If you can help, please do, otherwise stay silent. Thanks.

You would do well to read my question carefully before flippantly pointing me to "read the manual" which does not address my question. If you can help, please do, otherwise stay silent. Thanks.

I was going to tell you to get some Tentacle Sync devices to solve your issue however I am afraid you would tell em to "stay silent" as well.

As a point you should know, people answer the same questions here all the time. A quick search of the forums would help you. Failing to find an answer there a little bit of humility goes a long way here. After all you are the one asking for help.

jallen0 - so are you going to help... or just keep posturing and being unhelpful?!

I was told to read the manual by someone who did NOT read my question, and hence my polite response.

If you happen to know of solutions posted in the forums on this topic - as you suggest you do - it would be nice if you shared it here rather than keeping it to yourself. There are many others who want to know how to do this also. But a solution and/or a suggested workflow doesn't exist as far as I can find in these forums. And I have looked hard... and that's why I posted my question here.

If you can help... you should. But if you can't or don't want to, then you should not troll others who genuinely want to know more about Davinci Resolve capabilities.

btw - getting "Tentacle Sync devices" is not an answer to my initial question.

[Peter Chamberlain]

just looking at (1) Interview Scenario: {ive changed the text to fix why I assume is a type]

"Audio - 3 audio files: eg using the Rode Wireless GO II microphone system (ie two lapel microphones, one on each of the interviewer and the interviewee and producing separate audio files), and also a boom microphone.
Video - 2 or three fixed cameras concurrently recording the scene each with its own scratch [video] audio to assist in audio syncing.
How to sync all these up in Davinci Resolve so that I can use the multicam sync-bin to cut/edit the video?"

multicam should sync the camera feeds... if you place the main camera as your master in the timeline, and if you place the 3 audio files beneath them can you select the all and use the timeline audio sync?

if not, sync the three audio in the timeline then manually slip them to sync with the multicam.. im assuming there is a clapper.. or some logical sync at the head

Thanks Peter Chamberlain! I'm not sure that I understand fully, but I will give it a go and get back to you here. In the mean time I am assuming that everything you wrote is based on being in the Edit page and not the Cut page. I'll report back shortly. Cheers.

I still cannot get it to work, but I am trying other suggestions, eg to bring all the audio first into a single WAV file. But is this how Davinci Resolve would be used in professional productions... and using the Cut Page?

Any other ideas?

In the mean time, I'll keep experimenting and report back here soon.

[quote="Peter Chamberlain"
multicam should sync the camera feeds... if you place the main camera as your master in the timeline, and if you place the 3 audio files beneath them can you select the all and use the timeline audio sync? [/quote]

Hi Peter, okay I have got this to work to sync but not in the CUT page. Remember that I want to sync multiple video and audio files together so that I can use the Speed Editor to make a rough cut of the video in the CUT PAGE , and then already have all the "good" audio already synced and in there when I go to the EDIT and Fairlight pages.

Am I missing something here? And apologies if I was not clear... the aim is that after production I have multiple camera and audio files, then I do a quick rough cut in the CUT Page, and the fine editing in the EDIT page. Finally in the FAIRLIGHT page I can select the best audio tracks in the final video. That means that if the interviewer peaked their audio on their lapel microphone for an instant, I could then choose the boom microphone audio for that small section of view without having to search for audio files or trying to sync everything together again.

Any ideas or Suggestions? I'm sure this is easy once you know how in Davinci Resolve.

I think the best (or only) method is to first sync your extra audio tracks into the video files using the Media Pool "Auto Sync Audio" feature. You can choose to sync on matched timecode or on audio waveforms, and choose to replace the in-camera audio or append the external audio as additional tracks.

Note that this assumes that the audio and video files are the same length, or close to it. It won't work if for example you have one long audio file and multiple shorter video files - eg if the audio recorder was left running but the camera was stopped and started, or if the camera splits its output into separate 4GB files. In that scenario you'll first need to make Sub Clips from the audio file of the correct length to match the video files, then sync the audio subclips to the separate video files.

You want to end up with all your video clips having all the audio embedded as extra tracks (or replacing the in-camera tracks).

Then you would Sync Bin the video clips and do your rough edit on Cut. Using the Speed Editor to add clips from those synced multi-channel video files should automatically add all the synced audio tracks to the timeline (all not set to Mute in Clip Attributes), like you can see in this quick test I just did on Cut, using Sync Bin and the Speed Editor. The screenshot is from Edit, so the audio tracks are visible:


In this test I made two three-track video clips with matching timecode, set one to Cam #1 and the other to Cam #2, synced them in Sync Bin, then used the Speed Editor to select angles from both 'cameras'. This automatically resulted in all three audio tracks going into the timeline (the blank third track is just because I didn't actually put any audio in that track when making these test files).

Then you can go to Edit and Fairlight and finalise the edits, including choosing which of the audio tracks to use throughout the timeline.

If for some reason the Media Pool Auto Sync Audio won't work for you (eg because you have no timecode, and the waveforms won't automatically sync), there is a workaround: put the video clip(s) from one camera on a timeline, along with the associated audio tracks. Sync them, either manually to clapper board or using the in-timeline Auto Sync Audio feature (which can be made to work on Edit in situations where it doesn't work automatically in the Media Pool, for example when the audio clip(s) is/are a very different length to the video clip(s) and require trimming first.)

Once done, Deliver this temporary timeline in Single Clip mode, with audio settings like the following:


Then import the resulting file, and it will have synced, multi-track audio. You can confirm this by opening Clip Attributes for the imported file - which is also the place where you can choose to delete or mute audio tracks you don't want. Repeat that process for each separate camera angle, resulting in one synced multi-track video clip per camera. Set the Cam # on each clip, and proceed from there with Cut Sync Bin.

TheBloke - First of all, you are amazing! Thank you for your reply.

Secondly, you foresaw an additional issue I would have, in that my audio files run continuously for a couple of hours, and my video cameras are constantly starting and stopping producing many smaller video files which do not cover the entire period of time. Some cameras have a 30 minute limit so that must be stopped every so often.

I understand what you mean when you say that I will need to cut the audio clips to match the same length of each of the video files... but I don't understand how to do that. Note that I am new to Davinci Resolve and I used use to use Premiere with Plural Eyes audio sync software which would, in this case, sync everything correctly no matter the different lengths of files. For example it would lay down the 2 hour long audio file and then scatter the short video clips above the 2 hour audio track. How do I match the audio file lengths to what could be over 50 video files in Davinci Resolve? And what are Sub Clips?

Thirdly, everything you have explained is exactly what I want to do. Your description is great too, but unfortunately I don't understand it well enough to repeat it. I just tried half a dozen times, but my knowledge is obviously limited for these particular tasks.

Is there any way I could persuade you to do a quick video of what you have done in your explanation, with you speaking and guiding of course? Either to share it with everyone or just privately with me? It would be greatly appreciated.

Please let me know. But either way, thanks again for your detailed response. I just need a little bit more help.