iMovie Strange Phantom Audio Issue, Getting Desperate, PLEASE HELP!!!

Okay, so I've been trying for three months to edit a short sequence in
iMovie 3.0.3 on a Mac G4 using OS 10.4.5 and burn it to DVD--a project
over which Murphy has not only prevailed, but which may have broken
whole new records in Murphydom.

I've edited several songs into sort of music videos using this method:

"Retaining the audio under pasted video
You can paste a new video clip over an existing clip while retaining
the audio from the original clip. You can use this feature to paste
related scenes over a narration, for example.

Before you try this, make sure "Extract audio in paste over" is
selected in iMovie preferences. (Choose iMovie > Preferences.)

To replace a length of video with new video:

1 Select the video that you want to insert.
2 Choose Edit > Cut or Copy.
3 Position the playhead at the first frame to be replaced, or use the
crop markers to select the video frames to replace. The new length of
video replaces an equal length of video.
4 Choose Advanced > "Paste Over at Playhead."
The audio track of the original video is retained and appears in audio
track 1 of the timeline viewer.

If you use the crop markers and the video you paste is longer than the
selected frame range you are replacing, the excess video is not pasted.
If the video you paste is shorter than the selected frame range, the
extra space is filled with a black clip (or the still image, if you
paste a still image)."

I've been back and forth between the Clips Pane and the Clips Viewer so
many times I've lost all hope of possibly keeping them straight and
will refer to them as the "Upper Clips Thingy" (where video is
imported) and the "Lower Clips Thingy" (the alternate view to the
timeline.)

On the first song, as I recall, this method worked fine. The pasted-in
sequences showed up, silent, as they were meant to. On the second
song, the audio was extracted and I deleted it, which eliminated
overlapping audio. In a few cases on the second song, I transferred a
sequence from the Upper Clips Thingy to the Lower Clips Thingy,
extracted the audio, deleted it, and pasted in the silent sequence and
that stayed fine--without its own sound returning, and retained the
audio in the original sequence which I wanted.

When I went to edit the third song, NOTHING WORKED! The first time I
tried using the method above. The audio was retained in the clip (not
extracted--never showed up in the audio track in the timeline--just
stayed, creating overlapping sound.) I tried extracting the audio from
the whole sequence, then pasting in the silent picture. STILL
overlapping sound! I tried a number of things, including reimporting
the whole sequence twice and making copies to put in the Upper Clips
Thingy before TOUCHING the copy in the Lower Clips Thingy, meaning I
had to re-edit a place I already had perfect about five times! When I
tried playing the problem spot on a copy I knew I'd done NOTHING to,
the phantom audio was STILL THERE!

"Then I became intelligent." (Don't get excited, just momentarily.
Not enough to do lasting good.) I dragged that sequence from the Lower
Clips Thingy BACK to the Upper Clips Thingy and played it. Sure
enough, no overlapping audio! The audio glitch was in the place where
the original error occurred--perhaps compounded by doing over several
times, hard to tell.

Of course, unchecking the box in the lower audio track removed the
phantom audio--unfortunately, it also removed audio in a whole lot of
sequences I want to keep, so I had to recheck it. I again tried the
instructions above and got the video in the right place, and this time
it did extract the audio, but doesn't give the "Unlock Audio Clip"
option, so I can't get rid of the unwanted audio that came with the
video. At least I can see it, unlike its companion(s), which I can
hear and not see. They are just STUCK THERE in the place where the
original error occurred, meaning that even when I move this sequence to
earlier in the timeline, that will fix it, but whatever gets pushed
into that spot in its place gets stuck with the weird audio!

1. How can I at least activate the "Unlock Audio Clip" option to
remove the audio I do see? Selecting the clip does nothing
whatsoever--the option doesn't even show up on the menu!

2. Is there any way I can remove the unwanted phantom audio I don't
see and retain the audio I want?

Anyone who can help with this may save my sanity, and I do thank you
for that.

If THE WORST COMES TO THE ABSOLUTE WORST, I may have to be instructed
how to transfer the huge mass of clips I do want to keep to a WHOLE NEW
iMOVIE PROJECT, then delete the original project! To compound things,
if it's to be deleted I want to give it another name and put the
original name on the new project, and I can't figure out how to retitle
an iMovie project, if that's even possible! PLEASE, PLEASE HELP!!!
Thanks again.

Cori

 

I really wish I could help you. I really do. I have absolutely no
constructive input here. However, I am confused! You did say you are using
a Mac, right? Right, you did. Hmmm.... what puzzles me is why this could be
happening to you. For years upon years I have heard how Mac's are the
absolute best at absolutely everything having to do with graphics and video.
Easy to use, never a problem, works like a charm, cooks my breakfast, waxes
my car and even tucks me in at night.

I must be you. Surely there isn't anything wrong with the system!!

 

Thanks Larry, that's truly an important message. Your redeemer would be
proud of you, son.

My feeling is that Cori has spent tons of money on hardware, and is
using a mickey-mouse editing program. She should buy Final Cut Pro and
do the job right.

How does iMovie capture clips? Is it possible that you have a
multiplexed MPEG file? You won't be able to separate the audio from it
without "demuxing" it first?

 

With all due respect Larry, that's a really snide and SUCKY response. It
prompts me to ask the question, "Are you still beating your wife?"

To the original poster. I have experienced situations in which a file or
production becomes corrupted and you just can't work with the file or the
production anymore.

I have also found that quitting and restarting sometimes works.

Thanks for sharing the idea though. I hadn't thought of even trying something
like that and now I may.

Regards,

Ty Ford



-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com

 

I can't even begin to count the times Mac user's have pounced on Windows
user's bragging their system are "so superior". Mac's crash, hang with no
reason and force reboots all the time. My circle of friends includes the
entire graphics department of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper. They
constantly complain of problems with their Mac workstation's. And, even more
so now they have (as they put it) "The Great and Wonderful Oz" or OSX to
you.

So, get off you high horse for once and take a little jab. We have been
doing it for years.

 

Then there's something misconfigured. 10.4.x is the most stable Mac
operating system ever. We get uptimes of weeks without a reboot, or even
logging out, and the wife usually has every Adobe product we own open at
once on her account, along with Eudora and Word and Powerpoint.

OS 9 used to crash a few times a day, for sure, usually when trying to
do something for Microsoft products.

 

wrote:

....

click here:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="Unlock+Audio+Clip"&btnG=Google+Search

Does iMovie do demuxing for you? Try demuxing first and just keep the
video, then add the audio you want. - just-guessing-here

That is the classic solution!

Good luck.

 

You've got me there. All I can find is "Media File," nothing about
type. It is giving the wrong capture date--2017!

What gets me is ALL the files were captured through the SAME equipment
by the SAME method. In every previous case, simply extracting and
deleting the sound worked FINE! Now I seem to have one or more file
from which the sound was extracted but never showed up in the audio
track, just went to hide and wreak havoc even over newly imported clips
which hadn't even been edited!

I have another file where it's possible to extract and delete sound
from the whole long sequence (which still does no good as when I paste
it over the previous sound is still there--even on a newly replaced
sequence) but on the short sequence which is all I actually want, it
will extract the sound but not let me unlock or delete it! VERY, VERY
FRUSTRATING!

The people waiting for the tape have been quite patient so far. Only
one psycho breakdown (wasn't ME!!!) and she was about half-cracked to
begin with. Thanks for the help.

Cori

 

It must not expect you to do it yourself, or it calls it something
else, as the word does not even appear in iMovie Help.

Thanks! At this point, I need it. I have one more possible fix to try
before absolute panic.

Cori

 

Yes, but I said I was using a Mac G4, although a very updated one.
You're thinking of the Mac G5.

Cori

 

Absolute panic. My idea was to go to "Save As" and make a whole
different copy of the project. Because as far as iMovie is concerned,
when I remove the clips from the part of the timeline where the sound
glitch was, the movie ENDS THERE. If I try to play past that point it
goes back and starts playing at the beginning. As far as it is
concerned, there ARE no two seconds of phantom sound after the last
non-defective frame. Also, as I stated, the sound is NOT on the clip
itself--it only appears when the clip is positioned in that part of the
timeline!

So my idea is to create a copy of the project that cuts off before the
bad spot on the timeline--I thought maybe that might even cure the
other funky things, like the "Unlock Video Clip" option disappearing on
me--BUT HOW, if "Save As" is not an option?

So, question. Is there any way--ANY WAY AT ALL--to copy an iMovie
project besides copying and pasting the folders (which copies the
errors as well)? PLEASE HELP AND THANK YOU!

Cori

 

Absolute panic. My idea was to go to "Save As" and make a whole
different copy of the project. Because as far as iMovie is concerned,
when I remove the clips from the part of the timeline where the sound
glitch was, the movie ENDS THERE. If I try to play past that point it
goes back and starts playing at the beginning. As far as it is
concerned, there ARE no two seconds of phantom sound after the last
non-defective frame. Also, as I stated, the sound is NOT on the clip
itself--it only appears when the clip is positioned in that part of the
timeline!

So my idea is to create a copy of the project that cuts off before the
bad spot on the timeline--I thought maybe that might even cure the
other funky things, like the "Unlock Audio Clip" option disappearing on
me--BUT HOW, if "Save As" is not an option?

So, question. Is there any way--ANY WAY AT ALL--to copy an iMovie
project besides copying and pasting the folders (which copies the
errors as well)? How might I best go about this, up to and including
copying the contents of the entire project into a new iMovie project if
necessary? PLEASE HELP AND THANK YOU!

Cori

 

Okay, this is freaky. THERE BE THREE OF 'EM!

I was messing around trying to figure out how to create a New iMovie
project, and I found that the version saved in iMovie is different and
older than that on my Hard Drive or my Slave Drive. I always thought
whichever one I modified last became my iMovie version, but NOT SO!

So, since I have one already started, maybe I can just duplicate from
that point on, then replace the corrupted projects with a copy of the
uncorrupted one! Worth a try!

Cori

 

I've made so many changes since making the other two copies that it
would be easier to start from scratch than to try to figure out what
was changed and what wasn't, so still awaiting possible answer on
fixing one of my recent existing copies. It's just as well that I
found this, though, and it's an option for fixing the problems.

Cori

 

Gee mom all the kids are doing it!

As for your ending comment. There's no high horse here only the rear end of
one.

BTW, I have no dog in the PC Mac fight. Life is too short. Know what I mean?

Ty Ford



-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com

 

No solutions in iMovie 3.0.3, only more problems!

1. My opening title sequence was perfect in the iMovie copy, but is
messed up in the Hard Drive and Slave Drive copies. Plays fine, but
the titles are split into two clips. I want them back in one. It will
let me export the clip ONLY--NO SOUND--to one of the other copies, but,
due to whatever the screwup in the soundtrack is (remember, it wasn't
letting me unlock or delete audio which it did before) it won't let me
drag the audio to the beginning of the clip--just pushes it into the
next sequence and won't let me move it even when unlocked!

2. On the other clips, it will export 12 at a time, with sound, BUT
NOT IN THE ORDER IN WHICH I SPENT MONTHS PAINSTAKINGLY EDITING THEM!
Not only do they turn up in random order, there's no way of determining
what number iMovie assigned to each clip to try to import them in
order, as the titles given below each clip are different than those in
the Media area! Plus, how do I know the clip is even the same length
as in the edited version to EVER get them back together again? Fixing
it is impossible in this way!

Could it be this is some space or memory problem in iMovie 3.0.3? That
is, it develops memory problems past 70 (clips, that is.) If I order
iMovie 4 or higher, can I fix these problems without redoing the whole
project?

Cori

 

My story so far is, I got most of a short project done in iMovie 3.0.3,
but one of my songs near the end is hopelessly screwed up by two
seconds of phantom sound which can't be seen and can't be deleted.
Through trial and error I determined the sound is on the soundtrack,
not in the clip.

No solutions in iMovie 3.0.3, only more problems!

1. My opening title sequence was perfect in the iMovie copy, but
messed up in the Hard Drive and Slave Drive copies. Played fine, but
the titles were split into two clips. I wanted them back in one. It
let me export the clip ONLY--NO SOUND--to one of the other copies and
by deleting the messed-up clips I made the good one match the
soundtrack. Importing problem #1: several seconds of garbage gets
saved at the end of the clip, but seems to delete fine.

2. On the other clips, it will export 12 at a time, with sound, BUT
NOT IN THE ORDER IN WHICH I SPENT MONTHS PAINSTAKINGLY EDITING THEM!
Not only do they turn up in random order, there's no way of determining
what number iMovie assigned to each clip to try to import them in
order, as the titles given below each clip when viewed in the project
are different than those shown in the Media area! Plus, how do I know
the clip is even the same length as in the edited version to EVER get
them back together again? Importing problem #2: even if I were
willing to delete garbage from the end of every clip, fixing it is
impossible in this way!

Could it be some of the problems are some space or memory issue in
iMovie 3.0.3? That is, it develops memory problems past 70 (clips,
that is.) If I order iMovie 4 or higher, can I fix these problems
without redoing the whole project or will it just add more problems?

THANK GOD I opted to do the main part of the project by dubbing
directly from the camera to VHS, and am using iMovie ONLY for titles
and music video-type clips. The results of trying to do a 4-hour movie
by these methods would surely have proved fatal!

My other question regarding a fix is about importing from more than one
iMovie project into Toast 7, and editing the content to be actually
burned to DVD.

If I put the song currently being messed up in the order it's supposed
to be on one copy of the project, the audio at the end of the project
will almost certainly inherit THE CURSE OF THE PHANTOM SOUND.

What if I do that in one copy, but leave it where it is in the other
copy? Can I import just the good copies of each song to Toast 7, even
though it means importing from two different copies of the project? Or
do you have to import the iMovie project as a whole?

If you have to import all of each copy of the project as a whole, will
Toast 7 get all screwed up and start complaining before I even get a
chance to delete the duplicates, as it would be two copies of things
with the same names in slightly different order?

IF I CAN'T DO THIS, it will mean upgrading to another version of iMovie
and a whole other set of problems and questions.

Thanks for anything that may help straighten me out or set me on the
right path.

Cori

 

To phrase it another way, how much, if any, editing is possible in
Toast? It might be simpler to keep both copies the same, put in
however many minutes of black space would cover over the bad audio
spot, then put the end of the project after that. But in Toast, can I
edit the black space down to just the ten seconds I want? Or do I have
to burn the whole thing "as is" and then do the editing when I dub from
the DVD to the VHS tape?

Cori

 

Dear Cori:

iMovie is good for many many things, but not good enough, or flexible
for some others.

My recommendation is that you use Final Cut Express, the little brother
of Final Cut Pro.
You can do all things that can be easily done in an NLE environment.

What you mention in your email is easily solved in that application.

Yep, that's more expensive than iLife '06, which iMovie is part of, but
will solve many headaches and will open you many other possibilities
(color correction, enhanced effects, plug-ins, etc).
iLife '06 is $79 and Final Cut Express is $299.

There are many things I won't do in iMovie, because they are more time
consuming or the results are not so Pro...

So if you still have the raw material in your tapes, you can cut them
into your disk (there's a sort of auto-capture of clips as well) and
you'll be much happier.

As usual, you'll have to consider if the importance of the project is
worth the expense of $299.

If you plan to switch, remember to chec the minimum requirements of the
application. It all depends of what G4 and how much memory you have.

I hope this helps...

Cheers
Esteban Wiaggio

 

Someone on another forum suggested borrowing a digital camera, and more
than one here suggested purchasing a better editing program. On the
better editing program, since I am so nearly done editing the project,
I fear getting anything new now which may mess it up, but do plan to
upgrade before doing another project.

On borrowing a digital video camera, yes, if it came down to that I
could. One of my best friends just bought, and I mean JUST bought one.
It would not have been available to me during all the previous. (I
didn't ask if my friend's camera has a FireWire connection, but she
does something on it with her computer, sooo.) I've decided to go
forward rather than back.

If I hadn't bought all the other equipment (to import my footage to
iMovie) I wouldn't be able to convert other things, such as old VHS
tapes, for myself and others. I also hope to master Toast and DVD
burning. Trouble is, I couldn't go forward on finishing the project
with this unwanted bit of audio stuck there in such a way I can't
remove it. There wouldn't have been so much confusion if I'd
discovered earlier that the problem was down where the audio plays
(either in timeline view or clips view), not in the clip itself. I'm
enough of a perfectionist to want to throw out the garbage, not just
work around it, but this was good as I was able to find an earlier
version of the project in iMovie and fix the opening titles problem
without redoing the titles.

To remove the phantom sound, I even tried copying the clip about five
times and deleting it that many times, in case the sound got copied
more than once, maybe deleting enough times would cure it, but it
didn't. So finally I put five minutes of black space into the problem
area. Sure enough, that cures it by moving the clip past the problem
area. Of course if it's possible to edit in Toast, I'll just edit the
black space to ten seconds, if not, I'll put it all on as is and only
dub a few seconds, not the whole five minutes, onto the VHS tape.

Now IF NOTHING ELSE GOES WRONG, I HOPE to finish the editing, transfer
the project to Toast, if possible do any necessary editing there, and
burn a DVD. SHOULD ALL ATTEMPTS FAIL and I am on my knees in a fit of
frustration, I can call my friend, borrow the camera, and see if I can
just export from iMovie to the camera and then dub it straight from
there to VHS. This would be another step, though, and might result in
more of a generational loss than going straight from iMovie to Toast to
DVD, so I told her not to expect a call from me about this unless I
find myself in an extremity of desperation. It's actually good my
friend only just bought her camera as I've been desperate several times
over the last months, but I am learning--"All things in good time."

I'd like to thank all the kind people online who took time with this
and had patience regarding it. Thanks to their help I am being enabled
to learn many things and make resolutions about how to go about things
next time.

Cori