No audio

[charlesolawrence]

I have an AVI file that plays just fine in Windows Media Player 12, both video and audio, so it would seem that the file is "OK", yet when I import it into Vegas Pro 10e and put it on the timeline, the video is there, but the audio is missing. What is it about this file's audio that Vegas Pro does not like? I can do the same in Premiere Pro CS5, and both the video and audio are present. I can provide a MediaInfo report on the contents of the file for anyone out there who can help. Thanks. Confused.

[Steve Grisetti]

What type of camcorder did this video come from and how did you get it into your computer?

If it's not from a camcorder, open the file in G Spot and see which codec is listed for the file.
http://www.headbands.com/gspot/

Video players are a lot less demanding than video editors, so even if a file can play in a video player, you may not be able to edit it. Divx and Xvid files, for instance, can be AVIs -- and yet be virtually impossible to edit without being converted.

It is quite possible this file uses a codec that Vegas is not able to handle. (Although Vegas Pro is usually pretty versatile, so it may be worth checking your program's preferences to and making sure that it is interfacing correctly with your computer's audio hardware.)

[charlesolawrence]

Thank you Steve for responding.

If fact, this is not a video clip from a camcorder. I downloaded the clip from YouTube using the Sothink Web Video Downloader, and in the process, converted the clip to AVI.

I have attached the GSpot window so you can see the details of the resultant AVI file. It looks like the audio codec is Dolby AC3 (id 0x2000). Also attached is the MediaInfo report in text mode.

You suggest to check my program's preferences to see if it is interfacing properly with my audio. Just what do I need to check? My audio hardware is the HT OMEGA STRIKER 7.1.

Thanks for the help.

[Steve Grisetti]

Unfortunately, that YouTube downloader is saving your file in an non-editable format (Divx codec) as I feared above. It's also saving your audio as AC3 rather than PCM 1024 kbps. It also uses an unusual frame size (352x288) anbd frame rate (~15 fps).This is a great format, then, if all you want to do is play the video back on your computer. But, if you want to edit it, it's unfortunately not going to go.

You can try converting it using the free download Super Video Converter. I can't guarantee the quality will be all that good, since you're up-rezzing it from low resolution and a low frame rate, but at least you may be able to get an editable file out of it.

Use these output specs from Super:

Set the Output Container drop-down menu to DV -- and leave everything else at its default setting. (Although, if you are using PAL video, ensure that Video Scale Size is set to 720:576.) Drag the video you want to convert to the area just below the Output specs and click Encode.

Super is available from http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html

[charlesolawrence]

Thanks for the help, Steve.

Forgive my ignorance, but I am still confused as to why the file will not play audio inside Vegas. You tell me that the Divx codec is essentially "non-editable" but yet it plays in Vegas, and I see in the Vegas help file that AC3, even though compressed is still supported by Vegas, and yet it is what does not play in Vegas. I hope you can see my point of confusion.

The web video downloader I use does allow me to modify the specs of the conversion to AVI. Previously, I had just left the defaults, but I did some experimenting. I still chose AVI format, but set the following: video codec to MPEG 4-V2, frame rate to 29.97, frame size to 720x480, audio codec to MP3. The resultant AVI file worked OK in Vegas, both video and audio. However when I tried again with everything the same but the audio codec at AC3, the resultant AVI again, as before, had no audio in Vegas. For a third time I set the video codec to Divx and the audio codec to MP3 and the resultant AVI worked OK in Vegas, From this, empirically at least, it seems that Vegas cannot handle an AVI with an audio code set to AC3, even though the help file says Vegas supports AC3, but maybe that's standalone AC3, not as a stream in an AVI container.

What say you to all this?

Remember that Premiere Pro CS5 can handle the recalcitrant AVI files OK.

[Steve Grisetti]

That sounds about right, Charles.

Funny thing about video editors and processors. Sometimes you can see and hear your video just fine on the timeline, but when you export a file, the program can't figure out how to properly convert the audio or video codecs and you get nothing or something that jiggles like jello.

I'm not sure your video downloader will download video in a format that Vegas will like -- but the MP4 option is probably as good as any. (And probably better than that Divx-AVI you've been getting.) Just make sure that, when you start your new video project, you first go to the Project menu, select New and then, on the New Project screen, you select the option to Match Media Settings and browse to a sample clip of the video you plan to use. That way the program will set up your project to match these settings as closely as possible. It may not be a perfect match -- but, at least editing MP4s, it might be good enough.

It's worth a try anyway.