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DaVinci Resolve

Fixing Audio Misalignment in DaVinci Resolve — Multiple Frame Rates

• 4 mins read

When piecing your video together in DaVinci Resolve, multiple frame rates audio not aligned can give you this lag-like effect that doesn’t really catch up with your visuals. This hiccup usually pops up when you’re mixing clips shot at multiple frame rates, leading to audio not aligning perfectly with your video. It’s a common curveball that sends the rhythm of your edits out the window.

Let’s discuss how to keep your project sounding as good as it looks, even when those pesky frame rates don’t want to cooperate.

Steps to Align Audio with Multiple Frame Rates

In DaVinci Resolve, multiple frame rates audio not aligned is caused by clips shot at various frame rates such as 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps — when edited together without proper adjustments, the audio might lag or rush ahead of your video frames. Resolve tries to smooth things over with its default settings, but sometimes, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and make those manual adjustments yourself.

To ensure your audio aligns correctly with your video in DaVinci Resolve, follow these steps.

Audio Track in DaVinci Resolve

Pick Your Frame Rate 

When you’re picking a frame rate for your project, think about what will best suit the content’s final purpose. The choice of frame rate plays a big role in how your video feels and looks to viewers. 

Mixing different frame rates can make your video appear choppy or disjointed. It’s good to match your project’s frame rate to the lowest frame rate of your clips, ensuring a uniform look and avoiding jarring transitions. This way, you maintain a consistent visual flow throughout your video.

Convert the Frame Rates

  1. In the timeline, select the clip that has a different frame rate.
  2. Right-click on the selected clip and choose Clip Attributes.
Clip Attributes in DaVinci Resolve
  1. In the Clip Attributes menu, click on the Video tab. 
  2. Under Video Frame Rate (at the top of the tab), set your desired frame rate.
  3. Click OK to apply the frame rate conversion.

Adjust Audio Sync

After converting the frame rates, the audio may sometimes fall out of sync with the video. Here’s how you can manually adjust the sync in DaVinci Resolve:

  1. In your Timeline, click on the audio clip that is out of sync.
  2. Hold Alt and use the left or right arrow keys to move the clip frame by frame. This allows you to precisely align the audio to the video.

Find a point in the timeline where it will be easy to see when the audio and video are synchronized, perhaps during a dialogue or a specific sound effect. Play the clip back to check if it is in sync.

Use the Auto Align Clips Feature

If you want to avoid manual labor as much as possible, sync your audio with the video using Resolve’s Auto Align Clips feature. You’ll need either matching timestamps or similar audio waveforms (like a camera’s built-in audio and a separate microphone recording). 

Here’s how it works:

  1. In your Timeline, select both the video and audio clips you want to sync by holding Ctrl and clicking on each clip.
  2. After selecting the clips, right-click and choose Auto Align Clips from the dropdown menu. You’ll then see two options:
  • Align Based on Timecode: This option will sync the clips automatically if they both have timecodes matching those of the camera and audio recorder.
  • Align Based on Waveform: If your video has a built-in reference audio track (e.g., from the camera’s microphone), Resolve will analyze the waveforms of both the video and external audio and align them based on similar peaks in the audio.

The Auto Align Clips feature works best when both clips either have a timecode or matching audio waveforms. If there’s a lot of noise or the waveforms are too different, the tool may not work accurately. In those cases, manual adjustment might be necessary. 

Double-Check Everything

Play through your timeline to make sure everything is synced up nicely. If it all looks good, you’re ready to export your project!

Dealing with multiple frame rates in DaVinci Resolve requires a keen eye and a little bit of manual tweaking to make sure that your audio and video are in perfect harmony. You can follow the steps above to manage different frame rate conflicts and maintain professional quality in your audiovisual projects. Remember, every project is unique, so these techniques might need adjustment based on specific circumstances and project requirements.