[MacDV] MP3 issues in FCP/FCE

[Ronald Woodland]

I haven't seen a discussion thread on this issue, so I'm wondering if 
it's just our configuration problem.

I teach a course in video editing.  Of course, we use FCP and DVD 
Studio Pro as the tools.  (I used to use Premiere in a cross-platform 
environment, but it wasn't robust enough for student use.  That's not 
possible anymore.  Besides, FCP has become the software of choice among 
the pros anyway.)

In the first half of every semester, this issue comes up.  Songs in MP3 
format do not work well in FCP.  I don't know exactly where the problem 
comes from -- whether on import into the project or on export -- but 
there is a predictable result when using MP3 files that I call "broken 
stream."  If you look at the waveform of an MP3-orignated sound clip in 
a FCP project or an exported QT movie afflicted with this problem, you 
can see repeated breaks in the sound, usually in a very periodic 
pattern through the entire clip.  The original MP3 file plays fine in 
iTunes or other audio editing software, but it's bad once in FCP.  The 
workaround is to convert to AIFF or WAV, then the problem never appears 
and the music sounds great.

Has anyone else seen this problem?  Is there something I"m missing in 
FCP?  It's very repeatable, but I don't find any "buzz" about this 
problem anywhere.

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Ronald Woodland, Assistant Professor                                    
435.652.7970
Director of Visual Technologies Program
Dixie State College - St. George, Utah  84770

woodland at dixie.edu                                                      
    http://cit.cs.dixie.edu
woodland at infowest.com
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