Review of PluralEyes video and audio synchronization software

One of the biggest pain points in non-linear video editing workflow is the need to synchronize multiple video and audio tracks on a timeline. Many wildlife photographers I know now carry standalone video recording devices like the Zoom H4n to record ambient sounds, interviews, and other interesting audio.

PluralEyes is a small standalone application made by Singular Software used to synchronize audio and video clips directly on the timeline....

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Singular Software sent me Plural Eyes to review for the editing websites. It works great at syncing almost as many tracks as you want. The only problem I incurred, and others have contacted me with the same issue, is that using the automatically created multi clip for multiple angle editing, causes either crashes or just didn't react quick enought when switching angles in the viewer. I found that using FCPs own 'make multiclip' was more stable. The big thing is that it synced audio and video perfectly.

Steve

I used Plural Eyes for the first time a couple of weeks ago. WOW! Saved me hours of time syncing three cameras and four audio captures. I'd recommend it 100% and I've not had a problem with crashes (yet!), although I've just been cut and pasting the synced sequence back into a main timeline.

I used Plural Eyes for the first time a couple of weeks ago. WOW! Saved me hours of time syncing three cameras and four audio captures. I'd recommend it 100% and I've not had a problem with crashes (yet!), although I've just been cut and pasting the synced sequence back into a main timeline.

Done I'm buying it........ I had a work experience guy working on syncing an events job yesterday and I think it nearly drove him bonkers!!

Done I'm buying it........ I had a work experience guy working on syncing an events job yesterday and I think it nearly drove him bonkers!!

Hmmmmm work experience guy.... hmmmmm now that's an idea!!

I'm still on the 30 day free trial, but I'm going to be buying it for sure. It's an amazing, but simple bit of software that actually pays for itself on time saved if you are on a price.

Cheers, Simon

Hmmmmm work experience guy.... hmmmmm now that's an idea!!

Umm yes and no, current guy is good some others have been awful. The funny thing is they all come from Uni and doing film / television degrees and to be honest they actually don't get taught anything useful. They get editing assignments but never get taught how to edit an filming assignments without ever really being taught how to use a camera.

Great software. Simple and easy to use.

Recommend it.

Hmmm after giving it so much praise the two projects I used it on last week were hard work for Plural Eyes. One was a 2 camera (7D and 5D) shoot with independent audio capture, the other was just 7D and independent audio. It seems to struggle if the audio is left on record for considerably longer than the visuals - ie if you keep audio recording and constantly stop start the camera for the visuals. Perhaps that's just a lesson learned for me.

Cheers, Simon

Hmmm after giving it so much praise the two projects I used it on last week were hard work for Plural Eyes. One was a 2 camera (7D and 5D) shoot with independent audio capture, the other was just 7D and independent audio. It seems to struggle if the audio is left on record for considerably longer than the visuals - ie if you keep audio recording and constantly stop start the camera for the visuals. Perhaps that's just a lesson learned for me.

 

Cheers, Simon

Not sure how you worked it Simon, but make sure that the clips are on different video tracks and if you can make them chronological order. If you are able to "ball park" the audio and clips and drop markers in, then use markers in plural eyes, it seems to also help the trouble areas. I shot something with 7Ds and 5Ds recently and it worked well. Though it sounds like it was not as much on/off during the audio as what you had going. I also shot about 50 minutes straight through at a show, couple of HDV cams left running and a 5D, which went on and off alot, and it was able to synch out to the audio track from the HDV cams.

Learn to snap your clapperboard!

Not sure how you worked it Simon, but make sure that the clips are on different video tracks and if you can make them chronological order. If you are able to "ball park" the audio and clips and drop markers in, then use markers in plural eyes, it seems to also help the trouble areas. I shot something with 7Ds and 5Ds recently and it worked well. Though it sounds like it was not as much on/off during the audio as what you had going. I also shot about 50 minutes straight through at a show, couple of HDV cams left running and a 5D, which went on and off alot, and it was able to synch out to the audio track from the HDV cams.

Yes each audio track was on a different timeline. It was very on/off on the video (talking heads who kept getting their lines wrong!), but we just let the audio run on most of the time. I'm sure if I'd stopped the audio more often it would have coped better. More than anything it just surprised me as it had coped so well up till now.

Learn to snap your clapperboard!

I did, but it keeps on scaring the fish away

Learn to snap your clapperboard!

Yes we actually had a clapperboard, but no one there knew how to use it!!

Cheers, Simon

Learn to snap your clapperboard!

I did but it kept turning the light panels off. Couldn't get the light panels to go back on until with used the clapperboard a 2nd time.

Hmmm after giving it so much praise the two projects I used it on last week were hard work for Plural Eyes. One was a 2 camera (7D and 5D) shoot with independent audio capture, the other was just 7D and independent audio. It seems to struggle if the audio is left on record for considerably longer than the visuals - ie if you keep audio recording and constantly stop start the camera for the visuals. Perhaps that's just a lesson learned for me.

 

Cheers, Simon

There are a few video tutorials for just that type of capturing method on their website. The cams do not have to start and stop at the same time for Plural Eyes to work.

http://www.singularsoftware.com/tutorials.html

Steve

There are a few video tutorials for just that type of capturing method on their website. The cams do not have to start and stop at the same time for Plural Eyes to work.

http://www.singularsoftware.com/tutorials.html

 

Steve

Sure, the problem appeared to be having an audio clip that was drastically longer than the video clips. If you had maybe four or five 30 second takes of video and just one audio file 5-6 min long covering all of those takes then it really struggled. If you had broadly similar video and audio clip lengths then it handled that no problem. It would not have been a major hassle to turn the audio on and off at more or less the same time as the video, so I'll just do that next time!

Cheers, Simon