G'day Phil -

I replicated your test, using the same parameters - and got the same result. "Pavane" did not play in the produced file, either in preview or a media player. N.B. SS clip & .wav file were in the same track (music)

Tested further with variations:
1. Substituted .mpg clip for .wmv, .m2ts, .mp4... no difference/same result.
2. Substituted SS track for a different one (tested 3) - all else remained the same (SS clip & .wav in same track)... played back correctly.
3. Moved SS clip or .wav file to a different track... played back correctly - yes - with "Pavane" too.

Sorry - can't explain it. Just observations. It does provide a simpler work around. Insert music clips in different tracks.

Cheers - Tony


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Thanks, Tony, for taking the time to explore the problem. Glad to know it is just not me and my computer. Sounds to me like this might be an "enhanced" feature of PD9. Hopefully they will fix it with one of the future patches. I will experiment with moving SmartSound files to other audio tracks. Hopefully that will work for me as well as it did for you until CL addresses this issue.

Have a great day, and thanks again.

Regards,
-Phil

If you must, you can always try placing a SS file in a MUSIC timeline and produce it as an audio-only file.
Tell me, when you open SS and click on Libraries, what does the screen tell you is in your database?
And...are you using 5180? HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Barry: Thanks for your response. I tried that trick - producing it to a .wav file, but the resulting .wav file wouldn't play either. SmartSound tells me that I am running Version 5.1.8.0. I just checked for updates again today - none.

I must be stunned, Barry, but I cannot see a Libraries button. It seems I must always Rebuild the Database to start a new session with SmartSound (no music appears when first launched) and then the music shows (All -52 Style(s)). I purchased five songs on Friday and they all show in bold along with about a dozen others, all of which have variations when you click on them. I have Clear Vision, Feature Presentation, Future Progress, Global Vibes, Introspective, Julie's Place, Pavane, Run Down, Super Logo, and Wild Chase, plus the five that I purchased.

In the Libraries folder, under Program Data, SmarSound Software Inc., there are three files: local.ssdb, Master Libraries.sxl, and Master.ssdb. Under Sound Files, I show 76 files.

What I did notice is that the SmartSound clips can only be placed in either the microphone or music track. I tried adding an extra audio track, but PD9 won't let me place a SmartSound clip on the new audio track. I am on PD9 build 2702 and it is installed as x64. It also won't let me put SmartSound clips on any of the audio tracks associated with a video track.

This might be an "enhanced" feature of Build 2702, or might be the usual chair-to-keyboard interface problem that I encounter so often. Did I mention I must be stunned!

Any assistance will be appreciated. I read one post from Dafydd in which he recommended installing the FFDshow codec. I am going to install that and see if it helps. If it does, I will post back.

I can send you a screenshot if that would help.

Thanks again Barry for your time and expertise. Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil

Phil -

Barry is the resident forum SmartSound guru. He knows it inside out!

There are definitely some issues with the SmartSound/PowerDirector interface in PD9. Recently, I wrote to SS tech support about some of them.

Barry confirms that his system is exhibiting similar symptoms.

Hi Frank -

Firstly, thanks so much for getting back to me with the link for the latest version of Quicktracks. Your support is very much appreciated.

I'm not sure whether this is something you can help with or not. It may be something that needs to be referred to R&D. It may also be a CyberLink PowerDirector interface issue. I've confirmed these observations with other PD/SS users. In any case, I'd appreciate it if you could either provide some information or pass this on to the relevant people at SmartSound.

Here's what I've worked out on my system:
1. It appears that all the tracks I own (or just happened to come upon!) appear in the SS module under "All Styles", but they're not all listed in bold under the expected category.
e.g. I own the Album "Bossa/Retro/Cool", which contains the track "Bossa Lament". This track is listed under "All Styles" in bold but under "Lounge" it's in plain text. It's still playable however.

2. When I checked my track list in C:\ProgramData\SmartSound Software Inc\Sound Files, I couldn't find any tracks that weren't listed under "All Styles". I guess they'd all migrated to the top (sorta)

3. When I checked my Libraries folder at C:\ProgramData\SmartSound Software Inc\Libraries, I found the following, which does NOT include all the albums I own.

I did a search through windows and found a few of them in a totally unrelated folder. Many of them I cannot locate at all anywhere on the PC! (see attached - Lost Libraries)

4. When I was installing all the albums yesterday, NOT ONCE was a code requested. No once! I thought that was pretty weird, since I'd completely uninstalled PD, SmartSound and everything before installing PD9.

5. The SmartSound module tells me all the albums are present (see below), but some of the libraries (.sdx or .sdi files) cannot be found on the computer.

Frank - I don't know whether these issues have been reported to you or your colleagues. It's really very odd indeed. I guess, at least, I'm able to use all the music. It's all behaved properly so far.

Your time & attention are very much appreciated. Thank you.

Regards - Tony

Phil - no Libraries button? When you're in the SS module & you click on SmartSound, aren't there some tabs? Your Libraries folder should contain at least one library - "Full Spectrum 22k.sdx" - installed with PD.



... but, as I wrote above, all's not well in the state of PD9's SmartSound.

Cheers - Tony
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SS tracks can only be placed in music tracks. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Barry and Tony: You guys are awesome. I can place SS clips in the microphone track as well as the music track. I don't, but the system will let me do it.

Below is an image of my timeline where the first 20 seconds of Pavane won't play, unless I produce it separately and then start a new project and insert the produced file.



This is what SmartSound looks like on my computer - no Library tab, unless I am blind, although I know I am stunned.



This is what my SmartSound Inc. Library folder looks like.



I am happy (I think) to hear that it is not just me. I have far too many chair-to-keyboard interface problems.

I REALLY do appreciate all of your help. It is interesting that every time I start a new PD session, I have to click on the SmartSound button and rebuild the database before any music appears. It's an extra step and I don't really mind, but I am guessing that such behaviour was not envisioned by the programmers.

In any event, I am very grateful for all of your help. These forums, and you pros who lurk in the shadows, deserve the gratitude of all PD users. I have learned so much from you all, just reading the posts. I did install the FFDshow codec, but I don't know whether that will solve the problem with SmartSound. Haven't had, and won't have, for a few days, the time to do another movie project. I have to convert another two hours of camcorder tape to .mpeg2. Never could get PD9 to do the capture so have to use another product - I suspect it is because the source is analog Hi8 tape.

Once again, thanks very much. Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil

Hi Tony and Barry: Just a further update. I installed the FFDshow codec pack that Dafydd recommends and now my SmartSound music appears, without the need to rebuild the database.

Where would we newbies be without you pros? You ROCK!

Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil

I never had that issue, but I am intrigued by Dafydd's solution.
Oh, and in PD8, there is a library tab, and SS tracks only go in the musical tracks.

In PD9 it's "Albums", and the SS will go in the voice track, and music tracks.

Neither 8 or 9 accept SS in any audio track.
HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Thanks, Tony, Barry, and Dafydd. In the next few days, I will get some more camcorder tape converted to digital and will try to produce and burn some more DVDs again with SS. I will be interested to see if the FFDshow codec pack solves the problem. I will report back.

That Tony could reproduce my problem with Pavane, but had success with other SS music tracks indicates that there might be a "Pavane Problem."

It sure is a lot of fun learning the "eccentricities" of PD9 and SS, but I love the programs and I am so grateful for all of your help. Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil

Dear All -

I received a reply from Frank at SmartSound. It certainly confirms all that's reported about the quality of SmartSound technical support.

For now, my PD9 PC is in hospital so I can't check Frank's suggestions, but I will do when it comes home for rehab.

The contents of the email are attached, should you be interested.

Cheers - Tony
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Hello, Tony. Like you, I received a quick response from SmartSound. Their technical support is awesome. It appears that it is not just a problem with the "chair-to-keyboard" interface here in Port Hood. I will post again when I get a further reply from Frank.

Thanks to you and to Barry for all of your help. Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil

An update for all. I installed the FFDshow codec pack, as Dafydd suggested to another user in another thread. That is the only change I made to my computer. I produced another movie today with the same parameters as before: 20 second image intro, along with a title, and a 20 second SmartSound clip of Pavane Wow, followed by a one hour .mpg2 converted camcorder movie, followed by a 2.5 minutes closing .wav file, closing credits, and an image file. Total project length was 1:03:19:22.

It produced successfully and the Pavane played. No need to pre-produce the intro this time.

My thanks to Dafydd and to all of you who helped me resolve the problem. I will let Frank at SmartSound Tech Support know as well, since they are kindly looking into this issue for me.

PD9 is really complex and it is amazing how "fussy" it is. Not something I would have thought of (installing the FFDshow codec pack) to fix the problem.

Have a great day, all, and thanks again.

Regards,
-Phil

OK, I spoke too soon. This is getting strange. The Pavane played on the "produce.mpg" file (mpeg2 format - DVD HQ), played by Windows Media Player, but on the created disks, there is no sound from Pavane. Don't know what that tells us. I am going to play around some with inserting the "produce.mpg" into the timeline and burning that to see if it plays. If not, I will try pre-producing the intro as I did before and confirm that it will work that way.

This PD9 does have its "eccentricities."

Have a great day, all. The plot thickens ...

Regards,
-Phil

Yet another update. I went back and created a new project. The only thing in the timeline was the "produce.mpg" from the movie project that I did today. I added the opening default menu and burned at 4x. Pavane played on the resulting DVD (burned DVD HQ 4.7).

So now that the FFDshow codec pack has enabled me to successfully produce, that is the workaround I will use until someone figures out why the Create Disc module drops the Pavane intro 20-second sound track, placed in the Music track, from my projects.

I love this program, but there is a lot to learn. Will let Frank at SmartSound know of this.

Have a great day, and thanks to all.

Regards,
-Phil

Oddly Phil, FFDshow is installed on my PC (part of the K-Lite Codec Pack), as it was when I first tried to replicate your initial problem.

I'm glad to hear you've resolved it for now but, in my opinion, it's an issue with "Pavane"... since it didn't occur with other SS tracks.

Thank you for the updates, Phil.

Cheers - Tony
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Tony: Thanks for your response. I will accept that it might Pavane that is at fault since I am NO expert. I have not done any testing with other SS music clips. Must try that.

In any event, SS Tech Support is looking into the matter and hopefully between them, and CL, the problem will get fixed in a future patch or update.

Have a great day, Tony, and thanks for all of your help.

Regards,
-Phil

Tony: This just keeps getting stranger. I went to Produce another movie today and the SmartSound won't play in the "Produced" clip. I tried a couple of other SS free music clips and it was similarly a "no go". Taking your advice, I tried with Peer Gynt, a SS clip that I had purchased. That would produce and play a 20 second duration. There is definitely a bug lurking about somewhere but it is proving to be very elusive. Could it be that SS or PD9 just can't handle such a short duration?

I have made no changes to my laptop since yesterday, except updating my virus definitions, so why PD9 would produce yesterday and play Pavane, but today it won't, baffles my elderly and already confused mind.

I will pass the information on to Frank at SS Tech Support.

As always, your assistance is much appreciated. Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil

Further update, after burning discs with my Peer Gynt, went back and tried producing a 20-second intro with Aerial.jpg, plus my title, plus 20-seconds of Pavane. Produced and it played. Substituted aerial.jpg for my .jpg image file, produced, and it played.

I am beginning to wonder if McAfee update ties up a service or process and maybe a reboot is in order after a McAfee update. The computer did start "clean yesterday - rebooted after the McAfee update and then started PD9. I know I am clutching at straws, but this is a weird problem. Sometimes the solutions are so simple if you can just figure out what is sabotaging PD9.

Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil