I suffer with this lack of audio graphic intermittantly when I use .mts input clips and usually doing something will get it back most of the time.

However I have just been playing with an mp4 clip and cannot seem to do anything to recover the audio graphic.

It is the graphic waveform thats missing. Audio plays correctly and can be modified using the dot method (rubber banding).

Interestingly this mp4 clip displays the yellow (making shadow) icon, and the tool tip that pops up when cursor over the thumbnail also says Shadow File: Generating ... - but its not. I just left a single 5 minute clip in mp4 format - system is virtually idle and no file in the expected shadowfiles folder is present.

Interesting fact - shadow files are also mp4. Does PD think as its mp4 already theres no point in making shadow file? Despite saying it is in progress?

There is definitely something faulty going on. 1) I occassionally get this issue with mts clips altho I can usually get out of it (most times) sometimes reloading project is necessary. 2) mp4 clip does not seem to cause shadow file creation despite PD giving every indication that is is in progress.

Alan.

Quote I suffer with this lack of audio graphic intermittantly when I use .mts input clips and usually doing something will get it back most of the time.

However I have just been playing with an mp4 clip and cannot seem to do anything to recover the audio graphic.

It is the graphic waveform thats missing. Audio plays correctly and can be modified using the dot method (rubber banding).

Interestingly this mp4 clip displays the yellow (making shadow) icon, and the tool tip that pops up when cursor over the thumbnail also says Shadow File: Generating ... - but its not. I just left a single 5 minute clip in mp4 format - system is virtually idle and no file in the expected shadowfiles folder is present.

Interesting fact - shadow files are also mp4. Does PD think as its mp4 already theres no point in making shadow file? Despite saying it is in progress?

There is definitely something faulty going on. 1) I occassionally get this issue with mts clips altho I can usually get out of it (most times) sometimes reloading project is necessary. 2) mp4 clip does not seem to cause shadow file creation despite PD giving every indication that is is in progress.

Alan.

Unless you are really low on RAM, I think you would be doing youreself a favor by turning off that shadow file business. Not that it will solve the missing waveform. :-/ I agree that it seems like a caching issue, though., becasue again, I have solved it a few times just by renaming the source file and then re-importing it. --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

Received from the SUPPORT

Thankingyou for your kind request We would advise you to go to the C: \ Users \
[user_name] \ AppData \ Roaming \ CyberLink \ PowerDirector \ 13.0 \
Cache \ WaveForms folder and then delete all the temporary files.

Incase the trouble persists, please switch to "Preferences" -> General
"to disable the" HD video processing - shadow file "box.

Please let us know the results obtained.



Best regards

Your CyberLink technical support W 10 64 , pc Dell XPS 8000 - core i7 2,8 GHz--ram 6 MB--GEFORCE GTX 1050TI 4GB - SSD 256 + 2x630--area Pal
Videocam: Panasonic SD 700 avchd
Pinnacle 14 - PD 9-13-17

Quote go to the C: \ Users \
[user_name] \ AppData \ Roaming \ CyberLink \ PowerDirector \ 13.0 \
Cache \ WaveForms folder and then delete all the temporary files.

Well, that seems to confirm my instinct that it is a caching issue...and now we know where the files are, so I'll certainly try that next time I run into trouble. FYI, that same folder location exists for PD16 as well.


EDIT:
---------------
I just deleted all of the files and then opened PD16, at which point i was greeted with a message to the effect that I was missing out on the smoothest experience. I followed that link which let to a patch. I installed the patch and now PD16 shows 16.0.2524.0. There were no specific notes with the patch, so no way to know what it was supposed to fix.

I then imported a video file and zilch. Nothing. No audio waveform AND no thumbnails. I then existed PD16 and started over, re-imported the video, and at that point it rendered the thumbnails within seconds and the audio waveform about five seconds after that. So I just don't know. It just seems very fragile. --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

To delete temporary files, you can also use PREFERENCE> GENERALI: W 10 64 , pc Dell XPS 8000 - core i7 2,8 GHz--ram 6 MB--GEFORCE GTX 1050TI 4GB - SSD 256 + 2x630--area Pal
Videocam: Panasonic SD 700 avchd
Pinnacle 14 - PD 9-13-17

Quote To delete temporary files, you can also use PREFERENCE> GENERALI:

Does that delete the audio waveform cache, or just the shadow files? --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

Quote

Quote To delete temporary files, you can also use PREFERENCE> GENERALI:

Does that delete the audio waveform cache, or just the shadow files?

See the extension. You can choose what you want W 10 64 , pc Dell XPS 8000 - core i7 2,8 GHz--ram 6 MB--GEFORCE GTX 1050TI 4GB - SSD 256 + 2x630--area Pal
Videocam: Panasonic SD 700 avchd
Pinnacle 14 - PD 9-13-17

Quote To delete temporary files, you can also use PREFERENCE> GENERALI:See the extension. You can choose what you want

I had never actually clicked on the manual delete button, but having just done so, I see that the dialog contains a list of temp files - including the waveform files. Thanks - that's really good to know. --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

Since I upgraded to PowerDirector 16, the audio track does not display the wave line most of the time. This is crucial to my editing, and I have had to revert to PD 15 to get any work done.

Also the ability to change the volume with the little dots no longer works; you have to go to the audio room.


What do you mean? I have PD16 and I still use it!
You just need to press the control key when adding a dot, that's all. PD17 Ult, PD16Ult, PD15ult + 13ult + 12ult
Painthop X9, X7, X4, 9
Aurora 3D (!!)
Animation Shop
Flex Gif Animator
Howler 9.5 !!
Intel Core I7-479 Cpu, 3.6 Ghz, 24 Gig Ram
Windows 10. 64 bits

"...press the control key while adding a dot"? What does that mean? --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

Quote "...press the control key while adding a dot"? What does that mean?

Without reading back too far - I assume we are editing the audio?

Select the audio clip you want to edit. Then hover the mouse pointer (the hand) accurately over the volume line (it changes to up/down arrow), then without moving anything press and hold Ctrl key - see the pointer change to a black dot while you hold ctrl down? While still holding Ctrl - click and hold left mouse button and see the black dot change to a red dot on a four arrow pointer. While red - you can drag it around left right up down then release leftbutton when in a place you like. There - you altered the audio amplitude line.

While dragging it around (red) you can also drag it off the selected clip and and the 4arrows will change to a trash can, let go of the left mouse button - and lo the trash is where your red dot ends up! Simples.

Have fun.

Alan

Quote

Without reading back too far - I assume we are editing the audio?

Select the audio clip you want to edit. Then hover the mouse pointer (the hand) accurately over the volume line (it changes to up/down arrow), then without moving anything press and hold Ctrl key - see the pointer change to a black dot while you hold ctrl down? While still holding Ctrl - click and hold left mouse button and see the black dot change to a red dot on a four arrow pointer. While red - you can drag it around left right up down then release leftbutton when in a place you like. There - you altered the audio amplitude line.

While dragging it around (red) you can also drag it off the selected clip and and the 4arrows will change to a trash can, let go of the left mouse button - and lo the trash is where your red dot ends up! Simples.

Have fun.

Alan

Thanks Alan, that's a nice description of how to change the audio level from the timeline, but the main point of this thread is that the audio waveform often fails to render in the timeline, which makes it pretty hard to do any kind of editing. --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

Quote

Quote

Without reading back too far - I assume we are editing the audio?

Select the audio clip you want to edit. Then hover the mouse pointer (the hand) accurately over the volume line (it changes to up/down arrow), then without moving anything press and hold Ctrl key - see the pointer change to a black dot while you hold ctrl down? While still holding Ctrl - click and hold left mouse button and see the black dot change to a red dot on a four arrow pointer. While red - you can drag it around left right up down then release leftbutton when in a place you like. There - you altered the audio amplitude line.

While dragging it around (red) you can also drag it off the selected clip and and the 4arrows will change to a trash can, let go of the left mouse button - and lo the trash is where your red dot ends up! Simples.

Have fun.

Alan

Thanks Alan, that's a nice description of how to change the audio level from the timeline, but the main point of this thread is that the audio waveform often fails to render in the timeline, which makes it pretty hard to do any kind of editing.

I totally agree - I had a video where the sound/vision dropped to zero for a few seconds - impossible to edit out the silence while retaining lipsync without that audio graphic. Got it back and the resultant edit was quick and resulted in a seamless repair in both sound and vision.

I thiink the clearing out of the temp files described above is probably one of the bext temporary solutions, given by tech support, so hopefully its on their todo list for a future release.

Alan.

Quote
Thanks Alan, that's a nice description of how to change the audio level from the timeline, but the main point of this thread is that the
I totally agree - I had a video where the sound/vision dropped to zero for a few seconds - impossible to edit out the silence while retaining lipsync without that audio graphic. Got it back and the resultant edit was quick and resulted in a seamless repair in both sound and vision.

I thiink the clearing out of the temp files described above is probably one of the bext temporary solutions, given by tech support, so hopefully its on their todo list for a future release.

Alan.

As for tech support, I basically can't get any. I still have tickets from last month with no response.

It remains to be seen if that work-around actually works. I have had this happen with brand new never-before-used audio files, so in a case like that, there would have been nothing to delete. I will say that some of the audio files that I had trouble with had the same name as some previous files, so if PowerDirector is using filename alone as a criteria for refreshing the cache, that certainly wouldn't work very well with auto-generated filenames like that. One could rename them before importing, but it shouldn't be necessary...it's just another potential work-around. --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

I have exactly the same problem. I am using PD 16. I upgraded about 3 months ago from PD 14.
After my upgrade I produced already some films using PD 16.
I still had my waveforms than.
I have started editting a new film and recently I lost the audio waveforms.
One of the suggestions is deleting the temp audio files which I did in both the 14.0 as the 16.0 version.
I still have my audio, but visible is only a straight line.
Also strange is the fact that when I open one of my older project where I had the waveforms, that they are gone now also

I think it has happened after one of the former updates. I have updated also yesterday to 2524, but no improvements with the audio waves
This is a big problem for me because it causes much more time for editing my audio in my films

Who can help me?

Support also recommends in PREFERENCE GENERAL disabling video HD (file shadow ) processing. W 10 64 , pc Dell XPS 8000 - core i7 2,8 GHz--ram 6 MB--GEFORCE GTX 1050TI 4GB - SSD 256 + 2x630--area Pal
Videocam: Panasonic SD 700 avchd
Pinnacle 14 - PD 9-13-17

thanks, but I already disabled shadow file in the general settings

Lacking any official reply from CyberLink, I believe I have come up with my own work-arounds. First, deleting the temp files from within PowerDirector is, at best, an akward solution, because while a project is open, PD has those files locked, and the manual delete routine is not sophisticated enough to unlock them on-the-fly. Practically speaking, this means that when audio waveforms fail to render, one must first exit PowerDirector, so that the locks with be released. And then, one must start PD again, and before loading any project, perform a manual deletion. So far, that has always resulted in PD16 then rendering video thumbnails and audio waveforms as expected.

Without any official information to the contrary, I believe that PD16 assumes that files with the same name are, in fact, the same file, but in real life, that's not necessarily true. For example, I have a digital piano that always creates files starting with TAKE00.wav, and then continuing with TAKE01, 02, 03, and so on until the USB drive is full. At which point I would, without much thought, just go ahead and delete the files. And then it starts over again at TAKE00. I think it’s worth mentioning too that the piano gives all of the files exactly the same date and time too. Something very similar happens if one uses the voice-over feature in PowerDirector, since PD16 always uses the same filename sequence.

So if one is working with auto-generated files like that, it is very likely that one will eventually be working with some identically-named files. And at that point, I suppose it would depend upon whether PowerDirector had automatically deleted the cached files. Mine is set for 30 days, so I assume that to be the default. One solution might be to just change that setting to a much lower number.

I guess it depends upon one’s hardware, but on my PC, it only takes a few seconds to re-create the thumbnails and waveforms. For example, with a 30 minute/15GB video file, my machine generates the thumbnails in under 30 seconds, and the audio waveforms in less time than that. Considering how much time I’ve spent trying get PD16 to render audio waveforms, that seems like a pretty reasonable trade-off to me. Of course the most obvious solution would be for CyberLink to finally go ahead and just fix the problem. I mean, how hard could it be to check for file size and date in addition to name?

Failing that, the work-around that I have found is to simply avoid identical filenames to the extent that I can. For example, when working with the files from the piano, I consciously avoid deleting the last file in the numbered sequence from the USB flash drive. That way, the piano will always continue with its numbers sequence, always creating a unique filename. I’m not sure what will happen when I get to TAKE99, but I’ll face that when I get there. I don’t foresee it happening within the 30-day timeframe of PowerDirector’s auto-delete cycle. If one has a lot of such files to deal with, then I suppose that one could name them by date and time.

‘Not sure what to do about PowerDirector’s own tendency to create duplicate filenames, other than to proactively change the name of every capture to something other than “Capture”. But then if one does that, then one will be faced with manually naming every file in the series, because PD16 only increments the numbered filenames when using the default “Capture” prefix. Only then does PD automatically increment to Capture(0).wav, Capture(1).wav, etc. to the filename. And in case anyone with influence is reading this, those are some very ugly and hard-to-read filenames. I say lose the parenthesis and use a hyphen instead.

In any case, prevention is currently my best work-around because constantly having to bail out of PowerDirector, only to then restart and manually delete the temp files is very much a work-around. It seems pretty good the first time, after fighting to see a waveform for a while, but it gets old pretty fast. At the end of the day, the real solution would be for CyberLink to actually address the problem by comparing file date and size as well as name.

Meanwhile, if anyone finds a better work-around, please let me know! --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

Quote Since I upgraded to PowerDirector 16, the audio track does not display the wave line most of the time. This is crucial to my editing, and I have had to revert to PD 15 to get any work done.

Either fix this or give me my money back. The software is useless to me without all it's functions.

I'm having the same problem and it's very annoying. Being able to see the waveform is important to my editing. It worked OK in every version from PD12-PD15.

I updated to PD16 several days ago and the only time the waveform shows in video clips is when I close the program and re-open the program and project, at which point all video clips already on the timeline display the audio waveform. But newly added clips still do not.

With PD15, the waveforms would sometimes appear only after I stretch or shrink the timeline; then they were there to stay. But that doesn't work here. Please come up with a fix for this.

For clarity, the waveforms of purely audio clips DO display properly. It's only those associated with video clips. In my case, I use mostly .MOV video files. But I see others seem to be having the issues with other formats as well. Detaching audio/video does not solve the issue. Only leaving the program then coming back and reloading the project does. And that only makes already-added clips display properly.

Quote
For clarity, the waveforms of purely audio clips DO display properly. It's only those associated with video clips. In my case, I use mostly .MOV video files. But I see others seem to be having the issues with other formats as well. Detaching audio/video does not solve the issue. Only leaving the program then coming back and reloading the project does. And that only makes already-added clips display properly.

I saw the failure with A/V clips as well as pure audio clips, but in both cases, it was always when I was working with duplicate file names. Any chance you could be working with duplicate filenames? But this almost sounds like a different issue than I was having, because no amount of leaving the program and then coming back helped in my case. --
-Mark
Cable Solutions

Quote

Quote
For clarity, the waveforms of purely audio clips DO display properly. It's only those associated with video clips. In my case, I use mostly .MOV video files. But I see others seem to be having the issues with other formats as well. Detaching audio/video does not solve the issue. Only leaving the program then coming back and reloading the project does. And that only makes already-added clips display properly.

I saw the failure with A/V clips as well as pure audio clips, but in both cases, it was always when I was working with duplicate file names. Any chance you could be working with duplicate filenames? But this almost sounds like a different issue than I was having, because no amount of leaving the program and then coming back helped in my case.

No, my files are all uniquely named (sequentially, by my cameras). The only time duplication occurs - on the timeline, at least - is when I split clips. But they are still from the same source file and the symptom is present even before splitting or modifying in any way.

Though I was using the program an hour ago and the waveforms were working fine. So it's an intermittent issue, evidently.