cubase and video problem

Having just done a audio dubbing on a video using Cubase 6.5, I was a bit surprised that I could not save the video file after the film editor asked me to cut some frames out. Of course this meant that the audio would not line up.
Have i missed something here, replacing audio in video file will not work as they then dont line up, is there a solution in Cubase?, or should I resort to using Vegas as I cant justify the price of Nuendo.

Don’t worry, you are not alone, My Cubase 6.5 wont even open Video files and that’s on a custom built computer.

aha, i also had that problem managed to resolve it by installing quicktime, but then lost most of my VSTs

lots of work left to do in Cubase with this whole video debacle. such a mess

The Cubase and Video terms should not be affiliated at all and Steinberg should
stop deceiving people about Cubase and Audio…it is not fair to some of us who
actually gave Steinberg over 2-3000$ for a Stupid Cubase in the last few years.
Same on Them!!!

Vegas

The best way to use video in Cubase is to get your self a copy of Vegas
I’m using an inexpensive copy of Vegas studio.
It supports and exports many file formats - plenty that work with cubase / nuendo

having written music - synced sfx - speech and got it mixed with your video
export the audio file
import to audio track in vegas
and create movie from Vegas

Also - if you’ve been given a video in the wrong video format
Vegas can sort getting a compatible version for cubase / nuendo
n.b. - don’t over compress a video - or cubase has to use more cpu to decompress and play it

Cubase doesn’t claim to be a video editor - it will merely play video back

Plus Vegas is incredibly easy to use and is a great tool kit for sorting out various formats for compatibility.

Yes, something I’ve been wanting (needing of late.!) to look into myself Dave. Thanks for posting. I don’t think there’s even a remote possibility of SB updating the video ‘facilities’ in Cubase any time soon. Maybe for Nuendo, but that’s way out of my league…

Bob

Well I used Vegas but having done a few cuts in the video in cubase just to line up lip sync, I thought I could just save the video, but NO cant save it, And I thought cut, copy and Paste where pretty standard, but whats the point if you cant save the file. I cannot see any point in having these facilities if you cant save them, or is cubase a demo version of Nuendo.

My understanding on the subject is that you can bring an edited (lengthwise) video (of the type that will play in QuickTime) into Cubase, produce an audio track for it, export the track and then join the two in QuickTime Pro or some similar program. Is anyone saying anything different here?

In fairness to Cubase, it’s not billed as a video editing program. Sure, it’s disappointing the first time you work with a video in Cubase, all the while thinking that you are going to have a finished video with audio! Pow! And for $550! But you wake up. Cubase is still awesome.

Noone says is a video editing program, i know exactly how it works and what its supposed to do
but it simply wont Load any Video, that is the problem.

Can you open the video in Quicktime?

Yes, i tried different formats too.

Every video I can open in quicktime opens fine in Cubase.

@ BasariStudios: Your problem might be that the video file you got from the editor has a codec that Cubase, or your system, doesn’t support. Especially broadcast codecs will probably not work with the Cubase video player, nor would I expect them to do so. Ask your editor if he can render a Quicktime with a DV, mp4 or H.264 codec, they should work fine.
Alternately, you could of course get the current broadcast-grade codecs from the internet. Most providers will give them to you for free. The most important ones you’ll find at AVID (all AVID x:1 and DNXHD codecs), Sony (all XDcam formats), Panasonic (DVCpro, DVC HD and AVCintra) and Apple (all ProRes formats).
But then - I haven’t tried it, but I severely doubt Cubase will support them, even if you’ve got them installed.

@ dadking: The video player in Cubase is there so you can see what you’re doing while mixing/sound-designing/scoring etc. It is not a video editing program. Even the replace audio in video file functionality is something I would only ever use to make a preview file.
The proper (professional) workflow would be for you to work with a final picture-locked film version, or have the video editor provide you with an updated version, along with a cut list so you can conform your project to the new version.
Then, you deliver the finished AUDIO to the editing suite for finalization.
I would NEVER make a single video cut in Cubase, nor EVER finalize a film with it. That’s not what it’s there for.

ok i understand cubase is not a video editing program. but can you tell me what use is it having the ability to cut a video in cubase.
when i have the director leaning over my shoulder and asks me to snip a few frames rather move the audio to lip sync i thought because it would cut the video then it should save the edit.
Unless someone can find a use for this i would suggest it should be removed.
Oh just thought you could use it to top and tail perhaps to cut down on wasted blank frames

+1!! I gave up on Cubase video early on for just the reasons enumerated in this post. And lets not forget the fun of the video engine crashing and you losing your audio work.

Using Vegas as a video slave works great! (Note: audio (Cubase) must be the master because audio is at 44.1k samples/sec or greater, whereas video is 24-30 samples/sec.) I have Vegas running on a second much less capable machine. They are linked via ipMidi – don’t need any [MIDI] cables. Also, there is an option in Vegas on how long to wait on MTC sync–the default is 2 seconds–necessary in prehistoric times when actual mechanical video machines had to sync. You can set that to 0 and make sync time virtually instantaneous.

@ dadking: You have a point there. Maybe they want you to buy Nuendo for saving video edits, buggered if I know… :smiley:
But I wouldn’t use Nuendo for video editing either…

But let me get this - you CAN cut video in Cubase (honestly, I’ve never tried, I only ever worked on projects after picture-lock, hence my question…) but can’t save the Video right? I suppose that’s because Cubase can’t export video files. (replace audio in video file will do just that - strip the old audio from the file and replace it with your work)
But then you can still alter the edit and export the AUDIO, meaning you can get your side of the job done, which is better than nothing, I’d say. You just have to get the editor to re-conform the video afterwards. The problem is then just providing him with a cut-list, which Cubase, alas, will also not export, so you’ll have to do it on paper.
So I’d say it does have it’s uses…?

OK, YOU MIGHT NEED TO EDIT YOUR PREFERENCES. If you can play a video in QuickTime and not Cubase, then you are probably having an issue with how you tell Cubase to play the file.

I feel (and share) your pain, bud!

I am facing the same, exact problem. I went through all the rigormoroe to get the video portion of Cubase to open video… all because it sounded, in the manual, like basic video editing was supported. After getting a little project loaded from 3 separate video shots, I spent several hours editing, slicing, replacing sound, and adding some background music. It was a great load of fun … until…

About 1:30 A.M., I was pretty exhausted and ready to be done. I went to the export file and …??? Huh??

No can do. I read the manual, and sure enough, the subject is talked around, but it never really says, “Sorry, you cannot keep your video splices intact unless you only watch your newly created video in CUBASE!”

I echo the same question: Why allow video splices if you can’t save the result?
It really doesn’t make any sense, does it? They really ought to just limit it to loading one video at a time. I’d have wasted a lot less time figuring out that I need a different program!