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There is a communication problem between PluralEyes and FCP

The following symptoms indicate that there is a communication problem between PluralEyes and Final Cut Pro:

1. FCP crashes after a sync
2. There is an error message from PluralEyes that says it is having trouble communicating
3. Error messages like "Got NULL for XML document root" or "Is Final Cut Pro running?" are seen
4. The project and sequence lists in PluralEyes are blank

PluralEyes communicates to Final Cut Pro using operation system services (Apple Events). It does this at startup to get the project and sequence information, and after processing is complete to send the sync results back to FCP. This normally works well but can fail if

1. The project has a large number of clips and sequences in it
2. FCP is busy and can't accept a communication
3. Apple Events aren't working

Some solutions are

1. Remove unneeded items from the project (be sure to back up the original project)
2. Wait till FCP isn't busy doing other things (like rendering)
3. Reboot

Starting with PluralEyes v2.1 there is another workaround for problems like this. You can do the communication manually by exporting and importing XML files. Here's how:

1. Export your FCP sequence to XML. To do this, go to FCP and select the desired sequence in the Browser. Choose File > Export XML....
2. In PluralEyes, click the File button and choose the exported XML file.
3. Sync with PluralEyes and import the resulting synced XML file into FCP using the menu item Import > XML....

It didn't sync

If some clips fail to sync, here are some things to try:

1. Sync options Consult the documentation for your product and try the sync options (Clips Are Chronological, Level Audio, etc.)
2. Clip layout If you are using PluralEyes, be sure that clips from different devices are on different tracks. All clips from Camera 1 go on one track, all clips from Camera 2 go on a second track, etc. If the clips aren't separated this way, they will be overlapping after the sync, which is generally not allowed and so some clips will have to be treated as unsynced.
3. Discontinuity Is there a break or discontinuity in the clip? Common causes of discontinuity are
   
   • A still picture is snapped with a DSLR while it was recording the video
   • The pause button was pressed on the audio recorder
   • Dropouts when capturing from tape
   Any of these will cause a disruption in the audio of one clip that is not there in the other, and they can't be synced no matter how you do it. With PluralEyes, this can be worked around by using the razor tool to split the clip near the discontinuity.
4. Multiple recordings Are there multiple recordings in one clip? Each clip needs to correspond to one continuous stretch of recording. If several clips are combined into one media file, the sync (probably) won't work. Similarly, if clips are captured from tape, be sure to use an option in the capture software to create a new media file whenever the camera was stopped and started. If a clip does have several recordings in it, with PluralEyes you can use the razor tool to split them up.
5. Insufficient audio A clip may be too short. There is no absolute minimum length for a clip, but sometimes in very short clips there just isn't enough audio information for the sync algorithm to work with. A length of 5-10 seconds is generally enough, but it depends on the audio content.
6. Audio extraction Perhaps PluralEyes/DualEyes had a problem when extracting the audio. Look for files with the name *_synctemp.aiff or *_synctemp.wav that are next to the original media files. Play them in an audio player. Do they sound OK?
7. Shouldn't sync Are you sure they should sync? Sometimes clips don't sync because they are in fact not recordings of the same event, or they are different takes, or there is some other reason why they can't be synced no matter what technique is used. Are you able to sync the clips by hand, even approximately?
8. Help! If none of the above apply, we would be very interested in investigating the cause and helping you get your project synced. Please send us the project and log files as described here and we'll work with you to solve the problem.

Audio tracks are missing in the synced sequence

Make sure that all video and audio tracks for each clipped are linked. If they become unlinked (usually accidentally), the synced output will not be right.

After the sync, clips or multiclips have a red slash, indicating they are offline

This can occur if the video clips have audio tracks that were deleted before the sync. This causes structural problems in the project data that is received by PluralEyes. If there are tracks you don't want to use in the final production (typically because they are silent), keep them until after the sync is done and delete them from the synced sequence.

When I edit a multiclip, only one angle is displayed

Some settings need to be set in FCP for multiangle display to work. They are described in this help topic: Editing in Multiclip Playback Mode.

Even with the right settings, FCP will sometimes not play multiple angles. The following tips might help:

1. Make sure the sequence settings (esp. frame rate) are the same as the clip settings.
2. If any portion of the multiclip has been rendered, it won't work.
3. Multiangle playback is resource intensive, with bandwidth of data from the disk being one of the most important factors. If your media is on an external USB 2.0 drive, try moving it to a local disk.
4. The codec makes a difference. DV and OfflineRT work well. H.264 probably won't work.

"FCPOM Exception"

The full error message says: "FCPOM exception: Unable to read Final Cut Pro formal XML stream. XML parser reports: instance document parsing failed."

Our intention is to display a more understandable message but apparently some low-level error messages are still sneaking through. The message is saying that there is something about the sequence setup that is incompatible with PluralEyes. It might be the presence of transitions, generated media, nested sequences, video unlinked from the audio, etc.

The general solution is to not do any editing (other than trimming clips) before doing the sync. There are just too many things that can happen during an edit, and even apparently simple changes can have far-reaching effects on the underneath-the-hood data that PluralEyes has to work with.

If that general advice doesn't help, send us the project and log files as described here and we should be able to provide more specific suggestions.

"Got NULL for XML document root"

1. Make sure you have the latest updates for the version of Final Cut Pro that you using (currently 6.0.6, and 7.0.3).
2. There may be a communication problem between PluralEyes and Final Cut Pro.
3. This can also happen in FCP 6 if you have FCP 6 and FCP 7 installed on the same computer. This is not a configuration that is supported by Apple and PluralEyes doesn't support it either.

"No media file found for"

This happens when there is an item in the pluraleyes sequence that has no associated media file. Examples are:

• slug
• text from a video generator
• nested sequence

Remove any such item from the pluraleyes sequence (it doesn't make sense to sync them anyway) and run PluralEyes again.

"Do you have write access to the folder with the media files?"

1. Note: This error was being reported in v1.1 in situations where write access was not the problem. This has been addressed in version 1.2.
2. PluralEyes needs to write some temporary files to the same location as the media files. If those media files are in a readonly location, this message will be displayed. Update for v1.2 : If write access is not available in that location, PluralEyes will ask for an alternative location where the temp files can be placed.

"No projects are open in Final Cut Pro"

We've had a couple of reports from people who get the error message "No projects are open in Final Cut Pro" even though there is a project open. In all cases, they were using Final Cut 6.0.x and the problem went away by updating to the latest version, which at the time of this writing is currently 6.0.6.

PluralEyes is in "Analyzing..." for a long time and then it crashes.

There is a problem in version 1.1.8 where there is a conflict with Final Cut if auto render is on and FCP is rendering when PluralEyes is trying to communicate with it. This is fixed in version 1.2. Or you can just ensure that auto render is not turned on in FCP.

PluralEyes creates a multiclip, but there is a problem with it.

Please report the problem to us (). Multiclips are complicated for programs to create but we are determined to get it right, so every problem report helps us. In the meantime, here is a workaround. In the synced sequence that PluralEyes creates, trim the clips so they have a common in point (or out point). Drag them to a bin in the browser, right-click on that bin and choose Make Multiclip....

It can happen that there is no single point that can be used as a common in or out point. In that case, you can use the synced sequence information to add auxiliary time code to the clips and create a multiclip in Final Cut based on that. To add auxiliary timecode, use the Modify > Timecode... menu item and add timecode at the beginning of each clip based on their location in the synced sequence.

"There was an error getting the project information"

The error message in the subject line is pretty rare but it has shown up in situations where there is a large number of clips, sometimes over a thousand, in the project. When PluralEyes requests the project information, Final Cut fails. We have not determined exactly how many clips is the maximum. A couple of hundred clips is OK; 1200 clips is not. The workaround is straightforward: it is unlikely that you are trying to sync a thousand clips, so create a copy of the project that has just the clips you want to sync.

"The license manager is taking too long to respond"

Please see this help topic.

License Manager: I press the Activate button and nothing happens

Please see this help topic.

How do you uninstall PluralEyes on a Mac?

To uninstall PluralEyes do the following:

1. Use the PluralEyes License Manager to de-activate the license
2. Move the PluralEyes application (/Applications/PluralEyes) to the Trash
3. Move the PluralEyes License Manager (/Applications/PluralEyes License Manager) to the Trash
4. Move the PluralEyes startup item (/Library/StartupItems/ProTec6) to the Trash. The item might be called ProTec6b depending on which version of PluralEyes you have installed.
5. Reboot

How do you uninstall PluralEyes on a PC?

To uninstall PluralEyes do the following:

1. Use the PluralEyes License Manager to de-activate the license
2. Use the provided uninstaller to remove PluralEyes
3. Reboot

The sync is a little bit off, or my clips drift out of sync.

This is almost certainly a setup issue with FCP. See this blog post for an explanation and a solution.

To check whether your setup is OK, follow these steps:

1. Download the CheckFPS utility.
2. Open your project in Final Cut Pro.
3. Click on a blank area in the Browser so nothing is selected.
4. Choose the menu item File > Export XML...
5. Start the CheckFPS utility and open the XML file that was exported in step #4.

Why does my stereo audio track become two mono tracks?

When Premiere imports XML, stereo audio becomes split in to mono channels. PluralEyes will make sure they are linked, and for most purposes that is good enough. If you really need to work with them as stereo though, you can create a stereo submix, as follows:

1. Suppose the linked mono tracks are Audio 1 and Audio 2.
2. Create a stereo submix (Submix 1).
3. Set the Track output assignment for Audio 1 and Audio 2 to Submix 1.
4. Pan Audio 1 all the way to the left; pan Audio 2 all the way to the right.
5. In the Audio Mixer panel, twirl down the triangle at the upper left to show the Effects and Sends view.
6. Add track effects to the submix in the standard way (using the drop downs in the Submix 1 column).

How do I add audio keyframes to the dual-mono tracks?

Option 1 (Track): Adjust volume in the Timeline Panel

1. Make sure the audio track is expanded (click the triangle next to the track name to expand)
2. Click the Keyframes icon, select Show Track Volume from the fly-out menu
3. Add keyframes on the timeline or drag the yellow line to adjust volume

Option 2 (Clip): Adjust volume in the Effect Controls Panel

1. Select Effects (Shift 7) > Audio Effects>Mono
2. Drag and drop the "Volume" effect to the clip on the timeline
3. Right-click on the clip, select Show Clip Keyframes > Volumes > Level
4. In the Effect Controls panel, click the stopwatch in front of Level to ON to make the Add-Remove keyframe button active
5. Add keyframes in the Effect Controls Panel or on the timeline to adjust the volume

How can I tell if I have the right .NET Framework installed?

If you are using Windows 7, the necessary .NET Framework components are already installed. For an earlier version of Windows, do this: in Internet Explorer or Firefox (Safari and Chrome don't work for this), click on this link. You should see a message telling you the status of .NET on your system.

PluralEyes crashes immediately on startup

1. If you are using a version of Windows before Windows 7, please be sure that you have .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed. (See previous question.) Note that version 4.0 does not meet this need. Even though it is newer it does not supercede 3.5 SP1. You can download .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 from Microsoft.
2. Install this package from Microsoft.
3. If the problem is still there, send us the crash log.

Adobe Media Encoder won't start after I run PluralEyes.

PluralEyes creates some configuration files that AME uses and they can get corrupted. To solve the problem,

1. In Windows Explorer, navigate to
   %appdata%\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\5.0, or
   %appdata%\Adobe\Adobe Media Encoder\4.0
   depending on which version of Premiere Pro you have.
2. Delete these files:
   • AMEPrefs.xml
   • batch.xml
   • Watch Folder Info.xml

CS4 complains that "File format not supported"

Be sure you have updated to the latest version of CS4, which at the time of writing is 4.2.1.

There is a problem with audio extraction

Try this workaround

Media Encoder starts up but never finishes

Use this workaround to avoid Media Encoder starting up