Hero 7 External Mic Causing Out of Sync Audio [ New ]

[photogromer]

Audio is about 1 second ahead of video and out of sync.

Here's my GoPro Settings and what I have already tried to fix this issue.

Settings

1080/60/Superview

Audio set to Standand Mic Stereo

Recording to SanDisk Extreme 128GB microSDXC UHS-3 Card (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XX3X9JD/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Viewed on Windows Movies & TV app and also in Adobe Premiere both are out of sync.

Updated Windows 10 HEVC via HEVC Video Extensions

Only on the GoPro Hero 7 Black. My Hero 6 Black has no issues and the audio is in sync when the mic adapter isn't connected (using only the GoPro mic).

I've tried different SD cards (Even though there are no issues with the Hero 6 using them, same problem of out of sync audio).

My computer specs are:

Intel Core i7-8700K

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti

32GB RAM

Again no issues with the Hero 6, seems to be only the Hero 7 with the external mic plugged in. Same mic, adapter, everything I use with the Hero 6 without any audio sync issue.

Thanks for any suggestions on what is causing this. I don't want to have to sync audio in post every clip.

[photogromer]

The only way I can get it to sync is by starting to record with the mic adapter UNPLUGGED then plugging it while the GoPro is recording. I also have quick capture disabled.

Out of sync process:
Mic adapter plugged in. Start GoPro. Wait until screen appears. Hit Record.

In Sync process:
Mic adapter unplugged. Start GoPro. Wait until screen appears. Hit Record. Plug in Mic Adapter.

[fishycomics]

I'll  check mine this week. tomorrow it arrives.

My question is if you wait ten seconds while recording to talk it still happens. you must replug the 3.5mm mic to correct?. I can hear hte Mod say reflash firmware.

[tj311]

I am not having that issue with my external mic / hero 7. I'm still on the original firmware. Haven't updated it.

[fishycomics]

Fw  what  ?

[quickwater78577]

Hi, same problem there.

We are using gopro 7 and a rode VideoMicro through official "pro 3.5 mm mic adaptater" and we are facing audio out of sync problem too. we are using 1440/24 with linear lens and a Extreme PRO SanDisk card. Firmware are update and we don't know what to do...

Tank for help,

David 

[photogromer]

David - the only way I found to get it to sync properly is start the GoPro with the mic adapter unplugged. Press record. Then plug in the adapter while it’s recording. Repeat this process each time and you won’t have the issue. Still little annoying

[tj311]

Same problem here. Audio is about 1 second out of sync when using an external mic on both of my Hero 7 Blacks. The mic is a Rode Lavalier plugged into the gopro adapter. Standard Mic setting.

[mariustanya]

Hello @tj311, 

Have you been able to try the solution posted by @photogromer? There is more information on using external microphones with the the Pro 3.5mm Mic Adapter here that might help. 

Thanks, 

Marius

[tj311]

@mariustanya   Yes it does seem to sync when I plug the mic in while the camera is already recording.

Note that I also have the same out of sync results (aforementioned) when I'm using the smart remote to start / stop the recording. 

Another thing I've noticed, if I'm connected to external mic, AND I ALSO have an external power source plugged into the USB C connector on the mic adapter.... the audio is even FURTHER out of sync. It's WAY OUT OF SYNC. 

[mariustanya]

Interesting findings, @tj311. Thank you for sharing results. By any chance, have you been able to factory reset and manually update your camera? See if this helps. We are sharing the results you posted to the team in charge as well. Thanks!

[quickwater78577]

Not sure it will help but same thing occur with me if the power bank is plugged. I hope it may be fix with a firmware upgrade.

[bravehero20875]

With Hero 7 Black and the external mic adaptor, the audio is almost 1 second early if I plug in an external battery. All's well if there is no external charger.

[bravehero20875]

Follow up: If I start the recording before i plug in the external adaptor the sound is in synch even if a usb power supply is plugged in.

[tj311]

@mariustanya I did a factory reset, and a clean manual install of 1.51 update. Still the exact same results. The audio is a split second out of sync.

[thorsteno1]

I will also confirm and second the audio sync issue. I noticed this on 3 separate videos when syncing the WAV file with the normal MP4 file audio. The WAV audio is about 1/2 second ahead of the MP4 audio.

When I drop the WAV file under the MP4 file in the FCPX timeline, I can hear the two files being out of sync as well.

It does this in any 4K setting, 60, 30, and 24. Audio set to Standard Mic. MicroSD card is Samsung 128GB Evo Plus.

Yes, running v1.51, manually updated and reset camera, so no need to ask me to do that.

The HERO7 Black is plugged into the ProMic Adapter (brand new) and powered by an external Anker powerpack. The mic is a Hooke Verse and plugged into the ProMic Adapter.

The camera is started and stopped using the Smart Remote three button.

[epicrange56200]

Same problem here. Getting frustrated...

[mariustanya]

Hello Everyone, 

We have already raised the issue to the team in charge. Thank you for sharing your individual findings. We will keep you posted. In the meantime, see if the solution shared by members on this thread will work for you.

Thanks, 
Marius

[photogromer]

Update: I found my process does not work, still out of sync. I believe it has to do with being connected to an external battery. Pretty sure I am going to put the Hero 7 on the shelf until they can update the issues plauged with this release and resort back to the Hero 6 or even 4. Pathetic GoPro's quality goes down with every release. 

[boldcreek73104]

Same exact issues here. One thing i did notice.  I use an external battery pack to power my hero 7 with the mic adapter and a 3.5mm lapel mic.  everything worked perfectly till i left my battery pack pluged into the mic adapter and charged my battery pack.   That's when all of my issues started.   The previous adapter i had started getting buzzing in the audio after i tried hooking it into my computer via the adapter instead of directly into the camera.   From what i have tested and think the issue is. the mic adapter works fine untill you plug it into any kind of power source other than a battery pack.  if you plug it into a computer, charger of any kind. It gets fried and isues start.

TLDR: First adapter had issues immediatly after plugging it into a computer. Second adapter issues started after charging battery pack still connected to the adapter...  Everything works as intended with the adapter untill you do one of the above... Shame for a $50 adapter to be such **bleep**. 

[quickshore41684]

I have replicated the issue on my hero 7.  nothing plugged in it syncs fine.  if I have the external mic adaptor and mic plugged in and start it the audio gets ahead of the video.  the longer you record the more it gets.  Recording at 2.7k 60f/s  it is off by a approx 2 frames.  at 3 min it is off by 5-6 frames.  I tried the plug the mic in after I start the video and it works much better.  It is worse if I have a battery back plugged in.  The audio can be ahead of the video by a second. Very disturbing when trying to record a concert.

[loyalriver68147]

Same exact issue on my GP7B most updated firmware, audio from external mic is out of sync.

[photogromer]

Anyone trying to sync the audio, it's.30 seconds behind the video. Should help during the editing process.

[thorsteno1]

Well, it varies on how much it is out of sync. When using a USB external power pack, such as my Anker pack, audio drifts as much as 2 seconds over a 2 hour continouis recording period. The drift is not linear....

Such a shame that GP can't fix this. I had high hopes for the H7Black for my video channel. Would have been a great promo for GP. Guess I have to go with the Panasonic Lumix series. Won't be waterproof but then Panasonic has everything else dialed in, better color and way better codecs and audio processing.

GP promised too much, the H7Black is for tourists.

[epicdive87847]

I'm using my Black 7 to record video and my radio communications with the control tower when I'm flying a Cessna 172. My recordings were way out of sync, and is why I dug around on the web and came across this thread. Since my flights are a couple of hours long, I need to power my Black 7 with an external power brick. After reading this thread, I did some experiments with my setup to see if the results would agree with the posts here. Yep, I get the same results. Here is what I've tested and the results:

Recording with no external mic or power: no problem

Recording with an external mic but no external power: no problem

Recording with an external mic and external power from the start: significantly out of sync

Recording by starting with internal mic, then plugging in an external mic and external power: no problem

Recording with internal mic and external power: no problem

Recording by starting with internal mic, then plugging in an external mic and external power and running for an hour: no problem

So I would concur that the problem occurs when you start the recording with the external mic and power already applied via the GoPro mic adapter. So my workaround in the cockpit will be to get all cameras rolling and then switch on the external power bricks. Inconvenient, but doable.

[overlandon]

I'm having same issue. I'm just using the HDMI out to a video capture solution (Slingstudio). With internal mic and external mic audio is about a second to fast.

Haven't tried the plug in after record solution but that won't work if you don't use an external mic.

[thorsteno1]

Leave it up to a pilot to do a proper pre-flight check and providing all of us with a temporary work around

Thank you for doing a thorough test and determining the issue and the working external power plugin sequence. This will help me a great deal in video production till GOPRO provides a firmware update......hopefully VERY soon.

Bought 4 of the H7B's for the stabilization and traded all 4 of my H5B in. My fault for not waiting a bit since historically GP is known for having major professional issues from the get go with every new release.

[jordanm0130]

Come on GoPro! Over two weeks and no update or acknowledgment to fixing the issue yet? All the troubleshooting has even been done by the community. You already know what works on the Hero 6. Find the code you changed in the Hero 7 and change it back to what was working in the Hero 6.

[jordanm0130]

I usually dont post on here but this is a bit ridiculous. I will be going on vacation in less than a month and will be recording with external mic and powerbank and figured this issue would have been resolved by now.

@epicdive87847 Great work and very helpful workaround! Did you by chance check this scenario?:

Start recording with an external mic and then plug in external power after?

This would not be to bad if you did this and would be the scenario I would most likely to do when the battery gets low.

[overlandon]

I just read in another group that turning off stabilization fixes the audio sync issue. The feed must pre-load to much. I haven't tested it yet but will later today. Sucks for action filming, but on a tripod it would be fine.

[jordanm0130]

I created a short video explaining the issue and the workaround to use here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfqfp53KBQI

Hopefully the more this gets out there will put some more pressure on GoPro to fix the issue. Feel free to share the video and get the word out there.

[aragon1006]

Hi @jordanm0130

Thank you for sharing this workaround.

Our team is aware of the sync issue and they are working on a fix.

We will have this shared with them.

Regards,

Ej

[quickshore41684]

Got notice of an update and the description does not directly address this issue.  Is it fixed with this issue or is GoPro still working on the sync issue?

[jordanm0130]

Im wondering the same thing. @aragon1006 Do you have clarification on if this issue is fixed? Release notes:

HERO7 Black v1.61

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

• Dynamically adjusts HyperSmooth stabilization strength to reduce motion blur in low light videos.
• Extends battery life when recording in high-frame rates including 2.7K120, 1080p120 and 1080p240 video.
• Improves connectivity between your camera and the GoPro app.
• Increases voice control accuracy.
• Enhances live stream stability.

USABILITY IMPROVEMENTS

• Eliminates image stuttering in slow panning shots that use HyperSmooth stabilization.
• Corrects stretching issue when playing back 4:3 aspect ratio videos on camera.
• Improves portrait and landscape detection.
• Removes red line artifacts that can appear in some videos.
• General bug fixes and user interface improvements.

[mariustanya]

Hello @jordanm0130, 

The performance and usability improvements do not specify a fix to the audio issue with external microphones. Rest assured that this issue has already been passed along to the teams in charge. Have you been able to update your camera to the latest firmware? Please see if you still observe the same issue. We'd love to hear back from you. 

Best regards, 

Marius

[quickshore41684]

I just updated my GoPro 7 with firmware version 1.61 and the audio is still out of sync if I start the video with an external mic with external power,

firmware 1.61 does not fix this issue.

[thorsteno1]

This is just ridiculous. How the hell can GP sell an over-priced adapter that doesn’t even work properly. Get your audio issues fixed. I am so sick and tired of this amateur crap from GP. Seriously…you want $400 for this POS camera.

[aragon1006]

Hi @quickshore41684 @thorsteno1

Sorry for any troubles caused.

We are still working on the sync issue when using an external power source.

We'll post back on this thread once we have an update.

Thanks!

Ej

[joels7263]

I had audio sync problems with the mic adapter already on my gopro hero 5 black. They were never fixed. Now upgraded to hero 7 black assuming the sync problem would have been fixed by now! Not cool trying to record live music with drastic audio offsync. Hope to see a fix really soon!

[ifishvt]

I am having the same issue. - Unfortunately, I can not use your "fix" as I have the camera in a custom case that secures the adapter cable in place to prevent damage to the port. I'm wondering if there have been any updates of fixes to this issue? I'm using vs. 01.61

[joels7263]

Same for me. This ”fix” won’t do as I’m controlling the gopro remotely via the app. Impossible to disconnect and reconnect cables all the time on stage!
Having video and audio in sync is the most basic feature of a videocamera. This should work out of the box , especially after buing the not even close to cheap mic adapter!

[danielen1175]

I experience the same issue: remarkable audio-video out-of-sync only when Hero 7 is plugged to an external charger (5V, 2A). Still quite annoying and disappointing !!

[benj838]

@joels7263,

Fellow HERO5 user... did you ever figure out any workaround for your HERO5?  Do you use external power or not on your HERO5 setup?  Does the suggested fix in this thread work for HERO5?

I have the same ext mic + HERO7 issues (thought it was just my setup!).  Guess I'll be doing some practice runs with HERO5 + ext mic.

Since your application may be somewhat similar to mine... for extended record applications I actually find HERO5 to be more solid than HERO6/7 in firmware stability + SD card "sensitivity".  I switched to purchasing HERO5 for my specific need (extended HD record, WiFi monitoring, w/external power, w/o hypersmooth).

[bluewave76643]

Just one more still experiencing this problem.  For me I can get it to work with the proposed workaround, although it is very annoying.  But I got this all setup so my family could all use it to make good videos very easily, and for that is needs to be very simple. Now I basically have to tell them not to use it right now.

[joels7263]

---

@benj838 wrote:

@joels7263,

Fellow HERO5 user... did you ever figure out any workaround for your HERO5?  Do you use external power or not on your HERO5 setup?  Does the suggested fix in this thread work for HERO5?

I have the same ext mic + HERO7 issues (thought it was just my setup!).  Guess I'll be doing some practice runs with HERO5 + ext mic.

Since your application may be somewhat similar to mine... for extended record applications I actually find HERO5 to be more solid than HERO6/7 in firmware stability + SD card "sensitivity".  I switched to purchasing HERO5 for my specific need (extended HD record, WiFi monitoring, w/external power, w/o hypersmooth).

---

Unfortunately not. With HERO5 black the offset wasn’t as bad as with HERO7, though it was constant and always present when using the mic adpater. (It was definately more than noticeable, and frankly unacceptable. Try recording a drummer and when playing back the video, the drummer’s stick would be up when it should be hitting the drum!)

Whether or not I had an external power source connnected had no effect whatsoever.

At first I suggested gopro that this might be a firmware bug and as such easily fixable. Gopro denied and suggested that the problem was with my camera. I sent it for repair, got a new HERO5 black and a new mic adapter with exactly the same problem!

I used the camera for some time, but the wifi chip stopped working so I had to send the camera back again. 

After waiting for almost two months, I finally got a call that the camera was beyond repair. I got to choose between a third new HERO5 black and refund. I took the refund as HERO 7 was already out by then. 

Any news from gopro regarding the fix!?

We’re all waiting!

[superbeach53423]

+1 for this issue on my Hero 7 Black and external power. Very annoying, as I's atrting/stopping video a lot, so not feasible to remove the connector all the time.

[aragon1006]

Thank you all for sharing!

We are still waiting for updates on this.

Regards,

Ej

[grandshore24648]

I tried recording a flight today using Hero 7 with external power. For ATC audio I used an external audio recorder. When I sync audio with the beginning of the video in FCP, I'm getting it way out of sync an hour later in the video. Not sure if it's the same problem, but looks a lot like it.

[epicdive87847]

I tried doing that, too, and had the same issues. Plus there's so many cords and adapters, it's hard to remember to get them all set up and going. I've found that for my flying purposes, as long as I plug in the external power after starting the GoPro recording, the audio stays in sync throughout the flight.

[grandshore24648]

Thanks, I’ll try it next time