You'd think minutes and seconds don't get longer or shorter regardless whether they're divided by 24 or 25, right? Maths was not my strong subject and sync issues can be the stuff of real waking nightmares for TV, video & film composers

I'm working in the EU making music for TV and have always just left Logic's sync setting at 25FPS (EU video+TV standard) and forgot it. I once did a film project though (film is 24 FPS) and realised with horror at one point that my music was out of sync. However, I was then working to a 24FPS Time Code on videotape with a 25FPS setting in Logic, so that was an obvious mismatch. Nowadays most visuals come as a Quicktime video which you have running in Logic and that seems simple enough as a reference when composing.

Well, I'm doing another film project- a 30 sec animation- and had the music pretty much done when I realised that the Quick Time video I'm working to is 24FPS.

So I changed Logic's Sync setting in the song to 24FPS. I had horror visions of fiddling around with micro tempo changes and edits to get the music to fit again but-phew, or maybe whoopee!!??- the music still fits the picture just as before, with correct hit points etc. The video has no Timecode burn in, but thankfully there is a visual countdown at the beginning. When I deliver the music, I will put an audio sync tone to match the countdown.

I am sort of relieved but really can't get my head around the sync thing: I'm still worried I'm missing something and will only get a rude awakening when the client gets my music and somehow it doesn't fit.

Can someone please tell me whether I'm "cool" now with just continuing the project with the 24FPS setting?

Thanks!!

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