Audio delay for commentary

Not an issue with FCP yet Just a question. I played my dvd commentary on a normal DVD player, source was a burned DVD from distrib. Noticed that the movie dialog is 3-5 seconds and with echo before the actor then says the words normally. All of this under our commentary audio. I've seen this before and wondered what the cause was.

Not to be obtuse, but I've read and re-read your post five times now and I still haven't a clue as to what it is you're asking.

Would it be possible to post a short clip as an example ... or at the very least, rephrase your question?

-DH

Can't do a clip as dvd is 6.6GB and Im not even going there with my basic skills. How about this:

1. Regular commentary audio plays over the movie audio which is lower..
2. Scene A will have commentary BUT lower audio with echo for Scene B will be heard 3-5 seconds AHEAD just under Commentary audio.
3. Then Scene B appears and regular movie audio (without echo) plays at appropriate lower audio.

Basically echo audio for Scene B begins 3-5 seconds before Scene B arrives. Then Scene B plays in sync with proper sync'd audio. Commentary is fine, just wonder why there's a pre-scene audio in movie.

It sounds to me as if the commentary audio was filmed with the movie playing in the background. Thus, there would be a delay, and possible echo from the room's ambient nature, from the movie reaching the same mic as the commenters were speaking into. I was taught back in the late 70's that 90% of what we hear is reflected audio, and the conditions I describe would easily create that echo and delay effect.
Steve

Not that, it was recorded in a studio in LA (I was one of the particpants), movie audio was completely absent, no chance of bleeding out at all and we had big earphones for the movie audio. I see this now and then in other commentaries that have been released with a movie. Guess it's just an odd thing. Annoying, especially for my film.

I agree with Joe. As the problem is consistent (3-5 seconds) I don't think there is a sampling issue here, just a serious mastering error.

Best wishes,

Ronny

David, I can't figure out what the question is either. Steve, the audio delay could well be a frequency (sampling) mismatch, a common problem in non-linear editing. Sorry, Jim. Try to get us a sample so we could offer a solution.

Sounds like they messed up mastering the audio underneath the commentary to me. They have to take the commentary and combine it with the lower audio and who knows what they did there. Let the distributor know that they'll need to fix this before they release it to the public.

That could be it, distrib called me and I told him about it, naturally he doesn't want to fix it but I said even though the movie has cult fans (and some weird ones too) that they would probably notice. He'll consider it.