File failed QC: First Frames Mute or Last Frames Mute – Cape Advanced TV Help

If your QC report shows First Frames Mute, Last Frames Mute, First 12 Frames Mute or Last 12 Frames Mute in red, your ad doesn't have enough silent frames at the start or end.

QC report header: File failed QC. Oops! Something went wrong. Please check the QC report for errors.

QC report showing First Frames Mute 2.000 highlighted in red

QCreport-showing-First-12-Frames-Mute-No-highlighted-in-red.png

Mute Frames – reading the QC report

The QC report shows a mute frames failure in one of two ways, depending on your region.

UK, Republic of Ireland and Japan: First Frames Mute / Last Frames Mute

The number is how many silent frames the QC found. For example, First Frames Mute 2.000 means only 2 silent frames were found at the start.
The report doesn't show how many frames are needed. Check the table below for your region.

Australia: First 12 Frames Mute / Last 12 Frames Mute

No in red means the first or last 12 frames aren't completely silent.

"First" means the start of the ad and "Last" means the end. If both are wrong, both rows show in red.

Mute Frames – what it means

Some broadcasters need a set number of completely silent frames at the very start and very end of an ad. These mute frames are part of the ad's duration. They are not added before or after it.

If your file starts with a slate (for example in the UK and Japan), the mute frames start on the first frame of the ad itself, after the slate and any black, not at the start of the file. The slate and black should also be silent.

UK and Republic of Ireland file layout

UK file layout: 7-second clock and 3 seconds of black, both silent, followed by the ad. The first and last 6 frames of the ad's audio are mute.

Australia file layout

Australia file layout: the ad with no clock. The first and last 12 frames of the audio are mute.

Mute Frames – where it applies

This applies to TV ads in these regions:

Region	Mute frames at start and end
UK and Republic of Ireland	6 frames
Australia	12 frames
Japan	15 frames

Not all UK sponsorship destinations need mute frames.

Mute Frames – likely cause

This is almost always a file fault: the spec is right, but audio runs into the first or last frames. A common cause is a music tail or sound effect that starts too early or ends too late.

If the failure is the wrong number of frames for your region (for example 6 frames on a Japan ad), the file was made to the wrong spec. To find the right one, see Which technical specification should I use for my ad?

Mute Frames – fix

Remove all audio from the first and last 6, 12 or 15 frames, depending on your region.
Make sure the audio in those frames is at −70 dB or lower.
Re-export the file and upload it again. Our Export Guides can help you check your export settings.

Mute Frames – when to contact Customer Services

You think your destination doesn't need mute frames (for example some UK sponsorships).
Your file has silent mute frames but still fails this check.