Timeline keeps jumping around. This has been happening for about three years now

I can't take it any longer. The problem has followed me from machine to machine, through OS and Final Cut Pro Updates, clean installs, new user accounts. I can't work out what it is. 

Today I finally lost it and am determined to get to the bottom of it. 


Here is a video of what happens.

https://i.imgur.com/wwCl8t5.mp4
I was trying to work out the exact moment it happened for the console logs. Wasn't much help that I can see.

• • Without warning it moves me to a different (later) part of the timeline.
• • The scrubber does NOT come with it. 
• • This means that I can fairly quickly get back to where I was just by pressing the space bar. 
• • that doesn't make it any less infuriating. 

I think it happens when I'm zooming in and out of the timeline. 

Things that seemed likely and I suspected it could be but haven't been able to find any proof. 

• - Better Touch Tool
• - Keyboard Maestro 

Yet none of these have any final cut pro gestures in there or any multitouch or kb commands that seem like they would do this. 

Tried reinstalling KB maestro a while ago too. Nothing. 

I have some console outputs from the time it happened but I don't know how accurate they are. They're things like

Which I can't understand but perhaps it's multi-touch? Ive tried with and without plugins. 

Help please. 

I don't recall ever seeing that. Very interesting about the problem persisting through various machines and software, inc'l clean installs. That implies something in common which you are bringing along.

Do you have a non-Apple keyboard, trackpad or wireless mouse?

As a temporary test can you totally disable Better Touch Tool and Keyboard Maestro?

Have you ever previously installed or used the scrolling timeline feature of Command Post?

Yes, I can turn both those off but I've definitely done that before. But I agree with you; either it's a Final Cut Pro problem that's persisted or it's something I'm doing / bringing along.

I have installed command post but only in the past six months and this problem goes back years.

No non apple devices.

Is there a keyboard shortcut that would put me somewhere else in the timeline
It doesn't put me to the end but I think it may just put me to the next part of the timeline it can fit. .

Re keyboard shortcut that puts you somewhere else in the timeline, your screen recording apparently shows you scrolling to the right on the timeline, then hitting space bar (apparently twice) then it "spontaneously" jumps to the left.

It is expected behavior if you remove the skimmer from the timeline, and if the playhead is off the screen, then you press the space bar to start playing, then hit the space bar a 2nd time to halt, it will jump to that location in the timeline.

If you want it to play from the current on-screen location, put the skimmer there and hit space bar.

joema wrote:

Re keyboard shortcut that puts you somewhere else in the timeline, your screen recording apparently shows you scrolling to the right on the timeline, then hitting space bar (apparently twice) then it "spontaneously" jumps to the left.

It is expected behavior if you remove the skimmer from the timeline, and if the playhead is off the screen, then you press the space bar to start playing, then hit the space bar a 2nd time to halt, it will jump to that location in the timeline.

If you want it to play from the current on-screen location, put the skimmer there and hit space bar.

Ah, no. I don't actually scroll to the right. It jumps to the right (further down the timeline) and then I actually hit the space bar to get back to the scrubber. I then hit it again to stop it playing. 

Does that make sense?

If it's doing uncommanded timeline scrolling and you have several utilities on there which remap keyboard commands, implement timeline scrolling, etc. I'd suggest removing all of them as part of troubleshooting.

I accept you remember it showing the behavior before that, but you must start somewhere. I don't recall anyone else reporting this so it must somehow be unique to your system and the package of hardware or tools you customarily install. It is unlikely a bug in FCP which could be fixed.

What if you created a fresh Mac external boot disk with no  other software, boot on that, install FCP and see if it happens? That would retain your current hardware but eliminate all other drives, apps and utilities. Procedure: www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+create+a+bootable+USB+drive/66371  

I agree. 
I have a video of it going back to 2018 so I believe it must be my system. I was just on the look out for anyone who had experienced the same conflict. 

In the past I have done exactly what you suggested and have still been unable to get to the bottom of it. I believe it could be something to do with how fast I hit command and zoom. 

I realised it was always happening after I had stopped playing and then zoomed. So, on a hunch, I used Better Touch Tool to remap cmd - and cmd = to their menu bar versions. So it's doing the same thing but, now, via Better Touch Tool. Each time I hit cmd- = BTT triggers the menu bar view; zoom (in the background). 

For some reason, this may have worked because I haven't seen the problem since. 

I realise this is sort of broad spectrum antibiotics but I'm not sure I can face all the component isolation I'd need to do to get to the bottom of it. 

Anyway, perhaps this will help someone else. 

I have the exact same problem without any third party tools on a new machine with nothing but newest OS and FCPX.
I signed up to the forum because it is infuriating.

I can reproduce the exact steps. It is happening when the skimmer is off screen, to the left, and i zoom in and out as well as left and right to get to a certain segment. I understand the zoom happens at the skimmers location so it will always be a bit fuzzy when it's off-skimmer.

I believe it is because at some point, the pinch gesture gets exaggerated due to the distance to the skimmer, trying to follow the natural scale of pinching, but then it jumps to the very far end of the timeline and extends even further into the right.

I hope some other people can reproduce and confirm this happens.

Also, exactly right, the way to jump back towards the timeline is hitting space twice to jump to the skimmer.

Pressing the space bar has become second nature to me. I realised it today. It's odd. I don't even think of it as a bug anymore; just a quirk of Final Cut Pro. It's so frustrating. 

It's been so long that I can't remember the diff scenarios it happens but It's a bug and has been in FCP for a long time. I reported it to Apple a few times and it got better (I think they eliminated it only partly) but it never has been fully fixed. It only happens (as far I remember) for me when working with secondary storylines.

Update!

I got so sick of this happening and I think I got to the bottom of it.
By recording my screen while running full console logs and a timer on screen I was able to - I think - get to the bottom of it. I hopes this helps anyone who has the same problem.

I *think* it has to do with inertial scrolling.

Go to System Settings / Preferences -> Accessibility -> Pointer Control -> Trackpad Options - > Toggle "Use Inertia When Scrolling" OFF.

Unfortunately this means it will be off for all apps; I've yet to work out a command for turing it off on a per app basis but hopefully this helps anyone for whom the timeline KEPT skipping around.

Sad to say this did not fix it.
I can't stop Final Cut Pro from jumping to the end of the timeline randomly.
I need to leave final cut pro as this is just one of many many frustrations. Like
- often media just isn't consolidated despite telling me that it is. I have to track down too many clips.
- I'm tired of having to enter a compound clip to edit and have to guess where the cuts are in my actual timeline to match them up.
- no nodes (basically same thing as above)
- weird keyword window bug that popped up with the latest update.

above all it no longer feels like a modern program that plays with plugins nicely.
You know if plugin makers have to create a dropdown with one entry on it just to make a heading that something's gone awfully wrong.

Where to next? Resolve I presume?

Hello everybody! As @elixpelix pointed out: you have to keep your fingers away from mouse or trackpad while zooming. it's a bug, but it's avoidable with this method.

Thanks. I didn't actually see @elixpelix's response. That makes sense. It's maddening. 

I only just saw this reply. 
I'm astonished that this bug continues to torment me. 
Do you think that, now you can reproduce it, you can submit a report?