ProTools AAF/multi-channel workflow question

[pethenis]

FCP only exports OMF's and the files are stripped of all metadata. The fieldrecorder functionality of PT can now only relink to files with the Same TC, which leaves too many candidates.

Only good way is à referenced AAF or OMF from an Avid MC...

[inf0l]

Get the editor to export an EDL for you. You will still have to relink manually, but at least you will have the original TCs to work from.

[andersesp]

Thanks for the replies, think the EDL will have to be the way to go

Best,

Anders

[Brent_in_Sydney]

If you got a referenced AAF from FCP7 using Automatic Duck's software there's metadata in the clips.
Do NOT link the files from FCP.
When you import the AAF choose manually relink and point to the polywavs.
As long as the editor didnt change the file names you should have channel 1 on all tracks.

In PT10 Set the channels to field recorder guide track
right click and index the location of the original poly wavs.
Then use the shortcut to switch out the channels to their alternates.
It's something like shift cmd up/down arrow and it will switch to alternates.

It takes a little bit of time but if you've got PT10 and an hour or so you can get it all working without buying any other software.

[brandoncross]

Originally Posted by Brent_in_Sydney

If you got a referenced AAF from FCP7 using Automatic Duck's software there's metadata in the clips.
Do NOT link the files from FCP.
When you import the AAF choose manually relink and point to the polywavs.
As long as the editor didnt change the file names you should have channel 1 on all tracks.

In PT10 Set the channels to field recorder guide track
right click and index the location of the original poly wavs.
Then use the shortcut to switch out the channels to their alternates.
It's something like shift cmd up/down arrow and it will switch to alternates.

It takes a little bit of time but if you've got PT10 and an hour or so you can get it all working without buying any other software.

That's really brilliant. Wow. So what if the editor was cutting with a track on the video camera? Is their anyway to link to the polywave? Thanks so much in advance

[ErikG]

It's possible if the camera was recording the exact same timecode as the location sound recorder, using the audio channel EDL's.
But that requieres some kind or conform program like Titan or Assemblerator.

[mfranken]

Originally Posted by ErikG

But that requieres some kind or conform program like Titan or Assemblerator.

Or you can use EdiLoad v2 - that is if Brent's suggestion doesn't work for you.

EdiLoad converts the audio events in an EDL into "reference" clips in a Pro Tools track. You can then use these with Pro Tools expand tracks feature to conform the location audio. We're about to release an update for EdiLoad that enables Pro Tools to expand the location files by 'Channel Number' and therefore create a minimum number of new tracks. Feel free to contact use if you would like a pre-release version of this.

Regards,

Mark

[ErikG]

Sorry mark I forgot to mention you

[andersesp]

Originally Posted by Brent_in_Sydney

If you got a referenced AAF from FCP7 using Automatic Duck's software there's metadata in the clips.
Do NOT link the files from FCP.
When you import the AAF choose manually relink and point to the polywavs.
As long as the editor didnt change the file names you should have channel 1 on all tracks.

In PT10 Set the channels to field recorder guide track
right click and index the location of the original poly wavs.
Then use the shortcut to switch out the channels to their alternates.
It's something like shift cmd up/down arrow and it will switch to alternates.

It takes a little bit of time but if you've got PT10 and an hour or so you can get it all working without buying any other software.

Hi Brent, thanks for the reply.

As far as I can see there is no option to set a Field Recorded Guide Track in my PT10.3.2.

I know where the option is on PT9 and I've seen it used (right click track name, at bottom of list below the hide, hide inactive etc options). I've also seen the match field recorder alternates when right clicking clips on PT9.

I've scoured my Pro Tools 10 for anything close to the word field recorder and there's nothing. Is there something blatantly obvious I'm missing? How can I make the field recorder guide track menu option show up?

Cheers,

Anders

[apple-q]

Originally Posted by andersesp

Hi Brent, thanks for the reply.

As far as I can see there is no option to set a Field Recorded Guide Track in my PT10.3.2.

You need CPTK or PTHD for that.

[andersesp]

Originally Posted by apple-q

You need CPTK or PTHD for that.

Ah, that would explain it. Thanks for the info.

[andersesp]

Ok so I managed to try this out on a Pro Tools HD rig today - here's how it went as a guide for others in the same boat..

• Created new session & imported a referenced AAF export from Automatic Duck / FCP 7.
• Linked a clip 001_001-01 to it's parent polywav 001_001.wav using the re-link window.
• In the clip list, clip 001_001-01 is now expandable in the same way a polywav would be. ONE of the clip's channels, seemingly at random, was populated by channel 1 of the polywav I that had asked it to re-link to - the rest were empty. For the sake of example say it had put it on channel A3. (I tried a few times, it's definitely random where it ends up)
• Import your original polywav 001_001.wav into the clip list as this contains all the channels we are hoping to have access to.
• Right-click on your clip in the edit window, go to 'match alternates', select 001_001-01.A3 (or whatever channel it had put channel 1 of your polywav on when it tried to re-link it) and the waveform from polywav channel 1 will appear.
• Now right click the name of the track that your clip is on (Eg. Track 1), select 'Set As Field Recorder Guide Track' at the bottom of the list.
• Right-click the clip again and hover over 'match field recorder alternates' and voila, all the channels from 001_001.wav are displayed correctly allowing you to skip through the various channels of your desired polywav without changing the edit positions of the clip.

These field recorder alternates can then be expanded to individual tracks if desired and also to a playlist, however it seemed as if the 'expand to playlist' option is bugged as it didn't retain the edit positions.

Thanks to everyone who offered help, especially Brent_in_Sydney, this is going to save me a lot of time!

[thierryd]

Originally Posted by andersesp

[*] Import your original polywav 001_001.wav into the clip list as this contains all the channels we are hoping to have access to.

Importing the original into the PT clip list was the way to do it up till PT9 and was not very practical.
As of PT10HD you can point to the folder that holds all the sound rushes, save and index it and PT will automatically look for all the alternates. Also the expanding has gotten better with options to expand per channel name and/or number.
I just conformed a complete feature film this way with an referenced AAF coming from an Avid. For another television project I tested with an referenced AAF from FCP7 via Automatic Duck and it worked great too.

Greetings,

Thierry