OMF export from FC wrong! :(

[Esther Casas]

ok guys, so now I have all my files as AIFs and still, some of my files, when exporting into OMFs, they appear to be either cut to early or some are even longer. The only think that is different is that these files are MONO and not stereo, is that the issue??? I will do some tests but didn’t knwo that could cause such a big annoying process, is taking me already two days to figure out what is going on….

i hate OMFs…
thinking to do test and split my sequence in two or three to see if that resolves the issue??

any other ideas??

[Esther Casas]

Hello Shane!

I have now a project with only AIFFs, i had to switch some mono to stereo in order to have a proper OMF export..no wit seems to be ok. But in order to make sure all my OMFs are fine. I just exported the project as a singles AIFF clip just to make sure the sync is perfect.
If I place the file exactly at the beginning of the whole sequence, the whole OMF file is off a bit (only some frames), so is there a specific export settings i need to do on soundtrack pro in order to have this file in exact sync with my AIFF clips in final cut? (the original ones where i got these OMF export from).

thanks again! getting closer…

[Shane Ross]

Sorry, I don’t know. I’ve only imported two OMF’s into Soundtrack Pro, and both worked. Typically I hand audio off.

Closer though…closer.

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Esther Casas]

i know..getting there…mmm…will post to see if somebody have done it.
Thaks for all your help Shane!!

[Michael Gissing]

OMFs from FCP are rock solid. I don’t know if STP is solid importing OMFs and from FCP you do a send to STP rather than OMF.

More important is to make sure that FCP only has 48khz wav or aif files in 16 or 24 bit. Anything else should be pre converted before edit and certainly converted and replaced before exporting anything.

FCP sequence settings should also be 48khz. Sequence can be 32 bit as this is the sequence setting. Exported OMFs can be 16 or 24 bit. All decent DAWs imported properly made OMFs from FCP without errors unless there is file corruption in the FCP project. Such corruption may be masked by render files playing OK but the source file is a problem.

There is nothing wrong with OMF as it is a robust legacy format and actually more reliable than AAF. It remains the benchmark delivery for sound post. It is that very reliability that makes it preferred to AAF which also requires DAW owners to cough up an extra license fee for no real gain.

[Esther Casas]

Hi Michael,
I have my settings right then in FCP. The only thing i need to knwo now is how to export OMFs properly and with what program i can import them back into FCP in order to check that my OMFs are synced properly before I deliver them to the sound guy…

So how can i send OMFs into Sountrack Pro then?
thanks again!

[Neil Patience]

You cant import OMFs into FCP directly but you could try the now free
https://www.automaticduck.com/products/download/
Pro Import for FCP lets you import OMF.

As Michael says usually FCP OMF is usually solid – I am not really sure about Soundtrack Pro though so maybe if you can use the Duck option at least you can compare to the pics right inside FCP and it will be easy to see if anything has shifted/truncated etc etc

Hope that helps

best wishes
Neil
http://www.patience.tv

[Mark Spano]

Saying anything to the effect of “OMFs from FCP are solid” is laughable for me in my work. For example: any OMF created in FCP from a 23.976p timeline shows up in Pro Tools as 24.0fps. In other words, everything out of sync.

As Shane suggests, use the (amazingly now free) Automatic Duck Pro Export FCP and make AAF files and be done with any of your problems. It’s free, works insanely better than FCP’s shabby built-in OMF exporter – what more do you want?