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wave files import as NDF
Working on a multi camera show. Multi track audio is being recorded on a pro tools rig. All the cameras and the protools rig are slaved to a TC generator at 29.97 drop frame.
All the camera sync fine but when I pull in the wav files I am getting from the pro tools rig they show up as NDF and there is an offset that varies. It can be as much as 10 minutes or as little as 30 seconds.
Final cut reports the tc to be NDF.
I told the audio guy that his timecode is NDF. Impossible he says. He is feeding the DF timecode from his rig to the cameras and his pro tools session is DF. Therefore his files MUST be DF. Except FCP says they are not. I asked him to check the files he is sending me and verify that they are DF but he says he has no way to do that.
Anyone have any clues what is going on? Is it possible that final cut cannot read the TC in the broadcast wave files properly? Or is it possible that he is creating files with the wrong type of time code even though his session is DF?
Running most recent version of FCP on an intel mac.
Thanks,
Jason
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5 Replies
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There’s a BWF import pref in Editing Preferences. It’s ND by default, switch it to DF then relaunch FCP.
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John,
The ‘restart FCP’ is a GOLDEN tip!
(I’ve bitched in my manuals a lot about DF BWF not working…)How did you find that one out?
Bouke
https://www.videotoolshed.com/
smart tools for video pros -
That worked. Thanks.
It’s all there in the FCS manual of course.. (except for the bit about the restart…) I wonder why I didn’t have the reflex to search there… I checked the whole rest of the internet.
j.
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Thanks Bouke,
We use Fairlights and when we started importing BWFs, Fairlight told us we needed to set that pref. Since by their account it did work, it was a natural instinct to relaunch after it failed.
John
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If you are not sure what the actual info embedded in a BWF is, I recommend the Sound Devices Wave Agent software. Drop a BWF into it and it will reveal all metadata including original recorded TC rate, sample rate, etc. – very helpful in these cases where you’re not sure if they gave you the right stuff or if FCP is messing with you.
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