[Ryan Krickow]

Thanks John! Can anyone confirm that Pro Tools can handle mixed bit depths at this point?

[Ryan Krickow]

I really appreciate all your help, thanks! Ryan

[Ryan Krickow]

Thank you both for the info! May I ask what exactly you mean when you say “stable sync” in the following sentence… “This time code effect can be used in Final Cut Pro to sync audio and video, but this is not a stable sync when clips are merged, subclipped or multiclips are created out of those clips.” I’d like to merge all my audio tracks in the beginning before I start cutting, in that case should I use BWF2XML or AuxTC Reader in order for there to be “stable sync” and if I don’t use either of the programs what will happen? I would appreciate it if some third parties would provide info from their experiences with BWFs and FCP 6.0.5. Thanks again, Ryan

[Ryan Krickow]

This is what Andreas had told me in the past…

“FCP 6 does use the current project settings to interpret the playback speed and the timecode. So be very very careful with that. It’s always a good idea to create a project with a setup you need match the easy setup and relaunch Final Cut. Then import all your BWAVs, open the project they should belong to and drag the files over. Final Cut will cache the BWAV settings from the “Import Project” and write to your work project. So if you don’t import all BWFs in one day, this works easily. If they come a day by day you should do this procedure each day.

Another thing with BWAV files, they don’t have a Quicktime Timecode, which is used in FCP to sync clips. You will see a timecode though in FCP with BWAV files, it based on the audio timestamp and is generated on the fly.
If your work includes synching video with external audio you can’t do that by timecode even if you spent money and time to keep cam and audio running running in sync on the set. Same is valid for multiclips and for a certain extend also for subclips.
Be careful when you media manage projects.

That’s why there is BWF2XML. It takes the audio data and puts them into QT wrapper including a matching QT timecode.”

It has taken me a while to wrap my head around this issue since I keep getting conflicting responses from people regarding the use of BWF2XML. Some say it isn’t necessary anymore and others tell me that they use it. I’ll check out your website, and I really appreciate your help. Thanks, Ryan

[Ryan Krickow]

I really appreciate all the help you guys have given me! Thanks, Ryan

[Ryan Krickow]

Good call on the record keeping. My understanding is that when you convert BWAVs to Quicktime movie files using BWF2XML the timecode is maintained though you lose the rest of the metadata when exporting an OMF. I could be wrong but that’s what I’ve read. Also, in terms of dropping the iso clips in before exporting the OMF… since the Quicktime movie files maintain their original timecode (and this is before the OMF is even created) this shouldn’t be a problem. I too would appreciate someone piping in if they have a lot of experience with the BWF2XML program.

Below I’ve provided my general notes regarding camera and production sound… I don’t mention jam syncing the camera timecode to the audio recorder’s timecode since I’m not sure whether audio will be running 29.97 ndf timecode or 23.98 (depends on their equipment). My understanding is that sound is in charge of timecode so depending on which timecode is used I assume they will follow the proper procedures to keep sync. I really appreciate your assistance Greg. Thanks, Ryan

CAMERA
• Shooting on the Red One Camera.
• Frame size is 4K 2:1 (Finishing 2.35:1)
• Camera Firmware Build 18
• Redcode 36
• Shooting at 23.98 fps
• Select Time of Day (TOD) timecode as the primary timecode track.
• Make sure the Incremental Reel option is checked and properly configured so that each reel has a unique name. Start with reel number 001.
• Media will be backed up on set using 2x Caldigit VR 2TB External Hard Drive Arrays. At the end of each shooting day one drive will be delivered to the editor, the media will be copied, and the drive will be returned.

PRODUCTION SOUND
• Record 24bit 48kHz Broadcast Wave Files (BWF)
• Record a mono mixed track and iso tracks. (Feed the mono mixed track to the camera if possible.)
• Scene, take, and track numbers are to be embedded into the filename (Example: 27A-2-T2.BWF)
• Use 29.97 non-drop frame TOD timecode. (Use 23.98 if possible.)
• Include R3D filenames in the sound log and keep the sound roll number consistent with camera reel number.
• Media will be backed up on set using 2x Caldigit VR 2TB External Hard Drive Arrays. At the end of each shooting day one drive will be delivered to the editor, the media will be copied, and the drive will be returned.

[Ryan Krickow]

I really appreciate your help Greg! Your workflow info helps, I’ll definitely request that the mono mixed track be fed to the camera if possible. In terms of labeling I was thinking of having the audio labeled by scene, take, and track and then in FCP I would rename the video. The Red Tech is going to keep a log of the R3D filenames, scenes/takes, etc that I can use as a resource. Then, if the mono mixed track was recorded on the camera I would start cutting otherwise I would start by merging the mono mixed track with the video. Once I got final cut I would go back through and drop all the additional audio tracks into the timeline before creating an OMF for post sound. I think I’ve got a pretty clear idea of how this works now.

Here’s the next step that I’m trying to figure out. With the video and audio merged, each containing the scene and take information, I could create an OMF and hand it off to post sound with a hard drive containing all the iso tracks or I can drop all the iso tracks into the timeline before creating the OMF in order to save post sound time. What I’m not sure about is the BWF workflow in FCP. There are programs such as BWF2XML but I was told the OMF will lose the metadata and Protools doesn’t accept Quicktime movie audio files. Any advice from you guys would really be appreciated. Thanks, Ryan

[Ryan Krickow]

Hey Colin,

Your questions about timecode are the same questions I have! I know that 29.97fps ndf for the audio recorder and 23.98fps for the camera are the correct framerates but I’m not sure how the timecode syncs in FCP.

If I link all the audio tracks with the picture I can’t move them into the Browser (without losing the connection) so I’d have to leave every clip in the timeline (w/ audio linked) if I wanted to lay out all the clips with their audio tracks in the beginning. If I just merge the mix track with the picture in the beginning then once I have the final cut I can link the clips and won’t have to worry about all the extra tracks (even though there won’t be many of them).

Talking to Andreas I’ve realized that I’m not quite sure how to deal with the BWF2XML workflow. The problems are… 1) The OMF produced from a timeline using BWFs converted to Quicktime audio files don’t contain the metadata and 2) Protools doesn’t accept Quicktime movie files. I’m kind of at a loss on this one. Do you know a workflow to get the BWFs to a Protools editor?

Thanks, Ryan

[Ryan Krickow]

I apologize for my lack of detail in the beginning, I just never expected this thread to go so far beyond iso track terminology. To answer your question, the audio recorder would have to feed the Red One camera a mixed track if you wanted to have the picture and sound recorded together on the R3D files. I imagine this would be done either using a wireless receiver or a direct connection to the camera. Thanks, Ryan

[Ryan Krickow]

Andreas,

I downloaded the trial version and ran it through some tests. The self-contained Quicktime files with the XML are perfect! I still have a few general questions…

1. Does the OMF contain all the XML metadata?

2. In what instances would I want the file extension to be .wav vs. .mov? Are there particular programs that won’t accept .mov files?

3. Finally, to my knowledge I wasn’t able to get the Data Mapping function to work (I didn’t see any metadata info when I opened up a clip using the “New Setting” button-only category headings and
“–“). During my testing I was working with a BWF audio file I downloaded from the internet that should have had metadata, I’m just not sure how to access the info through the BWF2XML program and I wonder if it’s just the audio file I’m working with. If you know of any sample BWFs I could get ahold of that would be a great help!

Thanks so much, the program seems to be just what I’m looking for.

-Ryan