Hey David!

[taormina]

Can Vegas export something like a .omf file? I know it can't do the actual omf but wondering if there is a similar file "with handles" that it can export so a Pro Tools user can import and work on just as I have it in my timeline.

[David Jimerson]

No. And if it could, it would be a Sony-proprietary OMF which would be incompatible with the rest of the world.

What do you need to do? Would a more traditional file format work?

[taormina]

I need to export my audio timeline so that my post audio guy can view the audio tracks as I have them arranged, and all the clips as well in pro tools. Basically like what an.omf file does or even nonsony .mxf.....something that keeps all the metadata i suppose.

[David Jimerson]

You could try an .aaf, but I don't know for sure if it'll work.

[taormina]

Maybe there's some third party stuff that can do it. While I like Vegas alot, and it's just as powerful as FCP, the limitations of it seem to be that Sony has intentionally hamstrung some parts of Vegas so that it is incompatible with other NLE's and post production apps.

While making Corrado I've found that Vegas has not been able to export the following two files:

1. An quicktime wrapper with an uncompressed, 10 bit core - FCP standard file
2. .omf or no proprietary .mxf file - industry standard protools file.

The above two files are bread and butter post house fare. I always get odd looks when I mention I cannot export these since every other app on the planet seems to be able to.

In the case of the .omf it looks like it will cost me a small fortune for the post audio guy to workaround.

Why does Sony do this?

[DVXSanDiego]

We ran into this problem with our recent feature. Our NYC post guy wanted an OMF, we tried the AAF to no avail.

Our solution was to render out three tracks - one dialogue, one music, one effects.

He managed to work with this and simply rendered out the same tracks, which we dropped back into our timeline. This of course meant the picture had to be absolutely locked for him to do his work, and of course it wasn't ideal, but it got us finished.

But, yes, why DOES Sony do this? It's almost as if they are trying to prohibit Vegas from being a professional tool. Why don't they change a few things and let it grow into the pro app it could be? Very frustrating.

[David Jimerson]

Maybe there's some third party stuff that can do it. While I like Vegas alot, and it's just as powerful as FCP, the limitations of it seem to be that Sony has intentionally hamstrung some parts of Vegas so that it is incompatible with other NLE's and post production apps.

Unfortunately, that is in large measure true and one of the things I worried about when Sony acquired Sonic Foundry.



2. .omf or no proprietary .mxf file - industry standard protools file.

You can make P2/MXF files with P2 Maker, which comes with Raylight.



Why does Sony do this?

For the same reason Apple does -- they make the products they want you to buy rather than the products people want. If the two coincide, great; if not, oh, well. (Apple's on much better ground on that score.)