Protools for HVX audio

[smelni]

Does anyone use protools to edit audio from avid with footage from the hvx - what is the workflow?

I am confused because protools uses OMF files but the hvx put MXF files into avid - how do the 2 talk to each other?

[VaricamLife]

Are you sure Avid is putting MXF files into the timeline? I thought anytime you imported something into Avid it turned it into its own proprietary format. So all you'd have to do when your cut is done is use the OMF function and it'll create and OMF you can deliver to your sound mixers. Its been sadly long time since I've had the chance to work on an Avid though, so can't recall for sure, sorry.

cheers.

[smelni]

the workflow is a bit different for the hvx - files arent imported - they are copied into the mxf dirs - so you are editing on mxf and not omf

[VaricamLife]

I thought you the Media Tool and drag the MXFs to your bins. At that point, I thought Avid then creates its proprietary files (not OMFs). So then dump your footage onto your timeline, cut your piece, export your OMFs, give them to the sound mixers. They give you back omfs, you load those into Avid, cut them into your locked cut timeline. There is an export and import OMF function. It might have been a while since I last used Avid, but those functions I most definitely remember.

cheers.

[smelni]

with the hvx mxfs Avid doesnt create its own files - it uses the mxfs direct - thought that workflow may still work - Im not sure.

The biggest issue with that is that you have to lock your picture down completely. I would like to be able to do something in protools - bring back to avid but still have handles to work with if the need be

[VaricamLife]

What about DigiTranslator, isn't that precisely what its for?

[Sproketz]

Avid and Pro Tools aren't gonna talk MXF at all. You should still try the export tool. Since you can designate several different formats to export to, go ahead and choose OMF2 export with embedded media as normal and hopefully it will convert the MXF to OMF. I don't have an Avid here capable of reading MXF so I can't try it but please post back if you have trouble again.

Edit:
When you "consolidate and embed" you are creating new media, so at that point it seems logical that Avid would create the new media in it's own format.

[carlone]

Sproketz is correct:

When you export to Pro Tools (Via OMF or AAF) you can choose to convert the audio to Aiff or Wav either of which pro tools will support just fine.

Digitranslator is for Pro Toolsusers who want to be able to IMPORT or EXPORT OMF or AAF media.

By the way, Pro Tools HD v7.1 or higher will support MXF Audio. If using a Mojo for instance you can record VIDEO directly into Pro Tools - pro tools records the video as MXF (not OMF) but it record the audio either Aiff or wav (depending on how you created your session).

[Sproketz]

Carlone,
So, on a Pro Tools HD system you could use a Mojo as the video IO?

Wouid that work on an LE system or only HD?

[carlone]

HD only.

But:

There is a version called AVID Pro Tools LE (it's included in a product called AVID STUDIO) that works with LE.

It's PC only and it's a pretty old version of Pro Tools but it does work. Hopefully Digidesign will make a MOJO version of LE next year, but you never know.

It's great with Pro Tools HD - you get multiple video tracks and video playlists, you can do simple video edits and you can have Quicktime or Avid OMF video play out of your Mojo frame accurate with up to 40 tracks of audio in Pro Tools (I've got it to play with about 70 tracks no problem).

[John J.]

I wait until I have my final cut ready to export from FCP on Mac. Output a smaller (320x240 minimum) QT version of my video to use in Pro Tools with DV compression and all desired camera audio for use in PT LE.

Create a new audio project in ProTools, import the quicktime movie, then use the "import audio from current movie" option. Your QT movie appears in the time line along with your movie audio in it's own track (or stereo track). Edit away, add additional audio, sweeten to taste then "bounce" out your final audio bedtrack. Back to FCP, import this new audio clip, drop into your timeline making sure to be frame accurate with the original in point - voila! Top notch audio beds for your video project.

I've done this for years in our studio, works every time. Good luck.

- John

[carlone]

I wait until I have my final cut ready to export from FCP on Mac.

This method works great (tried true and tested). But the benefit of OMF or AAF is that you get all of the individual audio tracks from your timeline (not just a stereo mix). If you're on the same computer you don't even have to convert the files. Just open and start mixing.

Right now we're mixing a pilot that is 1 hour.

The editors send us an AAF export containing about 10 minutes of the show. We can import and start sweetening. When they complete the next 10 minutes of the show we get that AAF export. I can import this into pro tools at the absolute timecode location (completely matches the timeline in the Avid Sequence).

The benifit for us is that we don't have to wait until the final edit is done before we can start mixing the audio. This means more time to try out creative things.

There's also a program called Virtual Katy that will pretty much automatically update a pro tools session to a "changed or re-edited Sequence" from Avid or Final Cut. If the editors make a change to an earlier reel that we've already started mixing all they need to do is send us the new AAF and an EDL. Virtual Katy goes into my pro tools session and updates it to match the new edits and imports whatever new audio is needed.

This is what workflow is all about.

[Sproketz]

Carlone, have you actually used Virtual Katy? I have a Pro Tools LE 002 setup and went ahead and bought VK under the special deal that came with the upgraded DV Toolkit.

I have only tried it once but was unsuccessful. Need to do more tests.

I was hoping to do, in a sense, what you are doing with 10 min. segments, be able to start working on a show without having to wait until picture lock.

John J.
You also get handles on all your individual audio elements which are helpful.
With the straight 2 track import, you would find yourself spending more time separating elements that you might be applying effects to.
As Carlone mentioned, any tracks being brought in new during the mix via OMF drop right into their correct timecode locations easily. And if you have an editing system such as Avid that imports OMF, audio from you mix will drop right back into the timeline with perfect timecode match so you don't have to worry about lip sync or have to use tone pops to insure sync.

Too bad Final Cut doesn't import OMF.

[carlone]

Carlone, have you actually used Virtual Katy? .

Hey Sproketz - I've used Virtual Katy 3-4 times. Each time I use it I have to re-learn the process (I guess I need to use it more often :)

But it did work for me as advertised. We were given a updated EDL with the "new" picture cuts. Imported the EDL into VK and pointed it to my current Pro Tools session. Told VK to re-create my mix "based on the new picture cuts" and place the new mix at say 02:00:00:00. Voila - all we have to do then is go in and do a little finess work on some of the audio that was cutoff. It's MUCH quicker than the alternatives.