Premiere OMF to Pro tools

R

ronin99

Active member
Hello,

Trying to figure out the best, cleanest way to export an OMF from Premiere to Pro Tools.

I'm noticing that due to how Premiere tracks handles audio files, even mono files,
will end up with a Left and Right duplicate. So if you have 6 mono tracks, you'll end up with 12 tracks in
the OMF (each original track duplicated with a left and right channel).

This not only creates more neadless clutter in the timeline but it also increases the file size, thereby making encapsulated OMFs
hit their 2gig limit. Does Pro Tools have an issue linking files from a referenced OMF vs an Encapsulated one?

A potential workaround is to open the omf in Audition, delete the duplicate channels and re-export the omf.
However, Is there any potential pitfall to deleting these tracks? I'd hate to delete something that wasn't a duplicate.

I don't have Pro Tools, so I'm hoping someone who does and has worked wth OMFs from Premiere can shed some light?

Thanks
 
I have worked with many OMF files from FCP (7 and before) and Avids, but not from Premiere AFAIK. The OMF format inherently converts stereo files to two mono files, so this may be what your seeing. So if a (former stereo) file is now two mono files (and has the same audio on both channels) it would be SOP to remove a duplicate channel/file. Hopefully you have a sound report to facilitate the ID.
I would make a copy of all the original unpacked audio files before starting in case something is mistakenly deleted..
 
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Hi Rick,

I know what you mean regarding stereo files, but it does the same thing with Mono files...I think this is just a bug in premiere.
 
Bear in mind that OMF was first specified in the early 90's so it pretty primitive in its workings as most of the audio transfer at the time was via EDL's and auto-conforming.

Even that had its problems as CMX, Grass Valley and Sony all had their own protocols.

At best OMF export will allow you to export some tracks but getting them to track exactly what you need in the dub can be a problem and more than likely down to how well the editor has track-layed.

Most of the time in my dubbing days we kept it to mono checker-boarded dialogue and I do not even recall stereo being part of the spec but we linked tracks together later.

With modern poly wave files it may be better to re-conform original audio these days but as I am a bit rusty at all of this and export OMF from my FCP 7 tracklay to my pro tools for mixing I am sure others may be able to offer more insight.
 
OMF was/is the standard for moving tracks from picture to sound post, at least in the US. Not sure what Gary's experiences with OMF are but I have never had stuff not be in sync or laid out the same as the NLE or missing things unless it was user error.

OMF is mono only so stereo tracks will come over as two mono tracks. I've never seen mono tracks come over as dual mono though and I have had a number of projects come from Premier. So that may be some setting issue? Or are you seeing the stereo tracks split and thinking that was the duplicate?

Either way sound post is quite use to getting duplicated sound clips. It's a "trick" taught to many editors in schools as the way to make things "louder", so sound is usually pretty quick about separating out the excess baggage.

AAF is an option I believe in Premer, if so you can do non-embeded AAF files instead of OMF. I'm 99% certain that PT will balk at non-embeded OMF files.

A work around for file limits is to split the export up. create an OMF of the first 1/2 of the tracks and then one of the second 1/2 of the tracks. This comes up in features for video when they are working with out reels.

Speaking for your sound post people though I would say ask them. They will know what they can use. If you want to try non-embeded OMF's make a small test project and toss some stuff on a few tracks and export the OMF and send it to your post people. They WANT the transfer to go smoothly.
 
I have used OMF a lot and was at AMS Neve when it was first implemented in the 90's so know all about how it can go wrong, as usual it is all dependent on the discipline of the editor and how well they know the limitations for export.

I think it was only every designed to export dialogue tracks for drama etc as we only had 8 or 16 tracks on our AudioFiles in the early 90's but as time went on the edit suites became cheaper so more was done at that end but on most projects I would only really expect to be receiving the mono location audio as I would prefer to track lay all my own stereo music and backgrounds.

Post houses usually give a spec sheet for editors to follow and you can see an example here: http://www.syncsound.com/documents/OMF_AAF_Delivery_Specs.pdf

There are also more details on OMF here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Media_Framework_Interchange
 
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Just a note that Premiere CC 2015.0 has a serious bug with exporting AAF files. It excludes multichannel WAV files channels beyond channel one and sometimes mono and stereo files as well altogether.
 
Essami said:
Just a note that Premiere CC 2015.0 has a serious bug with exporting AAF files. It excludes multichannel WAV files channels beyond channel one and sometimes mono and stereo files as well altogether.
Click to expand...

That sounds about right and it was always the problem that each manufacturer would tweak the OMF spec and cause no end of problems for each software release.
 
"I have never had stuff not be in sync or laid out the same as the NLE or missing things unless it was user error."
- Same here..

There was OMF 1 & 2, I never had any experience with ver. 1. I've lots of problems with x-platform AAF.. usually not being able to import, missing the audio, ect.. I highly prefer OMF.

Video editors usually do odd things with audio and it's entirely possible duplicated the mono tracks, assuming you need both L&R channels to feed both speakers.
 
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Rick R said:
"I have never had stuff not be in sync or laid out the same as the NLE or missing things unless it was user error."
- Same here..

There was OMF 1 & 2, I never had any experience with ver. 1. I've lots of problems with x-platform AAF.. usually not being able to import, missing the audio, ect.. I highly prefer OMF.

Video editors usually do odd things with audio and it's entirely possible duplicated the mono tracks, assuming you need both L&R channels to feed both speakers.
Click to expand...

Yup and I recall one of my first jobs on the AudioFile was to delete all the duplications so I ended up with just mono dialogue tracks.
 
GaryNattrass said:
I have used OMF a lot and was at AMS Neve when it was first implemented in the 90's so know all about how it can go wrong, as usual it is all dependent on the discipline of the editor and how well they know the limitations for export.

I think it was only every designed to export dialogue tracks for drama etc as we only had 8 or 16 tracks on our AudioFiles in the early 90's but as time went on the edit suites became cheaper so more was done at that end but on most projects I would only really expect to be receiving the mono location audio as I would prefer to track lay all my own stereo music and backgrounds.

Post houses usually give a spec sheet for editors to follow and you can see an example here: http://www.syncsound.com/documents/OMF_AAF_Delivery_Specs.pdf

There is also more details on OMS here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Media_Framework_Interchange
Click to expand...

Gary, I think you mean OMF in that last line. OMS was buggy though.

I didn't meant to imply you didn't know what you were talking about, I literally don't know what problems you have had with OMF. It's not always seamless, which is why I suggested that the OP talk to HIS sound post people and find out what they need and do a test run. That is what I try to get shows to do with me.

I have gotten and used ? maybe 300 to 500 OMF's for projects ranging from 30 second spots to feature films. Most just open up. Some have weirdness (not OMF issue) where the picture folks spit out a video at a different frame rate. There is also the non OMF issue that FCP had with speed shifting audio on import and that would shift sync. I have had 20+ tracks come in via OMF and we used to send 24 track OMFs to mix stages fairly often at one point but usually it's just dialog and temp FX and tem music.

On bigger projects I am working with experienced editors but on small projects not always. The only OMF specific issue has been when NLE X or whatever software a mix stage was using only could deal with a specific flavor of OMF and ProTools didn't like that format. That has come up twice in... 25 years. Both times there was a workaround. I have actually had more problems with actual file transfers than with OMF's.

Maybe it's luck, or that I can and have talked editors through creating an OMF, or maybe it's many years of troubleshooting all kinds of systems but personally OMF's have been one of the most reliable steps in post. Nothing compared to say getting a valid change note, or a video to the spic. you send them three times already.

But that is just my experience not the word from on high.
 
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