Question About Post Process

P

prexdealer

Well-known member
I had a question about mixing sound in post.

If I do a picture lock and do sound design (where I lay in what sounds I wanted but not perfectly) can I then email to a sound mixer the audio file from my edit, have he or she do the work, and then just insert it back into my locked picture? I may end up having to edit my short, but I want sound to be of a good enough quality to be able to play it as a festival. Or do most sound mixers prefer to take the entire file footage and audio to do their work, which as I write this question out I think the answer is obvious now, but can someone confirm?

Thanks!
 
You need to send all the sep audio tracks as an OMF and not a mixed output from your edit!

I edit and tracklay as much of my audio in final cut and then export it as omf for final mixing in pro tools.

I can then add any extra material or Foley and then do my final mix and any stems which can thrn be re-imported to fcp as aiffs so that I end up with everything on the final timeline for mastering and grading.

You will also need to provide a guide picture for the audio dub but as my black magic card can handle it I use pro res file for my own dubbing.
 
Send off an OMF. It will probably be too big to e-mail, so you'll need to FTP it. Send a lower res version of the picture, and put a two pop in. I always requested a timecode burn in the picture somewhere just as a safety reference to double check the frame rate when I did sound editing.

This next part is really important:

Make sure to put a couple seconds of handles on each of the lines of dialogue, maybe even up to 10 seconds. Your dialogue editor will thank you.
 
Yes, as Gary stated, an OMF is SOP for audio post. Long projects sometimes have to be broken up into time or track segments due to the 2GB size limit of the OMF format. AAF is a similar format and in most cases will work as well or better.. and can include a video reference track, which OMF cannot embed and would be separate. However some NLEs do not export these format, that can be problem.
 
And make sure there is a 2pop. I work via online a lot. And it frustrates me to no end when I get the scratch....and there is no 2pop to align to. Yeah I put them in after the fact......but it makes life so much easier if you have them pre-laid from the editor.
 
You should be fine with an OMF export. Since it is a "short" film, you will probably not run into the 2GB limit issue.

However, if your OMF cannot be exported because it exceed 2GB and if you are using Final Cut Pro (what NLE are you using btw?), I would recommend downloading Automatic Duck and exporting an AAF with the Avid Edit Protocol selected. It allows embedded AAFs greater than 2GB.

On the other hand, if you run into the 2GB limit issue, you can just split up your tracks into separate OMFs, usually one OMF for Dialogue, another for temp FX, another for (temp) Music, just to keep things clean for your post sound guy.
 
FWIW, FCP dropped OMF with the FCP-X version, earlier versions supported it though.. but there are lotsof issues with FCP-X. I don't know if Automatic Duck works with FCP-X. Automatic Duck is no longer in business but the apps may still be available.
 
Did we verify that the OP is using FCPX? If FCPX is the NLE, then one can use: http://www.x2pro.net

I've used it with success.

Automatic Duck apps are still available for download. At least the Pro Export is.
 
There is a theme here ;~)

You are really sending it to sound post. You will want them to do some editorial work and not just "mix" your tracks. First because they are probably a lot better at it than you and second because they (should) have a much larger library than you.


Since there has been at least one call for two pops, a word of warning. FCP will let you add bars and count downs, pops etc on the fly on output.

DO NOT DO THIS. If you do the "film" you sent to sound post is not the one in your timeline and what they send you back will not line up.

You need to add the pop TO THE TIMELINE and turn off anything FCP wants to add in on output.

I love pops, I grew up with pops. But I haven't seen one on a project in a long time. Most folks don't put in count downs so the pop is a bit superfluous.

With tape it was a pretty big deal, with files not so much. Tape locked with TC was a bit of a nightmare with out pops, but I haven't gotten tape for a project in ? probably a decade. For one thing once you open the OMF and bring in the video, the guide track instantly tells you if your in sync and if you have a drift issue. Unless they put a head and tail pop in you only get a starting point.

My love of pops has taken a big hit with all the problems with FCP editors using the add on export leaders and such.

What I ask for is an OMF with 5 second handles, a video (h.264 with keyframes set to all) and an EDL or XML. The last is so I can use auto conform software when that locked picture gets "just little" changes.

Depending on the project size they either get FTP'd or sent on DVD's or a drive.

What I send you is a mixed track that is exactly the same size as the video you sent me. So IF there are no auto add junk at the head it will just drop into your timeline. You snap it to the start of the project and mute the original sound tracks and you are ready to render the finished film.
 
Many thanks to all for the input. This is great from a learning perspective, but frustrating from a "doingness" perspective, lol. I am wondering how hard will it be to do it right for someone else to take my files and work on them without being frustrated that I didn't do it right!

I did a roughcut on Sony Vegas (edited on my pc), more like a chainsaw approach to make sure I had everything I needed. Feedback has been good if you like a creepy/funny horror. It is only a 6 min short and some people have suggested that I obtain FCPX and put it on my MBP (fairly new) and give it a shot myself. I had someone lined up to edit who then out of nowhere wanted more money than I could afford (he said it would do it for free originally - lol should have known better!).

I then placed a mandy and cl ad - but to be honest, I really can't figure out who to trust to do the edit since they are all strangers but I am not sure if the product will be good.

So my thinking was I could work on the edit and try coloring, but I know sound is so important that I wanted to make sure maybe someone else did it. Learning to edit would develop skills for future shorts.

But it seems FCPX may have limitations.

Apologies, this was not meant to be a Dr. Phil moment. I am perfectly happy to pay someone something but I can't get any comfort that they would turn out a nice product. But I realize, this is part of the process. I am learning. When I am learning, I am growing.

Thank you so much for explaining the issues of what I was thinking of doing.
 
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