What Audio File Types in 5.1?

[nozza1]

Now that Mac based Protools 5.1 allows the native file format to be SDII, WAV, AIFF have most people stayed with SDII or have users picked new file formats and vif so for what reasons? I would obviously understand frequent cross use of PC and Mac based users using wavs but any other reasons? And how about mixed files, what experiences have users had. Staying with SDII myself at the moment but my Mac hard drive contains my S6000 wav library and Reason wav/aiff library so tempting to move everything over to wav including my pallette of sound fx for protools currently in SDII format. Any technical issues I should know about. The idea of one native file format amongst all my applications is appealing but been using SDII for so long, nervous to leave home.

[Corey Shay]

I'd imagine the only disadvantage would be the inablity to import wav files directly using earlier PT versions. But of course they can still convert. Actually you just inspired me to switch to wav files because I tend to work with files across a Mac and a PC. So I guess thats what I'm going to do from now on...

Thanks.

[Mike Tholen]

Stay SDII.
Don't join "The Dark Side"
How have you been working up until this point? Why the switch?
Digi implemented the .WAV thing for the idiot pee-cee abusers, not so us Mac heads can use a pee-cee along with our Macs.
Don't listen to me I'm an old fashioned Mac freak!
Go on, see ya later.

[cutflower]

BWF (Broadcast Wave Format) is the only format to carry timestamps cross platform.

There is also a text chunk for text info contained within the BWF header.

It's up to Digi to implement in a usable way. For post users, BWF is already being used or implemented by most leading DAW developers. Avid now reads BWF from Deva to conform location non-recording non real-time.

There is a convert WAVE to BWF option in the preferences.

[nozza1]

I hear you Mike! That's the kind of fighting talk my wavering heart needed to hear.

[Mike Tholen]

me too!

[Noiz2]

WAV is a more flexable file format than SDII, it can suport multi tracks etc. Onthe other hand Digi controles the SDII format so they could expand it whenever they need to. I'm staying with SDII (even though I started on a PC and still have alot of WAV files) because it seems the most "standard" for PT and I can always convert later.
SK

[mfife]

Please, Mac heads, save your efforts for more important battles than .WAV vs. SDII.
http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif
SDII is not likely to develop much further. It needs a resource fork for all of its essential info.

[This message has been edited by mfife (edited May 17, 2001).]