Merging an OMF

[Peter Groom]

HI
Im pretty new to PT TDM but Ive a question regarding OMF files.
I was surprised there was no Import OMF to open an OMF sequence, and the only way I could find to achieve this was to drag it into the session directly.
1) Is this the correct way?

2) Once Ive been working on thew sessio, im told there is a new OMf available with some new material that I need to add to the existiong session.
How can I merge the 2 together into 1 complete session?

Thanks in advance.

Peter

[Frank Kruse]

File/Import/Session Data...

or alt-shift-I

frank.

[JSR]

Unfortunately you can not import session data from a OMF unless you have Digitranslator installed (Pro Tools may be the only DAW that does not incorporate OMF import/export as part of the core program.) And it's not cheap...I think it's around $500.

[Peter Groom]

HI
Yes my TDM does open and run OMFs so it must have Digitranslator.
But how do I merge a new OMF into an existing timeline without overwriting anything.
Peter

[Frank Kruse]

HI
Yes my TDM does open and run OMFs so it must have Digitranslator.
But how do I merge a new OMF into an existing timeline without overwriting anything.
Peter

I can only repeat myself:

File/Import/Session Data...

or alt-shift-I

select OMF and import desired tracks as new tracks. done

it´s works as if you were inporting track from a PT session.

frank.

[JSR]

It sounds like you're going to the painful process of picture change...basically the same cut, but now with some extra footage/edits/etc...your film editor gives you a new OMF of the new cut and you basically want to import the tracks and have the regions adapt to the new OMF...sliding where they have to...being deleted when necessary...and being added if new. Man if this existed I would buy it in a second. I think you are going to have to endure the painful process of conforming the new OMF to the existing...this is often a painful process depending on how many cuts were made, and how much the timeline shifts. There have been times where I felt it would be quicker to start a mix over rather then try to reconform everything. Good Luck.

[Chief Technician]

But how do I merge a new OMF into an existing timeline without overwriting anything.

Import to new tracks and conform manually. I logged a feature request with someone at Digidesign for this at NAB (I saw him write it down as he said "That's a good idea!"). Until they bestow this feature upon us, this is the only way.

[minister]

Import to new tracks and conform manually. I logged a feature request with someone at Digidesign for this at NAB (I saw him write it down as he said "That's a good idea!"). Until they bestow this feature upon us, this is the only way.

hmmm?

i think Frank explained how to do this and it is already available. on a MAC, shift-option-I and import the 'tracks' from the new OMF just like it was a PT session and make sure that you don't overwrite, but bring in a s new tracks. works just like merging PT sessions.

[Joseph Hanna]

hmmm?

i think explained how to do this and it is already available. on a MAC, shift-option-I and import the 'tracks' from the new OMF just like it was a PT session and make sure that you don't overwrite, but bring in a s new tracks. works just like merging PT sessions.

Naw this happens to me EVERYDAY. I work for hours on a mix and the client calls last minute and has decided to change the spot. The Avid editors go to work and make all their changes and re-exports an OMFI. They send it back to me with some lame explaination that usually goes something like "I just bumped a couple of things up top, a few more things somewhere towards the middle and a handful of things towards the end".

Now I've got two complete sessions each with hundreds of sound bites and in order to salvage what I might have already mixed I've got to compare each and every element in both sessions.


Someone else here said it...some days it's easiler to just start over.