Workflow for PT to Avid and back

[Sound-Influence]

Our facility does mostly commercials and corporate type videos. AAF back and forth between the Avids and PT hasn't been much of an issue. One or two VO, maybe some nats and I'm adding music in PT. If there's a major timeline adjustment in the avid, a new aaf imported to the same tracks and it's no big deal (maybe a few automation changes if anything). I'm then providing a finished stereo master back to them.

But the latest project we are working on has multiple nat sources, many different standups, VO's etc. When we've done something like this in the past, the video guys like to use as few audio tracks as possible so they are stacking all kinds of different material on the same tracks. I need to split a lot of that out to cut our noise, compress, eq etc... not that big of a deal. So the 4 avid tracks have grown to 20+ PT tracks. So now the client wants major changes. We're going to be chopping the timeline and moving things around, plus adding new content. Because my PT channels no longer correspond to the AAF this is going to be a pain. I'm pretty sure I'm screwed on this project, but my question is for those who are importing back and forth with AAF's.

Do you make your video editors split every audio source out like you need it? Is there a part to this work flow I'm missing?

Thanks,

Aubrey

[tape2tape]

get an original EDL and a change note from your editor. A sync program (ie virtual katy, titan, confomer....) can conform your session for you. it should conform regions as well as automation. if this is not possible - give your pix editor a 2 track and have them cut with that - then on the next AAF / OMF export have that two track in their omf - any cuts should be reflected in this 2 track and you will be able to manuallly conform your session accordingly by looking at the waveforms and phase matching. you can slide in any new material from their AAF and pull out any stuff that hit their cutting room floor.

hope this helps -- ps. pix changes happen all the time. the key is to make sure you and the pix dept are on the same track with who is on what version (helpful to name with version numbers). For example. - you might be looping to v2 but pix is already cutting on v3. so after you record your loops you will want to hit v3 and sync w. that pix.

good luck -
b

[TVPostSound]

Do you make your video editors split every audio source out like you need it?

Thats not going to ever happen!!!!

[Gary Nattrass]

Just a suggestion but would it be useful to do split mixes of dialogue FX and music so that this makes it easier to re-edit?

You could also export these with the final mix as an OMF for the editor to re-load into avid so that when they do any re-cuts the final and split mixes are cut with the picture.

[Sound-Influence]

Thanks for chiming in here. Until now something like Virtual Katy didn't make much sense for our workflow, but that'll be on my list to Santa

The good news is that this project finally helped my editors understand why it matters what audio track things end up on. So a meeting of the minds, and we have the makings of a system that will work.

They will use 6 tracks - VO, Standups, NATs, SOT, Music L-R. I will still split things up more than that, but instead of just sending the Stereo Mix, I will also send an AAF with stems that correspond to those 6 tracks. Pretty simple to change my templates to be able to print the stems along with the -10 and -20 mixes. They log any changes, and it's a more beautiful world back and forth

This one will still be a pain in the butt, but a better workflow is on the horizon.

Thanks again for the ideas.

Aub