Final Cut Pro X to Pro Tools

[bartosz idzi]

Okay, so here is what I learned.

The editor is using FCPX 10.4.5 on Mojave.
So what we do for the full 45 minute episode of this series is we first prepare the special edit for XML audio only export, removing all video and titles, etc...
like the guy here in the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypNttDDrDBs

Basically what he does he makes a copy of the original edit, then on that copy, he removes everything we do not need in audio post. It's important to unlink clips first so you do not lose audio and nothing gets moved in the 'magnetic' timeline. Also, make sure the editor is not using mixed frequency audio clips in the timeline (some 44100, some 48000)

Now here, is the important bit.

When editing in FCPx, talk with the editor to use AUDIO ROLES extensively. This is crucial, as you get track names from audio roles. So it makes it very easy for you to spot the DIA, FX, MUS, ATMOS, to your dedicated tracks when you import instead of having to listen thru
Audio1,Audio2, tracks and getting gray hair in the process.
The more detailed he gets with the roles, the better. He can assign roles to groups of clips at once, it's not very demanding on his time. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pD07eSuW1Q)



Then, we use XtoCC software (http://intelligentassistance.com/xtocc.html)
on the XML to prepare the XML for Adobe Premiere CC 2019

Once it's in Premiere, the editor has to check if its all linked
if something got offline, and outputs an AAF. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM2l...BWXslCjL5&t=27)

Settings for AAF output are:

Mixdown video : NO

Breakout to mono : ENABLE

24 bit, 48000,
Files : Separate Audio
Format : Broadcast Wave (this gets us metadata)
Copy complete audio files

This gets me the metadata in pro tools and i can use the field recorder workflow to replace all the audio i need.

Now, there has been some sync issue - the AAF at whole was about 1,5 frame off sync from the video master audio he sent me, but so far i have not run into bigger problems. Will update this as a get more experience.

Good luck!

[V5V]

Originally Posted by bartosz idzi

Okay, so here is what I learned.

The editor is using FCPX 10.4.5 on Mojave.
So what we do for the full 45 minute episode of this series is we first prepare the special edit for XML audio only export, removing all video and titles, etc...
like the guy here in the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypNttDDrDBs

Basically what he does he makes a copy of the original edit, then on that copy, he removes everything we do not need in audio post. It's important to unlink clips first so you do not lose audio and nothing gets moved in the 'magnetic' timeline. Also, make sure the editor is not using mixed frequency audio clips in the timeline (some 44100, some 48000)

Now here, is the important bit.

When editing in FCPx, talk with the editor to use AUDIO ROLES extensively. This is crucial, as you get track names from audio roles. So it makes it very easy for you to spot the DIA, FX, MUS, ATMOS, to your dedicated tracks when you import instead of having to listen thru
Audio1,Audio2, tracks and getting gray hair in the process.
The more detailed he gets with the roles, the better. He can assign roles to groups of clips at once, it's not very demanding on his time. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pD07eSuW1Q)



Then, we use XtoCC software (http://intelligentassistance.com/xtocc.html)
on the XML to prepare the XML for Adobe Premiere CC 2019

Once it's in Premiere, the editor has to check if its all linked
if something got offline, and outputs an AAF. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM2l...BWXslCjL5&t=27)

Settings for AAF output are:

Mixdown video : NO

Breakout to mono : ENABLE

24 bit, 48000,
Files : Separate Audio
Format : Broadcast Wave (this gets us metadata)
Copy complete audio files

This gets me the metadata in pro tools and i can use the field recorder workflow to replace all the audio i need.

Now, there has been some sync issue - the AAF at whole was about 1,5 frame off sync from the video master audio he sent me, but so far i have not run into bigger problems. Will update this as a get more experience.

Good luck!

This may explain why so many of my clients are just skipping Final Cut altogether and simply using Premiere.

[BillieWillie]

Yeah, agree with you.

[nucelar]

Hi, I'm in the same boat: (Editor is working on Final Cut Pro X and I will do the audio post in PT). But I really can't ask him to go through all these steps and even less make him buy a software. So, is it possible that he sends me the whole FCPX project on a hard drive so I can open it on my side and perform all audio juggling myself? Or would this be even more complicated? I imagine he would have to make sure all clips from all locations get included, like a "Save copy in" in Pro Tools...
Thank you!

[peter5992]

There's also a program called AA Translator which translates audio and video NLE sessions into a different format, including from FCP to Pro Tools.

I've been using this for years, though not for FCP to PT but for PT to Reaper and vice versa, works well. What is does is convert the entire session lock stock and barrell, same number of tracks, all clips in place, etc.


https://www.aatranslator.com.au/

[michaelfbates]

Originally Posted by Cheesehead

Ooops, I see this is a pretty old thread that has been revived.
Anyhow, interesting to know if any new workflow methods have come up in the meantime.

Originally Posted by Cheesehead

Hi Michael
My experience of working on 2 features coming from FCP and FCPX is that all metadata is stripped off the rushes in the import process to FCP.
So no field recorder workflow at all is possible, at least I could never get it to work.
Maybe you can get something with timecode only and Ediload, I don't own Ediload and wasn't prepared to buy it.
Also had problems with mixed sample rates and TC's which FCPX allows but is a complete minefield for any file transfer situation.
I may be doing another one shortly from FCPX and not looking forward to it at all.

Hi Martin, this is my pretty slow reply to a helpful answer!

Weirdly FCP7 OMF import has got better for me recently. I've been doing bits here and there over the last 4 years on a feature editing in FCP7 and OMFs seem to now open properly first time and everything starts at the right times.

I think it's been whenever I've updated PT it seems to improve, but the director / editor is very non technical so entirely possible he's changed settings without realising or telling me!

It's all shot documentary style and without a proper sound recordist, so I've not had to deal with missing metadata as there was none to start with!

I dodged the bullet on the film coming from FCPX as I was too busy so handed it off to someone else to deal with, but even just doing a trailer mix on it was a nightmare for turnover.

[Roiter_ID]

Hi!
Has anyone ever tried using DaVinci Resolve instead of X2Pro?
I've had a very positive experience in recent project.
Exported XML 1.9 (and audio metadata). Opened it in DaVinci 17 and exported the aaf. The only thing I had to do manually was breaking apart the audio items in Final Cut, because it comes "collapsed" the the volumes saturated.
In Resolve, the audio tracks came with their names as the sound technician, a touch that does not happen in FCPX.
To be honest the only reason I use final cut is because it's fast and simple. And it goes very smoothly with my old MBP. But it lacks some pro resources that makes me very nervous.
Regards,
Edu.