Relinking AAF?

[JRChappell]

Currently I import an embedded AAF. When the Media Composer sequence gets changed they send me a new embedded AAF of the entire show for me to conform with. This seems like a huge waste of time and it doubles my local media.

I tried having them send me a linked AAF. When I get it the files get renamed so linking to just the name or identifier does not work.

As an example I reimported the exact same sequence embedded and linked.

In the embedded I have a file named "1-2 FullMix_06.r.new.06-01"
In the linked AAF the file in the same position is named "1-2 FullMix_06.r.new.06-03"
It seems that maybe Protools or Media Composer renames the file on import or export?
Is there any way around it?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Frank Kruse]

Originally Posted by JRChappell

Currently I import an embedded AAF. When the Media Composer sequence gets changed they send me a new embedded AAF of the entire show for me to conform with. This seems like a huge waste of time and it doubles my local media.

I tried having them send me a linked AAF. When I get it the files get renamed so linking to just the name or identifier does not work.

As an example I reimported the exact same sequence embedded and linked.

In the embedded I have a file named "1-2 FullMix_06.r.new.06-01"
In the linked AAF the file in the same position is named "1-2 FullMix_06.r.new.06-03"
It seems that maybe Protools or Media Composer renames the file on import or export?
Is there any way around it?

Any help would be much appreciated.

The name of your sequence (containing the ".new.") suggests that they are consolidating the audio every time they send you a new AAF. This will obviously create new media not only on your end but also on their end.

The more elegant way is indeed to use linked AAFs. Simply ask for a copy of all the audio media from the AVID once and ask them to simply send you liked AAFs without any media at all. That way you never duplicate any audio and there is no need to consolidate anything (in fact consolidating will break that workflow).

Frank.

[philip_purcell]

I've been hassling conform gurus for ages about this - my dream would be to have a conform application that can compare a new AAF to an existing PT session, and re-conform the session - with existing automation, renders, fades etc - to match the new AAF. It would obviously have to dump any new clips onto new tracks and import their media. I have repeatedly been told that this is too hard to do with software, and yet I can do it manually with my inferior brain, so I would have thought it was possible. It would need some human interaction, so that if there were clips that had been added in Protools that were not in the AAFs it would prompt to move them in sync with adjacent clips, leave in place, trim to fit, or whatever. I can imagine a lot of post people would love an app like this, since working with EDLs is just not good enough these days with complex sessions.