how are you dealing with multitrack recordings?

[tomlowd]

hi

we're still battling with getting an efficient workflow when dealing with show recorded on multitrack. we mix fairly large australian TV drama shows.

the problems arises, when the editor clears out all the multitracks and just cuts with a stereo pair, as a couple of older editors are prone to do. when the editor leaves all the tracks in their session, obviously they transfer across in the AAF and it's all good.

however, it's when the only give us the stereo pair and we have RELINK that we run into problems. some recordists label things badly, sometimes metadata seems to get corrupt, sometimes we have trouble communicating with the editors about how frustrating and time consuming it is, to relink a 1.5 hour telemovie, and there can be sync issues on the protools track expansion, and it can take a REALLY long time. we even have a fairlight specifically for the purpose of track expansion.....

so how are you guys dealing with this? do you insist that the editors supply all the tracks in the omf? does your relinking workflow work beautifully? if so, how do you do it?

cheers

tom

[mikevarela]

In the OMF is best as it's available in sync. But sometimes the files come in on a drive too as BWF with TC so you can spot.

In any case, the OMF can only be so big so sometimes you have to be creative. Maybe smaller reel length, or reel length but then split by DME, or groups to stay under the 2GB limit. In either case, hunting for tracks can be a bi&*Tch so try and get them in the omf. maybe have them edit stereo, but provide a separate omf for the other tracks

[kd_special]

We request OMFs. To start then make notes on stuff we are missing. Its a long process but Its all we can really do the shows I work on have different editors and they all work different ways. and most important most of em are working on such a tight timeline that audio is an after thought for them.

the vid assistant loads up all available audio for them and locks it in the timeline so as they edit it stays pretty much in sync. So they load LAVS, Booms and camera mics. And I get it all then have to sort through it. Its long but atleast it saves me having to ask for the lavs after the fact because the editor thought the boom mic was the right audio to use in his edit becaus ehe can hear all 6 people on one file.

The assistant editor makes us OMFs when the editor is done the show and labels them like so.. Mus only which is usually 4 tracks, Dialoge, Vo and the most important one. JUNK... which is usually where I will find what I am looking for (LAVS) or BG audio

that also allows them to make embedded OMfs (which we always request with OMF) under 2 Gigs...

So each half hour or hour show is about 5 or 6 OMfs which we import into pro tools and have the audio editor go through the show edit with fades and pick the Mics (Lavs etc) drop them into my tracks set up for dailouge in my mix template. Then I mix it and if I feel there might be a better mic I have the option to go find that stuff in My protools JUNK tracks... which are essentially the Raw OMF un edited tracks made inactive in pro tools.

Most times our sessions are 24 tracks of audio from the avid on some shows. But the vid editor may only actully listen to 3 or 4 for dailouge and that is most times boom audio or camera audio)

This works for small shows or big ones with 24 track mulitple records on set.

hope some of that makes sense.

kd

[Ayush Ahuja]

Hi Tom,

I wonder if this will be of any use (as it was of much interest to me a few days back).

An editor friend had asked to help with a workflow for a film where they were cutting 96Khz/24bit LRCS Atmos into an Avid 48khz timeline (which was first reconverted to 48khz by Protools, with metadata intact). I have uploaded an email of the workflow we figured out in the end, sorry as its still in first person! The pdf file only deals with the workflow dealing with PT48kz > Avid > PT48khz - Match/Expanding Tracks). SRC convert in PT took good care of the metadata so that was another step - this was just an attempt at checking out the Matching functionality.

My original idea was to use linked media AAF's but it turned out that Avid was renaming files. So embedded worked better as it still held on to the timecode metadata which was important (FCP doesn't). The end relinking result was much dependent on the sound-roll metadata field. And now on my current 8.0.3cs2, its works fine across all fades, which is pleasing!

The file is called Pt-Avid Workflow 01.pdf

https://public.me.com/ayushahuja

Yush

[tomlowd]

awesome! thanks very much yush, i'll check it out!