Audio Timecode with protools, syncing with video

[[email protected]]

Hi everyone, Im currently working for a tv production and im doing multichannel recording with an S6L into PT. I receive timecode in an audio input and record it with my session in PT so as to be able to sync the audio to a later cut of the video (which is using the same timecode but i receive at a later date). As this is my first time doing this i have no idea how to do that as I dont know how to convert this audio signal into something that the whole project follows. I see that i can also send the timecode directly to the S6L and it does indeed see it but i cant seem to find how to lock PT into that same timecode. I should mention im a newbie with PT as i have just started using it for this project but im a long time Cubase Nuendo user, so any help and workflow ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanx

[resonatee]

wouldn't something like BoomRecorder be better for you? it will get external timecode from one of the inputs and encode it into metadata.
https://www.pokitec.com/products/BoomRecorder/

[[email protected]]

This looks very interesting...however its full band thing we are recording 64 tracks into PT so a single ethernet cable from the S6L into PT is i think the best possible solution for that unless its also possible to do with another recorder app...

[neve2254e]

How about using Source-LTC
From source-elements.

I used to do something like this in the past.
Let me know if this works for you.

kindest of regards
Eric Slaughter

[trevora]

Are you just using PT as the multitrack field recorder? Or are you hoping to conform the ProTools session to match the video edit?

Not sure you need LTC for either of those.

I could see it being useful if the source is repeated playback plus multiple takes of live elements. Media Composer can 'read audio timecode' to then be able to sync the various takes to the playback.

Otherwise plain old time of day timecode should work, followed by an AAF or EDL for manual conform. (I'm a video editor, not a PT expert though, so no use for how you achieve that)

[trevora]

I've also seen classical recordings where they've locked the performance edit in Reaper (ie from different performances) *before* the video edit was conformed from an ADL (then multicam switched).

[[email protected]]

What is happening is a tv production there there are multiple cameras and they just send an audio ltc to me. I record into PT straight from the console with AVB. They edit the footage and i have to mix the songs performed as well as the lav mics etc. during recording i cut very often( mainly to make sure nothing goes wrong) so in the end i dont have a single recording to just add the unedited footage to and then manually conform the files which( for a 2 hour program out of a 6 hour shoot) is really hard work!!! My goal is to be able to automatically sync the audio to the edited video cuts i get! I hope its not impossible!!

[grayter1]

We do this every year for college Christmas concerts. The shows are captured multicam events with a full video and audio truck. Both video and audio world are synced with TOD TC. Video is captured to disk and all audio is recorded into a Pro Tools session from the desk via DANTE.

We do a hot mix that is sent to the video truck, while all of the room, choir and spot mics are ISO'd to PT

At the conclusion of the last show of the day (we record the dress rehearsal and two main shows), the hot mix is given to the school music directors, show producer and editor. They make selects based on the two performances and dress rehearsal. The editor cuts the selects (using the stereo hot mix) into a show and sends me an AAF.

This is where it gets interesting. The shows are spotted to the TC that they we're recorded at (Dress @ 11:00:00, Show 1 @ 15:00:00 and Show 2 @ 17:00:00). I import the AAF (the broadcast edit) into the session and spot it @ 1 hour. Because everything is TC locked, I manually go through each performance and copy the selected song ISO's and spot them into the show edit @ 1 hour and mix.

EDIT: This is all done by making the original show day TC viewable in the clip view. Yes, math is involved when the music directors and show producers begin to mix and match things and believe me, they will.

This is convoluted, but it's how we do it. I'd love to find an easier workflow.

This may or may not help you.

tg

[trevora]

I wonder if you could do it with EdiLoad...

e.g. say the original session is recorded against time of day from 10.00.00 to 17.00.00

Editor creates edit with hotmix stereo wavs for that time span (he can 'autosequence' in avid + they'll create a timeline correctly) + exports an AAF

You import that and paste your recording session across that conform.

So now when the editor does a cut down and sends you the fine cut (say starting at 10.00.00 still but everything rearranged) you use EdiLoad to update the first conformed session.

All pie in the sky as I've never used EdiLoad but it does seem to be what they offer. Obvs be trickier where dress rehearsals etc are on different days but in theory it should work?

Have MC so happy to help out with tests.

[grayter1]

Originally Posted by trevora

I wonder if you could do it with EdiLoad...

e.g. say the original session is recorded against time of day from 10.00.00 to 17.00.00

Editor creates edit with hotmix stereo wavs for that time span (he can 'autosequence' in avid + they'll create a timeline correctly) + exports an AAF

You import that and paste your recording session across that conform.

So now when the editor does a cut down and sends you the fine cut (say starting at 10.00.00 still but everything rearranged) you use EdiLoad to update the first conformed session.

All pie in the sky as I've never used EdiLoad but it does seem to be what they offer. Obvs be trickier where dress rehearsals etc are on different days but in theory it should work?

Have MC so happy to help out with tests.

Hmmmm... Interesting. I'll look into this. We're a Premiere house, but I'm interested to see if it can be pulled off this way. The manual conform is the only hard part of the process. The hot mix is time stamped as well, so when I get the AAF draft cut, I can see all of their selects when I look at the TC in the metadata. I then go trolling through the performances and do a cut and spot of the ISO's.

Thanks for the tip. I'll PM you if we move that way. We're in the planning stages now for this year's show.

tg