Re-recording with pre-roll/post-roll

[talkbacksound]

I can't for the life of me figure this out!



Here's the scenario: I've got multiple sections of audio on an edit track that I am busing to a new record track in order to consolidate the edited audio into new individual audio files with processing embedded- calling this "re-recording". However, after doing tight edits, I also want to include 1 second of silence at the beginning and end of each new audio file. To do that I set the pre-roll and post-roll to 1 second each. Then while in Quick Punch mode, I arm the re-record track and hit F12. What happens though is that the new recorded audio file on the re-record track only displays a region that matches in and out points of the selected audio from the edit track, not from the beginning of the pre-roll through the end of the post-roll. The silence from the pre-roll and post-roll is there- but I have to trim out the beginning and end to actually display it. The Clip Bin also shows 2 separate clips: 1) the bolded "parent" file which is the entire audio file with pre- and post-roll; and 2) the non-bolded sub-region that represents the audio on the re-record track without the pre- and post-roll. After trimming out the beginning and end of the audio region on the re-record track, that sub-region disappears from the clip bin.



What I WANT to happen: hit F12 and the re-record track actually displays the recording (in real time) from the beginning of the pre-roll through the end of the post-roll. Then I wouldn't have to trim the front and back to display the silence (and the clip bin would only show the full parent file, not the sub-region that I don't need). My main reason for wanting this is so that I can then simply batch select all of the newly created audio files (with their 1 second silences at the front and back) and export the files to a new folder.


Am I crazy or does it seem like this should be relatively easy to do? Does anybody have any experience with this workflow? Or ideas on how to achieve it?

Thanks!

[albee1952]

Disable pre and post roll. Swipe across to highlight all that you want to print(including extra blank space at either end) and hit F12 to record that. Pre and post are not part of the recording, they are a convenience(except in this case).

Other options:
1-skip re-recording and use the AudioSuite version of your plugins to process the audio in place.
2-use Track Commit, or use Commit Up To This Plugin(with the desired range selected).

[talkbacksound]

Thanks Dave, but the problem with your solution is that I'd be eyeballing the amount of silence before and after the audio region- I need precisely 1 second before and after. I have a sinking suspicion that I may need to just do the re-records without pre and post roll silence and then batch convert them in a different software to add the 1 second of silence to the beginning and end. However- this does seem like a very plausible use-case that Pro Tools should be able to accommodate.


Might anyone else have other ideas to accomplish this in Pro Tools?

[nednednerb]

Hi there,

This may seem like something Pro Tools should be doing..... My own thoughts are that maybe you're already doing the right thing, with the following proviso:

If you use Pre and Post roll, and the actual file on disk is inclusive of the one second prior and after your clip, as desired, might you be able to just go to your Audio Files folder or the relevant bin, copying out the files you need?

The slow part would be isolating just the files you might need, but depending on other workflow considerations, sort by date or something might serve the needed purpose to pull them from the folder.

After the above, you'd have a folder of files with the correct length, just that Pro Tools made the files but didn't make them super easy to "export" or "bounce".... but I figure, if the re-recorded file already exists, just grab it as needed??

[Darryl Ramm]

For all these things that take too long to work out how/if you can do real time. Put the ruler to Min:Secs and just drag the suckers along one second. Or create a one second silent clip and bung 'em in place.

[talkbacksound]

Thanks Ned- that solution is viable...except for the fact that I want to batch export them from the clip bin as mp3 files- and not just have the wav files from the Audio Files folder.

[talkbacksound]

Daryl- when working with hundreds of files, I'm trying to minimize additional busy work on the timeline. Thanks for the suggestion though!

[smurfyou]

Pre and Post roll are working as intended. Don't use it to accomplish this, it affects playback not recording.

This works best with the counter set to timecode. Make your initial selection. Press "/" on the number pad. That will highlight the Start time in the location bar. Press "- 1 0 0" followed by enter on the number pad. That sets the selection back 1 second. Press "/" twice to do the same to the end selection. With "+" instead of "-". If you have Keyboard Maestro or similar it makes it easy to program this as a macro and add pad when you need it.

EDIT: I actually use "." on the number pad, it enters 00 for you. So "- 1 ." followed by enter.

[Darryl Ramm]

You can also do a bulk import to a timeline selection point. That like the last suggestion get you the leading one second silence.

If I had a large number of files I wanted to add silence to at the beginning or end I'd write a script that uses ffmpeg. Lots of tips online about how to add silence to a file with ffmpeg.

[talkbacksound]

Thanks Will! That's definitely getting closer. But with 300 files to do this with it's still a lot of keyboarding to get the job done (think telephone IVR file prep). I remember using very basic DAW software about 20 years ago to do this exact thing- easy peasy. Select the region(s) and re-record to a new track with pre and post roll present and visible in the new region on the re-record track. One new audio file in the clip bin per re-record (no sub-region without the pre and post). Batch export with any spec needed. Bada bing bada boom. I guess it's just not a common enough workflow to be incorporated into PT.