Properly exporting a time code stamped WAV

[matchoo0]

Hey There,

I'm having an issue with a mix that I sent to a playback crew for a music video shoot. They asked me to send the mix as a WAV file with embedded TC at 23.976. I sent them the file and they responded with:

"My recorder was reading the TC on the file as 30 frames ND. Can you check and make sure that you created the file w 23.976"

My session was at 23.976 so I'm confused as to why it shows up on their end as 30nd. I'm not totally savvy with how the whole wav time code embedding thing works.

Of course I sent the file this morning and don't hear back about a problem the evening, when I'm home from the studio and can't troubleshoot. So I'll be going in early tomorrow, try and sort it out for them, but I'm not sure what to do to fix this. What's your checklist for properly outputting a WAV with embedded 23.976 TC?


Thanks,
Matt

[lexaudio]

Originally Posted by matchoo0

Hey There,

I'm having an issue with a mix that I sent to a playback crew for a music video shoot. They asked me to send the mix as a WAV file with embedded TC at 23.976. I sent them the file and they responded with:

"My recorder was reading the TC on the file as 30 frames ND. Can you check and make sure that you created the file w 23.976"

My session was at 23.976 so I'm confused as to why it shows up on their end as 30nd. I'm not totally savvy with how the whole wav time code embedding thing works.

Of course I sent the file this morning and don't hear back about a problem the evening, when I'm home from the studio and can't troubleshoot. So I'll be going in early tomorrow, try and sort it out for them, but I'm not sure what to do to fix this. What's your checklist for properly outputting a WAV with embedded 23.976 TC?


Thanks,
Matt

Something tells me its on their end. Either the recorder doesn't have 23.98 or they don't have it set right.

If your session is set for 23.976, then that is what the wave file should be.

[Craig F]

Wave Agent could be of an use to you
http://www.sounddevices.com/products/waveagent.htm

[matchoo0]

So I opened the file in wave agent. Two odd things. It shows the start TC as 01:00:03:18, when in Pro Tools it was 01:00:00:00. No frame rate is selected in wav agent. When I look at the file in the Pro Tools workspace it shows original and user time stamps at 01:00:00:00 which is correct. The TC rate column is empty. What does it all mean?

FYI to make this file I simply consolidated my mix print region and exported as file thinking that PT would stamp the file with the correct info on export. I guess that's not how it works. Should I change the metadata in wave agent or could I potentially screw something up?

Thanks,
Matt

[Polaris]

Not sure where your problem lies but here's how we usually make an export with correct TC and frame rate:

Set session start and frame rate as you want them to be (01:00:00:00 @ 23.976)

Place your mix in tracks at your desired TC (01:00:00:00)

Then use Audiosuite DUPLICATE to write a new file. This should write the new file with the proper TC & rate as the "original time stamp" NOT the "user time stamp" (You can verify in Project Browser).

Then export as interleaved or whatever you need.

Good luck.

[Postman]

So I opened the file in wave agent. It shows the start TC as 01:00:03:18, when in Pro Tools it was 01:00:00:00.

That is odd. If not 1:00:00:00, I would have expected Waveagent to report 59:56:12. 3:18 in 30fps is the same as 108 frames. The difference between 30fps and 29.97fps is 108 frames per hour. It seems to me that Waveagent is reporting a 29.97drop frame number, which makes little sense. (Have I got my thinking cap on backwards?)

See, here's the thing. bwav's timestamp is not actually timecode, it is "samples from midnight". The timecode number you see is determined by the program reading the timestamp. Pro Tools will read and write the timestamp according to the session's settings. You consolidated the files at the correct timeline location, right? They should show up stamped correctly (1:00:00:00) in another program that interprets the timestamp with the same criteria, i.e. 48khz on a 23.976 timeline.

[iseeyoutoo]

I am having the same problem exporting a file as 23.976 fps, starting the timecode at 00:59:49:00 ... when i plug the file into my recorder (SD744T) it shows up at 30 ND, while my session is set at 23.976 ...

I tried to DUPLICATE using audio suite and then the file shows up on the recorder at 00:59:50.17 ... still in 30 ND

Was this problem ever resolved? I am working in PT10 (non-HD)

I am trying to solve this for a playback job for tomorrow, any urgent advice would be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes.

[tom_lowe]

Originally Posted by iseeyoutoo

I am having the same problem exporting a file as 23.976 fps, starting the timecode at 00:59:49:00 ... when i plug the file into my recorder (SD744T) it shows up at 30 ND, while my session is set at 23.976 ...

I tried to DUPLICATE using audio suite and then the file shows up on the recorder at 00:59:50.17 ... still in 30 ND

Was this problem ever resolved? I am working in PT10 (non-HD)

I am trying to solve this for a playback job for tomorrow, any urgent advice would be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes.

I don't believe the non-HD version of Pro Tools embeds the correct metadata. WaveAgent should fix it.

[bbtodrum]

Hey Fellowsss.... I know its been 12 year since this conversation!!!!... but I have a old PT 8 system therefore suffering the wages of getting old. Running on this exact same issue!! Trying to bounce a .wav file with stamped TC on it, but its coming out as a 30 nd audio file, so the tc offsets for almost 3 seconds and some frames...

PT session has correct fps settings and no pulling of any kind.

If you solved it, and you are not dead.... help a brodah out.....:))

Rafael
Puerto Rico

[mfranken]

WAV files created by Pro Tools aren't created with any metadata saying what frame rate they were generated at, or what frame rate the timestamp relates to.

I just tested with PT Ultimate by consolidating a 10 sec WAV starting at 01:00:00:00 @ 23.976. When I load the WAV into WAV Agent, WAVE Agent shows no value in the "Frame Rate" menu. If you select 23.976 when "Preserve Start TC" is un-checked it will read 01:00:00:00 as the start time.

I'd say the best thing to do would be to load the WAVs you create in PT into WAV Agent, select the correct Frame Rate when "Preserve Start TC" in un-checked, then click Save. This way the WAV file metadata will be updated to contain the frame rate that the timestamp relates to, and therefore whatever loads this file will then hopefully read the timestamp correctly.

Regards,

Mark