Change Note Assistant for Avid picture changes

[potatohead]

Howdy all,

I hope this doesn't get bumped for being blatant promotion, but check out the preliminary website for a new Macintosh application that speedily conforms ProTools sessions from Avid change notes.

Made by and for feature film sound and music editors, CNA works with both OS9/ProTools5.x or OSX/ProTools6.x without any additional software.

Features include:

1. Directly import change note files generated by Avid FilmScribe (and soon Final Cut Pro 4)
2. Simplify a change note by combining events or eliminating simple optical swaps.
3. View change notes in 35mm Footage or frame-accurate SMTPE timecode.
4. Print or Save 'Simplified' change notes.
5. Convert change notes into EDLs, HTML or AppleScripts.
6. Supports multi-reel/track change notes.
7. One version works in both OS9 and OSX.

Check it out at:
http://www.changenoteassistant.com

Let me know what you think,
-Phil

[smlworld]

.........
Check it out at:
http://www.changenoteassistant.com

Let me know what you think,
-Phil [/QB][/QUOTE]
----------

I've been waiting my entire digital life for this! Now I can hubristicaly announce to film editors of all persuasions, "Changes? Bring em on!"

On second thought I think I won't let 'em know that I have my own secret-weapon for massive changenotes....

seriously, this looks awesome. I can't wait. With today's post schedules I expect to get some excellent milage from this program. It will be so excellent to have time to improve tracks rather than having just enough time to update them.

good luck phil and company.

scott

[soundbird]

You may also want to check out 'VirtualKaty'.
Initially made for Lord of the Rings looks fantastic and something that I'm sure everyone needs once in a while.
(and no, I don't work for them, I have just seen it in use! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] )
www.virtualkaty.com

[ErichWStratmann]

I've looked at both VirtualKaty and at Change Note Assistant, and it seems to me Change Note Assistant is much easier to use. The big differences between the two are 1) Change Note Assistant works with change-notes, whereas Virtual Katy uses EDLs or cut-lists, and 2) Change Note Assistant is a stand alone program, but Virtual Katy requires QuicKeys to drive ProTools.

To be honest, I have sucessfully imported EDLs into VirtualKaty, but never took it through auto-conforming because the setup seemed so laborious to me. With Change Note Assistant, there's almost no set up time... and it's FAST. Also, Change Note Assistant works with ProTools 5 or 6, in OS 9 or OS X. As a total OS X addict, Change Note Assistant is my only option.

There is another solution out there - www.editrace.com - which also uses EDLs instead of change-notes. They have an interesting model in that they don't sell you a program... you upload EDLs, and they send you back a change-EDL, which you take to a program like Titan to auto-conform your PTools session. I don't like EDLs - especially for 35mm film work - so I've never tried it.

If you really like EDL-autoconforming, Change Note Assistant will spit out an EDL from any change-note you give it, but I hate EDLs so I've never really used this function.

[dj music editor]

I was around when Phil was developing CNA and I have used it extensively. here's the deal. I am music editing a reasonably large (100mil) Universal picture called THE RUNDOWN. we've had 3 temps and now we are about to final. the typical temp situation was hand over of reels 2 days before the dub. usually I'd be pulling an all nighter to get my tracks and the stems conformed, but with CNA it took very little time and as a result I didn't have to pull out my hair for each time they made massive (200+) changes. so the reality is CNA has changed how I do my job, I have more time to tweak my edits, and frankly, to sleep. also I used CNA to communicate to the composer what changes he has to do since CNA will generate very accurate SMPTE timecode notes from a Ft+Fr avid note (more accurate than the avid as there are known bugs in their process.)

so just to be clear, I don't work for phil, but I guess I have some sort of stake in CNA as I can not imagine doing my job without it.

[mfranken]

Hi Phil,

Looks very interesting. Hope you don’t mind me adding this here.

================================================== =

Hi Erich,

Thanks for mentioning EdiTrace. (I too hope I don’t get bumped from the list for talking about my own product)

Very quickly, the beauty of EdiTrace is you don’t actually have to read let alone look at EDL files to use it. The system automatically detects the format / type and usable events of an EDL file. (AVID and Lightworks cutlist load coming soon)

If I can also add, EdiTrace has a distinct advantage in that all files are loaded onto a server that can be shared with anyone anywhere on any system. Once more than two versions of a reel have been loaded, you can create a change-EDL from any version to any version without the need to chase editorial.

I’d be very interested to know which system actually comes up with the best results.

Regards Mark

[email protected]


P.S. Synchro Arts are currently beta testing a new version of Titan which runs on OS9 + OSX and can cut PT5.1 sessions.

[Craig Henighan]

Phil and gang, CNA rocks the house, we're in the middle of dubbing, which of course means all kinds of "last minute" picture changes and thank god for CNA, not as many late nights spent conforming. It will soon be a indispensable piece of software for all cutting houses.
Great work guys!

Craig Henighan
Sound Dogs

[nayrbnoswal]

CNA Sounds great.

Any music editors out there find a similar tool that will help with timing notes. I have Cue (only runs in 0S9) which is all manual would be nice to be able to import an EDL from Avid and have it at least spit out Cut information in midi form. Maybe I am dreaming. Any info would help.

Thanks

[dr sound]

Change Note Assistant looked mighty impressive at the L.A. Pro Tools Users Group meeting last Thursday night. I'm having all the Sound Supervisors try the demo CD I recieved at the meeting to see what they say. Since I'm a Re-Recording Mixer all the changes typically happen elsewhere so I'll post what they find. As for the price, it seems like quite the bargain!

[Matt Stutter]

Originally posted by ErichWStratmann:
I've looked at both VirtualKaty and at Change Note Assistant, and it seems to me Change Note Assistant is much easier to use. The big differences between the two are 1) Change Note Assistant works with change-notes, whereas Virtual Katy uses EDLs or cut-lists, and 2) Change Note Assistant is a stand alone program, but Virtual Katy requires QuicKeys to drive ProTools.

I've used Virtual Katy (on LOTR - it was my job to conform for 2 months) and I've got to pip in here. In my view the major differences between VK and CNA are:

1) CNA creates change notes that are easy to read, from change notes delivered by an avid - which are hard to understand! But only appears to work in Feet and Frames.
2) VK relies on QuicKeys - true, though it relies on Quickeys only for the conforming side of things.
3)VK does have a few preferences that need to be set in PT to work correctly (when conforming sessions) - but not unlike any add in program, Gallery products need specfic prefs set too, although in my experience Gallery products haven't worked well regardless... These settings don't effect the way I edit in PT - in fact, for me - these prefs were already set from how I work (and like most editors) and it's only for the way QuicKeys works - hopefully in the future, VK might cut PT sessions directly.
4)VK works with all frame rates - PAL, Film to PAL, Film to Film and NTSC.

From what I can see - editing the picture as you go is only going to increase - and so it should, it's making films better. Giving us options to try story ideas and scene placements out - and as someone else said here before me : lets you concentrate on making the tracks better, not just in sync with the changes!!