PT export to Avid very loud /handles problem

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Can anyone explain why audio that plays at a peak of -12dbfs in Digital Performer, when exported into ProTools 6.2.2LE (DVToolkit version) plays a lot louder and when exported as avid compatible OMF using embedded media and with large audio handles, and then imported into an MC9000XL v11 it plays back almost hitting O and clipping.

Also the handles don't seem to work? - we are unable to drag out anything - as i don't do maths very well, how many milliseconds would be needed to get a six second handle at either end of a clip? 6000msec?

any explanations would be really helpful, thanks

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Also the handles don't seem to work? - we are unable to drag out anything - as i don't do maths very well, how many milliseconds would be needed to get a six second handle at either end of a clip? 6000msec?

That is correct. 1 second = 1000 msec, 6 seconds = 6000msec, etc.

Sorry I can't help on the other questions...

Cheers,
Chris

[Chief Technician]

Also the handles don't seem to work? - we are unable to drag out anything

If you are making an OMFI that is destined for a video editor, such as Avid's Media Composer, putting in handles is a waste of time UNLESS they will re-export an OMF for you to work with later in Pro Tools.

As you know, Media Composer can only edit by frames, where Pro Tools can edit by samples. When you make an OMFI with Pro Tools, it analyzes where your audio regions are, and then determines where the nearest frame is located in the timeline relative to the bounds of your audio regions. If your audio region ends somewhere between the start and the end of a frame, it will add a region to your OMFI titled Sample Accurate Edit. The names implies exactly what you've done - you've made an edit whose resolution is greater than a frame. Pro Tools adds a silent region to fill in the space between your audio region and the next frame boundary during the OMFI process. None of this happens if you do not enforce Avid Compatibility mode, but if you do not enforce that mode then the Avid will simply choke on the OMFI. When you are trying to drag out your handle, you are really trying to drag out an empty region titled Sample Accurate Edit whose size is less than a frame.

The only way you would have access to the handles (in theory) is if you made every region in Pro Tools conform to frame boundaries. Then you'd also have to hope you don't run into the OMFI/Media Composer v10.x bug where DigiTranslator and Media Composer disagree on how many samples there are in a frame.

Hope that helps.

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so what you are saying is....if your OMF is Avid compatible it won't recognise the handles you saved. I am aware of the silent extras that are added, and so in avid I deleted the addition and tried to drag out the actual clip but it had no handle. I always thought that handles are saved for every individual clip - was i wrong?

Incidentally, we do need to work on dialogues in ProTools prior to sending them to the Avids because we make animation shows, and the dialogue is always edited before anything is ever shot. The handles are needed because occasionally during the picture editing, a director will decide that changes need to be made to suit the image better.

[Chief Technician]

so what you are saying is....if your OMF is Avid compatible it won't recognise the handles you saved.

The Avid won't allow you to drag out those handles, though it will preserve them.

I always thought that handles are saved for every individual clip - was i wrong?

No. The handles are saved with each clip and preserved by the Avid. The Avid cannot utilize the handles. If you make an OMFI for an Avid, and specify six seconds of handle, the handles are preserved by the Avid system. When the OMFI being edited on the Avid needs to be sent back to Pro Tools via OMFI, if the Avid editor specifies the same handle length as was originally set in the first OMFI export, then when you get the OMFI from the Avid your handles will be intact and available. The Avid doesn't discard the handles.

Incidentally, we do need to work on dialogues in ProTools prior to sending them to the Avids because we make animation shows, and the dialogue is always edited before anything is ever shot. The handles are needed because occasionally during the picture editing, a director will decide that changes need to be made to suit the image better.

Unless someone knows something I do not about Avids, your picture editor will have to send you an OMFI if the director makes such a decision so you can accomodate these requests.

I hope that clears things up.

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thanks for that.

seems we are constantly coming up against Avids inability to do so many things! Here's another to add to the list.