Mixing a movie soundtrack with Vegas.

farss wrote on 12/14/2009, 1:48 AM

I've put my hand up to rescue a movie that's fallen into a hole in post due to no money. Was shot in HDCAM. Location sound recorded to camera and DAT, so I'm told. Vision is locked and Avid project files are available on a HDD along with audio as OMF files.Original sound editor is concerned OMFs don't have handles.
There's a DVD of movie available with burnt in timecode of the locked vision.
Tasks ahead of me include laying in replacement dialog, mixing in music once composer has finished, laying in foley and doing a final mix. Plan is to present a stereo file to be laid in during the online without TC.
Questions:
1) Should I simply ignore those OMF files and go back to location DAT tapes and lay them back against vision by the seat of my pants.
2) Anyway I could get a TC'ed file for the online. I realise Vegas will not do this so any 3rd party way to simply create a BWF with TC from a 24/48 stereo wave file.
3) Any big traps I haven't though of. Original audio guy thinks I'll be OK.... even doing this in Vegas.

Bob.

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 12/14/2009, 11:33 AM

so any 3rd party way to simply create a BWF with TC from a 24/48 stereo wave file.

Wave Agent beta from Sound Devices.

Original audio guy thinks I'll be OK.... even doing this in Vegas.

PluralEyes may be about to become your best friend -- esp. if you use the DVD as reference or to sync the OMF/DAT. I don't understand all your considerations, but I think you'll succeed with the variety of sources you have available!

farss wrote on 12/14/2009, 4:01 PM

Unofrtunately I think PluralEyes would be thoroughly confused in this scenario. Consider that the locked vision video is made up of selected takes from camera tapes and audio files. Let's guess 5 takes for one scene, figuring out which take of the audio takes goes with the vision that was the active take would be impossible.
Of course this is all speculation as the client is very vague on the technical stuff e.g. "There was a cable from the camera to the thing hanging around the audio guys neck" It could have been an audio feed from the DAT to the camera, it could have been TC from the camera to the DAT, it could have been both.

One good thing to come out of this so far is it's forced me to get my head around ProTools and how audio is done at the pointy end of the business. Almost tempted to simply buy a bottom end ProTools licence but I've already got too much "stuff" lying around demanding my attention.

Bob.

musicvid10 wrote on 12/14/2009, 7:17 PM

Bob,
Your intuition about PE is right. It works at its best when one has constructed one contiguous "reference track" to which everything else slaves. I was thinking of your DVD, which "is" locked, but that may not be your best choice given the other creative options available to you on this project.

The next beta of PluralEyes is going to be much easier to reference the audio, purportedly by just using the "lock events" switches in Vegas, so one can "build" the ref track by syncing with a PE pass, then locking events as you go. I am really excited about this for my live event work, and I have been communicating regularly with the developers on this feature.

newhope wrote on 12/15/2009, 1:28 AM

Bob

As I own EDL Convert Pro I'd be happy to convert the OMF into a Vegas Project for you.
I'll be in the ABC on Thursday and Friday evenings this week if you want to get it to me there. Alternatively drop me an email and we'll make alternative arrangements.

As for getting it back with timecode for the online I can do that for you as well if you give me your final mix with a standard set of countdown pips and tell me what TC you want the first frame of image/sound to be.

Doesn't http://www.sounddevices.com/products/waveagent.htmWave Agent[/link] allow you to add timecode to an existing wave file? Haven't used it myself but thought it may be an answer to adding TC to the final mix.

Consider both a free offer.

I have used MPEG Streamclip to convert DVD video for use as a vision source for mixing audio in Vegas.

New Hope Media

farss wrote on 12/15/2009, 5:09 AM

Thanks Steve,
I may have to take you up on your offer.
Looks like this job is coming my way, producer is organising a formal handover meeting. Might take a while, today I got a call to say the composer is stuck because he's run out of disk space, they were hinting that I could maybe donate one of my external drives. Probably will not be until the new year before I can get started.

Bob.

MarkWWWW wrote on 12/15/2009, 5:48 AM

If you're working with the OMFs, have a look at AATranslator. Much cheaper than the alternative ProConvert and seems to do a good job.

Mark

farss wrote on 12/15/2009, 2:46 PM

Thanks for the info.
I'm trying to understand something, I think I know how this works but having never done it I'm sort of guessing. Not important if I do the whole mix but still I'd like to know for next time.

The original task that sent me down this hole was laying replacement dialog. I could do this easy enough, just send back a track the length of the movie with the new dialog. Does this mean whoever is doing the final mix has to know to duck the original dialog or is there a way from a Protools project I could return that would define what has to be ducked etc from the original dialog track?

Bob.

MarkWWW wrote on 12/16/2009, 2:19 AM

Sadly my knowledge of ProTools doesn't stretch to actually using it - I only know a bit about how to deal with the output it produces.

Mark

newhope wrote on 1/26/2010, 1:17 PM

Bob

There isn't any inbuilt function in ProTools that can recognise and replace audio regions from another edit or NLE.

Some 3rd party software like Virtual Katie can re-conform from EDLs but the end user would need to have this and you would have to be able to out a compatible EDL.

Regards
Steve

farss wrote on 1/27/2010, 2:28 AM

Steve,
thanks for the info and the help on this project.
It needs all the help it can get. Thankfully it now looks like I'll be doing the final mix, if I don't go stark raving mad beforehand.

Bob.

rraud wrote on 1/27/2010, 8:34 AM

In most circumstances, converting the OMF is probably your best option, easiest and fastest if there are multiple audio tracks. Syncing sound from the DAT or whatever to an already edited project can be very time consuming. I normally get an OMF, and.. a MOV, WMV or DVD from the edit house for picture and absolute audio reference sync. ( too bad importing other application AAFs does not work properly in Vegas)
Even if you have PTs you may need the $1,200. DV Toolkit.

farss wrote on 1/27/2010, 4:17 PM

Indeed, I now have the OMFs converted and it all opens just fine in Vegas thanks to Steve's help.

Bob.

newhope wrote on 1/30/2010, 3:33 AM

Bob

Happy to be of assistance.

Steve