Early last year using V6, I received some AAF files from FCP rendered via Automatic Duck (which is necessary with FCP I was told) and couldn't get them to open at all. With AAF files from Avids I had to change the file path code within the AAF file to get it to open. No volume env. or cross-fade info though, which is no big deal since I'm mixing it anyway.
I request OMF(v2) which open in V6 with no problem after converting them to XML or Vegas text files through Cui Bono Soft's EDL convert.

Either way the imported media pool file's volume should not be affected, unless it is low to begin with.

ForumAdmin-
Thanks for the response. It is as rraud explains, which is using Automatic Duck to create an AAF out of FCP. Automatic Duck is just acting as a FCP plugin here to make the AAF and keep the info about the volume, fades, etc of the audio. FCP doesn't open AAF files, so there's no way to check it like that.

rraud-
Also thank you for the response. Supposedly Vegas 7 keep the volume info, which would actually be a time saver for me for projects that have to be edited in FCP.
I tried to figure out Cui Bono a couple of years ago, but gave up. Don't know if I tried the XML as you mentioned. Eventually I found a workflow, but it sure would be nice to find a way that would preserve all the volume info!

Do you have registered version of Cui Bono, The demo version has severe limitations, I was questioning it's usefulness till I contacted the nice folks at Cui Bono > recieved a reply within thirty minutes.
That said, Vegas should support the "industry standard" OMF transfer format . (as well as FULL BWF support) but we all know SMS's history on anything to do with the audio, the bastard step-child of picture . Just like on a motion picture set, many times audio folk are treated as second class citizens, They spend four hours lighting a scene and then expect you to have eight actors wired and a boom ready to go in 5 min. or less. " we're waiting on audio" ..
sorry for the rant

I've successfully used EDL Convert to open OMFs created with AVID, FCP and ProTools then convert them to Vegas XML files and open them in Vegas.
Volume information created in those programs was translated and used within Vegas. In the case of ProTools even pan information was translated into Vegas.

Are you using/ is the FCP editor using keyframe for volume changes in FCP?

I've found that AAF is problematical in that different programs deal with AAF differently and cross compatibility isn't all it could be.

OMF has been around much longer and is more stable at present so, if all you want is to get the audio, volume levels and edit (EDL) into Vegas, I'd suggest sticking to OMF.

Get the FCP editor to output an embedded OMF and use EDL Convert to open and convert it to a Vegas XML.

In Vegas go to scripting and import the XML file you created in EDL Convert . You'll need to have copied the EDL Convert XML import and export scripts, which are supplied with the EDL Convert Pro, into the Vegas script folder prior to the import. This is a one off process that installs the scripting for XML import and export for EDL Convert in Vegas.

You should then be able to convert between FCP and Vegas with volume levels in place. It works for me.

BTW The one downside is that stereo interleaved audio gets split into separate left and right mono files in OMF epxort and is imported that way into Vegas. the AUDIO TOOL in EDL Convert can merge the separate files back into interleaved stereo but you'll loose your volume info. If only Vegas had a way of dragging two separate mono files onto one track as a stereo audio file, as ProTools does (has to) it would solve that problem.

Finally there is a major bug in AAF import in Vegas... it resets the project settings back to stereo.
I was mixing a 5.1 project recently and tried importing an AAF, from ProTools, of a foley track. It reset my project to stereo. I had to undo the import to get my mix back... a royal pain.

It appears as if Vegas treats AAF import as something you would only do at the beginning of a project not after you've commenced mixing/editing. I similarly had it drop all my plugins from the busses in a stereo project recently when I tried to import a VO track recorded and edited in PT LE. I had it reoutput it as BWF and imported it that way... hence I use AAF import rarely in Vegas.

New Hope Media

When yo uimport from OMF to Vegas, do the original filenames come across? Our Avid and DS editors send me OMFs all the time, as embedded audio projects. I then use AV Transfer to convert to Vegas.txt files, then they open up perfectly. Volume curves are not present, but clip based volume stays with the clip thru the conversion proces...but all the file names are generic (having been renamed the project name001.wav, etc). I thought maybe the cuibono software kept names, but i never got it to work properly, having left out some tracks in the conversion process.

jmm in stl.

Cui Bono Soft 's EDL Convert Pro does import file names and if you use the XML import rather than the TXT import it provides other info such as pan and volume levels.

The problem with oMF is also a matter of what the source program is able to provide.
AVID for instance only provides clip based automation (volume levels) via OMF 2.0 even to programs like ProTools HD which is part of the AVID stable of companies.

If I export a ProTools tracklay and mix to OMF 2.0 and convert it to a Vegas XML with EDL Convert I get all of the volume changes I have made in ProTools plus panning and file names.

So it's a combination of what the source program can export into the OMF and what method of import you use to get it into Vegas.

New Hope Media