How to use X2Pro to make a FCPx XML file into an AAF with no audio/video media

Hi Tara,

If you hold the shift key down whilst you press the start button it will pop up saying "shift key detected. Run conversion in test mode?". Once you select yes X2Pro will go ahead and create an empty AAF for you, you don't need to worry about disconnecting any drives or changing any settings. A way of telling that it created an empty AAF is it should be about 40MB in size.

Hope this cleared things up for you!

Hi James,

Thank you for your response!

It helps to know that it's possible to make an fcpxml file into an AAF with no audio/video media; but I'm unclear as to how to set my preferences in X2Pro, particularly so that it won't find the media. And I also have a question about pressing the shift key.

With re: to X2Pro not finding the media, should I exclude every role so that it can't find the media in the AAF, essentially uncheck the include 'All' button in roles?; or should I disconnect the hard drive where the media is stored so that it can't find it?

Also, you mentioned to hold down the shift key when I'm ready to create the AAF in X2Pro. When? When I hit start to begin the process; and how long do I hold it, the whole time?

I'm not well-versed in the X2Pro technology and have a basic understanding of its functions. That's why in my original question I asked for instructions on how to actually do this in X2Pro. I'm talking step by step;-) This topic is not online or in the help area of the website. I don't want to guess and send the AAF to the Pro Tools editor and have it wrong. He'll be angry.

Any more details would be most helpful.

With respect and gratitude,

Tara

Dear Tara,

The simple answer is yes, you can hold the shift key down when you go to create an AAF and you will be given an option to create an AAF regardless of whether media is present or not. The caveat is that if we cannot see the media we cannot inspect it so we have to represent it as described in the XML with no checks, normally we check the media against the description in the XML. You would have to make sure that when you run the application in this mode that it cannot access any media in the XML, because it will try and find it.

Hope the above helps.

Yours Sincerely
James

My question rephrased:

Does X2PRO provide the ability within its settings to make an AAF with no audio or visual media embedded (so the AAF file is a description of the sequence) from a fcpxml file.

I'm on a deadline so I'd appreciate an answer from some knowledgeable person out there.

Cheers,

Tara

I'm writing because I've been told by Just Webster, from The Cargo Cult, the developer of Matchbox, that one way to use the Matchbox product with FCPx, is to use an AAF with no audio/video media, so just the AAF file describing the sequence (no media embedded), from two versions of a film in order to compare them in Matchbox.

Is it possible to make that kind of AAF file using a FCPx XML file in X2Pro?
Could someone please share the settings required in X2Pro to create that AAF file described above?

Thank you for your assistance with this matter. I may have to try another route, but perhaps this may work.

Sincerely,

Tara