Problems creating AAF with multitrack video files.

Finally got to the bottom of it.

Protools was applying a sample rate conversion on import from 44.1k to 48k , hence the drift.

Unchecking this fixed everything.

The odd thing is that the project and video media are all in 48k, only the music bed is in 44.1, so I don't know why Protools thinks the AAC is 44.1k in the first place.

JC,

If you are choosing to reference audio (not embed it in the aaf), but your project uses some multi channel wav files, then X2Pro will error and tell you about audio that is not a single channel wav file (this is the error that you have pasted in below). It is telling you about this because if it did reference the multi channel wavs in the AAF, Pro Tools would not read all the audio channel from the wav file(s), and some tracks would end up offline in your Pro Tools session. The warning is to avoid you hitting the limitation in Pro Tools.

It's much easier to not reference the wav files, in which case all the audio from your project is embedded in the AAF, and can be trimmed to a specific handle length. This means that you have a single AAF file to open in Pro Tools which can be easily passed around (between users, computers, or editing houses) and will not require any relinking because Pro Tools will extract all the audio from the AAF when you open it.

If you still want to reference your wav files, but want your multi channel wavs to open in Pro Tools, you must choose to "Embed the media, optionally trimming" (as you have mentioned below). This means that audio from any multi channel wav files, and any other files which Pro Tools will not be able to use for audio (e.g. RED clips or MOVs), will be embedded in the AAF as mono wavs. This allows you to get all you audio online in Pro Tools, but still references what it can.

The usual configuration is to not reference WAV files (and so embed them) because no relinking has to be done, and all the audio is converted into single channel wavs that Pro Tools can use. Trimming the embedded audio is useful because it can keep the size of the AAF down if you are going to be transferring it over the internet for example.




Now onto the sync issue; When I convert your FCPXMLs, X2Pro tells me about retimed clips where it has had to ignore the retiming:

• SYTTDB15FORVO.fcpxml has a retimed clip at 00:00:02.52, but this is a video only clip so shouldn't affect your AAF.
• SYTTDB30FORVO.fcpxml has retimed clips a 00:00:00.00, 00:00:05.56, 00:00:13.64, 00:00:15.92, 00:00:24.48 and 00:00:26.24. Of these, the first 5 clips are video only, but the last one is a video/audio clip. Because X2Pro doesn't support retiming we would expect this to appear to go out of sync in the AAF which is why we warn about it during the conversion process.

1. Is this one clip the only one that goes out of sync in the two projects that you attached, or am I missing some other clips?

2. If this is the only clip that is going out of sync, then it is expected behaviour, though I can't see why FCP X is retiming the clip. We can investigate further if this is the issue...

3. If this is not the only clip that is out of sync, can you please detail which clip (by name) and where in the project timeline it starts/finishes, as well as the rough amount of time that the audio is out of sync by at the end of the clip?

Hi,


So I'm on 2.1.9. with two new projects using the identical media: four shows, two music tracks, one VO file. The errors seem consistent with last time.
I've opted for mono audio channels in the FCP X project. The source material is PAL HD Prores with four tracks of audio. On X2Pro conversion I get this error message:

Writing AAF file
Getting audio characteristics for asset [Say Yes to Dress Bridesmaids S3e3 EHD~t938093B]
Error trying to create reference for asset (not a WAV file or too many audio channels)

No AAF file has been generated.


Selecting "Embed the media, optionally trimming." an aaf is generated. Unchecking "Reference WAV files" also allows an aaf to be generated. On import into Protools 10 media appears to be in sync with vision, BUT media is either clipped or drifts progressively so that by the end of a 30 second spot we're about 2 seconds 7 frames out.

These seems to be consistent across multiple projects. I've deleted and reinstalled both FCPX and X2Pro.
Can you shed any light on this?

Cheers,

JC

JC,

X2Pro 2.1.9 was released in the app store yesterday, so you can delete the beta and download the new release version from the app store now.

Does version 2.1.9 fix the problems you were hitting?

JC. I have replied to your registered address with download instructions.

Thanks for the quick reply. I'd love a Beta if that were possible!

Cheers,

JC

JC,
Obviously you can't reference the media as it is stereo WAV and although you can force referencing stereo WAV, Protools will not like it, the embedding option should work but I believe that you have run into a known problem with discarding transitions. The problem has already been fixed and will be included in a release due to be out on the 3rd July. If you can't wait for that long then we can get you a beta version to help you out with this project. Thanks for your patience.

Hi,

After initial success with your plugin I am having problems outputting an aaf that works. I am cutting short form promos, of 60 seconds or 30 seconds. The source material is PAL HD & SD in an HD timeline, program clips with multiple audio tracks, a music track and a voice over. I need 2 second handles on audio to be imported into Pro Tools 10.

On translating the XML encounters and error immediately:

Writing AAF file
Getting audio characteristics for asset [Mythbusters Top 25 Shark Myths]
Error trying to create reference for asset (not a WAV file or too many audio channels)

No AAF file has been generated.

Checking the console gives these errors

28/06/2013 15:43:40.772 X2Pro Audio Convert[1095]: *** Getting audio characteristics for asset [Mythbusters Top 25 Shark Myths]
28/06/2013 15:43:40.773 X2Pro Audio Convert[1095]: *** Error trying to create reference for asset (not a WAV file or too many audio channels)

This is an SD show with two stereo pairs of audio. Most of the clips sourced from show are video only with a couple of J-cuts.

Selecting "embed the Media, optionally trimming" an AAF is output. In Pro Tools audio is roughly positioned in the correct place, but things are either offset or as in the VO's case (two newly recorded aac files) clipped incorrectly. The music track, a 3 minute piece cut to 30 seconds is 32 seconds (and a few frames) long on import into Pro Tools 10.

This is the second project of mine to be affected, and I would love to see a resolution.

Many thanks,

JC