Reactivating this request thread for a few reasons.
First, I want to explain that yes the Pro Tools Export Preset has a handful of advantages and is a critical tool, it's just time to give it more power. Right now the Pro Tools Preset can do a few things the basic AAF export can not do. It can reach detect any linked audio and pass them along the Pro Tools AAF. The direct AAF export can not do this, and erroneously links to the video file only (making hand offs to Pro Tools impossible). The Pro Tools export preset works much better in this regard.
Second, the Pro Tools export preset allows for sample level accuracy when exporting. Direct AAF export does not allow this. In fact, most timeline export formats do not support sample level editing points. So for sending direct to Pro Tools this is one of the few ways to pass along your edits accurately. Also, passing sample accurate edits to Pro Tools is less prone to errors. As in previous versions this would cause AAF export errors and sync errors. Using any tools like Premiere or Avid as an intermediary will rip out these sample accurate edit points, so I don't like this method if I can avoid it.
Third, it passes along all embedded file metadata through the wav file export mode. The AAF does this in a sense, since it's linking to the source audio directly, but only for audio files not linked to video files in the media pool, since those don't pass along at all with direct AAF export.
Fourth, Track Names, Fades & Automation are converted and passed along. It's translated or a direct 1 to 1 transfers, but it's there too, great! Even if they wipe this work away, it's a very valuable guide.
So here is my Request List of ways we need to beef up this hand over if pros in post sound will ever give Resolve a real shot (honestly, this might be a bigger hurdle for Media Composer editors than any other roadblock, so listen up please.
So some context first. In general, post audio teams expect to be able to source back to their original location or production audio for editing and mixing on set recorded audio. It's critical for AAF's to include not only accurate timecode, but clip metadata to link be able to conform and assemble back to the original media. See Ediload's workflow here too and why assembling polywavs in mono tracks for protools is so useful:
Also review Mike's articles about this subject here on why Conforming is so valuable for Post Audio here :
https://www.production-expert.com/home-page/2016/7/1/pro-tools-conforming-and-re-conforming-in-audio-post-production-part-1 and here:
https://www.production-expert.com/home-page/2016/7/1/pro-tools-conforming-and-re-conforming-in-audio-post-production-part-3.
Mike's article on using Resolve to send to Pro Tools as well, confirms the above workflow. See here:
https://www.production-expert.com/produ ... ci-resolve So based on the above, for the Pro Tools preset to really gain the capability it needs to actually be useful to pros sending to mixers in Pro Tools it needs a version 3.0 (please).
1. *Critical* Give the preset the ability to not only pass metadata through the exported wav file, but also saved in the AAF metadata as well.
If it needs to use the original waveform files as that metadata source, so be it, but either way, send the Reel Name, Scene Number, Take Number along with the accurate timecode it's sending now along inside the AAF and not just stored in the wav file.
If you can add that metadata into the mxf wrapped too, go for it. Passing this metadata along will allow for fast and efficient conforms when using conforming tools like EdiLoad.
If there are ways to pass along additional metadata from Resolve, that would be amazing too. Sometimes I need to fix metadata, repair, or add more notes in Resolve. Please let me pass that metadata along via the AAF or Waveform file export so I can use EdiLoad to transfer that metadata too.
(BTW, V19 release notes include a mention of better conforming options with third party tools, but I can't find any explanation about that that means and what third party software Resolve is targeting here, if anyone knows I would love to know too).
2. *Critical* Add the ability to link directly to the source media upon export instead of rendering out smaller files that trim to the audio in use.
Handles are nice to have, but often production audio is small enough, even on a feature, to share along with project files.
Trimming can be helpful on some projects, but narrative film & TV productions have likely already sent along the location audio to the post audio team on a drive anyway. So trimming down just forces them to go the extra step to conform using a third party tool.
Finally, the current way Resolve exports and create files adds a lot of prefix data to the file name. In theory, if linking to the original clips, all this rendering and renaming could be skipped.
3. The manual already states that this preset will link any and all channels within the polywav file. But what it doesn't clarify is that it really needs those channels expanded on the working timeline for them to be passed along to Pro Tools.
I want Resolve to be smart enough to create sub tracks, like Ediload, and assemble all the individual poly wav files into a track of additional tracks.
Create extra tracks when polywav files are being linked and provide an option to create extra tracks for each additional channel that is available. Again, review EdiLoad's Assembly workflow here. Personally, I would just rather use Ediload for this anyway, since I can cleanup the tracks better anyway, but overall, adding more functions like this for turn around would be nice to have regardless.
But a basic version of this method would very helpful for those who can spring for another tool. Look at what X2Pro5 also does for FCPX too. It's a great example of how you can make a Pro Tools compatible AAF that links to original media well and accurately.
4. Support Marker Exporting too. Right now you have to convert timeline markers into markers Pro Tools can read using editingtools.io. Let's cut out the extra step if we can please.
5. Add options to transfer Layered Audio Editing to Pro Tools.
Right now layered audio editing only transfers the lowest audio file that is linked. While the top level is what is active in Resolve. Instead have an option to flatten these before exporting to the Pro Tools setting.
The goal here is to maintain the layered audio editing function in Resolve for continued editing after sending to post. As right now I have to use the Flatten Audio Layers function before sending to Pro Tools and audio the work.
If it's possible to flatten just during the export, I can continue to use layered audio editing as I keep working incase picture lock isn't real.
If it's also possible to convert audio track layers into discrete tracks in the Pro Tools project export, that would be even more powerful. It would mean disabling items within the layered tracks, but it could be very helpful. But I understand that might be a tall order.
Overall, there is a lot of room to improve this export tool, but I think, overall, it's still the best way to send to Pro Tools. This tool is sample accurate and allows to deep linking to original audio. If we just added the ability to bounce metadata and link to the original media instead of rendering new files that could be a massive help. The other requests are a lot lower need in my opinion.
Thanks!
Thu May 21, 2020 1:21 pm
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