Multitrack exchange.

So I've gotten my FCP 5.1 project to a place where it's time for me to do some sound design and a temp mix. I have a sound designer who will be building the final sound for me, and mixing the project on a dub stage. For the purposes of locking picture however, I'd like to do some preliminary sound work. I've sent the project to STP, can do the sound design and send a 2 track stereo mixdown of the work I've done in STP back to Final Cut Pro to marry it to the picture and export a quicktime. Is there a way for me to export the multitrack to FCP, as a multitrack session, so that I can then export an OMF for the sound designer? I haven't been able to build a multitrack session in STP that can move between the two programs and, while I could do this sound work in FCP, I prefer doing the sound work in the STP interface. Any ideas?

Thanks.



Making the world a better place, one frame at a time.

"" Is there a way for me to export the multitrack to FCP, as a multitrack session?""

As it is today, with Soundtrack Pro, it will only deal with importing 2 channels and exporting 2 channels. To do multitracks you would need a true multitrack editing tool such as ProTools or Logic or Digital Performer.

Yes, this is one of the strangest and most missing aspects of STP which, in theory, could be a fantastic program that I'm super excited about... yet... with the lack of in and out of multi tracks to FCP it's profoundly limited.

That is why Apple sells Logic. They can't undercut their premier audio program by building such capabilities into an essentially free program.

Why not use GarageBand? It can deal with 8 tracks of audio in. Just doesn't work directly with Final Cut Pro.

I understand the point about Logic, but know that I own and use Logic Pro and yet there is still this missing gape in their offerings. Not only is there not a clear and simple transfer between Final Cut and Logic available - but Logic is still not a great film/tv audio tool. It wasn't designed to be one. It has most of the technology but the tool is not there. What makes Logic look and feel different than Pro Tools and Nuendo is what is missing. Seemed like STP was a step in that direction.

I totally agree with you on the Logic, logic. It is NOT the right tool to do audio post for video work. To me it is more pointed to do hip-hop music with loads of MIDI, rather that audio post.

I have owned Logic and Nuendo and have settled on Digital Performer as my audio tool of choice. Soundtrack was an extension of GarageBand or perhaps the other way around, but the loop implementation was fantastic.

So, if you need multiple tracks of audio, you can use GarageBand to utilize loops as backup materials and bring that into Soundtrack, if needed as a mono pair or get another audio tool that can do what you require.

I'm sort of new to STP so bear with me. I just sent multiple audio and my video tracks from FCP to STP via send to multi-track project command. Are you guys saying that I can't make the round trip?
Why would you send your timeline to STP if you can't fix and improve it? What do u do with it after your done?
If you can import a two track final mix as new audio tracks in FCP, I guess I'm OK with that as my mix out in the end will be two track.

Can u shed some light on this? If u can do two track import, I suppose it's file/import/files eh?

thx

FCP suite 5.1.1

My gut feeling is that there will be future versions of Soundtrack Pro. I think their priorities for version 1 was to get the program beyond the music loop program that the original Soundtrack program was & I think they did a good job as far as they went.

I expect that version 2 will have at least OMF import & export between FCP & Soundtrack Pro. Personally I'd rather do my final sound mix in Soundtrack Pro rather than FCP if I was going to do everything with FCP Studio. The multitrack import & export that people had been requesting for ages finally arrived with FCP5. which coincided with the release of Soundtrack Pro.

I don't think Apple want FCP users using an AVID product (Pro Tools). I think Apple is aware that Logic is a music app & is not the appropriate tool for Film & Video sound mixing, however useful it might be for musicians who wish to do a musical score for films. It may be 2 or versions away before Soundtrack Pro can take on Pro Tools the way FCP does AVID.

The situation is the same as Apple's Motion is to After Effects. They present these programs as though they are providing programs as complementary programs to competitors programs until they have the code developed to the point where they can offer the programs as a viable alternate to their competitors programs.

Motion 1 didn't export to AE the way that version 2 does. In the interim before Motion 3 appears Apple have brought down the price of Shake 4.1 so low that Shake & Motion combined are less than AE.

Soundtrack Pro 2 will probably have OMF export & import so that it can be exported to Pro Tools & other audio programs. It will probably also initially be marketed as a support program to other audio programs until they have the time to the point where they can take their competitors head on.

I don't expect that we will see multitrack output in Soundtrack Pro in version 2, but we might be surprised especially if Soundtrack Pro can be made to shine using a 64 bit processor Mac with the new 64 bit OS that is coming in the Spring. It could be a situation like the launch of Motion.

Soundtrack Pro in version 1 requires more strategic planning on the part of the editor than should be necessary. You have 2 ways of sending audio files to Soundtrack Pro. The difference between the roundtriping between sending audio clips to Soundtrack Pro's Waveform Editor & files sent from a Soundtrack Pro Multitrack timeline to the Waveform Editor.

The procedure at the moment is that you only want to work with 2 tracks of production audio in the FCP timeline over to Soundtrack Pro's Waveform Editor for clean up. Other tracks can be added in FCP as a guide track for working purposes, but most of the building & mixing of tracks should be left for Soundtrack Pro. This would done after the fine cut stage.

You could build & mix your tracks adding any effects needed for the 8 or 24 tracks that you want to send out as multitrack in FCP which allows up to 24 tracks with the right hardware installed. However you can only export 1 stereo pair at a time from Soundtrack Pro, so you would want to put sync pops head & tail on all the exported tracks to be sure everything was holding sync.

You'll be exporting tracks rather than tracks built up of individual clips. However if you make up a standard set of cue sheets for the tracks you should be able to do the job. Not quite as convenient as OMF but a lot simpler than building up 16mm or 35mm mag film tracks for an interlock screening or mix.

Dave

There is a way Virginia!

For exporting more than 2 tracks fro FCP to STP, try: [www.kenstone.net]

The key is to "Select all clips in the sequence" before exporting multitrack to soundtrack pro:

Ken Stone write (bless his expert, techo-nerd heart):

Final Cut Pro integration: multitrack projects

Once you have "picture lock" in Final Cut, simple select all the clips in the sequence and choose File > Send To > Soundtrack Pro Multitrack Project.

Figure 19. Sending a completed edit to Soundtrack Pro for sweeting, effects, and final mixing.

After choosing where to save the fiile, Soundtrack Pro launches a new multitrack project with separate tracks for each track in FCP - and of course, the sync video is included as well.

Then to have cross-program functionality between FCP and STP for multitrack projects, try:
[www.presentationmaster.com]
Final Cut Pro Quick Tip #53 Soundtrack Pro Round Trip By Stephen Schleicher (God of all things DV)