Broadcast Wave support for production sound

Brrr wrote on 12/22/2007, 4:11 PM
I'm looking for .bwf support options on the PC platform. I could buy a Sound Devices 744T, but I'd like to make use of my existing mic's. and mixers to record production-audio to my laptop, on location. Can Vegas save or export the Broadcast Wave file format, so that a video edit system like Avid or FCP can import and use multiple tracks, synchronized to film or HD via time-code? I assume that I could distribute these using my DVD+-R, DVD-RAM optical drive on the laptop. Is this possible with Vegas? I'd like to simulate the "Metacorder" program on the MAC platform ( http://www.gallery.co.uk/metacorder/intro.html ).

Thanks

Comments

farss wrote on 12/22/2007, 5:23 PM
Vegas can certainly import BWF files. Export with TC I'm not so certain about. Do you already have Vegas?

If not download the trial and test it for yourself. You should do testing with anything regardless of what anyone says. One thing I've learned, regardless of what anyone says, until you've done it in your workflow assume it doesn't work before committing yourself to it.

One tip given what your trying to do. Be very aware of what your actual fps is. Everyone bandies around 24p/24fps and more often than not that's not EXACTLY what they're using and it can bite you very hard. 24fps and 23.976 sounds like nothing until you get to the end of the movie and find out just how much it really is.

Bob.
GlennChan wrote on 12/22/2007, 6:04 PM
Does Vegas handle more than 4 channels of BWF now?
Brrr wrote on 12/22/2007, 6:44 PM
My need is for a multitrack production recorder with time code. No need for file import, and the export need will only work if Vegas can save as a standard poly .bwf that an editor can sync to picture. As you indicated, it is the end result, after editorial and post production is finished that is paramount. I assume that someone has been through post using Vegas in the production process.
farss wrote on 12/22/2007, 6:56 PM
"Does Vegas handle more than 4 channels of BWF now?"

Good question, my recorder only does 4 so that's all I've tested.

Bob.
farss wrote on 12/22/2007, 7:13 PM
Arh,
now I see what you're trying to do! You want to use a sound card / box with a laptop as a field recorder. Sure plenty of us doing that, Vegas was originally written as a multitracker. Despite that though I've got an Edirol R-4, simply having it all in the one box that runs off batteries that you can sling over your shoulder is generally way more convenient and robust.
No matter what though you're still going to need a sound card/box with TC input and depending on how serious you are you might want to be able to lock you clock to that as well. The cost starts to escalate and you need it to all run off batteries as well and for field work you need mic pres as good as money can buy if you're dead set serious. There's only a few who make this kind of kit that I've come across, Sound Devices are one, Aaton, HHB and one other whose name now escapes me.

So what sort of budget do you have for this, is this dead set for film work or is that a maybe, one day, if we ever get the money kind of thing. There's many solutions that you might consider if you're trying to save money that you wouldn't even think about if you've got a serious budget.

Bob.
Brrr wrote on 12/22/2007, 8:33 PM
That other system is the Zaxcom Deva. I need to know whether I can use Vegas to record multi-channel sound for HD-Video or as a primary recorder for film production, utilizing time code & writing as .bwf. I would relegate a Fostex PD-4 as a backup device, instead of its current use as a primary 2-trk. recorder. Is Vegas limited in its support for .bwf's in terms of number of channels that it can output?
farss wrote on 12/23/2007, 12:56 AM
Just tested this for you.
Created six stereo track out of SFPro.
Bought those into V8 Pro and assigned them to 6 stereo busses.
Rendered to .wav file with multichannel mapping enabled and assigned the 6 busses to channels.
Bought .wav file back into V8 Pro and got 12 mono tracks labelled correctly.
I'd moved the start of the original tracks to 00:00:10;00 and rendered only the region from there on. Vegas does not time stamp the .wav file and does not render to .bwf. It will import a .bwf, read the timestamp in the header and plonk it down at the corresponding place on the T/L.

For outputting a multitrack final mix to a post house this isn't really an issue. You just have everything start at a determined TC and they line your tracks up, doesn't even need to be a single multichannel file really. However for field recording which is what you want to do I don't think Vegas is going to cut it. I've done it several times but we slated the shots so no real need for TC.

Bob.
Brrr wrote on 12/23/2007, 1:26 PM
Many thanks for your effort. If Vegas cannot do this, is there any multi-track software available for the windows platform that supports audio/TC writing to .bwf poly files? I am only aware or the aforementioned Metacorder and Boom Recorder, on the MAC platform. This ghasts my flabber, because I've been waiting about 3 years for products to be developed for a platform with 70% of the market.