Not at all.

I have is a 5-channel file and a 2-channel mix of the same audio. The 2-channel opens OK on the timeline at the correct position.

The file is 2.2Gb in size but it opens in Adobe Audition 1.5 and Audacity so I don't think the file is at fault.

FYI Neither of the Broadcast Wave file splitters I have tried work either. Fostex has free software I've used before at www.fostexdvd.net

What created this file?
How long is the file in time?

If you load it into Audition, can you resave out to a new file? If so, does this new file then load in Vegas?

Peter

I know that earlier versions of Avid and the Fostex DV40 had difficulty opening odd numbered channels of BWF. That may or may not be the problem. Here is a link to a pair of BWF splitting and combining utilties that really work great. They have a 5 day trail so give the splitter a shot and see how it works for you.

http://www.one-n.com/

Also check out:
http://www.bwfwidget.com

BWF Widget will allow you to examine, organize, sort, and process BWF files looking at thier timecode, metadata, track count etc. Indispensable tool for a location sound person and very useful for post production as well.

Have since succeeded in splitting file using Broadcast Wave splitter v1.01 from Fostex but the monophonic files wont import into Vegas either.

The error message says "none of the selected files are Broadcast Wave files"

The polyphonic fiel and individual monophonic files open in Audition 1.5

I had wondered about the odd-no of tracks scenario.

BWF widget reads the file OK.

Still canvassing for other ideas.

The file was created on a HHB Portadrive and the corresponding 2-channel polyphonic file opened no problem. It's 2.2 Gb long 24 bit -48kHz.

While I may be able to export each track from Audacity I will lose the time-code so will have to manually align the tracks myself.

The issue must be related to the file size or system capacity.

I've done some tests with various smaller 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 channel polyphonic files and they all opened in Vegas just fine.

The files I can't open are 2.2Gb and 2.7Gb files of a rugby crowd using a Sanken WMS5 5 channel surround microphone.

Still keen to hear of others experiences

If you're saying that you can open multi-channel WAVs of less than 2GB in size but can't open files of more than 2GB in size then that is only to be expected - the rules that define WAV files do not allow files larger than 2GB.

This is because the chunk size fields in a WAV are defined as signed 32-bit values and the largest size that can be contained in a signed 32-bit value is 2GB. (It would have been more sensible to have chosen to define it as an unsigned 32-bit value as this would have allowed sizes up to 4GB, but that isn't what the rules say.)

Unfortunately, some applications act as though they think the rules do say that chunk sizes are defined as unsigned 32-bit values and will generate WAVs up to 4GB in size but these are illegal according to the rules and applications that correctly apply the rules will not open them.

I'm pretty sure you will find that this is the reason you can't open these files in Vegas is that Vegas is one of those applications that will not accept WAVs larger than 2GB.

(Sonic Foundry/Sony developed the W64 file format specifically to get round this limitation of the WAV file format - it uses 64-bit values for chunk sizes but is otherwise virtually identical to the WAV format.)

Mark

Here's one more thought. What file extension are you using? Although most recorders will allow you to use the .bwf extension and the fostex utility will recognize it, many applications will not. You are better off using .wav extension for BWF files.

Thanks,

I had thought the file size limit was 4Gb, not 2Gb so there lies my problem.

I have now split the polyphonic files into monophonic files using BWF Manager v1.10 from the Fostex website www.fostexdvd.net and the resulting files import into the timeline of Vegas as I would expect. I don't know why I couldn't get this to work the first time I tried. Maybe impatience!

The file extension was .wav but you are correct changing it from .bwf to .wav is an option.

FWIW The contributors here are more responsive than Sony's own tech support.

I think you mean 'multi-channel' rather than 'polyphonic'.

Monophonic wav files would be rather monotonous to listen to .... ;-)


geoff

Actually the term POLYPHONIC is what is being used in the location sound community. MONOPHONIC is not monotonous if you are recording one channel of dialog. I record monophonic files all the time!

I guess you don't get my drift. 'Polyphonic' is sound made up of more than one note of an instrument or voice(s) sounding concurrently. 'Monophonic' is a single note at a time.

These terms bear no relationship whatsoever to a number of recorded channels of sound. - even if they are (mis)used in some communities . You can record a single channel of extremely polyphonic music !

geoff

Ringtone makers might agree with you, Geoff , but Tomaras is also right. :)
When recording multi-track audio for film or television the files are commonly described as either polyphonic, where several tracks of audio are contained in one file or monophonic where each track is recorded in a separate file. Often the file name has a "P" included to confirm it is a polyphonic file.

FWIW

Stephen