OMF import and Stereo Audio

newhope wrote on 4/16/2005, 8:56 PM
I'm just starting to use Vegas for audio post production for video edited on other platforms. Normally I use it for editing my own video and doing the audio post work.
The only method I have for importing the audio that is common to both edit systems is OMF. That being because the video editing is being done on Liquid Edition 6 which exports OMF and I have EDL Convert which can convert it to a Vegas XML script.
My problem is that OMF treats stereo audio as separate left and right mono tracks. This isn't a problem in programs like ProTools where you can drag two mono tracks into a stereo track and they act, and edit, as if they are stereo interleaved.
However Vegas imports them as mono and, other than panning the tracks left and right, I have to deal with them for editing and mixing as two separate tracks. There isn't a drag and drop solution that I know of.
I can of course render them as stereo interleaved but it's a serious pain on an hour documentary with stereo music and atmos tracks already laid in by the video editor.
Rendering would also leave me without the ability to extend the edits if necessary, as it often is, with the handles provided by the vision editor.
Does anyone have any simple tricks for curing this problem in Vegas?

Comments

andyd wrote on 4/17/2005, 5:30 AM
Group them as a pair of tracks, by highlighting both tracks, right clicking them and selecting the group function. This will group them so when one gets split the other gets split....
Ben  wrote on 4/17/2005, 6:45 AM
And if you want to make the grouping behave a bit more like you might expect (from other DAWs), go to the internal prefs and set 'Event Group Selection' to TRUE.

It'd be nice if this was exposed as a normal preference as for audio work at least, to me it seems to most normal way of working.
PipelineAudio wrote on 4/17/2005, 11:38 AM
what does "event group selection" do ?
tazio wrote on 4/17/2005, 7:06 PM
Yep, I do this kind of work all the time and I found the simplest solution is to pan them hard left and right then assign them to a single buss for volume work.

Use them in conjunction with event group selection and you get what you need.
rraud wrote on 4/17/2005, 9:52 PM
Pipeline: Grouping two tracks or events: Move one / moves the other on the time-line.

SELECT: event 1> + <Ctrl> event 2.> Edit> Group> Create New (or Right click> Group)
newhope wrote on 4/18/2005, 5:10 AM
Ben
I have grouped my stereo tracks but I find that I still have to apply FX separately to each and, while I can copy and paste attributes it doesn't necessarily mean that two mono compressors will act in the same way a stereo compressor does due to differences in the tracks. Particularly true of stereo audio that isn't music, a car passing left to right for example.

Besides it still means a lot more time and effort dealing with the two tracks when compared to stereo interleaved audio on one track.

"go to the internal prefs and set 'Event Group Selection' to TRUE."
I looked in the Preferences menu under Tools but couldn't find this option or any reference to it in the Help files.
Where is it found?

My other particluar concern with the grouping method is that the two mono tracks are taking up two faders on my Mackie Control where any stereo interleaved audio takes up only one fader. Hence the desire to be able to merge them into a single stereo track.

Thanks for the input any further comments more than welcome.

Steve
newhope wrote on 4/18/2005, 5:19 AM
Doh
Found Event Grouping in the Options and Toolbar Button but I already had it switched on so it was working.

Anyone good at scripting want to write a script that takes two mono events, renders them as stereo and drops them onto a new track at the same timeline point. Ideally this would be able to do a batch of events and create them as separate files and events on the timeline?

I see a need for it if there isn't any other way of creating these events as stereo interleaved without rendering them one by one.

Steve
tazio wrote on 4/18/2005, 6:47 PM
I don't use a Mackie controller so I'm not sure if you can assign faders to an auxilliary buss.

Did you see my earlier suggestion of sending the L & R to an aux buss? That way you can apply Volume Pan FX etc. through one fader. That's how I deal with OMF imports.

By the way, a fast way to create groups is to select the events and press <g>. Grouping means that you can split and move etc, events on the time line.

Auxilliary routing means you can control everything with one fader.

Any help?
tazio wrote on 4/18/2005, 6:49 PM
Also don't forget that the "Ignore Event Groupings Button" can become a trap when you're working this way
newhope wrote on 4/18/2005, 7:33 PM
Tazio
The Mackiew displays Busses and the Master fader so for track based FX I can use a Buss as an Aux.

Not as elegant a way of doing things when you have multiple dual mono tracks and then have to duplicate Busses to allow you to deal with them on one fader.

It also doesn't address processing the dual mono with non-realtime FX as a stereo pair.

At least there are some ways of working around the problem, I'd just like a 'convert selected or grouped events to stereo' button, script or something.... LOL

Steve
tazio wrote on 4/18/2005, 7:46 PM
Steve,

Yes you are right about the non-real time fx. A scripting solution would be elegant.

It's a shame neither of us can write scripts. But still look on the bright side - if we could write scripts we would most probably never have girlfriends!! They just don't seem to go together!
newhope wrote on 4/18/2005, 11:27 PM
My son has a girlfriend.... I've got a wife and family.... my wife won't let me have a girlfriend ;-}