OT: WaveAgent BWF utility (Free)

ottor wrote on 3/31/2010, 4:16 PM
Some of you using Broadcast Wave Files might find this FREE utility useful.

http://www.sounddevices.com/products/waveagent.htm

Wave Agent, the multi-purpose, cross-platform utility for playing, editing and managing WAV files. Wave Agent includes a comprehensive and indispensable range of tools for preparing audio files for problem-free passage through complex production workflows. Wave Agent also allows for extended metering, display, and control of a Sound Devices 788T.

Key Features
• Playback of polyphonic and monophonic WAV and Broadcast Wave files from any source
• Viewing and editing file metadata
• Changing of sampling rate, frame rate, and start time code metadata stamps
• Splitting and combining polyphonic and monophonic files with selectable track assignments
• Batch editing
• Generating customized PDF and CSV Sound Reports
• Large time code display
• Monitor mixer with faders, pans, solos, mutes, and meters
• Drag-and-drop operation
• Comprehensive keyboard shortcuts for accelerated operation
• 788T Track Metering, Time Code Display, and Record and Stop Control
• Mac OS and Windows compatible

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 3/31/2010, 6:06 PM
Yes, most of us know about it or use it, given the lack of full BWF support in Vegas and SoundForge.

But thanks for bringing up the new release,.
Laurence wrote on 3/31/2010, 7:31 PM
Explain to me how this program helps your workflow please.
musicvid10 wrote on 3/31/2010, 7:40 PM
To me, its biggest asset is the ability to write compliant BWF metadata to an existing WAV file.

Saved my tail twice when BWF was needed by a client and a media outlet.
PerroneFord wrote on 3/31/2010, 8:47 PM
This looks AWFULLY useful! Thanks a ton!
rs170a wrote on 4/1/2010, 2:58 AM
To me, its biggest asset is the ability to write compliant BWF metadata to an existing WAV file.

Excellent suggestion musicvid.
I've been aware of this utility for some time but never thought we could use it in Vegas for that purpose.

Mike
farss wrote on 4/1/2010, 6:56 AM
Thanks, I knew about this utility but never got around to downloading and installing it.

Now I have and now I have a problem.
I opened a mutlichannel wav file I'd rendered out of Vegas and proceeded to fill in lost of metadata including frame rate and start TC. Saved it, opened it again and all was as specified.

So then I opened V9.0b and tried to Import BWF File. Went through the process but at the final Import step Vegas 9.0b tells me the file is not a valid BWF file. Changing the extension to bwf did not help. I can still open the file in Vegas as a normal multichannel wav file so the added metadata did not mangle the file.

So my challenge is still how to get a BWF file out of Vegas with readable TC. I tried NCH's Switch which I thought would convert wav to bwf but it doesn't. I did find a little shareware program called Region Sync from here:http://www.railjonrogut.com/mainpic.htm which will convert Sound Forge regions to PT regions but apparently it is of no help. The same gent also has BWF Helper but it wants a SAW EDL.

So my quest to find a way to somehow create a valid BWF file out of Vegas even using a 3rd party helper seems to have hit a brick wall. I'm hoping someone has a clue.

Bob.
musicvid10 wrote on 4/1/2010, 7:50 AM
The BWF files I delivered were accepted and used -- I wonder why it is that Vegas doesn't like them -- mine were stereo so maybe the problem has something to do with the multichannel, or maybe Vegas 9 is misreporting.

If you will post your latest observations over in the Vegas Audio or SoundForge forum, maybe rraud will be able to shed some light -- he produces BWF extensively (and is one of Sony's chief critics on the subject).

Anyway, I would be interested to hear the outcome, since I have sworn by this utility's ability to write and edit valid BWF metadata in the past. Hope you will have time to pursue this a bit further.
farss wrote on 4/1/2010, 8:28 AM
"Hope you will have time to pursue this a bit further. "

I certainly will. You could well be right and it was in my head also that maybe the problem is with Vegas importing the BWF files.


Bob.
musicvid10 wrote on 4/1/2010, 9:25 AM
Thanks. I am also wondering if WaveAgent's split/join function is of any use to you with the multichannel import/save issues you mentioned a while back. I haven't played with it much.
farss wrote on 4/1/2010, 2:21 PM
Multichannel is working jus fine for me in/out of Vegas.
Only outstanding issue I think may exist is to do with swapping left/right pairs from a multichannel wave file but I need to test this again as others say they cannot repo the problem.

Bob.
musicvid10 wrote on 4/1/2010, 3:09 PM
I see your post over in the Audio forum.
I will try to duplicate your steps, only in 8.0c, sometime tomorrow.
farss wrote on 4/3/2010, 6:25 AM
Just in case anyone is following this here rather than in the audio forum I've managed to get this to work thanks to input from musicvid and rraud.
Link to the thread here.

Bob.