Dialogue Editing

58 GETTING SOUND FROM PICTURE DEPARTMENT TO SOUND DEPARTMENT
Archer City Sound Productions
INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREATING AN OMF DOCUMENT
ON AVID FOR USE WITH PRO TOOLS
Create a new bin for the Avid sequence.
Create a copy of the Avid sequence to be used for OMF export.
Select whether you want to export audio or video or both.
Remove grouped clips and locators before consolidating the session.
In the Timeline Display enable Media Names or Media File Names.
To find offline media, type CMD+F (CTL+F on PC systems).
Type Media Offline (note that this is case sensitive); select the Timeline Text checkbox.
Correct or delete all references to the located offline media. Even a one frame-long
offline clip could crash the OMF.
Remove all audio effects (except fades).
Enable all audio tracks on the sequence.
Use the EQ tool to globally remove all the EQ effects in the sequence.
Use the AutoGain tool to globally remove all automatic gain settings from the sequence.
Use the AudioSuite plug-in window to globally remove all audio effects.
Mark the entire sequence (IN-OUT) and render all effects.
Copy the sequence to the new bin and save the bin.
Creating an OMF on Avid Media Composer ABVB (before version 10):
Consolidate the sequence directly to the drive being delivered to the sound department.
Before beginning the consolidation, be sure that the drive partition is empty.
Choose handles of at least 150 frames.
Avid will write the files to a new Media Files folder.
Choose OMF 2.0 file format, check Audio Only, and select Standard-AIFC.
It is advisable to also check With Media. This option will embed all media files into the OMF
file, creating one massive file.
To check the OMF composition you've exported, use OMF Tool (preferably version
2.0.8).
This free tool for Mac platforms will create a Pro Tools project and verify that all your
data is intact. There is currently no known free utility that provides the same check for PCs.
Creating an OMF on Avid Media Composer Meridian/Adrenaline/Nitris (version 10
and above) and Avid Express Pro:
Select the sequence.
On the File menu, click Export.
In the Options section, select OMF 2.0.
Select a partition free of media files and supply handles of at least 150 frames.
Convert all the media to AIFF format, and project sample rate and bit depth.
If there are wild sounds/ambiences/room tones recorded for the project, be sure to create
separate sequences and export OMFs for them as well. Normally, these will already be
organized in independent bins.
Figure 5-1 Example of an OMF “cookbook” for the picture department. Large
sound facilities often provide such standardized guidelines.
If you don’t see sensible information as your region names, but rather a serial
list number or gibberish, go back to the picture folks and sort out the problem.
Without valid scene/shot/take information, your job isn’t just a little harder
but worlds more diffi cult. Don’t start editing until you get the region names
right, no matter how high the pressure or how strong the urge to get moving.