[FR] in AAF Import sektion - add a place to enter a TIMECODE

You can import an AAF to its absolute TC, a relative TC (without offset ?!?) and you can place it on the cursor position.
Sometimes your forget to set the cursor to its right position, hit import, select your tracks and then - DOO’H! you import it to the wrong spot!
Maybe we could have the “place at cursor” replaced by “place at TIMECODE” with a filed to enter it.
Would be way more handy imo.

cheers

Yes, ProTools can do this. If you import an OMF or AAF ProTools can set the start timecode to the start timecode of the OMF/ AAF. So great!

will we seen anything of this in Nuendo 7.5?

+1
shouldn´t be too much work to implement such a thing, right? Would love to see it in 8

+1

Not that I would mind but…

When or how often would this actually be used?
When you recieve a AAF there is no way of knowing where the data is placed within the AAF in relation to the start of the exported AAF timeline. If you place the start of the exported AAF @01:00:00:00 the position of the actual data will not start there.
In my mind it’s easier and more accurate (as you can confirm the final position) to do this after importing it.

Well, the short version of this is that “it depends”. Your way of working doesn’t give you any more accuracy unless someone messes up along the way.

I have had plenty of projects where the timeline is completely “standardized” for the project. Tone always at 00:58:30:00 to 00:59:30:00 etc. In those cases it’s entirely foreseeable what will happen when the start time code changes. And since the start timecode is given the offset is really the point. So even if content doesn’t actually start at 01:00:00:00 as expected, but three seconds later, it really doesn’t matter in a lot of cases. Because if what I’m doing is stringing out a bunch of 5 minute shorts every 10 minutes, the main issue is sync between audio/video, the latter included in the AAF which will move along with it. So it truly doesn’t matter if I import it as is with the AAF’s start time of 00:58:30:00 and content beginning at 01:00:03:00, or shift it to 01:18:30:00 with content beginning at 01:20:03:00. Same difference, with the exception that after the import it’s in the area where I want it.

So no accuracy is really gained by not doing it that way.

And as a personal anecdote; In December through February I worked several long days on NHL “featurettes” that were all strung out on a timeline, and the AAFs all started exactly at 01:00:00:00. Being able to quickly copy the timecode for the start of the next piece and paste it into the offset window during import was way faster than having every one pop up at 01:00:00:00 forcing me to navigate to the start, making sure I copy it all, navigate to the new time-slot and paste. When you’re doing spot number 35 or whatever at 03:15:00:00 or whatever it’s far easier to me to just offset during import.

Good answers, I knew there would be some different work methods explaining the request.

But whenever you import a AAF it will end up on new tracks regardless. So you will have to do “manual work” to get the material to the right tracks anyway.

To me the tiny amount of time saved doing that is pretty insignificant. But of course depending on the type of work you do. I import a AAF every few weeks as I do hi end drama and features. For folks working with trailers/teasers every day or with fast paced reality then it may be different.

Yes, I agree Erik.

In the example I gave we were two engineers working 20hrs per day, and we output maybe around 25-30 spots per day, those being an average of 3 minutes each. It isn’t a huge deal, it’s just a nice option to have when you’re looking at moving stuff around that frequently. It just gets annoying after a while.

+1

+1
and a matching track functionality ! Thanks