export omf filr

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jmorris

jmorris

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I have a project I want to export as an OMF for a guy to try his had at mixing in Protools. As I read it in sonar 5 manual,the OMF file will not save levels, fx,pans. Pretty much just the tracks. What is the advantage then in exporting in OMF rather than just exporting raw files? Seems like that is what is being done. Also, is there a way to have each of us try mixing a project and trade the saved mixes back and forth between Sonar and PT?
Thanks!
 
jmorris said:
I have a project I want to export as an OMF for a guy to try his had at mixing in Protools. As I read it in sonar 5 manual,the OMF file will not save levels, fx,pans. Pretty much just the tracks. What is the advantage then in exporting in OMF rather than just exporting raw files? Seems like that is what is being done. Also, is there a way to have each of us try mixing a project and trade the saved mixes back and forth between Sonar and PT?
Thanks!
OMF saves the raw files aligned so that you just import them into the new format and you're good to go. Other than that, it pretty much is just the raw files, only aligned.
 
Ah! thanks, that makes sense! :) So pretty much unless 2 of us are using the same program to mix, we cant expand on each others mixes,right?
 
but don't you need digitranslator to import the omf? Or will pro tools import it just fine, aligned and all?
 
You better make sure whoever has the Pro Tools rig has paid for DigiTranslator. It is required for Import/Export of OMF into Pro Tools, and Digidesign makes you pay extra to actually unlock the license.
I have used Sonar to export stereo AIF files to load straight into Pro Tools before though, it has worked great.
 
Interesting! I wondered why not just export AIF myself,as long as they line up, why go to bother of OMF when it does not save a mix pretty much just raw tracks.
 
Exporting raw audio files doesn't line up anything, it's just a stand alone audio file with no reference to anything. So basically nothing is going to line up. This is fine if you're working with say final stereo mixes. But if you have a large mutli-track project with lots of edits, you can convert all those files to AIFF, but you'll have to import them into pro tools and manually go through to put them in the right place. That's why OMF is good.

Now, if you have a multi-track project but each track is only one file (you haven't cut it up). I suppose you could just import each of those into Pro Tools, and it wouldn't be so hard to line it up manually, especially if you have a 2-beep (or something like that).

And always remember to keep your sample rates the same across platforms. Whatever you recorded at in Sonar, make sure he's working at that rate in ProTools. (unless you convert)
 
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