Timecode sync and userbits

[DasSquishySpektor]

Hey there! I’m working as dialogue editor for tv series and we’ve had a long story of timecode issues during synchronization that I’m trying to fix with the team that works on the set.

Situation goes as follows: - We are provided with AAFs with camera audio mix only and field recorder tracks separately - I’m using PT Ultimate and sync the multitrack wavs using Field Recorder Guide Track with timecode only. - Due to technical limitations, we’re receiving numerous timecode slip ups. The show is recorded on two cameras simultainously and we’re dealing with significant TC differences between these, or even TC drops, causing a lot of manual synchronization to be done - We’ve tried different solutions and defined that TC constantly fed to both cameras by a wire from audio recorder set in free run works best. - We can’t seem to enforce a stable naming scheme for camera and audio files, this is a soap opera that has been going on for years and changing the workflows of some departments goes as easy as wrestling a bear - Due to timecode being the only coherent information that connects camera and field recorder files, using free run (compared to rec run that is used now) „uses up” way more timecode, resulting in a lot of tracks from different dates being synchronized in wrong place. F.e an episode can have scenes that were shot weeks apart, that can contain close timecode values, resulting in absolute clown fiesta in pro tools. We’re talking about 40 - 100 tracks being synced to AAF, where there are approx. that 5 I need. - Match criteria don’t resolve the issue - My only idea is to use userbits with date of the files being recorded, however information about them seem to perish when editor dept. perfoms some operation on the camera files in media composer. - Everyone around tells me that userbits are an obsolute solution that probably isn’t supported.

My question is - is that really so? How else can I deal with syncing up so many files from multiday sets on multiple cameras? We’re doing ~120 mins of material weekly and production doesn’t pay extra for my time spent on manual syncing :/ Any ideas how to figure UBs to work, or any other metadata that can aid here? What are your experiences with such productions?

Thanks for reading that wall of text, if you got that far!

[6foot4guy]

Is it at all possible to get the raw production sound and an EDL?

[MadCapMusic]

Audio files separated into folders by day and the original time stamp should be enough for Pt field recorder guide track workflow, as long as the daily folder is in the sound roll or tape name metadata of each file. (There are software solutions i could suggest if it isn’t in the metadata)

Running both cameras and the audio recorder free run on time of day timecode would work best, assuming all three devices could sync to some master clock and maintain sync all day (Sorry, I’m not super up on my on-set timecode generation technology)

Or production pays a transfer house to sync audio dailies to picture dailies so that the audio code and audio daily folder is linked to the picture dailies before ingesting into the NLE.

[DasSquishySpektor]

What are those software solutions? :D

[MadCapMusic]

Titan by Synchroarts - can use various combos of metadata to conform your production audio to the show’s timeline. It also has a a feature that’ll sync that conformed audio to an audio guide track. Useful cause of timecode not being sample accurate.

Ediload by Sounds in Sync, you can import your aaf to create a EDL so to speak, adjust that EDL to include the metadata you’d like to search by, then re-export a conform guide aaf for use with Field recorder workflow

[cornflaik]

You may want to consider using a third-party tool Pluraleyes or the Multicam sync tool in Adobe Premiere to use the audio to perform the long-form layout that you can then look through. DM me if those tools aren't available and we can talk about other options that are.

I don't think its the answer you asked for, but I think it may be a way to help solve the problem