Any software to easily create separate audio tracks for scenes from animatic?

[slowtiger]

I know the olden days of track reading, but have a feeling that although everything today is digital now the amount of time spent for tedious tasks has not shrunken much.

I have an animatic, nicely done with sound (final or temp dialogue). Now I want to create separate sound files for each scene to give them out to the animators. I use Final Cut X for editing, and it is horribly malequipped for this task. For each scene, I must:
- select the scene (video)
- select file > share (by mouse!)
- set "audio only" (only once)
- give it a name.
The second step is the most annoying. There's no shortcut available for this operation. If you do this for more than adozen times you want to burn it all down.

Which software do you use for this task? Do you know of any specialized solution (which needs to work on mac)? Could maybe something be done by reading the EDL?

[ernesttxx]

Not sure if this gets you where you can export audio only clips (I don’t use final cut) but quick search found this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxTsAyfH0vs. He exports multiple clips from timeline. It’s a short video but hope it’s helpful. I don’t know if final cut has scripting ability, but that’s what I searched for initially.

[MrMiracle77]

If you're on a Mac, could you use applescript to record the file->share action and then tie it to a global hotkey?

[Greenlaw]

I use Vegas Pro with a third party set of tools/scripts called Vegasaur. I haven't had to do this in a while but here's my workflow: One of the scripts in that collection looks at the length of each scene on the timeline and drops markers at each scene's in/out points; then another script can batch process the entire project for a variety of tasks, including outputting every marked scene as a separate video, image sequence, and/or audio file. For Moho, I use this script to output a low quality JPEG Image Sequence with separate uncompressed audio file (AIF or WAV) for each scene because JPEG is frame accurate and streams well over a network and the separate audio file is also frame accurate.

The only other editor I use is Premiere but it's been well over a decade since I used it regularly. A lot has since changed in Premiere but I recall doing something similar back then.

I'm not sure what's available for other video editors but, since this is a fairly common need for animators, there may be third party scripts available if these features aren't already built in. The key is basically being able to batch process a list of tasks based on timeline markers.

[slowtiger]

Thx for the input so far. FinalCut doesn't have any Applescript suite (I remember the times when you could open each program on a Mac and see which commands were available for scripting/triggering from the outside). Vegas sounds good but I will not change software in the middle of a project ...

[DK]

Vegas Pro here too.
D.K

[Greenlaw]

...Vegas sounds good but I will not change software in the middle of a project ...

Nah, I wouldn't expect you to. Just thought to mention the workflow in case there's an equivalent approach for FinalCut.

[Greenlaw]

Stumbled upon this...

Batch Export Clips from Final Cut Pro X Timelines

I don't know if this helps because batch export is demoed only for video clips in this tutorial...but maybe there's an option to save audio-only clips?

[Lukas]

Unfortunately almost all editing software is made for live action and not animation (or storyboarding). So the way it expects you to work is based on Live Action editing. It's a real bummer and such a gap in the market. I think most studios have their own custom system to handle these situations.

What we do, when we create an animatic, then import that animatic in Adobe Premiere and set Timeline Markers at the beginning of each shot (sometimes add an extra marker with some name if you need overlap for a fade or whatever), and export an XML file and a custom script (that I think only works on Linux - and not mine to share...) spits out a numbered list of all the shots and creates a folder structure for each shot containing a moho file, image sequence and audio file. The sequence and audio file are also already imported in Moho.

[slowtiger]

Lukas: yes, that's the kind of workflow I would expect in a tight-deadline-situation. This is the first project in ages which is that large, usually I do stuff up to 5 minutes or so, and without dialogue, so there was no need to invest in this techniques.

And you're right, recent software only thinks of live action. Apple is really spoiling everything: both in Logic and FinalCut they changed the timeline behaviour some years ago. Before I could just put an element somewhere in time and it stayed there. Now it's all fluid and justified left and moving there by itself, for crying out loud. What about people like me who just want to start editing/composing somewhere in the middle of the thing?

[Greenlaw]

...Now it's all fluid and justified left and moving there by itself, for crying out loud. What about people like me who just want to start editing/composing somewhere in the middle of the thing?

Ew...that behavior would make me nuts regardless of the type of project I'm editing. Are you sure this behavior can't be changed in the software?

[slowtiger]

Are you sure this behavior can't be changed in the software?

I found no way to do so. On top of that Apple doesn't provide a manual with their software any more, my only reference is a 60 € book from a third party which may or may not cover everything.

[Lukas]

I haven't used Final Cut since they introduced the X, because they really botched some things at the start of X. But I've heard it has come around. That behaviour sounds infuriating, but I can't imagine that it's not possible to have a clip not be snapped to the start. On the other hand, at the start of X they truly missed the mark...

Here's the manual, maybe there's something in there https://help.apple.com/pdf/final-cut-pr ... -guide.pdf there's also a German version allthough not in PDF format for some reason: https://books.apple.com/book/id988081925

We use Adobe Premiere, and it's full of bugs and annoying design too. I would probably switch to DaVince Resolve if we didn't have that much Premiere files that I need to use. (Although Adobe keeps finding way to enforce updates and backwards compatibility with older files is trash)

If you do want to switch over mid project, you might be able to export an XML and import it in another editing software that works better.

[SimplSam]

Exporting multiple separate timeline clips (audio+video, video-only or audio-only) out of Davinci Resolve is relatively straightforward (it will also work with multiple tracks).

I know you don't want the additional learning curve mid-project, but I think this is easy-learning, worth it and no financial impact (can be done in Davinci Resolve standard - free).

Get Davinci Resolve

1. Download / Install from https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/produc ... nciresolve or App Store
2. Open DR and Start a new project
3. Select the Edit Tab/Page (at bottom)

IMPORT

Working with FC Pro XML: (note: I have not done this direct with FC Pro, but have previously used Premiere with its FC Pro xml)
1. Import XML file: [CTRL+SHFT+I] -or- Right-clk media area > Timelines > Import > AAF, XML, EDF ...
2. If required: Navigate the timeline and use shortcut 'b' to add cuts


Working with EDL:
1. Import your media file: [CTRL+I] -or- File > Import > Media
2. Import EDL file: [CTRL+SHFT+I] -or- Right-clk media area > Timelines > Import > AAF, XML, EDF ...
3. If required: Navigate the timeline and use shortcut 'b' to add cuts


Working without XML / EDL:
1. Import your media file: drag & drop to timeline area -or- [CTRL+I] / File > Import > Media
2. If you used File Import: Right-click imported media and Create New Timeline Using Selected Clips (you can accept defaults)
3. Navigate the timeline and use shortcut 'b' to add cuts


EXPORT

1. Select the Deliver Tab/Page (at bottom)
2. Set output File Name and Location info
3. Select: Render Individual Clips
4. DeSelect "Export Video" (if you don't want/need it) -- or set Video properties
5. Select "Audio" tab-box and set Audio properties
6. Select "File" tab-box and review File clip-naming properties (use defaults or play with these settings to get your ideal output naming)
7. Select "Add to Render Queue"
-- once this is setup you can Save as New Preset (via ...), or simply re-render a previous job (once rendered), or edit a previous job
8. In the Render Queue - you can select and render the new or previous Render jobs


As indicated - once you have done this once, the next time should be only a few clicks...

[slowtiger]

Wow.
I can only quote:
"You, Sir, are a hero."
Thx!