Broadcast Wave batch processor?

[Siddho]

I am on a low-budget feature using a Tascam DR680 fronted by a 552. We are using a slate so timecode has'nt been a need or an issue until a couple of days ago when the assistant editor asked me if I could stamp my files with time-of-day timecode to make his life syncing up the dailies a little easier.

 

Now I know that the Tascam gives each file it writes a created time according to its set clock.

I can open all my Tasam files in Waveagent and batch stamp them with the appropriate frame rate (in our case 24ND) and I can open individual files and get Waveagent to set their start timecode with their originated time but Waveagent doesnt let me batch this process. This means I have to individualy stamp each file which after a long working day takes another hour at the PC.

 

I am sure a genius out there could possibly write a script to make Waveagent open and TC stamp each file with originated date and time and then close it, but maybe one of you might know of a batch converter for this pupose or one that has exactly this capability: ie. to TC stamp a bunch of Broadcast Wave files with their originated/created time.

 

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. :-)

 

 

 

 

[Rick Reineke]

If you change the frame rate it would likely go out or sync on playback. What ever frame rate the camera is set to, 60 seconds equals 60 seconds, unless it's set different for slo mo or other special FX. The 680 does stamp the file w/ TOD TC if it's set to BWF. (Rec. menu) Of course it won't be frame accurate since it can't be jammed or output TC.

[Siddho]

Ah Rick, you are a gem!! Thanks a million.

 

It was that simple: I had set the recording format to WAV and not BWF (god knows why) and that is why I was confused. In my initial tests Protools for example would recognize the TC stamps but with my recordings on this current project it wouldnt and hence also the request from post.

 

Pilot error on my part! I guess this is a drawback of working with several different recorders and confusing their menu settings in my head.

 

Thanks again. This got sorted faster than I ever expected.

 

Siddho

[Constantin]

And does the editor actually feel like this unsynced TC is of any use? Because I only meet editors who bitch about even a constant 2 frame offset

[Marc Wielage]

If there's a constant offset all day, then at least they can compensate for that in dailies in one step. But not if it's changing every few hours -- that becomes a huge pain.

[Constantin]

If there's a constant offset all day, then at least they can compensate for that in dailies in one step. But not if it's changing every few hours -- that becomes a huge pain.

Sure, and that's all the more reason why I was surprised that the editor the OP was referring to, might want this TC which would not be in sync and most likely the offset would be fairly random

[Siddho]

No, from what little I could gather from the phone conversation with the assistant editor he just wanted to be able to throw the audio files on to his timeline and get them to approximately land where they should be according to the time of day stamps so then he could line them up according to the slates with the picture files. He didnt want accurate TC as I had mentioned in prepro that I wouldnt be supplying any (low-budget excuse and all that; but also the Red One we are shooting on isnt known for its TC accuracy) and anyway the director was also adamant that we should use a slate.

 

I guess the AE gets to save a tiny bit of time this way.