MP3 conversion software that adds timecode information?

[Mark Orusa]

I don't do it very often, but sometimes I convert BWAV files to mp3 for transcription. I have yet to find mp3 conversion software that will carry over timecode information from BWAV files into the mp3 tags.

I know from experience that recording directly to mp3 from a Sound Devices recorder will spread all kinds of useful metadata-like information into mp3 tag fields. Timecode, track names, etc... But doing this after the fact via conversion software would be handy.

Now that I've gone Nomad I'm curious to see how the mp3 recording option will handle metadata. It is yet-to-be-implemented currently. Actually, I'm going to HAT!

Mark

[David Waelder]

I believe that BWF-Widget Pro will do exactly what you require.

From the list of capabilities on the BWF-Widget site:

• Batch MP3 Encoder with Time Code and Metadata carried to new compressed file
  
• MP3 playback for transcription or logging with running time code matching the original Broadcast Wave File.
  

Cost is $99

You can find more information here:

http://www.bwfwidget.com/html/bwf-widget-pro.html

David

[Mark Orusa]

I guess I should have said Mac. I have VMWare Fusion, but it tends to bog down my Mac.

Are there any other options for Mac users?

Mark

[studiomprd]

great

[José]

I believe that BWF-Widget Pro will do exactly what you require.

Absolutely! All last summer on a show I worked on, It converted exceptionally well and fast all my bwf wav files to MP3 with readable timecode preserved.

Unfortunately, it is PC based however.

[Philip Perkins]

Also unfortunate: I never seem to run across a transcriber that can deal w/ metadata TC on MP3, or on wavs either. Some can deal with a linear TC audio track (which I hate doing), others just want to know the first TC address of a file, enter it in their app and then the app counts forward from there. I discovered that some popular transcription services are really pools of freelancers with different systems/software (and experience w/ TC), which I guess is why sometimes things work fine and others less so. The TC start list thing seems to work most often for me.

phil p

[JCC]

I'm trying to make my wave files smaller too - need timecode to stay embedded.

I am on a Mac. Anybody find a solution to this?

Thanks.

John

[pindrop]

Yes

I'm trying to make my wave files smaller too - need timecode to stay embedded.

I am on a Mac. Anybody find a solution to this?

Thanks.

John

Solution = Parallels, or VMware Fusion, or Bootcamp, with BWF Widget Pro, works very well.

[Mark Orusa]

Yes

Solution = Parallels, or VMware Fusion, or Bootcamp, with BWF Widget Pro, works very well.

Not a solution, more of a work-around and hassle. With both SD and Zaxcom making applications for Mac OS, you'd think one of them would offer the ability to convert to MP3s with TC metadata.

Mark O.

[johnpaul215]

Not a solution, more of a work-around and hassle. With both SD and Zaxcom making applications for Mac OS, you'd think one of them would offer the ability to convert to MP3s with TC metadata.

Mark O.

Work-around and hassle for sure. I've never needed to run MS Windows, so I would start from scratch.

BWF Widget Pro is definitely worth the $99, but you also have to spend $90 on Parallels and probably another $100 on MS Windows just to convert some wave files to MP3. For the occasional client, I just don't offer that. When I upgrade my Nomad and can simultaneously record MP3 to a USB stick, I'll be set.

I have an older Asus netbook somebody gave me that I run my Lectronet software (for my Venue) and can talk to my Decimator2. Unfortunately that didn't want to run BWF Widget Pro.

[seth]

Transcript associates offers a free software called press. It creates a c2 file (I think.) I bet most houses take these files.

http://tscripts.com/info_press

[Marc Hoppe]

Press creates Ogg Vorbis files.

Marc

[pindrop]

Ah well perhaps think of Windows as a portal that lets one through to a parallel universe of quite useful things.

[cmgoodin]

I have an older Asus netbook somebody gave me that I run my Lectronet software (for my Venue) and can talk to my Decimator2. Unfortunately that didn't want to run BWF Widget Pro.

I made some changes in the display handling in BWF-Widget Pro about 2 years ago to accomodate the smaller 1024x600 netbook displays. You should try it again on your Asus Netbook.. Just remember if it has Vista or later on it you need to"Run as administrator" It seems to run fine on my Asus Z1 netbook running XP. It should run fine on all versions of Windows from Windows 98 to Windows 8. I also run it on my Macbook Pro Retina under VMware Fusion 5. Don't notice any sluggishness in the Mac side when the Windows 7 VM is running. Just make sure you have enough RAM. 6 to 8 GB is plenty.

The Acer Aspire One can be found for under $200 and should run all your Windows software just fine. Makes a good playback machine.

http://dealnews.com/...uters/Netbooks/

[johnpaul215]

Thanks Courtney,

It's an XP netbook. I'll have one of my friends look at it. I'm probably doing something wrong then. That's very possible, I don't know the first thing about MS Windows. The idea of a netbook on the cart makes sense. I can secure it with velcro and I would never worry about it. They are also pretty easy to find car chargers (12volt).

[cmgoodin]

By the way for your Mac Diehards, VMWare Fusion 5 (the latest verion) is available now for just $39

http://store.vmware.com/store?Action=DisplayPage&Env=BASE&Locale=en_US&SiteID=vmware&id=ProductDetailsPage&productID=165310200

And you can probably find a copy of Windows XP online for very cheap. To run any software you want on your Macbook Pro or Mac Mini.

[dfisk]

I am a harcore mac user, but I remember when Courtney brought in the first version of BWF-widget pro for us to test out at Coffey Sound, and it was windows only (This is probably 7 or 8 years ago?) I remember saying that if I needed this software on a daily basis I would happily buy a low cost windows laptop just to run Courtney's software. Yes, it is that versatile, and I used it several times to help customers out of some serious jams. That program is really cool.

[VM]

Transcript associates offers a free software called press. It creates a c2 file (I think.) I bet most houses take these files.

http://tscripts.com/info_press

I tried iT. Convert a BWAV from SD788. It create an ogg vorbis file. Then I convert it in BWAV via TwistedWave (it preserves metadata) : TC and track names are lost.

[Jeremiah Sheets]

Why not make Mac version? Many audio and video professionals use it.

[Philip Perkins]

It's not a trivial undertaking, converting a Win app to OSX, and OSX is a fast moving target in any case....

 

[Jeremiah Sheets]

I didn't suggest that it was trivial. Simply asking why he doesn't make it. Like I said, many professional users prefer Mac and would buy this software. It would be worth the effort.

[cmgoodin]

 

On 6/6/2016 at 9:38 AM, Jeremiah Sheets said:

I didn't suggest that it was trivial. Simply asking why he doesn't make it. Like I said, many professional users prefer Mac and would buy this software. It would be worth the effort.

I disagree it took over 3 years of work to get BWF Widget Pro running with all its current features and it would be cheaper to personally buy each Mac user their own Windows computer to run the software than it would be to write a native OSX  version from scratch.   But you are welcome to write your own version if you like.

[RPSharman]

Boot Camp?

[Ze Frias]

Boot camp or Parallels are both apt solutions for running this software on a Mac. I have Parallels, and it works fine.

[Derek H]

Get in touch with this guy. He made a custom Mac app for me to do exactly what this thread is after.

https://www.videotoolshed.com/handcrafted-timecode-tools/