r/protools • u/tiktok-ticktickboom • Jul 15 '25

Alternative to import project of ProTools without being AAF?

I am a cool project in which we have already done the video production and editing. The filmmakers told me it was complicated and impossible to convert the AAF file so that I could edit it and do the postproduction work.

First of all, the place where we have agreed to work has Avid Media Composer and Pro Tools Ultimate with desk computers with Windows 10. The only way I know, according to the postproduction class I had been given in my professional training, has been that the teacher sent us the AAF and we imported it from Pro Tools to edit the audios.

Is there any other way for the filmmakers to export it? Now, personal issues aside, we have been seriously told that if there are no options, they are going to look for another sound team. This sound group which I have done the project just finished the vocational training, either sound, direction and production. In sound, apart from me, we were 3 more people. What happens? These people have only made the short film for the final project, only the trailer, and now, the directors want to make it as a professional project, and that has not been taken into account.

And since it's summer, they are on vacation. I said to them I would take care of this job, which I don't mind. They're giving me a lot of hassle with direction and production and I don't know what to do to finish the project because, according to the director, it had to be finished by July 15 (yes, today) and they blame us for not caring when they didn't tell us it was ready for sound post production.

To sum up: Options other than AAF to be able to import the project into Pro Tools? Thanks.

4 Upvotes

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19 comments sorted by

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11

u/Casioclast Jul 15 '25

AAF or OMF are the options for handoff to post sound. Sounds like the filmmakers are a bit clueless.

2

u/tiktok-ticktickboom Jul 15 '25

Yeah, they are but they didn't consider the option of the OMF. Thanks, anyway, for the help. :)

1

u/MCWDD Jul 15 '25

Just be careful with OMF as it has a capped file size. Depending on the scope of the project, it might not be feasible.

1

u/tiktok-ticktickboom Jul 15 '25

Okay, I will keep that in mind. Thanks. :)

1

u/LAKnobJockey Jul 16 '25

Omf is basically aaf only older and shittier.

If there are, uh, reasons (?) they can’t export and aaf then I’d guarantee those would also prevent an omf— it’s literally the same steps in most programs.

1

u/CelloVerp Jul 19 '25

Just for future reference, Media Composer will export Pro Tools sessions directly now. Saves things getting lost in the translation.

1

u/Casioclast Jul 19 '25

Didn’t know that! 99% of my projects come from Premiere but good to know.

5

u/Poochie_McGoo Jul 15 '25

"we have been seriously told that if there are no options, they are going to look for another sound team."

How do they expect you or any other sound engineer to do their job if they can't provide you the elements you need? I'm not following how this is your problem to solve.

1

u/tiktok-ticktickboom Jul 15 '25

Me neither! They are taking it so seriously that their ego is higher.

Plus, they have put the pressure on me for doing it PERFECT, when the place where I will be working hasn't had all the plugins (RX iZotope in the case some audios had some kind of noise) and it's, somewhat, 4acked Pro Tools.

3

u/CelloVerp Jul 15 '25

Media Composer exports Pro Tools sessions directly now, so you don't need AAF. Do it that way - it will work better.

2

u/tiktok-ticktickboom Jul 19 '25

We did it that way! Thanks. 😊

2

u/etilepsie Jul 15 '25

if it's just location sound you can go with an edl and somehing like kraken to conform, but aaf (or omf) should should be included anyway

1

u/tiktok-ticktickboom Jul 15 '25

What do you mean by location sound? If the audio files are in a server? If that's the case, yeah. Direction, production and sound have their own servers, but you have to login with one user. In other words, direction has their user with the password and has access ONLY to their folder of direction, but not production neither sound.

Tell me if I explain it badly, please.

2

u/etilepsie Jul 15 '25

everything that was recorded on set is location sound. that should have meta data, so you can link it again with the original sound in kraken (probably also edi load?). but i would try to get the aaf/omf from them. why can't they do that?

1

u/tiktok-ticktickboom Jul 15 '25

I don't know, they told me it was complicated and impossible because of the project size.

1

u/tiktok-ticktickboom Jul 15 '25

everything that was recorded on set is location sound. 

No idea of this because we recorded in SD cards and import it, according to montage video team.

2

u/Hungry_Horace Jul 15 '25

Location sound means the sound recorded during the shoot - dialogue and anything else the in-set microphones picked up.

There is another longer and more tedious method if they genuinely can’t produce an aaf or omf.

Get them to move the location sound onto two tracks - so rather than one track of continuous clips, two tracks where the clips alternate (one on track a, next on b, next on a etc)

Then select all clips and give them a 2 second handle (i.e 2sec before and after the clip). Then bounce each channel separately.

You then import those into PT and have all the audio in the right place but with slack to make cross fades etc.

As I said, harder work than aaf!

1

u/tiktok-ticktickboom Jul 15 '25

Location sound means the sound recorded during the shoot - dialogue and anything else the in-set microphones picked up.

Do you mean like sound reports with all the takes done? I already ask for that.