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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Bizarre Sountrack Pro issue

Sam Eilertsen

Sam Eilertsen

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So, early today I was getting ready to burn a short I had just finished to DVD, but I decided i had mixed the room tone a little too high, and wanted to go back and tweak it. I had done the mix in STP and exported to an AIFF and dropped in back into FCP. I figured I could just lower the room tone level, re-export, replace in FCP, and I'd be good to go.

However, when I tried to run the STP export again, I noticed that there was a peak, which I hadn't seen before. I checked that spot and sure enough, it was peaking. This was strange because the only thing I had done since opening the file was turn DOWN one track. I opened an earlier version of the file it see if the peak was there and it wasn't.

This is were things got really strange. I went back to the tab where I had the latest version open and played it back and NO MORE PEAK. I tried exporting again. Peak. I switched tabs to the earlier, did nothing, switched back, no peak.

For whatever reason, the track seems to get about 6dB louder WHEN I TRY TO EXPORT, even if I cancel the export right after starting. But if I switch to a different tab and switch back -- that's all I have to do -- it goes back to normal.

Has anyone ever heard of this problem before? I've tried different export formats, different computers, always the same problem. It's really driving me nuts...
 
The roundtrip to FCP is so odd so often that I'm hard pressed to characterize ANY of it's behavior as bizarre anymore. Having said that, is it possible that you are exporting a submix and not the main out?
 
Scott Crawley said:
The roundtrip to FCP is so odd so often that I'm hard pressed to characterize ANY of it's behavior as bizarre anymore. Having said that, is it possible that you are exporting a submix and not the main out?
Click to expand...

Definitely exporting the main out, and its level wasn't adjusted at all. The really wonky thing is that it doesn't just make my export too loud, after I tell it to export when I just play it back in STP its louder, but if I switch to a different project and switch back again it goes back to normal. I'm thinking this HAS to be a bug or my file getting somehow corrupted, this is not how a program should ever behave.
 
This isn't going to be too helpful a response, but I've been through a lot of projects with STP and every time some bullshit like this happens. It randomly peaks for no (apparent) reason, it will occasionally leave certain effects and files out of a rendered mix, it's incredibly slow, etc.

If I never have to work with STP again I will die happy.
 
People sometimes ask me why I recommend Pro Tools over alternatives like Soundtrack Pro or Logic. The above are good reasons why.

Pro Tools ain't perfect, and there's a steep learning curve, but Soundtrack Pro is really buggy, in my (admittedly limited) experience. At least Pro Tools is pretty cheap now.
 
I've done plenty of quickie gigs on STP. Never again. I've found the last two versions of Logic to be quite stable and reliable.
 
What do you guys use as a workflow for roundtripping to Logic and ProTools? The main reason I use STP is because of the easy workflow (except when stuff like this happens).
 
Likewise on the roundtrip issue, but I use OMFs to get from FCP/AVID to Logic. Used to be buggy as hell but it's fine now.
 
I appreciate that, but it is the best tool for the job. It is one of very few, and it is the easiest, most complete export that I know of. Pro Tools is a high stakes game all 'round. There is nothing cheap in the Avid universe.

I think Logic could get you done cheaper, but not as easily.
 
Scott Crawley said:
I appreciate that, but it is the best tool for the job. It is one of very few, and it is the easiest, most complete export that I know of. Pro Tools is a high stakes game all 'round. There is nothing cheap in the Avid universe.
Click to expand...
Just paid $299 for mine. Not that big deal (but admittedly it was an upgrade).

At least they don't require proprietary hardware now for Pro Tools. And they just cut the price of Avid Media Composer to $995. Tons of stuff is getting cheaper due to market pressures.
 
Marc Wielage said:
Just paid $299 for mine. Not that big deal (but admittedly it was an upgrade).

At least they don't require proprietary hardware now for Pro Tools. And they just cut the price of Avid Media Composer to $995. Tons of stuff is getting cheaper due to market pressures.
Click to expand...

That IS good news.
 
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