offline Avid edit --> onlining in RedCine-X --> unlinked footage and frames shifted

[Dillon Brown]

Hello all!

About a month ago I had the misfortune of running into some trouble with RedCine-X while attempting to online the project to a higher resolution for color grading (if this thread is more relevant in the Avid workflow forum please move it). I wasn't able to fix the problem due to time constraints but I wanted to ask in hopes that someone may be able to shed light on what may have happened in case I attempt to do such workflow again.

- The project was cut in Avid as 1080p/23.98 as DNxHD 115 footage.
- The RED footage was transcoded in RedCine-X as AVID compatible MXF media and imported into Avid via AAF.

- To get it from Avid to RedCine-X I exported an EDL with File_32 selected. Every time I've attempted to export as a CMX_3600 it doesn't work in RedCine-X as it truncates the tape names and it can't link to the R3D files. I read somewhere on RedUser that File_32 should be selected, and this has worked for me in the past.

I selected Import in RedCine-X and pointed to the source RED footage directory where it all is stored. All the footage was sorted very well by day and in a specific folder for all the days worth of footage. I selected the EDL and RedCine-X imported the footage to the timeline. I didn't notice it at the time and exported to a ProRes 422 HQ 2K quicktime file of the entire timeline. However, when I looked at it compared to the Avid sequence not only were there clips missing, but some clips were re-linked to the wrong RED footage and all the clips that did link to the proper RED footage were shifted a good 4 or 5 frames.

I'm wondering why some clips were not linked properly or at all, and why all the clips were shifted in timecode. Was it a problem with how I exported the EDL or a RedCine-X problem. Any input would be greatly appreciated, but I understand if there's so many variables and I can't easily recreate the problem. Thanks so much!

- Dillon

[MichaelP]

In the EDL, was the full 16 characters of the filename there? And not that is should matter, but try using the File_16. File_32 might be padding spaces which RCX might not like. File_16 is the one that has been tested pretty thoroughly. And before importing the EDL into RCX, did the timecodes match what was displayed for SOURCE in the sequence? If they did match, then the problem occurs in one of the steps that follow. Also make sure "replace with slug" is active in the Import preferences.

Michael

[Dillon Brown]

Thanks Michael! The full 16 characters of the filename did appear to be there when I checked the EDL. I'll try File_16 next time. And I'll check SOURCE next time - if they didn't match why would this occur in the first place if the TC is hardcoded into the files themselves? Can timecode be shifted in Avid to form these problems later with workflow?

[MichaelP]

Well "hard coded" is open to interpretation as the process from R3D to MXF/DNxHD involves a transcode of the essence and proper mapping of metadata to the MXF (and subsequently the ALE). A burn-in might help but it is open to the same processes but will at least indicate whether the MXF metadata matches the timecode at the time of transcode. You could always link directly to the R3D file and check the timecode there as well. You can certainly shift timecode in Avid, but I wouldn't do that until you know what caused the offset and what it actually is.

Michael