New Features & Updates in this Version

 

Enhanced OMF Capabilities: 

 

A number of exciting enhancements and fixes have been made to OMF import/export, including:

 

·         Greater compatibility with ProTools systems! Level information is now included in an OMF composition exported from WaveFrame/7 and will be imported into a ProTools session as automation data.   This feature greatly improves compatibility between the two platforms.  Level data such as a fade in and fade out, changes in level between the start and end of an event are now supported and will show up as automation data.  You must use Digitranslator 2.0 in order to translate this information.  Please note that this version of OMF has been tested with positive results on ProTools versions 5.1.3 and 5.3.1.  Some older version of ProTools and ProTools Free version 5.0.1 will ignore specific gain and pan information and will only translate overall clip gain.  When importing through Digitranslator 2.0 make sure the following option in selected in the pull down menu:  “convert gain to automation”.  In order to export level changes along with the OMF composition make sure that the “MC10” box is checked in the WaveFrame/7 OMF export dialogue window.  “Legacy” mode will export the WaveFrame/7 project but without specific level information.  Unfortunately, Digidesign does not support the export of level information from a ProTools session and, therefore, this level information cannot be imported into a WaveFrame/7 session (or any other workstation for that matter).

 

·         Naming issues that were causing the WaveFrame/7 application to crash have been fixed.

 

·         Support has been added for importing session from Final Cut Pro.

 

·         48K and 44.1K frame rates are now supported to allow imports from sample based editing systems (including Final Cut Pro).  In the past these imports would result in a system crash.

 

·         Several fixes were made for AVID 10.5 where references to gain and eq were crashing the system.

·         Implemented a few new enhancements for AVID 10.6 compatibility.

 

·         Fixed bad sound references that resulted in no file or the wrong file being placed in a track.  Now all missing sounds are found.

 

·         Several enhancements were made importing/exporting ProTools sessions.  OMF imports made from Digitranslator 1.0 and 2.0 are far more reliable that they have been in the past.  An import problem that previously resulted in a system crash has been fixed.

 

·         OMF Import will now automatically apply a ramp (default cross-fade) to all adjacent edits that contain enough sound (handles) to make this possible.  In the past, imports into WaveFrame resulted in 90-degree “butt” edits that often would cause audible clicks as the playhead past over them. This feature adds a default ramp similar to those ramps that are created when any edit on a clip is made.  To disable this feature for a particular import, check the Do NOT insert cross fades between adjacent events box in the Destination Volume area of the OMF Import dialog.

 

 

Multi-Board Support

 

As of this release, WaveFrame/7 now supports the use of multiple Mykerinos cards (up to three).  A multiple card system offers increased DSP for the use of more plug-ins, as well as expanding the number of I/O.  For example, two cards with ADAT daughter boards will provide not only increased plug-in power, but also allow for an I/O configuration of up to thirty-two channels.  For more information, please refer to the section on multi-board support later in this document.

 

 

Record Processing Time

 

The time it takes to process a recording when waveforms are not generated has been greatly reduced.  To disable waveform generation, uncheck the After recording box in the Waveform Data Generation area of the Sound File Preferences dialog (WaveFrame System..Sounds..Preferences).  This processing time is no longer dependent upon the number of tracks in “record” or the length of the recording.  Under normal circumstances, it should only take a few seconds to see the resulting recording in the track.  Recording with waveform generation turned on has also been improved; however, the processing time is dependent upon the number and length of the tracks.  Speeding up the record processing time is an on-going project and we intend to improve its performance with every release.

 

 

Faster ADR Re-cue

 

The time it takes to re-cue the playhead back to the beginning of a marked recording in ADR has been significantly reduced and should be close to WF6 performance.  In past versions, if a recording was aborted (by pressing the record button again before the playhead reached the end of the marked area) it would take several seconds for the playhead to reposition itself and start recording again.

 

 

User Defined Project “Start” and “Length” Times

 

It is now possible to set the default project “start” and “length” times as defined in the Project Manager Reel tab.  (Current defaults are 01:00:00:00 and 01:15:00:00, respectively).  If you desire to change this setting add the following lines to the [SESSION] section of “wavefrm.ini” (note: entries in wavefrm.ini are case sensitive, so enter the line exactly as shown):

 

DefaultReelStart=00:58:30:00 (or time of your choice)

DefaultReelLength=02:00:00:00 (or length of your choice)

 

You must “save” the new entries in the waveframe.ini file and re-launch WaveFrame in order for the changes to take place.  Using the above example, every time you define a reel the start time will automatically be set to 00:58:30:00 and the end time will be set to 02:58:30:00.  If you choose not to enter a new value in “waveframe.ini”, the old default times will be used to set the start and end times of the project.

 

 

AES-31 Now Implemented

 

As of this release the AES-31 option has been implemented.  Preliminary testing has confirmed that both the import and export functions are working as expected.  In that this is a relatively new approach to system project interchange, more refinement to this feature may be necessary. AES-31 interchange can be found in the Project Browser under Import and Export.  To use AES-31, please contact WaveFrame Software Group, as your dongle will have to be updated to enable this feature.  Please report your AES-31 findings (both good and bad) to WaveFrame support.  Further details can be found in the Getting Started document or the WaveFrame/7 manual.

 

Focus Issues

 

Anytime the view current or autoview dialogue box appears (such as after a recording or creating a loop or effect), the focus now defaults to the “name” field.  In the past, the user had to tab to this field in order to enter data.  Also, after “laying-in” a sound from the Sound Selector, focus is automatically set to the track window.  This makes laying-in a series of sounds much faster and easier.

 

 

Sound Export Directly from the Track Window

 

This new feature allows the user to export sounds directly from the track window. For example, a series of recordings can be exported to any user-defined format or location without having to first locate them in the Sound Selector. A new menu item has been added to the Utilities menu called Export Current.  Sounds may be selected for export in one of two ways.  First, by placing the play-head directly over an event (and therefore, sound) in the track that has focus (using this method will also include any siblings of the selected sound).  Second, by using a marked area to define many sounds/events within a track and/or sounds across multiple tracks. Upon selecting the “Export Current” menu item, the Sound Export dialogue box will appear. It is here that you may select the file type, bit depth, and destination (sample rate conversion coming soon).  Remember that when you select sounds for export from the track window you are exporting the entire sound and not just the area that is visible in the track window.  If a sound clip contains any edits, and you want those edits to be reflected in the exported sound file, it will be necessary to create a new contiguous file by re-recording the material.  You may accomplish this by feeding the source into a new track for re-recording or by selecting multiple tracks and using the “split” or “duplicate” record feature.  (this feature can also be invoked by using View Current over an event and holding the CTRL key while clicking Modify in the dialog – see next item).

 

 

Sound Export After Recording

 

It is now possible to export a new recording immediately after it is made.  Holding the control key down while mouse clicking on the “Modify” or “Cancel” buttons of the Sound Info Viewer dialogue box will bring up the Sound Export dialogue box (alternately, hold the “control” key and push “enter”).  It is here that you may select the file type, bit depth, and destination (sample rate conversion coming soon).  For conventional recordings using the ADR or Editor screen make sure that the “Autoview” option is checked under Recording Preferences.  This will bring up the Sound Info Viewer dialogue box after a recording is stopped.  Creating an “Effect” or “Loop” automatically brings up this dialogue box.  This new feature is useful for quickly creating a continuous file and exporting it to a user defined destination.  For example, if you have a sequence with many edits and need to make a file for client approval, use Create: Effect.  When the Sound Info Viewer dialogue box appears, name the file, and then press the control key while clicking on the “Modify” button (or push the “enter” button while holding the “control” key).  The Sound Export dialogue box will then appear where you can select the file type, bit depth, and destination.  If you are recording to multiple tracks simultaneously, it is necessary to use this method with each sound file’s Sound Info Viewer as it appears (for those sounds you want to export; i.e. they will not be exported in a batch process).

 

 

WF7 Project Export Enhancements

 

The Export WF7 Project dialogue has been enhanced in a number of ways.  As before, you can choose between copying sounds (after the EDL portion) to a mounted WF7 volume or to a drive/path.  When the export begins, the Choose Folder dialog now allows you to create new folders on the destination drive.  Navigate to an existing drive and/or folder.  To create a new folder, click on “Create New Folder”, enter a name and press “OK”.   A new folder will be created and your project information will copy to that location once you click OK to start the export.  And as before, if you answer “yes” to copy sounds, the Project Sound File Export dialogue will appear and you can select the destination of the project sounds.  There are two options.   First, if you check the “Drive Path” option, the default location will be the same path that you chose initially for the EDL portion, but in a new subfolder called “sounds”; or, you can click on the “Browse” button to select a new location (but ONLY on the initially chosen drive).   Or you can type in a different path in the field to the left.  When you export the selected sounds to the default path, a folder will be created at the desired location called “sounds” that will contain the exported sound files.  At a later time, you can “create” and “mount” this folder as a “volume” through the Volume Manager.  Alternatively, if you check the “Mounted Volume” option, you can select an existing volume or create a new volume by clicking on the “Volume Manager” button.  Once there, you can create a new volume or mount and dismount existing volumes.  After determining the destination, select the sounds for export and then click on the “Export” button to send your sounds to that location.

 

 

Playhead Locking Position

 

It is now possible to lock the playhead in any position of the transport screen.  Free the play-head by making sure that the “playhead locked” option (under the Options menu) is not checked.  Place the playhead in the desired position on the screen.  Open the Options menu and while holding the “control” key, click on playhead locked.    To return to the default (playhead centered), toggle playhead locked off and then on again in the Option menu.

 

 

 

Fixed in this Version

 

·         A bug that prevented the transport from immediately going into reverse play when a track was placed in record ready has been fixed.  The transport should now operate as intended in all transport & record-arm modes.

 

·         An ADR problem that created a bogus file that extended to the end of a track if a recording was stopped before the playhead reached the marked area has been fixed.

 

·         All known OMF problems that resulted in a system crash have been fixed.

 

·         The Sound Selector File..Import dialogue box is no longer hidden behind the Sound Selector.  The window now gets priority when it is opened.

 

·         Selecting File..New Reel in the Editor now focuses on the correct field of the Project Manager.

 

·         Creating new “Dub” versions in the track rack no longer cause a “Primitive Error” and should now function correctly.

 

·         Numerous fixes have been made to AES-31 including fixing track limits and naming issues.

 

·         A problem importing projects or files from a “read only” volume (such as a CD) has been fixed.  Now project information can be imported directly into the system without first copying it to the desktop and changing its attributes.

 

·         Some sync issues pertaining to the Movie feature have been fixed.  The movie should stay in sync with the main track window under all circumstances.  We are actively working on this feature and should have a complete solution by the next release.        

 

·         A record problem that resulted from auditioning sounds in the Sound Selector has been fixed.  An auto-punch recording with a mark would not go into input resulting in a silent recording.

·         Incorrect volume ‘alias’ numbering of mapped drives created from folders (or partitions) on the same physical drive was causing record-arm/NF7 crashes.  This has been fixed.

·        OpenTL Export was changing the file names of stereo sounds by adding an (L) or (R) (if not in orig WF7 name); this then caused a track-to-sound link error in export and the Tascam MX2424 reported missing sound errors.  This behavior has been changed so that no name modifications are made during export.  All OpenTL functions should be working fine.

·        A bug that was crashing WF7 Project Import when clicking Cancel has been fixed.