Batching Files

Hi - new to the forum with a question ...

Is there a way to "batch" files in AA 2.0?

For example, if I have 100 2 minute V.O. files and want to mix the same music under all of them - same levels, timing, et. al.  Is there a way to "stack 'em & pack 'em"?

Todd,

I don't know what V.O. files are (voice over?), but in general: with scripts and batch processing, you can stack 'em and pack 'em.

First, make a script, and use a file to do whatever processing you want to do (normalizing, hard limiting, whatever). Save the script, test it and adjust as required. Then, go to File/Batch Processing. In the first tab, select the files you want to process; in the second tab, select Run a script, and choose the script you made. If required, make adjustments in tabs 3 and 4, and in tab 5 choose destination of corrected files. Then click Run Batch.

How to make scripts is described on page 264 and in the AA help file; you can find it on the AA CD or online on the Adobe site.

HTH. If you're not that familiar with AA and you don't know how or what, please let me know.

Hi Stan & thanks.  I read about creating a script - but they say I can't open another file as part of the actions.  If I can't do that - how can I mix my voice files with the music?

This may be a stupid question -  or I may just be trying to use a pipe wrench as a hammer.

Thanks Again.

I recall a debate about the best way to do this ages ago (it may have been on the Adobe forum), and I seem to recall that we didn't come up with a really good answer. The problem is simply that to do this at all, you'd have to use MV, and that isn't scriptable. There are all sorts of devious things you can do with a session file, but ultimately to automate anything like this is going to need to use file renaming, etc, and if it works at all, which is extremely dubious, it is going to be more trouble to carry out than it's worth.

Shoot, so V.O. files are indeed voice over files.... Sorry about that...

That's indeed a limitation of AA. Don't know if other software can do this, though it seems like an rather straightforward job to automate.

If you think about what's involved, you will probably realise after a while that it's actually not that simple and straightforward to do this reliably... you are trying to mix a load of files together with a music track, and none of them are likely to be the same length. There is in fact quite a lot you'd have to take care of to get this reliably correct, and it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that it's not a common feature to find.

i figured i was getting greedy.  HOWEVER - all the voice files are the same length - exactly 3 minutes.  All at the same level going in.  Music the same length & at the same level every time.  i guess i thought there might be a way to get two files in the MT and make them play nice together.

oh well ... back to solo & mute.

Thanks, guys for your suggestions!

My DAW is busy right now, so I can't play - but can you use the clipboard in a script?

If you COPY your music to the clipboard before launching the script, can you then MIX/PASTE to get the job done - or what about MIX/PASTE from file?

My DAW is busy right now, so I can't play - but can you use the clipboard in a script?

If you COPY your music to the clipboard before launching the script, can you then MIX/PASTE to get the job done - or what about MIX/PASTE from file?

You might be able to do this - but I can tell you from experience that you would have to have it in the clipboard before you start the batch process - there's no way that you can operate on multiple files within a single instance of a script - which is both a right pain, and a shame.

nope - that doesn't work.  the pasted clip doesn't show up in the process.

You can record "Next Wave" (Ctrl-Shift-Tab) in a script, and toggle through open files, mixing a clipboard to
each open file.  The number of open files and "next wave"s would have to be the same known number.