ARA2 + Auto-Align Post (bugs+problem in Film Post workflow)

Hello!
I’ve been working on a Film Project where I really need to use the Plugin Auto-Align Post. I am using it to phase align Boom + Lavs mics. The problem is that in Nuendo is really much more complicated and takes a lot of my time that I would be doing it in Pro Tools. The Auto-Align Post programmers told me that it is an issue they have been working with Steinberg, there are a lots of bugs (for example that you alway have to have a plugin in the insert of a channel, if not it won’t work). I hope Steinberg manages to solve all these bugs as this plug in is now an essential tool of Film Post Production.

I would like to know if somebody out there has a better workaround to all the problems with ARA2 in Nuendo. My workflow:

  1. I copy the all events (boom+lavs) to some work tracks to be synced
  2. I open the event left and right to include all the handles (once you activate ARA2 it deletes all the handles)
  3. I activate Auto-Align Post through ARA2 extension
  4. I use the plugin normally and phase sync boom + lavs
  5. I have to rename again the audio events files (ARA2 renames the files to the Track name, something that is imposible to work in Post Production as you need the files to be named after the scene and take)
  6. I render in place (I don’t want to have the plugin on in case I need to open the project in a computer without the plugin)
  7. I “measure” the original events length and crop accordingly
  8. I move those synced versions to the original place
  9. delete the extra track created by Nuendo when “Render in place” (why Nuendo creates a new track!!?? it is so annoying and it doesn’t have any use!)


    this takes me at least 5-10 min with a full length Film it will take me many weeks to do that!!
    Does anyone knows a better way? Will Steinberg fix this? Is it better to move those tracks to Protools, do everything there and import again in Nuendo?
    Somebody told me that the Logic Editors might help. I never used them. Would they?
    Also… Could Steinberg add Keyboard shortcuts so I could at least program some Macros?

Thanks!
Guillermo

Ever thought of trying the native Align function within Nuendo?
Lightning fast and nearly as good as Auto Align Post.

Fredo

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Hi Fredo

I use the native Align function normally for re-sync the ADR. Is the native Align function phase accurate to use it as the Auto-Align plugin Guillermo is revering to? Never used it that way :wink:

Best, Alan

In my opinion it works perfectly.

Fredo

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Just did some quick tests and I am really happy with this :slight_smile: Never knew it, could have saved some good old manual labour, haha.

Thanks for the tip Fredo.

Best, Alan

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I think we are all gearheads and blinded by “what is commonly used” in the industry.
(Just to avoid the word "Industry Standard) :slight_smile:

I am guilty myself and always used a selection of plugins which I considered “my personal toolbox”.
The last film I mixed I decided to use ONLY standard Nuendo plugins, and as little as possible.
For all the DX trax, I used the Channel strip. The EQ is as good as my dearest Equilibrium.
The Vintage compressor works as good as my beloved Rvox, the De-esser is unbeatable and better than anything I heard before.
For everything else (Reveb, delay, doppler, upmix, transients) I used the stock plugins and stock plugins only.

Apart from the “getting used to”, I didn’t miss any of my usual suspects, and my mix sounds as good as ever.
If not better.

Fredo

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You’ve made my day! Never thought of that way of using it! I’ve been waiting for Auto Align Post vst version for a long time and the solution was just in front of me! Oh, my feelings! Frustration, stupidity, relief and happiness! :astonished: :open_mouth: :slight_smile: :smiley:

It is not the same as audio align post. native Align function is more like vocalign. And as such works great.
But Audio align post phase aligns different sources from the same take so that you can mix them together easily and fast. And is superb tool for any dialog editor.

Hi! Everybody!

Thanks for the reply.
No the Nuendo Align is good for aligning for ADR for example but if you want to phase align many microphones it actually makes it worst. I tried it as I didn’t have the money to buy Auto Align Post. Then I tried the trial from it and solved lots of problems…
so the best option at the moment is exporting everything to pro tools, phase align and export again to Nuendo… or some like that and some as I did until now.

Not if you want to have the boom and the lavs at the same time… there will be phase cancellation and with the Nuendo Audio Align (which I use a lot for every other thing) Is even worse as without… I did a lot of trying…

Exactly! That is why in spite of all the problems by using it with Nuendo, I decided to buy it. It is a really good plugin!
I am struggling because the film I am editing needs a lot of boom and lavs at the same time… there are a lot of lines in the dialogue that where off axis in the boom and never repeated in another take. With the lavs it sounds really different. But with the off axis boom and lav (with auto align post) there is no difference than only boom.

From the manual:

Audio Alignment allows you to match the timing of different instrument or vocal tracks. You can also solve phasing problems that occur when using different microphones on the same take.


The function “prefer time shifting” is exactly for that.
I wouldn’t dare to say that the Nuendo Native Alignment works as good as Audio Align post, but it sure solves 99% of my problems.
And please don’t tell me that it doesn’t work at all, I’ve used it in numerous TV shows to align Boom & Lav.

Fredo

Thanks, as I said, I tried it and it made it worse… specially with time shifting.
Anyway… I asked if somebody has experience with ARA2 and Auto Align Post.

Does anyone has help with ARA2 ?

If you have ever been in a mix where you had the opportunity to work with the boom and lavs without phasing, you will not want to go back. Auto Align Post does a perfect job, even when the mics are moving. It’s an amazing tool. Highly recommended, so yes your suggestion makes sense.

yes indeed autoalignpost 2 far outperforms steinberg’s internal alignment feature. phase effects remain present with the steinberg solution which is not intended for that. the obligation to make the edition permanent is not enough. the solution of transofrming the files into new files is also madness. losing the names is impossible but steiberg could propose to keep the original name with an extension indicating a version v1, V2… it would be a nice solution rather than taking the name of the track which has no meaning in postprod. it is true that the marker tracks can help to keep a vision and indication on what we are dealing with scene plan… but it is not always clear and tedious to create.
moreover with a recorder souddevices mixpre10 2 when importing the iso files all the metadata are not imported. wavlab, on the other hand, imports all the metadata. I wonder if the iso files are not the reason for such a problem. in any case these are problems that should be resolved urgently and more particularly for the phase alignment

That’s the way I work. I immediately make the process permanent.
Alle metadata is preserved.

When the mics are “static” (no or little movement of the actors) then it works fine.
That being said, Autoalign pro also fixes frequency related phase issues.
So yes.

That is strange.
How have you split the ISO files?
Use WaveAgent for that.

Fredo

just use the file function, import audio. a window opens. it offers import on a track or import on several tracks. there is also a drop-down menu at the bottom right that allows you to create tracks with the name of the actor or the role according to what has been entered in the souddevices mixpre10 v2. just use wingman to control the souddevice remotely and for each track enter the name you want. for the scenes and number of shots he inquires at the start then the number increases with each new shot.