X2Pro5 is simple to use, with all settings adjustable from four main tabs – Project, Roles, Media Locations and Objects. There are a few settings on each tab, which we will walk you through here:
PROJECT
The Projects tab allows you to set which XML will be processed and where to create the outputted AAF. Simply drag and drop the required items into the respective section in the user interface or select the ‘+’ icon to browse to them.
| Export project as FCP XML from Final Cut Pro |
| Within Final Cut Pro, select a project and choose ‘Export XML…’ from the ‘File’ menu in the menu bar. This will generate an FCP XML file that can be used by X2Pro5. If the project contains any auditions, then these must be finalized within Final Cut Pro before the project is exported. |
| Selecting Final Cut Pro XML in X2Pro5 |
| Import the FCP XML into X2Pro5 by either browsing using the source ‘+’ button on the source project window, or by dragging the Final Cut Pro XML file onto the source project section. The source project name will be used to generate the AAF filename. |
| Choose destination AAF folder |
| The destination folder is chosen via the ‘+’ button in the destination section, or by dragging the folder into the section. It is not possible to change the name of the destination AAF; the Project name from the source FCP XML is used for the AAF. |
ROLES
X2Pro5 provides simple role management, allowing users to define which roles in Final Cut Pro projects are mapped onto tracks in the AAF, and in which order. It also provides control over which sub-roles to merge, along with global settings for quick selection.
| Include and exclude roles |
| You can select which roles in Final Cut Pro projects are mapped onto tracks in the AAF, and which to merge. To exclude a role, simply untick any roles that you do not want to appear in the final AAF file. |
| Merge all sub roles |
| As the AAF file is created, roles are automatically sorted by their name and then by their sub-roles, then packed into tracks. You can change the order of the roles by selecting one or more and then moving it up and down with the arrows. All the clips with the same role name are packed into as few tracks as possible. If ‘merge all sub roles’ is selected, then roles and sub-roles will be merged at the first occurrence in the list once imported. So, for example, dialogue.jim will be moved next to dialogue.bob. For example, you might have roles called Music, Music.A1 and Music.A2. If you deselect ‘merge all sub roles’, at least 3 tracks will be created and clips with roles of Music and Music.A1 will never share a track. If you choose to merge sub-roles, then it will be possible that clips with roles of Music and Music.A1 will share a track. |
MEDIA LOCATIONS
X2Pro5 requires access to all the possible locations where media used within a project might be stored. You can add a new location to the Media Locations list by pressing the ‘+’ button, then navigating to a folder that contains media and clicking the Select Folder button, or by dragging the folder into the window. If you have a standard installation, it would be wise to start by adding ‘/Users/MyName/Movies’ to the list. You can remove a location from the Media Locations list by triple clicking the one you want to remove.
| Adding locations |
| Simply drag and drop folder and drive locations into the window to make them accessible to X2Pro5 or press the ‘+’ button to browse to the location. Triple-click to remove an item. |
| Inaccessible locations |
| Any locations that contain media used by a project that are not listed in Media Locations will appear in the list of Inaccessible Locations. Add new locations until there are no more listed in this window. You can add folders as Media Locations that are ‘higher’ up the folder hierarchy than those listed. For example, you could include your home directory rather than your movies directory and then you would not need to add another location if you have media files on your desktop. The list will intelligently check the location and show these higher-level locations at the top of the list. Add these first should remove the need to add many of the other location that are listed. For a more in-depth explanation of media locations please read this article on referencing audio. |
OPTIONS
Select any additional options on the final Options tab, before performing the conversion.
| Discard transitions |
| This option, if selected, removes all audio transitions from the final AAF. This can be useful if the audio engineer would prefer to start with only the media and its location in the timeline. |
| Discard disabled clips |
| This option, if selected, makes X2Pro5 exclude disabled audio clips/tracks from the AAF. The audio from the disabled clips will not be embedded, and the clips will not appear in the sequence timeline. |
| Discard inactive clips |
| Clips that are made inactive in the audio inspector panel can either be discarded or retained in muted state. Check this option to remove inactive clips from the AAF. |
| Force embedded audio to 48kHz |
| If this option is enabled, then all audio that is extracted and placed into the AAF file will be extracted at a fixed sample rate of 48kHz. Referenced media will not be affected by this option. |
| Convert non-PCM audio to… |
| All PCM audio that is inserted into the AAF is not resampled and maintains its original bit-depth. Non-PCM audio (such as AAC or MP3 files) must be converted to PCM, this option allows you to choose the bit depth it is converted to; either 16 bit or 24 bit. |
| Embed media |
| You can decide whether to embed media or use reference paths to the media. |
| Reference WAV files |
| Please note that referenced media can only be WAV media, as any other media must be embedded and will be converted to PCM if required. Referenced media must be manually relinked by file name within Pro Tools. |
| Trim media |
| When X2Pro5 embeds audio media into the AAF, it can be trimmed. This preference allows you to define, in seconds, the length of the handles added to the beginning and end of each clip. The default value is 2 seconds. |