User Manual

Pro Tools Reference Guide26
MXF
MXF is a media file format. There are MXF video
files and MXF audio files, but there are no MXF
sequences. An AAF sequence may refer to or in-
clude MXF media files, but OMF sequences can-
not refer to or include MXF files.
Pro Tools can import and play back MXF audio
and video files created in Media Composer or
other Avid applications.
OMF
OMF is both a media file and sequence format.
OMF media files can be audio or video, and
Pro Tools can import and play back OMF audio
and video. Pro Tools can also export OMF audio,
but not OMF video.
Pro Tools can import and play back OMF audio
and video files created in Media Composer or
other applications.
An OMF sequence cannot reference or have
MXF media embedded within it.
Pro Tools can import an OMF sequence with
embedded audio, but not embedded video.
Pro Tools and Avid Terminology
Pro Tools and Avid use different terms to de-
scribe the same items. For example, a Pro Tools
session is equivalent to an Avid sequence. The fol-
lowing table lists common Pro Tools elements
and their Avid equivalents.
MXF file icon
Video files digitized in Pro Tools are techni-
cally in the MXF format, but are intended
only for use in Pro Tools and are not tested for
compatibility with other applications.
Pro Tools Avid (AAF or OMF)
session sequence
whole file region master clip
region subclip
plug-ins real-time audio effects
volume automation gain Avid keyframe volume
Pro Tools does not have a feature that com-
pares to Avid clip-based gain. However, you
can use the Clip-Based Gain pop-up menu (in
the Import Session Data dialog) to map clip-
based gain settings to Pro Tools breakpoint
automation, or to ignore clip-based gain en-
tirely. See “Clip-Based Gain Pop-Up Menu”
on page 352.
Whole audio files in the Regions List nor-
mally appear in bold type. However, master
clip audio files imported from AAF or OMF
into Pro Tools will not appear in bold type (in-
dicating regions) in the Pro Tools Regions List
even though they are audio files.