Picture conform and production sound assembly

Conform updates an existing sound edit for a revised picture cut. Assembly finds the original recordings for an edit and prepares the audio for Pro Tools or PTX export.

Use them separately or together. Assembly can work across a complete edit, with new material identified by Conform, or with selected Pro Tools clips through Quick Spot.

For example, a recut might move an existing scene and add a new one. Conform copies the existing sound to its revised positions; Assembly finds recordings for the new material. Review the results against picture before delivery.

Choose Calculate Conform Plan, then inspect the proposed moves, extensions and new-audio ranges. The graphical plan shows their arrangement, Edit Lists shows the imported events, and Tracks provides audio and video context.

Result Details has Changes, VFX Findings and Full Report tabs. Filter the Changes list by All changes, Moves, New audio, Extensions or Reuse.

KEEP identifies reused material copied to the destination. COPY identifies material copied to a changed position. INSERT identifies a range without a matched old source, where sound needs to be found or added.

Head and tail extensions show the extra source coverage needed around reused ranges. Review these along with any unused old material. The original edit remains at its source position.

Use Save Note to attach a remark to a change, or Select in Pro Tools to highlight the corresponding event in the open session. Export reports as text, CSV or HTML.

Picture and audio checks help with review. Sampled picture checks do not verify every frame, so confirm the result against picture and listen before delivery.

Add recording folders in Rushes. In Assembly, choose the source pools under Source Recordings and select Update Sources. Load an edit, or send new-audio ranges from Conform, then choose Assemble EDL.

Source pools can include Rushes recordings, imported AAF audio and PTX sources. After changing the pools, run Update Sources again. Include all recordings needed to cover the edit.

Inspect and audition the candidates. Selecting one previews it; Use Selected Source Recording assigns it to the event.

Why and Check / Next explain the identity, timing and audio evidence. Names, scene and take metadata, and source timecode help identify recordings. Shared timecode alone is insufficient: check the recording and the full excerpt.

Check timing by listening

Choose Align to Guide to check the timing of a known recording, Find By Audio to search prepared sources, or Forensic Find By Audio for a deeper search when the guide is poor or the recording is uncertain.

Choose Selected, Unmatched or All events, then Run. You can process a few events, review the results and continue.

Verified means the automatic audio checks passed. With Use verified matches automatically enabled, Run assigns a qualifying top result and its timing. With it disabled, audition the candidate and choose Use Audio Match to assign it. Neither action sends audio to Pro Tools.

Guide, Match and Difference share a playhead. Use Loop and Match levels while listening; the source audio remains unchanged.

Set the guide start and channel on the edit timeline before comparing. Source start is a position within the recording file; its BWF timecode, guide placement and output destination are separate values. You can type or drag Source start and audition the alignment.

Choose microphones

Keep related mono and poly WAV recordings together. Channel Setup provides Automatic, Fixed tracks and Do Not Output choices for microphone routing. A Virtual PolyWAV presents compatible files as a validated set while retaining the original WAVs.

Check the channel layout and incomplete sets before delivery. Multitrack expansion can also reconstruct guide edits across corresponding source WAVs for studio, music or live recordings.

Quick Spot matches eligible clips selected on one mono Pro Tools track. Choose Timecode, Audio or Alternate Takes, either within Assembly or from the floating palette.

Use it for selected clips without loading a complete Assembly edit or making a guide bounce. Timecode matching needs reliable original timing. Audio matching needs prepared Rushes analysis and readable recordings.

Sample-rate conversion preserves real-time positioning. Unsupported or ambiguous selections are rejected. Check the prepared result before output; raw-source matching does not render plug-ins, fades, routing or Elastic Audio.

Assistant searches local transcripts as you type. Choose Any word, All words, Exact phrase or Fuzzy match. You can search and audition without a running Pro Tools session.

Results identify the recording and physical channel, with timed speech and surrounding dialogue. Select words or drag across the waveform to choose an excerpt, add handles and listen.

Export the excerpt as PTX or spot it into Pro Tools independently of Assembly. The selected In point is placed at the destination, with handles before and after the excerpt.

Choose a local transcription model for your Mac. Whisper supports Intel and older supported Macs. Parakeet requires Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later.

Save the project to retain your settings, matching choices, comparison ranges and notes. Recordings and guide media remain separate files referenced by the project.

If media has moved, open Media > Check/Relink Project Media. Use Check Again, Find Missing in Folder or Choose Replacement. PT EDL checks format and timing; choose explicitly when more than one replacement is possible.

After relinking, save and check a known event and recording. Rebuild affected results if the source files have changed. Recent Projects & Recovery can restore local work; keep separate backups of the project and its media.

PT EDL 3 runs on macOS 12 or later with separate Apple Silicon and Intel builds. Existing licences and projects remain compatible.

• Transcript spotting: Pro Tools 2023.9 or later. The exact physical component route needs Pro Tools 2025.6 or later.
• PTSL conform: Pro Tools 2023.12 or later, including ranges and VFX markers; AppleScript is a conform fallback where supported.
• Assembly and alternate spotting: Pro Tools 2024.6 or later. Through 2025.5, each source set must come from one WAV.
• Multi-WAV sets, Quick Spot Timecode and Audio, and live clip groups: Pro Tools 2025.6 or later.

The selected PTSL compatibility profile governs available live commands. Saved-file work, audition and PTX export can be done without a running Pro Tools session.