Reaper's strange approach to Timecode with Wildcards

[Tim Rideout]

Hi All,

I am trying to render multiple sections of video for a client using Reaper's rendering wildcard variable to append the timecode of the sections.

The problem is, the timecode of the wildcard is NOT the timecode I see on the timeline. For example:

My timecode at start of selection for render: 16:19:06:00
Reaper $Start wildcard timecode: 16-20-04.746

Same thing when I use the $minute $second variables.

Can someone enlighten me on this?

[schwa]

If you're looking for a wildcard that uses hours:minutes:seconds:frames format, there isn't one currently, unfortunately. The $start and $end wildcards will always be in hour-minute-second.thousandths format. The $hour, $minute, $second wildcards are for the time of day, not the timeline time.

[Tim Rideout]

But this is what I don't understand - if my timecode in Reaper is 09-59-00sec, why is the $Start wildcard giving me 09-59-35sec?

Check out the attached screencap...

[schwa]

I can't seem to reproduce this. Could you attach your .RPP or email it to support at cockos? We don't need any of the media, just the .RPP file.

[Tim Rideout]

Thank you Schwa! It happens with any New project I create - here is one, attached.

[schwa]

Ah, sorry, it's because the project uses a 23.976 frame rate. At 23.976, frame 16:19:06:00 falls at time location 16:20:04.746.

What's needed, I suppose, is $timecodestart and $timecodeend wildcards.

[Tim Rideout]

Ok, so if I understand correctly, the discrepancy in the Clock (timecode) and the $Start variable is because they are not the same units? I'm struggling to see how this could be useful...

What is the unit used by the $Start wildcard then?

Originally Posted by schwa

Ah, sorry, it's because the project uses a 23.976 frame rate. At 23.976, frame 16:19:06:00 falls at time location 16:20:04.746.

What's needed, I suppose, is $timecodestart and $timecodeend wildcards.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by Tim Rideout

I'm struggling to see how this could be useful...

My advice would be to use 24fps or 30fps rather than 23.976/29.97, unless you have a reason to use 23.976... (Edit: ah, for a client, who probably requested 23.976? In any case, then, you should familiarize yourself with ND vs DF timecode, here's a link that might be helpful: http://www.bodenzord.com/archives/79)

As far as the use goes, it's a long story, buried in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTSC...

[Tim Rideout]

Thanks Justin - but I will be using the native resolutions and framerates requested by my client. Reaper should be able to adapt to that.

Which brings me back to my original questions:

1) of what use is the $START wildcard if the format does not match my project settings
2) what format *IS* the $START wildcard in?

Thanks in advance,
T

Originally Posted by Justin

My advice would be to use 24fps or 30fps rather than 23.976/29.97, unless you have a reason to use 23.976... (Edit: ah, for a client, who probably requested 23.976? In any case, then, you should familiarize yourself with ND vs DF timecode, here's a link that might be helpful: http://www.bodenzord.com/archives/79)

As far as the use goes, it's a long story, buried in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTSC...

[Justin]

Originally Posted by Tim Rideout

1) of what use is the $START wildcard if the format does not match my project settings
2) what format *IS* the $START wildcard in?

These were answered by schwa above:

The $start and $end wildcards will always be in hour-minute.thousandths format.

v5.962 will have $starttimecode and $endtimecode wildcards in order to display the time in h-mm-ss-ff format. You can use a release candidate of that version (currently 5.962rc2) for testing via https://www.landoleet.org (you can visit the pre-release forum for more information on that).

[_Stevie_]

Fantastic, thanks Justin, this is huge, at least to me

[Tim Rideout]

Thank you!

I will indeed download the Release Candidate.

Originally Posted by Justin

These were answered by schwa above:

v5.962 will have $starttimecode and $endtimecode wildcards in order to display the time in h-mm-ss-ff format. You can use a release candidate of that version (currently 5.962rc2) for testing via https://www.landoleet.org (you can visit the pre-release forum for more information on that).

[blumpy]

I'm experiencing an issue with the $starttimecode wildcard and the region render matrix. I would venture to guess that on this session the issue is that the session start timecode goes into the negative.

The project start is -06:59:30:00
I'm rendering a region (via region render matrix) starting at 01:50:57:00
but the timecode position generated is 1-21-00-00 in the filename.

Framerate is 23.976

Thanks!

I also have a request, is there anyway to have tempo information passed on from a subproject to the parent project or display and have that added to the wildcard?

The way that I work is there is one large master session for a film/TV show. I adjust the start time for each episode in the session so that timestamping is correct. But it would be nice to be able to see the tempo of a subprojects and have it in the wildcards for printing stems in the render matrix.

[schwa]

Originally Posted by blumpy

I'm experiencing an issue with the $starttimecode wildcard and the region render matrix. I would venture to guess that on this session the issue is that the session start timecode goes into the negative.

The project start is -06:59:30:00
I'm rendering a region (via region render matrix) starting at 01:50:57:00
but the timecode position generated is 1-21-00-00 in the filename.

Framerate is 23.976

Are you seeing the same incorrect timecode in the render dialog before rendering? Because it looks correct here:

[blumpy]

Hi Schwa,

Thanks for the reply. Here's a screen shot of it occurring on my machine.

This appears to be an issue when the TC position comes from the region render matrix but only for the $starttimecode wildcard label. The embedded timestamp in the wav file is correct its just the label coming from the render matrix.

[schwa]

You have the "bounds" field in the render dialog set to "selected regions." Is there another region that starts at 1:21:00:00? Can you open the region manager and take a screenshot of that?

[blumpy]

Here's the sessions regions.... yes there is a region at that location. (ignore the selected/highlighted region)

Why would another region cause this?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3nzukgtz5c...gions.PNG?dl=0

[schwa]

You have the dialog set up to render "selected regions" which means regions that are enabled in the region matrix *and* selected in the region manager. If you just want to use the region matrix, choose "project regions."

The distinction could admittedly be clearer.

[blumpy]

The way that I've been doing it is that I use the region manager to select the regions to render and the region matrix to select the tracks within that region to be rendered.

...but the $starttimecode wildcard doesn't always reflect the region selected. That's why I'm confused.

In the attached photo link (sorry for dropbox....too big of a image for the forum) I'm rendering two regions, R57 and R58 by selecting the regions in the manager. The tracks that are being rendered in the matrix. The output at the bottom left yields the correct timecode position for R57 but not for R58.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u4o8oejal4...atrix.PNG?dl=0

[schwa]

Click the button that says "2 files".

[blumpy]

Forgive me but I'm not sure what 2 files button you're referring to. I only see the Render 2 files in the 'render to file' window.

I am also seeing which tracks I have selected in the matrix will change the $starttimecode wildcard even though it's the same region. would you like a video of this or am I missing something?

[schwa]

When you choose to render "selected regions," all regions selected in the region manager will be rendered to separate files. The "render to:" box displays the filename for the first rendered file, but the button to the right of it that says
2 files" tells you that there will be 2 files rendered. Click on that button to see a list of all of the filenames.

In the example from your screenshot, the first filename will end in "1-48-52-08.wav", and the second filename will end in "1-50-57-00.wav".

[blumpy]

Ah, I never knew that was a button....ha!

Here's the output:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ni65qs08p6...03022.png?dl=0

[schwa]

Finally we're getting somewhere! Could you send that .RPP (not the media or anything, just the .RPP) to support at cockos please?

[blumpy]

I just emailed it. Thanks again!

[schwa]

That was a crazy bug! Fixed for the next build, thanks for sticking with it.

[blumpy]

Glad I could help? Lol.... what was causing this?

[blumpy]

BTW, I think you're the reason I discovered reaper. I bought a bunch of your plugins and then saw that you made some of them available in reaper.

Great soundings stuff.... I'm assuming that was you...Stillwell and Schwa?

[schwa]

The timecode, and project start offset, and selected regions were all red herrings. The code that resolves wildcards looks for media items that overlap with the rendered regions, in case the user wants to use the media item name wildcard, but that could cause the overlapping media item start time to be used to resolve wildcards instead of the region start time.