Let’s start 2024 with a big new release showcase: AATranslator 2!
Do you need to open old projects you made in another DAW into your current main one, or do you want to collaborate with people using a different software than yours? AATranslator might be just te right tool for you!
Few DAW and NLE video editors are able to inter-operate without some kind of middleware apps to handle some project files conversion. Even exchange formats like EDL and AAF come in different non compatible versions.
To handle such scenarios, AATtranslator was designed to convert project files from a DAW to another. It supports a lot of formats, like DAW project files (REAPER rpp, ProTools ptx…) and exchange format (AAF, EDL, OMF…). It is meant for direct conversion, it’s not oriented toward a special content-aware workflow like Vordio is for video post production (which would be the app of choice for such case IMHO, but if for some reasons you need to use the old and obsolete OMF format with REAPER, AATranslator is the way to go!)
It’s author, Runaway from Suite Spot Studios, really did an impressive job of reverse engineering to handle all these 40 (approx) formats, which are often either undocumented, and sometimes encrypted and compiled into binary (like Pro Tools format). Fortunately for REAPER users, .rpp project file format os just text files, and is pretty self explanatory, so REAPER file support is extremely good. (Note: .rpp files don’t come with an official documentation either, but as it is easy to tweak, one is being maintained by REAPER users, see REAPER State Chunk Definition). AATranslator can of course be used for non REAPER-related workflow.
The first version came more than 10 years ago, and get tons of updates since to handle new formats, more features etc, but it was time for a v2, which just has been released! These also took years to put in place. It come with a more easy to understand interface (for those who remember v1, the instant obvious change is that it doesn’t have all the format tabs anymore, which makes it quite more readable. See the v1 in action in my Premiere Pro to REAPER with AATranslator tutorial). It still a bit old school, like the installer and the website, but it is more ergonomics for sure. You input a file to convert, you choose a destination format, config some settings, and click on Generate, and voilà!
Of course, conversion cannot be 100% exhaustive, some features are specific to a DAW and cannot be translated (REAPER stretch markers for eg), so if you have a workflow relying on using middlewares like AATranslator, keep project as simple as possible, just in case. By the way, for those who use AAT in a REAPER – ProTools workflow, I have two premium scripts packs which seems quite appreciated in this case: ReaScripts: REAPER to ProTools with AATranslator Pack, and ReaScripts: Render Take Pack).
The software is still Win only but should be able to run just fine on Mac with the help of some popular Win emulation bridge like Wineskinor or Crossover (tutorials on AATranslator page).
AATranslator is paid software, so if you have only a couple of session to translate, rather than having to buy the software which may be expensive depending on the format you need, you can try to explain your case to the support and ask for a conversion service, donation based. More info on AAtranslator website.
Congrats to Runaway for the v2, and happy conversion! 😎
