Why Sound Roll Does Not Mean Sound Timecode Is Present

Seeing Sound Roll in a handoff means the file carries a sound-roll field; it does not mean the same handoff also carries sound timecode. ALE and CSV each carry a Sound Roll column and their own Sound TC cell; the Daily Log PDF and FDX have no such cell. So “a roll exists” is neither “a timecode exists” nor “that cell holds a value” — keep the two readings apart.

Sound Roll is an identity clue for sound media, not a sound time position; and it never fills the Sound TC cell on the other column’s behalf.

Where the Sound Roll column comes from

In ALE and CSV, Sound Roll comes from the sound-roll number on the camera record and is shown as roll text. When a usable value is missing the three formats differ: ALE and CSV ship only what was transcribed and leave the cell blank when nothing was, with no software counter filling it; the human-readable PDF prefers the transcribed value and falls back to the software’s own counter. A normal-looking roll string is therefore not proof of verification against an audio file. It should be treated as an identity clue that still needs checking, not as a sound time position.

In a multicamera record, the sound-roll value is camera-level, so different cameras in the same take must be read separately. ALE, CSV and the PDF all write one row per camera, so each row carries that camera’s own sound roll. The handoff also carries Tracks, MOS and Wild Track on the sound side, all derived from on-set markers rather than read from an audio file. Whether those values actually correspond to the same set of recorded audio files cannot be established from that column alone. The column also does not decide whether independent sound was recorded on set or whether the audio files are present in the same delivery package.

Which handoff has the Sound TC cell, and when it is blank

ALE writes the sound start into its Sound TC column and CSV has a cell of its own. Both hand over the reading verbatim, leave the cell blank when the shape or range fails, and cut no frames and invent no legal-looking zero. The Daily Log PDF and FDX have no such cell at all, so reading nothing there is a format boundary, not a hidden value.

For that reason, Sound Roll should not be treated as a substitute for Sound TC, and picture timecode cannot be used to infer the audio file’s own starting timecode. This should not be described as a timecode-synchronization capability, and the roll field should not be presented as performing timing alignment automatically. The receiver needs to return to the actual audio files and its own sound log to verify each file’s embedded timecode and starting point.

The roll answers which roll of sound; Sound TC answers where it starts. When that cell is blank, verify against the audio files and the sound log.

How the roll identifier and picture timecode can be used together

In ALE and CSV the receiver can use the sound-roll identifier and picture timecode in the same check (the PDF body has no timecode column), but their relationship is still established during receiving. The roll identifier identifies the claimed sound roll, while picture timecode identifies the picture record’s time position. Placing a roll beside picture timecode puts no value into a Sound TC cell that was exported blank — blank means no usable reading.

Timing correspondence must therefore be established from the receiver’s sound log, audio-file information, and picture records. What an ALE File Is Actually For describes what an exchange file carries and where its boundaries are, and whether that cell holds a value belongs on the boundary side of that distinction. The receiver should verify the relationship instead of letting a complete-looking roll identifier stand in for timecode evidence.

What should be left to the audio file itself during receiving

After receiving the handoff, first check whether the Sound Roll value agrees with the sound log, then inspect the actual audio file for its own timecode and starting point. The picture handoff gives picture-side records, but a roll is not a time position, and a blank Sound TC leaves the sound-to-picture relationship unverified. Any further correspondence requires evidence from the receiver’s own media.

This also means that whether independent audio files are included, and whether they belong to the same delivery package, should be determined from the media actually received. The app does not use the Sound Roll field to decide those external facts for the receiver. Finally, the receiver should verify the timecode and starting point carried by the audio files themselves.

FAQ

Is Sound Roll the same thing as sound timecode?

No. Sound Roll is the identity of the sound material; Sound TC is a time position. ALE and CSV each carry their own Sound TC cell and the Daily Log PDF and FDX do not — whether a cell holds a value and whether a format has the column are two questions.

Can Sound Roll by itself establish picture-to-sound timing?

That conclusion cannot be made from the roll field. The receiver needs to check the roll identifier, picture record, sound log, and the audio file’s own timecode and starting point together.

Where should the sound time position be verified?

It should be checked from the actual audio files and the sound log. The receiver should verify each audio file’s own timecode and starting point rather than inferring a time position from Sound Roll.

Axiom One LLC — SlateX