6 min read
The Sound Devices poly WAV workflow, from bag to post
A Sound Devices card is not just files. It is a structured project, and treating it that way makes post trivial.
Sound Devices recorders, from the MixPre series to the 833 and 888, write polyphonic broadcast WAV files organised into project and scene folders. The structure carries meaning, and it is worth preserving through the transfer.
What lands on the card
- A project folder per job, with daily or scene subfolders.
- One poly WAV per take, named from scene and take numbering.
- A sound report, usually CSV, listing takes, circled status and notes.
- Metadata in bext and iXML: track names, timecode, notes, circled takes.
Copy, verify, then work
Copy the whole card structure to two destinations and verify with checksums before anything gets renamed or split. The card stays untouched until both copies are confirmed.
Splitting for the dialogue editor
The 833 stores real track names, so a split produces files like 12A_T02_Boom.wav rather than numbered channels. That naming is what makes an assistant editor's bin readable at a glance.
Keep the sound report with the media
The report tells post which takes were circled and why a take was flagged. Splitting files does not carry that information, so ship the CSV alongside the stems.
Where the browser tool fits
For a transfer station without Wave Agent installed, or for a producer who needs one take split on a laptop, a local browser splitter does the same job with no install and no upload.