Quicktime Pro Applescript - Assign audio channels

Hello

If I understand it correctly, the script listed below will do the job.

Please edit the channel_layouts_map1 and channel_layouts_map2 as you see fit. The former is for 8 mono tracks and the latter is 6 mono tracks and 1 stereo track. Each entry in the map consists of a list of three items such that -

item 1 = (string or int) name of index of target sound track
item 2 = (string or int) new name for target track (int i denotes original name of sound track i)
item 3 = (list) list of audio channel layout(s) in the target sound track

Currently, script will remap the audio channel layouts and rename the sound track as specified. If you don't want to rename the tracks, specify the same value for item 1 and item 2.

If the script is run in AppleScript Editor, it will ask you to choose movie file(s). If it is saved as applet (droplet), you may drag-and-drop movie file(s) onto it. It uses GUI scripting to reassign audio channel layouts, so you need to enable GUI scripting, that is a bit complicated under 10.9.

cf.

OS X: Using AppleScript with Accessibility and Security features in Mavericks

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5914

Briefly tested with QuickTime Player Pro 7.6.6 (1710) (QuickTime version 7.6.6 (1800)) under OS X 10.6.8.

* Script will override the original files. Please make sure you have backups of original files.

Hope this may help,

H

(*
    remap audio channel layouts.applescript
    v0.1
*)
on run
    open (choose file with prompt ("Choose movie file(s)") ¬
        of type {"com.apple.quicktime-movie", "public.mpeg-4"} ¬
        with multiple selections allowed)
end run

on open aa
    set channel_layouts_map1 to {¬
        {"Sound Track 1", "Left", {"Left"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 2", "Right", {"Right"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 3", "Center", {"Center"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 4", "LFE Screen", {"LFE Screen"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 5", "Left Surround", {"Left Surround"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 6", "Right Surround", {"Right Surround"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 7", "Left Total", {"Left Total"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 8", "Right Total", {"Right Total"}} ¬
            }
    set channel_layouts_map2 to {¬
        {"Sound Track 1", "Left", {"Left"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 2", "Right", {"Right"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 3", "Center", {"Center"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 4", "LFE Screen", {"LFE Screen"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 5", "Left Surround", {"Left Surround"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 6", "Right Surround", {"Right Surround"}}, ¬
        {"Sound Track 7", "Left Total + Right Total", {"Left Total", "Right Total"}} ¬
            }
    
    repeat with a in aa
        set f to a's POSIX path
        set k to count_sound_tracks(f, {_close:false})
        if k = 8 then
            remap_audio_channels(f, channel_layouts_map1)
        else if k = 7 then
            remap_audio_channels(f, channel_layouts_map2)
        else
            -- ignore it (just close it)
            close_document(f, {_save:false})
        end if
    end repeat
end open

on count_sound_tracks(f, {_close:_close})
    (*
        string f : POSIX path of QT movie
        boolean _close: true to close document, false othewise
    *)
    tell application id "com.apple.quicktimeplayer" -- QuickTime Player 7 Pro
        open (f as POSIX file)
        tell (document 1 whose path = f)
            repeat until exists
                delay 0.2
            end repeat
            set k to count (tracks whose audio channel count > 0)
            if _close then close
        end tell
    end tell
    return k
end count_sound_tracks

on close_document(f, {_save:_save})
    (*
        string f : POSIX path of QT movie
        boolean _save: true to save document (if modified), false othewise
    *)
    tell application id "com.apple.quicktimeplayer" -- QuickTime Player 7 Pro
        tell (document 1 whose path = f)
            if exists then
                if _save and modified then save
                close
            end if
        end tell
    end tell
end close_document

on remap_audio_channels(f, channel_layouts_map)
    (*
        string f : POSIX path of source movie
        list channel_layouts_map : list of {trk, trk_new, layouts}
            trk = (string or integer) name or index of source sound track
            trk_new = (string or integer) new name for source track (integer i denotes original name of sound track i)
            layouts = list of audio channel layout for channel(s) in source sound track
                Mono
                Left
                Right
                Center
                LFE Screen
                Left Surround
                Right Surround
                Left Center
                Right Center
                Center Surround
                Rear Surround Left
                Rear Surround Right
                Left Total
                Right Total
                Discrete-0
                Discrete-1
                Unused
            
            e.g. 1
               {{"Sound Track 1", "Left", {"Left"}}, ¬
                {"Sound Track 2", "Right", {"Right"}}, ¬
                {"Sound Track 3", "Center", {"Center"}}, ¬
                {"Sound Track 4", "LFE Screen", {"LFE Screen"}}, ¬
                {"Sound Track 5", "Left Surround", {"Left Surround"}}, ¬
                {"Sound Track 6", "Right Surround", {"Right Surround"}}, ¬
                {"Sound Track 7", "Left Total", {"Left Total"}}, ¬
                {"Sound Track 8", "Right Total", {"Right Total"}}}

            e.g. 2
               {{1, 1, {"Left", "Right"}}, ¬
                {2, 2, {"Center", "LFE, Screen"}}, ¬
                {3, 3, {"Left Surround", "Right Surround"}}, ¬
                {4, 4, {"Left Total", "Right Total"}}}
        
        * this handler behaves as follows:
            1) open f
            2) scan sound tracks of document 1 for each trk and remap the track's audio channel layouts as specified
            3) scan sound tracks of document 1 for each trk and rename the track as specified
            4) save and close document 1
            
            * if specified trk is not found, it is ignored and no remapping is performed on the track.
            * if specified layout is not found, it is ignored and no remapping is performed on the layout.
            * if specified layout count is greater than channel count of the target track, excessive layouts are ignored.
            * if specified layout count is smaller than channel count of target track, excessive channels are ignored.
            * if trk and trk_new denotes the same track, renaming is not performed on the track.
    *)
    script o
        property map : channel_layouts_map
        property pp : {}
        property qq : {}
        
        -- get name and id of sound tracks
        tell application id "com.apple.quicktimeplayer" -- QuickTime Player 7 Pro
            activate
            open (f as POSIX file)
            tell (document 1 whose path = f)
                repeat until exists
                    delay 0.2
                end repeat
                tell (tracks whose audio channel count > 0)
                    set {pp, qq} to {name, id} -- name and id of sound tracks
                end tell
            end tell
        end tell
        
        -- remap audio channel layouts as specified
        tell application "System Events"
            tell (process 1 whose bundle identifier = "com.apple.quicktimeplayer")
                -- open movie properties window
                keystroke "j" using {command down}
                
                tell (window 1 whose subrole = "AXDialog") -- properties for movie
                    repeat until exists
                        delay 0.2
                    end repeat
                    repeat with m in my map
                        set {trk, undef, layouts} to m
                        -- [TRK:
                        repeat 1 times
                            if trk's class = integer then
                                if trk < 1 or trk > (count my pp) then exit repeat -- TRK:
                                set trk to my pp's item trk
                            end if
                            tell scroll area 1
                                tell table 1
                                    tell (row 1 whose text field 1's value = trk) -- target sound track whose name = trk
                                        if not (exists) then exit repeat -- TRK:
                                        select
                                    end tell
                                end tell
                            end tell
                            tell tab group 1
                                click radio button 3 -- audio settings
                                tell scroll area 1
                                    tell table 1 -- channel assignment table
                                        set ix to count layouts
                                        repeat with i from 1 to count rows
                                            if i > ix then exit repeat
                                            tell row i -- channel i
                                                tell pop up button 1
                                                    click
                                                    tell menu 1 -- channel assignment menu
                                                        tell (menu item 1 whose title = layouts's item i)
                                                            if exists then click
                                                        end tell
                                                    end tell
                                                end tell
                                            end tell
                                        end repeat
                                    end tell
                                end tell
                            end tell
                        end repeat
                        -- /TRK:]
                    end repeat
                    
                    -- close movie properties window
                    click (button 1 whose subrole = "AXCloseButton")
                end tell
            end tell
        end tell
        
        -- rename sound tracks as specified
        tell application id "com.apple.quicktimeplayer"
            tell document 1
                repeat with m in my map
                    -- [RENAME:
                    repeat 1 times
                        set {x, y} to m's items 1 thru 2 -- {old name or index, new name or index}
                        if x's class = integer then
                            if x < 1 or x > (count my pp) then exit repeat -- RENAME:
                        else
                            set x to my _index_of(pp, x)
                            if x = 0 then exit repeat -- RENAME:
                        end if
                        if y's class = integer then
                            if y < 1 or y > (count my pp) then exit repeat -- RENAME:
                            set y to my pp's item y
                        end if
                        set p to my pp's item x
                        set q to my qq's item x
                        if p ≠ y then set track id q's name to y
                    end repeat
                    -- /RENAME:]
                end repeat
                if modified then save
                close
            end tell
        end tell
        
    end script
    tell o to run
end remap_audio_channels

on _index_of(xx, x) -- renamed _bsearch() v0.1
    (*
        list xx : source list
        anything x : item to be searched in xx
        return integer : the first index of x in xx if {x} is in xx, or 0 if not.
    *)
    script o
        property aa : xx
        local i, j, k
        if {x} is not in my aa then return 0
        set i to 1
        set j to count my aa
        repeat while j > i
            set k to (i + j) div 2
            if {x} is in my aa's items i thru k then
                set j to k
            else
                set i to k + 1
            end if
        end repeat
        return i
    end script
    tell o to run
end _index_of

Hello

As for Q1, after some investigations, the only way I can think of to do this silently is to use QTSetTrackProperty() function [1]. Apparently QuickTime Player 7's AppleScript interface does not provide any means to modify audio channel layout assignment. Even with QTKit.framework [2], it seems only possible to get audio channel assigment information and not to set it. So my answer to your question is no unless you write your own programme to call the said function in C. I'm going to look into this further to see whether it is possible to call this function from rubycocoa script by preparing custom bridgesupport file.

[1] /System/Library/Frameworks/QuickTime.framework/Versions/A/Headers/Movies.h

[2] /System/Library/Frameworks/QTKit.framework

As for Q2, unfortunetly I'm not familiar with python snake. But generally you can execute applescript script by /usr/bin/osascript and osascript can handle run-time arguments if the script is written such as -

on run argv
    -- argv is a list of run-time arguments
end run

For example, to pass file1, file2 and file3 to a script save as a.scpt, you may call the script by -

osascript a.scpt file1 file2 file3

See osascript manpage for more details.

In order to amend the script in this thread to meet this calling convention, you'd need to replace the run handler with -

on run argv
    repeat with a in argv
        set a's contents to a as POSIX file as alias
    end repeat
    open argv
end run

Note that file must be given by its full posix path in argument for osascript, for this applescript script simply treats each of them as full posix path literally without honouring current directory or tilde in path.

Hope this may help thus far,

H

PS. QTSetTrackProperty() function is documented in -

QuickTime Framework Reference

> Other References

> QuickTime Movie Properties Reference

although this huge QuickTime Framework Reference (ca. 14mb, last revised on 2006-05-23) is no longer available in apple's server. You may find its html version in Xcode for 10.5 or may find a pdf version in 'net via google.

Hello

I don't know why it runs so slow in your environment. One thing I'd try is to modify the remap_audio_channels() handler so that the last line -

tell o to run

is replaced with -

run script o

In other words, to replace -

on remap_audio_channels(f, channel_layouts_map)
    script o
        -- omitted
    end script
    tell o to run
end remap_audio_channels

with -

on remap_audio_channels(f, channel_layouts_map)
    script o
        -- omitted
    end script
    run script o
end remap_audio_channels

This is a known technique to dramatically incease the execution speed of script when it is run as applet. But I don't think you're running the script as applet and so I'm not sure this method would work in this case.

That's all for now.

Good luck,

H

Hi Hiroto,

I have a similar issue, but i was given footage that has 2 or 4 audio channels, all of which are marked as "Unused". I have over 1500 individual clips which can be quite tedious to manually change. When I stumbled across your script I was very excited.

I modified the k values to be 2 & 4, respectively and removed the extra channels from the channel_layouts_map1 and 2 to only reflect Left, Right and Surround Left and Right.

In reviewing the code, everything makes sense; however, it appears that my files are being opened and closed because the count_sound_track is failing. Is this possibly due to the Unused designation? It doesn't make sense to me, but I was hoping you could help me with it.

Thanks in advance,

DjMute1