OT: opening a PT session

[Dave Labrecque]

So, I hooked up my client's MyBook USB drive to my system. It's got his show from a week ago (Elvis show) tracked to a Pro Tools session. It looks like my system sees it and its contents (folders, files) no prob. Am I to assume, then, that this is not an HFS+ formatted drive?

Problem is that PT doesn't recognize any of the files as PT session files. I keep trying to open different ones with PT LE. Most of the files don't have extensions. What should I be looking for?

[Rail Jon Rogut]

You'll need to add either .pts or .ptf to give the session files an extension.

Which version of Pro Tools are you running? You may have an older version which can't recognize the new PTF format.

Rail

[Dave Labrecque]

You'll need to add either .pts or .ptf to give the session files an extension.

Which version of Pro Tools are you running? You may have an older version which can't recognize the new PTF format.

Rail

It's LE 7.3. Pretty new, ain't it? Lemme try that adding the extension thing. Why didn't I think of that? I do that with QT files I get from editors sometimes. Duh.

OK! That did it. Mostly. .ptf didn't do it, but .pts did, so I guess it was recorded with older PT software. Now PT says it needs to convert the Mac session to a PC-compatible session, and asks where to put it. I created a folder on the USB drive where the current session resides, and (after properly mapping the drive, which is actually networked to this laptop via my desktop system), I find that I need to set the drive as a record volume in Window/Workspace, but when I go there to do that, I get a warning that says "...cannot be designated as an Audio Record volume because it is not a fixed, removable or MediaNet volume."

Does this mean I can't do this over a network?

Thanks, Rail.

[Dave Labrecque]

No you can't do it on a network drive. Drag your files onto a local hard drive. PT usually likes a different drive from the one that the program is runnning on. Trying to run from a network will give you the problems you've had.
And, if the original session was done on a MAC, and the files have no extension, find out what the audio files are. It could be as simple as adding a .sd2 (Sound Designer 2) or a .wav to each audio file to run on a PC.
Mark may be more familiar and helpful with the ins and outs of ProTools in a PC land.

I got it to recognize the files fine. Actually, the WAVs have the .wav extension, so I was able to put them all in SAW directly. Since it was a straight tracking session, (three 50 minute sets of 16 tracks), sync was no biggie.

Per Rail's suggestion, I added .ptf and then .pts as the extension to what looked like the session file, and it worked. If PT doesn't like source audio on a network drive, I guess there's nothing I can do about that. At this point, I'm just trying learn about the vagaries of PT and how to open sessions. When I have a moment, I'll try opening the files on the laptop's HD, and I'll try opening the files on the USB drive hooked to the laptop instead of the desktop system, where it is now.

Yeah, I could attach my MBox dongle to my desktop system, but it's kind of pain.

I got the project halfway done in SAW today (before I ever got it open in PT).

OK -- gratuitous PT bashing. Sorry. Just havin' fun. When in Rome...

[Rail Jon Rogut]

You can't use networked drives.. but using MacDrive you can record to an HFS+ drive... I do it all the time -- I only use HFS+ formatted drives.

Rail

[Dave Labrecque]

You can't use networked drives.. but using MacDrive you can record to an HFS+ drive... I do it all the time -- I only use HFS+ formatted drives.

Rail

OK. Thanks, Rail. I actually finished the project in SAW after laying the WAVs in the MT. But, I'm gonna plug the USB drive directly into my laptop (rather than over the network) and make it happen, just to say I did it. Then one of these days, I'll see about learning Pro Tools. Tough to find the time to do all the stuff I want to do!

[Rail Jon Rogut]

Well, SSL have bought out cu-buono (or whatever it was called) and uncracked (reverse engineered/unencrypted) the Pro Tools 7.x file format --- so for $699 (or so) you can now convert sessions.

http://www.solid-state-logic.com/news/Pro_Convert.html

Rail

[Sean McCoy]

Note that SAW isn't mentioned in their list of supported formats in the blurb. Hope we don't get left out in the cold. Where did you get the $699 figure, Rail?

[Dave Labrecque]

Well, SSL have bought out cu-buono (or whatever it was called) and uncracked (reverse engineered/unencrypted) the Pro Tools 7.x file format --- so for $699 (or so) you can now convert sessions.

http://www.solid-state-logic.com/news/Pro_Convert.html

Rail

Wow. Did you find specific info about PT beyond what's at that link page?

I wonder what the upgrade deal will be for us 4.0-ers.

[TotalSonic]

Looks like the lack of inclusion was just an oversight:
From Jim at SSL -
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/1549070-post12.html

It's early days, but CuiBono has been acquired by SSL, and ProConvert is a major update from the old software. We will have a dedicated team to keep it up to date.

Yes, SAWStudio is still supported.

Pricing and delivery date TBC.

Best regards,
Steve Berson