Structure and Apple Loops

[Simsy]

Can structure or any instrument in Pro-Tools play and use the apple loops?

[axiom]

http://airvirtualinstruments.blogspo...and-logic.html

[lwilliam]

I'd also suggest making a feature request to support the caf file format directly. It's a Mac standard at this point. If enough people request it, maybe we'll see it in 8.1 or something. I think something similar happened with rx2 files in 7.x.

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...3&itemid=30306

[RussUK]

Originally Posted by lwilliam

I'd also suggest making a feature request to support the caf file format directly. It's a Mac standard at this point. If enough people request it, maybe we'll see it in 8.1 or something. I think something similar happened with rx2 files in 7.x.

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...3&itemid=30306

No need to request it...
http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...1&itemid=35990

[lwilliam]

Wow...so we don't need to use Max or AudioFinder to convert the files? [unless you want to use them in Structure]

I thought PT8 recognized the file format, but didn't read the metadata, so didn't import at the session tempo...I would love to be wrong.

If PT can import them directly at the correct tempo, why would you need to import them into Structure?


I'll check my QT version as well and try this tonight.

[Richard901]

I've found one problem with dragging caf files into PT 8:

Most of them have a short piece of silent audio at the end, so that they don't loop correctly, although the length can be trimmed in Slip Mode.

The same problem can be heard if the caf file is played in Quicktime with looping enabled.

Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks for your help.

Richard

[lwilliam]

I can confirm the same thing happens to me. I'm using QT 7.5.5. Dragging an AL from the workspace onto a track doesn't work. There are two problems:

1. The loop doesn't loop in time - it adds an extra blank bit of audio at the end of the loop so that it "skips" when looping. This "skip" occurs even prior to importing when in loop preview mode in the Workspace.

2. It doesn't conform to tempo even when the "Conform to Session Tempo" is enabled. I could not find a reference to "Play In Context" in the PT8 Reference Guide, so I don't know what that link is referring to.

I'd say this function is pretty much useless in it's present state regardless of what the web pages claims, unless I'm missing something.

Note that once you convert the loop to aif using Max, the same loop repeats/loops just fine, so it definitely is something in the PTLE importing process that needs to be fixed. Max won't conform it to tempo, so the (long) work-around is as follows:

1. Convert using Max
2. drag/drop into a track
3. TCE to the proper bar length (or change session tempo to match loop)
4. Set the track to tick-based
5. Enable EA on the track

That's a LOT of work just for a single Apple Loop.

Am I missing something here or is this a feature that didn't quite get debugged for the production release of PT8?

[Richard901]

1. The loop doesn't loop in time - it adds an extra blank bit of audio at the end of the loop so that it "skips" when looping.

Has anyone found a solution to this problem yet - apart from converting them in Max?

Thanks for your help.

Richard

[ankely]

It seems that the Meta Data in an Apple loop causes this. It way also be part of the compression technique.

But only with CAF versions.

The original AIF versions do not seem to have this problem.

I've seen it at the beginning and at the end of loops. It's squirrelly. LOL.

This problem also shows up in the UVI Workstation, last I checked. And I believe it was showing up in Digital Performer also.

Converting the CAF format to AIF (or Wave) doesn't seem to solve this problem with Max, Soundtrack Pro, etc.

I went back to using the original Apple Loops libraries from the DVDs and the original libraries from Logic 7.

YMMV.

Hope this helps.

[Richard901]

Thanks very much for the info.

Richard