> Mass Audio File Conversion Software

[Howardk]

I have a bunch of old SDii sample files I would like to use in ProTools for Drumagog and other purposes. The files are buried in many folders and subfolders and I am looking for an easy & inexpensive way to convert all the files to .aiff or .wav. I tried BarbaBatch DEMO from Audioease, and it does a wonderful job of looking thru all the folders, and creates a new identical structure in the new file format, with the proper filename extensions. . . so I'd say it does a perfect job. However I can not justify that level of purchase on a tool for a one time use. Any other suggestions?

[Ray JB]

You can do this with ProTools easily.

Make a Session that is SDII and the same bit depth and sample rate as your samples. Import the files via the PT workspace by entering the workspace search mode and selecting the "Kind" criteria as "Audio File". Workspace will show all the files within your folder structure.

Then lasso all those files and drag and drop into the region bin.

Then save a session copy as (your .WAV criteria) and check the option "Preserve folder structure". PT will create a session which contains new Folders in the same layout as your old library but in the new format you desire.

Only drawback to this approach is if your samples are mixed sample rates.

But it works great for say all SDII 44.1 kHz 16 bit files etc.

Cheers

Ray

[Scott Goldberg]

Originally Posted by Ray JB

You can do this with ProTools easily.

Make a Session that is SDII and the same bit depth and sample rate as your samples. Import the files via the PT workspace by entering the workspace search mode and selecting the "Kind" criteria as "Audio File". Workspace will show all the files within your folder structure.

Then lasso all those files and drag and drop into the region bin.

Then save a session copy as (your .WAV criteria) and check the option "Preserve folder structure". PT will create a session which contains new Folders in the same layout as your old library but in the new format you desire.

Only drawback to this approach is if your samples are mixed sample rates.

But it works great for say all SDII 44.1 kHz 16 bit files etc.

Cheers

Ray

Hi Ray,

This is by no means a perfect answer but you can open each file as a session and the new versions of PT will tell you immediately if there are sdII files in there and ask if you wans to concert them. By changing them at that point to .BWF, you will keep your sessions intact and get them all .BWF. I do this a session at a time anyway if I open an old file for someone to hear or for me to work on and it's not a hassle. I DO understand your desire to do it all in one fly bit I'm sorry, I guess I'm just good for a "workaround" today. Stig, Chris, I set you up for me on this one...be kind to that last statement Ray, P.S. you can also deal with mixed bit depths and sample rates here. You can also speed up your workflow doing it this way by first taking a look at your session and xhexh the audio file icon to see if they are already BWF. YOu'd still have to check for bit and sample rates, but a simple command "I" should so that. Uhhhhhh...at least I think it does.

[StudioRhythm]

I use it mostly for sample rate conversion and making mp3s, but check out Sample Manager. It seems very flexible and does a great job for the limited things I use it for...!

http://www.audiofile-engineering.com/samplemanager/

The price is quite nice, too. ($79)

[kptkarl]

Check out Amadeus as well ($40) Has batch conversion for many purposes http://www.hairersoft.com/AmadeusPro/AmadeusPro.html

[Howardk]

"Import the files via the PT workspace by entering the workspace search mode and selecting the "Kind" criteria as "Audio File". Workspace will show all the files within your folder structure."

Thanks for the suggestion, but it does not do it in this case because the Workspace search in unable to find the files. I suspect that is because these SoftSampleCell audio files do not have filename extensions or any other identifier to determine the file type, and therefore ProTools does not know the file type. . . so the "Kind" criteria set to "Audio" comes up with nothing. . . although Barbabatch fiquired it out.

"Check out Amadeus as well ($40) Has batch conversion for many purposes http://www.hairersoft.com/AmadeusPro/AmadeusPro.html"

Amadeus does not recognize the files as audio either. . .

"check out Sample Manager. It seems very flexible and does a great job for the limited things I use it for...!"

Same deal, the folder structure appears, if I drag the root folder onto to top left panel, but none of the files show, again probably because they are not known by the application as audio files. . .

Ideas?

[Ray JB]

Why don't you use File Buddy to wrangle your old files? You can search recursively within a number of nested folders no problemo. All you will need is to give them the appropriate suffix and PT will be away. While you are at it you can also correct the daft OS9 filenames with illegal characters that will trip PT up too.

Once you can see the SDII files in PT and you have searched as described, then you can sort by bit depth or sample rate. That way you may end up having to make separate sessions for say the 44.1 stuff and the 48k stuff but it will work. You will have to combine the folders or audio files but doing it as i described will mean you preserve folder structures which is often the most important thing with using libraries. The secret is to try and avoid PT converting the files until the "save session copy as" phase where you force the files to the new .WAV format you desire.

I did a one-hit conversion of my old library of crowd soundfx that contained 80,000-plus files using the method i described. No worries.

Hope you find a solution that works for you.

[blackmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by Howardk

Ideas?

Pay someone $50 who has BarbaBatch to do it for you?

Just a thought....

[Howardk]

I now have File Buddy, but I don't yet understand the application and am scratching my head. The Find feature wants to look at a whole drive for files, and my samples drive is huge so the search results will be to expansive. . . and the list Window only does renames on the items exposed, which does me no good because the files I wish to rename are nested in over 100 different folders. I have spent a hour, to no avail. Suggestions?

"Pay someone $50 who has BarbaBatch to do it for you?" That would have worked, if they where local.