Session size too big!!

[Patrick U]

I know this will sound a bit lame, but my session are on ave 3 to 4GB's on PTLE OS9. How do I get my session to be a bit smaller?

[mentalmusic]

To have a single song on PT's LE (considering the limited tracks) you must either have a lot of unused audio files or a way long song. If you have a lot of unused audio files, simply press:

1)Shift-Apple-U (to select your unused audio files)

and then press:

2)Shift-Apple-B (to delete your selected files).

You'll then be promted to either "Remove" or "Delete" unused files. Press "Delete" to delete them from your session and make your session smaller.

...and if you hold down "Option" when you click on "Delete", it will delete them all in one motion, rather than having to click "OK" a couple thousand times for each individual file.

[Patrick U]

Thank you! I'm a bit new to it. The songs are only 3 to 4mins and between 24 to 32 tracks. I just finished the mixing phase right now and I don't need anything I can hear - I'm just a bit worried I'll get rid of something I need.

[Rail Jon Rogut]

IMPORTANT

If you select DELETE as opposed to REMOVE the files will be deleted for good off the hard drive(s)... make sure you've backed up your work before you perform this operation.

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It's also advisable to delete unused playlists that you won't need anymore before Selecting Unused in the Region List.

Rail

[mentalmusic]

You're session should run considerably smoother after doing that too!

[Patrick U]

at the risk of sounding like a 3 year old - can you list what I do after I open the session to make this happen. 1,2,3,4 etc..

I like the mix I have in terms of edits, so whats there is all I'll need. Whatever I don't hear is cool to "BE GONE for good".

[citi]

Originally posted by Patrick U:
Thank you! I'm a bit new to it. The songs are only 3 to 4mins and between 24 to 32 tracks. I just finished the mixing phase right now and I don't need anything I can hear - I'm just a bit worried I'll get rid of something I need.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Wait a minute...are your sessions broken up into small wave loops are the 3 to 4 minutes per track? This will definitely have an impact on your file size. I tracks r&b so my file sizes are much smaller than say a band that plays straight through. I had another r & b producer who use to tracks the entire song without cutting and hist was like 2 to 4 gigs a song. So which one are you?

[Patrick U]

I run drums & bass right through 0 to 4mins on 8 tracks. The rest are over dubs of Gtr, keys, vocs.. nothing from start to finish.

[Rail Jon Rogut]

1. Open Session.

2. Click the caret next to the track name in the Edit Window and select the menu item "Delete Unused". Select all the playlists in the list and click Delete.

3. If you have any tracks that aren't used in your mix you can delete them using the File menu "Delete Track" item.

4. Type Shift+Command+U
5. Type Shift+Command+B

6. Option click on the Delete button.

7. Save your session.

Rail

[picksail]

Deleting Unused Regions

From the edit screen select Consolidate Region (shift+option+3)

So as to create new regions and avoid the risk of losing small edits all over the place. I actually highlight everything and consolidate so that all regions have the same start/end points. This helps me keep everything clean and accessible. If I need to perform more edits or tracking I can. This operation is something I do in the same way that I hit the save command. Its really not as complicated as it seems; I'm just trying to be really precise, because once these files are deleted they cannot be recovered.

From the Regions List (right side of edit screen)

1) shift+command+U (to select)
2) shift+command+B (to remove/delete)

Remove: Removes regions from the session but still resides inside the audio file folder associated with that session. If you have Saved As the regions will still be in your other copy.

Delete: Well... deletes the region. If you open a previous Saved As copy those regions will not exist and you can either trash that one and save your newer, fresher one or save it as a template.

Make sure to rename the files with overtly descriptive names as not to confuse yourself. After performing this operation open the drive where the song files are located and open the audio files folder. I like to toggle between the PT Regions List and my drive to ensure that the file names correspond. Sometimes many of the unwanted files will not be deleted from the drive, only the Regions List and still reside inside your audio files folder. I'm not sure why this happens. It seems to be pretty random. This could have something to do with how PT handles files. If there are any leftover audio files on your drive that were not deleted, just move them to the trash. After you have accertained that only the files you wish to retain are in the audio files folder, double check to ensure that all files in this folder correspond with the ones in the Regions List. You must exercise exactness because, this can easily be f***ed up.

Good luck!