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  #1  
Old 06-09-2020, 05:18 AM
oldbillgoggles oldbillgoggles is offline
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Default Record to portable drive

Hi I'm new to Protools First, but I want my recordings to go to a separate drive, not the system drive. I can't for the life of me find any preferences or save to... options. Is this not possible with First? If not does anyone know where the files are saved? I've searched for the recorded files with the names as they appear on my timeline, but Im assuming Protools, much like Media Compose, has its own audio format and unique names.

Graham
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Old 06-09-2020, 06:36 AM
noeqplease noeqplease is offline
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

You just create your new session, and save it onto your external drive.

In your “create new” window, there is the option at the bottom to choose or “prompt” where to save your new session. If this is not happening, it is because you need to click that option to on.

Unless you are using a gazillion tracks, you really do not need to use more than one drive to record audio to.


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Old 06-09-2020, 07:50 AM
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

Pro Tools First only saves to the cloud. You can change the location for the project cache files though:

https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...t-files-stored

Joel
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:11 AM
noeqplease noeqplease is offline
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

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Originally Posted by JoelG View Post
Pro Tools First only saves to the cloud. You can change the location for the project cache files though:

https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...t-files-stored

Joel

Not anymore:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pro...s%3fformat=amp


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Old 06-09-2020, 09:35 AM
Darryl Ramm Darryl Ramm is online now
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

But they are *not* Pro Tools sessions, they are cached cloud projects. I hope the OP does some reading and understands the difference. Why is it important they be on a portable drive? Wanting to move them to other systems/users?...Uh big nope you are better off working in real Pro Tools with real sessions. Pro Tools First and its flakey cloud storage is best avoided.
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Old 06-10-2020, 04:58 AM
oldbillgoggles oldbillgoggles is offline
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

I am very familiar with Media Composer and good practice with that was to keep C drive for the programme, but keep the media on a separate drive.

I also might want to record audio into Pro tools and then use those recorded files in another project, either in MC or Premiere Pro, or Reaper or whatever.

Am I right to assume that Protools doesn't record to .wav? That it does the same as MC and uses a propriety format? So to do what I want to do I have to record into Protools and then export that to a .wav?

The documentation for Protools First isn't very forthcoming, and most searches for information not in there refer you to Protools, which doesn't help much. For instance a search for where files are saved in Protools First brings up info about using the preferences to determine a path. There is no preferences option in First.

I of course understand that this is a lite version, and so there are restrictions on what it can do, Im just wondering if there is a way to find the files. From what I now understand the recorded files are stored in the same path as the Project files, either in the cloud or locally. I just can't find them.
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Old 06-10-2020, 05:13 AM
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

Quote:
Originally Posted by noeqplease View Post
Not anymore:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pro...s%3fformat=amp


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Guess I should try PT First again - thanks for letting me know.

Joel
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Old 06-10-2020, 07:24 AM
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

Of Course PT records wav files. Regarding PTF I would EXPECT it to use wav even though it is a crippled free try before you buy version.

I would not make any serious sessions using First though as it has way too many limitations IMHO.
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  #9  
Old 06-10-2020, 08:08 AM
Darryl Ramm Darryl Ramm is online now
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

Quote:
Originally Posted by oldbillgoggles View Post
I am very familiar with Media Composer and good practice with that was to keep C drive for the programme, but keep the media on a separate drive.

I also might want to record audio into Pro tools and then use those recorded files in another project, either in MC or Premiere Pro, or Reaper or whatever.

Am I right to assume that Protools doesn't record to .wav? That it does the same as MC and uses a propriety format? So to do what I want to do I have to record into Protools and then export that to a .wav?

The documentation for Protools First isn't very forthcoming, and most searches for information not in there refer you to Protools, which doesn't help much. For instance a search for where files are saved in Protools First brings up info about using the preferences to determine a path. There is no preferences option in First.

I of course understand that this is a lite version, and so there are restrictions on what it can do, Im just wondering if there is a way to find the files. From what I now understand the recorded files are stored in the same path as the Project files, either in the cloud or locally. I just can't find them.
Keeping Pro Tools sessions on separate drives is largely a historical anachronism. If your boot drive is a modern fast PCIe/NVMe drive that is often the best place to have the session. Talking about an “external drive” is not helpful unless there is some specific need for that to be portable between systems or you are running on old technology and have a slow HDD boot drive. And then for real Pro Tools the spec of that external drive matters. I am not sure Avid even specs these requirements for Pro Tools First, it is so crippled that it has lot lower end needs on one hand, and on the other maybe Avid just wants to make it appear to have simpler systems requirements. The whole Pro Tools disk requirements documentation is awfully out of date. I have been asking Avid to update it for ages.

Note I am talking about sessions, not cloud projects. Nobody should cares about those. Nobody needing to do anything important in Pro Tools or who values their time should be using Pro Tools First or cloud projects. If you just want to record audio files locally and don't have real Pro Tools just use another DAW, you mentioned Reaper... just use that, it's great.

Pro Tools can natively use WAV (edit: grrr keep accidentally saying MP3 when I mean WAV) or AIFF in fixed or floating point PCM formats.

Last edited by Darryl Ramm; 06-10-2020 at 04:43 PM.
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  #10  
Old 06-10-2020, 02:25 PM
noeqplease noeqplease is offline
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Default Re: Record to portable drive

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm View Post
Keeping Pro Tools sessions on separate drives is largely a historical anachronism. If your boot drive is a modern fast PCIe/NVMe drive that is often the best place to have the session. Talking about an “external drive” is not helpful unless there is some specific need for that to be portable between systems or you are running on old technology and have a slow HDD boot drive. And then for real Pro Tools the spec of that external drive matters. I am not sure Avid even specs these requirements for Pro Tools First, it is so crippled that it has lot lower end needs on one hand, and on the other maybe Avid just wants to make it appear to have simpler systems requirements. The whole Pro Tools disk requirements documentation is awfully out of date. I have been asking Avid to update it for ages.

Note I am talking about sessions, not cloud projects. Nobody should cares about those. Nobody needing to do anything important in Pro Tools or who values their time should be using Pro Tools First or cloud projects. If you just want to record audio files locally and don't have real Pro Tools just use another DAW, you mentioned Reaper... just use that, it's great.

Pro Tools can natively use MP3 or AIFF in fixed or floating point PCM formats.

Using Pro Tools 2019 and it definitely does not open aiff files at all...


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