Destructive Record

[Goombot]

So I'm in Destructive Record and it's creating regions instating of just consolidating the full file each time I punch. What am I missing?

[albee1952]

Consolidate is(to my thinking) as separate function and this is what I would expect. Having said that, what's your reason to use Destructive Record? Drive space is cheap, DR is dangerous(anybody remember doing punch-ins on 2" tape) and cleanup is pretty easy 18 years of PT here and I have never used it

[Goombot]

Maybe you shouldn't reply if you haven't used it.

[reichman]

Goombot: did you Prepare DPE Tracks? And set the destructive punch file length in prefs?

And albee1952: I would have to have NSA-level petabyte storage if it wasn't for destructive punch. Total game-changer in post-production.

[Goombot]

I wasn't setting the preferences correctly. Thanks!

[Goombot]

I'm doing post work and I've always been bouncing my mixes but I'm starting to get into the Destructive workflow for longer content. Is there some method that works for setting the length of the Destructive Punch file length or is that changing from session to session?

[reichman]

I am always changing the DPE length. I tend to go long. In advertising, there are always more versions of a commercial spot, and in film and TV the credit roll is always getting changed, so going a few minutes long is worth it. FYI, if your DPE length is too short, and you change it, Pro Tools will re-render the length, and preserve any audio you currently have punched-in.

One more DP hack: enable transport record lock, and enable a pre-roll of one or two seconds. Every single time you hit play, you'll punch in. Makes for very fast mix revisions.

[its2loud]

There are two methods to destructive record.

1. Destruct record over files previously recorded or offline bounces files
2. DPE mode. More often used in stem recorder workflow in post.

Something to keep in mind.

If your original files were multi mono and your session is set to interleaved, you cannot destructive record over the multi mono files. This will leave record regions in the areas you try to destructive record.

The same goes visa versa.

For DPE destructive punch. You first need to prepare your DPE tracks. Doing so by creating your DPE length, arming the track and press play. Pro Tools will let you know that it needs to make the DPE files. Basically consolidating new files for each armed track.

[reichman]

Sorry, its2loud makes a good point. I only every use Destructive Punch, I forgot that Pro Tools also does straight Destructive record.

[its2loud]

I’ve gotten caught in the interleaved/multi mono trap many times when destructive recording over my interleaved bounced files. Forgetting that my session was set to multi mono. The good news is you can change the session format at any time so you can do a destructive record over those files.