Re-linking Files

[DonaldM]

Not sure exactly which of these forums to bring this up, but since I'm on a Windows system, thought I'd start here.

The other night I imported 5 wav files from a jump drive into a session I was working on. Files imported just fine. And I began working on the session. All this time, I had just left the jump drive in the USB slot. Then, I removed the jump and saw all the tracks I imported just go blank...that is the clips (regions) all just whited out. It was then that I realized that the link PT created was to the files still on my jump drive.

Okay I get that...but I want to say that is just DUMB!!! I don't give a rat's tail what technical programming reason anyone might give as to why this works this way...it is just dumb! From a users point of view when I import a file into a session, and then I save that session into the folder for that session, my assumption is going to be that EVERY SINGLE AUDIO FILE FOR THAT SESSION WILL BE IN THE FOLDER I CREATED FOR IT AND NOWHERE ELSE....PERIOD! That should ALWAYS be the default for the program!

This linking, delinking re-linking crap is for the birds! It is not obvious how to use it...and no matter how often I read the manual, I still don't understand it...never have. Doubt I ever will at this point. And frankly, I don't care to...the program needs to be changed so that ANYTIME a file is imported into a session it resides with all the other audio files for that session in the EXACT SAME FOLDER as they are! Period! I can't think of any good reason why this is NOT the default now. It needs to be, and that's all there is to it! THe user should not have to jump through unfathomable technical hoops to make this happen, which seems to be the case now!

Sorry to rant on this, but this has happened once too often, and the other night was only the latest iteration! As great as this program is, this is a real negative in my view! Please, Avid, fix this!

[Top Jimmy]

Setup>Preferences>Processing tab>Import section --- make sure "Automatically Copy Files on Import" is checked.

If you use the File>Import>Audio function, make sure you always click "Copy" and not just "Add".

[DonaldM]

Thanks Jimmy. I recently upgraded to 10 from 8. I know it was checked in 8 but I don't know if I checked on that in 10. Even so, even with 8 when it was checked, I had situations where files just were gone for no reason that I could figure out. I know it is the way PT is written, but from a user point of view, it simply makes no sense. My point is that the default should be that ANY files placed in a session are automatically saved with that sessions files in whatever folder the user created for that session, period, and not linked to files sitting somewhere else on the hard drive. That, and a clearer step by step explanation on how to re-link in the manual. I swear I've read that 10 times, and I still don't get how it works. Perhaps a video showing it step by step for different situations when it arises would be VERY helpful!

[solidwalnut]

Another way to make sure the files are truly imported into the session is to just drag and drop them into a track.