Import Session Data Issue PT8

[Themystro1]

Greetings,

I will do my best to describe the problem here:

I just upgraded my computer to a Mac 2.33 8 core running os10.5.8, PTHD-8.0.1cs1... Running 1 core card and 5 accel cards.

I have several sessions spread across multiple internal harddrives. I am working in one session on 'DRIVE A' and want to import a track from another session on 'DRIVE B'. When I link to source media, the track I import maintains it's root drive ORIGINAL disk allocation. So if I start to record on that track it creates a new folder in the ROOT of 'DRIVE B' instead of keeping the recorded audio in DRIVE A's audio folder. I have to manually change the disk allocation EVERY TIME I import a track. This is not acceptable for the numberous times I do this in a day.

For Example, after import of track 02:
DISK ALLOCATION:
TRACK: | ROOT MEDIA FOLDER:
01-orig | DRIVE A:MyProjects:PROJECT A:
02-Import | DRIVE B:PROJECT A:

WHEN IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE:

DISK ALLOCATION:
TRACK: | ROOT MEDIA FOLDER:
01-orig | DRIVE A:MyProjects:PROJECT A:
02-Import | DRIVE A:MyProjects:PROJECT A:



Everything but the ICON data is checked in the 'track data to import'. All the drives are set for record and playback.

I have also trashed all the databases and rebuilt the databases in the workspace.

I have a duplicate rig I have checked this on, and I have double checked all the preferences and import data, and the duplicate rig works just fine, no problems with disc allocation.


Please help!!!

[volodia]

It's normal operation if you "link to source media" . It will record the files on the same drive the audio on the track is already . When you " link to source media " the audio of the imported track ( Drive B) is still on Drive B .

If you don't want that behaviour , choose "copy from source media" .

[Themystro1]

No - Actually it is not normal behavior. We cannot be copying source media every time - our 1tb harddrives would fill up so rapidly with repeated data from all the cues we do, it does not make sense to do it....

This works like I want it, as a DEFAULT - it works on my other rig and has worked on every other rig I have had. Perhaps I have not made myself very clear, this is a little difficult to describe when I can't post screen shots directly. If this is not clear then I'll try to do some links to screen shots.

When you link to source media the region maintains the correct path - but should not influence the disk allocation to the track itself. When you import a track in any protools session, it will keep the disk allocation path to the root drive in the session you are working - not the session you imported from.

Please look at my example for what it looks like on my backup rig.
DISK ALLOCATION:
TRACK: | ROOT MEDIA FOLDER:
01-orig | DRIVE A:MyProjects:PROJECT A:
02-Import | DRIVE A:MyProjects:PROJECT A:

I know there must be some setting I have buried in PT that got switched when I installed the new machine and copied over some preferences from the old PT8 - PPC rig.

Thank you.

[Themystro1]

Anyone run into this problem at all? Any suggestions... really need some help with this - don't want to reinstall everything again. I am in the middle of a bunch of projects and don't have that luxury...

Thanks!

[Sean Russell]

The identical systems have identical workspace setups?

If disk allocation is set to record on both, and you want to keep it to one drive, the easiest thing to do may be to just change the offending destination drive to playback (P) - which should force the 'correct' allocation as you are only allowing PT to write on the original drive.

[Themystro1]

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the reply. Both systems are identical with regards to the workspace. (the backup rig is a PPC, this one with the issues is the newest Intel Mac) This must be something internal with a Protools setting.

With out going into too deep of an explanation of our workflow - the amount of times we would have to constantly be changing the state of the playback/record setting on the drives would be not good, specially if there was an assistant working on the machine and printed a cue on the playback drive and the stems went somewhere else...etc.... All of the drives we have in our setup (other than the MAC os Drive) HAVE to be set to the record state. They are all work drives, and should not be set to transfer or playback only.

The point is - we do not want to have to keep changing drive states or disk allocation paths... it wastes so much time when we have so little time to write music let alone do all the session prepping and whatnot.

I hope someone out there knows of where this setting would be...

Thanks again though for the suggestions.