File Storage Problems... PLEASE HELP!

[MUSIKxDRUMR]

PROBLEM #1
So we were recording at another studio recently for a full length album. When we got home, we attempted to open the session, but to realize that some of the files had been inadvertently saved on their studio computer's hard drive, thus we had a bunch of missing audio files on our drive.

When we drove back to the studio to retain the missing audio files, we noticed that Pro Tools had already named files with the same name, thus we could not simply move the missing audio files directly into the 'Audio Files' folder without overwriting them.


PROBLEM #2:
We also noticed they tracked all 14 songs on 1 session, and then did "Save As" to break each song into it's own session from there. So there is 1 giant 'Audio Files' Folder that holds every audio file. Is there any way to Save a Session Copy with ONLY files being used in that particular session and not the entire 'Audio Files' folder???

This is an absolute nightmare... What do we do??? Please help!

[Craig F]

tell them to fix it and withhold funds until they do.

Save Copy In is your friend in this case

[Stuart P.]

Go to the "Window" pull-down menu, and click on "Project". Sort by Pathname. Then, highlight all of the files that are on the incorrect drive. Right-click (or menu option) "Copy and Relink". Make sure you select your proper audio files folder when it asks. Problem solved.

Good luck,
S.

[midnightrambler]

It beats me how a studio/engineer with such poor knowledge of file management can stay in business.

If the engineer needs to do it, tell him to take a month off to RTFM.

If you have to sort it yourself, I would agree with the above poster that "Save Copy As" is probably going to be the easiest way to sort out the mess.

[Steve@ZooWest]

File Allocation issues can be a nightmare. If all the files are present and accounted for when playing the tunes at the studio in question, my advice would be to do 'Save Copy In' at that studio for each song (as mentioned above), to a different hard drive that contains no files or songs from this project. Once this is completed, you can make a safety of the project folder with the 14 tunes, and then blow away the original bad version of the songs so only the new complete version exists.

[robo6675]

It seems everyone is ragging on the studio for messing up, but no where in his post does he say who was running PT, could have easily been him...PLUS it's not like the situation can't be rectified. I'm sure it's a huge pain in the ass but i'd rather spend 6 hours copying files correctly than retracking all the songs.

I will agree however that it's a way rookie mistake. I find it easiet to make a _template session to import off of when I make a new session for each song. Then that [bleep][bleep][bleep][bleep] doesn't happen.

[robo6675]

LOL at censorship...sorry digi =P

[DigiTechSupt]

And people wonder why I always question them when they say 'Pro Tools deleted my audio files!'.

[DigiTechSupt]

Originally Posted by robo6675

LOL at censorship...sorry digi =P

No problem. Sometimes I wish I could actually read what's censored!

[BaileyBass]

Originally Posted by Steve@ZooWest

my advice would be to do 'Save Copy In' at that studio for each song (as mentioned above), to a different hard drive that contains no files or songs from this project.

But, Save Copy in, at least for me, always copies the WHOLE audio files folder, no matter what regions I have deleted in the session. Even when the manual "sort of " reads otherwise. So the OP would end up with 14 huge files, no? One can then "select unused" in each session (song) and delete those from the audio regions bin and the hard drive, making sure using "project window" that the audio files being played (and deleted) are actually the ones in the particular session folder. gets tricky and carelessness can result in tragedy. SB