Sharing project with another PT user..

[FuneralQueen]

Hi there,

I'm still very new with all things Pro-Tools so bear with me!

I've finished recording some music, and a friend offered to look at it/mix it for me. He uses Pro-Tools LE as well - but on a Mac, and I know that he doesn't have all the same plugins that I do (EzDrummer, Guitar Rig). Does that mean that if I send him the project files - it will end up just being the raw guitar audio (for example)? Or will he be able to hear it - as I hear it - without those plugins installed?

I hope that's clear - and apologies if it's something pretty obvious :)

Cheers!

[rqstudio]

No, he will only be able to speculate what "your" plug in would sound like and use one of his guit sounds. (unless they are the stock Digi plugs, in which case they will recognize the preset) Or you could mix just your guit (or tracks in question) with your plugin beforehand, but then you wouldn't be able to go back or reduce the effect unless you duplicated and made the original track inactive. Use your imagination! One of the cool things about the iLoc is, He could download the plugs you own and then use your iLoc licenses to open your plugs on his machine. (Don't know if you'll be there for the mixdown) Worse case scenario, the absence of a plug will just be grayed-out and made inactive.

[GW]

There is a couple of ways to give each other control in such a situation.

Lets focus on the EZdrummer-track as an example -

1. I assume you have an Instrument track with midi information on it and perhaps some plugins or sends
2. Bounce this track to and Audiotrack next to it, either with all plugins (reduces your friends possibility to mix but would be okey if he would just master your session) - this is called Stems and many recordcompanys today requires such stems so the file will sound the same in a few years although some plugins might not exist any more or nnot on that platform.
3. You then either make everything on the track Inactive or just delete the track (personally I always keeps them and hide them by doing a new mixsetup on the downleft corner - that I call mix)

Now your friend has two choiches - he can use the sound you already found was right or he can get the plugin (or perhaps already have just that one) and can go on tweaking it...

• Make a save copy of session and mail that one to him or save it on a USB stick

[rqstudio]

That is exactly what I said!

[GW]

Yes, almost, but not quite. EZ-drummer isn't an iLok auth., it is codegenerated so it doesn't help to take the iLok with him to his friend.

[rqstudio]

Maybe you missed this sentence.

Originally Posted by rqstudio

Or you could mix just your guit (or tracks in question) with your plugin beforehand, but then you wouldn't be able to go back or reduce the effect unless you duplicated and made the original track inactive.

[TOM@METRO]

We go studio-to-studio all the time, but always with fully consolidated well labeled audio only tracks. No MIDI, no Plug-ins, no routing, no automation. We always send sessions so no matter what DAW or plug-in set they are opened with, all will be well. And, we always ask for sessions this way. This is also the way labels have always asked us to deliver multi-track projects upon completion.

[rqstudio]

Originally Posted by TOM@METRO

We go studio-to-studio all the time, but always with fully consolidated well labeled audio only tracks. No MIDI, no Plug-ins, no routing, no automation. We always send sessions so no matter what DAW or plug-in set they are opened with, all will be well. And, we always ask for sessions this way. This is also the way labels have always asked us to deliver multi-track projects upon completion.

Actually there is nothing worse that hearing, "thats not the way it sounded in the other studio when we were recording!" Personally, I like to record guitars by micing amps w/effects and live drums with room ambiance. This requires very little post producing but it's not always possible.

[TOM@METRO]

Originally Posted by rqstudio

Actually there is nothing worse that hearing, "thats not the way it sounded in the other studio when we were recording!" Personally, I like to record guitars by micing amps w/effects and live drums with room ambiance. This requires very little post producing but it's not always possible.

That reminds me of the tape days. New console, new engineer, new outboard gear, new room, new verbs, new automation, and
"how come it sounds different?"

[Shan]

Originally Posted by TOM@METRO

We go studio-to-studio all the time, but always with fully consolidated well labeled audio only tracks. No MIDI, no Plug-ins, no routing, no automation. We always send sessions so no matter what DAW or plug-in set they are opened with, all will be well. And, we always ask for sessions this way. This is also the way labels have always asked us to deliver multi-track projects upon completion.

I myself mix in Pro Tools, but I don't take PT sessions from clients. They have to submit the above that Tom posted, or I don't start mixing. Taking PT sessions from clients always ends up being hours of reorganizing their sessions, instead of mixing which is what they hired me for.

Shane