Import track or session files ? And Import, then SAVE ?

[theivories]

When do I import track files, as opposed to session files in ProTools 11.

In relationship to that question....do I have to "import" files first, in order to "SAVE" those files to my drive on my MacBook ? ( I'm deliberately importing from an external hard drive of these songs....I want them imported onto the MacBook. Not going to change the arrangements at all.) Thanks.

[Chief Technician]

Originally Posted by theivories

When do I import track files, as opposed to session files in ProTools 11.

There is no such thing as track files within Pro Tools.

Originally Posted by theivories

In relationship to that question....do I have to "import" files first, in order to "SAVE" those files to my drive on my MacBook ?( I'm deliberately importing from an external hard drive of these songs....I want them imported onto the MacBook. Not going to change the arrangements at all.) Thanks.

If your goal is to copy the audio files on your external drive to the drive inside of your MacBook, then you want to use the Import Audio command (File-->Import-->Audio). Select the audio on your external drive and press the Copy button. You have to do the import before you save your session. You should then quit Pro Tools, disconnect your external drive, relaunch Pro Tools, and reopen the session you imported into. If you do not see an error message about Pro Tools being unable to locate missing audio files, then you are set.

Note that unless you have a license for Pro Tools | HD that you are best served by having your audio files on a dedicated drive (not partition). HD users can get around this limitation by enabling the Disk Cache (Setup-->Playback Engine).