Chapter 16: DigiBase. Avid Pro Tools 9.0

Chapter 16: DigiBase

DigiBase combines an intuitive, browser-style interface with an integrated databasing engine, optimized for Pro Tools data and media management.

DigiBase browsers provide extensive databasing tools for searching, sorting, auditioning, and importing of audio, MIDI, video, plug-in settings (.txf), and session files. Multiple browsers can be displayed and arranged, with custom display settings provided to optimize your work environment.

DigiBase Data Flow

The following figure shows the data flow of a

Pro Tools session and DigiBase browsers. Arrows show how files can be moved between the elements.

For information on dragging and dropping files from DigiBase browsers to your

Pro Tools session, see “Importing Files with

Drag and Drop” on page 328.

Workspace browser

Volume browsers Catalogs

Pro Tools session

Relink window

Data flow between a Pro Tools session and DigiBase browsers

Project browser

Task window

Chapter 16: DigiBase 273

DigiBase Browsers

DigiBase databases are accessed through DigiBase browsers . Browsers provide an intuitive user interface to DigiBase databases with many convenient features for various file management tasks (such as search and sort functions).

Browsers in Pro Tools are analogous to windows in your computer’s operating system, but are specifically designed for Pro Tools workflow.

Multiple browsers can be displayed simultaneously, and arranged independently with custom display settings for each.

Browsers let you search and sort audio files, video files, and sessions. Audio, video, and session files displayed in browsers can be dragged directly into the current Pro Tools session.

When offline items are needed, Pro Tools lets you find the correct matching files, then relink to online media.

There are three types of Pro Tools browsers available on all supported systems:

• The Workspace browser

• Volume browsers

• The Project browser

• Catalogs

Workspace Browser

The Workspace browser provides access to all your mounted volumes, as well as the folders and files they contain.

Using the Workspace browser, you can:

• Access all mounted volumes.

• Access all Catalogs.

• Search across multiple volumes and Catalogs simultaneously.

• Designate volumes for Record and Playback, Playback Only, or Transfer.

• Unmount volumes.

• View, manage, audition, and import individual items in any catalog or mounted volume.

• Update databases for entire volumes.

For detailed information about the Work-

space browser, see “Workspace Browser” on page 310.

Volume Browsers

Volume browsers provide file management for local and network volumes . Volumes are formatted partitions on a physical drive (hard drive).

Open a Volume browser by double-clicking a volume in the Workspace browser. Any changes made in Volume browsers (such as copying, deleting, or moving files and folders) is mirrored on the volumes themselves. Volumes include mounted hard drives, network storage, and removable media (such as CD-ROMs).

Using Volume browsers you can:

• View, manage, audition, and import individual items on the volume.

• Update a database for contents of the volume.

Project Browser

The Project browser provides powerful search and management tools for the files referenced in your current session, regardless of where they are stored. Using the Project browser, you can:

• Show all the media files associated with the current session, including any missing files.

• View, manage, audition, and spot individual items.

For detailed information about the Project

browser, see “Project Browser” on page 313.

274 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Catalogs

(Pro Tools and Pro Tools HD Only)

Catalogs provide the highest level of Pro Tools file management. Catalogs make it easy to organize files from multiple sources into libraries of favorite files. Catalogs can be sorted and searched, even when the files they reference are offline. Catalogs can also be shared.

Using Catalogs, you can:

• Collect and organize files from any combination of volumes.

• Create catalogs of complete volumes to view and search even if a volume is offline.

• View, manage, audition, and import individual items in the catalog.

• Update a database for contents of catalog.

For detailed information about Catalogs,

see “Catalogs” on page 315.

Task Window

The Task window is a utility for viewing and managing all of the background tasks that you initiate with Pro Tools. Use the Task window to monitor, pause, or cancel background tasks such as file copies, searches, indexing, and fade creation.

For detailed information about the Task

window, see “Task Window” on page 319.

Relink Window

The Relink window provides tools and features for relinking sessions and catalogs to media files.

Use Relink tools to search and reacquire missing files for use in the current session.

For detailed information about the Relink

window, see “Relink Window” on page 305.

Performance and Transfer

Volumes

DigiBase lets you view, manage, and import sessions and media from both Performance and

Transfer volumes.

Performance Volumes Are storage volumes (hard drives) that are suitable for playback and have been designated in the Workspace browser as

Record and Playback (R) or Playback Only (P) of media files in a Pro Tools session.

Transfer Volumes Are volumes that are not supported for media playback in Pro Tools (such as shared network volumes or CD-ROMs), or storage volumes (hard drives) that have been designated in the Workspace browser as Transfer (T) volumes. Transfer volumes cannot be used to record or play back media in a Pro Tools session.

Designated Transfer (T) volumes can be useful for transferring session and media files between different Pro Tools systems.

For more information on volume designations, see “Audio and Video Volume Designators” on page 311.


Digidesign Databases

The information displayed in browsers is stored in individual databases. Pro Tools creates these databases automatically for all mounted volumes, including Transfer volumes, on your system drive.

Digidesign databases use three file types: volume.ddb Stores media and session file metadata for a particular volume.

catalog.ddb Stores media and session file metadata for a user defined Catalog. Cataloged media and session files are can reside on multiple volumes, including Transfer volumes.

Wavecache.wfm Stores waveform overviews for all audio files referenced by each session.

Volume Databases

For each volume (whether they be local hard drives, removable media, or shared network storage), a database file is created in a folder named Digidesign Databases, on the system drive.

On Mac, they are stored in the Library/

Application Support/Digidesign/Databases/

Volumes folder.

On Windows, these databases are stored in the

Program Files\Digidesign\Pro Tools\

Databases\Volumes folder.

If you delete the Digidesign Database folder, all existing database information is lost. To recreate a deleted Digidesign Database folder, re-index your storage volumes

(see “Indexing DigiBase Databases” on page 280).

Sharing Database Files

Database files can be shared among users. This is particularly useful for Transfer volumes, eliminating duplicate processing (indexing) time.

For example, shared volumes (such as network storage volumes) tend to be large, and indexing can be a time consuming task. To avoid duplicate effort, one user can manually index part or all of the shared volume just once, then email the database files to other users. Database files can be added by placing them within each user’s

Volumes folder. Periodic manual indexing then keeps all databases current.

Sharing Catalogs


Catalogs can be created for a particular project and then shared among multiple systems to help facilitate more efficient workflow. Catalogs are stored as database files on your system drive.

On Windows, Catalog database files are stored in the Program Files\Digidesign\Pro Tools\

Databases\Catalogs folder.

On Mac, Catalog database files are stored in the

Library/Application Support/ Digidesign/

Databases/Catalogs folder.


Browser Windows and Tools

Browsers display all files in their database, including Pro Tools and non-Pro Tools files. Unknown file types can be shown, as well as aliases, and desktop folders.

Browser Back arrow

Search icon View Presets Preview controls

Title bar

Columns Browser menu

Toolbar

Column headers

Items List

Fixed pane

Show/Hide

Pane split

Scrolling pane

Basic browser tools, panes, and columns (Volume browser shown)

To maximize processing speed and protect vital components, DigiBase does not display all folders. For example, in Windows, DigiBase browsers do not display the Program Files, Windows,

Digidesign Databases, WU Temp, or System Volume Information folders; and on Mac, DigiBase browsers do not display the System, Applications, Library, or Digidesign Databases folders.

This excludes them from being indexed, searched, sorted, or affected in any way by DigiBase tasks. You should not store Pro Tools session or media files in any of these folders.

The main elements of a DigiBase browser include the following.

Title Bar Shows the browser type (Work-space,

Volume, Project or Catalog), and the name of its associated volume, session or catalog.

Toolbar Provides the Browser menu, Search icon,

View Presets (numbered 1–5), browser navigation tools, and preview tools.

Items List Displays the contents of a volume, folder, session, or Catalog database in rows.


Columns Identifies the type of metadata displayed in the items list (such as file name and format) for volumes, folders, and files in the

Items List.

• Columns can be resized by dragging the column border, or rearranged by dragging the Column headers.

• Columns can be dragged to either of two available panes, the Fixed or Scrolling panes.

Each row of data in a browser represents an Item

(such as a file or folder). Data about each item is displayed in columns. Columns can be arranged and placed in either the Fixed pane or the Scrolling pane.

To open a Catalog browser:

1 Open the Workspace browser ( Window > Workspace ).

2 Click the Expand/Collapse icon next to the

Catalogs icon to show all Catalogs, if they are not already visible.

3 Double-click a Catalog.

To open another Volume or Catalog in a new browser window and leave the current Volume or

Catalog browser open:

Command-double-click (Mac) or Controldouble-click (Windows) the Volume or Catalog.

Opening Browsers

There are several ways to open, close, and navigate within browsers.

To open the Workspace browser:

Choose Window > Workspace .

To open a Volume browser:

1 Open the Workspace browser ( Window > Workspace ).

2 Double-click a volume or folder in the Items

List. A new Volume browser opens.

To open the Project browser:

1 Open a Pro Tools session.

2 Choose Window > Project .

Viewing the Contents of a Volume,

Folder, or Catalog

To expand or collapse the currently selected folder, do one of the following:

Click the Expand/Collapse icon next to the folder.

– or –

Select a volume, folder, or Catalog, and press the Right Arrow key to expand, or the left Arrow key to collapse.

To move up one browser level:

Click the Back arrow in the Browser toolbar.

To move up one browser level, press Command+Up Arrow key (Mac) or Control+Up

Arrow key (Windows).


Moving Browsers to the

Foreground or Background

To bring all open browsers to the foreground:

Choose Window > Browsers > Bring to Front .

To bring all browsers to the foreground, press Option+J (Mac) or Alt+J (Windows).

To send all browsers to the background:

Choose Window > Browsers > Send to Back .

To send all browsers to the background, press Option+Shift+J (Mac) or Alt+Shift+J

(Windows).

All open browsers are moved to the background, bringing the other windows to the foreground.

Browsers remain open and accessible.

To bring an open browser to the foreground:

Choose Window > Browsers , and select an open browser from the submenu.

To cycle to the next or previous browser:

Press Control+Left/Right Arrow keys (Windows) or Command+Left/Right Arrow keys

(Mac).

Closing Browsers

To close all browsers:

Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the

Close box of any browser.

Because the Task window is a utility and not a browser, it remains open.

Working wIth Items in

Browsers

Opening Sessions

To open a Pro Tools session listed in a browser:

With no Pro Tools session currently open, double-click a Pro Tools session file in any DigiBase browser.

Opening AAF and OMF Sequences


AAF and OMF sequences can be opened from

DigiBase browsers.

You can also drag and drop AAF and OMF sequences from browsers into the current session.

To open an AAF or OMF sequence from a DigiBase browser:

1 Do one of the following:

• With no Pro Tools session currently open, double-click the AAF or OMF sequence in a browser.

– or –

• Drag the AAF or OMF sequence from a browser to the Timeline in an open session.

2 Configure the Import Session Data dialog.

3 Click OK .


Creating and Opening Browser

Folders

Browsers let you create and manipulate folders

(file system sub-directories). All folders have Expand/Collapse icons to show their contents.

Dragging items onto a folder icon is the same as dragging into an open browser.

To create a new folder in a Volume browser or

Catalog:

1 Choose New Folder from the Browser menu.

2 Type a name for the folder, and click OK .

(Click Cancel to cancel the new folder.)

In Volume browsers, the folder is created on disk. In Catalogs, the folder is created in the Catalog only. The Items List updates as new items are added.

To open a folder in the current browser:

Double-click the folder, or click the Expand/Collapse icon for the item.

With the browser in the foreground and the folder selected, press Command+Down Arrow key (Mac) or Control+Down Arrow key

(Windows) to open a folder in the current browser.

To create and open a folder in its own new browser:

Command-double-click (Mac) or Controldouble-click (Windows) the folder. The previous

(parent) Browser window remains open.

With the browser in the foreground and the folder selected, press Control+Alt+Down

Arrow key (Windows) or Command+Option+Down Arrow key (Mac) to open a folder in its own new browser.

Scrolling and Moving Selections

To scroll the active pane up or down:

Press the Page Up or Page Down key.

To scroll to the top or bottom of the active pane:

Press Home (for the top) or End (for the bottom).

To move items up or down in the current browser:

1 Select items in a browser, and make sure that window is in the foreground.

2 Press the Up or Down Arrow key.

Text Entry in Browsers

Many text fields can be edited to replace or update data for an item.

To enter an edit to a text field and exit, and return to the previous display state:

Press Enter.

To revert to the previous text and cancel a text edit:

Press Esc.

For details on column editing, see “Column

Data” on page 286.

Indexing DigiBase Databases

Indexing is the process of reading media files, extracting just the metadata for each file, then storing that data in an associated database so that it may be displayed in the columns of a browser. Once a volume or folder has been fully indexed, it can be searched very quickly because all of the metadata has already been sorted and organized.


If a volume or folder has not been indexed, it is indexed automatically the first time it is opened in a DigiBase browser. Volumes or folders containing a lot of media files can take a long time to index. For this reason, you may want to manually index specific volumes or files prior to starting a project to help expedite workflow.

Indexing while Browsing

The first time you open a Volume browser for a volume or folder that has never been indexed,

Pro Tools automatically begins to fill the database for that level of the volume. Files and folders appear in the browser Items List, along with metadata in the columns for each item. Indexing continues until you either close the browser, or until that folder is completely indexed.

The next time you open that browser, metadata for items that have already been indexed is visible immediately. If the browser or folder was closed before indexing was complete, or if the contents of the folder have changed since the last time it was browsed, Pro Tools automatically updates the database the next time it is opened. This way, the database is always up to date for the folder you are browsing. (View the

Task Manager to see current activity.)

Indexing while Browsing saves time because it only fills the database for items on the level of the volume that you are currently browsing. For example, if you are browsing the root level of the volume, it indexes only the folders and files on the root level. If you open a folder, Pro Tools indexes just the items in that folder. As a result, a database is only indexed for the parts of the volume that you have browsed. However, searches are faster and more complete when a volume is already completely indexed.

Manual Indexing

Manual indexing fills in all missing data, and updates changed data for selected folders and all of their sub-folders.

To update the index for a folder and all sub-folders:

1 Select the item in a browser Items List.

2 Choose Update Database for Selected from the

Browser menu.

To update the index for an entire volume:

1 Select the volume to update in the Workspace browser.

2 Choose Update Database for Selected from the

Browser menu.

Last Indexed Date Display

The Last Indexed column shows the date that the index for that folder and all of its sub-folders was updated. Keep in mind that individual subfolders may have been updated more recently.

Automatic Updating for Pro Tools Actions

Whenever Pro Tools adds, deletes, or modifies a file on a volume or in a session, the appropriate database is immediately updated to reflect the change.

Changes that are made with Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder (such as copying or moving files) are not tracked by Pro Tools and are only indexed if the necessary folder is browsed or if a manual index is performed.


The Browser Menu

All Browser windows provide a Browser menu in the upper right corner of their toolbar. The

Browser menu provides commands specific to each type of browser, as described below.

Browser menu icon

Not all browser commands are available in all browsers, as noted.

New Folder Creates a new folder on the current volume, or within the current Catalog. In Volume browsers, a new folder is created on disk.

Available in Catalog and Volume browsers only.

For more information, see “Creating and Opening Browser Folders” on page 280.

New Catalog Creates a new, empty Catalog.

Available in the Workspace browser only.

Create Catalog from Selection Creates a fully indexed catalog of the selected items.

Calculate Waveform Calculates the waveform displays for selected audio files, or all files contained in selected folders.

For more information, see “Waveforms” on page 295.

Update Database for Selected Updates the database for the currently selected volumes or folders. Available in Workspace and Volume browsers only.

Calculate Elastic Analysis Calculates Elastic Audio analysis data for all selected audio files. Analyzed files are indicated by a check mark to the left of the file name. Analyzed files where a tempo has been detected are also updated as tick-based, display their duration in Bars|Beats, and display their native tempo in the Tempo column.

Clear Elastic Analysis Clears Elastic Audio analysis data for all selected audio files. Files cleared of

Elastic Audio analysis data revert to sample timebase, display their duration in minutes and seconds, and do not report a tempo.

For more information, see “Elastic Audio

Analysis” on page 296.

Select Offline Files Selects all files that are currently offline.

Select Transfer Files Selects all files identified as

Transfer files (files found on media that do not support playback).

Select Online Files Selects all files that are online.

Invert Selection Reverses (inverts) the current selection.

Reveal in Finder/Explorer Opens the corresponding parent window in the Finder (Mac) or

Explorer (Windows) for the currently selected file.

Reveal in Browser Opens the parent browser for the selected item. The selected item is highlighted in its parent browser.

Relink Offline Opens the Relink window. Available in the Project browsers only.


Relink Selected Opens the Relink window, with all selected files from the current browser displayed and selected as Files to Match. Available in Catalogs and Project browsers only.

Copy and Relink Copies items currently selected in the Project browser to a chosen location, and relinks the session to the copies instead of the originals. Use this to easily move files from a

Transfer to a Performance volume. This command is also available in Catalogs to copy items and relink the current Catalog to the copies.

Duplicate Selected Creates a duplicate of the selected items in the same location.

Lock Selected Locks all selected items. Any files already locked remain so. Locking a folder locks all files and sub-folders it contains.

Unlock Selected Unlocks the selected items.

Delete Selected Deletes any selected item. In the

Workspace, Project, and Volume browsers, deleting an item deletes it from the disk. In Catalogs, you are asked whether you want to clear the items from the Catalog (leaving your disks unchanged) or delete the files referenced by the

Catalog items.

Unmount Lets you unmount any online volume.


While Pro Tools is running, always use the

Unmount command in the Workspace browser menu to unmount the volume, or quit Pro Tools and then unmount the volume.

Auto-Preview Enables or disables automatic preview of files. When this option is enabled, selecting a file in the browser starts preview. The

Preview button updates to show that Auto-Preview is enabled. Additionally, the Preview button updates to show an Auto-Preview icon.

Loop Preview Previews the selected file by looping playback of the file. If multiple files are selected, only the first selected file previews.

When Loop Preview mode is enabled, the Preview button updates to show a Loop Preview

Mode icon.

Spacebar Toggles File Preview Enables or disables the Spacebar for starting and stopping preview. When this option is disabled, use the Preview button to start and stop preview. In this mode, the spacebar starts and stops session playback. This lets you play back the session and, with the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option enabled, preview the selected audio file in time with the session.

When a browser is front-most, Control+P

(Windows) or Command+P (Mac) starts and stops preview. Also, the Esc key stops preview.

Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Conforms all tick-based audio files with Elastic Audio analysis, as well as REX and ACID files, to the session tempo. This option lets you play back the session and simultaneously preview the selected files in time with the session. This option is only available when a session is open.

For more information, see “Conforming Preview to the Session Tempo” on page 301.

When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option is enabled, Pro Tools analyzes un-analyzed files on preview or import. Audio files that have been analyzed as tick-based can then be previewed at the session tempo and conform to the session tempo on import.

When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option is disabled, any tick-based audio files with Elastic Audio analysis, and REX and ACID files preview and import at their native tempo.


Additional DigiBase Commands in

Catalogs


In Catalogs, the following additional commands are available to manage Comments in selected items.

For more information on Comments, see

“Comments Fields” on page 288.

Copy Database Comments to Clip Names Copies an item’s Database comments to its Clip Name.

Copy File Comments to Clip Names (Mac Only)

Copies an item’s File Comments to its Clip

Name.

To move columns between panes:

Drag the column header to a different pane.

To show or hide the right-hand pane:

Click the Show/Hide icon in the lower right corner of the lefthand pane.

Browser Panes and Display

Browsers display an Items List consisting of various columns (such as file name, size, creation date, and sample rate). The Items List is split into two panes. Individual columns can be placed in either pane, and all columns can be shown or hidden, resized, reordered, and sorted.

Show/Hide Pane icon

Arranging and Resizing Columns

To rearrange columns in a pane:

Drag the column header to a new position.

To resize a column:

Drag the column header boundary to a new width.

Moving Columns Between Panes

Columns in browser can be placed in either pane. Move columns you frequently need to see into the left-hand pane. Columns that you use less often can be moved to the right-hand pane.

Showing and Hiding Columns

You can show or hide individual columns in DigiBase browsers to fit your workflow. The default column display includes the items you would use in most sessions.


To show or hide individual columns:

Control-click (Mac), Start-click (Windows), or

Right-click a column label and select or deselect the column name from the pop-up menu.

To store a View Preset:

1 Open a browser, or the Relink window.

2 Arrange columns and views.

3 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) one of the five View Preset buttons.

Showing and hiding columns

To show or hide all columns:


Right-click a column header and choose ALL or

NONE from the pop-up menu. (Only the Name and Clip Name columns remain when you choose NONE .)

To show the default set of columns:


Right-click a column header and choose DE-

FAULT from the pop-up menu.

View Presets

Pro Tools lets you save up to five preset views for each type of browser, and the Relink window.

Presets can be recalled by clicking a View Preset button. View Presets are specific to each type of browser.

Browser View preset buttons

To recall a saved preset:

Click the appropriate View Preset button.

About View Preset 1

Preset 1 becomes the default layout for other browsers of its type when they are opened for the first time.

Sorting Columns

Columns can be sorted in ascending or descending order, and multiple sorts can be applied (up to four levels).

To sort by columns:

Click the column title header.

It is often helpful to perform a secondary sort

(for example, to sort by tape and timestamp).


To add a secondary sort:

Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the column title for the secondary sort criteria.

Primary Sort Secondary Sort

Performing a secondary sort

To toggle the current sort order between ascending and descending:

Click the Sort toggle arrow, at the top of the vertical scroll bars.

Column Data

In browsers, each row of data represents an item in a database (such as a file, session, or volume).

Each column displays specific data for an item, as follows.

Status The Status column is the first column on the left, and it displays the status of each item, as follows.

Status Icons and Display

Icon Text Status

T

√ none none

Black

Blue italics

Blue italics

Blue

Online

Offline

Transfer

Elastic Audio

Analysis

Calculated

Name Displays the name of the file, folder, volume, catalog, or session. This text field is editable in all browsers except Catalogs.

A Designates volumes for audio R (Record and

Playback), P (Playback only), or T (Transfer).


V Designates volumes as video R (Record and

Playback), P (Playback only), or T (Transfer).


For more information, see “Audio and

Video Volume Designators” on page 311.

Kind Displays whether the volume, folder, catalog, or file. For files, this column displays what kind of file it is: session file, audio file, video file, or other. This field cannot be edited. For audio files, this column also indicates whether the file is sample-based to tick-based.

Size Displays the size of a file in kilobytes. For folders, the total size of all files in the folder is displayed. This field cannot be edited.

Date Indexed Displays the last indexed date for the item. This field cannot be edited.

Capacity Displays the total capacity of a volume.

This field cannot be edited.

Free Displays the unused space on volumes.


Waveform Displays a graphical overview of an

audio file. See “Waveforms” on page 295 for

more information.

Duration Displays the duration of a file in absolute time (minutes and seconds), regardless of the time code format. For region groups, MIDI, tick-based Elastic Audio files, REX, and ACID files, Duration displays Bars and Beats. This field cannot be edited.


File Comment Displays any embedded comments associated with the file. File comments are supported with BWF and SD II files, but are not supported with AIFF files. File Comments always remain with the file when copied, converted, or transferred. See “Comments Fields” on page 288 for more information.

When importing SD II files into Pro Tools

8.0.3 sessions or higher, they must be converted to a supported session file format

(.WAV or .AIF).

Database Comment Displays user comments stored with the database, with support for

Finder comments. Available in the Project browser and Catalogs only. See “Comments

Fields” on page 288 for more information.

Date Modified Displays the last modified date for the item. This field cannot be edited.

Date Created Displays the creation date of an item. This field cannot be edited.

Number of Channels Displays the number of channels in an audio file: mono, stereo, or 3–8 as appropriate for supported multichannel files.


Format Displays the audio file format: WAV,

WAV (ACID) for ACID files, WAV (BWF), AIFF,

MP3, or ReCycle for REX files. This field cannot be edited.

Sample Rate Displays an audio file’s sample rate. This field can be edited in browsers for

WAV and SDII files only. This can be useful when dealing with audio that has been pulled up or down, or to force a sample rate conversion to occur if that is necessary before importing a file that otherwise would not require conversion.

Bit Depth Displays an audio file’s bit depth. This field cannot be edited.

Tempo Displays the tempo associated with region group, MIDI, tick-based Elastic Audio files,

REX, and ACID files, and session files. This field cannot be edited.

Video Compression Displays the compression ratio of video files where applicable.

Frame Rate Displays the frame rate of video files where applicable.

Original Time Stamp Displays the original time stamp (time code location) of audio or video files.

User Time Stamp Displays the user time stamp, if any, of audio files only.

Path Displays the directory path to the item.

Unique ID Displays the unique ID for a Pro Tools file.

Tape This column displays the original Avid tape name if the item is an OMF file (audio or video). If an audio file was originally recorded in

Pro Tools, this field displays the name of the original session.

Video files originally recorded in Pro Tools with AVoption|XL do not display a tape name.

TC Rate This column displays the frame rate of the item if the item is an AAF sequence or an

OMF sequence or file: 24, 25, 29.97, 30, drop or non-drop. For sequences, the frame rate at the start of the sequence is displayed.

Channel Names Displays the channel name and number data embedded in multichannel audio files. You can edit the Channel name for mono

BWF files only. When editing the channel name, anything entered in parentheses is discarded. However, the channel number will always be preserved.


Scene Displays scene number data embedded in audio files.

Take Displays take number data embedded in audio files.

Shoot Date Displays origination date and time information embedded in audio files. However, many field recorders do not populate the Shoot

Date field, relying instead on the file’s Creation

Date to indicate date of production. When

Pro Tools imports a field recorder file, it checks to see if the Shoot Date field is populated. If it is empty, Pro Tools copies the Creation Date of the original source file to the Shoot Date field of the new imported files. This field cannot be edited.

Sound Roll Displays sound roll number data

(This data is usually named “Tape” in BWF files, but is distinct from the date displayed in the DigiBase Tape column). This field cannot be edited.

Sound Roll TC Displays the starting time code of audio files. This field cannot be edited.

Sound Roll TC Rate Displays the frame rate information embedded in audio files: 24, 25,

29.97, 30, drop or non-drop. This field cannot be edited.

User Bits Displays text information embedded in audio files. This field can be used for user comments, or auto-generated info with certain field recorders.

Tape ID Displays tape ID information embedded in audio files. This field cannot be edited.

Project Displays the project name data embedded in audio files.

Circled Indicates if the status of a take is set to

“circled” ( No or Yes ) in audio files. This is usually for indicating which take should be used.

Plug-In Name Displays the name of the plug-in for Plug-In Settings files (.txf).

Plug-In Manufacturer Name Displays the plug-in manufacturer’s name for Plug-In Settings files

(.txf).

Link Path Displays the path to the file used for relinking. Available in the Relink window only.

Clip Name Displays the name of the file, or the

Avid clip name when the item is an AAF or OMF file. The Clip Name is what appears in the Timeline and Region List when a file is imported into a session. This field can be edited in Catalogs only, and can be generated using either of the

Copy Comments to Clip Name commands in

the Browser menu (see “Additional DigiBase

Commands in Catalogs” on page 284).

Comments Fields

Comments about individual files can be stored in the database, and embedded with the file’s metadata wrapper.

There are two types of comments fields: File

Comments and Database Comments.

File Comments

File Comments are stored with the metadata of the file itself. Not all file types support File Comments. Indexing stores File Comments in the database, allowing them to be searched and viewed even if the file is offline. File Comments can be edited in browsers, as long as the files or their parent media are not defined as read-only.

You can also add and edit File Comments to

Pro Tools Session files from the Project browser.

File Comments cannot be edited in Catalogs.


Database Comments

(Catalogs and Project Browsers Only)

Database Comments in a Catalog are stored in the Catalog database. Database comments in the

Project browser are stored in the Session. Database Comments, which can be up to 256 characters in length, are searchable, cross-platform, and editable. For more information, see “Comments and Catalogs” on page 316.

Adding and Editing Comments

To add, view, or edit a Comment:

1 Click the Comments field. The field expands to display the entire contents of the field if necessary.

2 Enter or edit a comment.

3 Press Enter, or click outside the text box to close it.

To select multiple items:

Marquee-select a group of items, or Shift-click additional items. Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) to select multiple noncontinuous items.

To select all items listed:

Press Command-A (Mac) or Control-A (Windows).

To select all Transfer files in the current window:

Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser menu.

To select all offline files:

Choose Select Offline Files from the Browser menu.

To select all online files:

Choose Select Online Files from the Browser menu.

To reverse the current selection:

Choose Invert Selected from the Browser menu.

Selecting Items

To select a single item in a browser:

Click the icon for an item. When selected, the item Name is highlighted.

You can also type the first letter, or the first few letters, of the item you want to select in the browser. For example, if you have a folder full of drum loops, and the one you are looking for is named “Ska Loop,” just type the letters S and K on your computer keyboard and the first item that starts with

“sk” will be highlighted in the list.

Moving, Copying, Duplicating, and Deleting Items

Moving, copying, duplicating, and deleting items in browsers follow the same rules and behavior as in the operating system. For example, moving a file to another volume copies the file, and Pro Tools warns you if an items is about to be overwritten or replaced. Dragging an item from a Catalog to a Volume browser always makes a new copy of the item.


Moving Items

To move items:

Select one or more items and drag them to a new location. Moving to a new location on the same volume moves the item, while moving to a different volume copies the item.

You can drag items directly into the Timeline or Region List of the current session. See

“Importing Files with Drag and Drop” on page 328.

Copying Items

To copy and move items:

Select one or more items and Option-drag them to a new location.

Duplicating Items

To duplicate one or more items:

1 Select one or more items.

2 Choose Duplicate Selected from the Browser menu.

To Duplicate selected items in the Browser, press Command-D (Mac) or Control-D

(Windows).

Deleting Items and Folders

You can select and delete files and folders in all browsers. If a selected item resides on a readonly volume, it cannot be deleted.

For Catalogs, see “Deleting Catalog Items” on page 291 for additional information.

To delete one or more items:



• Press Delete.

– or –

• Choose Delete Selected from the Browser menu.

3 Pro Tools asks you to verify that you want to permanently delete selected files from disk.

Click Delete to proceed, or click Cancel to leave your files and disks unchanged.

To skip the warning dialog, hold down the

Option key while pressing Delete (or while choosing Delete Selected).

To delete locked files:


2 Press Command+Delete (Mac) or Control+Delete (Windows).


Deleting Catalog Items


When you delete a folder or item from a Catalog, Pro Tools lets you choose whether to delete only the alias from the Catalog, or also delete the original files from the disk.

To delete an item from a Catalog.

1 Open a Catalog and select one or more items.


• Press Delete.

– or –

• Choose Delete Selected from the Browser menu.

3 When prompted, do one of the following:

• To remove the aliases for the selected items from the Catalog, click Aliases .

– or –

• To delete the selected items from disk (and remove their aliases from the Catalog), click Files.

Deleting Folders in Catalogs

Deleting a folder from a Catalog does not delete the folder on disk (even if you choose to delete all files from disk). Because Catalogs are “snapshots” of items, their aliases only include files that resided in the corresponding folder at the time the Catalog was created. To avoid potential data loss, folders are never deleted from disk, even though you might choose to delete Files instead of Aliases.

Searching Items

DigiBase provides powerful search capabilities so you can quickly search and find files.

The Workspace browser lets you search across multiple volumes and catalogs (if available). All other browsers let you search the currently displayed contents of that individual browser.

Performing a search filters the Items List or

Search Results pane to display only found items that match the search criteria.

The Relink window provides specialized search capabilities for finding and relinking missing

files. For more information, see “Linking and

Relinking Files” on page 302.

Search Features for All Systems

All systems provide the following search capability:

• Search by item Name, Kind, and Date Modified.

• Results of a search are displayed in the Items

List, where they can immediately be selected for auditioning, copying, and other operations. In the Workspace browser, a separate

“Search Results” pane displays found items.

• Utilize search syntax modifiers, such as OR, wildcard characters, and greater than/less than. See “Search Modifiers” on page 293.


• Search in Quick or Advanced Search mode.

Quick mode assumes (fills in) wildcard characters for faster data entry while searching. Advanced Search mode lets you specify wildcard characters for more precise searching. See

“Search Modes” on page 294 for more information.

• Search by any data column, such as Comments fields, sample rate, format, and tempo

• Save the results of a search as a new Catalog.

Starting a Search

To search the current browser:

1 Click the Search icon to display the Search pane.

Search icon

Search

Pane

Search icon and Search pane

You can also start a search by pressing

Command+F (Mac) or Control+F (Windows).


• Type text into the File Name field to search by name, or type a date, or select a kind from the Kind

pop-up menu. See “Entering

Data for Searches” on page 293 for more in-

formation.

– or –

• Choose additional search criteria as needed. Press Tab to move to the next available search field, or Shift+Tab to move to the previous.

3 Click the Search button, or press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).

Searching begins, indicated by the spinning arrows in the toolbar, and by the Search button changing to Stop . The Results List (at the bottom of the browser) fills with items that match the search criteria. Items can be selected and auditioned as they are found.

To stop a search:

During a search, click the Stop button.

This stops the search routine, and the Stop button changes back to Search . Whatever results have already been found continue to be displayed, and all entries in search fields are retained.

To reset your search settings:

Click Reset to clear all criteria in search fields, and return to the main Browser view (all items).

The Search pane remains open.

To close the search pane and return to the complete Browser view:

Click the browser Search icon to toggle the

Search pane closed or open.

The search is stopped, the Search (and Search

Results pane) close, and the window returns to show the main Browser view.


Entering Data for Searches

Field Formats and Searching

The following describe the types of data formats available (not all search fields are available on all systems).

Text Fields Allow direct entry of text. By default, the field is empty.

Pull-Down Menus Provide options for certain fields. For example, the Bit Depth pull-down provides choices for Any, 16-bit, or 24-bit.

Date and Time Accepts date and time entries in a variety of formats.

Time Code Uses standard Pro Tools time code entry shortcuts in hh:min:sec:frames.

Wildcard Characters (* and ?)

An asterisk (*) can be entered at the beginning or end of a text entry when you want to perform wildcard searches. For example, if you want to find all files with a name that ends with scratch , you could enter *scratch in the Search field. This finds files with names such as vocal.scratch

, and dialog2.scratch

.

A question mark (?) can be used for single-character wildcards. For example, a search on f?ee

finds free , and flee . A similar search on f*ee finds frendlee , flippee , flee , free , and so on.

Search Modifiers

Certain fields have small pull-down menus containing modifiers , which limit the search criteria entered in the field.

Modifiers include:

• Equal to (=)

• Not Equal to (

!=

)

• Less Than (<)

• Greater Than (>)

• Less Than or Equal to (<=)

• Greater Than or Equal To (>=)

• Range (<…>)

About Range-Limited When enabled, a second search field is added so that a range of two values can be entered (such as two dates). Pro Tools finds all items that fall between or are equal to those two values.

OR Searches

The Plus (+) and Minus (–) buttons add and delete OR rows to find results that match the criteria either in the top row or the additional rows.

To add and use OR rows in a search:

1 Click the (+) button to add an OR row identical to the upper row, but with no entries in the search fields.

2 To add an additional OR row, click the Plus (+) button again. (An empty OR row has no effect on the search.)

3 Enter search criteria.

For example, to find all files named either Dog or Bark:

• Type Dog in the first File Name field.

• Add an OR row.

• Type Bark in the second File Name field.

4 Click Search.

To remove OR rows:

Click the Minus (–) button to delete the bottom OR row.


AND Searches

If you enter two or more words in a text field,

Pro Tools finds files that contain all of those words. For example, if you type Dog Bark , only files that contain both the words Dog and Bark are found.

To enable Advanced Search mode:

Click to enable the Advanced Search mode option.

Quotations Marks for Text Strings

Text enclosed in quotation marks is searched as one text string. For example, if you type “Dog

Bark” (with quotes), only items with Dog Bark anywhere in the File Name are considered a match.

Search Modes

DigiBase provides two different text searching environments:

Quick Search Mode Applies wildcards before and after each text string. For example, a Quick search for Dog finds Dogs , dog_bark , and howling_dogs .

Advanced Search Mode Does not automatically apply any wildcards. Therefore, an Advanced search on Dog finds Big Dog , but not Dogs (unless you manually add a wildcard, as described in

“Wildcard Characters (* and ?)” on page 293).

In addition, Advanced Search recognizes word breaks such as underscores and capitalization.

For example, an Advanced search on Dog also finds Big_Dog (Big-underscore-Dog) and BigDog , though it would not find BigDogs .

Advanced Search mode option, in Search pane

To return to Quick Search mode:

Click to deselect the Advanced Search mode.

Toggling search mode affects all DigiBase browsers.

About the Search Process

Searches are conducted in two passes, each indicated by Search Status displayed in the Search pane (and the Task window).

Searching Databases The existing databases are searched first. While this is the fastest search pass, this search pass can only be as accurate as the database (in other words, if the database is not completely up to date you might not find the files you want).

File System Search Pass This is the second pass of a search. This search is not as fast as the Database pass, but it is more thorough because it is not relying on the database, which may or may not be current.

Each pass is completed before the next pass begins.


Saving Search Results as a

Catalog


To save the results of your search as a Catalog:

1 Choose Edit > Select All , or press Command+A

(Mac) or Control+A (Windows), to select all items in the Items List.

2 From the Browser menu, choose Create

Catalog .

For more information, see “Catalogs” on page 315.

The waveform overview is stored in the file, or in the Digidesign Databases folder on your system drive. For more information, see “Wave-

Cache” on page 295.

Summed Waveforms for Multichannel Files

Waveform displays for stereo and multichannel files are summed.

Waveforms

The Waveform column displays waveforms for audio files. Waveform display depends on the following:

• Waveforms are displayed if they have already been calculated and stored, either with the file metadata or in the global Waveform cache.

• When a file is imported into a session, a waveform is automatically calculated for it, if necessary.

Calculating Waveforms for Display

If an audio file item does not have a waveform, the waveform must be calculated to be visible in a browser Waveform display.

To calculate waveforms in a browser:

1 Select online audio files, or folders containing audio files, in a browser.

2 Choose Calculate Waveform from the Browser menu.

WaveCache

A global WaveCache file stores waveforms that cannot be written back to the sound file, such as read-only files, files on network and other readonly volumes, and interleaved files. WaveCache files are stored in the Digidesign Databases folder on your system drive.

Waveform displays in a browser

• Waveforms are gray if they have not been stored with the file metadata or in the global

Waveform cache.


Elastic Audio Analysis

You can both calculate and clear Elastic Audio analysis for selected audio files in DigiBase browsers. Only AIFF and WAV files are supported for Elastic Audio analysis and processing.

Any other file format (such as MP3) must be converted to AIFF or WAV for Elastic Audio analysis and processing.

Even though the MP3 file formats are not directly supported by Elastic Audio, you can import them into a WAV- or AIFF-based session and then use the converted files on

Elastic Audio-enabled tracks. File formats that do not match the session are converted automatically on import.

For more information on Elastic Audio, see

Chapter 41, “Elastic Audio.”

To calculate Elastic Audio analysis:

1 In a browser, select the files you want to analyze.


• From the Browser menu, choose Calculate

Elastic Analysis .

• Right-click one of the selected files and choose Calculate Elastic Analysis from the pop-up menu.

• Preview the file with the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option enabled.

Analyzed files are indicated by a check mark to the left of the file name.

Analyzed files in which a regular tempo was detected are updated as tick-based, display their duration in Bars|Beats, and display their native tempo in the Tempo column.

Analyzed files in which no tempo was detected remain sample-based. These files typically contain only a single transient (such as a snare hit) or they are longer files without a readily identifiable regular tempo (such as entire songs).

On Mac, if you do not see the Elastic Audio

Analysis icon or the duration does not change to tick-based during the preview process, check the permissions for the folder in the Mac Finder. You must have write access of the directory for this feature to work.

To clear Elastic Audio analysis:

1 In a browser, select the files with Elastic Audio analysis that you want to clear.


• From the Browser menu, choose Clear Elastic Analysis .

– or –

• Right-click one of the selected files and choose Clear Elastic Analysis from the popup menu.

Files cleared of Elastic Audio analysis data revert to sample timebase, display their duration in minutes and seconds, and do not report a tempo.


File Timebase and Elastic Audio

Analysis Icons

DigiBase browsers provide three icons to indicate whether a file has Elastic Audio analysis and the file’s timebase.

Elastic Audio

Analysis icon

Tick-based file icon

Sample-based file icon

Elastic Audio and Timebase icons in DigiBase browsers

Elastic Audio Analysis Icon Indicates that the file has Elastic Audio analysis data.

Sample-Based File Icon Indicates that the file is sample-based. The file’s duration is displayed in minutes and seconds.

Tick-Based File Icon Indicates that the file is tick-based. The file’s duration is displayed in

Bars|Beats and the file’s native tempo is displayed in the tempo column.

Previewing Audio in DigiBase

Audio files can be previewed in DigiBase browsers. Previewing follows the master Audition path as selected in the Output pane of the

I/O Setup (see “Audition Paths” on page 93).

The base level for previewing is determined by the Master Fader (or Auxiliary Input) level assigned to the Audition path. You can also adjust the Preview Volume in the browser.

To preview an audio file in a browser:

1 Select an audio file in a browser Items List.

Make sure the browser is the foreground (active) window.


• Click the Waveform Preview button (the speaker icon to the left of the waveform display). Click again to stop auditioning.

• If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in the Browser menu, press the Spacebar. Press the Spacebar again to stop auditioning.

• Press Control+P (Windows) or Command+P (Mac) to start and stop previewing.

• Press the Esc key to stop previewing.

If the Auto-Preview option is enabled, previewing starts as soon as the file is selected in a browser.

To audition from a specific location within the file:

Click in the waveform display at the location.

Auditioning an audio file


Interleaved Files

When previewed in DigiBase, interleaved audio files with more than two channels are summed to mono for auditioning.

Multi-Mono Files

Multi-mono files must be previewed one file at a time.

Split Stereo Files Preview Together

When selecting one of a pair of Split Stereo files, such as “Drums.L” and “Drums.R,” both files preview together. To preview only the selected channel of a split stereo pair, press the Shift key and start preview.

Some Pro Tools operations can cause temporary interruptions in DigiBase auditioning.

Preview Controls and

Indicators

Every DigiBase browser provides the following preview controls in the Toolbar: Preview, Volume, Meters, Audio Files Conform to Session

Tempo, and Elastic Audio Plug-In.

Preview button

Volume

Audio Files

Conform to

Session Tempo button

Elastic Audio

Plug-In selector

Meters

MIDI files can be previewed from the session Region List, but not from DigiBase

browsers. See “Previewing Regions in the

Region List” on page 268.

Preview controls in DigiBase browsers

Preview Button

The Preview button starts and stops preview of audio files selected in browsers. You can also

Right-click the Preview button to change the

Preview mode and set whether or not the spacebar toggles file preview.

DigiBase Browser, Preview button Right-click menu

Volume

The Volume control in DigiBase browsers lets you boost or attenuate the gain for previewing selected files.


To change the volume for previewing in DigiBase browsers:

1 Click the Volume field to display the Volume fader.

2 Adjust the Volume fader (from –INF to

+12 dB).

DigiBase Browser, Preview Volume fader

Meters

The meters display the level of the audio and also provide clip indicators. For mono files, the mono signal is shown in both meters. For stereo files, the top and bottom meters show the left and right channels respectively. Greater than stereo multichannel files are displayed as summed mono in both meters.

The Clip LED lights when clipping occurs and clears automatically after 3 seconds.

Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Button

The Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button mirrors the corresponding Browser menu command. When enabled, all tick-based audio files with Elastic Audio analysis, as well as REX and ACID files, conform to the session tempo.

This lets you play back the session, and then simultaneously preview the selected files in time with the session. The Audio Files Conform to

Session Tempo button is only available when a session is open, otherwise it is disabled and grayed out.

When the Audio Files Conform to Session

Tempo button is enabled, Pro Tools analyzes any un-analyzed files on preview or import.

Tick-based audio files conform to the session tempo during preview and on import. Samplebased files, those where no tempo has been detected, always preview and import at their original speed and duration.

When the Audio Files Conform to Session

Tempo button is disabled, any tick-based audio files with Elastic Audio analysis, and REX and

ACID files preview at their native tempo.

For more information, see “Conforming

Preview to the Session Tempo” on page 301.

Elastic Audio Plug-In Selector

The Elastic Audio Plug-In selector lets you select any Real-Time Elastic Audio plug-in as the default plug-in for previewing and importing Elastic Audio. Changing the plug-in in any DigiBase browser also affects the Elastic Audio Default Plug-

In option in the Processing preferences.

For information on Elastic Audio plug-ins,

see “Elastic Audio Plug-Ins” on page 868.

Preview Modes

DigiBase browsers provide three Preview modes:

Normal Preview, Loop Preview, and Auto-Preview.

Normal Preview

Normal Preview simply plays the selected audio file and stops at the end of the file. Deselect

Loop Preview and Auto-Preview for Normal Preview mode.


Loop Preview

Loop Preview plays the selected file by looping playback of the file. If multiple files are selected, only the first selected file previews. When Loop

Preview mode is enabled, the Preview button updates to show a Loop Preview Mode icon.

Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) the Preview button to toggle Loop Preview mode on and off.

To loop preview a file in a DigiBase browser:


• In the Browser menu, select Loop Preview .

The Browser Preview button updates to show the Loop Preview icon.

– or –

• Right-click the Preview button and select

Loop Preview.

DigiBase Preview button, Loop Preview mode

2 Select an audio file in a browser Items List.

Make sure the browser is the foreground (active) window.


• Click the Browser Preview button.

• Click the Waveform Preview button.

• If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in the Browser menu, press the Spacebar.

To stop loop audition:

Do one of the following:

• Click the Browser Preview button again.

• If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in the Browser menu, press the Spacebar again.

• Press Command+P (Mac) or Control+P

(Windows).

• Press the Esc key.

Auto-Preview

Auto-Preview plays the audio file as soon as it is selected. Additionally, the Preview button updates to show an Auto-Preview icon.

Command-click (Mac) or Control-click

(Windows) the Preview button to toggle

Auto-Preview mode on and off.

To automatically preview files when selected:

Do one of the following:

• From the Browser menu, select Auto-Preview . The Preview button updates to show that Auto-Preview is enabled.

• Right-click the Preview button and select

Auto-Preview.

DigiBase Preview button, Auto-Preview enabled


Conforming Preview to the

Session Tempo

Pro Tools lets you preview Elastic Audio analyzed files at the session tempo. The selected default Elastic Audio plug-in is used for previewing

Elastic Audio analyzed audio files at the session tempo. Additionally, other tick-based files, such as REX and ACID files, can also be previewed at the session tempo and in time with playback.

Deselect the Spacebar Toggles File Preview option in the Browser menu to be able to start and stop session playback with the spacebar without starting and stopping auditioning in the browser. Use Command+P

(Mac) or Control+P (Windows) to start and stop preview in the front-most browser during session playback.

To preview files at the session tempo:

1 In the session, place the insertion point at the location where you want to preview the file in

DigiBase.

2 In a DigiBase browser, select the file you want to preview.


• Click the Audio Files Conform to Session

Tempo button. It highlights when enabled.

• From the Browser menu, select Audio Files

Conform to Session Tempo .

• Right-click the file you want to preview and select Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo from the pop-up menu.

4 Click the Preview button in the browser and the file plays at the session tempo.

Preview in Context

Pro Tools lets you preview audio files in DigiBase browsers while playing back a Pro Tools session. Tick-based audio files (those with tempo detected Elastic Audio analysis, as well as

REX and ACID files) can play back in tempo, and at the corresponding bar and beat location, with session playback. Tick-based audio files audition at the session tempo when the Audio Files

Conform to Session Tempo option is enabled.

The DAE Playback Buffer setting in the

Playback Engine dialog affects the amount of time it takes before preview starts. Preview takes longer to start with higher settings (which are necessary for sessions with a lot of tracks and edits). Use lower settings for more responsive preview start times. For

more information, see “DAE Playback Buffer Size” on page 69

Reserve Voices for Preview in Context

(Pro Tools HD Only)

Preview in context (previewing audio files in DigiBase during session playback) uses disk voices for playback. The number of voices required depends on the channel width of the selected Audition Paths on the Output page of the I/O Setup window. For example, if a stereo audition path selected in the I/O Setup requires 2 voices for preview in context, whereas a 5.1 audition path requires 6 voices. If one or more voices are not available for preview in context because they are in use by disk tracks (or routing for RTAS processing), the Preview button in DigiBase browsers will be unavailable during session playback.

Pro Tools provides an option to reserve voices for preview in context. The number of reserved voices is determined by the channel width of the selected Audition Paths in the I/O Setup.

Voices reserved for preview in context are unavailable for disk tracks.


To reserve for voices for preview in context:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences .

2 Select the Operation tab.

3 Enable the Reserve Voices For Preview In Context option.

4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.

Linking and Relinking Files

A Pro Tools session is made up of references, or links , to audio files and other session media. Audio and video files must be stored on suitable

Performance volumes and be properly linked in order to be playable in the session.

The following types of files are not playable:

Transfer Files Files that are stored on volumes not suitable for playback, such as network volumes or CD-ROMs.

Missing Files Files that cannot be found where the session expects them, either because they have been moved, or because they are stored on volumes that are not currently mounted (offline volumes).

The process of reacquiring missing files is referred to as relinking . Relinking can involve certain sub-tasks, depending on the situation.

• Transfer files must first be copied to a suitable

Performance volume. The session is then relinked to the copies on the Performance volumes instead of the original Transfer files.

• Volumes may be searched for missing files and, when the files are found, Pro Tools relinks the session to the file's new location.

• Files that reside on offline volumes must first have their volumes mounted (brought online) before they can be relinked.

Catalogs have unique linking characteristics. See “Relinking and Aliases in Catalogs” on page 309.

Choosing When to Relink

Pro Tools lets you relink files while opening a session or after a session is already open, as follows:

Relinking when opening a session ensures that the session opens with all media playable.

Automatic and manual relinking can be performed. See “Opening a Session with Missing

Files” on page 303.

Relinking later (after a session is already open) is the fastest way to open the session, but all missing items remain offline and unplayable.

When items are needed, go to the Project browser to relink offline items. See “Missing

Files in an Open Session” on page 305.

Forcing a Relink

If you cannot relink to the original file, you can force a relink to another file. See “Force Relinking Files” on page 308.

Transfer Files

Unlike missing files, Transfer files are files that have been found but which reside on volumes unsuitable for playback, such as CD-ROMs or network drives. These volumes appear as Transfer volumes in the Workspace browser.


Opening a Session with Transfer

Files

If a session finds files on a volume unsuitable for playback, a dialog appears prompting you to copy them to a suitable volume.

To copy Transfer files found when opening a session, do one of the following:

Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink dialog.

– or –

Click No to open the session with all Transfer files offline. When opened, the session’s Project browser indicates Transfer files with a “T” in their Status column.

Transfer Files in an Open Session

To make Transfer files playable in the current session:


2 Double click the Audio Files folder to display all of the audio files.

3 Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser menu.

4 Choose Copy and Relink from the Browser menu.

5 Specify a location for the copied files on a valid Performance volume and click OK .

6 Repeat for video and fade files, as necessary.

Copy and Relink

The Copy and Relink command is a file management option in the Project browser and in DigiBase Catalogs.

Copy and Relink provides a convenient way to copy files and relink the session or Catalog to the copies rather than to the originals.

To copy items to a new location and Relink to the copies:


• Choose Window > Project .

– or –

• Open the appropriate Catalog.

2 Select the items you want to copy and relink.

You can select any media files (online, offline, and Transfer files).

3 Choose Copy and Relink Selected from the

Browser menu.

4 If the default location for the copies (the session’s Audio Files folder) is not appropriate, specify a different location and click Choose .

5 The files are copied to the chosen destination and the session or Catalog is relinked in the background.

Missing Files

Files are missing if they are not found in the same location as when the session was last saved. This could be because you moved the files or the session folder, or because the files are on a volume that is not currently mounted.

Opening a Session with Missing

Files

To open a session with missing files:

1 When you open a session, Pro Tools opens the session with all available media, then shows you how many files are missing (if any) and asks how you want to proceed. (If told that files are

unsuitable for playback, see “Transfer Files” on page 302.)


Missing files warning when opening a session

2 Select one of the following:

• Skip All —or press Command+S (Mac) or

Control+S (Windows).

• Manually Find Relink —or press Command+M (Mac) or Control+M (Windows).

• Automatically Find Relink —or press Command+A (Mac) or Control+A (Windows).

3 Select Regenerate Missing Fades Without

Searching —or press Command+R (Mac) or Control+R (Windows)—to exclude fade files from the relink process and regenerate them instead.

4 Select Regenerate Missing Rendered Files Without Searching to exclude rendered Elastic Audio files from the relink process and regenerate them instead.

5 Click OK .

Skip All

Use the Skip All option to skip all missing files and fades. This option is the fastest way to open the session utilizing all available media. Missing files are offline in the session, and shown in the

Region List and the Project browser with italic text. Missing fades are regenerated if the contributing files are online.

Manually Find and Relink

This option opens the Relink window. Use the

Relink window to search, compare, verify, and relink missing files. Files can be relinked one at a

time or in batches. See “Relink Window” on page 305 for more information.

Automatically Find and Relink

Automatically Find and Relink is the simplest method to relink sessions to required media, but it provides no way to compare files or verify links. This option cannot be undone. The Automatically Find and Relink option does the following:

• Searches all Performance volumes for all missing items with matching Name, ID, Format, and Length.

• Links missing items to the first matches found.

• Commits links for all items possible, in the background.

Links, once committed, cannot be undone once the session is saved. The only way to revert to previous links is to close the session without saving changes.

• If some files remain unlinked, the Task window opens and a failed task appears in the

Paused Tasks pane. Double-click the Task icon to open the Relink window and manually find and relink files.

Even if all of the missing files are later found and relinked, the failed task remains in the Task Window. Like all failed tasks, it must be manually selected and deleted. See

“About Failed Tasks” on page 322.


Regenerate Missing Fades Without Searching

Enable this option to exclude fades files from the relinking process (fades are recalculated instead). This option is available when Automatically Find and Relink or Manually Find and Relink is enabled.

Regenerate Missing Rendered Files Without

Searching

Enable this option to exclude rendered Elastic

Audio files from the relinking process (rendered files are recalculated instead). This option is available when Automatically Find and Relink or

Manually Find and Relink is enabled.

Missing Files in an Open Session

You can open the Project browser to select and relink some or all missing files.

To relink missing (offline) files in an open session:


2 Choose Relink Offline from the Browser menu to open the Relink window.

3 Configure the Relink window as needed. See

“Relink Window” on page 305 for more infor-

mation.

To relink selected files in an open session:


2 Select the files to relink. Any file can be relinked, even if it is not an offline file.

3 Choose Relink Selected from the Browser menu.

4 Configure the Relink window as needed. See

“Relink Window” on page 305 for more infor-

mation.

Relink Window

The Relink window provides tools for all relinking tasks.

Menu and toolbar

Areas to Search

Files to Relink

Candidates

Main elements in the Relink window


Menu and Toolbar Includes the Relink menu,

View Presets, and relinking buttons. Status is displayed at the far right.

Areas to Search Selects volumes on which to search for missing items.

Files to Relink Lists missing files.

Candidates Lists files that match the “relinking criteria” for a particular missing file. The Link icon next to the candidate can be toggled on or off to link (or unlink) the proposed candidate to the selected missing file.

The Relink window controls each phase of the relinking process.

The following topics explain how to:

• Open the Relink window (“Opening the

Relink Window” on page 306).

• Select volumes and folders to search and not search (“Selecting Areas to Search” on page 306).

• Search, compare, and link individual files to one or more candidates (“Relinking Individual Missing Files” on page 307).

• Quickly match and link missing files in batches, with the ability to adjust the criteria by which files are matched (“Relinking Multiple Missing Files” on page 308).

• Toggle links on or off for any candidate

(“Force Relinking Files” on page 308).

• Compare and review links before committing

(“Committing Links” on page 309).

Opening the Relink Window

When opening a session with missing files, use the Manually Find and Relink option to open the

Relink window.

The Relink window can also be accessed after a session is open.

To access the Relink window from an open session:


2 Choose Relink Offline from the Browser menu.

Selecting Areas to Search

Selecting volumes and folders in the Areas to

Search pane lets you focus the search for missing files. This can speed the relinking process by limiting the number of volumes or folders to search. In addition, excluding folders from a search for missing files also lets you redirect a session or Catalog to a more appropriate copy of an item.

Volumes selected to include in the search

To select volumes or folders to include or exclude in a search:

1 Configure the Areas to Search pane to display the appropriate volume, Catalog, or folder.


2 Click each item’s Search column to toggle it to be included or excluded in the search. A check next to an item indicates it will be included in the search. All folders within items are also checked.

Pro Tools searches the selected volumes and displays all files that match File Name or Unique ID in the Candidates list. Link icons indicate if a

Candidate is already linked.

OMF video clips can only be relinked to a session if they have matching Unique IDs.

Single and Multi-File Relinking

The Relink window can be used to relink one missing file at a time, or to relink missing files in batches.

Relinking Individual Missing Files

In some situations, individual files must be relinked one at a time in order to relink the session to the correct file. This is necessary if multiple copies of a media file are online, or whenever you want the most control and flexibility over the relinking process.

To relink a missing file:

1 Configure the Areas to Search pane.

2 Select one item in the Files to Relink list.

3 Click Find All Candidates .

QuickTime video clips can only be relinked to a session by file name and file format

(QuickTime).

To control matching and linking criteria when relinking an individual missing file, use the Find Links button. Find Links is explained in “Relinking Multiple Missing

Files” on page 308.

4 Click the Link icon next to the appropriate

Candidate to which you want to relink. A Link icon next to an item indicates it will be relinked to the item currently selected in the Files to

Relink list.

Link icon, indicating Linked status

5 Click the Link icon next to other Candidates, if you want to relink to additional missing files.

6 Click the Commit Links button.

Find All Candidates, for relinking a selected missing file


Relinking Multiple Missing Files

Using the Find Links button, multiple files can be matched and linked in one procedure.

To relink multiple missing files:

1 Configure Areas to Search. (See “Selecting Areas to Search” on page 306.)

2 Select one or more items in the Files to Relink list. The Find Links button becomes available.

3 Click Find Links .

4 Configure criteria for relinking, if necessary, in the Linking Options dialog:

• By default, Find by Name and ID is enabled.

• To add additional matching criteria, select an option from the Linking Options dialog.

(Modification Date is only applicable to

Catalogs.)

• If Match Duration is enabled, Pro Tools only selects files of the same length or greater .

Link Path column shows the location of the selected candidate. Pro Tools continues searching, matching, and linking for each missing file in the Files to Relink list.

6 To view a candidate for a missing file, select to highlight the missing file. That file’s candidate appears in the Candidates pane, where you can view its information and waveform.

7 If you are not satisfied with the candidate for a particular missing file, you can click Find All

Candidates for the selected file (see “Relinking

Individual Missing Files” on page 307).

Force Relinking Files

If you want to link to a substitute file (for example, if you know a file has the same audio or video but does not have a matching File Name or Unique ID), you can force a relink.

To force relink an audio file, its file format

(WAV, AIFF, or MXF), sample rate and bit depth must match those of the original file.

To force relink a video file, its format (Quick-

Time, Avid, MXF, or OMF) and frame rate must match those of the original file.

Linking options

5 Click OK to continue (or click Cancel to return to the Relink window).

Pro Tools searches for an acceptable candidate for the first missing file (the first item selected in the Files to Relink list). A link icon appears next to each file as Pro Tools finds and links the first acceptable candidate to the missing file. The

To force a relink:


2 Choose Relink Offline from the Browser menu.

3 In the Relink window, select one item in the

Files to Relink list.

4 Navigate in the Areas to Search pane to locate the file you want to relink.

5 Drag the file to the Candidates pane in the

Relink window.

6 Click the Link icon next to the file you dragged to the Candidates pane.

7 Click the Commit Links button.


Committing Links

There is no Undo for relinking. Once a file has been relinked and the session saved, the session always remembers the new link (the original link is forgotten). For this reason, no files are actually relinked until you click Commit Links .

The Automatically Find and Relink option is the only relinking process that does not ask you to verify links before they are committed. If you use this option and are unsatisfied with the results, close the session without saving to prevent the new links from being committed.

To commit links:

1 Use the Relink window to link files as explained in “Single and Multi-File Relinking” on page 307.

2 Click Commit . You are asked to verify committing links.


• Click Yes to commit links.

– or –

• Click No to stop without affecting files.

Relinking and Aliases in Catalogs

Catalogs are collections of “aliases” or “shortcuts” to actual files. If the files are moved, an item in a Catalog can become unlinked from the file it references.

To relink a Catalog:

1 Open the Catalog.

2 Select items to relink.

3 Choose Relink Selected from the Browser menu in that Catalog window.


Workspace Browser

The Workspace browser is your starting point for managing media. The Workspace browser is always available while Pro Tools is running, even if no session is open.

Volume designators Browser name

Menu and toolbar

Search pane

Items List

Search Results

Fixed pane

Show/Hide

Pane split

Scrolling pane

Workspace browser, with the Search pane displayed

Only the Workspace browser lets you do the following:

• Designate volumes as Performance volumes (Playback or Record volumes) or as

Transfer volumes.

• View and access all available volumes

• Unmount volumes

• Create, view, and access Catalogs.

• Search multiple volumes and Catalogs simultaneously.

The Workspace browser is similar to your computer’s desktop, in that it shows all of the mounted local and network volumes. The

Workspace browser has all the common browser elements, including an Items list, View presets, and access to all files. In addition, the Workspace browser provides drive allocation settings, access to catalogs, and the ability to search multiple volumes and catalogs simultaneously.

Opening the Workspace Browser

To open the Workspace browser:

1 Launch Pro Tools.

2 Choose Window > Workspace .

Press Option+; (Mac) or Alt+; (Windows) to open the Workspace browser.


Audio and Video Volume

Designators

The Workspace includes columns for Audio and

Video Volume designators. These two columns display, and let you designate, whether a volume is a Record, Playback, or Transfer volume.

R (Record and Playback) Able to play audio and video files already on the volume, and record new files.

P (Playback Only) Can play audio and video files already on the volume, but cannot have new files recorded to it.

T (Transfer) Can only be used for storing, transferring, or auditioning files, and cannot be used for recording or playback.

If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple drives, and you intend to record multiple tracks simultaneously, you may want to designate the System drive as a Playback only or Transfer only drive for optimal performance.

To change a volume designator:

1 Open the Workspace browser.

2 Click and select the appropriate Audio or

Video designator for the volume.

Mounting and Unmounting

Volumes

The Workspace browser lets you unmount volumes while Pro Tools is running, and shows newly mounted volumes as they come online.

To unmount a volume from within the Workspace browser:

1 Select a volume in the Workspace browser.

2 Choose Unmount Volumes from the Browser menu.

The Workspace browser closes the database file for the selected online volume and removes it from the Workspace browser, and unmounts the disk from the computer.

Pro Tools alerts you if the volume being unmounted has files referenced in the Timeline.

Always use the Unmount command in the

Workspace browser menu to unmount volumes, or quit Pro Tools and then unmount the volume. Do not use any other method to unmount a volume while Pro Tools is running.

Designating a volume in the Workspace


Catalogs in the Workspace

Browser


The Workspace browser provides special tools for creating and accessing Catalogs. Once Catalogs have been created, they appear in the

Workspace browser in the Catalogs folder.

To show all Catalogs:


2 Click the Expand/Collapse icon next to the

Catalogs folder.

in the search, and which to exclude. The Workspace also provides a separate Search Results pane to view, select and manage the results of searches.

Search pane

Areas to search

Viewing Catalogs in the Workspace.

To open an individual Catalog:

Double-clicking a catalog opens a Browser window for that catalog.

For complete instructions on creating and

working with Catalogs, see “Catalogs” on page 315.

Searching in the Workspace

Browser

The Workspace browser provides the most comprehensive DigiBase search capabilities. The

Workspace browser lets you perform searches across a single volumes, multiple volumes, or across any combination of volumes, folders, and

Catalogs. You select which volumes to include

Search results

Search and Search Results panes in the Workspace

The Search Results pane lets you maintain the results of searches, while still viewing and configuring options for additional searches.

To search from the Workspace:

1 Choose Window > Workspace to open the

Workspace browser.

2 Click the Search icon to display the Workspace

Search pane.

3 Configure search criteria.

4 Click next to each item in the Areas to Search list to include or exclude volumes to be searched. Checked items and their sub-folders are included in the search. (The next time you open a Search pane in the Workspace, these settings remain in effect.)

5 Click Search .

6 The results of the search are shown in the

Search Results pane.

For more information on searching, see

“Searching Items” on page 291.


Project Browser

The Project browser displays and manages all the files related to the current session, regardless of what volume they reside on.

Browser menu and toolbar

Folders and files

Figure 1. Project browser

The Project browser is similar to the Region List in that it contains all files associated with a session, with the added data, searching, and sorting capabilities of Pro Tools browsers.

Unlike the Region List, however, individual regions are not displayed in the Project browser

(in which only complete files are listed).

Use the Project browser and its Browser menu commands to:

• View all media files associated with a session

• Identify, select, and relink offline files

• Identify, select, copy, and relink Transfer files

Opening the Project Browser

To open the Project browser:

1 Launch Pro Tools and open a session.


Press Alt+O (Windows) or Option+O (Mac) to open the Workspace browser.

The Project browser displays the following:

Audio Files Folder Contains all of the audio files currently referenced by the session, regardless of where they are located.

Fade Files Folder Contains all of the fade files referenced by the session, regardless of where they are located.

Render Sources Folder Contains all files that have been imported into the session, but are still being converted, copied, or processed.


Video Files Folder Contains any video files referenced by the session.

Each of the folder types in the Project browser has an Expand/Collapse icon. Clicking the icon shows or hides all of the files in the sub-group.

The folders displayed in the Project browser are session-specific groupings of files, not physical folders on disk.

About the Project Browser

No Drag and Drop to the Project

Browser

To import a file from another browser into the current session, you must drag files to the Timeline or Region List. You cannot import a file into a session by dragging it to the Project browser.

(You can, however, spot files from the Project browser into the current session using drag/drop.)

Locating Parent Files of Regions

The Project Browser can be set to automatically highlight the parent file of any region selected in the Pro Tools Region List.

To highlight the parent file of a selected region:

1 Select a region in the Region List. If the Region

List Selection Follows Track Selection preference is enabled, you can select a region on a track.

2 From the Region List menu, select Select Parent in Project Browser .

When the Select Parent in Project Browser option is enabled, the Project browser automatically highlights the parent file of any file or region selected in the Region List.

Deleting Items in the Project Browser

Deleting items in the Workspace browser or in

Volume browsers deletes the files from disk.

Video and session files cannot be deleted in the

Project Browser.

Deleting an item from the Project browser lets you remove items from the current session, or delete them from disk (using the Pro Tools Clear

Regions dialog).

Copy and Relink Restrictions

In the Project Browser, the Copy and Relink command (in the Browser menu) cannot be used on session files, or on offline audio files. Use the

Relink window to first bring items online. In addition, the Relink Selected command cannot be used on session files.

Updating the Project Browser

The Project browser is automatically updated whenever a file is added to or deleted from the session, so it is always fully indexed and up to date.

For instructions on searching, sorting, and

working with the Project Browser, see “Project Browser” on page 313.


Catalogs


While Volume browsers are designed to be an accurate representation of the file structure on a given volume, Catalogs are similar to having a Favorites folder, and serve as a way to collect and organize frequently used items regardless of where they are stored. A Catalog is analogous to a folder full of aliases or shortcuts. Placing a file in a Catalog does not create a copy of the file, and does not change where the file is stored. Rather, it stores a reference (or alias) to the file so that it can be found and manipulated without having to search for its physical location.

Catalog name

Menu and toolbar

Items List

Catalog browser

Fixed pane

Show/Hide

Pane split

Scrolling pane


Opening a Catalog Browser

Catalogs are displayed in the Workspace browser.

If the Clip Name is longer than 32 characters,

Pro Tools truncates the name automatically when imported into the session.

Catalogs item in the Workspace

To open a Catalog browser:


2 Click the Catalogs Expand/Collapse icon.


• Click the Expand/Collapse icon for the Catalog to view its contents in the Workspace.

– or –

• Double-click the Catalog name to open it in its own browser window.

Clip Names in Catalogs

Clip Names are the names that appear in the

Timeline and Region List when a file is imported into a session.

For most files, the Clip name is the same as the file name. For OMF Files, the Clip Name is the name that appears in the Avid bin.

Clip names can only be edited in a Catalog. Editing the Clip name does not affect the actual file; however, if you add the same file to a new

Catalog, it retains its original Clip Name. When you drag a file from a Catalog into a session, the edited Clip Name is what appears in the Timeline and Region List.

Comments and Catalogs

Catalogs provide commands for managing OS 9

Finder comments, Database comments, and

Clip Names.

Database Comments in a Catalog are stored in the Catalog database. Database Comments, which can be up to 256 characters in length, are searchable, cross-platform, and editable.

Copy OS 9 Finder Comment to Database Comments (Mac Only) Copies an item’s OS 9 Finder comments to its Database comments.

OS 9 Finder comments (from the OS 9 Get

Info window) are not supported in OS X Get

Info windows. Use the Copy OS 9 Finder

Comment to Database Comments command to utilize any OS 9 Finder comments stored with your media.

Copy OS X Finder Comment to Database Comments (Mac Only) Copies an item’s OS X Finder comments to its Database comments.

Copy Database Comments to Clip Names Copies an item’s Database comments to Clip Name.

Copy File Comments to Clip Names Copies an item’s File Comments to Clip Name.

Creating Catalogs

Catalogs can be added to the Workspace as new, empty Catalogs, or you can select items first and then save a Catalog of all selected items.


To create a new, empty Catalog:


2 Choose New Catalog from the browser menu.

3 Type a unique name and click OK .

To catalog a selection of items:

1 Open any browser (including an existing Catalog).

2 Select the items you want to include in the new Catalog.

3 Choose Create Catalog from Selection from the

Browser menu.

A new, fully indexed Catalog database of the selected items is created.

Creating Catalogs of Folders

To create a Catalog of an entire folder and all its contents:

1 Open the Workspace browser, if not already open.

2 Drag and drop a single folder onto the Catalog icon in the Workspace browser.

Pro Tools first indexes the folder, then a fully indexed Catalog is created, with the same name as the dropped folder.

Modifying Catalogs

To add items to a Catalog, do one of the following:

Open the Catalog and drop new items from another browser.

– or –

Click the main Catalogs icon in the Workspace, to expand your view of all existing Catalogs, then drop items onto any Catalog.

To add a folder to a Catalog:

1 Open the Catalog.

2 Choose Create Folder from the Browser menu.

To delete items from a Catalog:

1 Select the items.

2 Press the Delete key, or choose Delete Selected from the Browser menu. A warning dialog appears.

3 In the warning dialog, do one of the following:

• Click Cancel to cancel the delete operation.

• Click Delete Files to delete aliases and associated files from disk.

• Click Delete Aliases to delete only the aliases and not the associated files.

This operation cannot be undone.

Renaming a Catalog

Catalogs can be renamed at any time.

To rename a Catalog:

1 Click the Catalog item in the Workspace browser until its name highlights.

2 Type a new name for the Catalog.

Consolidating Files with Catalogs

Catalogs are excellent tools for consolidating files from a variety of sources.

For example, create a Catalog named “Thumps” and fill it with sound effects from three different volumes. You can then drag the Catalog from the Workspace browser to another volume, and a folder named “Thumps” is created on that vol-


ume. All of the files referenced by the Catalog are automatically copied to the volume. Folders and sub-folders, if any, and their contents are included in the copy.

Updating Catalogs

Since a Catalog database is not linked to any particular volume, there is a limit to the abilities of the Update Index command. When Update Database for Selected is selected from the Browser menu in a Catalog, Pro Tools searches for the items represented by the aliases in the Catalog and updates the following information:

Metadata Metadata for all files found online, including File comments, are updated.

Database Comments Database Comments are not updated, because they are unique to each

Catalog and are not part of the file’s metadata.

3 In the warning dialog, do one of the following:

• Click Cancel to cancel the delete operation.

• Click Delete Files to delete aliases and associated files from disk.

• Click Delete Aliases to delete only the aliases and not the associated files.

This operation cannot be undone.

Importing Catalog Items

You can import online and offline items from

Catalogs into the current session.

Relinking Catalog Items

If files are ever missing from a Catalog, use the

Relink window to locate, copy, and relink files.

For more information, see “Linking and Relinking Files” on page 302.

Deleting Catalogs

To delete a Catalog:

1 Select one or more Catalogs in the Workspace browser.

2 Press the Delete key, or choose Delete Selected from the Browser menu. A warning dialog appears.

Importing Online Items from a Catalog

Dragging and dropping audio files to the

Pro Tools Region List and Timeline is identical to dragging and dropping from Volume browsers.

For more information, see “Importing Files with Drag and Drop” on page 328.

Importing Offline Items from a Catalog

With Catalogs, it is possible to search and import files that are offline. For example, if you have a music cue that you know you want to use, but it resides on a CD-ROM or other unmounted volume, you can spot the file from a

Catalog to the session Timeline, and it is automatically imported into the session when the volume is mounted.

The first step is to add files to a Catalog (files must be online to be added to a Catalog). Once added to a Catalog, if the items are taken offline they are listed in italicized text.

Offline files can be dropped from a Catalog to the Timeline just like online files. When you drop the files, a dialog appears asking if you want to relink the files or skip relinking. Click


Skip All to load all the items as offline files (in the

Timeline, their regions appear in light blue). In the Project browser, these items are listed in the

Render Sources folder, to ensure that Pro Tools remembers that these items need to be relinked.

Whenever the volume containing the offline items is mounted, Pro Tools automatically starts to import the files, in the background. This is true even if you have saved the session, quit, and relaunched Pro Tools.

Once the items are completely imported, they appear as online items in the Timeline, Region

List, and in the Project browser.

If the offline items match the session sample rate, bit depth, and file format, no conversion is necessary. As long as the volume is playable, the items become playable in the session as soon as the volume is mounted.

If the volume is unsuitable for playback, you are informed that some items must be copied to suitable volumes first.

For more information on Transfer files,

missing files, and relinking, see “Relink

Window” on page 305.

The Task window lets you monitor, pause and cancel ongoing tasks including file copying, fade creation and indexing.

You cannot drag and drop items to or from the Task window.

Opening the Task Window

To open the Task Window:

In Pro Tools, choose Window > Task Manager .

Press Option+’ (Mac) or Alt+’ (Windows) to open the Workspace browser.

Task Window Messages

If any background task cannot be successfully completed, the Task window comes to the foreground to notify you. The incomplete task is shown in the Paused Tasks pane of the Task window.

Because the Task window is a floating window, it does not interrupt current work. This allows you to continue recording and editing, and postpone file management until a more convenient time.

Task Window

For maximum performance and flexibility with file management tasks, Pro Tools provides the

Task window. File management with Pro Tools involves nearly constant creating, copying, converting, processing, searching, and indexing files. These tasks occur in the background, letting you continue recording, editing, and mixing without delay.

Task Window Views

The Task window provides a maximized and minimized view.


View Toggle (Maximize/Minimize)

Status

Active Tasks

Paused Tasks

Task window, maximum view

To toggle between maximized and minimized views:

Click the View Toggle icon in the top of the

Task window.

Task window, minimum view

Task Window Tools, Columns, and

Displays

The Task window menu provides commands for

Task window operations.

The following data is always displayed in the

Task window (both views):

Item Name Indicates affected item, whether a file, database, or other supported item.

Status Action being taken (for example, copying, processing, indexing and so on).

Progress Indicates the progress of the task or its sub-tasks, which include assessing the size of the items and the estimated amount of time necessary to complete the task.

Progress Indicator Indicates processing is ongoing.

Quantification Shows percentage of progress of the current task.

Active Tasks Pane

The upper Active Tasks pane shows the tasks that are in progress or waiting to start. The currently executing task is at the top. Tasks in this pane will be processed.

As tasks complete, they disappear from the queue.

Any task that fails to complete successfully is moved to the Paused Tasks pane (see below).

The Status column displays a description of the failure.


Paused Tasks Pane

The Paused Tasks pane is displayed below the

Active Tasks pane, and is separated by a moveable horizontal divider. Tasks listed in this pane will not be processed until they are moved back to the Active Tasks pane.

Pausing and Cancelling Tasks

The Task window lets you pause, resume, and cancel tasks.

To pause a task:

Drag the appropriate task from the Active

Tasks pane to the Paused Tasks pane.

The task moves to the top of the Paused Tasks pane.

To pause all tasks:

Choose Pause All from the Task window menu.

To resume a task:

Drag a task from the Paused Tasks pane to the

Active Tasks pane. The task returns to its previous position in the queue.

To resume all paused tasks:

Select Resume All from the Task window menu. All tasks in the Paused Tasks pane (except failed tasks) are moved to the Active Tasks pane.

To cancel a task:

1 Highlight any task in either pane of the Task window.

2 Press Delete to remove it from the Task window.

To cancel all tasks:

1 Select any single task in either pane.

2 Press Command+A (Mac) Control+A (Windows) to select all the tasks in that pane.

3 Press Delete.

This command cannot be undone.

About Cancelling Tasks

Some tasks involve one or more sub-tasks. Deleting a task cannot undo sub-tasks already completed. For example, if importing and converting multiple files appears as a single task, deleting that task before it is completed stops the import and conversion process, but files already converted and imported remain on disk. If you want to cancel a task involving multiple sub-tasks, you can instead let the process complete and then use Undo to completely undo all sub-tasks, as available.

Closing Sessions with Pending

Tasks

If you close a session or quit Pro Tools while tasks are still pending (either in the Active or

Paused Tasks panes of the Task window)

Pro Tools asks if you want to cancel, or complete the pending tasks. You can choose to open the

Task window and wait for pending tasks to complete, cancel the pending tasks, or quit. If you quit, some tasks are cancelled. Tasks that involve file copies are remembered and restarted when you relaunch Pro Tools.


About Failed Tasks

The Paused Tasks pane shows any tasks that could not be completed. The reason for the failure is shown in the Status column.

Failed Tasks cannot be resumed, and must be deleted manually from the Paused Tasks pane.

If Automatically Find and Relink was unable to find all files in a session, a failed task is placed in the

Paused Tasks pane of the Task window. It remains there unless you manually remove it from the Task window (even if you have since found the files through a subsequent search and relink task).

Task Prioritization

A task that is in progress may be interrupted by a task of higher priority. When this happens, the partially completed task is halted and rescheduled later in the queue, and shown with a progress bar in the Active Tasks pane. When the higher priority task is finished the first incomplete task in the queue resumes.

Tips for Using the Task Window

Pause Tasks During Playback

A global preference Pause During Playback is provided in the Task window Browser menu. When enabled, Active Tasks are paused whenever

Pro Tools is playing (or recording). This setting is especially useful when working on slower

CPUs, or whenever you want to minimize system load for maximum playback and recording performance. This preference maintains its setting until the next time it is changed.

Stored Tasks

Any task that imports files into a session is stored with a session when it is closed, and resumes when the session is re-opened.

For example, if you Import Session Data with

Copy From Source Media selected, then Save and

Close the session before the copy completes, the copy tasks resume when the session is reopened.

Grouped Tasks

Some tasks consist of many smaller tasks. For instance, Copy and Relink may require hundreds of individual files to be copied. To help manage these tasks, they are grouped under the originating command. So in the example of a Copy and

Relink command, one copy task would appear with an Expand/Collapse icon in the Task window. Clicking the icon shows each of the individual sub-tasks.

If there is more than one grouped task in the queue, all of the sub-tasks for the first group must be completed before the sub-tasks of the second group can be processed.

If the session is saved and closed while several of these group tasks are in the queue, and if those tasks are the type that can be interrupted and saved when closing the session, all of the tasks reappear as part of the same group when the session is reopened.


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