protools session copy issue

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gravitykills

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if you have a session burned to a data DVD - on a mac - and simply make a straight data DVD copy of it on a PC, is there any reason that the data would change? ie., would the new DVD become unreadable in protools?
 
and please note: the copy of the data DVD made on PC was just a straight DVD burn, didn't open a session or anything. thanks.
 
no
if you burn session/audio/fade files all to a DVD it should open up fine on any computer.
 
thanks. to veryfy and assure . . .

OK, just want to make sure though, that the issue, were there to be one, would be the fact that the original data DVD was saved on a mac, then the backup data DVD - identical, obviously, as far as i know - was burned on my PC.

you're saying that it doesn't matter, that a straight burn of a Data DVD with all the files should still work fine when reopened in protools? i'm pretty sure that the original session DVD was faulty, but i need to make sure there aren't any cross-platform data morph issues when copying data.

thanks.
 
you just need to make sure the session was saved with Mac/PC compatibility enforced. This is an option available when you first create the session. Otherwise you need to do a Save Session Copy In...and choose Mac/PC compatibility.
 
and a bit more . . .

hey benny. again, thanks.

so, if it was saved in cross mac/pc compatibility, then making a burn of the DVD without even opening a session in a PC would be cool?

but, you're saying that if the original session was saved as a mac only session, then the backup disc copied on a PC (again, remember that the copy was not made with protools open, just copied with a standard DVD copying program) would not open in a mac?

it sounds confusing, but the discs i copied and sent out to LA to be mixed aren't working, and i need to know if the original ones that i still possess will be any different than the ones i had copied and sent off. seems to me that since i just made a straight copy using a DVD copying program, that it would be identical, bit for bit, to the DVDs that the first engineer made for me, regardless of how it was originally saved. but if there is any way that the method i used to copy it could have changed anything, that's what i need to know . . .
 
the reason I stated the Mac/PC compatibility option is if you were trying to OPEN the files on a PC. But it looks like the original session was created on a Mac, and you're trying to burn it on a PC so that it's read for a Mac. The Mac/PC option doesn't have anything to do with that.

I'm not sure why the other files aren't opening at the studio...burning them on a PC to DVD should not make any difference. It could be one of the files was corrupt or something, maybe.

Just double check the size of the files when you add them to the DVD to verify they are the same as the originals. Also make sure you include the session file, fade files, and audio files. Are they getting an error message when trying to open them? Do you know what the error message is?
 
the sizes of all the files were all identical and all of the specific files you mentioned were included. apparantly, the wave files were opening up, but the audio files, although the right size, were not reading - showing up as "unix executable files" on his mac:

. . . the ProTools Sessions and the audio files were all tagged as Unix
Executable Files.

so verdict it in that somewhere in the original save to multiple DVD's, the original engineer comprimised the files and we'll have to go back and upload the sessions directly to a hard drive? have you yourself ever tried saving a large session to multiple data DVD's (much too big for a single DVD)? the band's drummer mentioned that it may have had something to do with it trying to break the session up and compressing the files, but i'd be interested to know if the multiple DVD route is even a valid possibility.
 
from Digidesign about that error:

This more than likely has something to do the with formatting of the drive that was used for the audio and Pro Tools sessions. Unless a file name has an extension at the end of the name to identify the type of file, these files become orphaned from their creator applications on Windows file sharing (or a Unix or DOS formatted drive). These undescribed files are generically labeled "unix executable file".

www.publicspace.net/ABetterFinderCreatorsAndTypes/index.html
Assist in renaming. Use at your own risk.


with regards to splitting up the session, there should be no problem there either. If a file compression won't work on the entire session then either a hard drive or multiple DVDs will have to be the answer. Separating the files from each other doesn't do anything unless you try and open the session without them being in their correct folders. All the regions in Pro Tools are saved with the session file itself. Regions are just pointers to the original audio files which are saved in the audio files folder. If you separate the audio files and Pro Tools can't find them, the regions are left blank in the session and the link to the audio files is considered broken. Searching for them in the task window again or replacing them back in the correct folder will relink them. But these files have to be the same sample rate, length, file size...everything in order to work properly.

So in short, no...breaking up the session into multiple DVDs won't do anything. All you're doing is just moving data around. It just might get confusing if you have files strewn about all over the place.
 
*poof* just like that, you make the problem disappear

thank you benny. i think that solves it. i'll be providing the link to this thread to all involved. check your private box. i'm going to send you a link to the music this is all about . . .
 
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