Collaboration via email

Seems like this thread has ceased to be of interest to the OP, and of insufficient interest to others to bother to read much more than the first post... (I still dislike Mondays ;))
 
My collaborator have worked remotely for years now. The important thing is to make sure that you work in identically set out folders. So as we both use Cubase, have the same samples and same gizmos, we starts off in a folder called butterflies (to use one in prep now) Inside this folder is the cubase files, actually all with sequential numbering, so he sticks into dropbox the entire folder = a cubase .cpr file called butterflies1 and in the audio sub-folder will be the files in use, plus the numerous not in use files - but the entire thing. I then download the folder from drop box to my machine and open it. If it's a small change, the file name gets updated to butterflies1a and then the entire folder is put back into drop box - even if no new audio files have been added, just a simple eq change in bar 51 or something tiny. We got confused when we started just adding or changing bits of a project. It's difficult to know when a small change has created other new files, so maybe you actually accidentally recorded 2s of blank audio file, then saved the track, but didn't notice? when he loads it there will be a file missing message and you waste time finding it. So we both download the entire folder, then delete it from drop box. when we finish, we stick the entire folder back. Sure this takes time, but since we've always done the entire folders, it's been completely reliable.
 
No, I just opened the Dropbox account and I've been watching videos today of how to use it. And when I open Dropbox, it doesn't look like the page in the vids. Oh boy!
 
windows 10 and chrome. I add the file but I'm told my friend can't edit unless it's a folder instead of a file!! I hate being so inept.
 
Confused? Dropbox gives you the option to set if they can read, or edit the files in the folder - how about using iCloud storage - that works fine too. Dropbox is sometimes a bit clever for it's own good. The critical thing is simply making sure your storage location has exactly the same hierarchical structure.
 
windows 10 and chrome. I add the file but I'm told my friend can't edit unless it's a folder instead of a file!! I hate being so inept.
When you hover over the file you want to share in Dropbox, there's a Share "button" to the right. Click on that, and then at the bottom of the dialog that pops up, click on Create a Link , and when it says the link is created, in the same place in that dialog, click on Copy Link.

Once you've done that, you can go to the email you are sending, or a Quick Reply window here, and Paste (Ctrl-V) the URL into the email/text area.

It would be useful for someone here to see what you have been trying to share!
 
So how can I share it here?

I added a file to DB but it said that my friend couldn't edit unless it's a folder. So, in DB, I created a new folder then put the file in it. When I put his email in the contact box, it said that he could edit. He's working 16 today, so he won't see it until Tuesday afternoon, at the earliest.
 
You share a folder the same way you share a file, as I described in my post. Once the link is created and copied to the clipboard, you can paste it into a reply here.
 
I will pay someone for a damn chart, i.e, record a couple of track, render as blah blah, send file like this blah blah

This is a pain in the ass.
 
I will pay someone for a damn chart, i.e, record a couple of track, render as blah blah, send file like this blah blah

This is a pain in the ass.
I did that. Can't help you with getting the zip file to Dropbox, but your friend doesn't need to edit it on there. He needs to download it, unzip it, do what he wants with it, then follow the same steps to send a new copy of the whole thing back to you. Trying to share a folder and maintain version control and whatever is making it harder than it is. You can delete old versions on either end as you see fit. This makes it a "turn based game", but it's a hell of a lot easier.
 
I was trying to do it without do the zip file thing. But if that's what I have to do. This is really destroying my enthusiasm
 
I was trying to do it without do the zip file thing. But if that's what I have to do. This is really destroying my enthusiasm

You don't have to zip the folder unless it is bigger than your allowed drop box limit. It will just take longer to upload/download.
 
You don't have to zip the folder unless it is bigger than your allowed drop box limit. It will just take longer to upload/download.
If you don't zip the folder, you have to make sure to upload and download everything that's in the folder and maintain the same structure that appears on your own computer.

The main point being that you need the .rpp and all of the .wav files that it references, and those .wavs need to be where Reaper expects to find them relative to the .rpp.
 
If you don't zip the folder, you have to make sure to upload and download everything that's in the folder and maintain the same structure that appears on your own computer.

The main point being that you need the .rpp and all of the .wav files that it references, and those .wavs need to be where Reaper expects to find them relative to the .rpp.

I think that was what MJB was saying. Just that the folder doesn't need to be zipped as such.

The main point that you and others have said is that the OP and collaborator need to work out between themselves a protocol.

Putting RRP and WAV files for a project all in the one folder, then popping that whole folder into Dropbox or Google Drive for the other person to drag out is one such protocol, and is not hard to organise. Making sure that each has a common set of plug-ins is maybe a bit more of a challenge.
 
I think that was what MJB was saying. Just that the folder doesn't need to be zipped as such.

The main point that you and others have said is that the OP and collaborator need to work out between themselves a protocol.

Putting RRP and WAV files for a project all in the one folder, then popping that whole folder into Dropbox or Google Drive for the other person to drag out is one such protocol, and is not hard to organise. Making sure that each has a common set of plug-ins is maybe a bit more of a challenge.

Exactly ^^^ If all your project files are in the folder (which they will be if start the project out by creating a folder and saving to it), you're good to go that way. As to plug-ins. start with the ones Reaper gives you. The ReaEq and ReaVerb are both well-featured (make sure you all have the same IR files).
 
Exactly ^^^ If all your project files are in the folder (which they will be if start the project out by creating a folder and saving to it), you're good to go that way.
Right, but I just want to reiterate that by "project files", we mean the .rpp Reaper Project AND the media files which are probably .wav, but also might include the orignal .mp3. It does NOT have to entail rendering anything at all as long as everybody has access to everything in that folder.

But also, if you DIDN'T first save the file to its own folder before recording things, the media files will be in the Reaper Audio folder or whatever, and the easiest way to get everything you need into one folder at that point is by Save As with Copy Media checked.
...make sure you all have the same IR files...
There is an option somewhere to include those IR files in the Save As procedure so that it actually is just in the project folder with everything else, but I don't remember for sure where to find it.
 
You're all giving good info but this stuff is too complicated. Too many options. We're going to swap thumb drives until I get this figured out. And, I'm sure that will have it's own set of complexities.

And why, when I do "save as," do I see like fifty different files for like five tracks instead of a single folder? I deleted over 3K files because they were so unorganized. I watched some of the K G tutorial vids but my files are still a cluttered mess.
 
You're all giving good info but this stuff is too complicated. Too many options. We're going to swap thumb drives until I get this figured out. And, I'm sure that will have it's own set of complexities.
Getting it off of your machine onto the thumbdrive and vice versa entails about the exact same procedure as if you wanted to upload, except for the specifics of uploading to the site you choose. That part is replaced by the logistics of actually getting the physical media back and forth.
And why, when I do "save as," do I see like fifty different files for like five tracks instead of a single folder?
There's the project file itself. If you have automatic backups set up you will also have a file for every time you ever saved the project. Especially if you also have Autosave on, that can end up being quite a few files. There will be at least one .wav for each track you've recorded, but if you recorded over anything there's often a new file for each take. Then there's the peak files which tell reaper how to display the waveforms on the screen. That does start to add up, but most of those files don't actually take much space so shouldn't make that much difference.

Actually, I guess the backup files shouldn't copy if you do the Save As to a new folder. You could turn off autosave and/or automatic backup if you don't think you need them.

The peaks files will be rebuilt automatically if they don't exist, so you could delete them without hurting anything, but they don't take much space.

If you're worried about the total size of the folder you're sending back and forth, the thing to do is delete unused audio files from the project itself. If you do have multiple takes on a given track, but don't need them, you need to get rid of them. Depending on what you've actually done, you can usually just select all the items in the project and then "Crop to Active Take" before you do the Save As. If you were doing loop recording, though, the multiple takes which appear "stacked" on the timeline are actually referenced to one long file, and even if you crop to one take, that one still references the whole long file, and so Save As will copy that whole long file. In that specific case, you might want to Glue the items which will make a smaller file just for that one take and then the longer file won't be referenced and therefor won't be copied.
 
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