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Pro Tools Import Session Data
Did you ever wish you could move information between two or more sessions quickly, without the hassle of bouncing down, exporting, and then re-importing audio into another session? Maybe you have a cool idea or performance in one session and want to incorporate that idea (or some of it’s elements) into another session. Or maybe you worked really hard on a mix and want to apply those same mix settings to another song. Well today is your lucky day. This week at the Pro Tools Corner I will introduce you to a very powerful function called Import Session Data. Import Session Data allows users to easily move elements between sessions while maintaining perfect timeline sync, automation data, plug-in settings, I/O routing and so much more.
Importing Session Data
Essentially Pro Tools sessions are a collection of tracks, containing information about region placement, i/o routing, plug-ins, automation data, etc. The Pro Tools import session data command allows user’s to easily import track elements from an existing session into the currently opened session. For example, if I had an instrument track with a MIDI drum performance in one session and I wanted to use that same drum beat and instrument set-up in another session, I could use import session data to bring that drum track (midi data, plug-in settings, and all) into my target session. Basically important session data, opens and reads the track list from an existing (source) session and allows the user to bring in any number of elements of that session into your currently opened (target) session.
To Import Session Data
- With a session open choose File > Import > Session Data or Opt+Shift+I (mac) Alt+Shift+I (pc).
- From the file browser, navigate to the existing session file you wish to import from.
- Configure the import session data dialog, choosing which tracks and elements you wish to import.
Import Session Data Dialog
The import session data dialog is divided into multiple sections and the options available are dependent on the version of Pro Tools you are running. HD systems (and LE systems with the DV Toolkit 2) have extra options available within the dialog.
Source Properties: Displays information pertaining to the session you are importing from. Use this information to determine if any time offsets or sample rate conversions will be necessary when importing from the source session.
Time Offsets: This allows the user to set region placement and relative offsets in the target session. Generally these options can be ignored in music production workflows, unless you are looking to offset the imported tracks by a specific number of measures (or minutes). In post production workflows the time code mapping and track offset options can be used to compensate for start time discrepancies between the source and target sessions.
Media Import Options: This section determines whether or not audio/video media will be linked to, copied, or consolidated from the source session. It is generally advisable to copy or consolidate from source media, as this will create new copies of the audio/video media in the target session’s audio file folder. Choosing copy will copy all media pertaining to the selected tracks, while consolidate will only copy what is needed with a user definable “handle.” For example, if you were to import a guitar track from the source session and that guitar track had 2 minutes of guitar audio that had been edited down to 20 seconds, choosing copy would bring the whole 2 minutes, while choosing consolidate would only bring the necessary 20 seconds with a small handle on each side. Handle size only applies to “consolidated” media.
Linking to source media will not copy media from the source session and the target session will simply reference the existing media from the source media. Linking is not possible (and will be grayed out) when the source session has a different sample rate, bit depth or file format then the target session.
Sample Rate Conversion: If the source session has a different sample rate then the target session, sample rate conversion will be configured and applied automatically. Users generally do not need to modify these settings. Modifying these settings when sample rate conversion is un-necessary can create speed issues with your audio and is not recommended unless speed correction (used in post production workflows) is your goal.
Tracks to Import: The center section of the dialog displays all of the tracks from the source session. Choose “New Track” to import a specific track into your current session, or select and existing track in your session if you wish to replace any of that tracks elements with elements from the source session. For example, if I have a bass track in my target session that I want to replace with a bass track from my source session, I can match the tracks names from the list to overlay data from the source session.
Playlist Options: Determines how the source session’s audio media will be imported into the target session. Choosing “Do not import” will ignore any audio media from the source session and just bring in the empty track minus its audio regions.
Session Data to Import (Pro Tools HD or DV Toolkit 2): Determines what elements of the selected tracks will be imported. By “matching” tracks from the source and destination in the track list, user’s can import specific track elements like plug-in settings and send assignments without importing audio region data, allowing you to “cast” a mix of one session onto another. Users can also choose whether or not to import the tempo/meter map, key signature, markers/memory locations, window configurations and mic pre settings (when using the Digidesign PRE mic pre-amp).
Basic Example
To illustrate the import process, I will go over a simple example of importing a drum track from an existing session, “Session B” into the opened session, “Session A.”
First, with the Session A opened. I choose File > Import > Session Data
After navigating to and selecting the Session B file (the session I wish to import from), I click open.
The Import Session Data dialog now appears showing me a list of tracks and import options from Session B.
After selecting the drum track from the tracks list, I can click OK.
The drum track now appears in my target session (Session A) exactly how it was set up inside of my source session (Session B).
Tips:
- Create empty session “templates” containing your favorite virtual instruments, plug-ins, and effects returns, or whatever you want. Use import session data to bring in elements from these templates as needed during your workflow. If you take the time to create a set of templates, you can greatly reduce the time it takes to set-up complex routing schemes for multi-out instruments like BFD, or Battery.
- Using the “data to import” section to import mix settings from one session to another. This can help reduce the time it takes to mix album projects and help maintain a coherent sound for common elements (drums, bass, vocals, etc) across a set of mixes. Make sure to remove any automation data that may have been imported from the source session.
- Use import session data to consolidate tracks from multiple sessions into one master session. For example, post production teams working on different scenes or different elements (dialog, music, sound effects, etc) can use import session data to combine many smaller sessions into one master session for final mixdown.
- Use import session data to bring in commonly used window configurations from a template session.
Pro Tools Tid Bits
- Digidesign recently announce their new RMS studio monitor line. The monitors are scheduled to ship in May and will be offered in a two-way 5.5” and 6.7” configuration.
- Native Instruments released universal binaries for Spektral Delay and Vokator.
If you have a Pro Tools related question that you would like me to take a shot at answering or have any feedback, please send it to brian@audioMIDI.com. I will do my best to select the questions that seem to stump the most people.
As always, stay tuned to the audioMIDI.com eNews for the latest reviews and new product info.
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