I can't recommend DP to others although I love it myself

[Timeline]

I don't think any of us want to have to zip our files.

I've been doing work with an artist for about a month now and he's been sending me stuff from his PT 002 mixer and it sounds great. I have given him my site address and he uses fetch and drops the files in. That simple.

The problem is when I want to send him back an aiff file. He either has to convert it on his end from a zip file or i have to bounce to disk and I really don't want to have to do that.

If we had universal formats and could hook up without conversions, I would consider that a professional format but as it is...

With my friend Phil, I certainly would not recommend going through that on his important files, so DP has to be ruled out.

Believe me, I would be the first to recommend DP if it had at least AIFF recording.

[James Steele]

SDII files become totally corrupted when they are transferred via the internet and this is totally unworkable.

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but simply use the "Create Archive..." command in the File menu of the OS X Finder. It makes a .zip archive which retains everything when it is unzipped on the other end. I archive entire project folders before FTP'ing it over to my friend Jim Watson who cuts drums on it.

[grimepoch]

THANK YOU for this heads up! We're creating a sort of local collaboration server for those that work with DP, and I wasn't aware of this limitation. We were going to just build a linux file server, but that seems to be an iffy thing to do. Guess I'll have to look at the Xserves then.

[James Steele]

I don't think any of us want to have to zip our files.

It really doesn't take much time at all on a faster Mac and it's built into the OS so no mucking about with third party utilities, etc. Seems like a minor inconvenience in order to use DP.

[grimepoch]

Hehe, I can't help but laugh a little at the usage decision between DP and protools hinging on the zipping of a file



Now granted, I hate extra steps, but it still makes me smile. I am more worried that I didn't know about it, but then, hey, just another example of what makes this board great! Helpfull information.

[Timeline]

It's also about conversion at either end. The fact that you have an extra step is an added inconvenience. Haven't you ever sent a DP file only to realize you forgot to zip it. oops.

Some say conversions don't change sound and I feel they do. Bounce to disk is way improved over the the old audio engine days but also an added process. The simplicity of grabbing files from the audio folder and dropping in fetch and knowing it's exactly as it was recorded is a confidence we need IMO. It's always good to laugh though. Enjoy.

Thanks for your reply.

[giles117]

I have had wavs and aiff screw up when emailed. I zip all my files before emailing.

Regardless of what my needs are......(raw audio folder)

[grimepoch]

The ability of a conversion to change a sound will certainly depend of the conversion for sure. I mean, zip is not going to change your sound, it is 100% non-destructive, not sure if that is what you meant.

As far as AIFF,SDII or WAV, I feel comfortable moving between those file formats. They are non-compressed and as long as I retain the same SR and BR, I've never heard a difference. If you are hearing a difference, then something is actually wrong. Something is touching something they shouldn't.

If zip is changing something, that's even more serious, because I know for sure it shouldn't. It absolutely has to retain the exactness of the file, or binaries wouldn't work anymore uncompressed.

[emulatorloo]

I have had wavs and aiff screw up when emailed. I zip all my files before emailing.

Regardless of what my needs are......(raw audio folder)

Agreed -- I have had the same issues w mailing multiple graphic and video files and even MS Word files -- so now if I am sending multiple files to someone, no matter the file type, I zip them. And as James pointed out, zip archiving is built into OS X.

No Big Deal

[Timeline]

I tried to move SDII several times recently. Once to ProTools and several times to Nuendo. In both cases SDII sounded different in those applications. Maybe it was the application engine or hardware, I don't know.

When I take an AIFF file into DP it coverts but sounds great to me. Why? Maybe the fact that I never heard the original AIFF prior to internet feed may have some bearing on it but I'm not sure. I just know I liked the DP converted file better than going out the other way. One thing for sure though, it was much easier to pull in an aiff. It just works with no messing about.

If DP users don't feel it's important to question formats then it will likely stay the way it is. If you challenge current corporate mentality at MOTU it likely won't change anyway so maybe your all right and I'm barking up a tree here. Leave well enough alone.

Phil Collen has played on about 10 different songs for me over the last 3 years and every time i get his files, I have to jump through hoops to sync them and get them back in order the way he played them. The files come in raw as complete sessions in protools un-merged. I have had to buy LE to straighten them out.

His system is OS9 based SDII and not modern at all. ANY DAW producing AIFF would be better than what he is using currently as far as getting the files out. AIFF is now pretty much the standard for ALL DAWs and I'm seeing good compatibility between PT and MOTU, Nuendo when coming in in this format. Have not tried Logic yet.

Recently when have had to send files back the other way, it's much harder.

Time stamps I noticed were commented on on the main forum recently. That's another point I forgot to mention. Sometimes you just need to move a few files and not an entire session. Broadcast wave would be a help with that but it's also likely never to end up in DP.

Nuendo allows for all the formats as recordable. Is this upgrade to DP really so hard to accomplish?

As far as compatibility, maybe DP5 is being upgraded, would MOTU even tell us? I think not but one can hope.
Added: I agree the container does not effect sound.

[James Steele]

Whatever works best for you. I know if you have a workflow you use then fine... especially if you don't want to have someone go through "extra steps." To my mind zipping and unzipping isn't much work, but everyone has a different threshold of what they consider inconvenient. Seems like both working on the same platform might only make things easier.

[giles117]

anything I import into PT always spounds different. Thinner.

Whether it's wave aiff or sdII

[grimepoch]

anything I import into PT always spounds different. Thinner.

Whether it's wave aiff or sdII

What's funny about that statment is I hear the reverse sometimes too. Now, I don't have PT, and my use of it has been at a friends studio so I can't really compare it, I believe he has HD1, and we have totally different environments.

I've come to accept, getting the thick beautiful sound you want out of DP, PT or Logic involves understanding and experimentation of the tool. They all work a little differenty. Dumping your tracks out the master fader and saying "TOOL B sounds so much better" isn't necessarily true (And this statement isn't meant for any comments in this topic, just in general). But we all know, many people just want to hit a button and perfection!

One of my favorite jokes about one of the keyboardists I play with is at live shows, he plays the spacebar (To start the pre-recorded part of the material in DP).

[Timeline]

Whatever works best for you. I know if you have a workflow you use then fine... especially if you don't want to have someone go through "extra steps." To my mind zipping and unzipping isn't much work, but everyone has a different threshold of what they consider inconvenient. Seems like both working on the same platform might only make things easier.

I agree with that James. Maybe if he did more daw'ing it would be no biggie.

Many players choose engineers for this reason and end up with better performances thinking music over tech and getting focused where they want.

I personally don't mind dealing with all of it myself but I can't play like that and the band is all ProTools anyway. I know he knows the basics there.

I went to his house once and recorded him with DP so he has seen it used and I have always talked positively about it with him but I suspect being more of a player he wants to keep technology in the background, just a guess. Simplicity and compatibility is in the end what you are used to handling. gard for some, easy for others

I would love to of had aiff in DP and made the pitch though.

[Timeline]

Whatever works best for you. I know if you have a workflow you use then fine... especially if you don't want to have someone go through "extra steps." To my mind zipping and unzipping isn't much work, but everyone has a different threshold of what they consider inconvenient. Seems like both working on the same platform might only make things easier.

I agree with that James. Maybe if he did more daw'ing it would be no biggie.

Many players choose engineers for this reason and end up with better performances thinking music over tech and getting focused where they want.

I personally don't mind dealing with all of it myself but I can't play like that and the band is all ProTools anyway. I know he knows the basics there.

I went to his house once and recorded him with DP so he has seen it used and I have always talked positively about it with him but I suspect being more of a player he wants to keep technology in the background, just a guess. Simplicity and compatibility is in the end what you are used to handling. Hard for some, easy for others

I would love to of had aiff in DP and made the pitch though.