Digital Performer Tips, Edited

[musicarteca]

Here is another one:

Exporting stems to Pro Tools:
There are many ways to export or transfer a DP file to Pro Tools, here is a simple and efficient way. First of all I assume what is probably the most common situation: Recording in DP and transferring to mix in PT. In this case, the ideal is to export the clean tracks, so even if there is a reference mix in DP, one wouldn't want to print automation or plug-ins to the track. Here is the procedure:

1- Copy a small piece of empty soundbite and paste it at the beginning of each track; this is to make sure that all the tracks start from the same place.
2- Select all tracks and merge.
3- Identify every merged soundbite by renaming it.
4- Go to the soundbite window and sort by time created. The merged soundbites should be at the end of the list.
5- Select all the merged soundbites and export them to a separate folder. They are ready to be opened in PT.

- If you repeat this process often it would be a good idea to create a clipping with the small empty soundbite, so that it can just be dragged at the beginning of every track for every project. Make sure to create a mono and a stereo version of the small empty soundbite and drag it to the clippings window.

- If you have a sequence with a large number of tracks, save time by setting to record-ready every track that does not start at the beginning, and simply record briefly, then continue to merge the tracks.

- If you have a tempo map and/or MIDI information that you want to export to PT as well, save the file as SMF, open it in PT, and then import the audio.

In the case that you don't want to export the clean tracks to PT but instead a group of sub-mixes, lets say vocals, rhythm section, strings, sfx, etc. then:

1- Assign each group of tracks that corresponds to a sub-mix, to a separate pair of busses.
2- Create a stereo audio track for every sub-mix and assign their inputs to the corresponding pair of busses.
3- Record the sub-mixes, all from the same starting point.
4- Rename the tracks and export.

- If you have some aux tracks that are common to more than one sub-mix, for example if you want to share a reverb, either duplicate the aux track and assign each copy to the corresponding buss, or record a sub-mix, change the assignment of the aux track and then record the next sub-mix.

[logo80]

database and what? you have to write down another usefull tip? :p
ok ok back to work... but I'll upload the new version of the db tomorrow.
regards, Lorenzo
p.s. thanx for all the tips you wrote!

[logo80]

ok, edited and uploaded with a little first txt...
now it lack a graphical interface but I don't know how to use XCode... so I'll write a script in perl to use the DB... if someone else want to cooperate is welcome.
regards, Lorenzo

[musicarteca]

[quote]Originally posted by logo80:

[Shooshie]

[quote]Originally posted by logo80:
database and what? you have to write down another usefull tip?

Shooshie

[logo80]

Sooshie, building a db is a task that don't need to have alfabethical order or similar, so as soon as I start as soon I can update it...
so... another news:
now in the zip files available on my site there are three file: a db file, a little text file and a perl script to search the db (when dumped into the mysql server) by author keyword or cathegory...
only for mysql user though...
regards, Lorenzo

[glsimonsen]

'preciate it! glenn

[Shooshie]

I've Edited the tips post, both at the beginning and the end of it. No change in the sorting yet, but three tips have been added, including qo's new breakthrough on crackling audio!

Shooshie

[zed]

I would be willing to donate my time/resources to put together the final PDF.

Here is a Mock-Up PDF that I put together tonight. Obviously this is just for "look-and-feel", but I have access to Quark and Acrobat Pro, so it would be fairly easy (albeit time-consuming) to put this thing together when everyone is ready.

Anyhoo, check it out and let me know...

Joel Kanning

Your Mock-Up PDF looks fantastic Joel••¦ you are a skilled designer! Really looking forward to seeing this coming about.

And Shooshie, many thanks for all the time and efforts you are making to compile this great stuff!

Zed

[logo80]

I've just seen the PDF, it looks great!
regards, Lorenzo
p.s. about db and perl script, I'would appreciated if someone who tried it can tell me if it works correctly

[Shooshie]

I will cooperate with anyone who wants to make a PDF or database out of this. I will provide the mark-up page which is in UBB code. It would be a simple matter to do Find & Replace to turn it into HTML or whatever is the desired format.

As far as the permissions for use that someone mentioned, I'm working on a public domain statement which I will paste into the original document. What an ugly thing to have to do to make sure that the document remains free and usable to everyone, but I understand the necessity, so I'll have it pasted in within a few hours of posting this.

I just ask anyone who creates something public from this to attempt to keep it updated as I update the original.

Shooshie

[Shooshie]

Copyright stuff done. I don't know why stuff like that is necessary, but I tried to cover the bases. If you see any glaring holes in it, let me know, and I'll consider changing it. My feeling is that none of us owns this, but that a certain respect should be maintained to the original document and the efforts of those involved. Also, I don't want to do all this work for someone else to print out and start selling, so I included that in there. Otherwise, I say it's there for anyone to use and redistribute any way they see fit, within the parameters of what I just said.

Is that reasonable? Am I being legally naive? Does it come across heavy handed or anything? If anyone can convince me that the copyright/disclaimer stuff is absolutely not necessary, I'll take it out of there in a flash. Trouble is, it would probably take a lawyer to convince me of that.

Shooshie

[joelkanning]

Great work everyone! I'll be out of town all weekend for a family reunion, but I'll try to get some more done on the PDF side of things later next week.

Keep up the good work!

[billf]

Originally posted by Joel Kanning:
[
I would be willing to donate my time/resources to put together the final PDF.

Here is a Mock-Up PDF that I put together tonight. Obviously this is just for "look-and-feel", but I have access to Quark and Acrobat Pro, so it would be fairly easy (albeit time-consuming) to put this thing together when everyone is ready.

Anyhoo, check it out and let me know...

Joel Kanning

BTW: This is my very first post here(!), but I've been learning a ton from you guys and this is one way I can repay you all for the knowledge gained here.

Your PDF looks fantastic!

[musicarteca]

Several Songs, one reference mix:

Lets say you are mixing an album that has all the songs with similar instrumentation, you want to mix the first song and use this mix as a starting point for the rest of the songs. We assume that there is one song per project. Here is the procedure:

1- Mix song #1
2- Open song #2, and from the File menu Load song #1. Make sure not to load soundbites. A new empty chunk is created with the mix from song #1, including all levels and plug-ins.
3- Compare the track layout from this new chunk to the previous chunk (original song #2 chunk). Add, delete or arrange tracks on the new chunk to fit the previous one.
4- Go to the original song #2 chunk, select everything and copy.
5- Go to the new chunk, and paste. Now you have song #2 with a reference mix from song #1, ready to start retouching the mix.

- Here is a little tricky part: the levels that are loaded are the "initial" values from the mix, which might not be what you want as a reference value. Lets say that mix #1 starts with a fade in on several tracks, their loaded (initial) value will be zero, to overcome this, here is what you do "before" loading the reference mix:

1- Go to song #1 who is already mixed, and shift the sequence 2 measures late (now the sequence starts at measure 3 instead of measure 1 for example).
2- Place the wiper in a place of the mix where the levels suit your preferred reference levels.
3- Disable automation
4- Go to measure 1 and take a snapshot "from counter to next change (flat)".
5- Enable automation.
6- Now you have a mix that has the initial reference values on measure 1 and start the automation levels for this particular song on measure 3.
7- you are ready to load the reference mix on the next song.