Copy instrument tracks & busses over several projects?

[Volantiz]

'lo everyone.

I have a couple of tunes ~ready for mix. The tunes are stored in seperate projects. The tunes all have similar drumsounds, but i would like to use the exact same drumsound for all of them. The drums (an acoustic kit loaded into battery3) are sent to a couple of separate busses (one for BD, one for SD, one for hats and so on) and then to a drumbus which glues the sounds together with some processors and a light reverb. Almost all of the busses (~8 of them in total) have plug-ins loaded.

So, the problem here is that i would like to copy this whole thing (instrument-track and all the busses) into the other tunes. How do you suggest that i do this in DP5.13? Maybe point me to some interresting chapters in the manual?

[FM]

'sup.

you could use the file you're talking about as a starting point for your projects as a template and save it under that name.

in my humble experience it seems to works the best for me to just have a template file that opens with busses and audio assignments already in place.

i know, for example that i will more than likely be using an API plug on the kick everytime so my template opens with a buss for kick and toms, a buss for reverb on guitars... you get the picture.

as far as virtual instruments is concerned it's pretty much the same thing.

my template opens with about five MIDI tracks and five (empty) instrument tracks with their corresponding outputs already in place.

it took me a while to get my template right for me and i don't always use it either but it can be helpful to have it.

but to address your original question, i don't know how to actually copy things like that between projects.

cheers!

FM

FM is in the "waste management" business.

[zed]

...i would like to copy this whole thing (instrument-track and all the busses) into the other tunes. How do you suggest that i do this in DP5.13? Maybe point me to some interresting chapters in the manual?

I'm not sure that there is a way to do this in DP. I face a similar issue. I started tonnes of projects using a template which did not employ busses, and now I have to add busses and effects plugs to all my older projects manually.

I updated my template, but I will probably be "fixing" older projects for years to come. Note that if you set up a template, you will probably want to enter your favorite zoom settings into it, as well, because zoom settings are project specific. As I also neglected to do this at an earlier stage, I also have to manually enter my zoom settings in each older project that I open.

Wish DP6 would introduce the ability copy parameters from your current template into older projects, or that V-Racks channels could be stored in clippings.

[monkey man]

I wholeheartedly agree, Zed.

I too have a number (pushing 200) of unfinished projects and I reckon the sheer amount of work involved in doing this has affected my enthusiasm for completing them.
Typically whenever I've attempted to bring any of said projects into the 21st century I've forgotten to set many things up.
It seems there's always something basic but mighty inconvenient that's forgotten... then something else, and so on.

That would be a life-saving feature, IMHO.

[Spikey Horse]

I drag the sequence(s) into a clipping then I open a new project with my desired template (busses, auxes,track, VI structure etc).

I then drag the sequence(s) from clippings to the new project's chunks window. I then switch between the various copied sequences and new empty ones (which are naturally set up as per the project's template) copying whatever I need over.

Usually for me that means copying the conductor and a few MIDI and audio tracks. Then at some stage when I am done I will delete the old sequences from the new project.

Otherwise, if it's just a few audio tracks, I'll just import them.

I use this approach more and more now that I have a macbook and so work on two machines, including recording away from my studio. In fact I'm always copying stuff from small projects into one of my main DP 'mothership' templates, so if there are any cool workflows and tips I'd be interested to hear.....

That reminds me, I must make an appointment with my dear and learned friend Mr Manual and see what he has to say on this subject.

[rcannonp]

You can use the Load command to import V-Racks and bundles.

[Spikey Horse]

You can use the Load command to import V-Racks and bundles.

But the thing that's always got me about that approach is that you'd still have to add to and/or 'remap' the project's track layout and possibly reassign all routing.

For me it's easier to just transfer data into a new project with a project template that I know well.

[zed]

You can use the Load command to import V-Racks and bundles.

By golly, he's right! Thanks rcannonp. I just tested this, and it works.

But hang on... there is a complication, in my case, in that each project has different instruments loaded into SampleTank, BFD2 or other sample engines. The newly loaded V-Rack creates a brand new V-Rack with whatever Samples were already loaded into the template you are loading from. This means that you now have all the auxillary channels and busses set up, but not the right Samples loaded into the engines on that V-Rack. And since you can't have both V-Racks open at the same time, you cannot drag and drop between them.

I tried dragging the engines to the clippings window, but it was taking a long time to copy and finally crashed DP. I could save the Multis in the sample engines and then reload them into the new copies, but this really will end up making things more tedious.

In the end, I think it is going to be quicker for me to just manually add the auxillary tracks to my existing V-Rack, assign the busses, and then add the effects plugins from the clippings window.

[rcannonp]

But hang on... there is a complication, in my case, in that each project has different instruments loaded into SampleTank, BFD2 or other sample engines. The newly loaded V-Rack creates a brand new V-Rack with whatever Samples were already loaded into the template you are loading from. This means that you now have all the auxillary channels and busses set up, but not the right Samples loaded into the engines on that V-Rack. And since you can't have both V-Racks open at the same time, you cannot drag and drop between them.

I thought that the original idea was to get the same sounds and setup into different projects. That's what I was aiming for. You can drag a V-Rack into a sequence. I thought that there was a way to copy tracks from a sequence to a V-Rack, but I can't remember what it is.

[wonder]

I say we BEG AND PLEAD to DP to allow us to do this. This is one feature that i LOVE in protools that i HATE that DP doesnt have ... "IMPORT SESSION DATA"

[rcannonp]

How is Import Session Data in PT different from DP's Load command?

[wonder]

one can import data and specific tracks and groups and auxs and templates right into the session and not into another "chunk" or sequence.

[Shooshie]

'lo everyone.

I have a couple of tunes ~ready for mix. The tunes are stored in seperate projects. The tunes all have similar drumsounds, but i would like to use the exact same drumsound for all of them. The drums (an acoustic kit loaded into battery3) are sent to a couple of separate busses (one for BD, one for SD, one for hats and so on) and then to a drumbus which glues the sounds together with some processors and a light reverb. Almost all of the busses (~8 of them in total) have plug-ins loaded.

So, the problem here is that i would like to copy this whole thing (instrument-track and all the busses) into the other tunes. How do you suggest that i do this in DP5.13? Maybe point me to some interresting chapters in the manual?

Two methods: One for multi-chunk files, and another for files that contain only one chunk. I recommend working in multi-chunk files when you work this way. It's much easier.

For Multi-Chunk files:
Select all the tracks involved in your drumsounds. Be sure to select the exact range of measures, frames, or time that you want. In the Tracks Overview Window, drag that selection to the Chunks Window. It will become a chunk. From there, you can drag that new chunk directly into other chunks (into the Tracks Overview Window). If I'm not mistaken, it will include any plugin inserts that appear on your Mixing Board. I haven't checked that in a while, so you might want to try it and make sure. But I think that it copies everything verbatim (plugins and all).

If what you want to copy is already in Chunk form -- that is, if you want to copy the entire chunk to another sequence -- then there is no need to drag a selection to the Chunks Window. It's already there. Just drag the chunk directly into your other sequences.

The only tracks it will not copy are those which have no data. If you want to include an AUX track, try setting your Auxes for automation, and use Overwrite mode to add the volume/pan automation data. If you do not want this data in the final output, then it's very easy to erase from the Aux tracks via the Tracks Overview Window after you have dragged the chunks to their final positions. But without SOME data appearing in the track, DP will not copy that track.

It's not a big problem to make sure there is data in all the tracks you want to drag, so don't fret about that. Ultimately, this is a VERY easy way to insert existing tracks into all your chunks. I think you'll find this easier than most methods.

Single Chunk Files:
if you're talking about loading to another file (chunks that are not in the same file as the data you want to copy), you can drag to the Finder first. This will create a clipping file for the entire selection. Alternatively, holding down the COMMAND Key while dragging to the Finder will create Standard MIDI Files and SDII files in the Finder.

I think this is easier than you may realize.

Shooshie

[blue]

The only tracks it will not copy are those which have no data. If you want to include an AUX track, try setting your Auxes for automation, and use Overwrite mode to add the volume/pan automation data. If you do not want this data in the final output, then it's very easy to erase from the Aux tracks via the Tracks Overview Window after you have dragged the chunks to their final positions. But without SOME data appearing in the track, DP will not copy that track.

Another way to get tracks over is to make a clipping of them and then drag that clipping into the desired chunk. The process I use is this: Load chunk, open chunk in TO without play-enabling it (so it won't load VIs and FX), select tracks to copy (including dataless auxes), make a clipping (option-command C), then drag clipping into other sequence. Oh yea, then delete the word copy from every new track.

The whole process is quick and easy.

[chaim]

Single Chunk Files:

snip

Alternatively, holding down the COMMAND Key while dragging to the Finder will create Standard MIDI Files and SDII files in the Finder.

Shooshie

When I do this (in DP 5.13) I only get the MIDI file and not the SDII files.