Moving Soundbites from one project to another

[Eddy Yates]

OK. Most of what I'm encountering is in making the transition from decades of using Sonar. I'm simply trying to move a soundbite from one project and load it into the exact same time place as it was in the first project. MOTU tech advised me to create a new file after I had really strange trouble with another, but this task, very very easy in Sonar, appears not so easy in DP, or else it's just tough to find references for it. In Sonar, you simply extend the "soundbite" to the start of the file, copy, and past in the new project.
I assume that File/Load is part of it, and I've loaded the correct soundbites into DP. I see them all in my Soundbites list. Now what? Surely there must be something that doesn't take 5 steps and includes writing down the start time of the soundbite in the last project. Can you select all, then import? Thanks.

[bdr]

Hey Eddy

Depending on how they were created in the original project they may have timestamps embedded within the soundbite. To quote from the manual
TIME STAMPS
A timestamp is the SMPTE timecode location at which a soundbite starts and ends. Digital Performer provides a host of features for creating, importing, displaying, modifying and using timestamps.
Original Time Stamp
There are four ways in Digital Performer to create a soundbite with an original timestamp:
■ Record it
■ Bounce it
■ Export it to a hard disk track from POLAR
■ Create it with the Merge Soundbites command. You can also import soundbites with timestamps.
User Time Stamp
A user timestamp can be applied to a soundbite at any time with the Time Stamps command in the Audio menu.

So, basically, make sure they have either an original or user timestamp applied to them in your original project.
Then, it's simply a matter in your new project of going to File >Import Audio which will bring them into the Soundbites window, dragging them into the tracks window, and going to Audio > Timestamps and choosing Move to Original/ User Timestamp and they should jump to the correct place.

You can also just go to the original project's audio folder and just drag the files into the tracks window which will also import them. Have a read of the PDF manual p.592.

The other method that you used to do in Sonar can also be done and can be useful when transferring to other DAWs. Simple select from the end of soundbite in the tracks window back to the beginning of the sequence and merge (Audio >Merge Soundbites). That will create a continuous file from the start to the end of the soundbite.

[frankf]

Yes for timestamps. You can add a user time in the original project folder, then use move to user time stamp after import. One thing to watch out for when using this method: the sequence start time of the destination sequence must be the same as the source sequence and must be set as such before dragging the SB to Tracks or Sequence windows. Otherwise your SB will end up in an unexpected location!


Frank Ferrucci

[Eddy Yates]

Thanks, Frank and dbr...I appreciate the help.