Sometimes everything is straightforward: you receive a hard drive, flash drive, DVDs, or a link to files stored online. You copy all the files to your working drive, open the files you need, and everything is there and ready for you to get started. However, often there are problems somewhere even in this beginning process.
Problem #1
The original media is not compatible with your computer.
Solutions: Make sure you mention to the person you’re getting the files from what computer and what system you are running. This is mostly a com- patibility problem between PCs and Macs. Macs won’t read PC-formatted drives (hard drives or flash drives), and vice versa. There is one exception—Mac’s can read PC drives formatted in Fat32, which is a PC drive formatting option. How- ever, Fat32 is an older format and has some limitations, so most PC drives are not Fat32 formatted. If you reformat a drive to make it compatible, you will lose the data on that drive. There is also software that you can purchase that will allow you to alter your Mac formatted drive in a way that will allow it to be read on a PC.
It might seem that recordable DVDs would make things easier, but unfor- tunately that is not always the case. There are four recordable DVD formats: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW. Depending on the make and model of your DVD reader, as well as your computer and its operating system, you can have trouble reading any one of these DVD formats (dirty lasers in DVD readers are also a consistent problem). I’ve always managed to get the in- formation off a DVD sent to me, but mostly that’s because my wife and I have three different computers, so one of them has always worked (but fairly often one or more of them hasn’t). If the formatting issues addressed above are re- solved, then hard drives or flash drives are more reliable than DVDs.
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Getting files through ftp (file transfer protocol) sites or other “cloud-based” storage services (which have become very common) is often the most reliable way to receive files. Although this process can be complicated by your Internet service and speed (it can take a long time, depending on the size of the files you’re receiving and the speed of your connection), at least there are none of the formatting problems presented by drives and DVDs. I usually start the transfer before bed, and in the morning, if all has gone smoothly, I have all the files I need. However, slow Internet service and momentary disruptions in service can undermine this means of transfer.
Problem #2
The original files are not compatible with your DAW or DAW version.
Solution: Again, communication is the key to solving file compatibility is- sues. You need to confirm which DAW (including which version of that DAW) the original files were made on. You may also need to confirm the file format, as not all systems support all formats (e.g., many interfaces support only up to 96 kHz sampling rate, and if the original files were recorded at a higher rate they will need to be down-sampled before you can work on them).
There is little or no cross-platform compatibility, so you cannot simply open a Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Digital Performer, or Nuendo file in any one of these other DAWs. There are a variety of work-arounds, some easier than others. It may be possible to maintain region or automation information, but you will have to research the proper technique for the version of the DAW you are using and the one you are exporting to. You’ll have to be careful; you will definitely want to make a test before you assume that it’s going to work.
The most reliable way to transfer from one DAW to another is to bypass the original program file by making a copy of each one of your tracks as a com- plete file, with no edits and with each track having exactly the same start time. In this way you can simply import the audio files into the DAW you want to use, line them up at the same start time, and you’re ready to go.
Even when you’re moving from one computer to another that is running the same program, you need to confirm what version the file was used, and you may need to make a conversion. For example, if the original files were made using Pro Tools 10 and you are going to be mixing them on a system running Pro Tools 9, you will need to “save a copy in” and then select “Pro Tools 7 → 9 Session” in order to have a file that will open in Pro Tools 9.
Problem #3
There are missing audio files.
Solution: This is one of those potential nightmare scenarios that happen all too frequently. You go to open the file you’ve received to mix, and you get a mes- sage saying that some (or all!) of the audio files are missing. There are a lot of possible reasons for this, running from the easily fixed to the complete disaster.
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In Pro Tools, you will have the option to search for the files on any avail- able hard drives and this is the first thing to try. Sometimes, when the files have been copied to your drive, the program file is looking for the audio where it was on the original drive so it can’t find it. If this is the case, usually just asking the program to search for the audio files will resolve the problem.
If all of the audio files were not included in the transfer to your system, you have to find those files and add them. This problem is usually the result of there being multiple sources for the original audio. For example, if some of the audio was recorded and some taken from a sample library, it’s possible that you only received the recorded audio and whoever made the transfer files forgot to in- clude the sampled files. Or, the original audio was recorded at one or more studios and the files were never consolidated to one system, so not everything made it to the transfer.
Finding missing audio is sometimes relatively simple; the client realizes what happened, where the audio is, and sends it to you (a cloud-based system is fastest, of course). Sometimes the missing audio is old stuff that is no longer relevant, and you can ignore the missing files. But sometimes the files can be very difficult to track down. You may need to educate the client about how files are stored and then help figure out where the missing audio might be (on what hard drive, or at what studio). Sometimes the audio is in the possession of someone who previously worked on the project, and it will be up to you to ap- peal to that person for the missing audio. (I’ve had that happen on more than one occasion.)
If you simply can’t find the audio, then it’s down to the last possibilities. The audio either gets rerecorded, the artist or producer decides that the mix can proceed without the missing elements, or the project has to be scrapped. I’ve never gotten to the final disaster, but I have come close. If you are responsible for the recording, keep track of your audio!
WHAT NOT TO DO
Don’t let a client leave without opening the files he or she brought for mixing.
This may be obvious, but it’s worth repeating. If someone gives you files to mix (or master, or whatever), do not let the person leave without opening the files, making sure that all the audio that you need is present and that the music is going to play for you as expected. There are any number of problems that can occur besides missing audio, such as playing at the wrong sample rate or corrupted audio files that look okay but won’t play or are distorted. Besides being able to access what is needed, you will want to review the material and the file with the client anyway, so make no assumptions!