Pro Tools Pointers #11

Imprinting Changes

by Dave Whittaker

If you've ever accidentally substituted one audio file for another when ProTools hits you with its famous "Where is..." query, you've discovered that ProTools can be convinced by double clicking to open a session with different audio files than it last used. There can be valuable uses for this feature, such as substituting fresh reprints for already edited bad dialogue transfers. Here is a use that was offered to me by Solange Schwalbe at Creative Cafe while she was making predub conformations within ProTools for the movie 'Spawn'.

"Imprinting Changes" - A Big Timesaver
For Coping With Late-Breaking Changes
(or 'How To Go Home Early For a Change')

Have you ever wished for a way to do a complex conformation on a session, and then easily apply the edits to other sessions? In the case of predubs and foley, there is a way(!), and you won't find it in the ProTools manual.

The key is that these sorts of things are continuous files that run the length of the session. Because a ProTools session simply contains instructions about edits to specific audio files within a
specific track, it is possible to trick a session into making these same edits to completely different audio files.

A proviso: the audio files that are to be substituted must have the same number of samples from their start to the first frame of picture as the originating session's files. This is because ProTools notes where edits (hence regions) fall by counting the number of samples from the beginning of the file to each edit.

So in the case of things like foley, predubs and masters, all the files must always start at the very top of the session (or at least at the same exact time code). Depending on your loading setup, this may be hard to achieve consistently. A foolproof way to guarantee that all your files have a consistent length from their start to the first frame is to trim them tightly to the head pop (or any arbitrary point) and then compact them prior to any editing. Because eliminating the beginning of an audio file requires ProTools to re-write the whole file from the trim point on, this will take a while - go to lunch at this point.

I'm afraid you must do the above step before cutting raw foley or this process will not work! Also, you must maintain a consistent ProTools track/audio file relationship from session to session. Each track should start out with the audio file that logically should go there: Track 1/Foley Ch.1, Track 2/Foley Ch.2, etc. I'll explain why in a moment.

Here Are The Steps For The Rest Of The Process:

Step 1. Change the biggest session in number of tracks first; for example, if you have 4- and 6-track predubs, do a 6-track predub first. Make all the changes but do not do fixes and fades yet.

Step 2. Do a "Save Session As" with the suffix 'For Imprinting'. This will never be worked on again - it's for copying and reference only.

Step 3. Close ProTools. At desktop level, open the folder where the audio files reside for the session that you just changed. Make a new "Untitled Folder" and move these audio files into it. This will hide them from the above session documents so you can leave the originating session's drive connected while working on the other sessions.

Step 4. Still at desktop level, copy the 'For Imprinting' document to the folder of your next batch of work (example 'FX PreDub 2'), and rename it as appropriate, adding 'imprtd' as a suffix.

Step 5. Open this 'Imprinted' session. When the dialogue box asks 'Where is Foley Ch.1' (for example), point to Ch.1 of the audio files that you wish to conform and double click. This forces ProTools to accept the file with a different name. Continue in this fashion through Ch.2, 3, etc. This fools ProTools into applying all those changes to these new files.

Step 6. When the session opens, check the edits to make sure it all worked correctly. You'll discover that the track names and regions will all have the names used in the originating session - don't panic. Just understand that when this session opens, it will mimic the Track Name/Audio File relationships of the originating session (this is why consistency is important or you could get very confused by Tracks and Files that come up out of place). Next, check your Disk Allocation and adjust allocations as needed so they match the drive your session is on. Save the session, then rename your Track Names and at least the first region in each track to match the audio files now in use. Do a Save As "Fixes". Close ProTools.

Step 8. Repeat from Step 4 for further sessions to conform, duplicating the original 'For Imprinting' session and renaming for each successive session left to conform.

Step 9. When all the raw conforming is complete, close ProTools. At desktop level, move those original audio files in the "Untitled Folder" back to exactly where they came from. Reopen the original "For Imprinting" session. Do a Save As "Fixes" and start your fixes and fades. Follow through with the other "Fixes" sessions, and go home early!

Many thanks to Solange Schwalbe and Dean Beville for the ideas in this column.