Pro Tools Problems-Import Audio vs. Drag and Drop

Thinking of the way Pro Tools manages files, remember the Audio Files are NOT embedded in the Pro Tools Session/the .ptx file, they live in the Audio files folder…

We need to have this in mind when importing audio files into Pro Tools. We need to make sure they get COPIED into the audio files folder…

You can do it with IMPORT AUDIO, we go to the FILE MENU, IMPORT, AUDIO. Weird Mac Bug, you often need to make the window bigger to see your files. The window looks slightly different on a PC, but in both cases you have a choice to ADD or COPY/CONVERT. Sometimes it will even highlight ADD in blue, BUT NEVER DO THIS!!!!

If Pro Tools suggests ADD, it just means it is the same bit depth and sample rate as your session. However, ADD will leave the audio file where it is, like your downloads folder, desktop or file server, in other words it does NOT COPY IT INTO YOUR AUDIO FILE FOLDER.

Always COPY or CONVERT this forces Pro Tools to put it in your AUDIO FILES folder. COPY means it is already the right file type, bit depth and sample rate, but it copies it into the folder. CONVERT makes it so these parameters match your session if they don’t already.

So can you drag in from your finder, yes but are you ADDING or COPYING or CONVERTING? Is it landing in your Audio Files folder? Maybe.

If it is NOT THE CORRECT File type, Bit Depth or Sample Rate, YES IT IS, it has to CONVERT it to make it work. If the file type, bit depth and sample rate are correct already, it ADDs it, it assumes you want to leave the sound file on your desktop or wherever. Confused? There is a failsafe for this in Pro Tools preferences.

To get to preferences, goto the SETUP pulldown menu, PREFERENCES. Make sure “Automatically Copy Files on import is checked, and convert Copied Files to Session Format as well. Click OK. This ONLY makes it so it will automatically do this with drag and drop.