Importing Files with Drag and Drop

For more information, see the following topics:

Snapping to Head and Tail

Elastic Audio on Import

Importing Elastic Audio from DigiBase to the Clip List

Importing Tempo from Tick‑Based Audio

Pro Tools lets you import audio, MIDI, video, and session files by dragging and dropping files from a DigiBase browser, Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder to the Pro Tools application icon, the session Timeline, a track, the Track List, or the Clip List.

The following figure illustrates some of the options available to import files using drag and drop from DigiBase browsers.

To import files into the Clip List:

1 Select audio, video, MIDI, clip group, REX, or ACID files in a DigiBase browser, or Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder.

2 Drag the selected files onto the Clip List.

To import files into an existing track:

1 Select the files you want to import in a DigiBase browser, or Windows Explorer or Mac Finder.

2 Drag the selected file to a location on an existing, compatible track. The file is imported and placed where it was dropped.

To import files as new tracks:

1 Select the files you want to import in a DigiBase browser, or Windows Explorer or Mac Finder.

2 Do any of the following:

Shift-drag files and drop anywhere in the Edit window.

Drop files to the Track List.

Drop files to empty space in the Edit window, below or between tracks.

Importing does not always convert or copy audio files. See Audio Conversion on Import.

Importing using drag and drop does not necessarily bring the Edit window to the foreground. For example, dragging and dropping a file from a browser into a track leaves the source browser in the foreground (not the Edit window). Always verify the active, foreground window or browser before continuing.

To import and spot files into a track:

1 Enable Spot mode.

2 Select the files you want to import in a DigiBase browser, or Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder.

3 Drag the files onto an existing, compatible track. The Spot dialog appears.

4 Enter the appropriate timecode location (where you want to spot the imported file).

5 Click OK.

To import and spot an audio file by its Waveform in DigiBase browsers:

1 In a DigiBase browser, Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the file’s Waveform display at the approximate reference point you want to use for placement in a track.

2 While continuing to press Control (Windows), or Command (Mac), drag the waveform onto an existing audio track (the source audio file and the destination audio track must have the same number of channels).