Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be Compatible with Windows

(Save Copy In to Pro Tools 6.9.x and Lower Only)

Sessions created and saved as Pro Tools 7.x and higher sessions are always compatible on both Windows and Mac systems.

If you create a Pro Tools 6.9.x or lower session on a Mac system, the session is only compatible on Windows systems if the Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility option is selected when using the Save Copy In command. In addition, there are cross-platform limits to consider when completing the Save Copy In command.

Cross-Platform Session Limits

When saving (or creating) a copy of a Pro Tools session that you want to be compatible on both Mac and Windows, keep in mind the following limits and how Pro Tools deals with them:

Audio File Types

The recommended file format for cross-platform interoperability is BWF (.WAV). To support optimal session interchange, Pro Tools defaults to BWF format for new sessions.

Pro Tools lets you save, bounce, and export in a variety of audio file formats, including WAV, AIFF, SD II, MP3, and QuickTime.

File Name Extensions

For cross-platform compatibility, all files in a session must have a 3-letter file extension added to the file name. Pro Tools 5.1 to 6.9.x session files have the extension “.pts,” and Pro Tools 5 sessions have the extension “.pt5.” Wave files have the “.wav” file extension, and AIFF files have the “.aif” file extension.

Incompatible ASCII Characters

Clip names, track names, file names, and plug-in settings cannot use ASCII characters that are incompatible with either system.

When importing files into a session, incompatible characters are converted to underscores (“_”) and the renamed files are placed in the Renamed Files folder.

The following characters cannot be used in Windows sessions:

> (Greater-than symbol)

| (vertical line or pipe)

Any “high order” ASCII character (created with a key combination)

Saving Cross-Platform Sessions

To save an existing session to Pro Tools 6.9.x or lower and maintain Mac and Windows compatibility:

1 Choose File > Save Copy In.

2 In the Save Session Copy dialog, choose a destination and type a name for the new session file.

3 Set the Audio File Type to AIFF or BWF (.WAV). These file formats are compatible with either platform.

4 Set the Sample Rate and Bit Depth for the session.

5 Select Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility. This option must be selected to make the session cross-platform compatible.

6 Select the Items to Copy options for the new session.

7 Click Save.

If the session previously used SD II files, the files are converted to the new audio file format.

Pro Tools can convert a file created on a Mac and saved without the “Enforce Mac/PC compatibility” option selected to a Windows compatible file. For more information, see Sharing Sessions Created on Different Computer Platforms.