Locating Audio Files

With Pro Tools, you manage links to audio and other media files using the Relink window.

Pro Tools classifies storage volumes according to their suitability for performance (recording or playback) or transfer (storage or copying) of audio and other media files. Audio files must be stored on suitable Performance volumes and be properly linked in order to be playable in a Pro Tools session.

When you open a session, if Pro Tools determines that audio files are not located on a Performance volume, or if it is unable to locate audio files contained in the session, you can locate or copy the files in order to play back the session. This process is called relinking.

For more information on storage volume classifications, see Performance and Transfer Volumes.

Transfer Files

Transfer files reside on volumes unsuitable for playback, such as CD or DVD discs, or network drives.

To open a session containing Transfer files:

Open the Pro Tools session. If any files are on a volume unsuitable for playback, Pro Tools prompts you to do one of the following:

Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink window.

– or – 

Click No to open the session with all Transfer files offline.

To make Transfer files playable in the current session:

1 Choose Window > Project.

2 Double-click the Audio Files folder to display all of the audio files.

3 Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser menu.

4 Choose Copy and Relink from the Browser menu.

5 Specify a location for the copied files on a valid Performance volume.

6 Click OK.

 

For more information on relinking Transfer files, see Linking and Relinking Files.

Missing Files

A file is missing if it is not found in the same location as when the session was last saved.

To open a session with missing files:

1 Open the Pro Tools session. If any files are missing, Pro Tools posts a Missing Files warning.

 

Missing files warning when opening a session

2 Choose one of the following options:

Skip All

Ignores all missing files. Missing files appear offline in the session.

Manually Find and Relink

Opens the Relink window, where you can search, compare, verify, and relink missing files.

Automatically Find and Relink

Searches all Performance volumes for all missing files with matching name, unique file ID, format, and length, and automatically commits links to missing files where possible.

3 To exclude any Rendered Elastic Audio files from the relink process and regenerate them instead, select Regenerate Missing Rendered Files Without Searching.

4 Click OK.

 

For more information on missing files, see Linking and Relinking Files.