The Import Session Data window, accessed from the File menu in Pro Tools, allows you to import tracks and their attributes from one session into another. In this article we look at 5 ways in which this window can be an incredibly useful tool in audio post workflows.
Importing Plug-ins And Their Settings
This first point actually relates to both music and post-production. There are times when you’ll want to import plug-ins from one session to another. One example where this is handy is when you’ve previously worked on something such as a vocal or voiceover and you now want to apply the same processing to a similar track in your current session.
To import just the plug-ins, in the Import Session Data window, after selecting the session to import from, find the source track(s) you need and set the destination to whichever track(s) you want to import the plug-ins to in your current session. In this example I’m using identically named tracks.
Next, under ‘Track Data to Import’, click on ‘Choose’. By selecting just ‘Plug-in Assignments’ and ‘Plug-in Settings and Automation’, you can import the plug-ins along with all of their settings. This is great in cases where you want to directly replicate the previous plug-in settings. It can be useful when working on a series of commercials, for example, where you need consistency in the processing applied to dialogue or voice over from one commercial to the next.
Importing AAFs
AAF files are an essential way of moving timeline media and metadata between otherwise incompatible pieces of software. Once a video edit has been completed, the editor will usually export the audio from the timeline sequence as an AAF to send to audio post. These can be opened in Pro Tools, either by just double clicking the AAF (as long as Pro Tools is set as the default application for opening AAFs), or they can be imported into an already open session. Either way, you’ll end up using the Import Session Data window for this. There are a couple of key considerations when doing this. Firstly, under ‘Audio Media Options’, be careful when choosing between ‘Link to source media’ and ‘Copy from source media’. The former will reference the media from its original location. This can be fine when you’re working in a facility with shared networked storage and you want to avoid replicating the media which already exists. However, if you’re importing audio from an AAF which has the media embedded, it’s better to choose ‘Copy from source media’. This option ensures that all of your imported audio ends up in your session’s Audio Files folder so there’s no chance of losing anything on your timeline if you subsequently delete the original AAF.
On the subject of AAFs (or OMFs if you still use them!), you can import several into a session, one at a time. When working on film projects, you may on occasions receive the audio in ‘reels’ rather than as a single continuous timeline. In this case, importing them one at a time allows you to bring them all into one session and drop them at the correct points on your timeline. Using the Match Tracks option is a timesaver when importing source tracks with the same names as the destination tracks. To add audio to the timeline rather than remove existing audio, be sure to select ‘Import - Overlay New On Existing Playlists’ under Main Playlist Options.
Map Start Timecode To
Importing multiple reels as AAFs works fine when they’ve been exported with the correct timecode. However, you might on occasions receive audio which has the wrong timecode. If this happens, you can manually specify where on your timeline the imported audio should end up. I’ve had to do this a few times, including once when I received a film split into 5 reels, all but the first of which had the wrong timecode. Fortunately, this can be resolved using the ‘Timecode Mapping Options’ in the Import Session Data Window. Choosing ‘Map start timecode to’ from the drop down menu allows you to type in the desired timecode start location for the imported audio. As mentioned earlier, be careful to also choose to ‘Import - Overlay New On Existing Playlists’ to avoid removing any existing audio from your timeline.
Importing Video As Offline Satellite Media
The video satellite feature in Pro Tools allows you to use a separate computer running Pro Tools for synchronised video playback. This connects to your main machine through ethernet. By running the video on a separate computer, the video processing and playback is offloaded and you stand a better chance of smooth playback performance. This can be done with either Pro Tools Studio or Pro Tools Ultimate but you will need a licence for each machine.
Once the systems are connected up and running together, you might want to import an offline version of the video media into your main session. This is done through the Import Session Data window by choosing to import the video track as a ‘New Satellite Track’ and then setting the ‘Video Media Options’ to ‘Import as offline Satellite media’. Once imported, you will see cuts and clip names on your timeline but the media itself will be offline. When used with a separate Video Satellite system, this option allows you to navigate through video edits and scenes from your main Pro Tools machine whilst the video playback itself happens on the second computer. Video edits can be imported from another Pro Tools session or from a Media Composer generated AAF with externally referenced video.
Window Configurations
If you’re regularly moving, resizing, closing and opening windows as you work through a project, it can make a lot of sense to store Window Configurations. This is a Pro Tools feature which allows you to store the internal configurations of the Mix, Edit, Transport, MIDI Editor and Score Editor windows. As you work through post projects, the ability to quickly switch window displays can save a lot of time. You might want the Automation, Memory Locations and Transport windows open for one part of your workflow, along with the mix window showing all inserts and sends. At other times having the edit window with no inserts or sends, along with the Big Counter window open may be what’s needed. The quickest way to switch between your commonly used arrangements is using Window Configurations. To create them, arrange your windows as needed, open the Window Configurations window (⌥⌘J) and then click on the dropdown menu and choose New Configuration.
Up to 99 of these can be stored with each session but you probably don’t want to be creating them from scratch every time you start a project. This is where the Import Session Data Window comes in!
You can import window configurations from one session to another, meaning that you can save time by having a fast way of switching views and window arrangements to suit you as you work. It can even be worth creating a template session with window configurations built in so you know where it is should you need to import them into any other session.
The Import Session Data window has multiple uses in a variety of Pro Tools workflows. We’ve looked at 5 use cases relating to audio post production in this article but there are may more ways in which it can be useful. How do you use it? Let us know in the comments.