You may be shocked to learn this, but there actually are DAW’s other than Pro Tools.

You’re stunned, right? I just knew you would be.

All kidding aside, I tend to do most of my work in Pro Tools, mainly because I just like the program better than the other options.

However, I do have occasion to mix in other DAW’s from time to time depending on the needs of clients.

For instance, the other day I was mixing across town for a client and the session had been tracked in Logic.

However, a separate session existed in Pro Tools in which some effects had already been edited,

So, what could I do to get everything working together in one session? Well, I had a few options…

 
Unfortunately, I didn’t have my iLok with me which contains my DigiTranslator license, so that scrapped any chance of using OMF.

The Logic session contained several times more tracks than the Pro Tools session, so apparently I was going to export all my files individually from Pro Tools an reassemble them within Logic.

However, they were already edited with fades applied and had been laid out properly within the timeline. How can you migrate all that data without losing something?

Very simple. Region Consolidation!

 
That’s right, the answer really is that simple!

Who would have though it could be so easy to salvage the session? Of course, you do have to import your files into your other DAW of choice and drag them to Bar 1, but that’s fairly easy, if monotonous, work. For those looking for a more streamlined alternative to the above described there is, of course, DigiTranslator, which I highly recommend.

For those seeking a swiss-army-knife session conversion tool, there’s also the very intriguing SSL Pro Convert. While I haven’t tried this offering, it certainly appears to be a cost effective alternative.

Of course, if you’re trying to be thrifty or you’re stuck without your conversion software like I was, region consolidation is definitely a solid choice

Have an opinion on session interchange options? Please let me know in the comments!

The Technologist, a.k.a. Kyle P. Snyder, is an audio engineer with innumerable credits in the public and private sector, writing about audio engineering, recording technology and a multitude of other topics as Associate Editor of ProSoundWeb. Find out more about Kyle at his website and blog http://kpsnyder.com.

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