Inspiring

Question

How do I save a "project" or session?

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
October 26, 2020
3 replies
3498 views

I'm working on a project that has a number of effects laid in to get a vintage radio sound for a video. I'm not done with the script yet but have worked out the audio effects as I'd like to use them. I'm not seeing how to save this non-destructively so I can come back later and record different narration then apply the affects I have in my rack right now.

This seems incredibly basic so I'm assuming I'm missing something pretty obvious, can someone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

~Ross

How to

A

after_effectist

Participating Frequently

Hey Ross - its not just you.

Ive worked on tons of audio files in Audition and was always annoyed that its workflow was limited to a single session because say you want to just clean up or EQ a voice over, that you could not save that session to come back to later. My workaround was to export a couple of safety versions and let it go.

This is the first time in a year of searching tutorials that anyone explained working on a single audio file is destructive - who would think to create a multitrack session to work on a single file???

While I appreciate the advice given in this thread, its a failure of UX/UI to not be able to save a single track as a "session" or "project" - the way most other apps do it.

R Neil Haugen

Brainiac

I've been there, perhaps? I was puzzled by Audition for quite a while myself. So I think you're caught up in nomenclature as opposed to function. As I was.

"Multitrack" isn't about having multiple audio tracks at all. It's only about the processing process used on the audio files.

When Steve and a couple others finally got that through my head, and I actualy understood how Audition is designed, and why there are the two very different processes, I started using each one when appropriate. To the needs I needed to end up with.

It's like in Premiere when people refuse to use the multicam process for 'merging' video with separate audio, "because I DON'T HAVE MULTIPLE CAMERAS!!!!!"

So they insist on "merging" video to separate audio, then howl at all the problems inherent in using that process. But again, it's about how the process to join video and audio is ... processed. NOT that you actually have multiple cameras involved.

Everyone's mileage always varies ...

H

Harald34987983a4oq

New Participant

Hi Exigrous,
I know exactly what you mean. I wasn't recording in multisession, but in Waveform because I don't have muliple tracks, just voice. I saved and found out later that the file wasn't the session but "only" the final mixed down soundfile. Since I needed to do an extra sentence, I had great trouble recreating all the effects and EQs etc. I had done previously.

So what Steve is saying is: This can be avoided by always recording in multisession, correct?

Cheers, Harry

SteveG_AudioMasters_

Community Expert

It's quite simple; we recommend Multitrack recording, whatever you are doing. There are a couple of major reasons for this, even if it's just one file you are recording. Multitrack recording is direct to file - Waveform recording goes to a temp file and isn't saved to your final version until you do the actual save. And many things can go wrong with that, as many have found. Also, if something does go wrong - like a power cut, or whatever, there's a good chance that you will be able to rescue what you've already recorded. In Waveform view, if you lose the temp file, you've lost the lot, with no direct recovery route.

Now if you do a recording in Multitrack, and add effects or whatever to it, then it's easy to add an extra bit because all the effects or whatever that you've used are all stored in the session file; you just add your extra part and either mix down or export the result again. And you can do drop-ins as well (if you are brave...)

Same thing goes for versioning - dead easy in Multitrack view, but a right pain in Waveform.

All things considered, it's a no-brainer.

R Neil Haugen

Brainiac

Excellent post, and information a lot of users don't know, but need to ...

Everyone's mileage always varies ...

SteveG_AudioMasters_

Community Expert

If you are working in Multitrack (non-destructive) then you can save rack effects as a preset, which you can re-use. But since you haven't told us very much about exactly how you are working, it's difficult to go any further. Even if you are working in Waveform (destructive) view you can still save rack presets, though. Session saving is easy - if you have the session open, then it's Edit>Save. That's it!

ExigeousAuthor

Inspiring

Okay, thanks - but how do I save all the indvidual tracks for later? Say I'm working on a multitrack recording, I'm done for the day but need to add more tracks later, etc. how do I save this as a project like I would in, well, any other basic program like Premiere Pro, After Effects, etc? I feel like I'm missing something very basic as I only see the ability to save esentially a mix-down of what I'm working on as a Wave/MP3, etc. Do I need to export it or something like that to save the entire project?

SteveG_AudioMasters_

Community Expert

No, you just do what I said - Edit>Save. When you opened the session you specified the path to it, and the session file will save both absolute and relative paths to files used in it - although ideally, you have them in the same folder as the session file - that makes them easier to share but it's not an absolute requirement. So the session file knows a) where your files are, and b) what parts of them you have used, and c) where in the session that was. And d) all of the rest of the session settings. You've already specified where the session is, so the only thing left is to Save it. Premiere Pro does the same thing, only they (unneccesarily) add the word 'Project'. Audition's essentially the same without any wasted words. You've opened a session - what else is it going to save?

Incidentally, if it thinks you haven't saved changes you've made to files, it will remind you and ask whether you want to. The reason for behaving like this is that you can make destructive alterations to a file during a session simply by double-clicking on a file, opening it in Waveform view and making a change to it. That would be destructive, and you have the choice of saving that or not. If you screw that up, then potentially your session could be compromised - it's better to save changes as you go as far as Waveform view is concerned, then you know where you are, and so does the session file.

You do also have an option to Save As - I think that this is pretty obvious, although it will ask you about copies of associated files, quite reasonably.

But just to return to the session and add things to it later, that's all you need to do - no exporting or anything like that at all.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded