I created an ensemble of macros capable of handling asset management and setup for our recording sessions. It works automatically from when I select a folder of audio files up until I have my Pro Tools session up and running (the complete macro organisation and context is available at the end).
The one thing I am not able to do automatically is telling Pro Tools where to look for missing files, because there is no file path prompt available, and dragging-and-dropping files or folders onto the relink window doesn't work. Therefore it requires human action, which can be more or less swift.
Do you have any idea regarding to the automatic selection of the correct folder containing my audio files?I considered breaking the audiobase filepath into several variables and typing them (just like you type letters to select files or folders in Windows Explorer) but when navigating the Relink window, I can't type several characters in a row, each new letter typed is understood by Pro Tools like a new try at typing the desired destination. And if I choose to only type the first letter of each hierarchy level and I have 2+ folders beginning with the same letter, it won't be able to select the right one, nor will it be able to react accordingly if new folders are created.
Thank you a lot in advance for your help,
Kindest,
Charles
Macro Ensemble organization:
Gets folder filepath
Opens Reaper
Sets every audio file inside the Reaper session with seconds of gaps between each and every audio file (done with a proprietary company software, nearly instant task in Reaper thanks to this software vs. 40 min setup in Pro Tools done by Keyboard Maestro)
Close Reaper
Opening AATranslator
Converting the .rpp file to a .ptx file
Opening the .ptx file
Relinking audios
Applying colors to audios depending on certain properties
Closing the Pro Tools session
The main reason the first part is done in Reaper is that with proprietary software, it can set 2000+ files up in less than 5 seconds already put at the right place on the timeline with 2 seconds of silence between each audio file. The same process took 40 minutes directly within Pro Tools with a macro executed by Keyboard Maestro. The proprietary software can only work within Reaper, because Avid has Pro Tools tightly locked.
Are you sure you can't drag files into the relink window? The reason I ask is that I did a google search, and it showed an example of dragging files from the Workspace window into the Relink window. On a Mac. But maybe you can't do that from Finder?
Post a screenshot of the window(s), assuming you really can't do the drag-and-drop.
Yes, you can indeed drag files from a Pro Tools Workspace window and drop them onto the Relink window but this intended for force relinking audio (if Pro Tools can't find a file source by itself and/or the file in Pro Tools is not named like the source on disk or it's a completely different file, you can drop any file to any clip missing its source and it will force relink). So this could potentially be dangerous, as it could relink files with the wrong sources if something goes wrong during the execution of the macro
Here is a screenshot showing my screen at this step of the macro (I have redacted some parts of the screen as it could potentially be critical information):
I have the audio files in the Audio folder and the Pro Tools session "Untitled" asking me where to find them for the sake of testing (the audio files and the session usually are each on separate disks). What the macro does right now is it gives the operator the choice of 4 remote disks, when one is chosen, it expands the correct disk hierarchy up to the maximum level it can go to (it opens folders up to where all the clients are listed) and then pauses to give the operator time to manually select the correct folder (select the correct client, project and audio folder). But I haven't found no way of going all the way up to the audio folder other than opening the correct folders manually and then check the correct box.
Do you know of any secret Pro Tools feature, Keyboard Maestro functionality or script ability that could either give the file path to Pro Tools or analyse the file path and then work with it and try and do something?
Thanks for the detailed information. I don't use Pro Tools, so I don't know of any secrets there. I'm afraid I can't come up with anything off the top of my head.
I assume you've checked to see if there are any plugins available to help with this. The only other thing I can think of is to find a user forum and ask if anyone knows of any shortcut keys for that window, like ⇧⌘G in Finder that lets you go straight to a folder.
So with a colleague, we've found a workaround! It was not the solution expected but it does work, so it's alright by me!
Pro Tools doesn't want numbers to be typed into the Relink window, so that's why the macro stops and chooses the last folder available with no numbers in its name
And if you type any uppercase letter from KM to Pro Tools, it is understood as a keystroke that we weren't even able to replicate, we have no idea what happens, all we know is that when all is converted to lower case, it works just as we were typing the letters normally.
Space Clips seems interesting indeed, @Fokke, I would have to dive deeper into it to see if it can fit my needs, because it doesn't exactly do what I'm looking for
(We don't only have audio files on the timeline, we also have their muted duplicates, which have shorter silences than between the muted duplicate and the next audio, and our tool automatically places under 5 seconds every file and every duplicate on the timeline from the Finder at exactly the correct time and spacing, so it does import and placement at the same time in one clic)
