How Do I Change The Project Audio Folder?

[JamPro]

Hello.  How do I change the Project Audio Folder for a project?

How do I save a project so all audio in that project goes to the Global Audio folder I have specified? 

And when CW tells me that project audio is assigned to some other folder, how do I tell CW I want all the project audio for that project to be saved in the Global Audio folder I have specified?

Sorry for the stupid question - for some reason, changing the Project Audio file location is not covered in the CW Reference manual.

[John Vere]

Use save as and choose a location. Make sure and check the copy all audio box. 
 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by John Vere

[JamPro]

Hello.  Thank you Mr. Vere for your prompt response.  Thank you as well for introducing me to your video tutorial series.  This looks like a good resource that I can refer to as needed.

I reviewed the #4 video "Files and Project Management" video.  Unfortunately, this video did not address my specific question.  Here is my question:  I have a project (we will call it "project a"), that is saving audio data to a project specific folder ("C:/Cakewalk Projects/Project a/audio").  I want this project to save all audio data to the Global Audio Folder (on my computer G:/Cakewalk Audio).  So how do I instruct this "project a" to save audio data to the Global Audio Folder (G:/Cakewalk Audio)?

Thanks again.

 

[Giorgio Gabriel]

You can try to save the song as a BUNDLE file.

Then, close the project, open the bundle file and deactivate the flag "store project audio in its own folder".

Once loaded, save the cwp file in a folder of your choiche.

This should be a file with the audio related to the Global audio folder....

Bye, Giorgio

 

[scook]

IIRC, the option to disable per-project audio folders was removed in 2017.

While it is possible to specify alternate locations for audio on a per-project basis, this is not recommended.

[JamPro]

Thank you scook for your reply.  So if I have a "Project a" that is currently  saving audio data to a HD location where I do not want the audio data to be stored, is it possible to instruct the project to store audio data in the Global Audio folder?

Or should I do Save As, leaving the Per-Project Audio option unchecked, rename the project, and once saved delete the original project?

Thank you Mr. Gabriel for your reply.  If there is no way to instruct a project to save audio data to the Global Audio folder, then yes, it looks like I will have to back-up the project to a new project that saves audio to the Global Audio folder.

[John Vere]

I’m not sure why you would want to save to a global folder?  That’s a good way to have the project disconnect from its data. .

Per project folders are the best way to keep all relevant data connected to the  project. It also makes It easy to back them up to a different drive. 

Edited April 18, 2022 by John Vere

[Byron Dickens]

It seems really ill advised to have all your audio in one "global" folder.  I think you could be courting disaster that way.

[JamPro]

Thank you all for your concern.  I can tell you I have been using CW (and other DAWs) for the past 20 years having all audio files in one global audio folder, and have never had a problem with it.  I always know exactly where ALL audio files are!! 

So I am understanding there is no possible way to change the audio file location for a CWbBL project - once a  project chooses where it is going to store audio files, there is no way to change that.  Is that correct?

[JamPro]

Let's try this a different way - what do I need to do when saving a new project to ensure that the project's audio files will be saved to my Global Audio folder (which I have specified in Edit - Preferences   - Pathways)?

[marcL]

1. Open your project
2. Use "File > Save As"
3. Go up one step in the directory hierarchy (to the top Cakewalk project directory) and enter a NEW project file name.
4. Enable "Copy all audio with project"
5. Change the "Audio Path" to your liking
6. Press "Save"

The 3rd step is very important. AFAIK this is required that you are able to set a new audio path. I never understood why, but it seems to be a requirement.

[John Vere]

?? So you have 20 songs all have tracks called Guitar 1 or Vocal 2 all with multiple re takes etc. and now they are all jumbled into one big huge folder? How would you find a certain track from a particular song? 

It's hard enough trying to find audio tracks in a per project folder. 

How do you back up your projects? Do you use "save as" with copy all audio checked? 

By using per project folders back up of a complete project is as simple as copying that folder to a back up location. 

 

[Giorgio Gabriel]

20 hours ago, JamPro said:

Let's try this a different way - what do I need to do when saving a new project to ensure that the project's audio files will be saved to my Global Audio folder (which I have specified in Edit - Preferences   - Pathways)?

New file, record something, then choose File, Save As.

Now UNCHECK "Copy all audio with project" and this file "should" be related to Global Audio Folder for the audio recordings.

P.s., I use Cakewalk since early '90 and in the past it worked only in this way. In my PC I have tons of old songs stored in this way (I never had any problem...).

To do a backup of a song will be a bit more complex but it is still possible (there are more ways to do it).

Bye,

Giorgio

Edited April 20, 2022 by Giorgio Gabriel

[marcL]

18 hours ago, John Vere said:

?? So you have 20 songs all have tracks called Guitar 1 or Vocal 2 all with multiple re takes etc. and now they are all jumbled into one big huge folder? How would you find a certain track from a particular song? 

It's hard enough trying to find audio tracks in a per project folder. 

How do you back up your projects? Do you use "save as" with copy all audio checked? 

By using per project folders back up of a complete project is as simple as copying that folder to a back up location. 

 

I don't know whether your comment is meant to the OP or my last posting? I assume it is the former.

In respect to backups and also to the "Save as" I have another problem with Sonar/CbB. I really like the possibility to insert audio clips into a project without a copy to the project folder. It's because I have one central folder for each song with all the finished tracks that I backup on its own. Like this I can have a couple of projects for this song sharing the finished tracks and it does not make sense to have redundant copies of these tracks (that are eventually even not current). But for all new recordings and manipulations (bounce to clip ...) I use the project folder! This works perfect with CbB. But now the problem: If I use "Save as" to rename the project or to create another instance, there is no way to keep this kind of audio clip storage. Either I use copy to project folder (in this case all clips are copied) or I disable it, then nothing is copied. This is a shame! The only workaround is to create folders and copy the project manually in Windows Explorer. This keeps the project clip locations untampered.

[John Vere]

 Storage has become huge and Inexpensive.  I see no reason not to use it.  At any given point in time I might have 20 copies of the same audio inside different back up folders and versions of certain projects.  I never even come close to using half my storage space. I wish I could say the same about my Basement! 

[JamPro]

Thank you all for your thoughts.

I'm thinking this thread has gone off topic.  I still don't know how to save a project in CWbBL to ensure that all the audio files get stored the the CWbBL Global Audio folder which I have specified in the Edit/Preferences/Pathways page.

Can someone answer that?

And I suggest those who want to advocate for use of Per-Project Audio folders create a thread dedicated to that topic.

[FreeEarCandy]

Hello Jam Pro.

I think I know what you want to do, but I'm afraid it is not possible.  The DAW is going to look for the audio at the last location the project was saved. In preferences you can specify where the global audio file is stored on your computer, but the DAW will not look there or save files there unless the last time you saved the project you "unselected" the per project option. You don't have to change the files name, but you will have to open every project file you have and resave it according to your preference (i.e. per project or global audio)

Unfortunately, I moved all my audio to a global audio file before realizing this. Now every time I open a file that was saved per project the DAW cannot locate the audio file, and I have to direct it to where the global audio file is and then resave it. Again. You don't have to rename the project file. You just have to tell the "Project" where the files can be found the "Next" time you open it. Apparently, the last location where the files are saved is also saved with the "project". The DAW doesn't have a clue where the files are.  

IMO it would have been a good idea to program the DAW to look in the global audio location specified in preference if the audio cannot be located in the per project location before asking the user where the files are. If they are also not found in the global audio file, then ask the user where the files are, saving  the user a step. But it is what it is.

I hope this clears up the confusion.  

 

[msmcleod]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:20 PM, FreeEarCandy said:

IMO it would have been a good idea to program the DAW to look in the global audio location specified in preference if the audio cannot be located in the per project location before asking the user where the files are. If they are also not found in the global audio file, then ask the user where the files are, saving  the user a step. But it is what it is.

I hope this clears up the confusion.  

 

This is exactly what happens.

You can set your global audio folder in Preferences under File->Audio Data.

[FreeEarCandy]

On 12/13/2023 at 4:22 AM, msmcleod said:

This is exactly what happens.

You can set your global audio folder in Preferences under File->Audio Data.

No it does not. And I just checked it again to make sure I am not wrong. I have specified where the global Audio is located using the DAW preferences. Preference/Audio Data-"Global Audio Folder" option. After doing so, I attempted to load a project that has no per project audio file.  The DAW immediately informed me it could not find the audio data and asked me if I wanted to create one. I answered no. At which point the DAW asked be to find the audio rather than look in the global audio file specified in preferences. I already told the DAW where to find it in the preferences. Therefore, it isn't automatically looking at the location I told the DAW in my preferences/Audio Data-Global audio option. If it had looked in the location I set in my preferences it would have found the audio and never prompted me for a location.

That is what I'm talking about. If the file was saved per project the DAW is going to look for a per project file. If it doesn't see a per project file it will prompt the user and never look at the Global Audio File indicated in preferences.  It will prompt the user creating a bunch of unnecessary steps. The DAW already knows where the Global Audio file is. It simply will not look there after discovering there is no per project audio. It will ask the user to direct it rather than chance the possibility the audio may be located in a global audio folder.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by FreeEarCandy

[La Banda Oculta]

All, you know what the problem is? Is in what JamPro said in other words: I am used to. My computer has an SSD 512 GB. I want to have ALL Audio files in the same folder in an external drive, that can develop 10 Gbps. But I dont know if it will work, so I am connecting to this computer the same drive I used to record a previous record, it can make 160 Mbps. So I did have ALL my audio files in the external drive. I know it works. But I think I was recording 48 ksamp/sec before. Now, at 96 kHz (or kilosamples/sec) you will need 96000 ksamp/sec * 2 frames per sample (I and Q) * 24 bits per sample = 4.608 Mbps. If you have like 24 tracks, this goes to 110.592 Mbps. Should work. I want to give a try. No, you will get it hard

So, why in this world I have to, if I NEVER did in previous Cakewalk/Sonar versions

- need to say how to record the audio
- how to consider the new take
- where to store the files

???? And the list goes on and on. I already recorded 7 records with Cakewalk, starting in 1998. Except the latest, released 2 years ago, not with this version of Cakewalk. And then you think twice .... and figure why is free.

Dont take me wrong: still is the ONLY one to be used, is the only one with the correct staff to write drums. But, you guys are making it hard. Really do I have to 

- open the file already recorded
- save it as bundle
- close it
- save it again and say where the audio files should be set?

I think I will prefer to move all recorded files to my desired location, and when the file opens, say "get the files from here". 

Well, except we can set something in the initialization file ....