Tips for Sharing Projects using eVirtualStudio
To prevent problems when you share Pro Tools sessions, SONAR projects, or Cubase projects with other users, you should consider several issues. Here are some of the issues you should think about when sharing projects with other users:
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Are other project members using the same edition of Pro Tools, SONAR, or Cubase
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Am I using MIDI tracks for audio output?
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Am I using plug-ins or effects on tracks or busses that will affect the overall sound?
If you answered Yes to any of these questions you should read this help topic.
Sections:
The Role of the Project Member
Considerations when sharing projects
The Role of the Project Owner
To ensure that everyone hears the same rendition of a project, we recommend that you do the following before sharing a project. Please keep in mind that the owner of the project has the final say in its outcome. Other members contribute to the owner's vision of the project. For this reason, the project owner is usually the producer of the project - although it is not required, as long as everyone agrees on who owns the final version of the project.
We recommend that the project owner complete the following steps before sharing a project with other users:
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Explain the overall vision for the project. For example, what style or feeling is the song trying to evoke?
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Clearly spell out the role of each member in the project. A free for all rarely works.
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Include good documentation in the notes section (lyrics, music, vision, etc.)
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Document any 3rd party plug-ins you plan to use.
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Create and label the tracks in SONAR, Cubase, or Pro Tools that you anticipate will be needed.
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Provide a good click track (or metronome) to set project timing and provide markers to show how the song is broken up.
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Choose sampling rate and other project level settings.
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Provide any MIDI tempo, and key changes
The Role of the Project Member
Project members are invited by the project owner to participate in a project. In most cases, a project member's role is to provide specific content. A project member can edit (check-out) or view a project. They cannot delete a project or revert back to a previous version of a project. See the FAQ page on this topic for additional information. In most cases, a project member should:
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Only update or create tracks designated by the project owner. Two members should generally not work on the same track.
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If you use plug-ins, create a processed version of the track and mute the original track (see below)
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Make sure MIDI tracks and synth tracks have a corresponding audio track (see below)
Considerations when sharing projects
eVirtualStudio is responsible for synchronizing SONAR projects among project members. eVirtualStudio does not modify your projects in any way. If you use eVirtualStudio to share projects, you need to do some planning to make sure you don't run into compatibility issues.
To minimize project compatibility problems, we recommend that all project members use the same edition of SONAR, Cubase, or Pro Tools. Check with the manufacturer for file compatibility between platforms.
Here are some things you should consider doing before you share a project for the first time or before you edit (check-in) a shared project:
Make sure all Audio and Video media files are stored in the local project folder.
eVirtualStudio only looks in the project audio folder when synching projects. In SONAR and Cubase this folder is called Audio and in Pro Tools Audio Files. If you want to share an AVI file or other video file, make sure that it is stored in the Video Files directory in the project or session folder. This folder is managed automatically by Pro Tools. Click here for more information on sharing video files. If your project references audio or video in other locations, it will not be copied to the server.
Avoid using 3rd party effects on buses while you are recording content
Bounce or "freeze" tracks that have 3rd party plug-ins...
To ensure that everyone hears the performance you intend, either freeze (SONAR) or bounce tracks to create a processed version of any tracks that use 3rd party plug-ins. This approach preserves the original performance settings while providing everyone with a definitive version of the track.
Make sure all MIDI tracks have an associated audio track...
Before you exit SONAR, Cubase, or Pro Tools and save, turn off all MIDI devices and play the project to ensure that there are no hardware dependencies associated with the project. It's also a good idea to process any synth tracks in case other users do not have the same synth plug-ins installed on their machine.