Pro Tools question: sampling rates

[Matt Blackett]

OK--this is a little convoluted but hopefully someone will get what I'm trying to do and can help.
I recently did a session on Pro Tools HD at 48k, 32 bit. I'm doing overdubs at home using Cakewalk Sonar. I imported a bunch of files into Sonar but the session is running at 44.1. Before I realized this, I did a bunch of overdubs that I really don't want to do over. In order for my overdubs to make it onto the final product, however, they will ultimately need to be imported back into a Pro Tools session that will be at 48k.

My questions are these: Will this work? Can tracks that were recorded at different sample rates coexist in the same session? Is there anything special I need to do when I save my overdubs as wave files?

Any light anyone can shed on this would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[wahwah]

Re: Pro Tools question: sampling rates

Different sample rates and bit depths cannot co-exist in the same session. You will need to make sure that all of your individual Sonar tracks are saved as contiguous wav files, ie, no gaps, and then when they are imported back into the PT session they will need to undergo sample rate conversion, and possibly bit depth conversion via dithering, unless you have been recording 32 bit in Sonar. I'm not familiar with Sonar, but it may be possible to do the conversion there before they go back into Pro Tools. The bit depth difference is more likely to be problematic than the sample rate conversion, because normally, dithering is downward (ie, 32 or 24 bit down to 16 bit for CD). I'm not sure what anomalies you might encounter when attempting to increase bit depth. The sample rate conversion from 44.1 to 48k shouldn't pose too many problems.



Cheers........................wahwah

 

[Matt Blackett]

Re: Pro Tools question: sampling rates

Thanks wahwah. I'm going to have to do some sort of a feasiblity/compatibility study on these tracks soon to see what I'm up against. Kind of sounds like I'm screwed though . . .

 

[wahwah]

Re: Pro Tools question: sampling rates

Thanks wahwah. I'm going to have to do some sort of a feasiblity/compatibility study on these tracks soon to see what I'm up against. Kind of sounds like I'm screwed though . . .

I don't think so Matt, I've got a feeling it's gonna work out ok. As long as you can do the sample rate conversion to 48k, and the bit depth conversion up to 32 bit, there's no reason why they won't go back into the PT session. Maybe Bob Katz or George Massenburg might hear them and go "Hey, those were recorded at 44.1k" but the rest of us mere mortals might not even notice. It's well worth trying, and then if it doesn't work, it just means you've got some better takes in you and you've learned a valuable lesson!


Cheers.......................wahwah