Pro Tools 101_ An Introduction to Pro Tools 11 ( PDFDrive )

New features introduced in Pro Tools 11 are generally identified as such in
the text. All descriptions are based on the user interface in Pro Tools 11
systems, unless otherwise noted. Screenshots represent Pro Tools version
11.0 running on Windows 7, unless otherwise noted.
Pro Tools File Structure
Before you create or edit a recording project, or session, in Pro Tools, it is
helpful to understand how the software works with the various files that are
related to a project. Rather than storing a session as a single file, Pro Tools
stores various session components separately and maintains a roadmap to the
files it uses in a session file. All of the files used for a project are grouped
together in a session folder.
File Organization
When you create a Pro Tools session, the system sets up a standard hierarchy
for the session and its associated files by automatically creating a top-level
session folder containing the session file as well as subfolders for various
types of supplemental files used for the session. When you record, convert on
import, or edit material, specific files will appear in each of these
subfolders.
Pro Tools keeps related files together in this hierarchy to facilitate backups
of sessions and transfers between Pro Tools systems.
File Types
The types of files that Pro Tools generates and stores in each folder in the
hierarchy are described in the following sections. Many of these files are
created by Pro Tools automatically as you work on a project, although some
are generated by export operations only.
Pro Tools Session File
A session file is the document that Pro Tools creates when you start a new
project. Pro Tools creates this file (along with various subfolders) inside a
session folder of the same name. Pro Tools 10 and later session files are
recognizable by their .ptx extensions. (Earlier versions of Pro Tools use the
.ptf extension.)