Collect all and Save? just to clarify..

[buckman]

Sorry for asking such a dumb question, but never really used this much.

I have Live 9.7.7 on Mac OS high Sierra, and about to jump up to Live 10 any day now, as I've been lazy in upgrading!

I record most of my samples in a PC using Sound Forge, as I am so used to this, with cutting, trimming and adding effects and it works well.
I set up a sharing network between the Pc and Mac so my perfectly cut samples and loops (destructive edits) save, and show in a folder on the Mac as both computers share it.

The audio can then be dropped in Ableton Live (mac) very quickly and used.

However if I like the Live session, do I need to create a folder, and "Collect all and Save" to grab all of the shared folders samples (as they sit on the pc) so that no missing samples happen, incase i fire up the Mac without the PC nearby?

Does this also add the .als session/song file to this folder? or do i have to create a folder, and move audio around before saving it?

[doghouse]

It should work, network drives appear to the OS just like any other mounted drives so Live should pull all the samples in for you.

Just try it...make a dummy project, do the save all and then fire it up with the PC turned off.

[mihai]

"Collect all and save" copies any samples/libraries/etc. not in the project folder into the project folder. You should use that option constantly in order to not have fuck-ups in the future.

[buckman]

Thank you both, yes I did think it would collect everything that was used in the project, even if the project used multiple drives at the time, and used networks to stream samples from other computers... therefore it would copy everything at that time to make a folder, insert and back up copies of the audio, and the song .als file used?

[G-Pop]

I went from using "Collect all and Save" (CA&S, New Acronym!) every fifteen minutes,
to once a session, to now, when I am about to close out a project (Finish) and
do my "House Cleaning." I make Shit-tons of clips. I'll typically record three
or four performances of a guitar part (that may only be 15-30sec tops long in the
final master.) Playing different versions, or the same when I'm challenging myself,
and my ability to play what I imagine-hear in my head, mind you.

I could end up with 20 or 35 "tries" there ... plenty of "slicing fodder" to come up
with the "best me" version and brilliant (I hope someday) ground-breaking lead that has
ever been played!

But I digress...

I make enough files when I record and create new samples, clips, etc.
SO when I am done, unless I want to buy storage like a Web Hosting firm,
I clean house. "Manage Files/Project" is pretty good and since I know my "flow"
I feel confident with it... now.
AFTER I HAVE DELETED EVERYTHING I DON'T WANT OR NEED ANYMORE through it...

THEN... I COLLECT ALL AND SAVE. And I have an optimized Final Project folder.
Everything I need, and nothing (much) I don't.
Otherwise I am wasting disk space and creating duplicate files.
Disk space good! (duplicates baaaad!)

And it's a bigger mess to sift through should I want to look
in the "Current Folder" for something later on in the project.
This "flow" works much better than just CA&S and doesn't harm anything
since before it, the sounds and samples and clips I've used for NON-RECORDED FILES
were simply in another place,, ... an Ableton Library sample folder,
just as easy to access from there as from the "Current Folder" where your project
"lives."

I wouldn't dream of moving any finished (final version) project OFF my DAW station
(entirely)
or even a final backup up to a USB mass storage drive without doing my "Clean & sweep"
and CA&S, and only when the final master has been exported. Otherwise as I say, you're just
cluttering up the project folder(s) with more (dupes) files you already had working fine.

Saving disk space... is good! Disk Access (seek, etc,) and even CPU overhead
can be conserved. Many files from Lives voicing, instrument (drum kits, etc.) and packs clips
have sample files that come with them (clips reference a SAMPLE in a library. I've seen individual
drum-kit sample files that were 256+K - 1.6MB with larger sizes being typical of quality.

Wow... I had too much coffee today! (sorry!)
Hope this helps. And what works (in the end) for YOU is always best!
asking questions is a sign of intelligence... so don't stop!

G Pops
?