Pro Tools Session Compatibility & Interchange


Pro Tools 7.0 and higher uses a new session file format and extension (.ptf) to distinguish its sessions from sessions created with previous versions of Pro Tools 6 and earlier. The new .ptf file format supports many new options for session compatibility and transfer.

Saving Pro Tools 7 & 8 Sessions to Pro Tools 6 and Earlier Pro Tools Session Formats
Pro Tools 7.x and higher sessions cannot be opened with Pro Tools versions 6.9.x and earlier. To save a Pro Tools 7 or Pro Tools 8 session so it is compatible with Pro Tools version 6.9.x and earlier Pro Tools versions, use the File > Save Copy In command to choose the destination session format (such as Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Session format) and other options.

For more information on creating new sessions, opening previous sessions, and saving sessions, see the "Sessions & Tracks" section of your Pro Tools Reference Guide. In particular, these chapters:
  • Pro Tools Reference Guide v8.0:
    • Chapter 9: Sessions
    • Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility
  • Pro Tools Reference Guide v7.x:
    • Chapter 8: Sessions
    • Chapter 15: File and Session Management and Compatibility

Pro Tools Version Backward Compatibility



The following is a list of features that are not supported with lower versions of Pro Tools. Opening and saving a session in a lower version of Pro Tools may cause data related to these features to be lost. For instance, Pro Tools 7.2 added support for video region groups. These are not displayed in Pro Tools 7.1 and lower, and are lost when you save the session.

This list does not include versions prior to Pro Tools 7.0, may not be complete, and is provided as a guide only.

Pro Tools 8 Features Not Available in Pro Tools 7.4.x & Lower

Category Feature Failure Recommended Workaround
Music Creation Elastic Pitch Regions play at their original pitch, i.e. no offset Commit elastic audio tracks in Pro Tools 8 before opening a session in earlier versions
Music Creation Region Ratings Regions lose their region rating once saved in Pro Tools 7.x Write down region ratings in the comments field on the track
Music Creation Chords ruler The Chords ruler and its data are lost in Pro Tools 7.x None
Music Creation MIDI and Score Editor windows Both window types do not exist in Pro Tools 7.x and thus the windows will not be open None
Music Creation Windows Configurations containing MIDI and Score Editor windows Window configurations are recalled without the MIDI and Score Editor windows None
Editing & Mixing Automation and Take Compositiing Playlist views Session will open with all playlist views closed in Pro Tools 7.x Use the existing Takes pop-up
Editing & Mixing Edit and Time Lock settings Time locked regions are no longer time locked. Edit locked regions convert to "locked". None
Editing & Mixing Inserts F-J Inserts F-J (#6 to #10) are lost when saving sessions in Pro Tools 7.x Move plug-ins to inserts A-E or bounce effects down to disk

 

In addition to the changes listed above for Pro Tools 8, the following would also apply, depending on which version of Pro Tools you are using to open the Pro Tools 8 session:

Pro Tools 7.4
Opening a Pro Tools 7.4 (or higher) session with a lower version of Pro Tools will cause the following issues:
  • Elastic Audio tracks will play at 1x speed without TCE warping. The TCE warping must be coalesced in Pro Tools 7.4 before opening in earlier versions.
  • Unicode characters in any text fields such as track names, region names, etc. may not display correctly. To ensure compatibility with lower versions, the Pro Tools 7.4 user must perform a Save Session Copy In… and select the appropriate character set for use with the lower version.
  • Lost support for some resolutions of Avid video with Avid Mojo/Mojo SDI: Pro Tools 7.4 supports all standard definition Avid video resolutions with Avid Mojo and Avid Mojo SDI. Lower versions of Pro Tools only support a subset of these resolutions. Unsupported video clips will be labeled as such in the timeline. To ensure compatibility, the Pro Tools 7.4 user should export the video track as a QuickTime movie, then re-import into the session.

FAT32 Volumes Not Supported for Recording with Pro Tools 7.4 and Higher for Windows
  • Pro Tools 7.3.x is the last version of Pro Tools that supports FAT32 for Recording.
  • Pro Tools 7.4 and higher for Windows XP and Windows Vista do not support FAT32 for recording, but will continue to support FAT32 formatted volumes for Playback and Transfer.

Pro Tools 7.2/7.3
In addition to the changes listed above for Pro Tools 7.4, opening a Pro Tools HD 7.2 or 7.3 session with a lower version of Pro Tools will cause the following issues:

Pro Tools HD 7.2 Minimum Version Compatibility
To open Pro Tools HD 7.2 and higher sessions, you need Pro Tools HD version 7.1cs3 or later, including the following:
To open with a lower version of Pro Tools (including 7.0 thru 7.1cs2), you must first save the session in Pro Tools 5.1 ->6.9 format.

Tracks
  • VCA Master tracks are removed and any un-coalesced VCA automation is dropped. VCA automation must be coalesced in Pro Tools 7.2/7.3 before opening in a lower version.
  • Any un-coalesced Trim automation is dropped. Trim automation must be coalesced in Pro Tools 7.2/7.3 before opening in a lower version.

Groups
  • All groups beyond the first 26 (Bank 1, Groups a-z) are dropped.
  • Mix Groups keep only Main Volume information.
  • Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and Automation Mode information.
  • Automation overflow information for grouped controls is dropped.
  • Group behavior of Solos, LFEs, Mutes, Send Levels, Send Mutes and plug-in controls is dropped.
  • Solo Mode and Solo Latch preference settings are dropped.
  • Links between main output pans and send pans are dropped.

Video
  • Only the main video track is displayed.
  • Only the first QuickTime movie in the session is displayed or played back.
  • If the session contains QuickTime movies in the Region List but no video track, the session opens with a new QuickTime Movie track containing the first QuickTime movie from the Region List.
  • The Timeline displays and plays back only the video playlist that was last active. Alternate video playlists are not available.
  • Video regions and video region groups are not shown or saved.

Pro Tools 7.0/7.1
In order to open a Pro Tools HD 7.x session with Pro Tools version 6.9 or lower, the user must save the session in Pro Tools 5.1 format. Use the File > Save Copy In command to choose the destination session format (such as 5.1–6.x) and other options. In addition to the changes above, the following attributes are changed:
  • Long file names are shortened.
  • Region groups are dropped.
  • Region loops are dropped.
  • Sample based MIDI regions are dropped.
  • Sample based MIDI tracks are dropped.
  • Sends F–J and automation (if any) are dropped.
  • Markers/Memory Locations 201–999 are dropped.
  • Instrument tracks are converted to MIDI and Auxiliary Input tracks.
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What's New in Pro Tools HD 8.0 (PDF)
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What's New in Pro Tools HD 7.2 (PDF)
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Keywords: DigiSupKW DigiSupKW_Compatibility ; PlatformKW_Undefined ; ArticleID 23442 ; OldAnswerbaseID ;