Hi there!
When importing audio files, I handle things differently depending on the project.
If I’m working with something big—like a full episode of a TV show—I prefer not to copy it into the project folder. I usually keep those large files on a separate drive to save space on my main drive.
But when I’m making music, I want all my samples and loops to stay safe and organized. So in that case, I prefer everything to be copied into the project folder.
That got me thinking: is there a way to add more flexible import options?
For example, something like:
“Only copy files under 1GB into the project folder, but leave larger files where they are.”
Would that kind of filtering be possible?
In my opinion, this would create utter chaos for most users, because they would never know whether a file was in the archive or in the local project. Therefore, it is better if you consciously control where the files are located.
But:
You can import large files to the local directory in Nuendo and then rename them (123.wav → #123.wav). Then use symbolic links to link the original filenames on the local hard drive to the archive drive.
Then the large files can be deleted in the local path.
On Windows, you can do this with:
mklink “d:\folder\audio\123.wav” “x:\archiv\folder\audio\123.wav”
On Mac, you can also do this with other commands.
Renaming is necessary because a file and a symbolic link cannot exist at the same time. The delete all #files.
You can create a batch script (or have one created using ChatGPT) that first renames files larger than 1 GB and then creates symbolic links to the archive files.
You can automate this so that a batch script does it in seconds.
We digitize large audio archives, where projects can easily reach 1 TB in size. For performance reasons alone, all files should be stored locally on the SSD.
For us, the solution was to have several 4 TB SSDs in the computers and to provide several Synology NAS for backups.
Hi ailgazdag,
I have been following the NARAS Producers and Engineer guidelines for handling audio files for years.
To wit:
A dedicated audio drive for your DAW projects.
ALL audio, MIDI, video and related files to be stored inside the session folder.
Two extra backup copies being maintained daily, on different physical media aka other drives.
Never use your operating system drive for sessions, ever.
Cheers.
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