Help me understand renaming files...

[UpTilDawn]

So, I've always been puzzled by this process and right now I could really use some clarification.

I just recorded a live event in which I had no time to name the track channels before starting to record.
Now, I am able to properly identify each wav file and order the track/channels, with names in the MT.
But, if I reveal the track names, or look in region view, the names (obviously) do not match those names I've assigned to each channel label (the "kick" channel's region is named "track01", for instance... just for instance).

My goal is to change the original file names and region names, so that they correspond the the channel labels in the MT view.

The first part of the process is something I'm accustomed to, having had to do this many, many times over the years:

1- Under the View menu, I select File and the list of all recorded tracks are displayed (we'll assume there are no missing, or corrupted tracks).
2- Next, I select/highlight the track, or multiple tracks I want to change - we'll assume just a single track - 'kick'.
3- I choose the 'ReName Selected Entries And Actual Files' option from the blue triangle menu.
4- A dialog comes up in which I rename "Track01.wav" to "Kick.wav"
5- The name in the File list changes, as does the actual wav file name in the session folder.
6- A notice comes up upon closing the File Menu to the affect that parameters have been changed.
7- I acknowledge it and then save the session for good measure, before reopening it and verify that all is right...... it is.................................... except.........

The displayed region name in the MT view and in the regions list is still called "Track01"..........

Why doesn't the region name change to "Kick"?
And why isn't there an obvious renaming option in the Regions View, if this lack of renaming isn't automatically carried across from actual wav file, through the region name itself?

Does anybody know what I'm doing wrong, or missing?

I'm faced with having to rename and reorganize upwards of 40 tracks in this latest session.
Since it was recorded in three phases, each original track (@ tracks in the regions view) also has two related, numbered regions (001, 002, etc).

[John F]

I don't mean to sound flippant, but once you organize your files and name them in the Multitrack, why do you still care what the file's actual name is?

John Francis
Rolla, MO

[mr_es335]

Good day,

#1: John, please disregard my message.
#2: Dan, I do believe that this is a question for Bob directly.

From what I am able to ascertain, there are "system-level things going on", and there are "application-level things going on". And it would appear that the two are not cooperating with each other.

This cooperative situation may be the result of my misunderstanding of the current situation [...which is likely], or I do not know how Bob would resolve this situation.

PS1: There IS a "Rename Regions" option in the Regions Menu. However, you must rename the wave file first, before invoking this option!!! Hope this helps?

PS2: I must say, after ruminating over this situation for a bit, a a computer support person since 1992, I have had many...MANY , clients whom would call me and ask what happened to "a thing".
* One particular example was a photographer whom had created a presentation for a client, and then decided "after-the-fact", to update the image file names. Later, upon launching the application that they were employing to create the collage, that they were faced with a screen displaying "not found" placeholder "images". All that I can say, it took some time, to re-associate the renamed images with the "originals". This appears to be the same situation that may occur here!

[cgrafx]

It's very simple to re-link files that have had their file names changed. The dialog to do that pop's up everytime you load a session and there are missing files (it will ask you what you want to do).

1. Ignore the missing files and load the session
2. Locate the missing files.
3. re-link the missing files to different named files. You only have to do this once and then save the session.

So in your case, you would manually rename the session wave files and the reload the session and relink each one to the newly named file.

Troubleshooting Import Errors
During a session import, if you encounter an error message that a referenced soundfile can not be
found, clicking OK in the message prompt dialog box will bypass the error and continue loading the
session. Pressing the [Ctrl] key while clicking OK will bypass all import errors load the entire session.
At this point the session will not play as there are files internally marked as bad.
To attempt to reinitialize the bad file header information, save the session in its current state, then
reopen it using the Open Session option under the File menu. When you receive the first file
complaint, press the [Shift] key and click OK to open the browse window and navigate to the proper
soundfile path. All following files will automatically look to this new alternate path before prompting
you again. You may create up to ten alternate paths along the way which will each be added to the
search list before prompting you again. This process will reinitialize all internal links and header
information.
After the session has been loaded with all links intact, update the EDL to save the new file locations.

Navigating to the proper path includes clicking on a file with a different name.

[UpTilDawn]

It's very simple to re-link files that have had their file names changed. The dialog to do that pop's up everytime you load a session and there are missing files (it will ask you what you want to do)...

Navigating to the proper path includes clicking on a file with a different name.

I understand this process pretty well and have used it often just to redirect SAW to the correct folder location.
Not so often, clicking on a file with a different name - the reminder will be helpful, I'm sure, because I have forgotten that before!

This does not, however, rename the region displayed name in the MT and Regions View.

[UpTilDawn]

...


PS1: There IS a "Rename Regions" option in the Regions Menu. However, you must rename the wave file first, before invoking this option!!! Hope this helps?...

I appreciate the detailed response, but one thing:

1- There is no "Rename Regions" option in the Regions View.

There is an option to rename a Group in the Group menu found in the Regions View window.
The only other choice (than Group) is to Insert a region to the MT.
Believe me - if there were such an option, the issue would be solved and I would be using it.

You're probably correct that I should ask Bob directly. I may do that sometime, because it bugs me.

In the meantime, I decided to rename all of the individual wav and wpd files outside of the SAW session. Then, starting SAW with a fresh session, with the correct channel labels and in the order I want, I imported the wav files from a Library View of the original session folder that contained the now renamed files. The end result is clean and regions are correctly named.

[mr_es335]

Dan,

You stated, "This does not, however, rename the region displayed name in the MT and Regions View."

Correct! Until Bob chimes-in, the only way I know of correcting this anomaly is to employ the Menu option noted previously.

[UpTilDawn]

I don't mean to sound flippant, but once you organize your files and name them in the Multitrack, why do you still care what the file's actual name is?

John Francis
Rolla, MO

No offense taken at all, John.

The main reason I care is to avoid confusion, if I should happen to need to consult a region's name for the sake of adding, deleting, or otherwise editing and rearranging region bits throughout the course of the project. An example might be:

I was hired to record a live event in which I had the opportunity to set up SAW and record a dress rehearsal the day before. Some mic lines/channels were reconfigured on stage the next day for some reason and I wasn't informed about it and only noticed after the concert had already begun. When this happens, I am at the mercy of the sound crew and must deal with it.

So, let's say that one of the original recorded wav files might be named "Ac Gtr", but the channel label was "El Gtr". There may be multiple instances of this criss-crossed mayhem to deal with after the fact.
I have what I have and have no choice but to make sense of it for myself. It's annoying enough, when the MT channel labels and region names don't match. But the chance for confusion down the road, maybe weeks, months, or years later, is far greater when the region names don't match the file names.

[mr_es335]

Dan,

What do you means by the following:

1) ...the track names...
2) ...the original file names...

Have a look-see at this:

Part A
Launch: SAWStudio
Select: Ctrl + S
For Save Session File As..., enter: Test
For File, Add SoundFile To MT, Track01, select: Open
For MultiTrack, MultiTrack Label Zone, 1, enter: Kick
Select: OK
Select: Ctrl + S

Part B
For View, File, select: 001)
For Options, ReName Selected Entries And Actual Files, Enter New File Name..., enter: Kick.wav
Select: OK
For File view, select: Exit
For WARNING!, select: Ok
For Regions, Re-Name Region(s), Re-Name Region(s), enter: Kick
Select: OK
Select: Ctrl + S
Launch: SAWStudio
Select: Ctrl + S
For Save Session File As..., enter: Test
For File, Add SoundFile To MT, Track01, select: Open
For MultiTrack, MultiTrack Label Zone, 1, enter: Kick
Select: OK
Select: Ctrl + S

Part B
For View, File, select: 001)
For Options, ReName Selected Entries And Actual Files, Enter New File Name..., enter: Kick.wav
Select: OK
For File view, select: Exit
For WARNING!, select: Ok
For Regions, Re-Name Region(s), Re-Name Region(s), enter: Kick
Select: OK
Select: Ctrl + S

Let me know!

[UpTilDawn]

...
For Regions, Re-Name Region(s), Re-Name Region(s), enter: Kick...

THAT is the key! At least for the one track I tried just now. Great for one-offs... Not so good for renaming multiple, highlighted regions - I just discovered - since successive regions use the same new name, appended with your numbering scheme of choice - watch out for THAT!

So, it didn't occur to me at all to look at the menus at the top of the MT, until you insisted that there's an option to rename regions. I expected any region options to be listed right in the Regions View window, as so many of SAW's options are so conveniently available. The Regions View window couldn't be further away (physically/visually) from the menus at the top of the MT in all of my f-key views.

So, I've never even used that Regions menu for anything other than to Create Blank Region, or to Clear Unused Regions... go figure. Sometimes it takes a bit of head shaking to get the brain matter moving around.

Thanks for the push.

[mr_es335]

Dan,

Keep us updated as to you progress!!

[UpTilDawn]

Got it all worked out for the current project and a system going forward.
Identifying and renaming the original files outside of SAW and then importing them to a fresh session, with the proper channel labels is the safest way in most of my situations. It avoids the potential misidentifying and criss-crossing of file names that I've accidentally done in the past.

Renaming single files completely will be a breeze going forward, now that I've been made aware of the option in the Regions top edge menu.

I think it could be even faster, if the option was contained in the one File View menu choices - Rename Selected Entries, Regions And Actual Files could do it for me - maybe not for everyone and I'm sure I haven't even considered the possible downsides, if any. So, I'm not complaining and I'm happy enough with a system that works for my needs now.

[Bob L]

There is a rename Regions in the Regions menu... use that to simply rename any region however you want.

Bob L

[jmh]

Identifying and renaming the original files outside of SAW and then importing them to a fresh session, with the proper channel labels is the safest way in most of my situations.

Using a naming scheme while importing:

d1_OH, d2_room, d3_floor, d4_rack, d5_snare...

lets you import them en masse in the order you like.

[UpTilDawn]

Using a naming scheme while importing:

d1_OH, d2_room, d3_floor, d4_rack, d5_snare...

lets you import them en masse in the order you like.

Absolutely. I have often done this in the past and it's really quick when importing, as you say.

I have f-keys set up to view the library view(s) to the right of the MT, so that I can see many MT channel labels and most all library tracks at one time. This allows me to at least highlight and import handfuls of tracks at a time. It works well, when I can't do as you suggest.

As with most of the convenient things built in, such as the library view importing, or the mix templates, or the Automation Gallery (which I haven't used in a long time), I often find myself having to cherry pick things and/or resorting to totally manual moves. I'm sure it's because so much of what I do involves live multitrack concerts in which I have little control of the lines being sent from the stage, their channel assignments, or any changes that go on during the events.

I really love it, when I can make use of those features in SAW, though. I also love that there are equally useful ways to do similar things on a channel by channel basis - such as saving/recalling individual and group channel settings as a substitute and/or enhancement to mix templates - this has become one of my most used features, since many of my live recordings are done in the same, few venues these days.

[UpTilDawn]

There is a rename Regions in the Regions menu... use that to simply rename any region however you want.

Bob L

As you say!
That one flew straight over my head before. I will remember it forever going forward.

[jmh]

As you say!
That one flew straight over my head before. I will remember it forever going forward.

LOL ...don't know how many times I've re-discovered some function I wished I had.

[Todd R]

It's one thing dealing with a recording you, yourself made;

it's something different if you receive an xml from someone and then have to point regions to its audio.
If I'm working on a film, there is typically a log that was painstakingly created manually and re-naming source files would be a potentially disastrous activity.

I typically do all that in the File window if I need to map link a sequence from a vision editor.

On my audio projects, yes, I prefer the source files named as the syntax I want;
and region names are easily renamed by the U key if you want to retain sync edits and automation in SAW.
Otherwise, creating a new edl is likely faster than modifying one.

and, of course bulk work carried out in the Library views...

and as was mentioned, delete and regenerate .wpd files if you use amplitude to navigate in your edits