I am in the process of converting from Cakewalk SONAR to Mixcraft Pro 8.1 as my DAW.

When dragging BIAB files into a SONAR project, SONAR made copies of audio files and kept them in their own named project folders. Mixcraft apparently does not. Files sent from BIAB to Mixcraft must remain in the /BB/DragDrop folder for Mixcraft to see them.

I really don't like this; I'm not sure how to set up a workable set of folders for separate projects. I don't want to just throw all files into one place.

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Write an easy .BAT or PowerShell file to copy your projects to a different folder.

You can have it prompt for the main project folder name and have it copy.

If you want help on that option, PM me.

Thanks for the reply!

Steve, are you using Mixcraft and BIAB?

I wouldn't need help writing a batch file (I used to teach this); I'm just not visualizing your idea yet.

I don't use Mixcraft but was just thinking of how to script a process like that. Of course copy/paste between a couple of Explorer windows is just as easy.

The snag I ran into with my thoughts is you would not want to overwrite your Mixcraft files by accident when you copy new BIAB files over.

Yes, and that's but one snag I can think of.

I realize now how spoiled I was that SONAR copied the BIAB audio into its own project folders, and I could set BIAB to delete the contents of the /DragDrop folder upon program startup. I need to develop a new methodology for handling files for Mixcraft.

I’m using REAPER and I just tell BIAB to output all the wave files into my preprepared REAPER song folder. When this is done you can easily see them in the REAPER media bay and drag them all in. I am sure the same process would work in Mixcraft. I think Mixcraft is a great program and have reviewed it a few times. It also offers a huge amount of value especially if you go for the Pro edition.

However I love the way REAPER operates and how efficient it is.

Yeah, I gotta agree; the more I use Reaper the more I like it.

Matt, have you checked out Reaper yet?
I've tried a lot of DAWs, and while I occasionally have to look at the documentation for Reaper (which is abundant), once I see how it's done I see the efficiency in the workflow and usually remember it .. plus it is very efficient code wise (read fast).
Renders happen stupidly fast here, even using SATA drives..

Yes, I looked at demos of about 10 DAW candidates. Mixcraft appeared very straightforward and may be the best at handling VST and VSTi plugins. Of course, with more experience, differences will become more apparent and I have to see what I can and cannot live with.

Mixcraft renders very quickly as well.

I think REAPER handles vst, vsti and vst3 better than any other DAW I have used. If you are using REAPER 64bit then any 32bit vsts are automatically bridged in REAPER with no need for jbridge. The designers have also announced that Melodyne ARA support will soon be available. Mixcraft is powerful though and offers loads of instruments and effects. Acoustica is a great company and they support their products well.

One other feature of REAPER is the brilliant forum. A bit like this one really if you have any query no matter how small you are likely to receive an informed response very quickly. It has a very large expert user-base and this is a huge asset to the product. You can download the excellent user guide as a pdf. This user-guide is kept up to date which is not small feat as the program is constantly evolving. You can also purchase a printed spiral-bound user-guide if you prefer. Some people prefer a printed guide but it will become out of date fairly quickly.

As you see I am a fan. The more you use REAPER the more you understand how brilliant the program is and how it can be set up to suit every different type of user. It has also added a notation editor view (which Mixcraft has also) but this is not anything to rival Sibelius or Doric but nevertheless welcome.

Tracktion gives you an option to copy audio locally too the project or to point to original source locations. Tracktion 6 is entirely free, but no notation midi editor inside.

Thanks, everyone. Can we stay somewhat on topic? Since you like other DAWs, does your DAW require BIAB files that you drag into the /BB/DragDrop folder to stay there? Or does it take those files and store them within the DAW, and where?

I have been using Mixcraft thru 6, 7, 8 and the way I have always done it is save files in Realband as individual files and then send them to Mixcraft, you have to put in each track one at a time and then rewind before entering next track. I also save original files in Realband and use a different name on the file to change like Dolly mixcraft ready, etc. That's my way never tried it through Biab, hope that helps some.

I use Studio One Pro and I just drag & drop the from BIAB to SOP and it puts all the tracks in place in the song. Then if I save my song in SOP it asks me if I want to store a copy of these files into the songs project media folder where all of the audio files for that song are. Very simple drag and drop.

Brian

I render the BiaB tracks files to a folder and then drag them to Logic Pro where they create a DAW track and are added to the Logic project. Or I can drag one from Drag ‘n Drop to Logic with the same results. I’m an Apple guy but assumed that this work flow would work for any scenario. Can you drag to the desktop and then to the DAW?

Now we’re getting the info; thanks! Critter, FYI, you can drag multiple tracks into Mixcraft. Brian, that’s exactly the way it should be - a choice. Score one for SOP. Janice or Bud, it’s the double housekeeping work that I’m trying to avoid. There are already enough opportunities to make errors in file handling.

Matt, I'm not at my computer right now, so can't check the exact effect, but you might want to look at the "Copy Project Files To..." command (found under the "File" menu. The description is "Copies all current project files to a folder or a new ZIP file. This is useful for backup up projects (i.e. to CD), reorganizing project files, or collaboration with others>"

The user manual goes on to say:

Oh - you had me going there a moment, John; I thought this was a menu option in BIAB I had somehow overlooked. No - it's in Mixcraft.

I'll think about that. Thank you!

Sorry, I wasn't clear. It's from the MixCraft User Manual.

As a former Digital Performer guy, I LOVE Mixcraft 8. I don't use Pro, that just adds more VSTs, and I have shoe boxes full already - Colossus, Trillian etc. For $79 I got everything I needed from the $699 DP!

I save the individual tracks from BiaB, and then just use that folder. The "regular" BiaB tracks just stay where they were. I do not have to drag individually, set the tempo and key, then set Snap to 1 bar, select all the audio tracks (probably leave out the mix track) drag to bar 2. Everything lies right up, read the track name to determine the mix track names. Works great.

Thanks!

I see that I'm late to the party. This is about as close as you're going to get. You can do the same wh Loop and Sound Effects en you also drag and drop a clip.

Excellent. Thank you. That should do it.

By the way, I’m experimenting now with another DAW, Samplitude.