moving from 44 to 48 for all projects: cautions,...

LOL....

The proverbial can of worms......you've awoken the MATH NERDS!

For new projects just set the default sample rate for new projects.

For old projects that sounds like a lot of work... What types of projects do you have? Just audio, or audio+MIDI? Do you have audio groove clips/loops in the project? Do you use per-clip FX? Do you use lots of automation?

The main problem is that you can't just change the sample rate of an existing project, you need to export everything and import into a new project. In the case of loop points, per-clip FX, FX bin inserts, automation curves, etc., etc. you need to recreate all of that in a new project! Here's the basic process, off the top of my head:

For each non-loop track in a project:

1.) Disable all FX, automation curves, etc. so that you can export just the raw track audio to broadcast WAV at the "native" sample rate of the track (e.g., 44.1kHz) . If you have per-clip FX that you need to repro then you'll need to export at the clip level as necessary. Broadcast WAV will embed timeline info into the WAV that will let you import that track exactly where it needs to be into the timeline of the new project (assuming the tempo of the new project is set to the exact same value as the source project!)

2.) Save all of your FX settings into presets and make note of all automation parameters so you can reproduce each track in the new project. Track templates would definately come in handy here.

3.) This step is optional -- you can SRC each raw audio track file offline using something like Voxengo's r8brain to get very high quality upsample. (One question: does r8brain support broadcast WAV? It must). You can also skip this step and just let SONAR do the upsample on import, as SONAR's SRC is pretty close to r8brain in quality.

4.) Import each upsampled broadcast WAV into the new project either at the track or clip level, and repro all FX and automation settings in each track/clip.

For each track containing loops/groove clips:

You'll need to do essentially the same thing as above except now you need to worry about loop points. Loop points and ACID meta data are stored as sample position offsets from the start of the file (sample position "0"). When you change the audio file's sample rate sample position "X" in the original file becomes sample position "Y" in the new file, so you need to go reloop/re-ACIDize all of those files using the new sample positions. I don't know if SONAR's SRC will adjust loop points for you on import (or will r8rain do the same?). If so, then at least resetting all of the loop/ACID points is work you don't have to do, but you still need to recreate the groove clips themselves (i.e., slip editing the clips).

ORIGINAL: mike_mccue
I hate moving... it takes too long to unpack

The nice thing about moving is that you don't have to unpack everything! The essentials get unpacked right away, then over the course of a year or so you figure out which of the remaining boxes get dipped into or not... an when you've tripped over those unopened boxes in your basement/garage/guest room enough times, it is at that point that the whole box, still unopened, finds it's way on a trip to the dump or out to the curb. As long as you don't throw away any critical documents or family pictures, which should be seperately packed and clearly marked anyway, you should be good to go! After my last move 8 years ago or so, I ended up throwing out 4 or 5 largeish boxes of just utter crap...

There's no valid reason why converting a project's sample rate, all within Sonar, should be any more complicated than a simple Save-as with a "Convert Sample Rate" option. Unfortunately, we have to jump through hoops to do this. Perhaps Sonar 8. Or Sonar 9. Or Sonar 10.

Here's an alternate method for changing a project's sample rate that lets you bypass most exporting, importing, as well as the bypassing and recreation of all fx and automation settings, and which is far less tedious and error-prone. I used this method (first described here by Rosabelle) to convert projects from 96k to 44.1k, but it will work for any sample rate conversion.

The method is possible because of how Sonar's audio clips reference their underlying wave files by name: As long as Sonar can find the wave filename that's associated with a given audio clip, it will load that file into the clip, which is already correctly positioned and sized in a track that has whatever effects, envelopes, you have given it.

1) Do a Save-as of the project to a new folder (e.g., SongName-NewSampleRate) and select the options to "Copy all audio with project." Use Per-Project Audio. This will create a copy of the project and all of its audio.

2) Do another Save-as of the project, only this time save it as a template. Do NOT delete any clips or disable any FX or envelopes, etc -- save it exactly as it is.

3) Change Sonar's default sample rate for new projects to your new sample rate.

4) Go to the audio folder under SongName-NewSampleRate and use a sample rate converter like r8brain to batch convert all the audio to the new sample rate. CRITICAL: Make sure that the converted files have the *exact same filename* as the pre-converted files. r8brain does this automatically, by renaming the original source files.

5) In Sonar, start a new project using the template you previously created from the project you're converting. In the New Project File dialog, make sure that the Audio Path points to the folder where you just converted the files.

The project should now open with all of its clips, fx, envelopes, etc, totally intact, and referencing the correct wave files, which are now at your new sample rate.

Note, there may be some unusual errors reported for some clips/files. These seem to come from the problems in the sample rate conversion process, rather than from this method of converting the project's sample rate itself.

When I did this, I had to manually convert some of the files, and do some other salvaging of clips from the original project to the new one. It got a little messy. But I did not have to do any full-track exporting or importing, and I did not have to recreate any fx or envelope settings. So that made it much easier. But it is not a process I'd want to go through again.... though unfortunately I may have to.

HTH

If you have Soundforge then resample under batch mode. Its not hard at all.

I figger 48 is becoming the base standard.

Hello,

Only for DVD. For CD 44/16 is the only format allowed. You should choose your sample rate depending on the distribution method not what you "figger." There is no difference between the sound of 48K and 44K sample rates. If you will be distributing as MP3 then you can choose the sample rate you "believe" will make a difference - there is no standard sample rate suggested for compressing to MP3.

GK