Re: Preservation Practices: How do you handle Pro Tools files?

Darnelle,

Thank you so much for the info. We were considering this option but also guesstimating time investment for going in this direction. Would you happen to know if conversions can be done in bulk (in groups) within Pro Tools?

Again, thank you!

Kari May
Digital Archives & Preservation Librarian
karimay_at_pitt.edu

A&SC
ULS
7500 Thomas Blvd.
Suite 205
Pittburgh, PA, 15208

-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries <CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG> On Behalf Of Darnelle Melvin
Sent: Thursday, August 7, 2025 1:13 PM
To: CODE4LIB_at_LISTS.CLIR.ORG
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Preservation Practices: How do you handle Pro Tools files?

Thank you for raising this important question. In my experience, the best approach is to open the Pro Tools session and export each track as a WAV or BWF file, adhering to a clearly defined target specification. I recommend referring to *IASA-TC 04: Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects <https://www.iasa-web.org/tc04/audio-preservation>*
as a foundation for setting preservation standards.

It's also worth noting that .PTS / .PTX files may only be forward- or backward-compatible with a limited range of Pro Tools versions. If you choose to retain these original session files for potential future access, you should plan to maintain a legacy workstation with the appropriate operating system and compatible version of Pro Tools.
Best regards,
Darnelle

[image: UNLV Logo] <http://unlv.edu/>

Darnelle O. Melvin

Special Collections and Archives Metadata Librarian

Associate Professor
University Libraries
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

darnelle.melvin_at_unlv.edu
Office: 702-895-2146 <17028952146>

 • Bluesky <https://bsky.app/profile/metadataguy.bsky.social> • Twitter <https://twitter.com/metadataguy> • ORCID <http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4614-3504> • GitHub <https://github.com/darnelleMelvin> • OSF <https://osf.io/2snpm/>



On Thu, Aug 7, 2025 at 9:23 AM May, Kari L < 0000017296d931ec-dmarc-request_at_lists.clir.org> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> We have recently been working with a collection that contains .PTS /
> .PTX files from Pro Tools (Avid). We are considering various
> approaches to preserving them but would be grateful for input on
> practices/workflows from anyone else who already has experience working with these formats.
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Kari May
> Digital Archivist & Preservation Librarian University of Pittsburgh
> Library System
> 7500 Thomas Blvd, Room 205
> Pittsburgh, PA, 15260
> 412.648.5676
> karimay_at_pitt.edu<mailto:karimay_at_pitt.edu>
>
> "There are no answers- only choices." -Gibarian, Solaris
>