Basic Submission Instructions

This document provides basic instructions for DAW media management and submission procedures specific to our software and course management utilities.

The File Structure of a Studio One 3 Song

Studio One 3 can create new Songs and new Projects.
This nomenclature varies from one DAW to the next.
Studio One 3 Projects can be thought of as mastering projects - a collection of multiple finished pieces that might form the basis for a full multi-song album or a feature film soundtrack. Often, final preparations like track timing and matching volumes from one song to the next are done during this mastering stage.
In this class, we will only be dealing with Studio One 3 Songs - generally, a project in which a single song from an album or cue from a film soundtrack is composed, edited, and/or mixed. When starting a new Song in Studio One 3, a folder with the same name as the Song title is created. By default, this folder is created in Documents>Studio One>Songs (Mac) or My Documents>Studio One>Songs (Windows).
Inside this Song folder you should find one or more of the following:

  • .song file with the same name as your Song title.
  • Bounces folder
  • Cache folder
  • History folder
  • Media folder
  • Mixdown folder The most important of these are the .song file and the Media folder. They are both absolutely crucial for backing up, transferring, duplicating, saving, and submitting your projects.
    Any audio files created within your Song (i.e. ones that you record yourself into the song) are stored in the Media folder.
    All of the other folders, while they are important for other reasons, can usually be recreated if necessary.
    Although the Media folder is very important, it is possible to have a Song with no Media folder if recording only MIDI.

Consolidating a Song

Although audio recorded directly into your Song is stored in the Media folder, audio that is added through other methods (e.g. Drag-and-Drop) is not automatically moved or copied to the Media folder. It is instead referenced in its original location by the Studio One .song file. For example, if you download a file from Freesound.org and drag it directly into the Studio One Arrange window from your Downloads folder, by default, it will stay in the Downloads folder and not copy or move to the Song’s Media folder.
Why do we need to know this? If a Song is backed up and/or transferred without properly consolidating the audio files, it will be missing content, and the finished product will likely not sound as intended. Fortunately, the method for consolidating all audio files into the Media folder is very easy. Simply chose “Copy External Files…” from the Song menu in Studio One. Studio One 3 will then show a list of which files need to be copied, at which point you can simply click “Yes.” If nothing needs to be copied, you will receive a message that says “There are no external files.”

Transferring a Song

Consolidate your Song first by running “Copy External Files…” Then, copy the entire song folder - NOT only the .song - to your external media. This folder is the one that contains one or more of the .song file, Cache folder, Media folder, etc.

Duplicating a Song

Much like transferring a Song, the first step is to run “Copy External Files…” Then, run “Save to New Folder…” from the File menu in Studio One. This will ensure not only that all necessary media is duplicated, but also provide an opportunity to give the duplicate version a different name.

Submitting a Song

This step should be followed for all Lab Assignments (at the end of the lab hour), Mini Compositions, and the Final Project. Additional instructions may be part of the individual assignment descriptions, so be sure to double-check those documents before submitting.

  1. First, consolidate your song following the instructions above, then save again after consolidating.
  2. Regardless of which computer you’re working on, first ensure that the main iMac at the large mixing desk is on. The following steps WILL NOT work if that computer is not on first.
  3. On the desktop is a shortcut called “MUS2745 Spring 2018 Submissions”. Double-click to open that folder. If prompted, chose to connect as “Guest”.
  4. You should now see a an “MUS2745 Spring 2018 Submissions” window with folders labelled for all of our semester assignments and projects (Lab 1, Lab 2, Mini Composition 1, etc).
  5. Drag the song folder for your submission into the corresponding folder inside “MUS2745 Spring 2018 Submissions”.
  6. If you would like, you can then go over to the main iMac at the mixing desk to open your project from the same “MUS2745 Spring 2018 Submissions” folder to ensure that everything works and all files transferred. It is up to you to make sure that I can open your project on that computer for grading.