FTP - Formats and File naming


File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a platform independent protocol used to send files between servers over the internet. Because this protocol can be run on more than one computer and operating system, care must be taken when naming files to avoid conflicts unique to each OS.

(1) all files MUST contain a 3 character file type extension after the name:

file.wav    file.aif    file.mp3    file.txt     etc..

This 3 character extension is the only way an FTP server knows what kind of file you are sending. If you are sending from a PC the extensions will be added automatically; Mac users may need to add them manually before posting the files.

(2) file names should not contain more than one period "."
good: file.aif
bad: file.A1.aif

(3) file and folder names should only use letters, numbers and "-" or "_"
do not use quotes, spaces or other punctuation characters:

good: MyFile.aif
good: my-file.aif
good: my_file.aif
good: my-file-8-22-02.aif

bad: "MyFile".aif — uses quotes
bad: My File.aif — uses a space
bad: My-File8/22/02.aif — uses slashes


FILE FORMATS FOR FTP

The following audio formats will work without problems on both Macs or PCs;
we strongly recommend using only these formats for transfers:

AIFF file.aif
WAV file.wav
MP3 file.mp3

For Sound Designer 2 (.sd2) files and complete ProTools sessions - please make a StuffIt or Zip archive of the entire folder of files/session documents before posting, and post the archive, not the original files.Please contact us if you have any questions.

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