There are times when it is useful to be able to load a Pro Tools session with whatever plug-ins are instantiated in that session disabled or inactive. The biggest reason to do this is that a session with no active plug-ins loads much faster than one with active plug-ins. Especially when comparing larger sessions or versions of sessions, loading with plug-ins inactive can save a great deal of time. You might also want to load a session with plug-ins inactive in order to hear what it sounds like without any processing.
To load a session with plug-ins inactive, use the “Open Session” command (or hit command+O [Mac]/control+O [Windows]). Select the session you would like to open, then hold the shift key while clicking the “Open” button. You could also hold the shift key while double-clicking on the session you want to open, or select the desired session, then hold the shift key while hitting the return key to select “Open.”
If a dialog box opens asking about whether to save an open session or not, continue to hold the shift key while closing out that dialog.
To make the plug-ins active, select “Revert to Saved” in the “File” menu, or option+right-click on a plug-in in each insert row and select “Make Active.”
