Here’s a way to avoid a lesson that a lot of engineers have learned the hard way. If you’ve dealt with computer recording, plug-ins in particular, you’ve probably experienced the loss of a plug-in or a session due to an OS update, DAW software update, hardware upgrade, or a manufacturer dropping support for their product. Even changing an I/O configuration could have you “all twisted up in the game” if you want to come back to an old mix. The solution is to bounce all of the tracks of your session to audio files that start at the beginning of the session and continue all the way to the end. For tracks that have plug-ins that are integral to the sound of the track, print one with the plug-ins and one without, just in case you aren’t sure, or want to make changes later on.
With this method, it doesn’t matter which DAW you are using since they all perform this task. The bounced files can then be imported into any DAW and lined up to the same start time. The bottom line is that if you’ve used a plug-in in the past that is no longer available on your present system, you still retain the sound of that plug-in if the opportunity arises to remix, mix in surround, release an old song, or add alternate takes on a new CD.