Help with migrating only selected apps and files

[Spearhead1]

I have decided to upgrade from my old 2013 iMac to a Macbook Pro M1 14". Since i haven't upgraded in forever, i feel very unused to setting things up and getting started.

So i only want to to transfer a couple of my ongoing music projects and everything related to them (DAW, plugins, VSTs, bounced files, midi files, mastering and mixing projects) to my new commputer. To my understanding the Migration Assistant only gives you the option to transfer "applications", "files" etc. But what if i don't want to transfer all the files, or all the applications, but only these selected ones?

I only want certain files and apps to be transferred, and i want them to be located just as on my old iMac, and i want the projects in my DAW, with all the audio and midi tracks, to show up just as before.

How do i do this?

 

[cthompson94]

I think your best best to ensure everything is just as you want is to set up the new MBP as a new Mac and manually download the needed software and using a external drive or something to put things how you want. It is hard to say with certainty that migration assistant will work cleanly with programs especially if you will need to sign into the programs again and so maybe the file structure within the programs are quite setup.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I only want certain files and apps to be transferred, and i want them to be located just as on my old iMac, and i want the projects in my DAW, with all the audio and midi tracks, to show up just as before.
How do i do this?"

You do it "manually", and very carefully.
Get pencil, paper and clipboard.
Make note of WHERE the files you wish to transfer currently reside (in your old account on the old Mac).

Use an external (USB) drive.
Copy what you need to move onto the drive.
Connect it to the NEW Mac.

Next, you MUST take steps to avoid permissions problems by doing this:
- Click ONE time on the external drive icon to select it.
- Bring up the get info box (command-i)
- At the bottom of get info, click the lock and enter the password you are using for the NEW Mac
- Put a check into "ignore ownership on this volume" (sharing and permissions)
- Close get info

Now you can copy things from the external drive into your new account, and whatever you copy will "fall under the ownership" of your new account.

Use your clipboard to prompt you as to WHERE the files should go.

Some items -- perhaps plugins, VSTs -- may need to be re-authorized (I'm just guessing on this).

Same procedure would go for applications. You MIGHT have to re-register them on the new Mac.

 

[calliex]

The migration assistant is an all or nothing transfer when it comes to apps. I ran into this the last time I migrated. I had an app I did not want to use anymore on the new Mac. It is better to just re-install apps from scratch.