Reference Guide Pro Tools® 8.
Legal Notices This guide is copyrighted ©2008 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign.
Contents Part I Introduction Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Pro Tools Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 System Requirements and Compatibility Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 About www.digidesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 5. System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Checking an HD System with DigiTest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring Pro Tools System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring MIDI Setup . . .
Part III Sessions & Tracks Chapter 9. Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Quick Start Session Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a New Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session Files and Folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 12. Grouping Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Grouping Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Group Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Working with Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 15. Importing and Exporting Session Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Importing and Exporting to and from a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audio Conversion on Import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Import Options and Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing Files with Drag and Drop. . . . .
Part IV Playback and Recording Chapter 17. Playing Back Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Playing Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playback Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the Playback Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 20. MIDI Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389 Recording from MIDI Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enabling Input Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Thru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 23. Edit Modes and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 Edit Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Zoomer Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 27. Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 Working with Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Track Compositing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playlists View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 30. MIDI Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611 MIDI Editor Window Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Editor Zoom Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Track List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 34. Memory Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705 Memory Locations and Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 705 Memory Locations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712 Chapter 35. Arranging Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 39. Event Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 797 Event Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Restore Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 42. Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 901 Automation QuickStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Automation Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Automation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part X Surround Chapter 44. Pro Tools Setup for Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 975 Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.
Part XI Sync and Video Chapter 47. Working with Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1009 Pro Tools Synchronization Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preparing to Work with SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Part I: Introduction 1
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Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools Welcome to Pro Tools® by Digidesign®. Pro Tools integrates powerful multitrack digital audio and MIDI sequencing features, giving you everything you need to record, arrange, compose, edit, mix, and master professional quality audio and MIDI for music, video, film, and multimedia.
Additional Plug-in Guides Conventions Used in These Guides For information on additional free plug-ins that can be installed with Pro Tools, and for information on additional plug-ins that you can purchase separately, see the following PDF guides: The Pro Tools guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices, keyboard commands, and mouse commands: • Bomb Factory Plug-ins Guide, which describes the Bomb Factory plug-ins.
System Requirements and Compatibility Information Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved. For complete system requirements and a list of Digidesign-qualified computers, operating systems, hard drives, and third-party devices, refer to the latest information on the Digidesign website: www.digidesign.com/compatibility About www.digidesign.com The Digidesign website (www.digidesign.
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Chapter 2: Pro Tools Concepts This chapter explains some of the principles and concepts that form the foundation of Pro Tools operation and functionality. Hard Disk Audio Recording Hard disk recording is a nonlinear (or random access) medium—you can go immediately to any spot in a recording without having to rewind or fast forward. This differs from tape-based recording, which is a linear medium—where you need to rewind or fast forward to hear a particular spot in a recording.
The Digidesign Audio Engine The Digidesign Audio Engine (DAE) is Digidesign’s real-time operating system for digital audio recording, playback, and processing. When you install Pro Tools, DAE is automatically installed on your system.
MIDI MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a communication protocol for musical instruments. This industry standard enables connections between a variety of devices from different manufacturers. Examples of MIDI-compatible equipment include synthesizers, sound modules, drum machines, MIDI patch bays, effects processors, MIDI interfaces, MIDI control surfaces, and MIDI sequencers. MIDI devices are equipped with 5-pin DIN connectors, labeled as either IN, OUT, or THRU.
MIDI Port A physical MIDI port on a MIDI interface or a virtual MIDI port created in software. There are separate ports for MIDI In and Out. Physical MIDI ports connect to external MIDI devices using MIDI cables. Virtual MIDI ports connect software plug-ins and applications (see also “Virtual MIDI Nodes”). MIDI Channel Up to 16 channels of MIDI performance data can be transmitted on a single MIDI cable.
Synchronization Signal paths for external MIDI instruments To actually hear an external MIDI instrument, you need to connect its audio outputs to a mixing console or connect it to one of the audio inputs of your Pro Tools audio interface. Just as each Pro Tools system has unique hardware features, each MIDI device has its own features (and limitations) as to the number of voices and instruments it can play at one time. Refer to the device’s documentation for information on its capabilities.
Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with the Complete Production Toolkit option support mixing in surround formats. In Pro Tools, each surround format is considered to be a Pro Tools greater-than-stereo multichannel format. For information on fundamental surround concepts, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide. There are different session file icons for each type of Pro Tools system software.
Pro Tools provides multiple types of tracks: audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, Instrument, and video. Audio track in the Edit window (stereo track shown) MIDI track in the Edit window Video tracks support QuickTime movies (all Pro Tools systems) and VC-1 video files (Windows Vista only). Additionally, Avid video is supported on Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 software with an Avid video peripheral.
MIDI Files When you record or enter MIDI into a Pro Tools session, all MIDI data is stored in the Pro Tools session file. You can import and export MIDI files to and from Pro Tools sessions, but MIDI recorded or otherwise created in a Pro Tools session does not automatically create new MIDI files. Video Files When you record or import video into a Pro Tools session, all video data is stored as the corresponding video file type (such as QuickTime).
Playlist Each audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, Master Fader, and VCA track also has a single set of automation playlists. Automation playlists can include volume, pan, mute, and each automationenabled control for the insert and send assignments on that track. MIDI controller data on Instrument and MIDI tracks is always included as part of the track playlist. Playlist selector pop-up menu A playlist is a sequence of regions arranged on an audio, MIDI, or video track.
Signal Routing Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and signal routing controls for audio and MIDI. These controls are located in the Mix window. Some of these controls can also be accessed from the Edit window. A common audio signal routing task is to submix multiple tracks to a single channel strip (such as an Auxiliary Input) for shared processing and level control. The following example shows two audio tracks submixed to a stereo Auxiliary Input.
Signal Routing Options Signal routing options include the following: Track Input and Output (I/O) Controls The most basic type of signal routing is track input and output. A track needs to have an assigned input path to record audio, and an assigned output path in order to be audible through a hardware output. Signals can also be routed to or from other tracks in Pro Tools (or hardware inputs and outputs) using internal busses.
Tick-Based and Sample-Based Time Pro Tools lets you set any track timebase to either sample-based or tick-based. You can also set the Timeline to be viewed as tick-based or sample-based. Audio in Pro Tools is sample-based by default. This means that if an audio region is located at a particular sample location, it will not move from that location if the tempo changes in the session—though its Bar|Beat location will change. MIDI data in Pro Tools is tick-based by default.
With Elastic Audio, Pro Tools analyzes entire audio files for transient “events.” For example, an event can be a drum hit, a sung note, or chord played by a guitar. These detected events can then serve as control points for “warping” the audio. Pro Tools can warp (TCE) audio events automatically, such as when automatically conforming audio to the session tempo or quantizing audio events, or you can warp audio manually using the standard editing tools with the audio track set to Warp view.
In addition to manually setting Active and Inactive modes, Pro Tools automatically makes items inactive if there are insufficient or unavailable resources. When active, items are fully engaged and operational. Display of Inactive Items When items are inactive, their names appear in italics, and their background becomes dark gray. When a track is inactive, the entire channel strip is grayed out.
Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode Active and Inactive modes are powerful options for session transfer and system resource management. Pro Tools provides automatic and manual Inactive mode switching. You can manually make items inactive (or active) to selectively manage system resources while editing and mixing. Automatically Inactive Items When opening a session, it is possible that not all signal paths, plug-ins, or audio interfaces used in the session will be available as defined on the current system.
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Chapter 3: Keyboard and Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts This chapter provides an overview of Pro Tools mouse and keyboard shortcuts. A PDF listing of all shortcuts is available in Pro Tools. Choose Help > Shortcuts. Track Functions Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for the following track functions: • Changing Automation mode • Enabling playlists Right-Click Mouse Shortcuts Pro Tools provides Right-click shortcuts for choosing various Pro Tools commands and menus with any Right-click capable mouse.
List and Parameter Selection There are three types of Keyboard Focus: Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for the following items: Commands Keyboard Focus When selected in the Tracks pane in the Edit window or in the Notes pane of any MIDI Editor window, this provides a wide range of single key shortcuts from the computer keyboard for editing and playing. The frontmost Edit or MIDI Editor window always receives Commands Keyboard Focus when it is enabled.
To set the Keyboard Focus, do one of the following: Shuttle Lock Modes Click the a–z button for the focus you want to enable. With either Shuttle Lock mode (Classic or Transport) you can use the numeric keypad to shuttle forward or backwards at specific speeds. – or – While pressing Control+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac), press one of the following keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Region List), or 3 (Group List).
Transport Mode Shuttle Mode This mode allows you to set a number of record and play functions, and also operate the Transport from the numeric keypad. (Pro Tools HD Only) : Pro Tools offers another form of shuttling, different from that of the two Shuttle Lock modes. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Shuttle, playback of the current Edit selection is triggered by pressing and holding the keys on the numeric keypad—playback stops once the keys are released.
Part II: System Configuration 27
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Chapter 4: Pro Tools Systems There are three types of Pro Tools systems: Pro Tools|HD These systems include Pro Tools HD software for Pro Tools|HD system hardware. Pro Tools LE These systems include Pro Tools LE software for 003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002®, Digi 002 Rack™, Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2 Mini, Mbox 2 Micro, or Mbox hardware. Pro Tools M-Powered These systems include Pro Tools M-Powered software for Digidesignqualified M-Audio® interfaces.
Pro Tools|HD Systems Pro Tools|HD 1 Includes: • Accel Core (for PCIe) card or HD Core (for PCI) card • Pro Tools HD software Expanded Pro Tools|HD Systems Any Pro Tools|HD system can be expanded by adding additional HD Process or HD Accel cards. For more information, see the Expanded Systems Guide. HD Accel and HD Process cards can be used in the same system. For more information, refer to the Pro Tools|HD Setup Guide.
Pro Tools|HD System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits The following table lists the audio playback, recording, and voiceable track limits of each type of Pro Tools|HD system. Playback and recording voices refer to the number of unique simultaneous playback and record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks refers to the maximum number of audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. (Mono tracks take up one voice. Stereo and multichannel tracks take up one voice per channel.
Audio Interfaces for Pro Tools|HD Systems Table 6 lists the input and output capabilities of the various audio interfaces for Pro Tools|HD systems. Table 6. Pro Tools|HD system audio interface channel capabilities Interface Type Number of I/O Channels Sample Rates (kHz) A/D Conversion D/A Conversion Digital I/O 192 I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit 192 Digital I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 None None 24-bit 96 I/O 16 in/16 out 44.
Pro Tools LE Systems Mbox 2 Pro An Mbox 2 Pro system includes: Pro Tools LE-based systems are available in the following configurations: 003 A 003 system includes: • Pro Tools LE software • 003 audio and MIDI interface (with control surface) 003 Rack+ A 003 Rack+ system includes: • Pro Tools LE software • 003 Rack+ audio and MIDI interface 003 Rack A 003 Rack system includes: • Pro Tools LE software • 003 Rack audio and MIDI interface Digi 002 A Digi 002 system includes: • Pro Tools LE software • Digi
Pro Tools LE System Capabilities Table 7 lists the playback, recording, and input and output capabilities of each Pro Tools LE system. Mono tracks of simultaneous playback refers to the number of unique simultaneous playback and record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks refers to the maximum number of audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. (Mono tracks take up a single audio track, while stereo tracks take up two tracks.
Pro Tools M-Powered Complete Production Toolkit Capabilities A Pro Tools M-Powered system includes: (Pro Tools LE Only) • Pro Tools M-Powered software • Digidesign-qualified M-Audio interface (not supplied with M-Powered software) References to Pro Tools LE in this guide are usually interchangeable with Pro Tools M-Powered, except as noted in the Pro Tools M-Powered Setup Guide. For the most current list of Digidesign-qualified M-Audio interfaces, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).
• Editing features: • Video Universe window • Continuous Scroll Additional Software Complete Production Toolkit includes additional software for working with Pro Tools: • Scrub Trim tool • Replace Region command • TCE Edit to Timeline Selection command • Selection of alternate field recorder audio channels in the Pro Tools Timeline • Expanding alternate field recorder audio channels to new tracks • Mixing and Automation features: • Surround mixing up to 7.
DV Toolkit 2 Capabilitites • Mixing and Automation features: (Pro Tools LE Only) • Snapshot automation for writing or trimming automation data Pro Tools Features • Glide Automation commands DV Toolkit 2 enables the following features for working with audio, film, video, or digital video in Pro Tools LE: • Session and track features: • Up to 64 audio tracks of simultaneous playback or recording, mono or stereo • Time code and synchronization features: • Timebase rulers (Time Code and Feet+Frames) • Ti
Music Production Toolkit 2 (Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered Only) Pro Tools Features Music Production Toolkit 2 enables the following features in Pro Tools LE and M-Powered: • Session and track features: • Up to 64 audio tracks of simultaneous playback or recording, mono or stereo • Ability to use QuickPunch simultaneously on up to 32 tracks at 48 kHz and up to 24 tracks at 96 kHz • MP3 export option (for bounce recording or exporting a region as an MP3 file) • Beat Detective features: Checking For S
To disable checking for software updates automatically: In the Software Update dialog, select the Do Not Check For Updates Automatically option. To enable checking for software updates automatically: 1 Check for updates manually (Help > Check For Updates). 2 In the Software Update dialog, deselect the Do Not Check For Updates Automatically option.
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Chapter 5: System Setup Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System To ensure that the components of your Pro Tools system communicate properly with each other, you need to start them in a particular order. Start up your Pro Tools system in this order: 1 Make sure all your equipment (including your computer) is off. 2 Lower the volume of all output devices in your system. 3 For Pro Tools|HD systems with an expansion chassis, turn on the chassis.
4 Do one of the following depending on your Pro Tools system: • For Pro Tools|HD systems, turn off your Pro Tools audio interfaces. – or – • For Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems that use hardware requiring external power (such as 003), turn off the hardware. 5 For Pro Tools|HD systems with an expansion chassis, turn off the chassis. 6 Turn off any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or synchronization peripherals. 7 Turn off any worksurfaces (such as D-Command) or control surfaces (such as Command|8).
To change the Hardware Buffer Size: For example: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. • For sessions with large numbers of RTAS plugins, you can allocate 2 or more processors to RTAS processing and set a high CPU Usage Limit. 2 From the H/W Buffer Size pop-up menu, select the audio buffer size, in samples.
To set the number of RTAS Processors: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 From the RTAS Processing pop-up menu, select the number of available processors you want to allocate. The number of processors available varies depending on how many processors are available on your computer: • Select 1 Processor to limit RTAS processing to one CPU in the system. • Choose 2 Processors to enable load balancing across two available processors.
• Enable RTAS error suppression only if you are experiencing frequent RTAS errors that are interrupting your creative workflow. When RTAS error suppression is enabled, you can experience a degradation of audio quality. However, this may be acceptable in order to avoid interrupting playback and recording when working with instrument plug-ins. RTAS Error Suppression Options • Disable RTAS error suppression when you need to ensure the highest possible audio quality, such as for a final mix.
Number of Voices (Pro Tools HD Only) On Pro Tools|HD systems, the Number of Voices setting lets you control the number of available voices and how those voices are allocated to DSPs in your system. For example, the default number of voices on a Pro Tools|HD 1 system is 48 voices, using one DSP (at sample rates of 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz). Changing the number of voices affects DSP usage, the total number of voiceable tracks, and overall system performance.
Default Sample Rate (Playback Engine Dialog) (Pro Tools HD Only) The Sample Rate setting in the Playback Engine dialog determines the default sample rate when you create a new session. This setting is available only when there is no session open. Otherwise, the current session sample rate is displayed, but cannot be changed. The Sample Rate setting can affect the number of available voices.
DAE Playback Buffer Size To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size: The DAE Playback Buffer Size setting determines the amount of memory DAE allocates for disk buffers. In addition to levels, the DAE Playback Buffer Size shows values in milliseconds, which indicate the amount of audio buffered when the system reads from disk. 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu, select a buffer size.
Large Improves performance when using Elastic Audio features, but it also decreases the amount of memory available for other system tasks, such as RTAS processing. Using a larger Cache Size leaves less system memory for other tasks. The default setting of Normal is recommended unless you are encountering -9500 (“Cache too small”) errors. You can set Pro Tools to reserve only the minimum amount of required memory, so that more system memory is available to other applications.
• Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size settings higher than 250 ms; Level 2 (Default) improve the reliability of sample playback, but they also decrease the amount of memory available for other system tasks, such as RTAS processing. Using a larger Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size leaves less system memory for other tasks. The default setting of 250 ms (Level 2) is recommended unless you are experiencing problems with the reliability of streaming playback from disk.
Configuring Default Sample Rate Setting in Hardware Setup Dialog The Sample Rate setting determines the default sample rate when you create a new session. This setting is available only when there is no session open. Otherwise, the current session sample rate is displayed, but cannot be changed. On Pro Tools LE, you can only change the default sample rate in the Hardware Setup dialog On Pro Tools HD, you can change the default Sample Rate in the Hardware Setup dialog, or in the Playback Engine dialog.
Example: Configuring Pro Tools|HD Hardware Settings On Pro Tools|HD systems, you configure Hardware settings for each audio interface connected to your system. For example, Pro Tools|HD systems can have 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O audio interfaces connected to Accel Core or HD Core and HD Accel or HD Process cards in the system.
tion, then select the Legacy I/O (such as an 882|20 I/O), in the Peripherals list, and select No Interface in the Interface pop-up menu. (The 96i I/O does not support Legacy I/O.) 6 Select which digital I/O port on your audio in- terface enclosure is active under Digital Format. Choices include: AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and Optical (S/PDIF). Selecting Optical (S/PDIF) resets the Optical I/O port (which is, by default, eight channels of ADAT I/O) to two channels of S/PDIF Optical I/O.
11 Repeat the above steps for each additional Pro Tools|HD audio interface. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to scroll though peripherals in the Peripherals list. After you select the type of Legacy I/O, the Main page updates with controls that can be configured. If your Legacy interface does not appear, check connections and repeat from step 1, above. See also “Offline Peripherals” on page 54.
Configuring I/O Setup The I/O Setup dialog provides a graphical representation of the signal routing for each connected audio interface, with controls to route physical ports on the audio interface to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. These controls mirror the routing controls found in the Hardware Setup dialog—changes made to physical routing in one dialog are always reflected in the other. The I/O Setup dialog lets you label and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus signal paths.
System Usage Processing Bandwidth Meters in the System Usage window indicate how much of your system’s processing power is being used in processing audio, and when writing and playing back automation. Pro Tools HD, LE, and M-Powered have four common system activity meters: PCI Displays the amount of PCI bus activity. CPU (RTAS) Displays the amount of CPU processing activity for RTAS processing. CPU (Elastic) Displays the amount of processing activity for Real-Time Elastic Audio processing.
To monitor the usage of resources during a Pro Tools session: Choose Window > System Usage. To reduce processing load, do one of the following: To enable (or disable) DSP Caching: 1 Open the System Usage window (Windows > System Usage). 2 Click the DSP Cache pop-up menu and select (or deselect) Use DSP Cache. Reduce the density of automation in places where it shows the most activity. For details, see “Thinning Automation” on page 925.
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Chapter 6: I/O Setup The I/O Setup dialog (or I/O Setup) provides tools to label, format, and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, or bus signal paths for each session. With Pro Tools HD, Digidesign PRE (Mic Preamp) signal paths are supported, and you can also configure Delay Compensation for hardware inserts. Path Name column Path Type tabs The I/O Setup dialog includes a graphical representation of the signal routing for internal bussing, and for each connected audio interface.
Opening the I/O Setup Dialog The I/O Setup dialog can be opened from the application window (with a session closed), or from within a session (when a session is open). Navigating in the I/O Setup Dialog To scroll left or right in the I/O Setup dialog: Press Alt+Page Up/Down (Windows) or Option+Page Up/Down (Mac). To open the I/O Setup dialog: 1 Make sure your audio interfaces are enabled and configured properly in the Hardware Setup dialog. See “Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings” on page 50.
Paths in Session Tracks In sessions, audio is routed using the track Input, Output, Insert, Plug-in, and Send selectors. These selectors let you assign tracks to hardware inputs and outputs, internal busses, and other Pro Tools signal paths. Paths comprise the lists of available signal routing choices in track Input, Output, Insert and Send selectors (see “Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to Tracks” on page 179).
Default Settings Files The default Stereo settings file is available on all Pro Tools systems, and provides stereo main paths, each with its own mono sub-paths. Multichannel settings files are available on Pro Tools|HD systems. These settings provide specialized path definitions for surround mixing. See “Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions” on page 976.
Path Name Column Shows paths that are available for selection, including the name of each defined path. Path names can be renamed. Expand/Collapse Triangle Shows or hides the sub-paths associated with a main path. Active/Inactive Status Box Shows and changes the active/inactive status of each path. Path Format Selector Shows and selects the type/format (such as Mono, Stereo, Quad, or 5.1) of each defined path (greater-than-stereo multichannel formats are supported with Pro Tools|HD systems only).
fault Output, Default Path Order, AFL/PFL Path (Pro Tools HD only), and AFL/PFL Mutes (Pro Tools HD only). See “I/O Setup Options” on page 75. To configure I/O routing in I/O Setup: 1 Choose Setup > I/O. 2 Click the Input or Output tab to display the corresponding path type. Cancel Button Closes the I/O Setup dialog without saving changes. OK Button Closes the I/O Setup dialog and save changes.
Pro Tools outputs pairs can also be routed to multiple audio interface outputs in the Hardware Setup dialog. For information, see “Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Destinations” on page 55. To route a Pro Tools output channel pair to multiple audio interface output ports: Creating New Paths The I/O Setup dialog lets you create new main path and sub-paths with custom names, format, and mapping. Custom path names appear in a session’s track Input, Output, Insert, and Bus selectors.
7 Map the path to a specific audio interface, or bus channel in the Grid column. See “Channel Mapping” on page 70 8 Repeat the previous steps to configure all path types (Input, Output, Insert, or Bus). The following table lists the available path attributes for each path type.
To restore default paths and path names: 1 Choose Setup > I/O. 2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to of busses supported on the original system are initially available. You can reset the number of available busses to match your system’s full capabilities. display the corresponding path type. 3 Click Default. To make all of your busses available in sessions that support a lower number of mix busses: Pro Tools creates all possible stereo main paths.
To rename an audio interface in the I/O Setup dialog: 1 Double-click the label above an interface. Interface Name label To select a range of paths: 1 Click the path name. 2 Shift-click an additional path name. All paths between the first selected path name and the additional path name will also be selected. To select or deselect noncontiguous paths, do one of the following: Interface Names 2 Type a new interface name. 3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O Setup dialog.
Deleting Paths Tracks can also be made active or inactive. For information, see “Making Track Inputs and Outputs Inactive from the Edit or Mix Window” on page 181. Path definitions can be deleted from the current session to reflect changes to your hardware setup, or to clean up track selector menus by removing unwanted or unnecessary path definitions. After deleting a path, any tracks or send assignments to that path are reset to No Output. 1 Choose Setup > I/O.
Channel Mapping Paths must be mapped to a specific audio interface, or to bus channels in the Grid. Paths can be mapped when they are created, and remapped at any time. To map channels: 1 Select a main path or sub-path. 2 In the row for the selected path, click in the Grid column under an audio interface and channel.
Channel Shuffling Moving a signal from right to left results in a shuffle of other signals after the new destination channel. Moving a signal from left to right shuffles any and all signals after the new destination channel and leaves the previous channel empty. Changing a path’s format erases any current channel mapping. Sub-Paths Follow Main Paths When a main path is remapped, its sub-paths (if any) will remap automatically to maintain consistent routing.
Factory I/O Settings The Pro Tools Installer provides settings files for factory I/O setups for stereo and surround (Pro Tools HD only). See “Audio Interfaces and Session Transfer” on page 73 for more information. Custom I/O Settings The current I/O Setup configuration can be edited and saved as a custom I/O Setting using the Export command in the I/O Setup dialog. See “Importing and Exporting I/O Settings Files” on page 72.
Last Used I/O Settings Surround Mix Settings File If any changes are made to the I/O Setup dialog, these changes are saved to the Last Used settings file when the I/O Setup dialog is closed (by clicking OK). (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit Only) Changes to I/O Setup are saved along with the current session (if one is open). Custom I/O Settings files will not contain recent changes unless you export an updated settings file.
Systems of equivalent I/O capability are remapped directly. For example, a session tracked to a Pro Tools|HD system through two 192 I/O audio interfaces would include 32 input paths spread across the two 16-channel interfaces. The session is taken to a second Pro Tools system that has a 96 I/O audio interface (a 16channel I/O unit) and a 1622 I/O (with its 16 analog inputs) connected to its Legacy Port.
I/O Setup Options Pro Tools systems have additional I/O Setup features. These include default signal routing for metering and auditioning, and default track layout for multichannel mix formats. Controller Meter Path (D-Control, D-Command, and ProControl Only) The Controller Meter Path selector determines the path displayed across the Output meters of D-Control, D-Command®, or ProControl control surfaces. For more details, refer to your control surface documentation.
AFL/PFL Path To set the AFL/PFL Path level for AFL or PFL solos: (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit Only) 1 Choose Options > Solo Mode, and select a Solo mode, as follows: Tracks soloed in AFL (After Fader Listen) or PFL (Pre Fader Listen) Solo mode are routed to the current AFL/PFL Path, as set with the AFL/PFL Path pop-up menu. This pop-up menu is available in the Output page of the I/O Setup dialog only.
To set which output path is muted when tracks are soloed in AFL or PFL Solo mode: Mic Preamps 1 Choose Setup > I/O. (Digidesign PRE with Pro Tools HD Only) 2 Click the Output tab to display the Output On the Mic Preamps page of the I/O Setup dialog, signal paths for one or more Digidesign PRE multi-purpose microphone preamplifiers can be mapped to Pro Tools HD audio interfaces. For more information, see the PRE Guide. page. 3 Select a path from the AFL/PFL Mutes (Output Path) pop-up menu.
To set an insert delay offset: Type a value, in milliseconds, in the field corresponding with the input where the hardware insert is connected. If you do not know your hardware’s insert delay, see “Determining Your Hardware’s Insert Delay” on page 78. Insert delay offsets only have an effect when the I/O is used for hardware inserts.
Chapter 7: Preferences The settings in the Preferences dialog define how Pro Tools features work by default. The Preferences dialog has several tabbed pages in which you can specify your preferred settings for various types of session parameters. Each Preferences page is covered in detail in this chapter. To change Pro Tools preferences: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences. 2 Click the tab for the page that has preferences you want to change. 3 Change preferences.
Global and Local Preferences Pro Tools preferences are either global (systemwide) or local (for the current session only). Global (System-Wide) Preferences Global preferences are applied to all sessions. These preferences become the default preferences for any existing sessions that you subsequently open or any new sessions that are created.
Display Preferences Edit Window Default Length This preference sets a default length for the Edit window in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 only). This is useful if you want to assemble a session of a particular length or leave extra room to expand the Edit window’s work area in your session. The maximum length is 12 hours and 25 seconds at 48 kHz, and proportionally less at higher sampling rates.
Category and Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins in two levels of menus. The top menus display plug-ins by process category (such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. The bottom menus display plug-ins by manufacturer (such as Bomb Factory, Digidesign, Focusrite, or TL Labs), with individual plug-ins listed in the manufacturer submenus. 3 Second Clip Hold When selected, meters display the last clip indication for three seconds.
Groups Assigns a color to each track according to its Group ID. If groups are suspended using the Suspend Groups command, the tracks color bars are not shown. Operation Preferences Track Type Assigns a color to each track according to its type (audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, Instrument, or Video).
Latch Forward/Rewind When selected, fast forward and rewind latch and continue until you press Stop, Play, Return To Zero, or Go To End on the Transport. When disabled, the Fast Forward and Rewind only last as long as you hold down the mouse after clicking either button on the Transport (or hold down the corresponding switch on a Control Surface). Back/Forward Amount (Pro Tools HD Only) Sets the default length of Back, Back and Play, Forward and Forward and Play.
Shuttle (Pro Tools HD Only) Selects a type of shuttling different from that of Shuttle Lock mode. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Shuttle, playback is triggered by pressing and holding the keys on the numeric keypad—playback stops once the keys are released. Various playback speeds are available in both forward and reverse. You can also recall Memory Locations by typing Period (.), the Memory Location number, and Period (.) again.
Avid Video Errors Stop Playback (Pro Tools HD with Avid Video Engine Only) When selected, Pro Tools automatically stops playback of audio and video if a single frame of video is dropped. When not selected, Pro Tools continues playback of audio even if frames are dropped. In most cases, video playback will recover within a few frames and continue playing audio and video in sync.
• When selected, taking an audio track out of record enable (any mode) takes it out of Input Only mode, regardless of the global monitor mode, and switches it to monitor audio from disk only. • When not selected, audio tracks remain in Input Only monitoring mode until explicitly switched to Auto Input monitoring. Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped (Pro Tools HD Only) This setting determines monitor status of record-armed tracks.
DestructivePunch File Length (Pro Tools HD Only) Editing Preferences This preference sets the duration of consolidated audio files when preparing tracks for DestructivePunch mode. The default value for this setting is 25 minutes. Misc (Miscellaneous) Section Show Quick Start Dialog When Pro Tools Starts When selected, Pro Tools shows the Session Quick Start dialog on launch.
Tracks Section Default Fade Settings New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase When selected, all new tracks default to ticks. When deselected, audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA (Pro Tools HD only) tracks default to samples. Fade In Selects the default envelope shape for fade-ins when using the Smart Tool. Memory Locations Section Auto-Name Memory Locations When Playing When selected, Pro Tools gives new Memory Locations default names based on their time location in the session.
Separate Grid Settings When Zoomed In When selected, this option retains the same (current) grid setting when zoom toggling in or out. When this option is deselected, the grid setting stored with Zoom toggle is recalled when zoom toggling in. Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection When selected, zoom toggle automatically follows the current Edit selection. When disabled, changing the Edit selection has no affect on the currently toggled-in track.
Default Dynamics This preference lets you choose any installed Dynamics plug-in as the default, which makes it available for quick assignment, both on-screen and on ICON worksurfaces (Pro Tools HD only). On-screen, the plug-in appears at the top of the Insert selector pop-up menu. On ICON worksurfaces, the plug-in appears first in the list of menu choices on the rotary encoders.
Latching Behavior for Switch Controls in “Touch” This option determines the behavior of switch-type controls (such as mute or plug-in bypass) when writing automation in Touch mode. Standard VCA Logic for Group Attributes (Pro Tools HD Only) This option determines which Mix group attributes may be selected in the Group dialog when the group is assigned to a VCA Master. • When selected, controls in Touch mode will latch in their current state.
AutoMatch Time If you are writing automation in Touch mode, when you release a fader or control, writing of automation stops and the automation data returns to its previous value. The rate of return to the previous value is the AutoMatch Time. AutoGlide Time (Pro Tools HD Only) Specifies how quickly Pro Tools transitions (glides) from one automation value to another, when AutoGlide mode is used.
Import Section Convert Imported “WAV” Files To AES31/BroadcastWave When selected, this option applies to all newly imported WAV files, making them compliant with the AES31/EBU Broadcast standard. Automatically Copy Files on Import When selected, all audio files that are imported by dragging and dropping are copied to the current session’s Audio Files folder, regardless of whether the files need to be converted to the current session’s file type, bit depth or sample rate.
TC/E (Time Compression/Expansion) Section TC/E Plug-in Lets you select the plug-in used for Time Compression and Expansion when you edit audio with the Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool. This Trim tool works by using Time Compression/Expansion to match an audio region to the length of another region, a tempo grid, a video scene, or other reference point. The DigiRack Time Shift plug-in is selected by default.
Use MIDI to Tap Tempo When enabled, you can tap a MIDI keyboard to enter a new tempo value into a tempo field. Display Events as Modified by Real-Time Properties When enabled, Pro Tools displays the effects of Real-Time Properties in the Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows, and the MIDI Event List. Use F11 Key for Wait for Note When enabled, pressing the F11 Function key puts MIDI recording in Wait for Note mode.
MIDI Time Code When selected, Pro Tools applies Delay Compensation to Pro Tools-generated MIDI Time Code (MTC). Enable this option when synchronizing video to Pro Tools using MTC. Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When selected, navigating to a specific location in a session by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a track will cause a connected transport to chase to that location. MIDI Beat Clock When selected, Pro Tools applies Delay Compensation to Pro Tools-generated MIDI Beat Clock.
Synchronization Section Remote Mode Section Minimum Sync Delay Sets the initial amount of prime time (in frames) your system’s devices need to achieve synchronization “lock.” This amount varies for each device. Pro Tools lock up delay is set by entering a value for Minimum Sync Delay in the Synchronization page of the Preferences dialog. The lowest value available is 15 frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time that your equipment can operate at consistently, and set this as the Minimum Sync Delay.
Satellite Link Section (Pro Tools HD Only) These preferences are available only with the Satellite Link option. The Pro Tools Satellite Link option lets you link up to 5 Pro Tools systems (or 4 Pro Tools systems and an Avid® Media Composer® with the Video Satellite option or a Video Satellite LE system) over an Ethernet network so that you can cue, play, and stop the transport, make play selections, and solo tracks across any of the systems from any linked workstation.
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Chapter 8: Peripherals The settings in the Peripherals dialog define how Pro Tools works with various synchronization, machine control, MIDI control surface, Ethernet worksurface, Mic Preamp, and satellite peripherals and devices. To configure settings for Pro Tools peripherals: 1 Choose Setup > Peripherals. 2 Click the tab for the type of peripheral you want to configure. 3 Change the settings. 4 Click OK to save your changes and close the Peripherals dialog.
Digidesign Synchronization Device Idle MTC Enabled (Pro Tools HD Only) When this option is selected, MTC is continuously output. When not enabled, MTC output is muted when playback is idle. The Digidesign Synchronization Device settings let you configure a Digidesign synchronization peripheral, such as the Digidesign SYNC HD or SYNC I/O . Enable SYNC Peripheral When this option is selected, any connected Digidesign Synchronization peripheral is enabled for use with Pro Tools.
Reset Bi-Phase This button lets you set the Bi-Phase/Tach start frame from Pro Tools. Clicking the button updates the Time Code Display on the Digidesign synchronization peripheral to match the session time code value. numbers are displayed directly on top of the video signal, without a contrasting background box.) The default setting is White on Black Bkgnd.
MMC ID The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID number for which MMC information will be sent. MMC commands contain an ID number to identify which machine should respond to the MMC command. There are 128 MMC ID numbers, from 0–127. The default of ID #127 is a special setting that transmits to all 128 MMC IDs. With a setting of 127, Pro Tools will transmit MMC commands to all MMC IDs. chineControl is connected using the Serial Deck Control cable.
9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) (Pro Tools HD with Machine Control Only) The 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) settings let you configure Pro Tools for 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) mode. This mode makes Pro Tools operate as a virtual tape deck, supporting most standard Sony P2 9-pin commands. By default, Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75 model video deck. You can also configure Pro Tools to emulate other machines.
Send To Number and Color The Send To setting lets you select the MIDI Out port to which your MIDI controller is connected. The number of the row indicates the order of the selected controllers. The color corresponds to the colored controller focus border around Pro Tools track and plug-in controls. Number of Channels The Number of Channels (# Ch’s) setting displays the number of control channels supported by the selected MIDI controller type.
Type The Type setting lets you select none or PRE. Select the PRE option to declare any connected Digidesign PRE. The Video Satellite option lets you link a Pro Tools|HD system and a Media Composer system. The Video Satellite LE option lets you link a Pro Tools|HD system and a Pro Tools LE system for monitoring QuickTime HD video. Receive From The Receive From setting lets you specify the MIDI In port to which the PRE is connected. For more information, see the guide for your specific Satellite option.
Satellite When enabled, the Satellite option sets the local system to be a satellite system on the network. When a system is in Satellite mode, it becomes available to be declared as a satellite from any administrator system on the network. Administrator When the local system is in Administrator mode, the Administrator settings let you declare satellites from that system.
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Chapter 9: Sessions This chapter covers the basics of starting a project in Pro Tools, including how to create and save a Pro Tools session. Creating a New Session from a Template To create a new session from a template: 1 Select Create Session from Template. Quick Start Session Dialog Session Template pop-up menu The first step in beginning a Pro Tools project is creating a new session.
3 Select the session template you want to use Creating a New Blank Session from the list (on the right). To create a new blank session: 1 Select Create Blank Session. Quick Start dialog, Session Parameters revealed 4 If you want to change any of the session pa- rameters, click the Session Parameters reveal button and do any of the following: • Select the Audio File Type for the session. For optimum compatibility between Windows and Mac, set the file type to BWF (.WAV).
Opening a Recent Session The Open Recent Session option is not available the first time you launch Pro Tools (or if you have cleared the Recent Sessions list by choosing File > Open Recent > Clear).
Creating a New Session The New Session dialog lets you create a new session from a template or create a new blank session (with no tracks or media). To create a new session from a template: 1 Choose File > New. Sound Designer II (SD II) files are not supported on Windows systems or at sample rates above 48 kHz. Also, sessions that use the SD II file format do not support Elastic Audio. 6 Select the Bit Depth (16 bit or 24 bit) and the Sample Rate. 7 Click OK.
6 Click OK. Session File 7 In the Save dialog, name the session, navigate The session file is the document that Pro Tools creates when you start a new project. Pro Tools can open only one session file at a time. The session file is appended with the extension .ptf (Pro Tools file). to the location where you want to save the new session and click Save.
WaveCache File Renamed Audio Files Folder The WaveCache.wfm file stores all of the waveform display data for the session. If you delete the WaveCache.wfm file, Pro Tools creates a new one the next time you open the session. This folder includes file names that have been renamed when you open a session that contains audio file names with incompatible characters, or, in certain situations, save a copy of a session to a Pro Tools version that does not support long file names.
Opening a Session from a Transfer Volume When opening a session from a Transfer volume (such as a CD or DVD disc), DigiBase prompts you to save the session on a Performance volume, and copy and convert any referenced media files. For more information, see “Locating Audio Files” on page 309. Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Resources With Pro Tools LE Only: Any tracks beyond the maximum number of available voices on the current system are set to voice off.
Opening a Session that Was Saved with +6 dB Fader Gain All Pro Tools 7.x and higher sessions have a +12 dB fader gain level. However, when saving a Pro Tools 7.x or higher session to a lower version of Pro Tools that supports +6 dB and +12 dB fader gain, the new session can be saved with either a +6 dB or a +12 dB maximum fader gain. When saving a +12 dB session as a +6 dB session, Pro Tools alerts you that any automation settings over +6 dB will be lowered to +6 dB.
Saving a Session You should save regularly while working on your session to ensure that your work is preserved on your hard drive. Saving the Session File The Save command saves the changes you have made to your session and writes them over the previously saved version of the session file. The Save command cannot be undone. To save a session: Choose File > Save.
Saving a Copy of the Session To save a copy of the current session with or without its audio files and fade files, use the Save Copy In command. In addition, you can specify the session file format, audio file format, bit depth, and sample rate for the session copy. For information on sharing sessions between different platforms, Pro Tools systems, or Pro Tools software versions, see Chapter 16, “File and Session Management and Compatibility.
7 If applicable, select Enforce Mac/PC Compatibil- ity to create session and audio files that can be used on both Windows and Mac Pro Tools systems (see “Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be Compatible with Windows” on page 314). 8 Select the Items to Copy for the copied session. To include audio with the session copy, All Audio Files must be selected. 9 Click Save. Session Format You can save the session copy in the following formats, depending on your platform: Windows: • Pro Tools Session (.
192 Digital I/O). If your session is at a different sample rate, audio files are converted to the new session sample rate, and copied to the specified location. To choose the language encoding when saving a copy of a session: 1 Choose File > Save Copy In. 2 Select the Limit Character Set option. Fader Gain 3 Choose the language you want to use from the When saving a Pro Tools 7.
Don’t Copy Elastic Audio Rendered Files When this option is selected, Elastic Audio Rendered files are not copied to the new session’s Rendered Files folder. When opening the new session, Pro Tools opens the session with all available media and any missing Rendered files are regenerated automatically. Session Plug-in Settings Folder When this option is selected, the session’s Plugin Settings folder is copied to the new location.
2 Choose File > Save As Template. Save Session Template Dialog The Save Template dialog provides the following options: Install Template In System Select this option to save the template file in the system folder referenced by the Pro Tools Session Quick Start dialog (the Session Templates in the Pro Tools application folder). Save Session Template dialog Category 3 Configure the Save Session Template dialog The Category pop-up menu is only available if the Install Template In System option is enabled.
Select Location For Template Select this option to save the template file to any directory location on your system. Note that the saved session template will not appear in the Pro Tools Session Quick Start dialog unless it is in a subdirectory (Category) in the Session Templates folder in the Pro Tools application folder. 2 In the New Session From dialog, select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and Bit Depth for the new session that will be created from the template. 3 Click OK.
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Chapter 10: Pro Tools Main Windows Pro Tools provides two complementary ways of viewing tracks in a session: Mix Window Shows tracks as channel strips, like a mixing board (see “Mix Window” on page 128). Edit Window Shows tracks and track material against the Timeline (see “Edit Window” on page 128). To toggle between the Mix and Edit windows, press Control+Equals (=) (Windows), or press Command+Equals (=) (Mac). Plug-in window DigiBase browser Edit window Mix window Transport window Figure 3.
Pro Tools provides several other types of windows: Transport Window Lets you control the transport and transport-related functions (see “Transport Window” on page 134). To display the Mix window: To display all Mix window view options: Plug-in Windows Let you control plug-in parameters, such as Frequency and Q for an EQ (see “The Plug-in Window” on page 880). MIDI Editor Windows Lets you edit MIDI data (see Chapter 30, “MIDI Editors”).
Channel strips (page 155) Instrument View (page 837) Track List (page 175) Inserts (A–E) View (page 838) Sends (A–E) View (page 838) Track Path selectors (page 179 and page 186) Group ID indicator (page 200) Automation Mode selector (page 904) Input Monitoring / Record Enable (page 363 and page 358) Pan knob (page 162) Solo/Mute (page 189) Volume fader (page 162) Voice selector (page 184) Level meter (page 163) AutoMatch indicator (page 913) Track Name (page 166) Mix Group List (page 197) Trac
Zoom buttons (page 449) Edit Mode buttons (page 445) Universe view (page 489) Grid and Nudge values (page 132) Edit tools (page 448) Counters and Edit Selection indicators (page 486) Transport controls (page 134) Edit Window Toolbar and menu (page 131) Region List (page 211) Timebase and Conductor rulers (page 663) Track List (page 175) Tracks (page 153) Edit Group List (page 669) Playlists Track View (page 535) MIDI Editor pane (Notation view) (page 138) Elastic Audio Warp Track View (page 763)
Edit Window Toolbar Counters and Edit Selection Indicators At the top of the Edit window is the Edit Window Toolbar and menu. This Toolbar provides access to the editing modes, tools, options, indicators, and displays for Pro Tools. You can customize the Toolbar in the Edit, MIDI Editor, or Score Editor windows by re-arranging, showing, and hiding the available controls and displays. The Counters and Edit selection indicators provide information where selections are in the Timeline.
Timeline Data Online Status Indicator Is green when all files in use in track playlists are available for playback. If files are offline, being processed, or otherwise unavailable for playback, this indicator is red. Edit Window Toolbar menu Session Data Online Status Indicator Is green when all audio and fade files referenced by the session are available for playback. If files are offline, being processed, or otherwise unavailable for playback, this indicator is red.
Synchronization When selected, the Synchronization controls are displayed in the Edit window toolbar. Rearranging Controls and Displays To rearrange controls and displays in the Edit, MIDI Editor, or Score Editor window toolbar: Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the control or display you want to move and drag it to a new location in the toolbar. Minimal When selected, the Zoom, Transport, MIDI, and Synchronization controls are not displayed in the Edit window toolbar.
Edit Window Default Length Vertical Zoom In and Out buttons Horizontal Zoom In and Out buttons Horizontal and Vertical Zoom buttons, Edit window Vertical Zoom Buttons Zoom the track heights proportionally in the Edit window. Pro Tools lets you set a default length for the Edit window in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 or Complete Production Toolkit only).
Basic Transport Controls and Counters Transport Window menu Track Record Enable indicator Go to End Fast Forward Stop Play Rewind Return to Zero Record Online Pre-Roll Post-Roll Start, End, and Length Selection indicators Rewind and Fast Forward Increments Main Time Scale Format Increment Amount Min:Sec 1 second Time Code 1 frame (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2) Bars|Beats 1 bar Feet+Frames 1 foot (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Complete Product
Play Starts playback or (if the Record button was clicked first) recording from the Timeline insertion point or the Play Start Marker location if Dynamic Transport mode is enabled. You can also begin playback by pressing the Spacebar, or with the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, pressing 0.
is particularly useful with punch recording since it gives you time to “catch the beat” before reaching the punch-in point. To set the pre-roll amount, type a new value in this field, or drag the Pre-Roll flag in the Main Timebase ruler. MIDI Controls Tempo Resolution (Beat Value) pop-up menu Count Off Post-Roll During playback or record, specifies the amount that plays after the end of a Timeline selection.
Wait for Note When selected, recording does not begin until a MIDI event is received. This ensures that you begin recording when you’re ready to play, and that the first note, or other MIDI data, is recorded precisely at the beginning of the record range. You can press F11 to turn on Wait for Note, unless the MIDI preference for “Disable F11 for Wait for Note” is enabled. On Mac, the Desktop Keyboard Shortcut uses the same key command that Pro Tools uses for Wait For Note (F11).
view, or on separate tracks in Notation view, and lets you view and edit MIDI controller data (such as velocity, pitch bend, and mod wheel) in controller lanes under the Notes pane. For more information, see Chapter 30, “MIDI Editors.” MIDI Editor in the Edit Window You can also choose to show (or hide) a MIDI Editor pane at the bottom of the Edit window (below the Tracks pane).
The main elements of a DigiBase browser (see Figure 6 on page 140) include the following: Title Bar Shows the browser type (Workspace, Volume, Project, or Catalog), and the name of its associated volume, session or catalog. Toolbar Provides the Browser menu, Search icon, View Presets (numbered 1–5), and browser navigation tools. Column Headers Display the type of metadata displayed in the Items List.
Workspace Browser Project Browser The Workspace browser provides access to all your mounted volumes, as well as the folders and files they contain. The Project browser provides powerful search and management tools for the files referenced in your current session, regardless of where they are stored. Using the Project browser, you can: Using the Workspace browser, you can: • Access all Catalogs. • Show all the media files associated with the current session, including any missing files.
Task Window The Task window is a utility for viewing and managing all of the background tasks that you initiate with Pro Tools. Use the Task window to monitor, pause, or cancel background tasks such as file copies, searches, indexing, and fade creation. For detailed information about the Task window, see “Task Window” on page 270.
A Window Configuration can also store the Window Display settings for the Edit, Mix, Targeted MIDI Editor, Score Editor, and Transport windows. Window Configuration List The Window Configuration List lets you recall and manage stored Window Configurations, as well as create new Window Configurations. Edit Window Configuration dialog Number Is the number of the slot in which the Window Configuration is stored (1–99). You can type Period (.
Window Display Settings Stores only the window display settings for the selected window (Edit, Mix, Targeted MIDI Editor, Score Editor, or Transport): Window Configuration Commands and Options • Edit Window Display Settings Using the View Filter icons, the Window Configuration List lets you show or hide Window Configurations based on whether or not they are stored with Window Layout, Edit Window settings, Mix Window settings, Score Editor window settings, MIDI Editor Window settings, or Transport Window
Window Configuration List Pop-Up Menu You can select viewing and sorting options, along with commands for creating and removing Window Configurations, from the pop-up menu in the Window Configuration List.
Creating New Window Configurations To create a new Window Configuration: 1 Open the windows you want to include in the Window Configuration and position them where you want on the screen. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Window > Configurations > New Configuration. – or – • If the Window Configuration List is open, choose New Configuration from the Window Configuration List pop-up menu. 5 You can type a different number for the new Window Configuration.
The Pro Tools session’s screen layout updates with the stored Window Configuration. Undoing Window Configurations Pro Tools lets you revert to the previous Window Layout and Window Settings with a single level of undo. This is useful, for example, if you recall a Window Configuration, but then decide you want to revert to the previous screen state. To undo a Window Configuration: On the numeric keypad, press Period (.), 0, and then Asterisk (*).
Window Configurations that do not include Window Layout and only store Window Display Settings cannot be made active and thus won't automatically update. If you want to update a Window Configuration with changes to the Window Display Settings (such as the width of the Region List in the Edit window), use the Update command in the Window Configuration List. Importing Window Configurations You can import Window Configurations from another session using Import Session Data.
Hiding All Floating Windows The Hide All Floating Windows command hides or shows all floating windows. This is useful for quickly clearing the screen of all floating windows so that you can work in the Edit or Mix windows. To hide or show all floating windows: Select or deselect Window > Hide All Floating Windows. Press Control+Alt+Start+W (Windows) or Command+Option+Control+W (Mac) to hide or show all floating windows.
Help Provides access to the following PDF documentation: Shortcuts, Digidesign FAQ, DigiRack Plug-ins Guide, Pro Tools Menus Guide, and Pro Tools Reference Guide. The Help menu also provides access to the Check For Updates command. Track, Region, and Group List Menus The Track, Region, and Group Lists provide popup menus for managing and working with the contents of each list, as follows: Track List Menu Provides commands to show and hide tracks in the Mix, Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows.
Tool Tips Pro Tools provides Tool Tips in all main windows. Holding the cursor for a few seconds over an abbreviated name, or unlabeled icon or tool, displays either the function or details of the item (depending on the Tool Tips preferences settings). To configure Tool Tips for Pro Tools: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the Dis- play tab. 2 In the Basics section, enable the Tool Tips op- tions you want displayed.
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Chapter 11: Tracks This chapter covers the different types of tracks in a Pro Tools session and basic track management tasks. Track Types In a Pro Tools session, you can have several different types of tracks. These can include audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master (Pro Tools HD only), MIDI, Instrument, and video tracks.
VCA Master tracks do not pass audio, so they do not have inputs, outputs, inserts, or sends. A Mix Group is assigned to a VCA Master track, which appears in the VCA track’s Assignment selector. The controls of the tracks in that Group, called the slave tracks, are modified by the controls on the VCA Master. For more information, see “VCA Master Tracks” on page 832. MIDI Tracks MIDI tracks record, store, and playback MIDI data.
Track Channel Strips (Mix Window) Audio Track Channel Strips Each audio track has its own set of channel strip controls, including volume, pan, record enable, input monitoring (Pro Tools HD only), automation mode, solo, mute, and voice assignment. Audio tracks also have a Comments view to type and display comments. Track Color Coding Auxiliary Input Track Channel Strips Each Auxiliary Input track has its own set of channel strip controls, including volume, pan, automation mode, solo, and mute.
Master Fader Track Channel Strips VCA Master Track Channel Strips Each Master Fader track has its own set of channel strip controls, including volume and automation mode. Master Fader tracks also have a Comments view to type and display comments. (Pro Tools HD Only) Inserts (A-E shown) Each VCA Master track has its own set of channel strip controls, including volume, record enable, input monitoring, automation mode, solo, and mute.
MIDI Track Channel Strips Each MIDI track has its own set of channel strip controls, including MIDI volume, pan, record enable, automation mode, solo, mute, patch assignment, and channel assignment. MIDI tracks also have a Comments view to type and display comments.
Track Controls and Indicators Auxiliary Input Track Controls Each Auxiliary Input track has its own set of track controls, including Track Name, Solo, Mute, Track View, Track Height, Timebase, and Automation mode. (Edit Window) Audio Track Controls Each audio track has its own set of track controls, including Track Name, Playlist, Record Enable, Input Monitoring (Pro Tools HD only), Solo, Mute, Track View, Track Height, Timebase, Elastic Audio, Voice Assignment, and Automation mode.
VCA Master Track Controls MIDI Track Controls (Pro Tools HD only) Each MIDI track has its own set of track controls, including Track Name, Playlist, Record Enable, Solo, Mute, Track View, Track Height, Patch, Timebase, and Automation mode. Each VCA Master track has its own set of track controls, including Track Name, Playlist, Record Enable, Input Monitoring, Solo, Mute, Track View, Track Height, Timebase, and Automation mode.
Instrument Track Controls Each Instrument track has its own set of track controls, including Track Name, Playlist, Record Enable, Solo, Mute, Track View, Track Height, Patch, Timebase, and Automation mode.
Instruments View To show the I/O View in the Edit window: Instruments view provides MIDI controls for Instrument tracks: MIDI Input selector, MIDI Output selector, MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI Mute. For more information, see “Assigning MIDI Input and Output for Instrument Tracks” on page 188.
Channel Delay Indicator (Pro Tools HD Only) Shows the total delay, in samples, incurred on the track from the use of any TDM plug-ins or hardware inserts on that channel. Pan Indicator The Pan indicator displays the current pan setting of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full left) to 100> (full right). Pan controls are only available for stereo tracks or for mono tracks routed to a stereo output.
Track Level Meter On audio tracks, level meters indicate the level of the signal being recorded or played back from the hard drive. On Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks, level meters indicate the level of the signal being played through the channel output. Green indicates nominal levels; Yellow indicates pre-clipping (–6 dB below full scale); and Red indicates clipping. When an audio track is record-enabled, these meters indicate record levels.
Wide Meters View Wide Meters view expands the width of the level meters for tracks in both the Mix and Edit windows, to make the track level meters easier to read. Wide Meters view are also available Narrow Mix view. To toggle Wide Meters View on or off: Control-Alt-Start-click (Windows) or Command-Option-Control-click (Mac) any track level meter in the Mix or Edit window. Creating Tracks You can create mono and stereo tracks on all Pro Tools systems.
To create new tracks: 1 Do one of the following to open the New Tracks dialog: • Choose Track > New. – or – • Right-click any Track Name in the Mix or Edit windows, or Track List, and choose New. Press Control+Shift+N (Windows) or Command+Shift+N (Mac) to open the New Tracks dialog Number of new tracks Track Type Track Format Add/Remove Row Track Timebase New Tracks dialog 2 Select the type of track you want to add from 4 Select the timebase (samples or ticks) from the Track Timebase pop-up menu.
Default Track Names When creating new audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, and Instrument tracks, Pro Tools names them as “Audio,” “Aux,” “Master,” “VCA,” “MIDI, or “Inst” accordingly and numbers them consecutively. For example, when you create the first two audio tracks in a new session, their default names are “Audio 1” and “Audio 2.” You can rename tracks and also log comments for each track. 3 Click Previous or Next to rename other displayed tracks.
To navigate directly to any track number: 1 Choose Track > Scroll to Track. Press Control+Alt+F (Windows) or Command+Option+F (Mac) to open the Scroll to Track dialog. 2 In the Scroll To Track dialog, enter the Track Position Number. All tracks between the first track selected and the additional track will also be selected. To select or deselect noncontiguous tracks, do one of the following: Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) Track Name buttons that are unhighlighted to select them.
The track is selected, and the windows scroll as follows: • The Mix window tracks scroll to bring the selected track as close to the left as possible. • The Edit window tracks scroll to bring the selected track as close to the top as possible. Duplicating Tracks The Duplicate Track command lets you duplicate one or more tracks, including their audio or MIDI data, playlists, automation, and other attributes.
3 In the Duplicate Tracks dialog, configure the following options as needed: • Enter how many copies you want to create in the Number of Duplicates filed. • To copy the currently active (visible) Edit playlist from the source track, select Active Playlist. • To copy all Edit playlists on the source track, select Alternate Playlists Duplicating VCA Slave Tracks (Pro Tools HD Only) Duplicating a VCA slave track without duplicating its group assignments will coalesce any automation on the duplicate track.
MIDI Tracks Can be set to Blocks, Regions, Notes, Velocity, Volume, Mute, Pan, Pitch Bend, Mono After Touch, Program Change, Sysex, and any continuous controller type. MIDI tracks are commonly set to Notes or Regions, each of which displays notes in a “piano roll” format. Use Regions view to edit and arrange MIDI regions. Use Notes view for inserting and editing MIDI notes. Other MIDI track views are useful for editing velocity, controller data, program changes, and Sysex events.
Regions View (MIDI Only) With the Track View set to Regions, you can edit and arrange MIDI regions on MIDI and Instrument tracks. Track View set to Regions for MIDI track Notes View (MIDI Only) With the Track View set to Notes, you can insert and edit MIDI notes on MIDI and Instrument tracks.
Changing Track Views For audio, Auxiliary Input, MIDI, and Instrument tracks, you can change to the next or previous Track View, or toggle between pre-defined common views. Master Fader Track View selector Changing to Previous or Next Track View When changing to the next or previous Track View, Track View list ordering is maintained as shown in the Track View selector.
Toggling Common Track Views Master Views for Tracks The most common editing view for audio tracks are Waveform and Volume view. The most common editing views for MIDI and Instrument tracks are Notes and Regions view. Pro Tools provides an easy way to toggle these views. Audio, MIDI, and Instrument tracks have Track Views that act as “master.” When a track is displayed in its Master view, any edits performed apply to all data in the track.
To set the Track Height, do one of the following: Click the small arrow to the left of the Track name to get the Track Height pop-up menu. Continuously Variable Track Height In the Edit window, you can continuously resize the Track Height of any given track by simply clicking and dragging the lower boundary of the Track Controls column. To resize the Track Height of any track in the Edit window: Drag the bottom line of any given track’s Track Controls column up or down.
Track Controls and Track Height The Track Height affects how the various track controls appear in the Edit window. For instance, when a track’s height is set to Small, most of the buttons are reduced in size. The Track List The Track List (at the left of both the Mix and Edit windows) shows all tracks in the session. It allows you to show or hide a track in the Mix, Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows. Even though a track is hidden, the material on the track will still play as part of the session.
Show/Hide Track List/Group List View Track List and Group List shown in Edit Window Track List Menu The pop-up menu at the top of the Track List provides commands that allow you to show or hide all tracks, tracks currently selected onscreen, or specific types of tracks (audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, MIDI, Instrument, VCA Master, or Inactive tracks).
To hide a track, do one of the following: To reorder tracks on-screen, drag the track names to new positions within the Track List or in the Mix or Edit window. Click the Track Show/Hide icon in the Track List. – or – To show a range of tracks: In the Track List (or on the track channel strip), Right-click the track name and select Hide (or Hide and Make Inactive if the track is active and you also want to make the track inactive). 1 Select a range of hidden tracks in the Track List.
About Mix/Edit Groups and Hidden Tracks In the Mix window, if a hidden track is part of an enabled group, all Mix window operations performed on other members of the group also affect the hidden track—with the exception of audio or MIDI record-enabling. If you solo, mute, or automation write-enable a grouped track, any group members that are hidden are soloed, muted, or automation write-enabled as well.
New Opens the New Track dialog. Rename Opens the Track Name dialog. Duplicate Duplicates the track (or selected tracks if any). Split Into Mono (Multichannel Tracks Only) Splits a multichannel track (or selected multichannel tracks if any) into their mono component tracks. Delete Deletes the track (or selected tracks if any). Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to Tracks Inputs for audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument tracks can be assigned to audio interface channels or busses.
Assigning Audio Inputs ‘ (Audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument Tracks) To assign an audio input of an audio, Auxiliary Input, or Instrument track: 1 In order to assign audio track inputs in the Edit window, select View > Edit Window > I/O. 2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the track’s In- put Path selector and choose from the available audio interface channels and busses. Stereo and multichannel surround tracks have inputs available as pairs and multichannel groups.
To remove an output assignment: Select No Output from the Output Path selector. Playlists become dimmed for tracks with no output assignment. Assigning an audio track, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, or Instrument track to “No Output” will cause its automation data for pan and plug-in controls to be lost. Renaming Track Inputs and Outputs from the Edit or Mix Window I/O path names can be renamed in the Edit or Mix windows, or in the I/O Setup.
plug-ins on the track continue to use their required DSP resources. For Pro Tools LE systems, inactive Inputs and Outputs do not consume host-processing resources. RTAS plug-ins require CPU resources, and TDM plug-ins use the DSP available on Pro Tools|HD cards. You can make track inputs and outputs inactive (or active) directly from the Edit or Mix windows. Inactive I/O Paths are grayed out. You can also make a path globally inactive (or active) in the I/O Setup dialog.
Pro Tools LE systems let you play or record up to 48 simultaneous stereo or mono tracks. For details on LE system capabilities, see Table 7 on page 34. Track Priority While your Pro Tools hardware allows a fixed number of voices, Pro Tools software allows for additional audio tracks beyond that fixed number of voices. While all of these tracks can be recorded to or imported, arranged, and cued for playback, not all of them can be played back simultaneously.
Setting Voice Assignment A track’s voice assignment can be turned off or set to be dynamically allocated, and with Pro Tools HD, can also be explicitly assigned to a specific voice number. To set the voice assignment for a track: Click the Voice selector and set the track to Dyn, Off, or select a voice number (Pro Tools HD only).
Voice Assignment with Toolkit Options Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit Pro Tools LE systems with the Complete Production Toolkit option let you simultaneously play or record up to 128 mono audio tracks or up to 64 stereo audio tracks. Higher track counts are only supported with multiple hard drives and faster Digidesign-qualified systems.
The voice is assigned to the first track, with successive voices assigned to tracks (with the same format) of lower priority. The following example demonstrates the concept of voice borrowing: To assign all selected audio tracks to successive voices: 1 Select the audio tracks by Control-clicking (Windows) or Command-clicking (Mac) their names. To select multiple tracks, Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) additional Track Names. To select a range of tracks, Shift-click additional Track Names.
Assigning MIDI Track Input Assigning MIDI Track Output Pro Tools lets you assign specific MIDI ports and channels to a MIDI track input. The default selection of All receives all incoming MIDI data from all ports on all channels. Use the MIDI Input selector to specify a MIDI port and channel for input. Pro Tools lets you assign specific MIDI ports and channels to a MIDI track output. The default selection of none sends MIDI data to no port on any channel.
To assign multiple destinations to a single MIDI track: Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) the MIDI Output selector and select additional channels from any device. For information on recording and importing MIDI data, see Chapter 20, “MIDI Recording.” Assigning MIDI Input and Output for Instrument Tracks Instrument tracks have a specific view for MIDI controls, including MIDI Input and Output selectors.
Soloing and Muting Tracks The Solo and Mute buttons can be engaged at any time during playback. The Solo and Mute buttons affect MIDI as well as audio tracks. It is possible to have more than one track soloed or muted at the same time in a session. Instrument tracks have separate sets of Solo and Mute buttons for MIDI and audio monitoring. Track grouping also affects mute and solo behavior.
With PFL, the fader level and pan are ignored, and the level you hear is dependent on the signal’s recorded level. Additionally, there is a separate master level setting for PFL that affects the output of any or all tracks you solo in PFL mode (see “AFL/PFL Path” on page 76). This level setting is independent of the AFL level setting. AFL and PFL Solo modes require the Surround Mixer plug-in. If Mutes Frees Assigned Voice is enabled, muted tracks will not be audible in PFL mode.
To select a Solo Latch mode: Choose Options > Solo Mode and select from the following options: Latch When selected, pressing subsequent Solo buttons adds them to the soloed mix of tracks. X–OR (Cancels Previous Solos) When selected, pressing subsequent Solo buttons cancels previous solos. Solo Safe Mode Pro Tools lets you solo safe a track. This prevents the track from being muted even if you solo other tracks.
Mute Frees Assigned Voice (Pro Tools HD Only) Selecting Options > Mute Frees Assigned Voice and muting a track disables playback of that track, and surrenders control of its voice to the next highest priority track with the same voice assignment. Muting a track with Mute Frees Assigned Voice enabled does not free up the voice for QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or DestructivePunch recording.
Color Coding for Tracks, Regions, Markers, and Groups Separate colors can be assigned to audio and MIDI regions, tracks, markers, and groups. Regions shown in Waveform and Block Views in the Edit window are drawn in color. Tracks shown in the Track List, Group List, and Mix and Edit windows have associated color bars.
Default Track Color Coding The Default Track Color Coding options determine how colors are assigned to the display of tracks. None Turns off default color assignment for tracks. Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to each track in the Mix or Edit window according to its voice assignment or MIDI channel assignment. Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each track in the Mix or Edit window according to its voice assignment or MIDI device assignment.
Color Palette The Color Palette lets you make color selections for tracks, regions, groups and markers. Apply to Selected None Apply to Channel Strip Default Saturation Brightness Default Removes any custom coloring and restores the color to the default color orientation. See “Display Page Preferences for Color Coding” on page 193 for more information. None Turns off color assignment. Affected regions are drawn with black waveform or MIDI notes on light gray background.
Applying Track Color Coding to Channel Strips The Color Palette lets you apply the Track color coding to channel strips in the Mix and Edit windows. To apply track color coding to channel strips: 1 Enable the Apply to Channel Strip button. 2 If necessary, adjust the Saturation slider to get the color saturation you want. 3 If necessary, adjust the Brightness slider.
Chapter 12: Grouping Tracks Grouping Tracks Pro Tools provides a relative grouping function for linking tracks and their controls. Groups are useful for editing several tracks in exactly the same way, or for mixing several tracks (such as a pair of stereo tracks or a submix) while keeping them at the same relative volume level. Pro Tools provides the following grouping features: • Up to 104 different groups are available, arranged in 4 banks of 26 Group IDs.
Linking Mix and Edit Groupings In Pro Tools HD, when the Main Pan attribute is enabled for groups, grouped behavior applies to the Link, Front inverse, Rear inverse and Front/Rear inverse controls in stereo and multichannel panner windows.
Group Controls Show/Hide Track List/Group List View Button Menus and commands for creating and modifying groups are accessible in the following: To show the Group List (and Track List): Click the Show/Hide Track List/Group List View button in the Mix, Edit, or MIDI Editor window. • Group List • Group name in the Group List • Group ID indicator on a track • Track > Group menu Group ID To the left of each name in the Group List is a letter denoting its Group ID (“a” through “z”).
Group List Menu The pop-up menu at the top of the Group List provides the following commands: Duplicate Opens Group dialog for duplicated group. Delete Deletes a single group. New Group Executes the Track > Group command. Select Tracks in Group Selects tracks in the group. Display Provides commands to show Edit groups only, Mix groups only, or all groups (Edit, Mix, and Mix/Edit). Show/Hide Tracks in Group Shows or hides tracks in the current group.
Group Dialog Group Dialog in Pro Tools LE Whether you are creating or modifying groups with the Group List, a tracks’s Group ID indicator, or the Track > Group menu command, you use the Groups dialog. In Pro Tools LE, the Group dialog has a single page. The Group dialog lets you create new groups and assign attributes to groups. Group Dialog in Pro Tools HD In Pro Tools HD, the Group dialog has three pages: Tracks Lets you add and remove tracks from the current group.
2 Do one of the following: • Choose Track > Group. – or – • Choose New Group from the Group List menu. 3 Type a name for the group. 4 Select the type of group to create: Edit, Mix, or Mix/Edit. 6 Click Tracks in the Group dialog, and do any of the following: • To add the tracks that are currently selected in the session to the group, click the Add button at the bottom of the Group dialog.
7 If the group is a Mix Group or a Mix/Edit Group, do the following: 6 Do any of the following: • Set the Attributes for the Group (see “Setting Group Attributes” on page 205). • To add the tracks that are currently selected in the session to the group, click the Add button at the bottom of the Group dialog. • If you want to assign the group to an available VCA, select the VCA Master track from the VCA pop-up menu.
Modifying Groups To modify a group: 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Modify Groups from the Group List menu. • In the Mix window, click the Group ID indicator on a track and choose Modify from the pop-up menu. • Right-click the Group name in the Group List and choose Modify from the pop-up menu. 2 In the Groups dialog, choose the group you want to modify from the ID pop-up menu.
Duplicating Groups You can duplicate a group and modify its settings in order to quickly set up a mix. To duplicate a group: 1 Do one of the following: Modify ALL Group dialog 3 For Mix or Mix/Edit groups, you can change any of the following Linked Within Groups options: • Mutes • Solos • Send Mutes • Send Levels • Click the Group ID indicator on a track and choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu. – or – • Right-click the Group name in the Group List and choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu.
To select attributes in the Global page: To select attributes for an individual group: 1 While creating or modifying a group, click 1 While creating or modifying a Mix Group or a Mix/Edit Group, do one of the following: Globals in the Group dialog. • Click Attributes in the Group dialog, and select the attributes you want to link. – or – • Enable Follow Globals to follow the base set of attributes. The Attributes page grays out to indicate that the group is following the selections in the Globals page.
Selecting Group Attributes The following attributes can be selected for Global settings and for individual groups. Track controls: To select or deselect attributes for a single control across all Sends, all Inserts, or for the four track controls (down a column), Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any attribute in that column.
To recall a Group preset: Keyboard Selection of Groups Click the corresponding Preset button (1–6) in the Groups dialog. (Follow Globals must be unchecked to recall a setting in the Attributes page.) The Group List Keyboard Focus lets you type a Group ID letter to automatically toggle that group’s enable status. In the Mix window, the Group List Keyboard Focus is always enabled. In the Edit window, you need to enable the Group List Keyboard Focus to use it.
Temporarily Isolating Control of an Item from Group Operation Grouped Control Offsets You can temporarily isolate control of a group item from group operation by Right-clicking on the item. When the following controls are grouped with offsets and moved to their extremes, relative offsets are preserved when the controls are moved back from their extremes: You can also temporarily suspend group behavior for a track by Start-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) a group function.
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Chapter 13: The Region List The Edit Window displays all audio regions, MIDI regions, and region groups in a single, comprehensive Region List. All regions of all types that are recorded, imported, or created by editing appear in the Region List. Items can be dragged from the list to tracks and arranged in any order. You can also preview audio and MIDI regions and region groups in the Region List.
Displaying Regions in the Region List The Region List can show all region types (audio, MIDI, video, Groups, Auto-Created), or only certain region types. This is useful for isolating the type of regions you want to work with while editing and arranging. For example, when arranging region groups, you may want the Region List to show only region groups. To show or hide certain types of regions in the Region List: Click the Region List menu (at the top of the Region List) and choose Show.
Full Path Displays the full directory path of the region’s parent file. Channel Name Displays the channel name for audio files imported from field recorders. Sorting Regions To sort regions in the Region List: 1 Click the Region List menu (at the top of the Region List) and choose Sort By. Scene and Take Displays the scene and take for audio files imported from field recorders. 2 From the submenu, select a basis for sorting. Different options are available for audio and MIDI regions.
MIDI regions can be sorted by: • Name, Length • Original Time Stamp • User Time Stamp • Timebase • Start in Parent • End in Parent. Regions can also be sorted by Region Type (Audio and MIDI), or in Ascending or Descending order. Finding Regions 2 In the Find Regions dialog, do any of the fol- lowing: • Select By Name and type the name, or any portion of the name, for regions you want to find. The search string appears at the top of the Region List.
To repeat a previous search: 1 Click the Region List menu, and choose Find. 2 Click the small arrow to the right of the text field in the Find dialog and select a text string from the Find History pop-up menu. Region List while searching 4 Type another entry and choose Insert Entry again to add additional search strings to the history. To remove an entry from the history: An example of a Find history 1 Select it from the Find History pop-up menu so The Find History is saved with the session.
Selecting Regions in the Region List In the Region List, you can select regions so they can be dragged to tracks, processed with AudioSuite plug-ins, or exported. To select or deselect a region in the Region List, do the following: Click a region name that is unhighlighted to select it. – or – Click a region name that is highlighted to deselect it.
To enable and use the Region List Keyboard Focus: 1 Click the Keyboard Focus button in the upper right of the Region List. Keyboard Focus Region List Keyboard Focus enabled 2 Type the first or first few letters of the region to automatically locate and select it. Once a region is located and selected, it can be dragged to a track. Keyboard selection of audio regions locates regions based on their region name, not on the names for their parent audio files or the volumes on which they reside.
Sample-based regions play back at their native tempo. Tick-based MIDI and Elastic Audio processed regions play back at the session tempo (based on the location of the playback cursor). You can also preview regions from the Region List during session playback. MIDI regions play back using the Default Thru Instrument selected in the MIDI Preferences page (see “The Default Thru Instrument” on page 391).
Rules for Stereo and Multichannel Regions For stereo and multichannel audio regions to be shown as collective regions, the component regions must be the same length. If an existing stereo or multichannel region has been dragged onto multiple mono tracks and edited such a way that one or more components are no longer the same length, the stereo display is removed and the regions are displayed as individual regions in the Region List.
Auto-Naming Options You can specify the auto-naming options for a region when new regions are created from it in the course of editing. Auto-naming of regions does not affect the names of parent audio files. Instead, it stores pointers to the regions within the parent source file. To set auto-naming options for a region: 1 Select a region in the Region List.
When auto-created regions are hidden, Pro Tools warns you if the number of auto-created regions exceeds a certain threshold, and gives you the option of deleting them. If you choose to delete them, all auto-created regions are deleted at the same time. To ensure that you keep any specific auto-created regions, rename them. When you name a region, it is promoted from being an auto-created region to a user-defined region (see “Renaming Regions” on page 219).
Region Name Right-Click Commands When you Right-click a region name in the Region List, a pop-up menu provides access to the following commands: Clear Removes selected regions from the session. Rename Renames selected regions. Time Stamp Redefines the time stamp of selected regions. Replace Region (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) Replaces multiple instances of a region with another region. Compact Compacts selected regions.
Chapter 14: DigiBase DigiBase and DigiBase Pro (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 only) combine an intuitive, browser-style interface with an integrated databasing engine, optimized for Pro Tools data and media management. DigiBase Elements Figure 9 shows the various elements of DigiBase. Arrows show how files can be moved between the elements.
The main elements of a DigiBase browser (see Figure 10) include the following. DigiBase Browsers DigiBase databases are accessed through DigiBase browsers (see Figure 10). Browsers provide an intuitive user interface to DigiBase databases with many convenient features for various file management tasks (such as search and sort functions). Browsers in Pro Tools are analogous to windows in your computer’s operating system, but are specifically designed for Pro Tools workflow.
There are three types of Pro Tools browsers available on all supported systems: • The Workspace browser • Volume browsers • The Project browser DigiBase Pro (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 only) provides one additional browser: • Catalogs Volume Browsers Volume browsers provide file management for local and network volumes. Volumes are formatted partitions on a physical drive (hard drive).
DigiBase Pro Catalogs Relink Window (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) The Relink window provides tools and features for relinking sessions and catalogs to media files. Use Relink tools to search and reacquire missing files for use in the current session. Catalogs provide the highest level of Pro Tools file management. Catalogs make it easy to organize files from multiple sources into libraries of favorite files.
Digidesign Databases The information displayed in browsers is stored in individual databases. Pro Tools creates these databases automatically for all mounted volumes, including Transfer volumes. Digidesign databases use three file types: volume.ddb Stores media and session file metadata for a particular volume. catalog.ddb (DigiBase Pro Only) Stores media and session file metadata for a user defined Catalog. Cataloged media and session files are can reside on multiple volumes, including Transfer volumes.
Sharing Database Files Database files can be shared among users. This is particularly useful for Transfer volumes, eliminating duplicate processing (indexing) time. For example, shared volumes (such as network storage volumes) tend to be large, and indexing can be a time consuming task. To avoid duplicate effort, one user can manually index part or all of the shared volume just once, then email the database files to other users. Database files can be added by placing them within each user’s Volumes folder.
Browser Back arrow Search icon View Presets Preview controls Title bar Browser menu Columns Toolbar Column headers Items List Fixed pane Scrolling pane Show/Hide Pane split Figure 11. Basic browser tools, panes, and columns (Volume browser shown) Opening Browsers There are several ways to open, close, and navigate within browsers. To open the Workspace browser: Choose Window > Workspace.
To open another Volume or Catalog in a new browser window and leave the current Volume or Catalog browser open: All open browsers are moved to the background, bringing the other windows to the foreground. Browsers remain open and accessible. Control-double-click (Windows) or Command-double-click (Mac) the Volume or Catalog.
To open an AAF or OMF sequence from a DigiBase browser: 1 Do one of the following: To open a folder in the current browser: Double-click the folder, or click the Expand/Collapse icon for the item. • With no Pro Tools session currently open, double-click the AAF or OMF sequence in a browser. With the browser in the foreground and the folder selected, press Control+Down Arrow key (Windows) or Command+Down Arrow key (Mac) to open a folder in the current browser.
To enter an edit to a text field and exit, and return to the previous display state: Press Enter. To revert to the previous text and cancel a text edit: Press Esc. For details on column editing, see “Column Data” on page 237. Indexing DigiBase Databases Indexing is the process of reading media files, extracting just the metadata for each file, then storing that data in an associated database so that it may be displayed in the columns of a browser.
Last Indexed Date Display The Last Indexed column shows the date that the index for that folder and all of its sub-folders was updated. Keep in mind that individual subfolders may have been updated more recently. Automatic Updating for Pro Tools Actions Whenever Pro Tools adds, deletes, or modifies a file on a volume or in a session, the appropriate database is immediately updated to reflect the change.
Select Offline Files Selects all files that are currently offline. Select Transfer Files Selects all files identified as Transfer files (files found on media that do not support playback). Select Online Files Selects all files that are online. Invert Selection Reverses (inverts) the current selection. Reveal in Finder/Explorer Opens the corresponding parent window in the Finder (Mac) or Explorer (Windows) for the currently selected file. Reveal in Browser Opens the parent browser for the selected item.
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Conforms all tick-based audio files with Elastic Audio analysis, as well as REX and ACID files, to the session tempo. This option lets you play back the session, and then simultaneously preview the selected files in time with the session. This option is only available when a session is open, otherwise it is disabled and grayed out. When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option is enabled, Pro Tools analyzes un-analyzed files on preview or import.
Showing and Hiding Columns View Presets You can show or hide individual columns in DigiBase browsers to fit your workflow. The default column display includes the items you would use in most sessions. Pro Tools lets you save up to five preset views for each type of browser, and the Relink window. Presets can be recalled by clicking a View Preset button. View Presets are specific to each type of browser.
To add a secondary sort: Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the column title for the secondary sort criteria. Primary Sort Secondary Sort Name Displays the name of the file, folder, volume, catalog, or session. This text field is editable in all browsers except Catalogs. A Designates volumes for audio R (Record and Playback), P (Playback only), or T (Transfer). Available in the Workspace browser only. V Designates volumes as video R (Record and Playback), P (Playback only), or T (Transfer).
File Comment Displays any embedded comments associated with the file. File comments are supported with BWF and SD II files, but are not supported with AIFF files. File Comments always remain with the file when copied, converted, or transferred. See “Comments Fields” on page 239 for more information. Database Comment Displays user comments stored with the database, with support for Finder comments. Available in the Project browser and Catalogs only. See “Comments Fields” on page 239 for more information.
Take Displays take number data embedded in audio files. Shoot Date Displays origination date and time information embedded in audio files. However, many field recorders do not populate the Shoot Date field, relying instead on the file’s Creation Date to indicate date of production. When Pro Tools imports a field recorder file, it checks to see if the Shoot Date field is populated.
Database Comments To select multiple items: (Catalogs and Project Browsers Only) Marquee-select a group of items, or Shift-click additional items. Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) to select multiple noncontinuous items. Database Comments in a Catalog are stored in the Catalog database. Database comments in the Project browser are stored in the Session. Database Comments, which can be up to 256 characters in length, are searchable, cross-platform, and editable.
Moving Items To delete one or more items: 1 Select one or more items. To move items: Select one or more items and drag them to a new location. Moving to a new location on the same volume moves the item, while moving to a different volume copies the item. You can drag items directly into the Timeline or Region List of the current session. See “Importing Files with Drag and Drop” on page 280. 2 Do one of the following: • Press Delete. – or – • Choose Delete Selected from the Browser menu.
3 When prompted, do one of the following: • To remove the aliases for the selected items from the Catalog, click Aliases. – or – • To delete the selected items from disk (and remove their aliases from the Catalog), click Files. Deleting Folders in Catalogs Deleting a folder from a Catalog does not delete the folder on disk (even if you choose to delete all files from disk).
Starting a Search To search the current browser: 1 Click the Search icon to display the Search pane. Searching begins, indicated by the spinning arrows in the toolbar, and by the Search button changing to Stop. The Results List (at the bottom of the browser) fills with items that match the search criteria. Items can be selected and auditioned as they are found. Search icon To stop a search: Search Pane During a search, click the Stop button.
Pull-Down Menus Provide options for certain fields. For example, the Bit Depth pull-down provides choices for Any, 16-bit, or 24-bit. Date and Time Accepts date and time entries in a variety of formats. Time Code Uses standard Pro Tools time code entry shortcuts in hh:min:sec:frames. A question mark (?) can be used for single-character wildcards. For example, a search on f?ee finds free, and flee. A similar search on f*ee finds frendlee, flippee, flee, free, and so on.
Quotations Marks for Text Strings Text enclosed in quotation marks is searched as one text string. For example, if you type “Dog Bark” (with quotes), only items with Dog Bark anywhere in the File Name are considered a match. To enable Advanced Search mode: Click to enable the Advanced Search mode option. Advanced Search Search Modes DigiBase provides two different text searching environments: Quick Search Mode Applies wildcards before and after each text string.
Saving Search Results as a Catalog (DigiBase Pro Only) To save the results of your search as a Catalog: 1 Choose Edit > Select All, or press Control+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac), to select all items in the Items List. 2 From the Browser menu, choose Create Cata- The waveform overview is stored in the file, or in the appropriate Digidesign Databases folder. For more information, see “WaveCache” on page 246.
Elastic Audio Analysis You can both calculate and clear Elastic Audio analysis for selected audio files in DigiBase browsers. Only AIFF and WAV files are supported for Elastic Audio analysis and processing. Any other file format (such as MP3 and SD2) must be converted to AIFF or WAV for Elastic Audio analysis and processing.
File Timebase and Elastic Audio Analysis Icons DigiBase browsers provide three icons to indicate whether a file has Elastic Audio analysis and the file’s timebase. Elastic Audio Analysis icon Tick-based file icon Sample-based file icon Previewing Audio in DigiBase Audio files can be previewed in DigiBase browsers. Previewing follows the master Audition path as selected in the Output pane of the I/O Setup (see “Audition Paths” on page 75).
To preview an audio file in a browser: 1 Select an audio file in a browser Items List. Make sure the browser is the foreground (active) window. 2 Do one of the following: Preview Controls and Indicators Every DigiBase browser provides the following preview controls in the Toolbar: Preview, Volume, Meters, Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo, and Elastic Audio Plug-in. • Click the Waveform Preview button (the speaker icon to the left of the waveform display). Click again to stop auditioning.
To change the volume for previewing in DigiBase browsers: 1 Click the Volume field to display the Volume fader. 2 Adjust the Volume fader (from –INF to +12 dB). When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button is enabled, Pro Tools analyzes any un-analyzed files on preview or import. Tick-based audio files conform to the session tempo during preview and on import. Samplebased files, those where no tempo has been detected, always preview and import at their original speed and duration.
Loop Preview To stop loop audition: Loop Preview plays the selected file by looping playback of the file. If multiple files are selected, only the first selected file previews. When Loop Preview mode is enabled, the Preview button updates to show a Loop Preview Mode icon. Do one of the following: • Click the Browser Preview button again. • If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in the Browser menu, press the Spacebar again. • Press Control+P (Windows) or Command+P (Mac).
To preview files at the session tempo: 1 In the session, place the insertion point at the location where you want to preview the file in DigiBase. 2 In a DigiBase browser, select the file you want to preview. 3 Do one of the following: • Click the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button. It highlights when enabled. • From the Browser menu, select Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo. • Right-click the file you want to preview and select Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo from the pop-up menu.
Linking and Relinking Files A Pro Tools session is made up of references, or links, to audio files and other session media. Audio and video files must be stored on suitable Performance volumes and be properly linked in order to be playable in the session. The following types of files are not playable: Transfer Files Files that are stored on volumes not suitable for playback, such as network volumes or CD-ROMs.
To copy Transfer files found when opening a session, do one of the following: Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink dialog. – or – Click No to open the session with all Transfer files offline. When opened, the session’s Project browser indicates Transfer files with a “T” in their Status column. To copy items to a new location and Relink to the copies: 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Window > Project. – or – • Open the appropriate Catalog. 2 Select the items you want to copy and relink.
Manually Find and Relink This option opens the Relink window. Use the Relink window to search, compare, verify, and relink missing files. Files can be relinked one at a time or in batches. See “Relink Window” on page 256 for more information. Missing files warning when opening a session 2 Select one of the following: • Skip All—or press Control+S (Windows) or Command+S (Mac). • Manually Find Relink—or press Control+M (Windows) or Command+M (Mac).
Regenerate Missing Fades Without Searching Enable this option to exclude fades files from the relinking process (fades are recalculated instead). This option is available when Automatically Find and Relink or Manually Find and Relink is enabled. Regenerate Missing Rendered Files Without Searching Enable this option to exclude rendered Elastic Audio files from the relinking process (rendered files are recalculated instead).
Menu and toolbar Areas to Search Files to Relink Candidates Figure 12. Main elements in the Relink window Opening the Relink Window When opening a session with missing files, use the Manually Find and Relink option to open the Relink window. search. In addition, excluding folders from a search for missing files also lets you redirect a session or Catalog to a more appropriate copy of an item. The Relink window can also be accessed after a session is open.
2 Click each item’s Search column to toggle it to be included or excluded in the search. A check next to an item indicates it will be included in the search. All folders within items are also checked. Single and Multi-File Relinking The Relink window can be used to relink one missing file at a time, or to relink missing files in batches. Relinking Individual Missing Files In some situations, individual files must be relinked one at a time in order to relink the session to the correct file.
To relink multiple missing files: 1 Configure Areas to Search. (See “Selecting Ar- eas to Search” on page 257.) 2 Select one or more items in the Files to Relink list. The Find Links button becomes available. 3 Click Find Links. 4 Configure criteria for relinking, if necessary, in the Linking Options dialog: • By default, Find by Name and ID is enabled. • To add additional matching criteria, select an option from the Linking Options dialog. (Modification Date is only applicable to Catalogs.
Committing Links There is no Undo for relinking. Once a file has been relinked and the session saved, the session always remembers the new link (the original link is forgotten). For this reason, no files are actually relinked until you click Commit Links. The Automatically Find and Relink option is the only relinking process that does not ask you to verify links before they are committed.
Volume designators Browser name Menu and toolbar Search pane Items List Search Results Fixed pane Show/Hide Scrolling pane Pane split Figure 13. Workspace browser, with the Search pane displayed Audio and Video Volume Designators The Workspace includes columns for Audio and Video Volume designators. These two columns display, and let you designate, whether a volume is a Record, Playback, or Transfer volume.
To change a volume designator: 1 Open the Workspace browser. 2 Click and select the appropriate Audio and/or Video designator for the volume. Catalogs in the Workspace Browser (DigiBase Pro Only) With DigiBase Pro, the Workspace browser provides special tools for creating and accessing Catalogs. Once Catalogs have been created, they appear in the Workspace browser in the Catalogs folder. To show all Catalogs: 1 Open the Workspace browser.
in the search, and which to exclude. The Workspace also provides a separate Search Results pane to view, select and manage the results of searches. Search pane Areas to search Search results Search and Search Results panes in the Workspace The Search Results pane lets you maintain the results of searches, while still viewing and configuring options for additional searches.
Browser menu and toolbar Folders and files Figure 14. Project browser The Project browser displays the following: Locating Parent FIles of Regions Audio Files Folder Contains all of the audio files currently referenced by the session, regardless of where they are located. The Project Browser can be set to automatically highlight the parent file of any region selected in the Pro Tools Region List.
About the Project Browser DigiBase Pro Catalogs No Drag and Drop to the Project Browser (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) To import a file from another browser into the current session, you must drag files to the Timeline or Region List. You cannot import a file into a session by dragging it to the Project browser. (You can, however, spot files from the Project browser into the current session using drag/drop.
Catalog name Menu and toolbar Items List Fixed pane Show/Hide Scrolling pane Pane split Figure 15. Catalog browser Opening a Catalog Browser Catalogs are displayed in the Workspace browser. 3 Do one of the following: • Click the Expand/Collapse icon for the Catalog to view its contents in the Workspace. – or – • Double-click the Catalog name to open it in its own browser window.
Clip names can only be edited in a Catalog. Editing the Clip name does not affect the actual file; however, if you add the same file to a new Catalog, it retains its original Clip Name. When you drag a file from a Catalog into a session, the edited Clip Name is what appears in the Timeline and Region List. If the Clip Name is longer than 32 characters, Pro Tools truncates the name automatically when imported into the session.
Renaming a Catalog Consolidating Files with Catalogs Catalogs can be renamed at any time. Catalogs are excellent tools for consolidating files from a variety of sources. To rename a Catalog: 1 Click the Catalog item in the Workspace browser until its name highlights. 2 Type a new name for the Catalog. Modifying Catalogs To add items to a Catalog, do one of the following: Open the Catalog and drop new items from another browser.
Deleting Catalogs To delete a Catalog: 1 Select one or more Catalogs in the Workspace browser. 2 Press the Delete key, or choose Delete Selected from the Browser menu. A warning dialog appears. 3 In the warning dialog, do one of the follow- ing: • Click Cancel to cancel the delete operation. • Click Delete Files to delete aliases and associated files from disk. • Click Delete Aliases to delete only the aliases and not the associated files. This operation cannot be undone.
Opening the Task Window Task Window For maximum performance and flexibility with file management tasks, Pro Tools provides the Task window (see Figure 16 on page 270). File management with Pro Tools involves nearly constant creating, copying, converting, processing, searching, and indexing files. These tasks occur in the background, letting you continue recording, editing, and mixing without delay.
Task Window Views The Task window provides a maximized and minimized view. Any task that fails to complete successfully is moved to the Paused Tasks pane (see below). The Status column displays a description of the failure. To toggle between maximized and minimized views: Paused Tasks Pane Click the View Toggle icon in the top of the Task window. The Paused Tasks pane is displayed below the Active Tasks pane, and is separated by a moveable horizontal divider.
To cancel a task: About Failed Tasks 1 Highlight any task in either pane of the Task The Paused Tasks pane shows any tasks that could not be completed. The reason for the failure is shown in the Status column. window. 2 Press Delete to remove it from the Task win- dow. To cancel all tasks: 1 Select any single task in either pane. 2 Press Control-A (Windows) or Command-A (Mac) to select all the tasks in that pane. 3 Press Delete. This command cannot be undone.
Stored Tasks Any task that imports files into a session is stored with a session when it is closed, and resumes when the session is re-opened. For example, if you Import Session Data with Copy From Source Media selected, then Save and Close the session before the copy completes, the copy tasks resume when the session is reopened. Grouped Tasks Some tasks consist of many smaller tasks. For instance, Copy and Relink may require hundreds of individual files to be copied.
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Chapter 15: Importing and Exporting Session Data Pro Tools lets you import and export a variety of data into and out of a session, including audio and MIDI files, region groups, video files, track playlists, I/O configurations, and signal routing configurations. You can import individual audio and MIDI files into a session, or import entire audio or MIDI tracks, along with all of their attributes, from another session.
Exporting Pro Tools lets you export audio, video, MIDI, region groups, and session data by: • Using the Send Via DigiDelivery command • Using the Export to Sibelius or Send to Sibelius command (MIDI only) • Using the File menu Export commands: • Selected Tracks as New AAF/OMF • MIDI • Score • Session Info As Text • Using the Tracks Right-click menu: • Send To Sibelius command (Score Editor only) • Export MIDI command • Using the Region List menu: • Export Region Definitions command • Export Regions as Files
Supported Audio File Formats Audio files of the following types can be imported into Pro Tools sessions: Rate Conversion Quality setting is local to that specific dialog. The Sample Rate Conversion Quality preference only applies to conversion on import by drag and drop. • AIFF • WAV or BWF (.WAV) • SD II To set the sample rate conversion quality for importing audio by drag and drop: • MP3 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Processing tab.
Importing Interleaved Files When using the Import Audio command, interleaved stereo files are automatically imported to stereo tracks. Split stereo (dual mono) audio files can be automatically imported to stereo tracks. Split stereo audio files must have the channel identifiers “.L” and “.R” in their names (for example, filename.L and filename.R), and the files must be the same length. In Windows, or in Mac/PC Compatibility mode, these files will have a 3-letter file extension appended after the “.L” or “.
Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo The Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo options determine whether or not REX, ACID, and all other audio file formats dragged and dropped from Windows Explorer or Mac Finder are imported as tick-based Elastic Audio and conformed to the session tempo. None When enabled, all audio files, including REX and ACID files, are not conformed to the session tempo when imported by drag and drop from Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder.
The Elastic Properties window inherits the Default Input Gain preference. To apply further region-based Input Gain for Elastic Audio processing, select the region and adjust the Input Gain setting in the Elastic Properties window (see “Elastic Properties Window” on page 787). Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks When selected, new tracks are created with Elastic Audio enabled. The selected default Elastic Audio plugin is used.
To import files into the Region List: To import files as new tracks: 1 Select audio, video, MIDI, region group, REX, or ACID files in a DigiBase browser, or Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder. 1 Select the files you want to import in a Digi- 2 Drag the selected files onto the Region List. 2 Do any of the following: Base browser, or Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder. To import files into an existing track: • Shift-drag files and drop anywhere in the Edit window.
To import and spot files into a track: 1 Enable Spot mode. 2 Select the files you want to import in a Digi- Base browser, or Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder. 3 Drag the files onto an existing, compatible track. The Spot dialog appears. To snap to head and copy the file to the session Audio files folder: Alt-Start-drag (Windows) or Option-Controldrag (Mac) a file onto a track. To snap to tail: Control-Start-drag (Windows) or CommandControl-drag (Mac) a file onto a track.
tick-based Elastic Audio depending on the Drag and Drop from Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo preference (see “Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo” on page 279). Importing Elastic Audio from DigiBase to the Region List With the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option enabled, dragging and dropping tickbased audio from DigiBase browsers to the Region List (or to the Track List), creates two separate regions in the Region List.
In the import list, audio files are distinguished from regions by their icons. Audio File icon Audio Region icon File and Region icons in the Import Audio dialog On Mac, Sound Resource files must have the “.SFIL” extension to be imported by Pro Tools. 3 To preview a selected file or region before you import it, click the Play and Stop buttons in the Import Audio dialog. Adjust the preview volume with the vertical slider.
New Track Each audio file is imported into its own individual track and into the Region List. When importing audio into a track, you can also choose the location in the track where the audio file will begin (such as Session Start). Region List Audio files are imported into the Region List without creating a new track. Imported audio files appear in the Region List and can then be dragged to audio tracks.
To import ACID and REX flies as sample-based regions: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro- cessing tab. 2 Disable the Import REX Files as Region Groups option. 3 Select No Files as the Drag and Drop from Desk- top Conforms to Session Tempo preference. 4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. 5 When importing by drag and drop from Digi- Base browsers, make sure that the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option is disabled.
6 In the REX Auto-Crossfades dialog, select the shapes you want for crossfades, and click OK. 7 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. Depending on your edits or tempo changes after importing REX files, the fades can be deleted and you will have to recreate them manually. Importing Multichannel Audio Files from a Field Recorder Pro Tools lets you use any of its import methods to import monophonic and polyphonic audio files recorded by a field recorder.
Table 16. Dither and Noise Shaping with Export Selected dialog Dither Noise Shaping 24-bit to 8-bit Yes No 16-bit to 8-bit Yes No Bit Depth The Dither used for any conversion is the Digidesign Dither plug-in (with or without Noise Shaping enabled, as noted in Table 16). For more information about using Dither, see “Dither” on page 866. 4 If you are exporting to an 8-bit file, enable the Export Selected dialog 3 In the Export Selected dialog, set the File Type, Format, Bit Depth, and Sample Rate.
Exporting Stereo or Multichannel Interleaved Files You can use the Export Regions as Files command to export audio regions to stereo or multichannel interleaved files for use in other applications. (Pro Tools cannot use interleaved files directly in the Timeline—these must be converted into multiple mono files.) For example, for this to work with a stereo file, the selected regions must have identical names with “.L” and “.R” suffixes (for instance, vocals_01.L and vocals_01.R).
With Pro Tools LE, you can import tracks and some general session data, but with Pro Tools HD, or Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, you can select specific session data (such as automation and routing) to import. You can also import main playlist options—either replacing existing options or overlaying elements onto existing tracks.
13 To import Markers and Memory Locations from the source session, select the Import Marker/Memory Locations option. 14 To import Window Configurations, select the Import Window Configurations option. 15 With Pro Tools HD, select the Import Mic Pre Settings option to import any Mic Pre settings from the source session. 16 Click OK when you are finished. 17 If you chose to copy or consolidate media, choose a location to place the media files.
Source Properties The Import Session Data dialog displays properties for the source session. These properties include source session name, session type, start time of the session, audio bit depth, and sample rate. For Pro Tools 5.1 or higher sessions, the program that created the session and the session’s audio file type are listed. Text Encoding Pro Tools allows entry and display of any language characters supported in Unicode anywhere in the Pro Tools application.
Video Media Options You can either choose to leave video media files in their original locations or copy them to a new location. This is useful if you are importing tracks from a source such as CDs or DVDs or shared storage, and you want to place video files on a different drive. Time Code Mapping Options You can specify where the imported tracks are placed in the current session.
Source Tracks Matching Tracks This area of the dialog lists the tracks in the source session that can be imported, each with a corresponding pop-up menu.
Selecting Track Data to Import You can select All, None, or any combination of the listed track data to import. The following are available for import: All Imports all of the source track’s playlists, according to the Main Playlist Option setting, and all of the attributes in the Track Data to Import list. None Imports only the source track’s main playlist, according to the Main Playlist Options setting, and no other attributes of the source track.
Track Active State Imports the active/inactive state of the source track from the source session. I/O Labels (Path Names) Imports the source track’s path names. Track Comments Imports the track comments associated with the source track. Any comments in the destination track are replaced. Record Safe/Solo Safe Settings Imports the record safe and solo safe settings of the source track from the source session. Any record safe or solo safe settings in the destination track are replaced.
Import – Overlay New On Existing Playlists Imports the main playlist from the source track. When you import the playlist into an existing track, any existing playlist data that overlaps data imported from the source track is trimmed and replaced with the imported data. Any playlist data in the destination track that does not overlap remains in the destination track. Do Not Import Does not import the main playlist from the source track.
To automatically copy files on import: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the Op- erations tab. 2 Select Automatically Copy Files on Import. 3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. Using Undo after Importing Using Undo after importing any files to the Timeline removes the files from the Timeline. However, the files remain in the session (in the Region List and Project browser) and are offline.
Export Session Info as Text Options When exporting track EDLs, the following options are available: Show Subframes This option allows you to export subframe time information with track EDLs, if used in your session. Include User Timestamps You can include user timestamps with track EDLs. User timestamps indicate a user-defined session location for the region, or the original location of the region when recorded.
Exported Session Text To export a session as text: 1 Choose File > Export > Session Info as Text. Session Information The session text file starts with basic information about the session. This information includes the session name, sample rate, bit depth, time code format, and number of audio tracks, audio regions, and audio files, as shown in the following example. 2 Select whether to include the File List, Region List, and track EDLs.
To receive a delivery, recipients only need an Internet connection and the DigiDelivery client application. An account on the network appliance is not needed. For more information, visit the DigiDelivery website (www.digidesign.com/digidelivery). To send a session from Pro Tools using DigiDelivery: 1 Choose File > Send via DigiDelivery.
There are two types of Standard MIDI Files, both of which are supported by Pro Tools: • Type 0 MIDI files store data for all MIDI channels in a single track. When importing these files, Pro Tools separates the data by channel and places each track’s data in separate regions and tracks. • Type 1 MIDI files, sometimes referred to as multitrack MIDI files, contain multiple tracks of MIDI data. When importing these files, each track’s data is placed on its own new MIDI track in the Pro Tools session.
Remove Existing Instrument Tracks When selected, deletes any existing Instrument tracks. Selecting this option does not remove any current MIDI tracks. All existing MIDI regions will be left in the Region List. To import MIDI into an existing track: 1 Select MIDI files in a DigiBase browser, Win- dows Explorer, or Mac Finder. 2 Drag the files onto an existing track in the Edit window of the current session. Remove Existing MIDI Tracks When selected, deletes any existing MIDI tracks.
To export all MIDI and Instrument tracks in the current session: 1 Make sure to unmute any MIDI tracks in the session that you want included in the exported MIDI file. (Or, conversely, mute any MIDI tracks you do not want included in the exported MIDI file.) For Instrument tracks, enable or disable the MIDI mute button (Instruments view). 2 Choose File > Export > MIDI. The Export MIDI Settings dialog opens.
Exporting Individual MIDI and Instrument Tracks 3 From the Right-click menu, select Export MIDI. You can also export individual MIDI and Instrument tracks as MIDI files. This can be useful for storing libraries of your favorite MIDI sequences or Sysex data (such as bulk or individual patch dumps for your external MIDI devices), or for importing MIDI into notation applications (other than Sibelius). 5 Click OK.
Region group files store the following metadata: • References to all audio files within the region group • Region names and relative location in tracks • Embedded fades and crossfades • Region group names and format (single or multitrack) 2 In the Region Group Import Options dialog, choose where the region group will go: New Track Creates a new track where the region group will be imported.
Importing Region Groups with Drag & Drop Exporting Region Groups To export a region group: You can drag and drop region groups from a DigiBase browser or from Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder to the Timeline, a track, the Track List, or the Region List. To import region groups into the Region List: 1 Select one or more region groups in the Re- gion List. 2 From the Region List menu, choose Export Region Groups. The Export Region Groups dialog opens.
Exporting Region Groups to Another Hard Drive Generally, if you are exporting region groups to another hard drive, you should copy any referenced audio files. This way you can move region groups not only from one session to another, but from one system to another. To export a region group to a different hard drive and include its audio files: 1 Export one or more region groups to the new drive. 2 Create a new session on the new drive. 3 Choose Setup > Preferences.
Chapter 16: File and Session Management and Compatibility When you work with Pro Tools, you encounter several different kinds of computer files. Pro Tools systems require that you keep certain files in specific hard drive locations in order to function properly. Pro Tools software files (such as the application and plug-ins files) should be located on your Startup drive (the drive that contains your operating system and other system-related files).
When you open a session, if Pro Tools determines that audio files are not located on a Performance volume, or if it is unable to locate audio files contained in the session, you can locate or copy the files in order to play back the session. This process is called relinking. For more information on storage volume classifications, see “Performance and Transfer Volumes” on page 226. Transfer Files Transfer files reside on volumes unsuitable for playback, such as CD or DVD discs, or network drives.
4 To exclude any Rendered Elastic Audio files from the relink process and regenerate them instead, select Regenerate Missing Rendered Files Without Searching. 5 Click OK. For more information on relinking missing files, see “Linking and Relinking Files” on page 253. Renamed Audio Files and the Renamed Audio Files Folder Renamed audio files are located in the auto-created Renamed Audio Files folder in the Pro Tools session folder.
• If the new session is saved to a different directory than the original and the All Audio Files option is checked, a new Session folder is created, which includes an Audio Files folder. Renamed audio files are included in the Audio Files folder. WAV File Compatibility Convert Imported WAV files to AES31/BroadcastWave Pro Tools always creates AES31/Broadcast compliant BWF (.wav) files when the file originates in Pro Tools. Non-BWF .
Moving Sessions on Windows Systems to Mac-Based HFS+ Drives (From Window-Based NTFS Drives Only) There are specific steps for transferring session files from Windows-based NTFS drives to Macbased HFS+ drives. To transfer Pro Tools Windows sessions from NTFS drives to HFS+ drives: 1 Set the Digidesign HFS+ Disk Support Options or the MacDrive Options to Backup/File Transfer. 2 Do one of the following: • Drag the session folder from the NTFS drive to the HFS+ drive.
Recording and Playback from HFS+ Drives on Windows Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be Compatible with Windows Windows supports recording and playback of sessions directly from Mac-formatted (HFS+) drives using either the Digidesign HFS+ Disk Support option or the MacDrive software application. (Save Copy In to Pro Tools 6.9.x and Lower Only) In older versions of Pro Tools, Mac-formatted HFS+ drives could only be used as Transfer volumes when connected to Windows systems using MacDrive.
File Name Extensions Saving Cross-Platform Sessions For cross-platform compatibility, all files in a session must have a 3-letter file extension added to the file name. Pro Tools 5.1 to 6.9.x session files have the extension “.pts,” and Pro Tools 5 sessions have the extension “.pt5.” Wave files have the “.wav” file extension, and AIFF files have the “.aif” file extension.
Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Systems Pro Tools makes it easy to share sessions between Pro Tools|HD systems and Pro Tools LE systems. There are some important differences between the three types of systems that can affect how session material is transferred. For details on transferring sessions between Windows and Mac systems, see “Sharing Sessions Created on Different Computer Platforms” on page 312.
Opening Pro Tools HD Sessions in Pro Tools LE Groups A Pro Tools HD 7.2 or higher session that does not contain video tracks or VCA Masters can be opened with Pro Tools LE 8.0, but certain session components open differently or not at all. • In Pro Tools LE 7.1 or lower only, all groups beyond the first 26 (Bank 1, Groups a–z) are dropped. • Mix Groups keep only Main Volume information. • Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and Automation Mode information. Pro Tools HD 7.
Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Software Versions Pro Tools makes it easy to share sessions between different software versions of a particular Pro Tools system (such as sharing sessions between Pro Tools HD 8.0 and Pro Tools HD 7.x). Sharing Pro Tools HD 8.0 Sessions with Lower Versions of Pro Tools HD A Pro Tools HD 7.4 or higher session can be opened with Pro Tools HD 7.3.x or 7.2, but certain session components open differently or not at all. When opening a Pro Tools 7.
• The Timeline displays and plays back only the video playlist that was last active. Alternate video playlists are not available. Pro Tools HD 7.2 or higher sessions that contain video tracks or VCA Masters can only be opened with Pro Tools HD 7.1cs3 and higher. • Video regions and video region groups are not shown or saved. When opening a Pro Tools HD 7.4 or higher session with a version of Pro Tools HD 7.1 or 7.0 the following occurs: Saving Pro Tools HD 8.0 Sessions to Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.
• Long names are shortened to 31 characters. Language Compatibility • The following attributes are dropped: • The Limit Character Set option must be enabled and you must select a single language and character set. • Region groups • Region loops • Sample-based MIDI regions • Sample-based MIDI tracks Saving Pro Tools HD 8.0 Sessions to Pro Tools 5.
Sharing Pro Tools LE 8.0 Sessions with Lower Versions of Pro Tools LE Opening Pro Tools LE 8.0 Sessions with Pro Tools LE 7.4.x A Pro Tools LE 8.0 session can be opened with Pro Tools LE 7.4.x, but certain session components open differently or not at all. When opening a Pro Tools 8.0 session with Pro Tools 7.4.x, you are warned that you are opening a session created with a newer version of Pro Tools and that not all session components will be available. When opening a Pro Tools LE 8.
Video • Only the main video track is displayed. • Only the first QuickTime movie in the session is displayed or played back. • If the session contains QuickTime movies in the Region List but no video track, the session opens with a new QuickTime Movie track containing the first QuickTime movie from the Region List. • The Timeline displays and plays back only the video playlist that was last active. Alternate video playlists are not available. • Video regions and video region groups are not shown or saved.
• Instrument tracks are split into separate Auxiliary Input and MIDI tracks. • The following attributes are dropped: • Tracks/sends assigned to stereo paths referring to even/odd channels (such as 2–3) are routed to Busses 31 and 32.
Pro Tools Application Language (Windows Only) To change to a different language version of Pro Tools: 1 Close Pro Tools if it is currently open. You can choose the language you want to use in the Pro Tools application, independently of what language version of Windows you are using. 2 Launch Apple System Preferences. 3 Click International (the “flag” icon). 4 Click the Language tab.
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Chapter 17: Playing Back Track Material Playing Tracks To stop playback, do one of the following: • Click Stop in the Transport. After importing or recording audio or MIDI to tracks, you will want to play back the material to listen to it for editing and mixing. • Press the Spacebar. Starting and Stopping Playback • If you have a worksurface or MIDI control surface connected and configured, press the Stop switch. To start playback, do one of the following: • Click Play in the Transport.
Example: Playing Back MIDI To play back MIDI (and monitor the audio): 1 Import, record, or enter MIDI to an Instru- ment or MIDI track. • Set the Auxiliary Input or Instrument track’s audio Output selector to the main monitoring path. • Set the MIDI track’s output selector to the Instrument plug-in, or MIDI device (port), and channel you want to play back. 2 For an Instrument track, do the following: • Set the Instrument track’s audio Output selector to the main monitoring path.
Pro Tools also provides a pre-roll control for setting playback to begin before the playback location. See “Basic Transport Controls and Counters” on page 135. Counters and Indicators that Display the Playback Location Main and Sub Counters and Edit Selection Indicators At the top of the Edit window, the playback location is displayed in the Main and Sub counters, and the Edit Selection Start indicator. If no selection is made, the playback location is also displayed in the Edit Selection End indicator.
The selected Scrolling Option determines how the Edit window scrolls during playback, and how the playback cursor functions. See “Scrolling Options” on page 334 for details. The Playback Cursor locator is red when a track is record-enabled and blue when no track is record-enabled. To locate the playback cursor when it is off-screen: Edit Cursor The edit cursor is a flashing line that appears when you click with the Selector tool in a track’s playlist.
To begin playing from a specific point within a track: 1 Make sure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit Setting Playback Location with the Main Counter or Edit Selection Start Indicator Selection is enabled. 2 With the Selector tool, click in the track where you want playback to begin. 3 Start playback. 4 Stop playback.
Time Code Moves back or forward in one-second steps (while adjusting for current SMPTE format). Feet+Frames Moves back or forward in one-foot steps. Samples Moves back or forward in one-second steps. To configure the Back/Forward Amount: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Operation tab.
To move the playback location forward by the Back/Forward Amount and then begin playback: Press Control+Alt (Windows) or Command+Option (Mac), and click Fast Forward in the Transport window. 3 Do one of the following: • To extend the selection backwards by the Back/Forward Amount, press Shift+Control (Windows) or Shift+Command (Mac) and click Rewind in the Transport window.
Scrolling Options You can configure how contents of the Edit window scroll during playback and recording. To configure Scrolling options: Choose Options > Scrolling and select one of the following options: None The Edit window does not scroll during or after playback. The playback cursor moves across the Edit window, indicating the playback location. After Playback The playback cursor moves across the Edit window, indicating the playback location.
Scrolling During Playback uses host processing power, so use this option with Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 only when absolutely necessary. Center Playhead Scrolling (Pro Tools HD Only) When this scrolling option is selected, the Edit window’s contents scroll continuously past the Playhead, which is a blue line in the center of the window (or a red line when recording). The Playhead indicates where playback begins when clicking Play in the Transport window.
4 Click Play in the Transport window, or press the Spacebar. plays start (for post-roll amount) plays end (for pre-roll amount) All tracks play for the range of the selection, including pre-roll and post-roll if enabled. To play an Edit selection with Link Timeline and Edit Selection disabled: Choose Edit > Selection > Play Edit. To play a Timeline selection with Link Timeline and Edit Selection disabled: Choose Edit > Selection > Play Timeline.
Playing Timeline and Edit Selections with the Playhead (Pro Tools HD Only) When the Scrolling option is set to Center Playhead, selections in the Timeline do not determine when playback begins. The Playhead itself denotes where playback begins when clicking Play in the Transport. Timeline and Edit selections, however, can still be played when the Playhead is enabled.
Half-Speed Playback Mode Use Half-Speed Playback mode to learn or transcribe difficult passages in recorded tracks. When synchronizing to time code, use Prime for Playback mode to play back large numbers of tracks. This decreases the time it takes to lock to time code. To play at half-speed: 1 Do one of the following: • Shift-click the Play button in the Transport. – or – • Right-click the Play button in the Transport and select Half-Speed. Then click Play to start Half-Speed Playback.
When enabled, a loop symbol appears in the Play button in the Transport window. To enable or disable Dynamic Transport mode, do one of the following: Loop Playback enabled 4 Click Play in the Transport window. Playback begins from the pre-roll point (if enabled) and continues to the selection’s end point, where it loops back to the selection’s start point. 5 Click Stop in the Transport window to stop Select or deselect Options > Dynamic Transport.
To reposition the Play Start Marker, do one of the following: With any Edit tool selected, click in the Play Start Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler. To move the Timeline selection: With any Edit tool selected, drag the selection on the Main Timeline ruler to another location. With any Edit tool selected, drag the Play Start Marker to a new location.
Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows Playback 4 Reposition the Play Start Marker before the Timeline Selection End Marker. When enabled, the Play Start Marker moves to the point in the Timeline when playback stops. When disabled, the Play Start Marker does not follow playback. When not in Dynamic Transport mode, the Timeline Insertion follows playback. To have the Timeline Insertion and the Play Start Marker follow playback: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences. 2 Click the Operation tab.
5 Click OK. The Enter key starts playback. The Zero key stops playback. Pressing Zero twice locates the Play Start Marker to the Timeline Selection start. To move the Play Start to a specific bar: With Bars|Beats selected as the Main Timebase ruler, do the following on the numeric keypad: • Press Asterisk (*). • Type the bar number.
3 Select the devices you want to receive MIDI 3 Configure the IAC Driver ports and confirm Beat Clock. If your MIDI interface does not support transmitting MIDI Beat Clock to separate ports, only the interface appears as a destination. that it is online. 4 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock. 5 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the En- able MIDI Beat Clock option. 6 Select the IAC Driver ports you want to enable for sending MIDI Beat Clock. 7 Click OK.
5 Set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats. 6 Create a new audio track and select the audio input channels for your external MIDI device. 7 Record enable the audio track and start record- ing. MIDI Beat Clock is sent to the external MIDI device, which starts playing back the pattern. 12 Switch the Main Time Scale to Samples. The length of the selected region in samples is the MIDI Beat Clock latency for that device. 13 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, enter the Sample Offset value as a negative number.
Chapter 18: Record Setup Before you start recording in Pro Tools, you need to set up your Pro Tools system, a session, and one or more tracks for recording. You will also need to configure how Pro Tools monitors the input you intend to record. For information on recording audio, see Chapter 19, “Audio Recording.” While some of the information in this chapter is relevant to preparing to record MIDI, there are more specific setup details for MIDI recording in Chapter 20, “MIDI Recording.
Configuring Pro Tools Hardware I/O for Recording Before you start recording, make sure your Pro Tools system hardware is connected and configured properly. For details on connecting Pro Tools to your studio and configuring your Hardware in the Hardware Setup dialog, refer to the Setup Guide that came with your system. For information on how to route signal paths in Pro Tools, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.
You can display a track’s input levels in its Volume/Peak/Delay indicator. Normally, this indicator is set to be a Volume indicator. When you change it into a Peak indicator, it can function as a headroom indicator based on the last peak playback level. To display a track’s peak level: Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) a track’s Volume indicator to step through the different indicator modes (Volume, Peak, and Channel Delay) until the indicator displays peak (pk) level.
In general, the Use All Available Space preference makes hard drives work harder. In addition to record and punch lag times, many systems see better overall recording performance when the Open Ended Record Allocation setting is limited. To display available drive space in Text Only view only: From the Disk Usage menu, select Text Only. To allocate a specific amount of time to recording: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Operation tab.
2 Do one of the following: You can record MIDI with or without a click and manually add Bar|Beat markers or generate a tempo and meter map from it by using Beat Detective. See Chapter 28, “Beat Detective.” Creating a Click Track Pro Tools lets you create a Click track using the DigiRack Click plug-in. You can also create a click track using the TL Metro plug-in (included with Pro Tools) or using a MIDI instrument. For more information on the DigiRack Click plug-in, see the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide.
To enable click in the Transport: 1 Display the MIDI controls in the Transport by doing one of the following: • Select View > Transport > MIDI Controls. • From the Transport window menu, select MIDI Controls. Selecting MIDI Controls from the Transport window menu Click/Countoff Options dialog 3 Specify the note, velocity, and duration for the accented and unaccented notes. If one is connected, you can also play new note values on a MIDI controller keyboard.
3 To hear the click count off when recording or To set the meter for a session: playing, click the Count Off button in the Transport so it is highlighted. 1 Double-click the Current Meter button in the Transport window. Count Off button Meter button Count Off enabled 2 Enter the Meter for the session and set the Lo- Hearing the countoff before recording helps musicians to start playing at the right time and in tempo.
To change the session tempo: 1 Double-click the Song Start Marker in the Edit window (see “Song Start Marker” on page 670). 2 Enter the BPM value for the session. 2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo Ruler Enable button (Conductor) button so it becomes unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in the Tempo track are ignored. 3 Set the Location to 1|1|000 (to ensure that the inserted tempo event replaces the default).
3 Do one of the following: • Click in the Tempo field so it becomes highlighted and tap the “T” key on your computer keyboard repeatedly at the new tempo. – or – • If the Use MIDI to Tap Tempo option is enabled in the MIDI Preferences, click in the Tempo field so it becomes highlighted and tap in the tempo by playing a note repeatedly at the new tempo on your MIDI keyboard controller. To compute the new tempo, Pro Tools averages the last eight (or fewer) taps to determine the correct tempo.
Normal (Nondestructive) Record Mode In Normal, Nondestructive Record mode, Pro Tools records audio nondestructively, which means that if you record over a track’s existing regions, the audio is not erased from your hard drive. Both the new and old audio files remain on your hard drive, available as regions from the Region List. Unlike the other record modes, it is not possible to cancel or undo record takes when using Destructive Record mode (see “Canceling a Record Take” on page 371).
QuickPunch QuickPunch gives you the ability to manually and instantaneously punch in (initiate recording) and punch out (stop recording) on recordenabled audio tracks during playback by clicking the Record button in the Transport. Recording with QuickPunch is nondestructive. When using QuickPunch, Pro Tools begins recording a new file when playback begins, automatically generating regions in that file at each punch in/out point.
MIDI recording works the same whether using Nondestructive or Destructive Record mode. In addition, neither QuickPunch nor TrackPunch need to be enabled to punch on-the-fly with MIDI—this capability is available in Nondestructive and Destructive Record modes. Unlike audio loop recording, the state of the MIDI Merge toggle determines whether existing material is replaced or merged.
Names for Multichannel Tracks To assign I/O on a track: (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit Only) 1 Assign a hardware input (recording source) by When recording to multichannel surround tracks, audio file and region names for each channel are appended with the following suffixes: Multichannel Format File and Region Suffixes LCR L, C, R Quad L, R, Ls, Rs LCRS L, C, R, S 5.0 L, C, R, Ls, Rs 5.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE 6.0 L, C, R, Ls, Cs, Rs, LFE 6.
2 Assign a hardware output (for monitoring re- cording) by doing one of the following: • In the Mix window, select the corresponding hardware output for monitoring (such as A 1–2) from the track’s Output Path selector. Record Enabling Tracks To record audio or MIDI to a track you must first enable the track’s Record Enable button. To record simultaneously to multiple tracks, record enable multiple audio, Instrument, or MIDI tracks.
To record enable MIDI and Instrument tracks using the Up/Down Arrows: Edit window Mix window Record-enabled audio track in Mix and Edit windows Press Shift+R to record enable any track containing the Edit cursor on an Edit selection. To record enable multiple audio tracks: From either the Mix or Edit window, click each audio track’s Record Enable button to toggle record enable on or off for each track.
To record enable all selected audio tracks, or all selected MIDI and Instrument tracks: Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shiftclick (Mac) the Record Enable button on any selected audio, or MIDI or Instrument track to toggle record enable on or off for all selected audio, or MIDI and Instrument tracks. Record enabling a track that is part of a Mix Group does not record enable the other tracks in the Group.
Recording with Multiple Hard Drives Allocating Audio Drives in Your System To allocate the audio drives in your system: (Optional) 1 Choose Setup > Disk Allocation. By default, Pro Tools records audio files to the Audio Files folder inside the session folder. If you have multiple hard drives for recording, you can use the Disk Allocation window to specify other hard drive locations to record audio files on a track-by-track basis.
A folder with the session name is created on each hard drive, containing subfolders for audio and fade files. • To assign a track to a different hard drive, click the track and select a drive name. • To assign all tracks to the same hard drive, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) while selecting a drive name. • To make a continuous selection, Shift-click a track name (in the Track column) to extend the selection to include already-selected tracks and all tracks in between.
Reallocating Tracks When opening a session where some of the previously assigned hard drives are no longer available (or do not match the current session platform), Pro Tools automatically reassigns tracks to the volume where the session file is stored. In such cases, use Disk Allocation if you need to reallocate tracks to other drives. Reallocating tracks does not affect the previously recorded audio. Reallocating tracks only affects where new audio recording is saved.
Input Only Monitoring In Input Only mode, when a track is record-enabled, Pro Tools monitors audio input only, regardless of any punch-in/out selection or state. For Pro Tools LE, the Input Monitor Enabled Status indicator (in the Transport window) lights green when Input Only mode is enabled.
To toggle all selected tracks in the session, AltShift-click (Windows) or Option-Shift-click (Mac) a selected track’s TrackInput Monitor button. Press Shift+I to enable the TrackInput Monitor button for any track containing the Edit cursor on an Edit selection. To toggle the TrackInput button states of all record-enabled tracks, do one of the following: To change all record-enabled tracks to Auto Input monitoring, select Track > Set Record Tracks to Auto Input.
Pro Tools LE uses the host processor in your computer for all audio processing, playback, and recording, so there is always a small amount of latency in the system. For example, there may be some audible delay between the incoming signal and outgoing signal when monitoring recording through Pro Tools. With Pro Tools, latency occurs as follows: • All Pro Tools systems can have RTAS MIDIto-audio latency (such as when playing an RTAS virtual instrument live and monitoring the instrument’s output).
Low Latency Monitoring (003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, and Mbox 2 Pro Only) 003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, and Mbox 2 Pro systems can use the Low Latency Monitoring option to record with an extremely small amount of monitoring latency, to as many tracks as each system supports. Only tracks with inputs set to an audio interface (not a bus) use Low Latency Monitoring.
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Chapter 19: Audio Recording Recording an Audio Track In Pro Tools, you record audio to audio tracks. Audio tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel as appropriate for the recording source. When recording a mono source, record to a single, mono audio track in Pro Tools. A single, mono audio file is written to disk, and the file appears as a region both in the track’s playlist and in the Region List.
7 Adjust the output level of your sound source (instrument, mixer, or preamp). Monitor the track’s meter levels in Pro Tools to ensure that levels peak within at least –6 dB to –12 dB on the input meter without triggering the clipping indicator on your audio interface. 8 Do one of the following: • In the Mix window, adjust the track’s volume and pan faders. These settings are for monitoring purposes only and do not affect the recorded material.
Undo or Cancel Audio Recording Once you have recorded an audio track and the transport is stopped, you can undo the record take. To undo an audio recording: Once the Transport has been stopped, choose Edit > Undo Record Audio. The track’s playlist is restored to its previous state and material is discarded as follows: • When in normal Record mode, only the most recent take is discarded. • When in Loop Record mode, all takes from each record pass are discarded.
Recording Shortcuts In addition to clicking the Record button in the Transport or Edit window to arm Pro Tools recording, you can arm and start recording with the following keyboard shortcuts: • Press F12 to start recording immediately. On Mac systems, to use F12 for recording, the Mac “Dashboard” feature must be disabled or remapped. See your Setup Guide for details. • Press Control+Spacebar (Windows) or Command+Spacebar (Mac) to start recording.
To set the record range in a track’s playlist: To set the record range in a Timebase ruler: 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. 2 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection. 2 Select the record range in any Timebase ruler. 3 Do one of the following: • With the Selector tool, select the record range in a track’s playlist.
To set the record range by dragging the Timeline Selection Markers: 1 If you want the Timeline Selection Markers to snap to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid 2 Drag the first Timeline Selection Marker (down arrow) to the start point of the range. You can enter locations in the start and end fields to set the record or play range. The Timeline Selection Markers in the Main Timebase ruler are updated accordingly.
Memory Locations You can store Edit selections as Memory Locations, which can also include current pre- and post-roll values. For more information on Memory Locations, see “Memory Locations and Markers” on page 705. To save an Edit selection with a Memory Location: 1 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is selected. 2 Set the record range by making an Edit or Timeline selection, or by entering start and end times in the Transport window.
3 Do one of the following: • In the Memory Locations window, click the name or number of the Memory Location. – or – • Recall the Memory Location by typing Period (.), the Memory Location number, and Period (.) again on the numeric keypad. (See “Numeric Keypad Modes” on page 25). The start and end times and pre- and post-roll settings stored with the Memory Location are recalled. To set and enable the pre- and post-roll times in the Transport window: 1 Select View > Transport > Expanded.
4 With the Selector tool, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) in the track’s playlist after the selection to enable the post-roll at that location. To disable the pre- and post-roll by clicking in a playlist: 1 With the Selector tool, Alt-click (Windows) or To set the pre- and post-roll amounts by dragging in the Main Timebase ruler: 1 If you want the Pre- and Post-Roll flags to snap to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. 2 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to a new location in the ruler.
Though there are several ways to set record and play ranges (see “Setting Punch and Loop Points” on page 372), perhaps the easiest is to select within the track’s playlist the range for recording. To punch record on an audio track: 1 Do one of the following: • To record nondestructively, make sure that Options > Destructive Record is not selected.
If recording nondestructively, a new audio file is written to your hard drive and a new audio region appears both in the track and the Region List. If recording in Destructive Record mode, the new audio overwrites the previous material in the existing audio file and region. Monitoring During Punch-Ins Pro Tools provides two monitoring modes for recording: Auto Input monitoring and Input Only monitoring. For more information, see “Auto Input Monitoring” on page 363.
3 Do one of the following: • To record from the beginning of the track, click Return to Zero in the Transport. – or – • If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is enabled, click anywhere in the track’s playlist to begin recording from that point. To record a specific track range, with precise start and end points, see “Audio Punch Recording Over a Specified Range” on page 377. 4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools for recording. 5 Click Play to start recording.
6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools for recording. 7 Click Play to start recording. 8 Click Stop to stop recording. An audio file for the new take is written to disk and appears as an audio region both in the track’s new playlist and in the Region List. Selecting a previous playlist from track’s Playlist selector recalls its regions as they previously appeared in the track.
5 To hear track material up to the start point of the loop, enable pre-roll and set the pre-roll time (see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 376). 6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools for recording. 7 Click Play to start recording. The Record button flashes during the pre-roll. When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins recording. When the end point is reached, Pro Tools loops back to the start time and continues recording.
Selecting Alternate Takes After recording multiple takes with loop or punch recording, you can replace the current take in the track’s active playlist with any of the previous takes. All takes are numbered sequentially. 2 Do one of the following: • Right-click the region with the Selector or the Grabber tool, and select a matching alternate take from the Matches submenu in the pop-up menu.
One way to ensure that subsequent recording takes have the same User Time Stamp (and as such can be available as matching alternate regions) is to store punch and loop record selections as Memory Locations. Then, if you later need to record additional takes, recall the corresponding Memory Location. To change the User Time Stamp of other regions so that they can be available as alternate matching regions for a specific location, use the Time Stamp command in the Region List menu.
Region Rating Any regions that have the same Rating are considered matching. Enable this option if you have rated regions (see “Rating Regions” on page 509). In Addition To Match Options The following In Addition To Match options are mutually exclusive. All Any regions that include the time location of the Edit cursor; or any regions that are either partly or fully within the current time range of the Edit selection.
Expanding Alternate Takes to New Tracks Expanding alternate takes to new tracks readily facilitates auditioning, editing, and mixing alternate takes, each on separate tracks. To expand alternate takes to new tracks: 1 Identify the region on the main playlist with matching alternate regions (takes). Recording from a Digital Source If you plan to use a DAT player, digital-output CD recorder, or other digital device with your Pro Tools system, make sure it supports the correct digital format.
The additional digital ports on the 192 I/O and 192 Digital I/O are TDIF, AES/EBU, and ADAT. Pro Tools can only receive digital audio from one of these ports at a time. However, inputs on both the 192 I/O enclosure I/O and Digital card can be used simultaneously. For example, on a 192 I/O, it is possible to clock off a source from one of the enclosure inputs and have another digital input from the digital ports doing a sample rate conversion, thus having two digital sources.
14 When the material from the source has fin- ished, click Stop in the Transport. 15 Stop playback on the recording source. After a Digital Transfer (Pro Tools HD Only) After you have finished recording digitally, set the Clock Source pop-up menu in the Session Setup window back to Internal. Otherwise, Pro Tools will not switch back to its own internal clock and may not record or play audio properly.
Chapter 20: MIDI Recording Although recording MIDI in Pro Tools is similar to recording audio, there are some important differences: Unlike audio, MIDI recording is almost always destructive. See “Record Modes and MIDI” on page 355 for details. Unlike audio tracks, MIDI and Instrument tracks can be record-enabled on-the-fly during playback or recording.
In addition, the following options affect how MIDI data is recorded in Pro Tools: The MIDI Input Filter can filter out MIDI messages that you may not want to record, such as Polyphonic Aftertouch or System Exclusive data. For more information, see “MIDI Input Filter” on page 391. Input Quantize, when enabled, automatically quantizes (time corrects) all MIDI notes that are recorded. For more information, see “Input Quantize” on page 392. To enable input devices: 1 Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Devices.
MIDI Thru To monitor MIDI tracks while recording, enable MIDI Thru. When enabled, Pro Tools routes MIDI from your controllers to the device and channels assigned to the currently record-enabled MIDI track. The MIDI preference for Global MIDI Playback Offset and individual MIDI track offsets do not affect MIDI routed with MIDI Thru.
3 Select the option for Program Changes. Leave all other messages deselected. Wait for Note The Wait for Note button, located in the Transport window, determines how Pro Tools begins recording. When enabled, Pro Tools does not start recording until a MIDI event is received. This ensures that recording begins only when you start playing, and that the first note, or other MIDI data, is recorded precisely at the beginning of the set record range (start time).
2 In the Transport window, click the Wait for Note button so it becomes highlighted. To enable MIDI Merge: 1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport window, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls. 2 In the Transport window, click the MIDI Wait for Note button Merge button so it becomes highlighted. Wait for Note enabled MIDI Merge button With the Operation preference for “Use F11 for Wait for Note” enabled, you can press F11 to turn on Wait for Note.
6 To assign a default program change to the track, do the following: MIDI Input selector • Click the Patch Select button. • Make the necessary selections for program and bank select. • Click Done. Instrument track MIDI Input selector 4 From the MIDI Output selector, select the de- vice and channel for MIDI playback. Default program changes are sent whenever the track is played. For more information, see “Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes)” on page 596.
You are now ready to record MIDI data to the record-enabled MIDI and Instrument tracks. To monitor audio from an external MIDI instrument, select the corresponding audio Input Path for your MIDI instrument on the Instrument track (or use an Auxiliary Input track). See “Signal Routing for Monitoring and Submixing” on page 853. To record to one or more MIDI or Instrument tracks: 1 With Pro Tools HD, make sure that Options > Delay Compensation is not selected.
8 When you are finished playing, click Stop in the Transport to stop recording. For each record-enabled track, a new MIDI region is created and appears both in the playlist and in the Region List. Press F12 to start recording immediately. You can also Press Control+Spacebar (Windows) or Command+Spacebar (Mac) to start recording. For more information, see “Recording Shortcuts” on page 372.
The track’s playlist is restored to its previous state. However, the following conditions apply: • If you punched in and out several times before stopping the Transport, only the last punch is undone. • When using Loop Record mode, all takes from each record pass are discarded. Canceling a Record Take It is also possible to discard the current record take before the Transport is stopped. 5 With the Selector tool, select the punch range in the track’s playlist.
To punch record on-the-fly with MIDI: 1 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re- cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument Tracks for Recording” on page 393). 2 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected (see “Record Modes” on page 353). 3 In the Transport window, disable Wait for Note and Countoff. 4 Record enable the track containing the previous take. 5 Click Play in the Transport to start playback.
Unlike audio recording, MIDI recording in this scenario is destructive. Newly recorded MIDI data overwrites existing MIDI data while leaving the existing region boundaries intact. If the MIDI data within a region is altered because of a record take, the original material is either lost (unless you choose Edit > Undo MIDI Recording) or combined with new material (if MIDI Merge was enabled during recording).
9 To hear track material up to the start point of the loop, enable and set the pre-roll time (see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 376). 10 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools for recording. The Record button flashes. 11 Click Play to start recording. The Record button flashes during pre-roll. When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins recording. When the end point is reached, Pro Tools loops back to the start point and continues playing and recording. 12 Play your MIDI controller.
6 With the Selector tool, select the loop range in the track’s playlist. For other methods of setting the record range, see “Setting Punch and Loop Points” on page 372. 7 To hear track material up to the start point of the loop, enable and set the pre-roll time (see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 376). To select the various record takes: 1 Ensure that the Matching Criteria window is correctly configured (see “Matching Criteria Window” on page 384).
MIDI Step Input Step Input lets you use a MIDI keyboard (or any other MIDI controller that sends MIDI note data) to enter notes individually, one step at a time. This gives you precise control over note placement, duration, and velocity. With MIDI Step Input you can also create musical passages that might be difficult to play accurately, or at faster tempos. 6 Enable Wait for Note in the Transport window. 7 To start recording from the beginning of the session, click Return to Zero in the Transport.
3 Click the track’s MIDI Output selector and assign the device from the pop-up menu. 4 Configure the external MIDI device to receive Sysex data according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 5 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback. Pro Tools begins playing and transmits the previously recorded Sysex to the assigned MIDI device. Recording Audio from an Instrument Plug-in To record audio from an instrument plug-in: 1 Create a new Instrument track. 2 Insert an instrument plug-in on that track.
11 Click Play in the Transport to start recording. Recording Audio from an External MIDI Instrument You can record audio from an external MIDI instrument in one of two ways: • By bussing audio from the output of the Instrument (or Auxiliary Input) track used to monitor the MIDI instrument to an audio track for recording. • By setting the audio track’s Audio Input Path selector to the same Audio Input Path as the Instrument (or Auxiliary Input) track used for monitoring the external MIDI instrument.
Chapter 21: Punch Recording Modes Punch recording is used in many areas of audio production for film, video, and music. This chapter describes Pro Tools punch recording features. Introduction Once basic track material has been recorded, it is often necessary to replace some, but not all, of the audio that makes up each track. Punch recording lets you manually “punch” one or more audio tracks in and out of recording on-the-fly (without stopping the Transport).
System, Session, and Track Guidelines for Punch Recording This section lists the basic settings and guidelines for Pro Tools punch recording, including the following: • “Voice Requirements for Punch Recording” on page 406. • “Delay Compensation and DestructivePunch Mode” on page 407. • “Audio Files, Regions and Takes” on page 408. • “Preferences for Punch Recording” on page 408 (for crossfades, as well as transport and monitor configuration settings).
To make more voices available for punch recording: 1 Identify tracks that are not record-enabled, and do not need to be heard while recording, and do any of the following: • Set voice assignments for tracks to Off. • Make tracks inactive. • Group all RTAS plug-ins before TDM plugins. Voices that are in use by other tracks, but not record-enabled, may be “stolen” during punch recording as necessary.
To apply Delay Compensation to all selected tracks where Delay Compensation was suspended, do one of the following: Shift-Right-click the Track Compensation indicator on the track and select Auto Low Latency Off. – or – Audio Files, Regions and Takes If you stop playback and record additional punches with QuickPunch (or TrackPunch), a new whole file region is created (since one is created for each pass), and subsequent regions are named by incrementing the first two digits in the name.
Crossfades while Punch Recording Pro Tools places crossfades at each in and out point, for smooth transitions between punch regions. You can specify the crossfade length for QuickPunch and TrackPunch modes (DestructivePunch uses a fixed crossfade length which cannot be changed). After punch recording is completed, all crossfades can be edited in the same manner as standard crossfades (see “Using Fades” on page 511).
Transport RecordLock This setting lets the Transport Record be configured to either emulate a digital dubber, or to maintain legacy behavior for the Transport master Record. When not enabled, the Transport Record disarms when Pro Tools is manually stopped or stops due to a loss of time code. This replicates legacy Pro Tools recording behavior. When enabled, the Transport Record remains armed when playback or recording stops.
QuickPunch Audio Recording QuickPunch is available on all systems and lets you instantaneously punch in and out all record-enabled audio tracks during playback by clicking the Record button in the Transport. Many Pro Tools systems also let you use a footswitch to punch in and out. See the guide that came with your Pro Tools LE audio interface, control surface, or ICON worksurface (Pro Tools|HD only). Recording with QuickPunch 4 Prepare to record by cueing Pro Tools to an ap- propriate location.
QuickPunch with an Edit Selection If you make an Edit selection and use QuickPunch, the following rules apply: If the Transport is not online, recording begins and stops whenever you click the Record button in the Transport—regardless of the selection’s start or end point. If the Transport is online, punch-in/out behavior is controlled by the Online Options setting on the Operation Preferences page.
Enable TrackPunch Mode When TrackPunch mode is enabled and the transport is armed for recording: To enable TrackPunch mode: If no tracks are TrackPunch-enabled, the Record button in the Transport flashes gray and red. Do any of the following: • Select Options > TrackPunch. • Right-click the Record button in the Transport, and select TrackPunch from the popup menu.
Track Record Status Display Monitoring and Levels Each track’s Record Enable button indicates its TrackPunch and record enable status as follows: To complete the setup for TrackPunch: • When a track is TrackPunch-enabled but not record-enabled, its Record Enable button lights solid blue. 1 Configure monitoring for record-enabled tracks by selecting a mode from the Track menu, or using the TrackInput button, as appropriate.
4 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback. 5 During playback, punch in and out on indi- vidual TrackPunch-enabled tracks by clicking their respective Record Enable buttons. 6 While continuing local or remote playback, do any of the following: • Punch in on other TrackPunch enabled tracks individually. • After punching out, take tracks out of record enable then record enable different TrackPunch enabled tracks. • Repeat as needed to punch other stems, tracks, or takes. 7 Stop playback.
6 Stop playback. When you are finished with DestructivePunch Setup the record pass, track Record Enable status and transport Record Arm status follow the current Audio Track RecordLock and Transport RecordLock preference settings. Before using DestructivePunch in a record pass you must configure Pro Tools, session, and track settings as explained in the following sections.
Transport Display of DestructivePunch Status Prepare Tracks for DestructivePunch Recording When DestructivePunch mode is enabled: The letters “dp” appears in the Record button in the Transport. If at least one track is DestructivePunch-enabled, the Record button in the Transport lights solid blue.
DestructivePunch File Length To use DestructivePunch on an audio track, the track must contain a contiguous audio file of a minimum length, which is set in the Pro Tools Operation preferences page. To set DestructivePunch File Length: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Operation tab. 2 Type a value for DestructivePunch File Length. 3 Click OK.
To DestructivePunch-enable all selected audio tracks: Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) or ControlOption-Shift-click (Mac) a track’s Record Enable button to toggle the Record Enable buttons for the selected audio tracks solid blue. Create a VCA group for each stem or set of tracks on which you plan to punch, and use the VCA Record Enable button to arm all tracks in the group for DestructivePunch. For more information, see “VCA Master Tracks” on page 832.
Using DestructivePunch 3 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback. After you have configured Pro Tools, tracks, and levels, you can use DestructivePunch to record in several ways. 4 During playback, click Record in the Transport to punch in and out on all DestructivePunchenabled tracks simultaneously. 5 Stop playback.
Example TrackPunch and DestructivePunch Workflows TrackPunch and DestructivePunch let you use Pro Tools punch recording in many ways. For example, DestructivePunch lets Pro Tools be used as a digital dubber for film re-recording (dubbing) and mixing (see “Film Dubbing and Mixing” on page 421).
5 Do either of the following: • Select Options > TrackPunch to enable TrackPunch mode for non-destructive punch recording. • Select Options > DestructivePunch to enable DestructivePunch recording. 6 Create 32 new tracks, then do the following: • Assign their inputs. – and – • Group them into eight-track groups. 7 Click the record enable buttons in the first eight tracks to TrackPunch enable the first eight tracks (or, the group for the first pre-dub).
Foley Recording Tracking and Overdubbing Music Foley recording is one of the more specialized forms of recording in film production with unique monitoring requirements. Between punches and takes, inputs must be muted while Foley artists move themselves and equipment as they progress through a scene. Modern multitrack recording requires the flexibility to “capture the moment” by allowing onthe-fly record enabling and punch recording, as provided by TrackPunch.
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Part V: Editing 425
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Chapter 22: Editing Basics Pro Tools Editing The Edit window in Pro Tools provides a powerful collection of tools for editing and arranging audio, video, and MIDI. Track material can be edited nondestructively and in real time during playback. The Edit window also lets you graphically edit Elastic Audio and track automation. This chapter covers the basic concepts of editing audio and MIDI regions and playlists.
Following are just a few examples of editing and arranging tasks that can be performed while playing back a Pro Tools session: • Capture, separate, cut, copy, paste, and trim regions. • Place, spot, or rearrange regions. • Add fades or crossfades to audio regions. • Quantize MIDI notes and audio events. • Transpose and otherwise modify MIDI tracks. • Nudge audio or MIDI regions. • Audition different playlists. • Adjust or scale automation and MIDI continuous controller data. • Insert real-time plug-ins.
Auto-Created Regions These regions are automatically created in the course of editing, and, in some instances, when punch recording over existing regions. Since these regions can accumulate rapidly in a session, you can hide them in the Region List. Auto-created regions can be turned into user-defined regions by renaming them. For more information, see “Naming and Displaying Regions in the Region List” on page 219.
Other sounds, such as vocals or sustained synthesizer pads, produce very different waveforms. These sounds have less pronounced peaks and valleys because they generally have softer attacks and longer decays. Waveform Views Pro Tools provides a several different Waveform View options. Depending on the editing task, you may want display waveforms in any number of different ways. Power When selected, the wave form display is calculated according to the Root Mean Square (RMS).
To show waveforms rectified (or normally): Select (or deselect) View > Waveforms > Rectified. Peak Waveform view without Outlines Rectified Peak Waveform view with Outlines Power Waveform view without Outlines Rectified Power Waveform view with Outlines When zoomed in to the sample level, Pro Tools always displays waveforms in Normal Peak view.
Guidelines for Editing Waveforms Avoiding Clicks and Pops With the Selector tool in the Edit window, you can select portions of audio waveforms and divide them into segments called regions, so that you can rearrange and manipulate them in tracks. If an edited region begins or ends at a point of high amplitude, you may hear a click when Pro Tools plays from one region to another.
Nondestructive Audio Editing When editing an audio track’s playlist in Pro Tools, you are not actually cutting and moving pieces of sound as you would if you were cutting and splicing analog tape. Instead, Pro Tools creates a map of the audio file on your hard disk, which describes the order in which to play various portions of the audio.
There are a few things to consider when selecting, copying and cutting, and trimming MIDI regions: When cutting or clearing a region or region group selection that includes a note’s start point, the entire note is removed. This is even the case when only a portion of the note (that includes its start point) is selected.
MIDI Mute Automation Unlike continuous controller events, which represent nuances that are part of a MIDI performance, Mute in Pro Tools is an automation playlist that actually mutes the MIDI engine. Mute automation does not correspond to actual MIDI events and is therefore not exported when saving as a Standard MIDI File. Notes View for MIDI and Instrument Tracks When a MIDI or Instrument track’s Track View is set to Notes, MIDI notes are displayed in a “piano roll” format.
Using the Edit tools, notes can be inserted, deleted, transposed, trimmed, and moved. For more information, see “Manually Editing MIDI Notes” on page 582. If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can use it to scroll a MIDI or Instrument track’s Notes display. Place the mouse over a MIDI or Instrument track in the Edit window, and Control-Alt-Start-scroll (Windows) or Command-Option-Control-scroll (Mac) the scroll wheel to scroll the Notes display for that track.
Displaying Region Names, Region Times, and Other Data Region names and times can sometimes get in the way of editing audio waveforms and MIDI data. In these instances, you may want to disable their display. In other instances, such as arranging or spotting Foley, displaying region names and times is extremely useful.
Multiple Undo Pro Tools can keep track of up to 32 of the last undoable operations, allowing you to return to a previous editing state. The Undo operations in Pro Tools are stored in a queue, in the order in which they were invoked. When choosing Edit > Undo, the most recent operation is undone. If you choose Undo again, the next operation in the queue is undone. You can also choose Edit > Redo to redo an operation, which moves back through the Undo queue by one step.
To toggle display of creation times in the Undo History window: Click the Options pop-up menu and choose Show Creation Times. To undo all the operations in the Undo Queue: Click the Options pop-up menu and choose Undo All. To redo all the operations in the Redo Queue: Click the Options pop-up menu and choose Redo All. Levels of Undo and Memory Because Pro Tools needs to keep track of the playlists for all tracks that are edited, the use of multiple levels of Undo can be memory intensive.
Basic Editing Commands Pro Tools provides many standard edit commands (such as Cut, Copy, and Paste). Pro Tools also provides many specialized edit commands that are optimized for audio and MIDI production (such as Repeat Paste to Fill). Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear Use the Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear commands to rearrange and edit track material. Edits can operate on entire regions selected with the Time Grabber tool, or on track ranges selected with the Selector tool.
The Shuffle Regions option affects how material is cut and pasted: • When Shuffle Regions is enabled, the Cut command leaves no empty space, since the regions to the right of the cut slide over, closing the gap. Otherwise the Cut command leaves an empty space corresponding to the data removed from the track. • When Shuffle Regions is enabled, pasted data causes all regions to slide over to make room for the pasted material. Otherwise, pasted data can overlap an adjacent region.
Paste Command Clear Command Use the Paste command to place the contents of the Clipboard at the Edit insertion point, and overwrite any material already there. Use the Clear command to remove a selection from a track without placing it on the Clipboard. To paste a selection or region: To clear a selection or region: 1 If you want to constrain the insertion point or the selection to the current Grid value, enable Snap to Grid.
Special Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear Commands Use the four “special” Edit menu commands (Cut Special, Copy Special, Paste Special, and Clear Special) for cutting, copying, pasting, and clearing automation (volume, pan, mute, and plug-in automation) on audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, and Instrument tracks. These commands can also be used for MIDI controller data on MIDI and Instrument tracks. You cannot paste MIDI controller data to automation data nor automation to MIDI.
To copy all types of automation on all selected tracks when copying only automation or controller data: Choose Edit > Copy Special > All Automation. To paste to multiple tracks: 1 Do one of the following: • Place the insertion point in each of the destination tracks by Shift-clicking in them. • Make a selection in one of the Timebase rulers. 2 Choose Edit > Paste. When you paste multiple types of data, whatever data has been copied is pasted into the correct type of playlist.
Chapter 23: Edit Modes and Tools Edit Modes Pro Tools has four Edit modes: Shuffle, Spot, Slip, and Grid. Grid mode provides two modes of operation, Relative and Absolute, explained below. The Edit mode is selected by clicking the corresponding button in the upper left of the Edit window.
To lock out Shuffle Mode: Grid While in any Edit mode other than Shuffle mode, Control-click (Windows) or Commandclick (Mac) the Shuffle button on-screen. A lock icon appears in the Shuffle button. In Grid mode, regions and MIDI notes that are moved, trimmed or inserted “snap” to the currently selected Grid value, or to precise increments on a user-definable time grid. To unlock Shuffle Mode: Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the locked Shuffle button on-screen.
Absolute and Relative Grid Grid mode can be applied in Absolute or Relative mode: In Absolute Grid mode, moving any region snaps the region start to Grid boundaries. If a region’s start point falls between beats, and the Grid is set to 1/4 notes, dragging the region will snap its start time to the nearest 1/4 note (the current absolute Grid value). In Relative Grid mode, regions can be moved by Grid (or Nudge) units.
The Grid Value indicator and selector are located in the Edit window. Also, the Score Editor window and MIDI Editor windows each provide an independent Grid Value indicator and selector. Edit Tools Pro Tools provides the following Edit tools: the Zoomer, Trimmer, Selector, Grabber, Scrubber, and Pencil tools, and the multifunctional Smart Tool.
Zoom Toggle Use the Zoom Toggle to switch between the current zoom view and a defined zoom view. Zoom Buttons Pro Tools includes different Zoom buttons for zooming in and out on track data. Trimmer Tools Use the Trimmer tools to trim regions and region groups. The Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, and the Score Editor window also provide Zoom buttons above and below the right vertical scroll bar.
Audio and MIDI Zoom In and Out Buttons The Audio and MIDI Zoom buttons let you zoom in and out vertically on audio and MIDI data respectively. Audio Vertical Zoom buttons MIDI Vertical Zoom buttons To zoom in vertically for all MIDI and Instrument tracks, do one of the following: Click the MIDI Zoom In button. – or – Press Control+Shift+] (Windows) or Command+Shift+] (Mac).
To zoom in horizontally on the Edit selection without affecting vertical zoom: Press Alt+F (Windows) or Option+F (Mac). If the selection contains MIDI notes, the selected MIDI notes are vertically scrolled to show in tracks as necessary. To zoom in horizontally on a selection without affecting vertical zoom or scrolling, do one of the following: Press Alt+Start+F (Windows) or Option+Control+F (Mac).
3 To zoom back to the previous level, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) with the Zoomer tool. For example, when using the Smart Tool you can click the Single Zoomer tool, and once the Zoom operation has been performed, Pro Tools automatically switches back to the Smart Tool. To zoom into a particular track area: 1 Do one of the following: To use Single Zoom mode, do one of the following: • Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select Normal Zoom mode.
2 Do one of the following: • Click once to zoom in one level around a certain point. – or – • Drag to zoom in around a particular ruler range. Continuous Zoom with the Zoomer Tool Use the Zoomer tool to zoom in or out continuously. To use continuous zoom on one track or a group of tracks: 1 Select the Zoomer tool.
To set all MIDI and Instrument track note heights to match the note height of the topmost MIDI or Instrument track in the Edit window: Control-Shift-click (Windows) or CommandShift-click (Mac) the MIDI Zoom button. All note height offsets will be lost. Zoom Preset Buttons Pro Tools lets you save up to five horizontal Edit window Zoom presets, which can be recalled by typing a number or by clicking a Zoom Preset button.
For audio editing, set the Zoom Toggle preferences as follows: Vertical Zoom to Selection, Horizontal Zoom to Selection, Track Height to Fit to Window, and Track View to No Change. Large When selected, zoom toggling in changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Large Track Height. Jumbo When selected, zoom toggling in changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Jumbo Track Height. 4 Click OK.
Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection When selected, this option ensures that zoom toggle automatically follows the current Edit selection. When disabled, changing the Edit selection has no affect on the currently toggled-in track.
To use Zoom Toggle without changing playlist views: 1 Make a selection on one or more tracks. 2 Do one of the following: • Press Alt+Start+E (Windows) or Option+Control+E (Mac). – or – • With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled (see “Keyboard Focus” on page 24), press Alt+E (Windows) or Option+E (Mac). Zooming with a Scroll Wheel If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out of tracks, both vertically and horizontally.
Using the Trimmer Tools Trimmer tools provide region, note, and data trimming functions.
3 Do one of the following: • If trimming the end, drag left to shorten the region, right to lengthen. – or – • If trimming the start, drag right to shorten the region, left to lengthen. When working with audio, you cannot trim past the boundaries of adjacent regions. When trimming regions in a stereo or multichannel track, all channels are trimmed. When using Shuffle mode, subsequent regions are slid as necessary to make room for the edited region.
3 From the TC/E Plug-in pop-up menu, select the To use the TCE Trimmer tool in Grid mode: AudioSuite plug-in to be used with the Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool. 1 Set the Edit mode to Grid. 2 Do one of the following: • Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and select TCE. TC/E Preferences 4 From the Default Settings pop-up menu, select Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool the plug-in setting best suited to the material you work with most (such as Stereo Mix Default). – or – 5 Click OK.
To use the TCE Trimmer tool in Spot mode: To scrub trim a track: 1 Set the Edit mode to Spot. 1 Do one of the following: 2 Click the Trimmer tool pop-up menu and se- lect TCE. 3 Click the region near its start or end point. The Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale, enter a new start or end time (or duration) for the region, then click OK.
Loop Trimmer Tool Use the Loop Trimmer tool to create or trim looped regions. 3 Do one of the following: • Click at the end of the region, and drag left or right to the point you want the loop to stop. – or – Loop Trimmer tool • Click at the beginning of the region, and drag left or right to the point you want the loop to start. Loop Trimmer tool For more information on looping regions, see “Region Looping” on page 739.
To Loop Trim a looped region: 1 Select the Loop Trimmer tool. 2 Move the cursor over the top half of the looped region (not over a Loop icon). The cursor indicates the Loop Trimmer tool. Loop Trimmer tool To trim the source region (loop iteration) of a looped region: 1 Select the Loop Trimmer tool. 2 Move the cursor over a Loop icon in the looped region, or anywhere along the bottom of the region. The cursor indicates the Trimmer tool icon. Loop icon Looped region 3 Trim the looped region.
Using the Selector Tool Use the Selector tool to place the edit cursor in a track or Timebase ruler, or to make Timeline selections or Edit selections on tracks. For more information on making selections, also see Chapter 24, “Making Selections.” Placing the Edit Cursor Making a selection with the Selector tool To place the edit cursor with the Selector tool: To select an entire region with the Selector tool: 1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window. 1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window.
Using the Grabber Tools Use the Grabber tools to select, move, separate, and arrange regions on tracks. There are three modes for the Grabber tool: Time Grabber, Separation Grabber, and Object Grabber. For more information about arranging regions, also see Chapter 35, “Arranging Regions.” To select one of the Grabber tools, do one of the following: Click the Grabber tool in the Edit window and select the Grabber tool from the pop-up menu.
The Smart Tool in Waveform View (Audio) or Regions View (MIDI) Fade-In Selector tool Fade-Out Trimmer tool (start) Trimmer tool (end) Grabber tool Crossfade For a crossfade, position the cursor between two adjacent audio regions, near the bottom of the region. Once the Crossfade cursor appears drag left or right to set the crossfade length. The crossfade is created automatically with the Default Fade Settings (in the Editing Preferences page).
For the Trimmer tool, position the cursor near the region’s start or end point, in the upper half of the region. For the Velocity Trimmer tool, position the cursor over the note and press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac). To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the Scrubber, place the cursor in the upper half of the region so that the Selector tool is enabled, then press Start (Windows) or Control (Mac).
To edit existing breakpoints, move the cursor near a breakpoint for the Grabber tool. For fine control with the Grabber tool, press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)—or continue to hold the key if you are creating a new breakpoint. To vertically constrain Grabber tool movement, press Shift. To vertically constrain Grabber tool movement with fine control, press Control+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac).
The resolution for the Scrubber is dependent on the zoom factor for the scrubbed track. You can temporarily switch the Selector tool to the Scrubber tool by Start-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac). For finer resolution, Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-Control-click (Mac). To scrub in Shuttle mode (at several times normal speed): 1 Select the Scrubber tool. 2 While pressing Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac), drag within the track—left for reverse, right for forward.
4 Press additional keys to change the playback speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch the playback direction (plus for forward, minus for backward). 5 To stop playback, press Start+0 (Windows) or Control+0 (Mac). To exit Shuttle Lock mode, do one of the following: Press Stop in the Transport window. – or – Press the Spacebar.
Using the Pencil Tool The Pencil tool lets you draw audio waveforms (at the sample level), tempo changes, MIDI data, and automation. For information on drawing tempo changes, see “Editing Tempo Events in the Tempo Editor” on page 676. For information on drawing MIDI data, see “The Pencil Tool” on page 578. For information on drawing automation, see “Drawing Automation” on page 926. Waveform Repair with the Pencil Tool On audio tracks, the Pencil tool lets you destructively “redraw” waveform data.
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Chapter 24: Making Selections Linking or Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections Pro Tools lets you link or unlink the Timeline and Edit selections. When the Timeline and Edit selections are linked, selecting in a track’s playlist (making an Edit selection) also defines the play and record range (the Timeline selection).
lected for editing purposes. During playback, the Edit selection can be nudged, quantized, or transposed while the loop plays back completely independent and uninterrupted. If the Timeline and Edit selections are linked, Edit selections are represented by the blue Timeline Selection Markers.
Selections and Edit Groups When making selections on tracks that are part of an Edit Group, all tracks within the group become selected. Link Track and Edit Selection Link Track and Edit Selection enabled Selecting Track Material Before audio and MIDI material can be edited, it must first be selected. The Track View determines how the material is viewed and selected.
To select two regions and the time range between them: 1 With the Time Grabber, click the first region. 2 Shift-click the second region. Both regions are selected, along with the time range between them (including any other regions). To select an entire track, do one of the following: Click in the track with the Selector tool and then choose Edit > Select All. – or – Triple-click with the Selector tool in the track. Press Control+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) for Select All.
Making Selections While Playing Object Selections Pro Tools lets you make on-the-fly selections with the Up and Down Arrow keys. Use the Object Grabber tool to select noncontiguous regions on one or more tracks. Noncontiguous selections must encompass entire regions. If you want a noncontiguous selection to include a portion of a region, first turn the portion into a new region with the Separate Region command (see “Separate Commands” on page 496).
Object to Time Selection You can convert between Time- and Objectbased selections. Time selections are made with the Selector and Time Grabber tools. Object selections are made with the Object Grabber tool. Converting to an Object selection is useful when you are working with large selections, especially across multiple tracks, and you want to remove certain regions from the selection. Converting to a Time selection is useful if you want to select all regions between a noncontiguous Object selection.
To make a long-length selection: 1 With the Selector tool, click at where you want the selection to start. 2 Scroll to the end point and Shift-click at the point where you want the selection to end. To verify the start and end points of a long selection, press the Left Arrow key to scroll to the beginning of the selection, or press the Right Arrow key to scroll to the end.
To extend a selection to include an adjacent region: 1 Select the first region with the Time Grabber tool. 2 Do one of the following: • With Tab to Transients disabled, press Start+Shift+Tab (Windows) or Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) to extend the selection to the next region boundary. Using the Edit Selection Indicators (Start, End, and Length) The Edit Selection indicators at the top of the Edit window can define precise Edit selections.
Numeric Entry Shortcuts for Selection Indicators You can use the following shortcuts for entering values in the Edit Selection indicators: To add time values: 1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the time field you want to change. 2 Press Plus (+) on the numeric keypad. • Press the Forward Slash (/) key to cycle through the three Edit Selection indicators. 3 Type the amount you want to add to the cur- • Use Period (.
These selections include all tracks in the Edit window, but do not include the Conductor tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers). To select across all tracks, including the Conductor tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers): Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac) with the Selector tool in any Timebase ruler. In either instance, the original Edit selection becomes deselected.
Other Useful Selection Techniques Following are some additional selection techniques. To move a selection to an adjacent region on the same track: 1 Select a region with the Time Grabber. 2 Do one of the following: To position the edit cursor precisely at a region start, end, or sync point: 1 Make sure the Tab to Transients button is not enabled. (See “Tabbing to Transients” on page 484.) 2 Click with the Selector tool in the track.
Right-Click Commands and Selection Preservation You can use Right-click commands with key combinations to perform operations on objects while maintaining selections in the Edit and Mix windows.
Once selected, the material can be looped for recording or playback, or it can be turned into a new region with the Separate or Capture command. Peak transients are usually visible in the waveform. However, some low-frequency transients may not appear as visible peaks in the waveform. To make a Timeline selection with the Selector tool: 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. 2 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase ruler.
To set the Timeline selection by typing into the Transport window: 1 If necessary, resize the Transport window to Expanded view so the start and end times are displayed (View > Transport > Expanded). 2 Do one of the following: • In the Transport window, click in the start field. – or – • Press Alt+Forward Slash (/) (Windows) or Option+Forward Slash (/) (Mac) on the numeric keypad to select the start field in the Transport window.
The Main Counter displays the playback location in the time format for the Main Time Scale. The Sub Counter can be set to any of the other Time Scale formats for another timing reference. The Edit Selection indicators (to the right of the Main and Sub counters) display the Start and End times, and Length of the current Edit selection according to the Main Timebase. The Main and Sub Counters, as well as the Edit Selection indicators, also appear in the Transport window when it is set to display Counters.
Auto-Scrolling Tracks in the Mix and Edit Windows (Pro Tools HD Only) If you are working with more tracks than can be displayed at one time in the Mix or Edit windows, you can select a track in one window and Pro Tools will automatically scroll to that track in both windows. Navigating to Tracks Using Track Position Numbers With Track Number View enabled, each track is assigned a number corresponding to its position in the Mix and Edit Windows. You can scroll directly to any track by its positional number.
Universe View From the Edit window pop-up menu, select or deselect Universe. The Universe view displays an overview of the entire Pro Tools session above the tracks pane in the Edit window. This overview represents audio and MIDI material on all tracks in the session that are not hidden (including tracks that are inactive, or that contain offline regions). The order in which material is displayed in the Universe view corresponds to the track order in the Edit window.
Universe view Figure 26. Universe view at the top of the Edit window Framed Area in the Universe View The framed area in the Universe view represents what is visible in the Tracks pane in the Edit window. If you change what is displayed in the Edit window—by zooming, scrolling horizontally or vertically, hiding or showing tracks, or changing track heights—the framed area in the Universe view relocates and resizes accordingly.
Navigating with the Universe View By clicking in the Universe view, you can scroll the material displayed in the Edit window horizontally, vertically, or both. This provides a convenient method of focusing the Edit window anywhere in the session. To navigate the session using the Universe view: 1 Ensure that Universe view is shown (View > Other Displays > Universe). 2 Click anywhere in the Universe view to move the framed area and the Edit window updates accordingly.
Navigating Your Pro Tools Session In addition the Universe view, Pro Tools let you quickly and easily navigate your session using keyboard shortcuts. This section provides an overview of the essential key commands for navigating and making Edit selections in your session.
You can also do the following: • Press Control+Tab (Windows) or Option+Tab (Mac) to move the Edit cursor to the previous transient. Changing the Edit Selection Pro Tools provides several keyboard shortcuts for moving and extending or decreasing the range of an Edit (or Timeline) selection. – and – • Press Control+Shift+Tab (Windows) or Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) to extend the selection to the previous transient.
Moving the Insertion to the Beginning or End of the Selection With the Transport stopped, you can use the Down and Up Arrows on your alphanumeric keyboard to the beginning or end of the Edit (or Timeline) selection (and collapse the selection). To move the insertion to the beginning of the selection: Press the Down Arrow.
Chapter 25: Editing Regions and Selections Regions are the basic building blocks for arranging audio and MIDI in Pro Tools. Understanding how regions are created, edited, and arranged is essential to taking full advantage of the editing capabilities of Pro Tools. This chapter covers basic editing functions as they apply to regions and region groups, and selections, which for the most part apply to both MIDI and audio data. For editing procedures more specific to MIDI, see Chapter 29, “MIDI Editing.
To capture a new region: 1 With the Selector tool, drag in an existing re- gion to select the material for the new region. Selecting a portion of a region 2 Choose Region > Capture. Press Control+R (Windows) or Command+R (Mac) for Capture Region. 3 Type a name for the new region and click OK. The new region appears in the Region List. The original region remains intact and unchanged.
To separate regions (or MIDI notes) according to the current grid resolution: 1 Make an Edit selection. 2 Choose Edit > Separate > On Grid. 3 In the Pre-Separate Amount dialog, type a pre-separate amount in milliseconds. This can be useful to pad the beginnings of the new regions. By separating a region, additional regions are auto-created from data on either side of the separation, which have new numbers assigned to their names. The original region remains intact and unchanged on the Region List.
Separating Multiple Tracks Separation Grabber Tool Figure 27 illustrates a separation across one mono audio track and two stereo tracks. For some tracks, the selection resides within a region, while others reside at the start or end of a region. You can use the Separation Grabber tool to automatically separate an Edit selection and move it to another location or another track. To separate a selection with the Separation Grabber tool: 1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection.
To separate a selection without affecting the original regions: 1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection. The selection can reside within a single region, across adjacent regions within the same track, or across multiple tracks. Region Overlap and Underlap When a tick-based audio track has multiple regions, an increase in tempo can cause neighboring regions to overlap. Audio regions can be set to display a small “dog-ear” corner to indicate overlapping region boundaries.
Healing Separated Regions Trimming Regions The Heal Separation command returns separated regions to their original state—provided the regions are still next to each other and their relative start and end points have not changed since the separation. In addition to the Trimmer tools, Pro Tools provides several options for editing region and region group boundaries.
Trim to Insertion Commands Trim to Fill Selection Commands You can trim a region or MIDI note by automatically removing the material between the Edit insertion point and the start or end point of the region.
The end point of the region in front of the gap is automatically trimmed (expanded) to the next region, or as far as possible if there is not enough underlying material to cover the gap. Trimming with Nudge You can trim the start and end points of a region by nudging them. To trim a region’s start or end point by the Nudge value: 1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the Nudge Value” on page 503). 2 With the Time Grabber tool, select the region you want to trim.
Defining the Nudge Value The Nudge value determines how far regions and selections are moved when nudging. Start and end points for selections can also be moved by the Nudge value (see “Nudging Selection Start/End Points” on page 479). In addition, regions can be trimmed by the Nudge value (see “Trimming with Nudge” on page 502). To set the Nudge value: Nudge Value pop-up menu showing Time Code 1 Do one of the following: • From the View > Main Counter menu, select the Time Scale for the Nudge value.
Nudging Regions on Multiple Tracks and in Multichannel Tracks When nudging a selection of multiple regions within a single track or across multiple tracks, that also contains silence, any automation data residing within the silence is also nudged. Nudging a Region’s Contents Often a region’s start point will reside at the correct location, perhaps at a SMPTE frame or barline, but the material within the region starts too late or early.
Quantizing Regions to Grid The Quantize to Grid command adjusts the placement of selected audio and MIDI regions so that their start points (or sync points, if present) align precisely to the nearest Grid boundary. To quantize individual MIDI notes or Elastic Audio Events, use the Quantize Event Operations. You can also use the Quantize Event Operation to quantize audio regions (see “Quantize” on page 798).
Names for the new tracks are based on the source track name and channel suffix. For example, if a stereo track called “Funkit” is split, two new tracks called “Funkit.L” and “Funkit.R” are created. Output and send assignments and volume and pan settings are retained in the new tracks. Mono equivalents of stereo and multi-mono plug-in assignments are assigned in the new tracks. However, multichannel plug-in assignments are not assigned in the new tracks.
To consolidate regions within a track: To compact an audio file: 1 Do one of the following: 1 In the Region List, select the region or regions • Using the Time Grabber or Selector tool, select the regions you want to consolidate. – or – • To select all regions in a track, triple-click in its playlist with the Selector tool. 2 Choose Edit > Consolidate. Press Alt+Shift+3 (Windows) or Option+Shift+3 (Mac) to Consolidate.
TCE (Time Compression and Expansion) Edit To Timeline Selection (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit 2 or Complete Production Toolkit Only) When the Edit and Timeline selections are unlinked, you can compress or expand an audio selection to fit the Timeline selection. On audio tracks, TCE Edit to Timeline Selection uses the TCE AudioSuite Plug-in selected in the Processing preferences (see “Processing Preferences” on page 93).
Rating Regions You can rate different regions on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is the highest (or best) and 1 is the lowest (or worst). Region rating is useful for identifying which takes (regions) you like the most when compositing playlists. You can display or hide the region rating in regions to facilitate track compositing or regular editing. You can also show or hide Playlist lanes based on the ratings of regions in the playlist (see “Filtering Lanes” on page 540). To rate a region: 1 Select the region.
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Chapter 26: Fades and Crossfades Using Fades About Crossfades and Curves You can quickly and easily apply a fade-in or fade-out on a audio region, as well as crossfades between adjacent audio regions. Crossfading is the process of fading between two regions of audio to prevent pops, clicks, or sudden changes in sound. Crossfades have many applications, from smoothing transitions between regions to creating special audio effects. The crossfade duration, position, and shape are all user-definable.
If a region references insufficient data to execute a selected fade or crossfade, you are prompted to either skip those fades or to adjust the bounds of the selection to be able to execute those fades. Standard Crossfade (Centered) splice fade-out curve point fade-in curve region 2 region 1 crossfade selection This type of selection creates a crossfade before the splice point.
Fades Dialog The controls in the Fades dialog include: Audition When choosing the Edit > Fades command you can use the Fades dialog to select, view, and preview fades and crossfades, and to edit the curves used to perform fades and crossfades. A fade-in shows the In Shape settings, but not the Out Shape settings, and likewise a fade-out shows the Out Shape settings, but not the In Shape settings. Click this button to audition fades.
Fade Curves Only Zoom In Click this button to display the specified fade curves without showing the actual audio waveforms. This is the default view when you open the Fades dialog. Click this button to scale the view of the waveform’s amplitude upwards. Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) for the default view scale. Fade Curves and Separate Waveforms Zoom Out Click this button to display the specified fade curves along with separate views of the fade-in and fade-out waveforms.
S-Curve Selects an S-shaped curve, which inverts its beginning and end characteristics. This makes it possible to fade out faster at the curve’s start and slower at its end, for example. S-shaped curves can be useful with material that is difficult to crossfade effectively. S-curves can be edited by dragging the curve in the curve editor. Preset Curve 4 fades out with a linear fade. This is the default curve. Preset Curves Seven commonly used preset curves are provided for fast crossfade creation.
Link Settings (Crossfades Only) None Disables linking between the fade-out and fade-in curves, and lets you freely adjust them separately, including start and end points. This option also allows you to create custom crossfade shapes. Fade Link The Link setting links the selected fade-out and fade-in curves of a crossfade. If you adjust one curve, the corresponding curve is also adjusted.
Use Dither Dither option for Fades The Use Dither option turns on a preset, noiseshaped dither function that improves audio performance when fading in or fading out of silence, and crossfading between low amplitude regions. Dithering is usually not necessary when applying fades to regions with audio at high amplitudes. You can disable Dither while editing fades in the Fades dialog to speed up previews and fade recalculation, then re-enable Dither to create the final fade or crossfade.
Preset Curve 5 fades in slowly at the beginning of the fade. Equal Power Crossfade This is a good general purpose crossfade useful in cases where a linear crossfade seems to create a noticeable drop in volume across the splice point. 1. Out 2. In Preset Curve 5 Preset Curve 6 fades in even more slowly than the previous curve. Equal Power Crossfade Preset Curve 6 Preset Curve 7 silences any audio until the end of the fade.
Fade and Crossfade Preferences You can set default fade and crossfade settings. These settings load as your “base” settings when you use the Create Fades command, and the Fade to Start and Fade to End commands. Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions Pro Tools lets you create fade-ins and fade-outs at the beginnings and ends of regions. To set the fade and crossfade preferences: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Editing tab. 2 Set the Pre-Roll and Post-Roll times for Fade previews.
To create a fade-in: To create a fade-out: 1 Select the beginning of the region that you 1 Select the end of the region that you want to want to fade in. The selection must extend to the exact beginning of the region or a blank area prior to the region in the track. fade out. The selection must extend to the exact end of the region or a blank area after the region in the track.
To fade from the insertion point to a region start point: 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Fades > Create. 1 Place the cursor at a location in the region. – or – 2 Do one of the following: • Press Control+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac). • Choose Edit > Fades > Fade To Start. – or – • Press Alt+D (Windows) or Control+D (Mac). The fade is applied based on the Fade In preferences (see “Fade and Crossfade Preferences” on page 519).
9 When the crossfade sounds right, click OK. The fade is calculated and written to disk, but the audio files and regions remain unchanged. Crossfades are stored in the Fade Files folder in the session folder. Crossfade lengths can be resized with any of the Trimmer tools, including Nudge Trim commands. See “Using the Trimmer Tools” on page 458 and “Trimming with Nudge” on page 502.
Using AutoFades (Pro Tools HD Only) Pro Tools HD can automatically apply real-time fade-ins and fade-outs to all region boundaries in the session. Specify the duration (0 to 10 ms) for automatic real-time fades with the Auto Region Fade In/Out Length preference in the Operation Preferences page). These fade-ins and fadeouts are performed during playback and do not appear in the Edit window, and are not written to disk. AutoFades are not applied to AudioSuite processing.
3 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Fades > Create. – or – • Press Control+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac). 4 In the Batch Fades dialog, select whether you want to Create New Fades, Create New Fade-Ins & Outs, Adjust Existing Fades, or a combination of these options.
2 Move the fade by doing one of the following: • Drag the fade with the Time Grabber tool to a new location on the track. – or – • Nudge the fade by pressing Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move the fade forward or backward on the track. 2 Move the region selection by doing one of the following: • Drag the region selection with the Grabber tool to a new location on the track.
Moving Regions Adjacent to Crossfades When you move either of the regions that contributes to a crossfade, the regions separate. The status of the fade depends on the Preserve Fades when Editing preference (in the Editing Preferences page). To separate crossfaded regions and retain the corresponding fades: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Editing tab. 4 Use the Time Grabber or Separation Grabber tool to select one of the contributing regions to a crossfade.
2 Nudge the region by pressing Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the numeric keypad. Result of Separate Region command on fade-in Stretching the crossfade by nudging Where your selection overlaps a crossfade, the crossfade is separated into a fade-out and fade-in at the selection boundary. Separating Regions That Include Fades or Crossfades You can create regions from track material that overlaps with fades or crossfades.
Trimming Regions That Include Fades or Crossfades Trimming a Region to a Fade Boundary You can trim regions that are adjacent to fade and crossfade boundaries. To trim a region on a fade boundary: With the Trimmer tool, click the region boundary and drag to trim the region. The fade remains constant and follows the new region boundary. To trim a region to a selection that includes fades, do one of the following: Make a selection in the track and choose Edit > Trim > To Selection.
Chapter 27: Playlists The ability to create playlists is a powerful feature of Pro Tools. Each track maintains a “main” playlist and any number of “alternate” edit playlists. Edit playlists let you take a snapshot of a track’s current arrangement of regions, thereby freeing you to experiment with alternate arrangements, returning as necessary to previously saved playlists. A playlist, which can consist of a single region or many regions, can only be assigned to a track if it is not in use by another track.
Duplicating a Playlist When you edit a track, you can work with a copy of the track's playlist and keep the original playlist arrangement intact. To duplicate a track’s current playlist: 1 Click the track’s Playlist selector and choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu. 2 Type a name for the new playlist and click OK. The duplicated playlist appears in the track and the track’s name is changed to the name of the new playlist.
Renaming a Playlist Playlists and Edit Groups You can rename a playlist by renaming the track to which it is assigned. Creating new playlists with grouped tracks automatically increments the suffixes of the playlist names for each track of the active edit group. This lets you revert back to an earlier take by switching the playlist takes by group. To rename a track’s assigned playlist: 1 Double-click the track’s name. 2 Type a new name and click OK. Both the track and playlist names are updated.
All the playlists will now have the same suffix appended to them. (Creating additional playlists in any of the group tracks will increment all of their playlists to keep them synchronized.) 7 If you want to hear the .01 take on the first group of tracks, you can switch any playlist in the group back to playlist .01. Track Compositing Example In this workflow, you will be introduced to some common track compositing tasks: • Configure a session for this workflow.
4 To hear track material up to the start point of the loop, enable pre-roll and set the pre-roll time. 5 Enable Loop Recording by doing one of the following: After you have stopped loop recording, notice that all of the loop recording takes are revealed in Playlist lanes below the main playlist (including the whole audio file region of all of the loop record passes). • Select Options > Loop Playback. – or – • Right-click the Play button in the Transport and select Loop.
To hide the whole file region containing all takes so that you only see the takes with the same start and end times as the Edit selection, do one of the following: Right-click on the Playlist lane and choose Hide. – or – With the same Edit selection that you used for loop recording intact, Right-click the Track Name or any of the Playlist Lane Names and choose Filter Lanes > Show Only Lanes With > Regions Within the Edit Selection.
Playlists View Playlists view lets you view the main playlist in the track, and also any alternate playlists associated with the track. Alternate playlists are displayed directly below the track in Playlist lanes. If the track does not contain any alternate playlists in addition to the main playlist, only a single, empty Playlist lane is shown under the main playlist.
Auditioning Alternate Playlists Only the main playlist plays back through the track audio output path. To hear an alternate playlist, you need to solo the Playlist lane. The soloed lane then plays through the track audio output path instead of the main playlist. To audition an alternate playlist: 1 Click the Solo button for the Playlist lane you want to audition. (Soloing a Playlist lane only solos the playlist in the track, it does not mute any other tracks in the session.
To copy a selection in an alternate playlist to the main playlist: 1 In Playlists view, make a selection in an alter- The selection from the alternate playlist is copied to the same time location in the main playlist. nate playlist. Selection copied to the main playlist Copy Selection To Main Playlist button Making a selection in an alternate playlist 2 Do one of the following: • Click the Copy Selection To Main Playlist button in the Playlist Lane controls.
To copy a selection in an alternate playlist to a duplicate of the main playlist: 1 In Playlists view, make a selection in an alter- nate playlist. 2 Choose Edit > Copy Selection to Duplicate Playlist. Reordering Playlist Lanes You can reorder Playlist lanes the same way you reorder tracks. To reorder Playlist lanes: Click the name of the alternate playlist and drag it to the location you want.
To resize a single Playlist lane, do one of the following: Control-click the line in between lanes and drag up or down. The upper lane resizes accordingly. Renaming Alternate Playlists You can rename alternate playlists the same way you rename tracks. To rename an alternate playlist: 1 Double-click the name of the alternate playl- ist. 2 In the resulting Name dialog, type the name you want. 3 Click OK.
Filtering Lanes You can filter Playlist lanes to show or hide them based on different criteria. To filter Playlist lanes: 1 Right-click the Track Name or the Playlist Name.
Matching Criteria The Matching Criteria window lets you select the criteria for matching alternate regions. This lets you refine the list of available matching regions in the Alternate Takes pop-up menu and Region Right-click Matches submenu. 3 Select one of the following In Addition To options: • All • Region Start • Region Start and End • Within Selection • None 4 Leave the Matching Criteria window open to change the settings as appropriate while compositing tracks.
In Addition To Match Options The following In Addition To Match options are mutually exclusive. All Any regions that include the time location of the Edit cursor; or any regions that are either partly or fully within the current time range of the Edit selection. 2 Do one of the following: • Right-click the region with the Selector or the Grabber tool, and select a matching alternate take from the Matches submenu in the pop-up menu.
One way to ensure that subsequent recording takes have the same User Time Stamp (and as such can be available as matching alternate regions) is to store punch and loop record selections as Memory Locations. Then, if you later need to record additional takes, recall the corresponding Memory Location. To change the User Time Stamp of other regions so that they can be available as alternate matching regions for a specific location, use the Time Stamp command in the Region List menu.
Expanding Alternate Takes to New Playlists Expanding Alternate Takes to New Tracks Expanding alternate takes to new playlists readily facilitates track compositing. Once you have expanded alternate takes to new playlists on a track, you can audition and edit them in Playlists view to assemble the best takes in the main playlist. Expanding alternate takes to new tracks readily facilitates auditioning, editing, and mixing alternate takes, each on separate tracks.
Expanding Alternate Channels to New Playlists or Tracks (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) When working with a mono region that is part of a multichannel recording imported from a field recorder, you can expand that region (or a selected portion of it) to new playlists that reflect its matching alternate channels while preserving any edits or fades.
Expanding Channels to New Tracks Expanding Channels by Time Code Only To expand alternate channels to new tracks: 1 In the Timeline, do one of the following: • To expand only a portion of the regions on the track, make a selection that includes or overlaps any number of regions on a track, and Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click (Mac) the selection. – or – • To expand all of the regions on the track, Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Controlclick (Mac) the track name.
Relinking the Original Unedited Guide Track After importing the AAF (or OMF) sequence and original source audio files into the session, it is recommended that you relink the edited guide track to the original unedited source audio. To relink the original unedited guide track: 1 Open the Project Browser for the session and open the Audio Files folder. 2 Right-click the edited guide track audio file in the browser and choose Relink Selected.
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Chapter 28: Beat Detective Beat Detective is a powerful tool for analyzing, editing, and manipulating audio or MIDI data that has an inherent rhythmic character. Beat Detective analyzes an audio or MIDI selection, identifies its peak transients or accented notes, and generates beat triggers based on the detected peak transients or MIDI notes. From these beat triggers, Beat Detective can: • Extract tempo and beat information to create Bar|Beat Markers that can be used to define the session’s tempo map.
Conforming Audio Regions Beat Detective can conform (“quantize”) audio with a different tempo, or with varying tempos, to the session’s current tempo map, or to a groove template. “Tighten Up” Performances Beat Detective can be used to improve the timing of some audio material by calculating and extracting its average tempo, and then conforming its rhythmic components—regions separated with Beat Detective—to the session’s tempo map.
The Beat Detective Window The Beat Detective window appears as shown in Figure 28, below. Figure 28. Beat Detective (Pro Tools HD shown) To open the Beat Detective window, do one of the following: Choose Event > Beat Detective. The Beat Detective modes include the following: Operation Lets you choose to analyze either MIDI or audio material. – or – Press Control+8 (Windows) or Command+8 (Mac) on the numeric keypad. Beat Detective is a floating window that can be left open while working.
Defining a Beat Detective Selection Whether you will be generating Bar|Beat Markers, extracting a DigiGroove template, or separating regions to be conformed, you must always define the audio or MIDI selection to be analyzed. The Beat Detective window provides tools to define and capture the selection range, time signature, and swing (sub-division) content for the selected audio.
• If the selection’s tempo and meter match the session tempo and meter (see “Calculating Tempo with Beat Detective” on page 554), and it aligns correctly with the session’s bars and beats, click the Capture Selection button. The correct Time Signature, and Start Bar|Beat and End Bar|Beat values will be filled in automatically. Beat Detective Analysis Beat Detective provides several analysis algorithms for beat detection appropriate to different types of audio material.
be recognized as being part of the same beat events (only a little bit late). For information on individually analyzing multiple tracks, see “Using Collection Mode” on page 570. Beat Detective LE cannot be used across multiple tracks without the Music Production Toolkit 2 or the Complete Production Toolkit option. When Beat Detective LE (without the Music Production Toolkit 2 option) is applied to multiple tracks, only the top track is edited.
7 Depending on the rhythmic content of the se- To generate beat triggers from a MIDI selection: lection, set the Resolution to Bars, Beats, or SubBeats. 1 In the Edit window, set the MIDI track you 8 Adjust the Sensitivity until beat triggers appear on the beats and sub-beats in the selection. 2 In the Edit window, or in a MIDI Editor win- Bar triggers are indicated with thick lines, beat triggers with medium lines, and sub-beat triggers with thin lines. want to use to Notes view.
MIDI Chord Recognition Realign Session Since MIDI notes in a chord may be played at slightly different moments, Beat Detective interprets notes that are close together (closer than half the time value that is set in the Selection Contains field) as a chord. Beat Detective’s Realign Session function lets you generate Bar|Beat markers without tick-based material shifting.
To generate Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective in a session with tick-based tracks: 1 In the Edit window, make an audio or MIDI selection. 2 In the Beat Detective window, select Bar|Beat Marker Generation. 3 Define or capture the selection as described in“Defining a Beat Detective Selection” on page 552. 4 Set the Resolution to Bars or Beats. 5 Click Generate.
Editing Beat Triggers Moving Beat Triggers Even though Beat Detective offers a great deal of flexibility in how transients are detected, there may be times when beat triggers must be deleted, moved, or manually inserted. Additionally, triggers can be promoted so they are retained at lower sensitivity settings. You can adjust the placement of triggers to allow for the attack of their transients, or to compensate for an individual transient that is slightly ahead of or behind the beat.
Promoting Beat Triggers To ensure that important beat triggers do not disappear when lowering the Sensitivity, you can promote them. This is useful if a selection has numerous false triggers (too many to bother deleting) at a Sensitivity level where crucial, necessary beat triggers are also displayed. If lowering the Sensitivity and the needed triggers to disappear, simply promote them first. To promote a beat trigger: 1 Raise the Sensitivity until the transient is de- tected and a beat trigger appears.
Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective Once Beat Detective has accurately detected the peak transients in the audio selection and accurately generated beat triggers, the triggers can be converted to Bar|Beat Markers. Bar|Beat Markers generated by Beat Detective create a tempo map that can be used throughout the session. Bar|Beat Markers are generated, based on the beat triggers, and appear in the Tempo ruler.
DigiGroove Templates Beat Detective allows the fine timing nuances of a rhythmic performance to be extracted and saved as a groove template, called a DigiGroove template. DigiGrooves can be saved locally to the Groove Clipboard, or saved to disk as DigiGrooves. Groove templates can be used to transfer the feel of a particular performance to: • Selected audio regions using Groove Conform (see “Groove Conform” on page 566). • Selected MIDI data using Groove Quantize (see “Groove Quantize” on page 804).
Swing Content for Generating Groove Templates Extract Groove Template dialog 7 Do one of the following: • To save the extracted template for use in the current session, without writing the template file to disk, click Save To Groove Clipboard. (This template will be lost when you close the current session.) • To save the extracted template to disk in order to use it in other sessions or share it with other Pro Tools users, click Save To Disk. Enter a name for the template and click Save.
Separating Regions with Beat Detective Trigger Pad When separating regions, the Beat Detective window displays an option called Trigger Pad. (Audio Only) Once beat triggers appear in your selection, they can be used to define start and end points for new regions that can be separated automatically. The new regions can then be conformed to the session’s existing tempo map, or to a groove template.
Separating Multiple Tracks (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Music Production Toolkit 2 or Complete Production Toolkit Only) You can use beat triggers from a single track, or subset of tracks, to separate a group of tracks. Extending the selection to the snare, hi-hat, and overhead microphones tracks, and then performing the separation, results in separated regions in each of the drum tracks at the same location, based on the beat triggers from the kick drum track (see Figure 30).
Conforming Regions with Beat Detective (Audio Only) After regions have been separated with Beat Detective, the regions can then be conformed using one of two modes: Standard Conform Uses the session’s current tempo map (Grid) Groove Conform Uses groove templates. Beat Detective will conform any selected region, whether or not it was separated with Beat Detective.
7 To achieve a swing feel for the conformed re- gions, select the Swing option and whether the swing is based on eighth-notes or sixteenthnotes, then specify a percentage value with the slider or by typing in a value: • Smaller percentage values yield less swing, with 0% yielding none. • Larger percentage values yield more swing, with 100% yielding a triplet, swing feel.
6 To see comments about the selected template, 9 Click Conform to automatically conform all re- click Show Info. gions in the selection. 7 To affect how strongly the regions are con- 10 Audition the new conformed regions by formed to the groove template, select the Timing option and specify a percentage value with either the slider or by typing in a value: clicking Play in the Transport. • Lower percentage values preserve the original feel of the regions.
To use Edit Smoothing on conformed regions: Edit Smoothing Creates Sync Points 1 In the Beat Detective window, select Edit After smoothing edits with Beat Detective, sync points (corresponding to the material’s start point) are automatically created for the conformed regions. This allows you to later conform the regions to a different tempo map or groove template, or use different Conform settings.
Once you are satisfied with the results from Beat Detective, it is recommended that you flatten the tracks with the Consolidate command. For all regions selected, Consolidate creates a single, contiguous audio file to reduce the session’s edit density. See “Consolidate Command” on page 506. Before consolidating a large selection across multiple tracks, make sure there is enough RAM available. See “RAM Requirements for Beat Detective” on page 550.
Using Collection Mode Collection mode is available in Bar|Beat Marker Generation, Groove Template Extraction, or Region Separation mode (audio only), and is accessed by selecting Collection in the Detection pop-up menu. Beat Detective, Collection mode options mal and move the selection to the next track you want to analyze. Make sure to keep the selection range constant for each track.
Each new set of triggers added to the collection appears in a different color. If successive triggers in the collection are located closely together (for example, because of microphone leakage), Beat Detective keeps only the earlier triggers (see Figure 32 on page 571). 11 Repeat steps 7–10 for each additional track you are analyzing. The beat triggers stored in the Collection mode are saved with sessions.
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Chapter 29: MIDI Editing Pro Tools provides powerful MIDI editing tools. You can create and edit individual MIDI notes and controller events with the Pencil, Trim, and Grabber tools in the Edit window, MIDI Editor windows (see Chapter 30, “MIDI Editors”), and the Score Editor window (Chapter 31, “Score Editor”).
Default Note Duration 3 To define a dotted or triplet duration, do one of the following: The Default Note Duration setting lets you define the default note duration for inserting notes manually. The Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, and Score Editor window can each have a different Default Note Duration setting. To select a Default Note Duration: 1 Click the Default Note Duration setting in the Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or the Score Editor window.
Mirrored MIDI Editing Mirrored MIDI Editing lets you edit MIDI regions and have your edits apply to every copy of the same MIDI region. This can be particularly useful when editing looped MIDI regions. To enable Mirrored MIDI Editing, do one of the following: Select Options > Mirror MIDI Editing. – or – Enable the Mirrored MIDI Editing button in the Edit window, MIDI Editor window, or Score Editor window.
3 To define a dotted or triplet value, do one of the following: • To dot the selected Grid value, click the Grid Value selector again and select Dotted. – or – • To make the selected Grid value a triplet, click the Grid Value selector again and select Triplet. ferent types of MIDI control data—for example, try using Line for volume, Triangle for pan, Free Hand for pitch bend, and Square or Random for velocity. Parabolic and S-Curve Pencil shapes are used for drawing tempo events only in the Tempo Editor.
When editing MIDI velocities or continuous controller data, the Free Hand shape draws freely according to the movement of the mouse. The shape is reproduced as a series of steps according to the Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller Data MIDI preference. When editing MIDI velocities or continuous controller data, the Triangle shape draws a triangular pattern that changes direction according to the current Grid value.
Inserting MIDI Notes In addition to recording, step recording, and importing MIDI into Pro Tools, you can manually insert MIDI notes using the Pencil tool. When using the Pencil tool, the Cursor location and value are displayed in the Window Toolbar. Cursor pitch location Pencil Cursor Cursor Timeline location When inserting MIDI notes or other MIDI data with the Pencil tool, MIDI region boundaries are created on the nearest barlines.
The velocity for inserted notes is determined by the Default Note On Velocity setting. The duration is determined by the Default Note Duration value. When in Grid mode, the Note On location is determined by the Grid value. If the Play MIDI Notes When Editing option is enabled, each note sounds as it is inserted. The Pencil tool can be dragged after clicking (and before releasing) to adjust the note’s pitch or duration. Drag right to lengthen the note without changing its start point.
With the Selector tool, drag across a range of notes. Manually Editing MIDI Notes All aspects of a MIDI note can be edited in the Edit window or in a MIDI Editor window, including start and end points, duration, pitch, and velocity. The Selector, Grabber, and Pencil tools can operate on individual notes or groups of notes. Selecting MIDI Notes MIDI notes must be selected before they can be edited.
To play a note on a MIDI or Instrument track, and select all notes of that pitch on the track: With any Edit tool selected, click a key on the mini-keyboard. Playing a note with the mini-keyboard and selecting all notes of that pitch Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) to play notes without making a selection. Control-click (Windows) or Commandclick (Mac) to select or deselect notes, and to make noncontiguous selections.
Using the Grabber Tools Use the Grabber tools to select, move, separate, and arrange regions on tracks. There are three modes for the Grabber tool: Time Grabber, Separation Grabber, and Object Grabber. For more information about arranging regions, also see Chapter 35, “Arranging Regions.” While dragging, each new note sounds and the Cursor Location Value indicator (in the Edit window) indicates the number of semitones and direction (+/–) for the transposition.
The placement of MIDI notes can also be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Command” on page 730) or Nudge (see “Nudging Regions” on page 502). 4 Move the cursor near the beginning of any of the highlighted notes, so the Trimmer tool appears. Drag right to shorten the notes, or drag left to lengthen them. Trimming Note Start and End Times Like regions, start and end points for MIDI notes can be adjusted with the Trimmer tool. If several notes are selected when performing the trim, each note is changed.
Separating MIDI Notes To separate MIDI notes on the grid: The Separate command lets you separate MIDI notes at the Edit cursor location or at the boundaries of the Edit selection. When in Notes view in the Edit window and in MIDI Editor windows, separating MIDI regions creates new MIDI notes but does not create new MIDI regions. However, when in Regions view in the Edit window, separating MIDI regions only creates new MIDI regions.
To consolidate MIDI notes with the Consolidate tool: With the Grabber or Pencil tool, Start-Shiftclick (Windows) or Control-Shift-click (Mac) between the separated MIDI notes. Muting MIDI Notes The Mute command lets you mute individual MIDI notes. If entire regions are selected, the Mute command prompts you to either mute regions or MIDI notes. Consolidate tool To mute one or more MIDI notes: 1 Select the MIDI notes you want to mute. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Mute Notes.
Manually Editing Note Velocities When a MIDI or Instrument track is set to Velocity view, or when the Velocity lane is revealed under a track, each note’s attack velocity is represented with a velocity stalk. The taller the velocity stalk, the higher the velocity value (0–127). The velocities for a range of notes can be edited with any Pencil tool. To draw velocity values for a crescendo: 1 Do one of the following: • Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Velocity view.
To scale velocities with the Trimmer tool: 1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Velocity view. 2 Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, select the range of notes to be edited. 3 With the Trimmer tool, click near the range of selected notes and drag up or down. Dragging up increases the velocities for each note and dragging down decreases them. Drag up to increase the velocity value, or down to decrease it. While dragging, the diamond turns blue and the associated note becomes selected.
To change an attribute for a MIDI note: 1 In the Edit window, with a MIDI or Instru- ment track set to Notes View, select the note with the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool. Values entered in the pitch and velocity fields add to or subtract from the values for all selected notes. For example, to transpose all selected notes down an octave, enter a value of –12 for pitch. 2 Click in the Attributes text box and do one of the following: • Enter the new value on the numeric keypad.
To delete a single MIDI note with the Pencil tool: before trimming With the Pencil tool selected, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the note. The Pencil tool changes to an Eraser when Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) is pressed. after trimming Deleting a note with Pencil tool Scaling a MIDI region with the Time Compression/Expansion Trimmer tool Program change events and Sysex events can also be deleted by Alt-clicking (Windows) or Option-clicking (Mac) them with the Pencil tool.
Using the Time Compression/ Expansion Trimmer Tool in Slip Mode To compress or expand MIDI regions in Slip mode: 1 Set the Edit mode to Slip. 2 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Regions Using the Time Compression/ Expansion Trimmer Tool in Shuffle Mode In Shuffle mode, the trimmed region will always begin at the original region’s start point regardless of whether you trim from the front to the rear or from the rear to the front. view. 3 Select the TCE Trimmer tool.
To show MIDI Controller data for a track, do one of the following: Select the corresponding Track View from the Track View menu. Track View selector Instrument track displaying MIDI Volume events in MIDI Volume view – or – Reveal the corresponding MIDI Controller lane under the track. Controller Type selector Reveal Controller lanes MIDI controller #7 (volume) and #10 (pan) are treated by Pro Tools as automation data.
To copy continuous MIDI controller events and paste to a different MIDI controller, use Special Paste (Edit > Paste Special > To Current Automation Type). For example, you might want to use the same control data for volume and a cut-off filter, or for pan and pitch bend. For more information, see “Special Paste Function for Automation Data” on page 935. Edits to volume data affect all tracks within an enabled Edit Group. This is not the case, however, for other controller playlists (such as pan).
Selecting Add/Remove Controllers from the Controller Type selector on a Controller lane 2 In the Automated MIDI Controllers dialog, se- lect the MIDI Controllers range for the controller you want to automate. Automated MIDI Controllers dialog 4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 as necessary until you have added all of the MIDI controllers you want for automation. 5 To remove a controller from the Automated MIDI Controllers list, select it in the list on the Right and click Remove.
Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes) Each MIDI and Instrument track can have a default program change that is sent each time the track plays. Additional program changes can be inserted at any point within the track. Program changes are sent to external MIDI devices. Instrument plug-ins in Pro Tools do not respond to program change information. About Program and Bank Changes The MIDI protocol lets you choose from a range of 128 programs (0–127).
2 Do one of the following: • In the Patch Select dialog, select a program number. Unlike recorded and inserted program change events, the default program change does not appear in the track’s playlist. To clear the default program change, select None in the Patch Select dialog. Patch Names Patch Select dialog – or – • If you are using patch name files, select a patch name (see “Patch Names” on page 597).
4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change Pro Tools does not let you import a patch name file that does not match the model and manufacturer information selected in the MIDI Studio Setup window (Windows) or in the Audio MIDI Setup (Mac). button. 5 In the Open dialog, navigate to one of the fol- lowing: • On Windows, Program Files\Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch Names\Digidesign\ To clear patch names: – or – ton.
5 Click Done to insert the program change event in the track’s playlist. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Clear to remove the selected events from the track. – or – • Press the Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Mac). Program change event To edit a program change event: 1 With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, dou- ble-click the program change event you want to edit. 2 In the Patch Select dialog, select the new pro- gram number, or name and specify a bank change value (if necessary).
System Exclusive Events System Exclusive (Sysex) events can be recorded to MIDI or Instrument tracks in Pro Tools (see “MIDI Step Input” on page 402). Once the events are recorded, they appear in the track’s playlist as blocks when the Track View is set to Sysex or a Controller lane set to Sysex is shown. To move a Sysex event: 1 Do one of the following: • Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Sysex view. – or – • Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or Instrument track and show Sysex.
Note and Controller Chasing Note Chasing Note Chasing allows long, sustained MIDI notes to be heard when playing from a point after their start time. For example, if a note’s start time is at 1|1|000 and lasts for 8 measures (until 9|1|000), note chasing lets you begin playing from bar 5 and still hear the note that started at 1|1|000 as it continues to sustain until 9|1|000. Note Chasing is an option that can turned on and off individually for each MIDI or Instrument track.
To ensure that the default controller value for a playlist is sent (and chased), click the initial breakpoint at the beginning of the track, move it slightly, and set it back to the default value. To configure the Global MIDI Playback Offset: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the MIDI tab. 2 Enter the number of samples (–10,000 to Offsetting MIDI Tracks Pro Tools can offset MIDI tracks globally or individually.
You can measure the latency for a MIDI device assigned to a MIDI track by recording its audio output back into Pro Tools. Compare the sample locations for the recorded audio events against the original MIDI notes to calculate the latency. The equivalent offset in milliseconds is displayed in the msec Offset column. This value cannot be edited, but updates when a new value is entered in the Sample Offset column. 3 Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) to ac- cept the entered offset value.
MIDI Real-Time Properties MIDI Real-Time Properties let you change some MIDI properties of MIDI and Instrument tracks (or MIDI regions) during playback. There are five types of MIDI Real-Time Properties: Quantize, Duration, Delay, Velocity, and Transpose. MIDI Real-Time Properties can be adjusted during playback, so you can listen for the desired results. Once you have found the settings you want, you can write the settings to the selected tracks or regions.
Real-Time Properties Window Using the Real-Time Properties window, you can apply Real-Time Properties to selected tracks or regions. Expand/collapse triangles To open the Real-Time Properties window: Choose Event > MIDI Real-Time Properties.
3 If you are using the Real-Time Properties win- dow and Link Track and Edit Selection mode is enabled, select the track or region to affect from the Apply To pop-up menu. 4 Configure the Real-Time Properties settings (see “Real-Time Properties Settings” on page 606). Enabled Real-Time Properties are heard on playback and play through for the selected tracks and regions.
Duration Duration Amount Duration can be used to increase or decrease the duration of MIDI notes by a fixed amount or by a percentage. This is useful for creating legato or staccato passages. If the Ticks/Notes pop-up menu is set to ticks, enter a duration as a number of quarter-notes plus a number of ticks, such as 4|000. If the Ticks/Notes pop-up menu is set to a note size, enter a number to by which to multiply that note size, such as 7 16th-notes.
To transpose to a specific pitch, enter the MIDI note name. Ticks/Milliseconds pop-up menu Real-Time Properties Ticks/Milliseconds pop-up menus Duration cannot be applied as a Real-Time Property to MIDI Input and Thru. Velocity Velocity lets you change MIDI velocity by a percentage or by constant value. Enter a percentage value in the Dynamics field to scale velocity around the median velocity of 64. You can also enter an offset by adding (+) or subtracting (–) values between 1 and 127.
Region-Based Real-Time Properties To write Real-Time Properties to tracks: Region-based Real-Time Properties can only be applied using the Real-Time Properties window (Event > MIDI Real-Time Properties). Real-Time Properties can be applied to multiple regions. Once Real-Time Properties have been assigned to a region, the region can be moved or copied and pasted and retain its Real-Time Properties. 1 Enable Link Track and Edit Selection.
Real-Time Properties In the MIDI Event List Real-Time Properties Effects Displayed in the MIDI Event List In the MIDI Event List, the presence of trackbased Real-Time Properties are indicated by a “T” displayed to the right of each event. Regionbased Real-Time Properties are indicated by an “R.” The MIDI Event List takes into account the effect of Real-Time Properties whenever the Display Events as Modified by Real-Time Properties option is enabled.
Chapter 30: MIDI Editors Pro Tools provides MIDI Editor windows for detailed MIDI editing. Track Edit selector Default Note Duration Solo Default Note Velocity Mute Notation View Play MIDI Notes While Editing Mirrored MIDI Editing Edit Tools Link Timeline and Edit Selection Edit modes Track List Groups List Velocity, Controller and Automation lanes Cursor location Key Focus MIDI Editor menu Grid selector Nudge selector Target Zoom controls Superimposed MIDI and Instrument tracks Figure 33.
Superimposed MIDI and Instrument Tracks MIDI Editor windows display and let you edit MIDI data (notes, velocities, and continuous controller data) for one or more MIDI or Instrument tracks. When displaying multiple tracks in a MIDI Editor window, MIDI notes from different tracks are superimposed. MIDI Editor windows can also show Auxiliary Input tracks.
MIDI Editor Window Toolbar The MIDI Editor window toolbar is similar to the Edit window toolbar, but with a few exceptions. Each MIDI Editor window and the Edit window can be configured independently of one another. For example, you can have Notation view enabled in one MIDI Editor window, but not another; or you can have a MIDI Editor window set to Grid mode, but the Edit window set to Slip mode. You can also customize the toolbar in MIDI Editor windows.
Edit Tools The Edit tools in MIDI Editor windows can be viewed as a single tool with a pop-up menu for selecting other tools, or as an expanded, complete row of Edit tool icons just like in the Edit window. The Edit tools in MIDI Editor windows function exactly the same way for MIDI data as in the Edit window. Edit tool settings can be set independently in each MIDI Editor window, and are independent of tool selection in the Edit window and Score Editor.
Mirrored MIDI Editing Mirrored MIDI Editing lets you edit MIDI regions and have your edits apply to every copy of the same MIDI region. This can be particularly useful when editing looped MIDI regions. If Mirrored MIDI Editing mode is disabled, and you edit notes of looped regions in Notes view, the edit flattens the loop. Similarly editing region groups separates the region groups. Edit Modes The Edit modes in MIDI Editor windows function exactly the same way for MIDI data as in the Edit window.
One or more untargeted MIDI Editor windows can remain open and available at the same time, just like untargeted Plug-in windows. Targeting an untargeted MIDI Editor window disables any other targeted MIDI Editor window. The front-most window, regardless of whether it is targeted, always receives Keyboard Command focus and control surface focus.
Selection Display When selected, the Selection Display option shows the Edit Selection Display in the MIDI Editor window toolbar. Selection display Track List When selected, the Track List option displays the Track List in the MIDI Editor window. Scrolling Continuous (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) The MIDI Editor window scrolls continuously past the playback cursor, which remains in the center of the window.
Rearranging Controls and Displays MIDI Zoom In and Out Buttons You can rearrange the controls and displays in the MIDI Editor window toolbar just like in the Edit window or the Score Editor window. Pro Tools provides MIDI Zoom In and Out buttons in the upper-right corner of MIDI Editor windows. These controls function exactly the same as the MIDI Zoom controls in the toolbar, and let you zoom in and out vertically on MIDI notes.
Track List Columns In MIDI Editor windows there are four columns for the Track List: Show/Hide Indicates which tracks are shown or hidden in the MIDI Editor window. Track Color Displays the track color for each track by type or by track. Name Displays the name for each track. Pencil Lets you enable a track for manually entering MIDI notes with the Pencil tool.
Sorting Tracks in the Track List New Opens the New Track dialog. You can sort tracks in the Track List by the following criteria: Rename Renames the selected track. Name Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List by Track Name. Type Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List by Track Type. Edit Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List by Edit Groups. Mix Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List by Mix Groups. Voice Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List by Voice allocations.
Timebase and Conductor Rulers Timebase and Conductor rulers in MIDI Editor windows function exactly the same as in the Edit window. However, the Edit window and each MIDI Editor window can have a unique view of the Timeline in terms of which Timebase and Conductor rulers are shown, and in terms of zoom level and time location.
Color Coding MIDI Notes You can color code MIDI notes by Track or by Velocity. Color Coding by Track When Color Coding by Track is enabled, tracks in the MIDI Editor are temporarily assigned one of sixteen fixed colors, in the order they appear in the track list. See Figure 35 on page 622. To Color Code MIDI notes by Track: Enable the Color Code MIDI Notes By Track button. Color Code MIDI Notes by Track enabled Figure 35.
Color Code MIDI Notes By Velocity enabled Figure 36. MIDI Editor window, notes color-coded by Note On velocity No Color Coding When neither Color Coding by Track nor Color Coding by Velocity are enabled, notes are drawn in the MIDI Editor in as the same color they are in the Edit window—using the color coding options as set in the Track Color Coding settings in the Display Preferences. No Color Coding enabled Figure 37.
Editing MIDI Notes You can edit any note on any track shown in the Notes pane. You edit MIDI notes in the Notes pane the same way as in Notes view for MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Edit window, except that notes from different tracks are superimposed. • Click the Pencil column in the Track List to pencil-enable the track you want. 2 MIDI tracks and 1 Instrument track shown pencil-enabled track For more information on editing MIDI notes, see Chapter 29, “MIDI Editing.
Notes Pane Right-Click Menu Cut The Notes Pane Right-click menu provides several useful commands for editing, exporting, and viewing MIDI data. The Cut command cuts the current Edit selection. Copy To access the MIDI Editor Right-click menu: Right-click anywhere in the Notes pane. Notes Pane Right-Click Menu Options The Copy command copies the current Edit selection. Paste The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools relevant to the Score Editor.
MIDI Real-Time Properties Selecting the MIDI Real-Time Properties option opens the MIDI Real-Time Properties window. Event Operations The Event Operations submenu lets you select any of the Event Operations windows (such as Quantize or Change Velocity). Open In New MIDI Editor Selecting the Open In New MIDI Editor option opens all shown tracks in a new MIDI Editor window. Open In Score Editor Notation View The Notes pane in MIDI Editor windows can also display MIDI notes in standard music notation.
Figure 38. MIDI Editor window, Notes pane in Notation view Double Bar The Double Bar button is only available in Notation view. When enabled, the Double Bar option shows the final double bar line in the MIDI Editor window. The double bar line is located at the end of the last MIDI region or event in the session. When the Double Bar option is disabled, there will be a number of empty bars at the end of the last event in the session.
Notation View Right-Click Menu When in Notation view, the Notes Pane Rightclick menu provides slightly different options than when in Superimposed Notes view.
Show/Hide lanes Velocity lane (2 tracks superimposed) Remove lane Add lane Controller/Automation Type selector Paired Automation lanes for separate tracks Figure 39.
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Chapter 31: Score Editor The Score Editor window lets you view, edit, arrange, and print MIDI from your session as music notation. MIDI notes are transcribed in real-time whether you record, import, draw (with the Pencil tool), or Step Enter MIDI.
Opening the Score Editor Window To open the Score Editor window: Choose Window > Score Editor. Press Alt+Start+“=” (Windows) or Option+Control+“=” (Mac) to show the Score Editor window. Edit Tools The Edit tools in the Score Editor window function much the same as in the Edit window, but with a few differences for editing music notation. Zoomer To open the Score Editor window with a single MIDI or Instrument track shown: Use the Zoomer tool to zoom in and out around a particular area in the score.
To marquee zoom to a particular area of the score: Trimmer 1 Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select The Trimmer tool lets you lengthen or shorten the duration of a note. Normal Zoom mode. 2 Drag in the score, making a marquee selection of the area to which you want to zoom. Press the F6 key to select the Trimmer tool. Note Selector Use the Note Selector tool to select notes on one or more staves in the Score Editor window. Selected notes highlight blue.
To select a Pencil tool: Click the Pencil tool pop-up menu and select the Pencil tool you want. Press the F10 key to select the current Pencil tool. Press the F10 key repeatedly to cycle through the different Pencil tools. The following Pencil tools are available in the Score Editor: Free Hand The Free Hand Pencil tool lets you draw single notes of varying duration. Note velocities are determined by the Default Note Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Velocity” on page 635).
Default Note Duration Link Timeline and Edit Selection The Default Note Duration selector lets you define the default note duration for manually inserted notes. When this button is enabled, the Timeline and Edit selections are linked. When it is disabled, you can make Timeline and Edit selections independently of one another. To define the Default Note Duration: From the Default Note Duration selector, select a note value.
To disable Mirrored MIDI Editing, do one of the following: Deselect Options > Mirror MIDI Editing. – or – Disable the Mirrored MIDI Editing button in the Edit window, MIDI Editor window, or Score Editor window. Cursor Location The Cursor Location display provides information about the current cursor location in Bars|Beats|Ticks and pitch. Cursor Location If Mirrored MIDI Editing mode is disabled, and you edit notes of looped regions in Notes view, the edit flattens the loop.
Inserting Notes on the Grid Score Editor Window Menu When inserting MIDI notes with the Pencil tool (using the Line, Triangle, Square, or Random shapes), the Grid value determines the Note On location and the Default Note Duration value determines the note duration (see “Default Note Duration” on page 635). The Score Editor Window menu provides access to the Expanded Edit Tools, Selection Display, Track List, and Scrolling options.
After Playback The playback cursor moves across the Score Editor window, indicating the playback location. When playback has stopped, the Score Editor window scrolls to the final playback location. Page The playback cursor moves across the Score Editor window, indicating the playback location. When the right edge of the current page shown in the Score Editor window is reached, it scrolls to the next page and the playback cursor continues moving from the left edge of the window.
Showing and Hiding Tracks Use the Track List to show and hide MIDI and Instrument tracks as staves in the score. To show MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score Editor: Enable the Eye in the Track List for tracks you want to show in the score. To show only selected MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score Editor: 1 In the Track List, select the MIDI and Instru- ment tracks you want to show in the score. 2 From the Track List pop-up menu, select Show Only Selected Tracks.
Page Controls Score Editor Zoom Controls The Score Editor window provides controls for navigating forward and backward by page. The current page number is displayed in the lowerleft corner of the window. In addition to the Zoomer tool, the Score Editor provides Zoom In and Out buttons in the lower right hand corner of the window. It also provides a Zoom selector that lets you zoom to a preset percentage or page size.
Notation Display Track Settings The Notation Display Track settings determine how individual MIDI and Instrument tracks appear in the Score Editor. You can set the Clef, Display Quantization, and whether or not to display the track at “concert pitch” or as a transposing instrument (such as a B-flat tenor sax). Selecting a zoom percentage from the Zoom pop-up menu To zoom to a page size: 1 Click the Zoom selector. 2 From the Zoom pop-up menu, select the page size.
Notation Display Track Settings Options Track From the Track pop-up menu, select the track you want to configure. Clef From the Clef pop-up menu, select the Clef you want for the selected track from the following options: Notation Display Track Settings window, Attributes tab Follow Globals • Grand Staff • Treble Clef • Bass Clef • Alto Clef When the Follow Globals option is selected, the track attributes use the global attributes settings (see “Globals” on page 643).
Split Point Score Setup Window Options When the Clef for the selected track is set to Grand Staff, the selected Split Point setting determines at which pitch the notes are placed in either the upper or lower staff of the Grand Staff. Automatic When selected, Pro Tools splits notes between the upper and lower staves of the Grand Staff based on logical note groupings. Fixed When selected, you can specify a particular pitch at which to split notes between the upper and lower staves of the Grand Staff.
Title and Composer Select to display the Title and Composer on the score. Page Numbers Select to display Page Numbers at the bottom of each page. Bar Numbers Select to display Bar Numbers at the beginning of each system above the top staff. Layout Page Size Select the page size (Letter, Legal, Tabloid, or A4). Portrait Select to set the page orientation to Portrait. Landscape Select to set the page orientation to Landscape.
Selecting Notes To transpose a single note: You can use either the Note Selector tool or the Grabber tool to select notes on one or more staves. 1 Click the Grabber tool. 2 Drag the note you want to transpose up or down. To select notes on one or more staves with the Note Selector tool: 1 Click the Note Selector tool. 2 Drag in the score to highlight the notes you want to select. Transposing a note with the Grabber tool To transpose all selected notes: 1 Click the Grabber tool.
3 Drag any of the selected notes to another time location on the same staff. 5 With the Free Hand Pencil tool, do any of the following: • Single-click at the time location and pitch you want to enter a single note of the selected Default Note Duration. Moving selected notes with the Grabber tool Entering a single note with the Pencil tool – or – You can also Nudge notes in the Score Editor by the currently selected Grid value.
4 Click the Pencil tool and select any of the following shapes: • Line Tools The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools relevant to the Score Editor. • Triangle • Square Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool. • Random Note Selector Selects the Note Selector tool. 5 Click at the time location and pitch you want and drag to the right. Repeated notes of the selected Default Note Duration are entered on the selected Grid.
Clear The Clear command clears (deletes) the current Edit selection. Event Operations The Event Operations submenu lets you select any of the Event Operations windows (such as Quantize or Change Velocity). Open in MIDI Editor Choosing the Open in MIDI Editor option opens the tracks shown in the Score Editor in a MIDI Editor window. Key Changes You can add, edit, and delete Key Signatures in your score. Key Signatures affect the note spelling of MIDI notes in the score.
Meter Changes You can add, edit, and delete Meters in your score. Meter changes affect the number of bars in the score (and in your session). When changing meter, notes are not moved, but the barlines will be redrawn. You can also add and delete Meters in the Meter ruler in the Edit window and in MIDI Editor windows. To add a Meter change: 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Event > Time Operations > Change Meter.
To insert a chord symbol: 1 With the Note Selector, Grabber, or Pencil tool, Right-click at the location in the score where you want to add a chord symbol and select Insert > Chord. The selected chord symbol is placed above the top staff in the system. chord symbol 2 In the Chord Change dialog, select the name chord diagram for the root of the Chord from the Chord selector (such as D).
Exporting Scores Printing Scores Pro Tools lets you export the score from your session as a Sibelius (.sib) file. You can then open your score in Sibelius as transcribed by Pro Tools, edit the notation in Sibelius, and print the score and parts from Sibelius. Pro Tools lets you print the score from your Pro Tools session. The score will be printed exactly as it appears in the Score Editor window. Configure the Score Setup and show or hide any MIDI and Instrument tracks.
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Chapter 32: MIDI Event List The MIDI Event List displays a detailed list of all events in a single MIDI or Instrument track. The events are displayed with text and numbers, allowing you to precisely edit their location, length, and event values. Number of Events Track selector MIDI Event List menu Target Mute data for MIDI and Instrument tracks is not displayed in the MIDI Event List. Opening the MIDI Event List To open the MIDI Event List, do one of the following: Choose Event > MIDI Event List.
Target The Target button for the MIDI Event List determines whether or not the MIDI Event List follows the Edit cursor and Edit selections in the Edit window and MIDI Editor windows. For example, when the Target is enabled, the Events shown in the MIDI Event List update to show the event in the Edit selection in the Edit window. When the Target is disabled, the MIDI Event List shows the same events regardless of changes to the Edit selection in other windows.
Example: To filter the display of aftertouch and System Exclusive Messages in the MIDI Event List: 1 In the MIDI Event List, choose View Filter from the MIDI Event List menu. With the MIDI Event List as the front-most window, press Control+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac) to open the MIDI Event List View Filter dialog. 2 In the MIDI Event List View Filter dialog, se- lect the All Except option. Navigating in the MIDI Event List You can use the Tab and Arrow keys to move through the MIDI Event List.
2 In the Go To dialog, choose a format from the Time Scale pop-up menu. Inserting Events in the MIDI Event List You can insert events in the MIDI Event List by choosing an event type from the MIDI Event List menu. Following are several examples of inserting events in the MIDI Event List. To insert a note in the MIDI Event List: 1 From the MIDI Event List menu, select Insert > Note.
3 Do one of the following: • To insert the note and remain in Event Entry mode, press Enter on the numeric keypad. • To insert the note and exit Event Entry mode, press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac) on the alphanumeric keyboard. • To exit Event Entry mode, without inserting the note event, press Escape on the alphanumeric keyboard. To insert a controller event in the MIDI Event List: 1 From the MIDI Event List menu, choose Insert > Controller.
3 Enter a Program Change number and Bank Se- lect value (if necessary). The program change name is displayed in the Info column. Inserting Another Event After inserting an event, you can easily insert another event of the same type. The event type to be inserted is indicated at the bottom of the Insert menu.
2 Enter a new value with any of the following methods: To select noncontiguous events in the MIDI Event List: • Enter the new value on the numeric keypad. Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) each event. • While pressing Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac), press the Up or Down Arrow to scroll to a new value. To deselect an event in the MIDI Event List: • While pressing Control (Windows) or Command (Mac), drag up or down to scroll to a new value.
Copying and Pasting Events in the MIDI Event List MIDI Event List Options To copy and paste events in the MIDI Event List: The MIDI Event List menu provides the following options: 1 Select the events you want to copy in the MIDI Event List. Show Sub Counter Displays event times in the Sub Time Scale. Go To Opens the Go To dialog, where you can specify a location, based on any of the supported Time Scales, to which the Edit insertion point is moved.
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Chapter 33: Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords In Pro Tools, editing and arranging is typically done on tracks against a fixed Timeline. Regions and events can be anchored to points in absolute time, or relative time, as measured on the session’s Timeline. The Timeline includes two different types of rulers for measuring time: Timebase rulers and Conductor rulers. The Timebase rulers can measure time in two different ways: sample-based time (absolute time) and tick-based time (relative time).
To ensure your tracks align with the bars and beats in your session, record with a click (see “Recording with a Click” on page 348). Material that is recorded without listening to a click can still be aligned to bar and beat boundaries in Pro Tools with the Identify Beat command (see “Identify Beat Command” on page 689), or with Beat Detective (see Chapter 28, “Beat Detective”). Minutes:Seconds Displays the Time Scale in minutes and seconds.
Conductor Rulers Any or all of the following Conductor rulers can be displayed: • Markers • Tempo (and Tempo Editor) • Meter • Keys (and Key Signature Staff) • Chords The Meter and Tempo rulers indicate changes in meter and tempo within the Session. The Key Signature ruler indicates changes of key. The Chord Symbols ruler shows chord markers. The Markers ruler displays markers to important track locations.
Main Time Scale While all Timebase rulers can be displayed simultaneously in the Edit and MIDI Editor windows, there is only one that represents the Main Time Scale. This ruler is also called the Main Timebase ruler.
The Sub Counter Below each Main Counter is a Sub Counter that can be shown or hidden. The Sub Counter provides an additional timing reference. To show (or hide) the Sub Counter in the Edit window: From the Main Counter selector, select (or deselect) the Show Sub Counter option. To show the Sub Counter in the Transport window: From the Transport Window menu, ensure that the Counters and Expanded Transport options are enabled.
The following table lists the number of ticks for each of the main note sizes: Note Value Normal Dotted Triplet 1/2 note 1920 2880 1280 1/4 note 960 1440 640 1/8 note 480 720 320 1/16 note 240 360 160 1/32 note 120 180 80 1/64 note 60 90 40 Tick- and Sample-Based Timebases Pro Tools lets you set any track timebase to either sample-based or tick-based. Audio tracks in Pro Tools are sample-based by default.
Switching Timebases Alternate Playlist Timebases All Pro Tools tracks can be switched between being sample-based or tick-based. When you change a track’s timebase, you can choose to apply the timebase change to that track only, or to the active Playlist and all alternate playlists for that track. Track height affects how various track controls appear in the Edit window. The Timebase selector, which is used for switching a track’s timebase, is only visible in Medium or larger track heights.
Sample Rounding and Edit Operations When audio material in Pro Tools is samplebased, some amount of sample-rounding may occur with some edits when the Main Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats. This is most evident when you need audio regions to fall cleanly on the beat (as when looping) and notice that the material is sometimes a tick or two off. With a few simple precautions, this can be avoided.
Tempo The Tempo ruler lets you edit Tempo events one at a time or according to tempo curves. You can edit tempo visually in the Tempo Editor, or make precise changes in tempo using the Tempo Operations window. Current Tempo As tempo events are encountered during playback, the session’s current tempo is displayed in the Transport window. Current Tempo indicator To set the default session tempo, see “Setting the Session Meter and Tempo” on page 351.
5 To base the BPM value on something other than the default quarter note, select a different note value. 6 Click OK. The new tempo event is inserted and appears in the Tempo ruler. To delete a tempo event: Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the tempo event (the cursor changes to a Grabber with a “–”). To copy and paste several tempo events: 1 With the Selector tool, drag in the Tempo ruler to select the range of bars that includes the tempo events.
To clear a range of selected tempo events: 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. 2 Drag with the Selector tool in the Tempo ruler to select the tempo events you want to remove. 3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected To set the Manual Tempo by tapping on an external MIDI keyboard: 1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport window, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls. 2 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the MIDI tab.
material equally. However, when working with sample-based (non-Elastic) audio on tick-based tracks, tempo changes affect the start location of audio regions, but not their duration. Since the length of each sample-based audio region in a track is unaffected by changes in tempo, existing automation data is not aligned with the audio after a tempo change is made to a tick-based audio track. Using many smaller regions... ...keeps audio aligned with automation changes.
gion has been warped to remain two-bars long at the slower tempo, it displays the Region Warp indicator in the upper right-hand corner of the region. Figure 41. Tempo conformed audio, linear tempo change For tempo curves, such as an accelerando or ritardando, Tempo Event Warp markers are automatically created corresponding to each tempo event, and the region conforms accordingly. Figure 42 below shows a region in Warp view. Notice how the audio conforms to the tempo curve.
Alternate Playlists Alternate playlists on Elastic Audio-enabled, tick-based tracks are only affected by tempo changes. Otherwise, alternate playlists are not affected by editing Warp or Event markers in the main playlist. Zooming and Scrolling in the Tempo Editor To zoom in vertically in the Tempo Editor: Click the Tempo Editor Zoom In button (“+”). To zoom out vertically in the Tempo Editor: Graphic Tempo Editor Click the Tempo Editor Zoom Out button (“–”).
Drawing Tempo Events Selecting Tempo Resolution (BPM Rate) Tempo events can be drawn in the Tempo Editor using the Pencil tool. The Tempo Editor lets you specify the beat note value for tempo events by changing the Tempo Resolution. The beat note value selected for the Tempo Resolution is usually based on the meter. For example, in 4/4 the beat is a quarter note and in 6/8 the beat is (usually) a dotted-quarter note. These tool shapes are not functional in the Tempo Editor.
Curve Adjustment Mode Quarter note click Dotted-quarter click Immediately after you draw new tempos using the Pencil tool, a tempo curve appears in blue, outlining the newly created tempo graph. Blue adjustment handles on the curve let you adjust the shape and size of the new tempo graph.
Grabbing Tempo Events The Grabber tools let you create new tempo settings by dragging tempo events in the Tempo Editor. Selecting a single tempo event To Select a tempo curve in the Tempo Editor: Using a Grabber tool to change a tempo event Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, triple-click on a horizontal tempo line in the curve that you want to select. To change the tempo of a tempo event: With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event up or down.
Using the Trimmer Tool The Trimmer tool lets you scale all the tempo events of the session, or within a Timeline selection. The Trimmer tool also lets you stretch a region of tempo events to cover a longer or shorter area in the Timeline. 3 With the Trimmer tool, click within the se- lected area, and drag up or down. Dragging up increases the tempo values of the selection in BPM; dragging down decreases them. To scale all the session’s tempo events with the Trimmer tool: 1 Open the Tempo Editor.
To scale the duration of tempo changes with the Trimmer tool: To copy and Paste tempo events in the Tempo Editor: 1 Open the Tempo Editor. 1 Open the Tempo Editor. 2 With the Selector tool, select the area you 2 With the Selector tool, select the area you want to edit. want to copy. 3 With the Trimmer tool, click at the start or end 3 Choose Edit > Copy. of the selection, and drag horizontally.
Changing the Linearity Display Mode The Timeline can be viewed in either a Linear Tick (relative) scale or a Linear Sample (absolute) Time Scale. MIDI and Instrument tracks, audio tracks, and Tempo curves can appear and function very differently depending on the timebase display settings. Linear Tick Display The display of tempo events is tick-based and tempo event Bar|Beat locations remain constant after the tempo curve is drawn and all sample-based events move against bar beat locations in the Timeline.
Tempo Operations Window The Tempo Operations window lets you define tempo events over a range of time (or measures). The time range is specified in the time format chosen for your Main Time Scale. In addition, the Tempo Operations window lets you: • Fit a specific number of Bars|Beats into a precise time range. To open a specific Tempo Operations window page: Choose Event > Tempo Operations, followed by one of the Tempo Operations page commands (such as Constant).
Constant The Constant page lets you create a constant tempo over a selected range of time. Resolution (Advanced Option) Lets you select the BPM note value for your tempo setting. Selecting “Follow Metronome Click” will set the tempo BPM note value to mirror the click value set in the meter markers. Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the density of the tempo change events written to the Tempo ruler.
Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates either the selection end time, the start tempo, or the end tempo. Selection Start and End Displays the start and end points for the tempo change in the currently selected Main timebase. When an Edit selection is made, the Start and End fields will display the selection boundaries. Changing start or end values changes the selection range.
End Time (Advanced Option) Displays the absolute time for the selection end. When the Main Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats, the end time is displayed in the Sub Time Scale. When the Main Time Scale is set to any absolute timebase, the end time is calculated and displayed in Bars|Beats. Changing the end time value causes the tempo to change.
Start and End Time (Advanced Option) Displays the absolute time for the selection end. When the Main Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats, the end time is displayed in the Sub Time Scale. When the Main Time Scale is set to any absolute timebase, the end time is calculated and displayed in Bars|Beats. Tempo Start and End Displays the tempo, in beats per minute (BPM), for the start and end points of the selected range. Changing the tempo causes the end time value to change.
Scale (Advanced Option) In combination with settings chosen in the Calculate pop-up menu, the Scale pop-up menu lets you scale all tempos, the start tempo, or the end tempo. Scaling all tempos scales each tempo in the selected range equally. Scaling the start tempo scales the tempos unevenly, scaling the first tempo event the most, scaling each consecutive tempo event less until the end tempo which is not scaled.
Stretch To Start (Advanced Option) Specifies a new start point for the region to which you want to apply the selected tempo events. Changing the end point causes the Stretch percentage to change. Bar|Beat Markers Bar|Beat Markers look similar to tempo events, but instead have small blue triangles to indicate their location. Stretch Specifies the percentage of time for the the selected tempo events to cover.
Identifying Beats Identifying the beat of a one-bar drum loop and creating Bar|Beat Markers for it: 1 Place a one-bar drum loop at the beginning of an audio track. 2 Select View > Rulers > Samples. This ensures that the selected audio material will be sampleaccurate. 3 Select the audio region with the Time Grabber tool and choose Event > Identify Beat. 4 In the Bar|Beat Markers dialog, specify the start and end locations for the inserted Bar|Beat Markers.
Dragging Bar|Beat Markers Bar|Beat Markers can be dragged to new locations so they can align with audio regions that have been moved, or so that they can align to a slightly different point within an audio region. This results in neighboring MIDI data being adjusted to align with the new tempo map. Because Bar|Beat Markers are sample-based and tempo events are tick-based, they behave differently when you drag them in the Tempo ruler.
Inserting Bar|Beat Markers One at a Time Sample-Based Material with Varying Tempos You can insert Bar|Beat Markers one at a time by setting an Edit insertion point (instead of making a selection) before using the Identify Beat command. The ability to identify each beat, one at a time, is especially useful when working with sample-based material with varying tempos.
• Double click the meter display in the Transport window. 4 Click OK to insert the new meter event. The new meter event is inserted and appears in the Meter ruler. current meter Current meter displayed in Transport window Inserted meter event 2 In the Meter Change window, do the follow- Each meter event has a small yellow triangle next to it that indicates its location. These triangles can be selected for copying and pasting, and they can be double-clicked to edit the meter event.
To copy and paste several meter events: 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. 2 Drag in the Meter ruler to select the range that includes the meter events. Partial Measures As necessary, Pro Tools will create a partial measure to accommodate the inserted meter event. When a meter event is preceded by a partial measure, the meter event is displayed in italics in the Meter ruler.
To open the last active Time Operations window: Choose Event > Time Operations > Time Operations Window. Press Alt+1 (Windows) or Option+1 (Mac) on the number keypad to open the Time Operations window and display the last active Time Operations window. Change Meter Change Meter lets you specify complex meter changes for Bar|Beat-based material. You can enter meter changes at a particular bar, make a meter change over a selected area of time, or add meter changes sequentially one bar at a time.
Change Meter Examples 4 Select Until the Next Bar from the Apply Change To pop-up menu. To change the meter over a range of bars: 1 Do one of the following: • Drag with the Selector tool to select a range of bars to change. – or – • To have the meter change apply until the next meter event, click where you want the meter change to begin with the Selector tool. The meter change will be made at the beginning of the nearest bar. 2 Choose Event > Time Operations > Change Meter.
Realign The Realign settings let you select which items shift (occur later) when time is inserted, as follows: • If your Main Time Scale is set to Bars|Beats, you can choose to realign meter events only, or choose to realign a combination of Meter and Tempo rulers, all tick-based markers and tracks, and your choice of sample-based tracks.
Cut Time Cut Time lets you cut a specified amount of time (both Timebase and track data) from Conductor rulers, MIDI tracks, and audio tracks. Meter Ruler Only If your Main Time Scale is Bars|Beats, you have the option to remove time from the Meter ruler only. Meter events within the selection are removed, and meter events that occur after the end point of the selection are shifted to the selection start point. If your Main Time Scale is sample-based, Realign Meter Ruler Only is not available.
Move Song Start Move Move Song Start lets you redefine the location of the Song Start Marker. The Move controls let you choose which items shift when the Song Start is moved, as follows: Song Start Only Moves the Song Start Marker only.
Renumbering Bars You can use the Renumber Bars command to renumber all bars in the session, effectively changing the bar locations for all regions, meter and tempo events while leaving their position intact. In doing so, however, the SMPTE and sample locations of the session data are not changed. Key Signature Ruler The Key Signature ruler lets you add, edit, and delete key signatures. You can use key signatures to indicate key and key changes in your Pro Tools session.
Changing Key Signatures Key Change Dialog You can add, edit, or delete key signatures. The Key Change dialog lets you specify the mode (major or minor), the key (from seven flats to seven sharps), the range affected (for example, from Bar 1 to the next key change), and whether or not MIDI notes on pitched tracks are transposed or constrained to key (see “Pitched Tracks” on page 702). The Key Change dialog opens whenever you add or edit a Key Signature marker.
Edit Pitched Tracks Enabling the Edit Pitched Tracks option lets you transpose existing MIDI notes on Pitched tracks up or down, either diatonically or chromatically based on the key change, or constrain pitches to the new key. For more information on Pitched tracks, see “Pitched Tracks” on page 702. Transpose When the Edit Pitched Tracks option is enabled, lets you transpose existing MIDI notes on Pitched tracks up or down, diatonically or chromatically.
Importing Key Signatures When importing MIDI (or session data with MIDI), you can select whether or not to import any key signatures stored in MIDI files. Import MIDI The Import MIDI dialog includes the Import Key Signature from MIDI File option. When selected, key signatures (if present) are imported into Pro Tools with any other MIDI data. Chord Symbols The Chord Symbols ruler lets you add chord symbols to Pro Tools sessions in the Edit window and in MIDI Editor windows.
To add a chord symbol: 1 Place the cursor in the Timeline where you want to add a chord symbol. 2 Do one of the following: • Place the cursor in the timeline, then click the Plus (+) button in the Chords ruler. – or – • While pressing the Start key (Windows) or Control (Mac), move the cursor into the Chords ruler (where the cursor changes to the Grabber with a “+”) and click at the location where you want to place the chord symbol.
Chapter 34: Memory Locations Memory Locations and Markers Memory locations provide a powerful way to navigate your session while editing and arranging. These can be markers to specific points in the Timeline, Edit selections, or even a set of track display settings that can be recalled. Properties of Memory Locations When creating a new Memory Location (see “Creating Memory Locations” on page 707) you are prompted to define its Time Properties and General Properties.
Time Properties Under Time Properties, a Memory Location can be set to Marker, Selection, or None. This determines the type of Memory Location that is created. Each of these three Memory Location types can also save any combination of General Properties. Marker Recalls a Timeline location whose reference can be either Bar|Beat (tick-based) or Absolute (sample-based).
General Properties Comments All three types of Memory Locations (Marker, Selection, and None) can store and recall any combination of the following General Properties: All three types of Memory Locations (Marker, Selection, and None) can store and recall comments. You can enter a maximum of 255 characters to describe the Memory Location. You can also edit comments previously entered.
4 Do one of the following: • Click with the Selector tool in any track or ruler at the location where you want to place the Marker. To place a Marker at the beginning of a region, select the region with the Time Grabber tool. Click the Add Marker/Memory Location button (or press Enter on the numeric keypad).
5 Click OK. The General Properties Memory Location is created and appears in the Memory Locations window. In the New Memory Location dialog, you can Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) any General Property to enable or disable all properties. You can also Controlclick (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) any property to toggle its state and the state of all other General Properties.
Recalling Memory Locations Editing Memory Locations Memory Locations can be recalled from the Memory Locations window and from the numeric keypad. Additionally, Memory Location Markers can be recalled by clicking them in the Markers ruler. Memory Locations can be renamed, edited, deleted, and copied and pasted. To recall a Memory Location: 1 Select Window > Memory Locations to display the Memory Locations window.
3 In the Memory Location dialog, select the General Properties you want to save with the Memory Location. 4 Enter a name for the Memory Location and click OK. To change a Memory Location from one type to another: To move a Marker by dragging: In the Markers ruler, drag the Marker left or right. If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event snaps to the current Grid value. If using Spot mode, the Spot dialog opens.
To delete all Memory Locations, do one of the following: To extend an Edit selection in a track to the Markers ruler: Choose Delete All from the Memory Locations Window menu. 1 Using the Selector or Grabber tool, select a – or – Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shiftclick (Mac) any Memory Location in the Memory Locations window. track range. 2 Shift-click in the Markers ruler. Shift-click again in the Markers ruler to remove it from the selection.
Memory Locations Commands and Options Main Time Scale Sub Time Scale You can select viewing and sorting options, along with commands for creating and removing Memory Locations, from the Memory Locations Window menu. Main/Sub Counters in the Memory Locations window You can click at the top of the Main Time Scale column for a pop-up menu that lets you change the Main Time Scale.
Sort by Time When selected, Markers are sorted by their order in the Timeline, followed by Selection and General Properties Memory Locations, which are listed in the order in which they were created. When Sort by Time is deselected, all Memory Locations are listed in the order of their assigned numbers. New Memory Location Choose this command to create a new Memory Location. Edit Opens the Edit Memory Location dialog for the selected Memory Location.
Chapter 35: Arranging Regions Placing Regions in Tracks Once you have created a region, it appears in the Region List. From the Region List you can drag it to a track to add to an existing arrangement of regions, or you can create a new track and start adding regions from scratch. The exact placement of regions in a track depends on whether the Edit mode is set to Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid (see “Edit Modes” on page 445).
Left to Right When enabled, regions are placed sequentially in a single destination (drop) track or on a new track (when dragging to the area below the last track or on to the Track List). 1 From the Region List menu, choose Timeline Drop Order > Top to Bottom. To set the Region List Drop Order: 2 Select multiple items in the Region List and Choose Region List > Timeline Drop Order, and then Top to Bottom or Left to Right.
If the selected items include mixed types of regions (such as audio and MIDI, or region groups and MIDI) the appropriate track types will be created and each corresponding item will be placed in them. Similarly, if the selected items include multiple formats (mono, stereo, or other) new tracks of each format will be created and those regions placed in them.
Aligning Region Start Points The start, end, and sync point of one region can be aligned to the start of a different region on another track. 3 Do one of the following: • Control-Start-drag (Windows) or Command-Control-drag (Mac) a region from the Region List to another track. – or – With Pro Tools HD, when the Scrolling option is set to Center Playhead, region start, end, and sync points align to the playhead.
Sliding Regions A region or group of selected regions (on the same track or on multiple tracks) can be slid with the Time Grabber tool to new locations or to other tracks. This feature is useful in post production applications where the timing of audio events such as sound effects and dialog need to be spotted to music, film, or video. Sliding regions is affected by whether the current Edit mode is set to Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid (see “Edit Modes” on page 445).
Shuffling Multiple Tracks and Multichannel Regions Selections across multiple tracks or on multichannel tracks can be shuffled. Unlike shuffling regions on a single track, any partially selected regions are cut and moved along with the dragged region. This lets you retain only the material that corresponds to the dragged region. To move one or more regions, or the Edit selection, with one of the Grabber tools: 1 Make a selection.
Separation Grabber To snap to the preceding region on a track: The Separation Grabber replaces the entire selected range on the destination track Timeline. 1 Do one of the following: • With the Time Grabber, select a region. – or – • With the Selector, select an area in a track that contains whole regions. The regions do not need to be adjacent. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Snap To > Previous. – or – • Right-click the region or Edit selection and choose Snap to Previous.
The selected region snaps to the following region on the track so that the two regions are “butt-spliced.” To slip regions: 1 Enable Slip mode (see “Edit Modes” on page 445). 2 Drag a region from the Region List to an empty track. 3 Drag a second region from the Region List to the same track, somewhere in the middle. The second region is placed wherever you release it. It does not snap to the first region as in Shuffle mode.
To spot a region: 1 Enable Spot mode (see “Edit Modes” on page 445). 2 Do one of the following: • Drag a region from the Region List, or drag audio files or sessions from a DigiBase browser, to an existing track. – or – • Click a region already in a track with the Time Grabber tool. 3 In the Spot dialog, select a time format from the Time Scale pop-up menu. Each of the fields in the Spot dialog are displayed in the chosen Time Scale.
Region Time Stamps Sliding Regions in Grid Mode When a region is created, it is time stamped relative to the SMPTE start time specified for the session. This Original Time Stamp is permanently stored with the region and cannot be changed. If a region is ever moved, it can easily be placed at its original position from the Spot dialog. Grid mode provides several useful capabilities for sliding and moving regions in track playlists.
Defining the Grid Value Absolute and Relative Grid Mode In addition to affecting the placement of regions, the Grid value also constrains Timeline and Edit selections, and determines how the Region > Quantize to Grid command works. Grid mode can be applied in Absolute or Relative mode. To set the Grid value: 1 Do one of the following: • From the View > Main Counter menu, select the Time Scale for the Grid value.
Replacing Audio Regions Replace Region Dialog (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) Use the Replace Region function to replace multiple instances of an audio region in a playlist with another region. This is useful in post production if you use a sound effect, room noise, or atmosphere region many times in a session, and later decide to replace one or all of the original regions with a different region.
Replace: All Instances of the Original Region Replaces all instances of the selected region that fit the On criteria with the replacement region from the Region List. • On This Track: replaces regions that fit the Match criteria and are on the same track as the original region. • On All Tracks: replaces regions that fit the Match criteria for all tracks in the session. • On Within the Selection: replaces regions that fit the Match criteria within the current selection.
To replace regions using the Region List menu: 1 Select a region in a track to be replaced. 2 Do one of the following: • Right-click the replacement region in the Region List and choose Replace Regions from the pop-up menu. • Select the replacement region in the Region List and choose Replace Regions from the Region List menu.
To change the location of a sync point: With the Selector tool, click at a point in a region and choose Region > Identify Sync Point. The new location is identified as the sync point for the region. You can also move the location of a sync point by clicking and dragging it. See “Dragging Sync Points” on page 729. Removing Sync Points Dragging Sync Points You can drag a sync point to another position in the audio region.
Shift Command Use the Shift command to move track material forward or back in time by a specified amount. The Shift command can operate on selections, regions, MIDI notes, MIDI controller data, and automation breakpoints. The Shift command works the same regardless of the Edit mode. For example, adjacent regions are overlapped in Shuffle mode, the Spot dialog does not appear when in Spot mode, and shifted material does not snap to the Grid when in Grid mode.
2 Choose Region > Edit Lock/Unlock. Press Control+L (Windows) or Command+L (Mac) to Edit lock or unlock the selected region. gion to another track). Time-locked regions can also be deleted. When separating a Time-locked region, any new regions will also be locked to their time locations. To Time lock (or unlock) a region: 1 With the Time Grabber, select the region or re- gions to Time lock (or unlock). The regions can reside on multiple tracks. 2 Choose Region > Time Lock/Unlock.
Allowing Editing of Edit-Locked Regions If you attempt to edit an Edit-locked region, Pro Tools warns you and prompts you to Cancel or Allow the edit. If you allow an edit that keeps any part of the region intact, the region remains locked. Muting/Unmuting Regions Choosing the Mute/Unmute Region command mutes playback of a selected region. Choosing the command a second time unmutes the region. Regions that are muted become dimmed to indicate their status.
Strip Threshold Sets the amplitude threshold (from –48 dB to 0 dB) for Strip Silence. Audio falling below this threshold is considered silence and removed. Audio above the threshold is retained and defined as new regions. Minimum Strip Duration Sets the minimum duration (from 0 to 10,000 ms) that the material below the threshold must last to be considered silence. Use this control to avoid countless small regions that may occur within a selection.
Using Strip Silence To strip silence from an audio selection: 5 To retain material before and after the new regions, adjust the settings for Region Start Pad and Region End Pad. 1 Select one or more audio regions. 2 Choose Edit > Strip Silence. Press Control+U (Windows) or Command+U (Mac) to open the Strip Silence window. Attack to be padded Decay to be padded 3 To set the naming scheme for regions created with Strip Silence, click Rename to open the Rename Selected Regions dialog.
To extract audio from an audio selection using Strip Silence: 1 Make an Edit selection. 2 Choose Edit > Strip Silence. 3 To set the naming scheme for regions created with Strip Silence, click Rename to open the Rename Selected Regions dialog (see “Auto-Naming for Strip Silence” on page 733). 4 In the Strip Silence window, adjust the set- tings for Strip Threshold and Minimum Strip Duration (Min Strip) until the Strip Silence rectangles appear in the selection. 5 Click the Extract button.
Slip Mode When inserting silence on multiple tracks in Slip mode, the following conditions apply: If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data, the selected range is cleared of audio or MIDI data and all underlying automation data on all selected tracks. If all selected tracks are displayed as automation data, silence is inserted only into the automation type visible on each track.
When using Duplicate (or Repeat) with MIDI notes that were selected with the Time Grabber tool, material is always duplicated one measure later, and is merged with existing track material (instead of replacing it). To repeat a selection or region: 1 If working with material that is bar- and beatbased, such as loops, set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats.
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Chapter 36: Region Loops and Groups Region Looping Pro Tools lets you loop audio regions, MIDI regions, and region groups. Looping regions is an easy and powerful way to repeat a single region on a track or regions across tracks for composing and arranging. Looping regions provides more flexibility than the Repeat and Duplicate commands.
Creating Looped Regions 3 In the Region Looping dialog, do one of the following: You can create looped regions using the Loop command or using the Loop Trimmer tool. For information on using the Loop Trimmer tool, see “Loop Trimmer Tool” on page 462. To loop a region: 1 Select an audio or MIDI region, or region group. You can also select regions across tracks for looping. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Region > Loop. – or – • Right-click the region you want to loop and select Loop.
To unloop a looped region: 1 Select the looped region. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Region > Unloop. – or – • Right-click the region you want to unloop and select Unloop. 3 Do one of the following: • Click Remove to unloop and remove all loop iterations except the first full loop iteration (source region). – or – • Click Flatten to unloop and create individual regions from each loop iteration. Region Ungroup functions on loops the same as using the Unloop command and choosing Flatten.
To select an individual source region or loop iteration, do one of the following: With the Grabber tool or Smart Tool, singleclick the Loop icon of the source region or loop iteration. – or – With the Selector tool, single click the Loop icon and drag to the left until the region is selected.
To copy and paste automation from the source region to loop iterations: 1 Select the source region. 2 Choose Edit > Copy Special and one of the Copy Special commands (All Automation, Pan Automation, or Plug-in Automation), depending on what automation you want to copy. Region groups can be placed on tracks alongside standard regions, and edited using many of the same editing techniques as regular regions.
Creating Region Groups To create a region group: 1 Select one or more regions on one or more tracks. (For more information on multitrack region groups, see “Multitrack Region Groups” on page 745). Region Group icon A region group on an audio track and in the Region List Region Group Timebase Format Selecting regions to be grouped on a single audio track The size of the selection determines the size of the region group.
Ungrouping Regions To regroup a region group: 1 Select any region from the ungrouped region To ungroup a region group: 1 Select a region group. group. 2 Choose Region > Regroup. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Region > Ungroup. – or – • Right-click the Edit selection and choose Ungroup. Press Control+Alt+U (Windows) or Command+Option+U (Mac) to ungroup selected region groups. The region group disappears, revealing all underlying regions and any nested region groups.
To create a multitrack region group: 1 Select regions across multiple adjacent tracks. Multitrack region groups create nested region groups of multiple regions by track before grouping them across tracks. The Regroup command supports multitrack region groups. Separated Multitrack Region Groups Selecting regions to be grouped across multiple tracks 2 Choose Region > Group. You can insert, move, hide, or delete tracks in multitrack region groups, but it may break the region group.
A region group is separated when you do any of the following: • Insert a track within a multitrack region group. • Move a track that is part of a multitrack region group so that it is no longer adjacent with the other tracks of the region group. • Hide a track that is part of a multitrack region group. Region Groups on Tick-Based Tracks When changing tempos, region groups on tickbased tracks adjust their length by adjusting the position of all enclosed regions accordingly.
Converting Samples to Ticks Editing Region Groups When dragging a region group from a samplebased track to a tick-based track, the length of the region group does not change. This is because region groups are converted from samples to ticks after they are moved into tick-based tracks. The length of the region group only changes with subsequent tempo changes.
Tabbing to Transients and Region Boundaries Recording With Tab to Transients enabled, the Tab key moves the Location Cursor to transients and region boundaries within a region group. When recording audio or MIDI, new regions are created over (in front) of region groups instead of being included in the region group. To record into a region group, first ungroup the region group, then record, and then regroup the region group. The region group will be recreated intact with the newly recorded material.
Region group files do not store the following: When changing tempo with region groups on tick-based tracks, you may need to Ungroup, redo or create new fades, and then Regroup in order to maintain the fades. • Automation • Plug-ins • Track routing • Meter map For information on working with fades and crossfades in Pro Tools, see Chapter 26, “Fades and Crossfades.” Importing and Exporting Region Group Files Pro Tools can export and import region groups as region group files (.
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Chapter 37: AudioSuite Processing This chapter explains the use of AudioSuite plug-ins in Pro Tools. AudioSuite plug-ins are used to process and modify audio files on disk. AudioSuite processing applies non-real-time, or rendered, audio processing to selected audio regions in your Pro Tools session. Depending on how you configure an AudioSuite plug-in, it will either alter the original source audio file or create an entirely new audio source file.
The AudioSuite Window When you select a plug-in from the AudioSuite menu, the AudioSuite window appears. From this floating window you can access and edit the controls for the selected AudioSuite plug-in. AudioSuite window, EQ III 1-Band shown AudioSuite Plug-in Selector From this menu you can select any AudioSuite plug-in installed in your Plug-ins folder. Plugins are listed in the Plug-in selector pop-up menu according to the Organize Plug-ins Menu By setting in the Display Preferences page.
Region List Applies AudioSuite processing only to selected regions in the Region List. Processing is not be applied to regions on the Timeline (playlists on audio tracks). If the Use In Playlist option is enabled in addition to Region List being selected in the Selection Reference pop-up menu, the processing will be applied to the selected region in both the playlist and the Region List.
Process Mode Selector If you have made a selection that includes multiple regions, this pop-up menu lets you specify whether AudioSuite processing is performed on a region-by-region, or entire-selection basis. Plug-in Settings Menu Lets you copy, paste, save, and import plug-in presets. Plug-in Librarian Menu Recalls settings files (presets) saved in the plug-in’s root settings folder or in the current session’s Settings folder.
Peak On Each Chan/Track Analyzes and processes each selected track individually. If you apply the Normalize plug-in to multiple tracks or a multichannel track in Peak On Each Chan/Track mode, each channel or track will be normalized independently, without regard to the other selected tracks. Peak On All Chans/Tracks Uses all currently selected channels and tracks for analysis.
AudioSuite Window Footer The AudioSuite Window footer provides controls for previewing and applying AudioSuite processing. Preview button Preview volume Preview Level meters In Mono mode, only the first channel of any selected multichannel region will be previewed. If you are processing using Region-by-Region mode, the Preview function will preview only the first region within a multi-region selection.
Process Undoing AudioSuite Processing Clicking the Process button begins AudioSuite processing of the selected audio. Processing can occur during playback (though it may take slightly longer). Processed files are auto-named with the region or audio file’s name and include an acronym for the chosen AudioSuite process. If you have processed an audio selection nondestructively, the Undo and Redo commands let you undo the selected AudioSuite process.
Using AudioSuite Plug-ins AudioSuite plug-ins can be applied to whole regions, partial regions, or selections that are made up of whole and partial regions across one or more tracks. When audio selected in the Edit window includes partial regions, the regions will automatically be split into two or more regions when they are processed. Processing is applied only to the selection, leaving other regions unchanged.
Follow these guidelines: • To process the selected region only in the track in which it appears, select Playlist for the Selection Reference. Alternatively, if you want to process the selected region in the Region List only, select Region List. • If you want to process and update every occurrence of the selected region throughout your session, enable the Use In Playlist button (and also select Region List as the Selection Reference).
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Chapter 38: Elastic Audio Elastic Audio provides track-based Real-Time and Rendered Time Compression and Expansion (TCE) and region-based pitch shifting (transposition). Pro Tools Elastic Audio uses exceptionally high-quality transient detection algorithms, beat and tempo analysis, and realtime TCE and pitch shifting processing algorithms. Elastic Audio lets you quickly and easily transpose the pitch of audio regions and tempo conform (beat match) audio to the session’s Tempo map.
Sound Design and Special Effects Use Elastic Audio to achieve special effects with extreme or widely variable TCE or pitch manipulation. Use the Varispeed algorithm to achieve tape-like effects for speed and pitch change. Film Scoring If you are scoring a film scene, use Elastic Audio to fit the music to the required duration. You can even use tempo changes to achieve accelerandos and ritardandos.
Locate and preview a loop in DigiBase at the session tempo: 1 Open the Workspace (Window > Workspace). 2 Navigate to the folder where you keep your drum loops. Double-click the folder name to open a volume browser of just the folder’s contents. 3 Select the loop you want to preview. Audition Paths for previewing are selected in the I/O Setup window (Choose Setup > I/O and click the Output tab).
2 Drag and drop the loop from the browser to 4 A new tick-based audio track is created with the Track List in the session’s Edit window. the Default Elastic Audio plug-in enabled (see Figure 1). If All Files is selected as the Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo option in the Processing Preferences page, you can also drag and drop audio files from the Desktop and they are imported as tickbased Elastic Audio.
Warp indicators Sample-based whole-file region Tick-based Elastic Audio–processed region Figure 2. Imported tick-based audio file with Elastic Audio processing Change the session tempo to change the tempo of the region: 5 Set any other options. 6 Click Apply. 1 Change the tempo from the default 120 BPM to 110 BPM (see “Tempo” on page 671). 7 In Figure 3 below, notice that the audio has been quantized according to the selected Groove Template.
Figure 3.
Elastic Audio Tracks Any audio track in your Pro Tools session can be Elastic Audio enabled. Elastic Audio tracks can be either sample- or tick-based. Sample-based Elastic Audio-enabled tracks let you apply realtime or rendered Elastic Audio processing by editing in Warp view, applying Quantize, and using the TCE Trimmer tool. However, only tickbased Elastic Audio tracks also automatically apply Elastic Audio processing based on tempo changes in the session.
3 From the track’s Elastic Audio Plug-in pop-up menu, select Real-Time Processing or Rendered Processing for Real-Time or Rendered Elastic Audio processing. Elastic Audio processing can be Real-Time or Rendered. Real-Time Elastic Audio processing is immediate, but it is more demanding of system resources. Rendered Elastic Audio processing is non-real-time, but is less demanding of system resources. If you are working on a system with limited resources, use Rendered Elastic Audio processing.
Elastic Audio Track Controls Elastic Audio Track Views Audio tracks provide controls for enabling Elastic Audio, selecting the Elastic Audio plug-in, and selecting whether Real-Time or Rendered Elastic Audio processing. There are two special Track Views for Elastic Audio-enabled tracks: Warp and Analysis.
Elastic Audio Analysis When recording, pasting, moving, or importing un-analyzed audio to an Elastic Audio-enabled track, or when enabling Elastic Audio on an existing audio track, Pro Tools automatically analyzes the audio for transient events. In Waveform view, the waveform initially appears grayed out because regions go offline during Elastic Audio analysis. Once the analysis is complete, the audio comes back online.
Pro Tools is very aggressive with its transient detection in order to detect every possible audio event. Consequently, it is possible to have erroneously detected events. These events will be analyzed with a low degree of confidence and can be filtered out by lowering the Event Sensitivity in the Elastic Properties window (see “Event Sensitivity” on page 789). Filtering out any false transients can result in higher quality Elastic Audio processing.
Elastic Audio Region Clip indicators Warp indicators Elastic Audio Region Clip indicator Elastic Audio Plug-in selector and pop-up menu To toggle between Real-Time and Rendered Elastic Audio processing, Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-Control-click (Mac) the Elastic Audio Plug-in button. About Rendered Files Pro Tools creates temporary files for Rendered Elastic Audio processing. These files are kept in an auto-created Rendered Files folder in the session folder.
Elastic Audio Plug-in Window Controls The Elastic Audio Plug-in window provides a set of controls in the window header that are common to all Elastic Audio plug-ins. Plug-in selector Track selector Librarian menu Settings menu Clip LED Target button Compare button Plug-ins Settings Select button Next Setting button Previous Setting button Elastic Audio plug-in controls Track Selector Lets you access any other audio track in the session.
Polyphonic The Polyphonic plug-in is a general, all-purpose algorithm that is effective with a wide range of material. For complex loops and multi-instrument mixes, use the Polyphonic plug-in. The Polyphonic plug-in supports region-based pitch shifting. The Polyphonic plug-in is the default plugin for previewing and importing from DigiBase browsers or the Region List.
Monophonic Varispeed The Monophonic plug-in is best suited to monophonic material where you want to keep the formant relationships intact, such as with vocals. The Monophonic plug-in is also well suited to monophonic instrumental lines, such as a bass track. The Monophonic plug-in provides no plug-in specific parameters. Use the Varispeed plug-in to link time and pitch changes for tape-like speed change effects, and post production workflows. The Varispeed plugin provides no plug-in specific controls.
Quality Select either Maximum or Low (Faster) from the Quality pop-up menu. Maximum is the slowest processing algorithm, but provides the highest quality results. Low (Faster) produces relatively good results and is much faster than the Maximum setting. Formant For audio material with clear formants, enable Formant to preserve the formant shape of audio when applying TCE processing. Audio with a fundamental pitch has an overtone series, or set of higher harmonics.
Event Markers Event markers indicate detected (or manually created) audio events. Event markers are only displayed in Warp view and Analysis view. In Warp view, Event markers appear as gray vertical lines that do not fully extend to the top and bottom of the track. With the Grabber tool in Warp view, you can drag Event markers to apply various kinds of warping depending on whether or not Warp markers are present in the region as well. In Warp view, you cannot add, relocate, or delete Event markers.
To relocate a Warp marker (without applying warping): With the Grabber or the Pencil tool, Startclick (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) and drag a Warp marker to a new location. To delete a Warp marker: In Warp view, do one of the following: • With the Grabber tool, double-click a Warp marker. • With the Grabber or the Pencil tool, Altclick (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) a Warp marker. • With any Edit tool, Right-click a Warp marker and select Remove Warp Marker from the pop-up menu.
To apply Telescoping Warp to a region: In Warp view, do one of the following: • With the Grabber tool, drag any Event marker that is after the last Warp marker in the region to the left or right to TelescopeWarp the audio that is after the Warp marker in or out. If no Warp marker is present in the region, one is created automatically at the region start. The region start remains anchored to its location on the Timeline.
Accordion Warp Range Warp Accordion Warp applies Elastic Audio processing on both sides of a singe Warp marker in a region. This lets you expand or compress the audio equally on both sides of a fixed point. Accordion warp is useful for audio files where the downbeat occurs in the middle of the region. Range Warp applies Elastic Audio processing between two fixed points in a region. To apply Range Warp, there must be at least two Warp markers present in the region.
Range Warp with an Edit Selection Pro Tools lets you apply Range Warp between bounding Warp markers, but keeps the timing intact between other Warp markers within an Edit selection. To apply Range Warp with an Edit Selection: 1 In Warp view, add a Warp marker at the first point that you want to fix to the Timeline. 2 Add another Warp marker to the end point Elastic Audio processing is only applied to the audio between the bounding Warp markers and the first and last Warp markers in the Edit Selection.
Warped Regions Out of Range Processing Regions that have been warped either manually or automatically by tempo change, quantization, or pitch shifting display a Warp indicator in the upper right-hand corner of the region. This indicator is visible in any track view. Since unwarped regions can reside on Elastic Audioenabled tracks, regions on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks do not necessarily display the Warp indicator.
Removing Region Warping If you have applied any warping to a region, you can remove warping and revert the region to its original duration. This can be useful if you are not satisfied with the results and want to revert to the pre-warped region. Warp markers are not deleted when applying the Remove Warp command, but any warping is undone. To remove region warping: 1 Select the region for which you want to re- Editing in Analysis View In Analysis view, you can add, move, promote, and delete Event markers.
Adding Event Markers To add an Event marker: In Analysis view, do one of the following: • With the Pencil tool, click at the location where you want to add an Event marker. • With the Grabber tool, double-click at the location where you want to add an Event marker. • With the Grabber tool, Start-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) at the location where you want to add an Event marker.
Deleting Event Markers To delete an Event marker: In Analysis view, do one of the following: • With the Pencil tool, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Event marker you want to delete. • With the Grabber tool, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Event marker you want to delete. • With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection that includes any Event markers you want to delete and press Delete or Backspace on your computer keyboard.
There are different Elastic Properties available in the Elastic Properties window, depending on whether the track is tick-based or sample-based. If the track is sample-based, a reduced set of Elastic Audio Properties are displayed. To change the Source Length of a region: 1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the re- gion. 2 Do one of the following: • Type the correct bar, beat, and tick values in the Source Length field.
Meter (Tick-Based Only) Elastic Audio analysis does not calculate meter and assumes all files are in 4/4. If you work with meters other than 4/4, use the Meter property to correctly identify the source meter. To change Meter of a region: 1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the re- gion. 2 Click in the Meter nominator field and type the correct number of beats per measure. For example, if the region is in 3/4, type 3. 3 Click the Meter denominator field and type the correct note value.
Reset Click the Reset button to reset event analysis data for the region to match the original file. The Event Sensitivity property is reset to 100%. Input Gain It is possible to encounter clipping when time compressing audio. Real-Time Elastic Audio plug-ins provide a Clip indicator to let you know when clipping has occurred and the Elastic Audio plug-in button turns red.
4 Do one of the following: • Adjust the Transpose By settings by an amount in semitones and cents. – or – • Adjust the Transpose From and To settings by an amount in Semitones and Cents. Elastic Properties window To transpose the pitch of an audio region in the Transpose window: 1 Make sure the region, or regions, you want to Transpose are on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks (using the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form algorithm).
To remove region pitch shifting: 1 Select the region for which you want to re- move warping. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Region > Remove Pitch Shift. – or – • With any Edit tool, Right-click the region and select Remove Pitch Shift. Remove Pitch Shift can only be applied to regions and cannot be applied to region groups. To remove pitch shifting from region groups you must first ungroup the region, then apply Remove Pitch Shift to the underlying regions, and then regroup those regions.
Moving Elastic Audio Between Tracks Pro Tools analyzes, conforms, and commits audio in different ways when moving audio regions between tracks with Elastic Audio enabled and tracks without Elastic Audio enabled. Table 39 on page 793 shows the different results for moving regions between real-time Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, Rendered Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, and audio tracks without Elastic Audio. Table 39.
Fades and MicroFades Fades and Elastic Audio Processing When applying fades to warped regions (regions that have been processed by Elastic Audio), the audio selected for the fade is first rendered and then the fade is generated based on the rendered audio file. While you can create fades and crossfades on regions on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, neither Real-Time nor Rendered Elastic Audio processing can be applied to fades.
Elastic Audio Preferences The Elastic Audio settings in the Processing Preferences page determine which Elastic Audio plug-in is used for preview and import, and whether or not new tracks are created with Elastic Audio enabled using the selected default plug-in. Default Input Gain Lets you attenuate the signal input to Elastic Audio plug-ins by 0 to –6 dB for preview and import.
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Chapter 39: Event Operations Event Operations Window The Event Operations window provides commands to transform groups of MIDI notes to affect pitch, timing, and phrasing. The Quantize and Restore Performance Event Operations can also be applied to audio region start times (or sync points) and Elastic Audio events. The Transpose Event Operation can also be applied to whole regions on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
If the Event Operations window is already open, you can select any of the pages from the pop-up menu at the top of the window. To apply an Event Operations command, do one of the following: Click Apply or press Enter on the numeric keypad. This applies the command and leaves the window in the foreground. – or – Press Enter on the alphanumeric keyboard (Windows) or Return (Mac). This applies the command and closes the window.
To select Groove Quantize: You can also quantize MIDI input, see “Input Quantize” on page 820. The settings in the Quantize window are saved with each session. To store your favorite settings for use in future sessions, save them as part of a session template (see “Session Templates” on page 123). To open the Quantize window: Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize. Press Alt+0 on Windows or Option+0 on Mac to open the Quantize window. From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select a groove template.
If the options for both Note On and Note Off are selected, the Preserve Note Durations option is unavailable. Figure 5 shows how MIDI notes are adjusted by the different What To Quantize options. before quantize Elastic Audio Events When selected in the What to Quantize pop-up menu, Quantize is applied to detected transient events within the Edit selection on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks. Quantization can be applied to mixed selections of MIDI notes and Elastic Audio events.
Randomize When selected, MIDI notes, Elastic Audio events, and audio regions are moved randomly forward or back in time (after the Quantize occurs). For example, with the Quantize Grid set to eighth notes and Randomize set to 50%, notes and events are placed up to a 32nd note before or after the beat boundary. The Randomize setting also affects note durations (if Releases is selected). Figure 6 shows the Quantize Grid set to quarter notes with the Include Within option set to 50%.
Grid Quantize Examples The following examples illustrate some of the more common uses for Grid Quantize. If you intend to loop playback while quantizing, you may want to deselect Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection. This ensures that the play range does not change when selected events are moved in the course of quantizing and undoing. After quantizing, you can use Restore Performance to revert to the original version (see “Restore Performance” on page 810.
Quantizing with Swing Quantizing with Randomize If you are working with MIDI hi-hats or bass lines or audio equivalents, you may want to apply more of a swing feel when quantizing. If quantized events sound too mechanical or “on the beat,” use the Randomize option in the Quantize window to make them sound more natural. To quantize with an eighth note swing feel: 1 Select the range of MIDI notes, Elastic Audio events, or audio regions to be quantized. 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize.
Groove Quantize Groove Templates In the Quantize window, you can apply Groove Quantize when a groove template is selected in the Quantize Grid pop-up menu. Groove quantize adjusts MIDI note locations and durations, Elastic Audio events, and audio regions according to a groove template rather than a strict quantization grid. Groove templates extract the particular rhythmic feel of a recorded audio or MIDI performance so that is can be applied to another MIDI sequence or audio selection.
Quantize Grid Pop-Up Menu Determines which groove template to use for quantization. All groove template files in the Grooves folder are available in the Quantize Grid pop-up menu. For example, if an event was played at Bar 1|1|060 (a 16th note), and the corresponding template event is at 1|1|073, a slider value of 100% results in the event being shifted to 1|1|073 (a slider value of 200% shifts the note to 1|1|086).
Slider Settings To Save the groove template with the current Options Slider Settings: 1 In the Quantize window, select Recall with Template if you want to restore all Groove Quantize Options to the settings that are saved with the current template 2 Click the Save button. 3 Enter or edit any comments you want to save with the template. 4 Do one of the following: • Click the Save button to save the groove template with the current Options Slider Settings.
Figure 8. A DigiGroove template (derived from the audio shown) applied to a series of sixteenth-notes with Timing and Velocity both set to 100% Template Mapping for Equal Meters And Odd Numbered Bars Mapping Groove Templates Pro Tools applies groove templates relative to the song start. For example, a two-bar groove template repeats starting at every odd-numbered bar in the session (bar 1, 3, 5, 7…).
Template Mapping for Equal Meters And Even Bars If a selection starts on an even bar, only the appropriate portion of the groove template will be used. For example, if the selection is two bars long and starts on an even bar, the template applies bar 2 before bar 1. If the Groove Template contains more beats than the selection on a track, such as a one-bar template in 6/4 being applied to a two-bar selection in 4/4, only uses the appropriate number of beats.
audio regions without applying TCE, and is especially useful when working with “one-shot” regions (single-event regions) such as sliced regions or region groups. 3-bar selection of changing meters (not used) 4/4 bar 1 4/4 bar 1 Use Restore Performance to undo quantization of audio and MIDI. See “Restore Performance” on page 810. To quantize Elastic Audio events: 1 Select the audio you want to quantize on Elas- 4/4 bar 1 tic Audio-enabled tracks.
Quantizing Audio Regions Quantizing Mixed Selections Pro Tools lets you quantize audio region start times (or sync points) using the Quantize operation. Audio region start times (or sync points) are quantized to the nearest quantize grid value. You can apply Quantize to both MIDI notes and audio regions, or both MIDI notes and Elastic Audio events at the same time. However, you cannot apply Quantize to both audio regions (non-Elastic Audio) and Elastic Audio events at the same time.
Duration Restores the original durations of the selected notes. If the Timing (Quantization) option is not enabled, the start times of selected notes are not restored and the end times are affected. Duration has no effect on audio. Velocity Restore the original velocities of the selected notes. Velocity has no effect on audio. Pitch Restores the original pitches of the selected notes and pitch shifted Elastic Audio regions.
Flatten Performance The Flatten Performance command “locks in” the current performance for selected notes, creating a new “restore to” state for the specified note attributes when using Restore Performance. Velocities can also be edited manually with the Pencil and Grabber tools (see “Manually Editing MIDI Notes” on page 582). Event Operations window, Flatten Performance page The Flatten Performance command can be undone.
Note On Applies the Change Velocity options to the MIDI Note On. Note Off Applies the Change Velocity options to the MIDI Note Off. While there are options for adjusting both the Note On (attack) and Note Off (release) velocities for notes, most MIDI devices ignore release velocity information. To see if your instrument supports release velocities, refer to the manufacturer’s documentation.
Preserving Existing Velocity Relationships To partially preserve the existing velocity relationships and still achieve velocity fades, use the option for Change Smoothly by Percentage. Figure 9 illustrates the difference between the two Change Smoothly options. Change Duration The Change Duration command adjusts durations for selected MIDI notes. Use it to affect the articulation of the selected notes by making them more staccato or legato.
Set/Add/Subtract/Scale Option Change Continuously Option Set All To Sets all durations to a length specified in quarter notes and ticks. The Change Continuously option lets you change the duration of notes continuously in ticks or by percentage. Adjust the Curve slider to modify the shape of the change. Add Adds to the durations by a specified number of quarter notes and ticks. Subtract Subtracts from the durations by a specified number of quarter notes and ticks.
4 Click Apply. The durations for the selected notes are reduced by 50%. With this option you may have to experiment with the percentage value to achieve the desired effect. To make notes more legato: The Transpose command can also be applied to whole regions on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks using the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form plug-ins. For information on Transposing Elastic Audio regions, see “Elastic Audio RegionBased Pitch Shifting” on page 790. 1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited.
Transpose (From and To) Transposes selected MIDI notes, or selected Elastic Audio regions, by semitones, as expressed by the difference between the source and destination pitches. Transposing from C3 to F#3, for example, transposes the notes up by an augmented fourth (six semitones). Transpose All Notes To Transposes all selected notes to the same pitch. Use the slider or the number entry box to enter the pitch to which to transpose all selected notes. This option is not applicable to Elastic Audio regions.
Select/Split Notes The Select/Split Notes window provides a complete set of tools to select and split MIDI notes based on a wide variety of criteria. Additional tools are provided to specify whether selected data is copied to the clipboard or to new tracks, whether the data is split to multiple new tracks or a single destination, and more. Other Criteria Velocity Enable the Velocity option to specify a range of velocities for selecting or splitting notes. Enter minimum and maximum velocities.
Selecting and Splitting Notes To select and split notes: 1 Do one of the following: • With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the range of MIDI notes that contains the notes. – or – • To affect all the MIDI notes on a track, click in the track with the Selector tool, so that it contains a flashing edit cursor. 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Select/Split Selecting a Pitch Range of Notes A common use for Select/Split Notes is to select a single note for the entire length of a region or track.
Selecting Notes in a Chord Another use for Select/Split Notes is to select only the upper or lower notes in a chord. Many times you may only want to affect the upper or lower notes in a chord—for example, to increase velocities or transpose pitches. Input Quantize When Input Quantize is enabled, all recorded MIDI notes are quantized automatically.
Step Input Step Input lets you use a MIDI controller to enter notes individually, one step at a time. This gives you precise control over note placement, duration, and velocity. With MIDI step input you can also create musical passages that might be difficult to play accurately, or at a fast tempo. When Step Input is enabled, each previously record-enabled MIDI or Instrument track is taken out of record enable, and if the Default Thru Instrument preference is defined, it is disabled.
Destination Lets you select the destination track for the Step Input from a pop-up list of all the MIDI tracks in your session. Enable Numeric Keypad Shortcuts When selected, Step Input options can be selected from the numeric keypad. See “Numeric Keypad Shortcuts” on page 823. Step Increment Undo Step, Next Step, and Redo Step The options in the Step Increment section let you set the spacing and duration of MIDI events entered using the Step Input operation.
While the note is being held, the Step Increment value can be changed, allowing you to create notes of any musical length. Redo Step Reinserts the last note that was removed by the Undo Step operation. Triggering the Undo Step, Next Step, or Redo Step Buttons The Undo Step, Next Step, and Redo Step buttons can be set to be triggered by an external MIDI synth, drum pad, or other controller.
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Part IX: Mixing 825
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Chapter 40: Basic Mixing In addition to the final mixdown, mixing tasks can occur any time during a session. This chapter covers Pro Tools mixing, including audio signal flow, output and bus paths, sends, and signal routing for submixing and mixdown. Format Compatibility Monitoring Check stereo mixes for compatibility with mono playback systems, and multichannel surround mixes for compatibility with stereo playback systems. (see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide).
Signal Flow by Track Type Pro Tools provides the following track types: • Audio • Auxiliary Input • Master Fader • MIDI Audio Tracks Audio tracks play audio from disk, record audio to disk, and monitor input signals when recordenabled or in TrackInput monitoring mode. Inserts on audio tracks are pre-fader. Sends on audio tracks can be pre- or post-fader. Mono and stereo audio tracks are available on all Pro Tools systems.
Auxiliary Input Tracks Common Uses for Auxiliary Inputs Auxiliary Input tracks provide the same signal routing options as audio tracks, except that their input must come from an internal bus or hardware input. Inserts on Auxiliary Inputs are pre-fader.
Master Fader Tracks Master Fader tracks control the master output levels of output and bus paths. When assigned to an active output or bus path, they provide post-fader effects processing and master level control for a main mix, headphone and cue mixes, stems, effects sends, and other signal routing applications. Master Faders support all track formats supported on your Pro Tools system.
Master Fader Meters Instrument Tracks Meters on Master faders always show post-fader levels, regardless of the Pre-Fader Metering setting in the Options menu. Instrument tracks provide the same audio signal routing options as Auxiliary Input tracks, except that their input must come from an instrument plug-in inserted on that Instrument track, or from a bus or hardware input. Master Faders and Paths Master Faders can be assigned to main or subpaths as defined in the I/O Setup.
Common Uses for Instrument Tracks VCA Master Tracks By playing back MIDI from or through an Instrument track you can control and monitor the audio from: (Pro Tools HD Only) • Instrument plug-ins, such as software synthesizers or samplers.
VCA Slave Track Control Indications VCA Master Track Controls Unlike VCAs on traditional analog consoles, VCA Master tracks in Pro Tools directly affect their slave tracks, so that the controls on each slave track always show their actual values: The controls on a VCA Master track affect the corresponding controls on the slave tracks in its assigned Mix group. VCA Master tracks have the following controls: • The output level of each slave track is indicated by the position of its fader.
Record Enable The VCA Record Enable button toggles the Record Enable status of only those audio, Instrument, and other VCA tracks that have already been record-enabled individually. You can then toggle record enable on and off for those tracks using the VCA Master Record Enable. To temporarily force all slave tracks to toggle their record enable status: Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the Record Enable button on the VCA Master.
To assign a new group to a VCA Master: 1 While creating a new group, select Mix or Mix/Edit as the Group type. 2 In the Group dialog, choose an available VCA Master track from the VCA pop-up menu. Track Membership in Multiple VCA Groups It is possible for a single slave track to be a member of more than one VCA-controlled group. In this case, the contribution of all VCA Master Volume faders is summed on the slave track.
This restricts all hardware inserts or plug-ins after the stereo plug-in to be stereo-in/stereo-out plug-ins (or the supported multichannel format). Window View Selectors Both the Edit window and Mix window provide Window View selectors to configure their views.
Displaying Views To display all views in the Mix or Edit window, do one of the following: Comments View Shows any text entered as comments in the Track Name/Comments dialog. For more information, see “Naming Tracks” on page 166. Select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) > All. – or – Click the Mix Window View selector (or Edit Window View selector), and select All. To display none of the views in the Mix or Edit window, do one of the following: Select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) > None.
Inserts View (Inserts A–E and Inserts F–J) Shows inserts (software plug-ins and hardware I/O inserts) in each track. For more information, see “Configuring Inserts View in the Mix and Edit Windows” on page 844. Click on the volume or pan indicators in the Edit window I/O View to adjust the volume or pan controls with a pop-up fader. Sends View (Sends A–E and Sends F–J) Shows send assignments in each track. Deselect to hide.
Delay Compensation View (Mix Window on Pro Tools HD Only) The Delay Compensation View displays the total amount of plug-in (TDM and RTAS) and hardware insert delay on each track, lets you apply a user offset of track delay, and displays the total amount of delay that Pro Tools applies to each track. The Delay Compensation View can be shown or hidden in the Mix Window.
Output Audio Path Output Windows Track Output Path selectors route the post-fader signals to the assigned output or bus paths. The Output Path selector routes the main track output to the chosen main or sub-path. Tracks can be routed directly to hardware output or internal bus paths and subpaths for submixing (main or sub-paths). Output windows provide the essential track mixing controls (such as track panning and volume), as an alternative to Mix and Edit window views.
Display of Multiple Output Assignments Inactive Outputs and DSP Resources When a track is assigned to multiple output paths, the Output Path selector denotes multiple assignment status and active/inactive status with the following indicators: Making a track output inactive silences the output, while retaining all automation and playlist data. Inactive outputs do not consume resources for TDM mixer connections, but any assigned plug-ins on the track continue to use their required DSP resources.
Sends Pro Tools lets you insert up to ten sends (A–E and F–J) on each audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Instrument track. Sends provide the following features: • Sends can be set as pre- or post-fader. Assigning Sends to Tracks To add a send to a track: 1 Make sure Sends View is enabled in the Mix or Edit window (see “Views in the Mix and Edit Windows” on page 836 for information). 2 Click the Send selector on the track and choose a path from the pop-up menu.
The send can be a mono or stereo (or any of the supported multichannel formats for surround mixing) output or bus path. To change the default setting for sends: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Mixing tab. 2 Do one of the following: • Select Sends Default to “–INF.” – or – • Deselect Sends Default to “–INF” and new sends will default to unity gain (0 dB). 3 Do one of the following: • Select Send Pans Default to Follow Main Pan.
Internal Mix Busses Pro Tools HD provides 128 busses and Pro Tools LE provides 32 busses for routing signals internally. Internal bus paths are useful for submixing and processing with plugins. Bus paths are defined in the I/O Setup dialog, and are available in all supported channel formats (mono, stereo, or multichannel, as supported on your system).
Assignments View Individual Send Views (A–J) This is the default Sends View, showing all five of the Sends A–E or Sends F–J sends on all tracks displayed in the Mix and Edit windows. Individual Send Views (such as Send A) provide send level, pan, and mute controls for a single send across all tracks.
To clear a send meter’s Clip indicator: To clear all meters, do one of the following: Send Assignment selectors Sends Views, A–E set to “A” and F–J set to “Assignments” Editing Sends in the Mix and Edit Windows (Individual Send Views) Individual Send Views (such as Send A) display all the controls of an individual send in the sends area of the Mix and Edit windows. These views provide full access to all controls for that send on all tracks.
Inactive Sends Sends can be made inactive. Inactive sends free their DSP and mixer resources, while retaining their position in track Sends View. Inactive sends do not output audio. However, Inactive sends retain all related automation playlists. In addition, edits made to regions on tracks with inactive sends can still affect the sends automation playlists. When opening sessions, sends will automatically be made inactive if the required hardware or other resources are not available.
Send Format and Track Compatibility Sends can only be copied to other tracks with a compatible send output format (mono, stereo, or other). In addition, the following conditions apply when moving or copying sends among tracks: • When copying a stereo send from a mono track to a stereo track, Send pan automation (if any) will be dropped without warning. • When copying a stereo send from a stereo track to a mono track, the left Send pan automation data is retained and the right side data is dropped.
Output Windows for Tracks and Sends To open a Send window: Click the Send Assignment button in the Mix or Edit window. Track outputs and sends can be opened for display and editing in dedicated windows. • Track Output windows provide track fader, pan, automation, solo, and mute controls. • Send windows provide send level, pan, automation, and mute controls. • Standard Output and Send window controls provide additional routing, assignment, and display settings.
Opening Multiple Output Windows Panner Linking Multiple track and Send windows can be displayed simultaneously using either of the following methods. Stereo outputs provide two panning controls, one for each side of the left/right pair. Multichannel outputs provide a multichannel panner. To open additional Output windows: Shift-click any Output Window button or Send Assignment button. To set a window to remain open when opening additional Output windows: Make sure the Target is disabled.
Inverse Linked Panning When linked and set to Inverse mode, panning moves are inverted or reversed in the other channels. Inverse panning reflects one side’s location and direction in the other side. For example, when enabled for Front Inverse, if you pan one side of a stereo track output from right to left, the other side will exactly mirror that movement and pan left to right.
Inverse Pan Reflects one side’s panning location and direction in the other side (for example, left- and right-channel Pan controls). Link and Unlink Lets you link and unlink left and right (or other) outputs in stereo (or multichannel). Unlinked mode provides discrete adjustment of individual sides, or channels. When linked, all changes affect all channels. See “Panner Linking” on page 850. Target Identifies the target of plug-in settings commands.
To display the controls for a different send on the same track: To use an Auxiliary Input track to monitor and mix external audio sources: Click the Send View selector and select the send. 1 Connect the audio outputs of your audio To assign a different send to the same track: Click the Send selector and choose an output or bus path from the pop-up menu.
3 Select an instrument plug-in from the first Insert selector on the Instrument track (such as Digidesign’s Xpand2). MIDI Input selector MIDI Volume control MIDI Pan control MIDI Mute MIDI Output selector MIDI Velocity meter Instrument plug-in 7 If you are controlling the Instrument plug-in from the Instrument track, you can also mix using the MIDI Volume and Pan controls in the Instrument View.
9 Assign the track output to the appropriate path or paths for monitoring. To monitor and mix audio from an Instrument plugin with multiple audio outputs: 1 Use an existing or create a new Instrument MIDI Input selector MIDI Volume control MIDI Pan control Audio Output selector MIDI Mute MIDI Output selector MIDI Velocity meter Audio Input selector (set to no input) track. 2 Choose View > Mix Window > Instruments to show the MIDI controls of the Instrument track.
9 Adjust the Auxiliary Input faders to mix the individual outputs of the plug-in. Instrument plug-in Inputs from plug-in outputs Discrete Submix Output Pro Tools lets you discretely route source audio through a submix. This is preferred for dither or other mastering processing, where you do not want unprocessed audio heard in addition to the processed signals. Use track outputs (not sends) to assign tracks to a bus path for discrete submixing.
You can also bounce a submix to disk to free up the voices for use by other tracks. See Chapter 43, “Mixdown” for more information. Send and Return Submixing for Effects Processing When you are submixing for reverb, delay, and similar effects processing, use sends to achieve traditional send/return bussing. You can use a real-time plug-in or a hardware insert as a shared resource for all tracks included in a submix.
Send and Return Submixes with External Devices The amount of effect is controlled by the level of the Send Level fader or the Auxiliary Input Volume fader. To create an effects return submix with an external device: 1 Assign each track’s main output to your main mix outputs. 2 Assign a send (mono or stereo) and set the send destinations on the source tracks to the output path connected to the external device. Configure the sends for pre- or post-fader, as needed.
Creating Monitor Submixes Route track sends to one or more Auxiliary Input tracks to monitor submixes in a studio environment. You can monitor the main mix in the control room on one or more pairs of audio outputs while you route a submix to another pair of audio outputs for a headphone or “cue” mix for the “talent.” For example, you may want to provide the bassist with a submix of the drums and their own track for overdubbing a new bass part.
4 Do one of the following: • Set the output of the Master Fader to the same path that you are using to send to an Auxiliary Input track. • Set the output of the Master Fader to match the path that you have chosen for your effects send. You can then adjust send levels to balance the source tracks, and use the Master Fader as a master level control for the entire submix. Soloing Tracks in a Submix Soloing any tracks implicitly mutes all other tracks, including Auxiliary Inputs.
Configuring Delay Compensation Engine The amount of Delay Compensation available for your session is set in the Playback Engine. The total amount of delay due to inserts and mixer routing for the entire session is displayed in the Session Setup window. There are three settings in the Playback Engine dialog to dedicate DSP resources for Delay Compensation: None Allocates no DSP resources for Delay Compensation. Short Allocates minimum DSP resources of Delay Compensation for each channel.
Delay Compensation View The Delay Compensation View displays the total amount of plug-in (TDM and RTAS) and hardware insert delay on each track, lets you apply a user offset of track delay, and displays the total amount of delay that Pro Tools applies to each track. The Delay Compensation View can be shown or hidden in the Mix Window. Delay indicator User Offset field Track Compensation indicator Delay Compensation View Delay Compensation view only shows the insert delay for each track.
To change track delay using the User Offset field: 1 In the Delay Compensation View, click in the User Offset edit field. 2 To set your delay value (in samples or millisec- onds depending on your current preferences), do one of the following: • Enter a positive number (with or without the “+” modifier) for a positive delay (later in time) or negative number (with the “–” modifier) for a negative delay (earlier in time). • Drag in the User Offset field to scroll to a new value.
To compensate for delay that exceeds the compensation limit, do one of the following: If the Delay Compensation Engine setting in the Playback Engine is set to Short, change the setting to Long. – or – If the Delay Compensation Engine is already set to Long, do the following: • Bypass the reported delay for the track by Start-Control-clicking (Windows) or Command-Control-clicking (Mac) the Delay indicator. The track information is grayed out once it is bypassed.
Delay Compensation for MIDI When Delay Compensation is active, a MIDI event that is recorded to sound “in time” with delay-compensated material actually is recorded late by the length of total delay in effect. To compensate, MIDI events are shifted back in time by the total session delay following each MIDI recording pass.
mix monitoring. For example, when recording a guitarist, they may want to hear themselves more in the cue mix than you will want to hear in the main mix. Example configuration using sends for cue mixes: 1 Assign each track’s main output to your main mix outputs. 2 Assign a send (mono or stereo) for each track and set the send outputs to output paths 3 and 4 on your audio interface. 3 Enable the FMP (Follow Main Pan) button on all of the sends so that the cue mix has the same panning as the main mix.
AudioSuite Dither Some AudioSuite plug-ins can automatically apply dither when processing. You can select this option in the Processing Preferences page. The Use AudioSuite Dither option enables a preset, noise-shaped dither for the following DigiRack AudioSuite plug-ins: • Gain • Normalize • Smack! • Sonic NoNOISE For more information on AudioSuite Dither, see the DigiRack Plug-ins Guide.
Using an Ethernet Control Surface with Pro Tools Using a MIDI Control Surface with Pro Tools Digidesign offers several Ethernet-based control surface options for Pro Tools. MIDI Control Surfaces add hands-on control to many Pro Tools functions, allowing you to adjust faders and knobs, activate transport controls, or edit plug-in parameters.
Connecting a MIDI Control Surface If your Pro Tools hardware includes MIDI ports, you can connect a MIDI control surface directly to your system. If it does not include MIDI ports, you will need to use a MIDI Interface, such as the Digidesign MIDI I/O or M-Audio MIDISPORT). USB MIDI control surfaces (such as the Command|8) and FireWire control surfaces (such as the 003) do not require an additional MIDI connection to your computer.
Enabling the MIDI Control Surface as an Input Device You must ensure that the MIDI control surface is enable as an input device in Pro Tools. To enable a MIDI control surface as an input device: 1 Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Devices. 2 Select the source port that you selected in the Receive From pop-up menu in the MIDI Controllers page of the Peripherals dialog. Enabling a MIDI input device 3 Click OK.
Chapter 41: Plug-in and Hardware Inserts Pro Tools provides up to ten unity-gain inserts on each audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument track. Audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument track inserts are pre-fader, and Master Faders inserts are post-fader. Plug-in Inserts Plug-in inserts are software inserts that process audio material on a track in real time. For example, the DigiRack EQ, compressor, and delay plug-ins supplied with your Pro Tools system can be used as real-time plugin inserts.
Insert paths require audio interface inputs and outputs, and are determined by the I/O Setup configuration of your system. can be controlled from the Auxiliary Input track. Using sends and other signal routing features helps maximize your system’s processing power. General Information When more than one insert is used on a track, they are processed in series.
Multichannel Plug-in Inserts Used on stereo and greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks. On greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks, the controls for all channels are generally linked together. Relinking may cause automation to be lost.
Voice Usage and Total Latency for RTAS Plug-ins (Pro Tools HD Only) With Pro Tools HD, the initial insert of an RTAS plug-in may cause additional latency, and will take up two additional voices per channel (one voice for input and one voice for output) in the following conditions: • When inserted on an Auxiliary Input or Master Fader track • When inserted on an Instrument track that does not contain an instrument plug-in • When inserted after a TDM plug-in on any kind of track For example, the initial inser
To show (or hide) inserts, do one of the following: In the Mix window (or Edit window), select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) > Inserts A–E or Inserts F–J. Inserts (A–E) View Indicating the Controller Focus For most control surfaces, only one plug-in can be focused at a time. ICON worksurfaces can have up to four plug-ins focused at once (using the EQ and Dynamics controls, and Custom Faders on your worksurface).
To make an insert inactive, do one of the following: Control-Start-click (Windows) or CommandControl-click (Mac) the Insert button. Right-click the Insert button and select Make Inactive. Inactive Hardware Inserts Inactive hardware inserts retain their assignments, but do not pass audio and do not consume any DSP resources. Hardware inserts do not provide a bypass control. You can use the inactive feature whenever you need to mute or bypass a hardware insert. Make the track inactive.
Ordering Recommendations You can insert a plug-in on a track by dragging one of its Plug-ins Settings (.txf) files from a DigiBase browser onto an available track Insert position in the Mix window. See “Dragging and Dropping Plug-in Settings Files” on page 891.
Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manufacturer (such as Bomb Factory, Digidesign, and Trillium Lane Labs), with individual plug-ins listed in the manufacturer submenus. Plug-ins that do not have a Manufacturer defined will appear in the “Other” manufacturer folder.
3 Click the Organize Plug-in Menus By pop-up menu, and select one of the view options. 4 Click OK. The Organize Plug-in Menus By setting is saved with Pro Tools preferences (it is not saved with the Pro Tools session file). Control Surface Support Digidesign control surfaces with multi-color LCDs (such as D-Control) indicate plug-ins as follows: • Plug-in categories (such as EQ) and plug-in manufacturers (such as Digidesign) are indicated in yellow (amber) text.
Moving and Duplicating Plug-in and Hardware Inserts You can move or duplicate an insert by dragging it to a different position on the same track or a different track. Inserts that are moved or duplicated retain their original settings and automation. The Plug-in Window The Plug-in window appears whenever you click a plug-in’s Insert button on a track. This floating window lets you edit the adjust the controls of any real-time plug-in insert in use on a track.
Track Selector Accesses any track in the session except MIDI, VCA, and Video tracks. Insert Position Selector Accesses any insert on the current track. Preset Controls Plug-in Settings menu Plug-in Librarian menu Compare button Plug-in Selector Lets you select any real-time plug-in installed in the Plug-ins folder (that is created when you install Pro Tools). Key Input Selector Lets you select audio on a particular input or bus and route it to trigger the plug-in.
Automation Controls Auto button Parameter Menu When in Learn mode, lets you select a parameter on the plug-in for mapping. If you click a parameter in the plug-in window while in Learn mode, this menu shows the name of the parameter. Additional Plug-in Controls Automation Safe button Plug-in Bypass button Automation controls in the plug-in window Clip indicator Auto Button Lets you enable individual plug-in controls for automation recording. See “Automating Plug-ins” on page 916.
Opening Multiple Plug-in Windows Multi-Mono Controls Link Enable buttons Master Link button Channel Selector Plug-in window (multi-mono 1-Band EQ shown) Master Link Button When enabled, links the controls on all channels of a multi-mono plugin so that they can be adjusted in tandem. Link Enable Buttons Let you selectively link or unlink the controls of specific channels of a multi-mono plug-in. Each square represents a speaker channel.
Target Window and Settings Shortcuts Editing Parameters Using a Mouse When multiple plug-in windows are open, a highlighted target indicates the target window. Pro Tools keeps a single plug-in target window. Opening a new plug-in opens it as the new target window, in the same location. In addition, the plug-in target window is also the focus of keyboard shortcuts for plug-in settings. You can adjust rotary controls by dragging horizontally or vertically.
2 Change the value by doing one of the follow- ing. • To increase a value, press the Up Arrow on your keyboard. • To decrease a value, press the Down Arrow on your keyboard. • Type the value. In fields that support values in kilohertz, typing “k” after a number value will multiply the value by 1,000. For example, type “8k” to enter a value of 8,000.
Using a Key Input for External SideChain Processing To use a key input for external side-chain processing: 1 Click the plug-in’s Key Input selector and se- lect the input or bus carrying the audio you want to use to trigger the plug-in. Plug-in Presets Pro Tools makes it easy to create your own library of plug-in settings, or presets. Using the Plug-in Settings menu, you can copy, paste, save, and import these settings from plug-in to plug-in, or from session to session.
Copy Settings Copies the current plug-in settings. You can then apply these settings to the same type of plug-in on a different track by choosing the track in the Plug-in window and pasting the settings with the Paste Settings command. Set Root Settings Folder Selects a location or root folder for saving and importing presets. This root settings folder must be named “Plug-in Settings.” Use this command only if you want to choose a location other than the default Plug-in Settings folder.
Creating Subfolders for Settings To import a preset: To make it easier to find specific types of settings, you can subdivide settings files by creating subfolders for them. 1 Choose Import Settings from the Plug-in Settings menu. 2 Locate the settings file you want to import To create a settings subfolder: and click Open. Pro Tools loads the setting and copies it to the root destination folder. 1 From the Plug-in Settings menu, choose Save Settings.
To change plug-in presets using the +/– buttons: Click the Plus (+) or Minus (–) buttons to select the next or previous preset. The next (or previous) preset is enabled, and the Plug-in Librarian menu changes to show the name of the new preset. You will lose the current plug-in settings if they are not saved before you use the Next and Previous Setting buttons. Always save your plug-in settings to the selected Root Settings folder.
3 Enter a value for the number of seconds that will elapse between each preset change. 4 Select the Increment Setting option. After the specified number of seconds, Pro Tools selects the next preset. 5 When you are finished auditioning presets, do one of the following: • Click Done to stop incrementing patches, and to close the Plug-in Settings dialog. – or – • Deselect the Increment Patch option to stop incrementing patches and keep the Plug-in Settings dialog open.
Dragging and Dropping Plug-in Settings Files You can insert a plug-in with a specific plug-in settings file, as well as change plug-in settings of inserted plug-ins by dragging and dropping plug-in settings files from a DigiBase browser, Windows Explorer, or the Mac Finder. To insert a plug-in by drag and drop: Drag and drop a plug-in settings file from a DigiBase browser, Windows Explorer, or the Mac Finder to an Insert in the Mix (or Edit) window.
You can also use multiple map presets on different instances of a plug-in at the same time. This is useful for virtual instrument plug-ins with multiple configurations, or for multi-user workflows on large systems. You can set a custom plug-in map to be the default map for a plug-in, so that the same map is used for all default instances of that plug-in. Plug-in Map Files Plug-in maps can be exported (as .
Learn Button Puts the plug-in in Learn mode, where you can map plug-in parameters to a control surface. Parameter Menu When in Learn mode, lets you select a parameter on the plug-in for mapping. If you click a parameter in the plug-in window while in Learn mode, this menu shows the name of the parameter. Plug-in Map controls can be shown or hidden. To show (or hide) Plug-in Map controls: Select (or deselect) View > Plug-in > Map Controls.
4 On the control surface, do one of the follow- ing: • Turn the encoder or press the channel Select switch where you want to map the parameter. – or – • If the control surface is in Flip mode, move the fader or press the channel Select switch where you want to map the parameter. 5 Repeat steps 3-4 for each parameter you want to map. 3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is focused on the control surface.
3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose Save Map As. 4 Enter a name for the plug-in map. 5 Click OK. The new copy becomes the active plug-in map. To rename a custom plug-in map: 1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to re- To delete all plug-in maps from the system: 1 Open any plug-in in the session. 2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose Delete All Maps. 3 Click Delete. Setting a Custom Plug-in Map as the Default Map name. 2 Choose the map you want to rename from the Map Presets pop-up menu.
To set a custom plug-in map as the default plug-in map: 1 Open the plug-in whose default plug-in map you want to change. When exporting plug-in maps, you can choose to save individual map files for each plug-in, or a single map file containing all the plug-in maps for the system. 2 Choose the map you want to use as the new On D-Control and D-Command systems, when you export all plug-in maps, you are also exporting Custom Fader Plug-in mapping to the same file.
Bypassing Plug-ins Plug-ins can be bypassed from their Plug-in window, or from the Mix and Edit window Inserts View. When a plug-in insert is bypassed, the Insert selector in the Mix window changes its color to blue for easy visual reference. If some, but not all channels of an unlinked multi-mono plug-in are bypassed, the Insert selector appears purple. To bypass a plug-in, do one of the following: Click the Plug-in window’s Effect Bypass button.
2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels 4 Make sure the insert path is set to the correct whose controls you want to link. For example, on plug-ins that do provide discrete LFE controls from the LFE Enable button, you can link all channels except the LFE by highlighting the icons representing the five full-range speakers in a multi-mono plug-in. format (mono, stereo, or other). 5 Map inserts in the Channel Grid as needed.
Connecting and Integrating External Devices Pro Tools can create dedicated connections to external analog or digital devices. The number and type of connections depends on what kind of system you have. To connect an external device to a Pro Tools system: 1 Connect an unused output (or pair of outputs for a stereo device) of your Pro Tools system to an input of the external signal processor.
If you set the Optical Format to S/PDIF, Pro Tools will watch the Optical port for any audio input, and ignore any audio input on the S/PDIF RCA jacks. Using External Clock Sources (for Recording and Monitoring) When recording or monitoring, Pro Tools can synchronize to an external clock source. Options for external clock vary according to the type of Pro Tools system you are using.
Chapter 42: Automation Pro Tools features dynamic automation of mixing controls on each of the track types. You can write automation moves and view them in real time during playback of your session. You can also edit automation data with the same techniques you use to edit audio and MIDI data.
Automation Playlists Each Pro Tools track contains a single automation playlist for each automatable parameter.
MIDI and Instrument Tracks On MIDI tracks and Instrument tracks, all controller automation data except for MIDI Mute data, or audio mute (Instrument tracks only), is stored in the MIDI region that contains it. Each edit playlist on the track is separate, and represents a distinct performance, complete with controller automation. MIDI Mute data is independent of the MIDI data in a MIDI region.
Automation Modes Automation modes control how a track’s automation data is written and played back. Each track provides an Automation Mode selector for selecting the track’s Automation mode. “After Write Pass, Switch To” Option You can set Pro Tools to automatically change to Touch mode or Latch mode, or remain in Write mode after the completion of an automation pass in Write mode. To set the Automation mode after a Write pass: Off Mode 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
Latch Mode Latch mode works in the same way as Touch mode, writing automation only if you touch or move a control. However, unlike Touch, writing of automation continues until you stop playback or “punch out” of the automation pass by changing the Automation mode to Read or Touch. To enable AutoJoin from Pro Tools: 1 Choose Window > Automation. 2 Click the AutoJoin button. AutoMatch can be applied to a Latch automation pass. See “AutoMatch Time” on page 909.
AutoJoin Indicator Touch/Latch Mode After a Latch automation pass with AutoJoin enabled, the AutoJoin indicator appears in the Pro Tools Edit window. (Pro Tools HD Only) Touch/Latch Automation mode places a track’s Volume control in Touch mode and all other automatable controls in Latch mode. In Touch/Latch mode, the Volume control follows Touch behavior, writing automation when touched and returning to previously written levels when released.
When writing automation in Trim mode, fader moves write relative rather than absolute values. The existing automation data is changed by the amount of increase or decrease (or the delta value) indicated by the faders. When Trim mode is enabled, non-trimmable controls behave in the same manner as in the standard Automation modes, with the exception of Write/Trim mode, where non-trimmable controls operate as in Touch mode.
Latch Trim The “After Write Pass, Switch To” preference affects Write Trim mode. After an automation pass in Write/Trim mode, tracks automatically switch to the Trim mode version of the setting specified by this preference. In Latch Trim mode, Volume and Send level Trim faders are disengaged from the main automation playlist and follow any existing Trim automation. When a Trim fader is touched, writing of Trim automation begins.
Send Levels and Trim Mode (Pro Tools HD Only) You can set Pro Tools to exclude Send levels from Trim mode, so that only the Main Volume goes into Trim when a track is put into Trim mode. This gives you more flexibility in setting Send levels while in Trim mode. setting in the Automation Preferences page. When using high amounts of thinning, the resulting automation may differ noticeably from the original automation moves. Thinning only applies to audio tracks, and does not affect MIDI tracks.
Automation Safe Track Views Outputs, sends, and plug-ins can be placed in Automation Safe mode. In Automation Safe mode, any automation associated with an Output window (such as track or send level, panning, or mute), or plug-in on that track, is protected from being overwritten while automating other items on that track. You can view automation data by type by selecting the corresponding Track View.
Automation and Controller Lanes In the Edit window, you can view automation and controller data under a track (regardless of the selected Track View). Each track provides Automation and Controller lanes that let you edit track automation and controller data without changing the Track View. You can edit automation and controller data in lanes exactly the same way that you do in different automation and controller Track Views.
To resize the height of all Automation and Controller lanes for a track, do one of the following: To display the Trim automation playlist along with main automation playlist on tracks: Select View > Automation > Trim Playlist. Right-click on the vertical zoom scale just to the right of the track controls and select the height from the pop-up menu. Volume Trim data – or – Drag the bottom line of any given Lane Controls column up or down. The cursor changes to indicate that you can resize the lane.
AutoMatch Indicators There are triangular AutoMatch indicators at the bottom left of each channel strip in the Mix window. When lit, these indicate the direction the fader will automatically move when AutoMatching. AutoMatch indicator Automation window 3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa- Triangular AutoMatch indicators on a channel strip Writing Automation tion Mode selector on each of the tracks you want to automate, and set the Automation mode.
After the first automation pass, you can write additional automation to the track without completely erasing the previous pass by choosing Touch mode or Latch mode. These modes add new automation only when you actually move a control. (See “Automation Modes” on page 904.) To write additional automation to a previous pass: 1 Enable Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec- tion. 2 In the Edit window, make a selection or place the cursor in the location where you want to start writing automation.
To automate a switched control (such as the Mute button): 1 Perform another automation pass on the track. 2 When you reach the location of the mute state you want to remove, press and hold down the switched control (such as the Mute button). Setting Switched Controls for Momentary Behavior In some cases, such as when overwriting or extending Mute automation, you may want to momentarily write automation for a control by holding it down, and not have the control latch.
4 To display send controls, do one of the follow- ing: • Click the send to open the Output window for the send that you want to automate. – or – • Select View > Sends A–E (or Sends F–J) and select one of the individual views (such as Send A). 5 Start playback to begin writing automation. 6 Move the controls you want to automate. 7 When you have finished, stop playback. Send level, mute, and pan can also be configured to follow Mix Groups. See “Automation Preferences” on page 908 for information.
To enable plug-in controls for automation: To automate a plug-in: 1 Open the Plug-in window for the plug-in you want to automate. 1 In the Plug-in Automation Enable window, 2 Do one of the following: • Click the Automation Enable button in the Plug-in window. Automation Enable button make sure plug-in automation is enabled for the controls you want to automate.
Enabling Automation for All Plug-in Parameters To enable all plug-in parameters: 1 Make sure the plug-in window is open for the plug-in you want to automate. 2 Control+Alt+Start-click (Windows) or Com- mand+Option+Control-click (Mac) on the Auto button at the top of the plug-in window.
AutoMatching All Controls You can AutoMatch all currently writing controls to their existing automation levels. To AutoMatch all currently writing controls: 1 Choose Window > Automation. 2 Make sure the automation types you want to To AutoMatch all controls of one automation type: In the Automation window, Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the button for the automation type (Volume, Pan, Mute, Plug-in, Send level, Send pan, or Send mute).
To AutoMatch all controls for a plug-in displayed in the Dynamics or EQ section: Hold Control (Windows) or Command (Mac) and press the Auto switch in the Dyn or EQ section of the console. Priming Controls for Writing Automation in Latch Mode (Pro Tools HD Only) 6 While the transport is stopped, touch or move the controls you want to start writing at the beginning of the automation pass. When at least one control on a track is primed, the Automation Mode selector displays in red.
When you take a track or automation type out of Latch Prime during an automation pass, the corresponding controls AutoMatch to their currently written values. If you AutoMatch a control that is in a Latch Prime state, the control will no longer be primed. To take a track out of Latch Prime: Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the Automation Mode selector on the track. The selector button unbolds to indicate that the track is no longer primed.
Rolling Through Automation Punch Points in Latch Prime After you prime controls for writing automation while the transport is stopped, you can set Pro Tools to automatically punch in at that point after issuing a back and play command, or after rolling back and locking to time code.
To suspend automation for individual controls on a track: Suspend button 1 In the Edit window, set the Track View selector to show the automation playlist for the control you want to suspend. 2 Do one of the following: • To suspend writing and playback of automation for only the displayed control, Control-click (Windows) or Commandclick (Mac) the control name in the Track View selector.
Viewing Automation Enable Status Track Automation Mode Selectors When a track is enabled for automation but not writing automation, the Automation mode selector shows the mode in normal red text. When any control on a track is writing automation, the Automation mode selector shows the mode highlighted in red. Automation Window Buttons When an automation type is writing automation on any track in the session, the corresponding button in the Automation window displays bold red text.
Deleting Automation Automation data takes the form of a line graph with editable breakpoints. The easiest way to remove automation in a track or selection is to manually delete breakpoints from the automation playlist. Removing data in this manner is different from using the Cut command, which creates anchor breakpoints at the boundaries of the remaining data. For details, see “Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Automation” on page 932.
Using Smooth and Thin Data After Pass When this option is selected in the Mixing Preferences page, Pro Tools automatically thins the automation breakpoint data after each automation pass. In the default settings for new sessions, the Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option is selected, with the Degree of Thinning setting set to Some. In most cases, this setting yields optimum performance while providing an accurate reproduction of your automation moves.
Using Pencil Tool Shapes You can draw automation for audio as well as MIDI tracks. For example, use the Triangle pattern to control continuous functions, or the Square pattern to control switched functions such as Mute or Bypass. Since the Pencil tool draws these shapes using the current Grid value, you can use it to perform panning in tempo with a music track, or on frame scene changes when working in post production.
Graphical Editing of Automation Data Automation data takes the form of a line graph with editable breakpoints. By dragging these breakpoints, you can modify the automation data directly in the Edit window and MIDI Editor windows. When you drag an automation breakpoint up or down, the change in value is numerically or textually indicated. Automation breakpoint value Automation breakpoint Using the Pencil Tool The Pencil tool lets you create new breakpoints by clicking once on the graph line.
Editing Pan Automation Editing Stepped Control Automation Drag a breakpoint down to pan right, and up to pan left. Drag a breakpoint to the left or right to adjust the timing of the panning moves. Automation for certain controls (such as MIDI controller values or plug-in settings) appears as a stepped pattern on the breakpoint line. Drag a breakpoint up or down to a different step to change to a new control value. Drag a breakpoint to the left or right to adjust the timing of the stepped control change.
To edit several breakpoints at once: Use the Selector tool to select a range in the automation playlist that contains the breakpoints, and do one of the following: • To move the breakpoints earlier or later in the track, press the Plus key (+) to nudge them later (to the right) or the Minus key (–) to move them earlier (to the left). The breakpoints move by the current Nudge value.
Editing Automation on Stereo and Multichannel Tracks Stereo and multichannel tracks display a single automation playlist per track. Only one playlist for volume and mute is available for the stereo or multichannel track. Plug-in Automation Playlists on Stereo and Multichannel Tracks Some multichannel plug-ins provide a single set of automatable controls for all channels in a track.
(of continuous controls, such as Volume faders or pans) or state (of switched or stepped controls, such as Mutes) of the automation data both inside and outside the selection. The following illustrations show the difference between cutting and deleting automation data. In Figure 10, a track is set to display volume automation, and a range of automation data is selected.
In addition, if cut or copied data is pasted elsewhere in a track, breakpoints are created at the end points of the pasted data to preserve its “neighboring” (incoming and outgoing) automation value and slope, as shown in Figure 13. To edit all automation types on an Auxiliary Input or Master Fader track, do one of the following: Make an Edit selection that includes at least one audio or MIDI track that is displayed in its main format. – or – Press Control while cutting or copying the automation data.
If cut or copied data contains a type of automation not currently on the target track, Pro Tools prompts you before allowing you to paste the data. Cut or copied automation data for plug-ins or sends that do not exist on the target track is ignored when pasted.
To Current Automation Type Pastes the automation data or MIDI controller data from the clipboard to the selection as current automation type or MIDI controller. This lets you copy automation from any type to any other type. For example, you can copy a Left Pan automation to Plug-in automation. Or, you can copy MIDI volume data and paste it to MIDI pan.
To apply a Glide Automation to the current automation parameter type: 1 In the Automation window, make sure the au- tomation type is write-enabled. 2 Click the Track View selector to choose the au- tomation type you want to automate. 3 Drag with the Selector tool in the track to se- lect the area you want to write the glide to. 4 Change the automation parameter to the value you want at the end of the selection. For example, to glide automation volume to –Infinity, move the Volume fader to –Infinity.
To enable Trim mode: In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automation Mode selector of the track where you want to trim automation, and select Trim. 3 Click the Automation Mode selector and se- lect Trim. 4 Start playback, and adjust the Volume or Send levels. 5 Stop playback to finish the Trim pass.
To set the method by which Trim Automation is coalesced: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing. The Trim automation is applied to the main automation playlist, Trim automation playlists are cleared, and Trim faders are returned to zero.
Optionally, Write Automation to Start, All, and End can be configured to always be applied automatically. See “Writing Automation to the Start, End or All of a Track or Selection on Stop” on page 940. For MIDI automation, the Write To commands only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI Mute. MIDI parameters cannot use the Write To commands.
6 When you reach a point in the track or selec- tion that contains the trim setting (delta value) you want to apply, click the Write Automation to Start, All, or End button in the Automation window. To configure Write on Stop modes to disable after an automation pass: 1 Choose Window > Automation. 2 Click to enable one of the Write On Stop modes (Start, All, End). 7 Stop playback.
Like the standard Write Automation to Start, End, and All commands, the Write Automation to Next Breakpoint and Write Automation to Punch Point commands do not operate when the Pro Tools transport is stopped. They only affect automation for those parameters that are currently write-enabled and currently writing automation data. 6 When you reach a point in the track where you want to apply the current settings, click the Write Automation to Next Breakpoint button.
6 When you reach a point in the track where 5 Start playback. you want to apply the current settings, click the Write Automation to Punch Point button. 6 When you reach a point in the track where you want to apply the current trim values, click the Write Automation to Next Breakpoint button in the Automation window. To write current trim values to the punch point: 1 Choose Window > Automation.
To configure Write Automation to Next Breakpoint on Stop: 1 Choose Window > Automation. 2 Click the Write Automation to Next Break- point on Stop button or the Write Automation to Punch Point button. When this option is enabled, automation writing will be performed automatically forward to the next breakpoint after a valid automation pass has been performed. To configure Write Automation to Punch Point on Stop: 1 Choose Window > Automation. 2 Click the Write Automation to Punch Point on Stop button.
Applying “Write To” Commands to Selected Tracks The Write Automation To commands normally apply to all tracks currently writing automation. It is possible to apply these commands to selected tracks only. To apply any of the “Write Automation To” commands to currently selected tracks: 1 Select the tracks where you want to apply the Write To commands.
A mute event can be extended when the automation pass begins before an on or off event and stops before the end of the second event. To overwrite a mute state on one or more tracks: 1 Choose Window > Automation. 2 Make sure Mute is write-enabled.
7 Press Control (Windows) or Command (Mac) and the track Mute button before the start of the mute event you want to overwrite. To overwrite mute states on multiple tracks, press Alt+Control (Windows) or Option+Command (Mac) and the Mute button on one of the tracks to be automated. 8 After the end of the second mute event, re- lease the key and the Mute button. With Touch mode, you have to hold the Mute button for the duration of the write.
For MIDI automation, the Write To, Trim To, and Glide To commands only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI Mute. MIDI parameters cannot use the Write To commands. Example: Stop automation pass here, before end of mute event Stopping automation before the end of a mute event 9 When you have finished the automation pass, click Stop.
5 Adjust the controls you want to automate. You can also change a plug-in preset. 6 Choose Edit > Automation and do one of the following: • To write the current value to only the currently displayed automation parameter, choose Write to Current. – or – • To write the current settings for all automation parameters enabled in the Automation window, choose Write to All Enabled.
Capturing Automation and Applying it Elsewhere The Write Automation commands can also be used to capture automation states at specific locations in a track and apply them to other locations in the track. To capture and apply automation: 1 In the Automation window, make sure that the automation parameters you want to edit are write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose automation you want to preserve.
4 Choose Edit > Automation and do one of the following: • To write the current delta value to only the currently displayed automation parameter, choose Trim to Current. – or – • To write the current delta value for all automation parameters enabled in the Automation window, choose Trim to All Enabled. It is not necessary for the Allow Latch Prime in Stop preference to be enabled for Preview to put a control into Latch Prime.
The Automation Mode indicator on the track lights green to indicate that at least one of its controls is isolated, and the Punch Preview button in the Automation window lights to indicate a preview value is available to punch. 5 Start playback and adjust the isolated control to audition the changes. Taking Controls Out of Isolated State You can take controls out of their isolated state without leaving Preview mode.
Capturing Automation Capturing Automation Values You can capture the current automation values of actively writing controls. (Pro Tools HD Only) You can capture current automation values at one location in a session and quickly apply them in another location with the Capture and Punch Capture commands. The Capture command temporarily stores the value of all controls currently writing automation, and the Punch Capture commands writes those stored values to all enabled automation types.
To punch captured automation values: 1 Move to a location where you want to apply the captured automation states. You can do this during playback or while the transport is stopped. 2 Click the Punch Capture button in the Auto- mation window to apply the captured automation states. The captured states are applied to all automation types that are currently enabled in the Automation window.
Punch Capture and “Write To” Commands After issuing a Punch Capture command, the affected controls are writing automation (in Latch mode), so any of the Write Automation To commands can be used to extend the punched value in the same manner as other automation. Capture and Preview Mode Loading Captured Values into Preview You can preview and modify captured automation values in Preview mode before punching the values to the automation playlist.
VCA Master Track Automation (Pro Tools HD Only) Displaying Automation on VCA Master Tracks The following controls on VCA Master tracks can be automated and have separate automation playlists: • Volume • Volume trim Excluding VCA Slave Tracks from VCA Master Automation When you are writing automation on a VCA Master track, the corresponding moves will appear on the composite automation playlist of each of its slave tracks.
Coalescing VCA Automation There are several ways to commit, or coalesce, the contribution of a selected VCA Master track’s Volume and Mute automation to the automation playlists of its slave tracks. To coalesce automation from a VCA Master to all of its slave tracks and delete the VCA Master track: 1 Select the VCA Master track whose automa- tion you want to coalesce. 2 Choose Track > Delete.
Duplicating a Slave Track When you duplicate a slave track without duplicating its group assignments, the VCA automation is coalesced to the duplicate track. The coalesced duplicate plays back exactly as if it were in the VCA group. Coalescing Automation Across an Edit Selection You can commit VCA automation across an Edit selection in a VCA Master track, without committing the automation on the entire length of the track.
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Chapter 43: Mixdown Pro Tools lets you mix down by recording a mix to new audio tracks or by bouncing a mix to disk. Selecting Audio for Loops, Submixes, and Effects Recording to Tracks This is the process of submixing and recording the submix to new audio tracks, as you would any other track input signals. This method requires available tracks, voices, and bus paths to accommodate the submix and the new tracks. While recording to tracks, you can manually adjust mixer or other controls.
Dithering Bounce to Disk Dither can significantly improve audio quality when reducing the bit depth of digital audio. Bouncing to disk does not apply dither when reducing bit depth. To apply dither when bouncing to disk, you should insert a dither plug-in as the last processor in the signal path on a Master Fader assigned to the bounce source audio output path.
6 Do one of the following: • Play back the session to record (or “layback”) Pro Tools output to lower bit-rate media (such as a DAT). – or – • Choose File > Bounce To > Disk. In the Bounce to Disk dialog, select the appropriate bit depth (such as 16-bit for CD audio). Before being converted by the Bounce to Disk command, the signal is processed according to the resolution and noise shaping settings in the dither plug-in inserted on the Master Fader.
2 Set the main channel output of the tracks you want to include in the submix to a bus path. If you are using stereo or multichannel tracks, set the panning of each track. 3 Make sure Loop Record is not enabled. 4 Choose Track > New and create one or more mono, stereo, or multichannel audio tracks. 5 If you are recording in stereo, pan the new ste- reo track (or two mono tracks) hard left and right. 6 Set the input of each destination track to match the bus path from which you are recording.
Time Stamp Information Bounced material is automatically time stamped so that you can drag it into a track and place it at the same location as the original material. For more information about time stamping, see “Time Stamping” on page 1031. Bounce Options When you use the Bounce to Disk command, you can configure several file options. Bounced Files Are Delay-Compensated Pro Tools compensates for any bus and plug-in delays due to a bounce.
Enforce Avid Compatibility QuickTime Creates frame-accurate edits, wraps the files as OMFI (unless File Type is MXF), and limits the sample rate options to 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. Dither without noise shaping will be applied to files being exported from 24-bit to 16-bit. QuickTime is Apple’s multimedia audio file format. Pro Tools does not directly support this type of file in its sessions. To use a QuickTime audio file within Pro Tools, use the Import Audio command.
MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) The MPEG-1 Layer 3 compression format (MP3) is used for streaming and downloading audio over the Internet, and for playback on portable devices. The MP3 Export Option is required to use this file type. The MP3 Export Option is available for purchase from the online DigiStore at the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com). When you export or bounce to MP3 format, you can set the following options: Encoder Settings Encoder Speed Determines the audio quality of the bounced file.
While ID3 v2.3 is the current standard MP3 format, not all MP3 players support ID3 v2.3. Contact the developer of your player software for compatibility information. Title/Artist/Album/Comment Type the title, artist, and other information for the MP3 file. This information is displayed by many MP3 players. Genre Choose a genre for the file. This information is displayed by many MP3 players, and can appear in searchable catalogs and databases. Track Number If you select ID3 tag type v1.1 or v2.
Resolution Sample Rate This option lets you select between three different bit resolutions for the bounce conversion. This option lets you save to any of several sample rates. Choices are dependent on your Pro Tools system and Digidesign audio interfaces. Bounce to Disk does not apply dither when converting during or after a bounce to a lower resolution (including when bouncing to 16-bit).
48000 This is a standard sample rate for Professional and DVD video, as well as some broadcast and recording label archiving, and is supported by DA-88/98, DAT, and ADAT decks. loudness in the signal, and improved intelligibility. If you are converting a more complex 16bit audio file to 8-bit resolution, test this option before converting all of your material. 44100 This is the standard sample rate for compact discs (CD), and is supported by DA-88/98, DAT, and ADAT decks.
Recording a Submix (with Bounce to Disk) You can create a submix with the Bounce to Disk command by muting tracks or bypassing inserts that are not part of the submix, and selecting the part of the session you want to bounce; or, you could solo only the audio you want to bounce. You can also create a submix by recording to new tracks. For details, see “Sample Rate Conversion and Bit Depth Reduction” on page 961.
Final Mixdown In final mixdown, you create a mix that includes all your edits, automation, and effects processing. To bounce a final mix to disk: 1 Adjust track output levels, and finalize any mix automation for each track in the session. 2 Adjust any real-time plug-in and effects set- tings and their automation for each track in the session. 3 Make sure that all of the tracks you want to in- clude in the bounce are audible (not muted or inactive).
Mastering In the final mastering process, you might record directly to disk, DAT, DVD, CD, stereo mastering recorder, or a multitrack recorder (for surround mixes). Once you have created a master of your session, you can transfer it to a portable medium for duplication. You can transfer the master file to CD or DAT to be used as a master for pressing compact discs.
To configure Pro Tools for direct digital stereo mastering: 1 Connect your digital recorder to your system’s digital outputs. If your system has multiple digital outputs, use channel 1 and 2 of the audio interface. 2 In Pro Tools, set the appropriate digital format and output from the Hardware Setup dialog or I/O Setup dialog. (See “Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings” on page 50.) 3 Set the clock on the master device to slave to Pro Tools digital clock, or to provide master clock to Pro Tools.
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Chapter 44: Pro Tools Setup for Surround Surround mixing is provided with Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit only. Pro Tools supports mixing in the following multichannel (greater than stereo) formats: LCR, Quad, LCRS, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.1 and 7.1. This chapter explains how to set up and configure Pro Tools sessions for multichannel mixing. For information on fundamental surround concepts, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide.
To connect your audio interfaces for 5.1 format mixing and monitoring: 1 Determine the 5.1 format and track layout you want to use. Custom Multichannel Paths You can customize and redefine existing paths in the I/O Setup dialog. For more information, see “Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 978. 2 Connect the output channels of your audio interface to the corresponding input channels of your monitoring system according to the assignments listed in Table 45 on page 975.
To create a new session for multichannel mixing: 1 Choose File > New Session. The surround presets preconfigure the I/O Setup dialog for the new session with default 5.1 format main and sub-paths for outputs and busses. 2 Select the Create Blank Session option. 3 Select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and Bit Depth. New Session dialog, 5.1 Film Mix I/O setting selected 4 From the I/O Settings menu, select one of the following options: • 5.1 Film Mix Standard 5.
All three 5.1 format I/O Settings (Film, SMPTE/ITU, or DTS) provide the following default output and bus paths for the new session: To import a multichannel I/O Setup settings file: 1 Choose Setup > I/O. 2 Click Import Settings. Default 5.1 Output Paths • One 5.1 main output path, with sub-paths for 5.0 (no LFE), LCR, Left/Right (stereo), and Center (mono). – and – • One stereo main path with two mono subpaths. Default 5.1 Bus Paths 3 Select the settings file (.pio) to import and click Open.
In addition, the I/O Setup dialog, like the Main page of the Hardware Setup dialog, provides controls for routing the physical inputs and outputs on your audio interface to available inputs and outputs in Pro Tools. When creating 5.1 format paths, you can specify the default track layout. See “Default Path Order for 5.1 Tracks” on page 980. Remapping Channels The I/O Setup dialog and its Channel Grid also let you remap channels.
Pro Tools track layout of 5.1 format audio tracks in the Edit window also conforms to the Film layout (arranged top to bottom). See the illustration “5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering” on page 981. In the I/O Setup dialog, you can route these signals out of your audio interfaces according to any track layout (such as DTS or SMPTE/ITU). To re-map channels in a path: Drag a channel to a new valid location in the Grid. Other channel assignments will move (shuffle) to accommodate dragged channels.
5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering 5.1 Format Tracks Track Meters Channel Map in I/O Setup Film (Pro Tools Standard, and C24) L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE SMPTE/ITU (Control|24 Monitoring) L R C LFE Ls Rs same L C R Ls Rs LFE (top to bottom) L C R Ls Rs LFE same L C R Ls Rs LFE (left to right) L R C LFE Ls Rs DTS (ProControl Monitoring) L R Ls Rs C LFE same L C R Ls Rs LFE same L C R Ls Rs LFE L R Ls Rs C LFE Figure 14. Track layout of different 5.
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Chapter 45: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing This chapter explains how to route audio in Pro Tools for surround mixing. Multichannel surround mixing is supported with Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit only. In this chapter, all references to Pro Tools refer to Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit.
Multichannel audio tracks are not required to mix in multichannel formats. Mono, stereo, and all supported track formats can be mixed using Pro Tools track outputs and sends (see “Multichannel Signal Routing” on page 986). Placing Audio in Multichannel Tracks You can drag audio files and regions from DigiBase browsers, the Region List, Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder, or from other tracks, to place them in multichannel audio tracks.
3 Use the Channel selector to display the con- trols for a channel, and adjust the gain. See “Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-ins” on page 987 for more information. Multiple Output Assignments and Track Format When a track is assigned to more than one path of differing formats, the main output for that track will match the format of the assigned path with the greatest number of channels.
Multichannel Signal Routing To mix in a multichannel format, tracks are assigned to multichannel paths. Tracks can be mixed in surround using the following two methods: • By setting a track main output to a multichannel path. • By assigning a multichannel send to route audio to a multichannel path. Additional output assignments can be added by Start-clicking (Windows) or Control-clicking (Mac) the Selector tool and assigning another path.
Pro Tools bussing and submixing features are available for all channel formats, from mono/stereo through 8-channel. For examples of multichannel monitoring, effects processing, and bussing, see “Mixing with Paths and SubPaths” on page 988. For mono and stereo mix examples, see Chapter 40, “Basic Mixing.” Multi-Mono Plug-ins Are designed for use on stereo or greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks.
For example, to apply equal filter cutoffs to the Ls and Rs (surround) channels in a 5.1 mix, you could link enable just those channels in an unlinked, multi-mono EQ plug-in. Adjusting the controls in the plug-in window for either channel (Ls or Rs) adjusts the other, linked channel as well. To link the controls of specific channels: 1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al- ready deselected. 2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels whose controls you want to link.
Tracks routed to subpaths Tracks routed to main 5.1 surround path Auxiliary Input routed to main 5.1 surround path Effect bus routing Outputs to sub-paths Outputs to main 5.1 path for surround panning Figure 16. Using signal routing and sub-paths to mix in surround When to Assign Multichannel Outputs Assign 5.1 paths only to those tracks that need to be panned to all six channels. For example, a sound effects track with a jet flyover should be assigned a 5.
When to Use Sub-Paths To help simplify large sessions, use sub-paths to route static (or, stationary) elements directly to the output channel or channels. For example, film dialog is often mixed to the center channel to anchor this essential sound element to the picture. Instead of assigning a sixchannel panner to dialog tracks and panning the tracks to the center speaker only, you can route the dialog track’s main output to a mono (Center) sub-path.
Sub-paths have been defined for Mix, Music, and FX main output paths. Additional stereo output paths, with mono subpaths, have also been defined for the remaining channels. Example Sub-Paths Sub-paths let you route to selective channels within the multichannel surround output. In Figure 19, the Mix 5.1 bus has several sub-paths that show this. Example Bus Paths Figure 18 shows example bus paths. Figure 19. I/O Setup, example sub-paths 5.0 Sub-Path The 5.0 path is a 5-channel subpath.
Signal Routing Examples The following examples show how main and sub-paths can be used, using an example session consisting of a 5.1 main mix, with music and effects stems (or submixes). Submix Stem Examples Figure 20 shows a routing configuration for an effects submix. Two tracks are routed to stereo bus sub-paths, while others are assigned to an LCR and a mono bus sub-path. Two tracks (one mono, one stereo) are assigned to multichannel busses for surround panning. A 5.
Figure 21 shows a routing configuration for music tracks. Figure 21. Music stem Most of the music tracks in this example are routed to the front left/right channels, using a stereo sub-path. A 5.1 Auxiliary Input controls the bus and stem output. Multiple Output Assignments Multiple output assignments make it possible to configure a number of multi-format mixes. For example, you can assign an additional stereo output to tracks and create a stereo mix at the same time as a 5.1 mix.
Figure 22 shows a channel Output window, sending and metering to the LFE channel. LFE fader Main output to mono LFE channel Figure 23. Discrete LFE routing Figure 22. LFE contribution from a stereo output Using the LFE fader, you can add any amount of any multichannel path to the overall LFE output. In the above example, the track’s Center percentage has been turned off, and the LFE fader has been raised to route it to the LFE channel.
Chapter 46: Surround Panning and Mixing This chapter explains how to pan and mix in surround with Pro Tools. Multichannel surround mixing is supported with Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit only. In this chapter, all references to Pro Tools refer to Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit. Multichannel mixing is supported on Pro Tools|HD systems only. In this chapter, all references to Pro Tools refer to Pro Tools|HD systems.
Mix and Edit Window Panner Grids Pan Location Cursor Color while Automating In the Mix and Edit window, multichannel Panner Grids are displayed on tracks that have multichannel track or send output assignments. The Pan Location cursor is green when the track is in Automation Read mode, red in an Automation Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch, or Write modes, and yellow in Automation Off (or Automation Suspend) mode.
To open an Output window: Click the Output Window button (it’s the small fader at the right edge of the Output selector for a track in the Mix or Edit window (I/O View). Standard Controls All Output windows provide standard Pro Tools controls for routing, path assignment and other track features. These controls are located at the top of all Output, Send, Insert, and Plug-in windows. Some controls are specific to the type of window.
Surround Panner Controls When assigned to tracks or paths with four or more channels, the Output window provides an X/Y Grid for surround panning. The speakers associated with the panner’s multichannel format are displayed in their relative positions outside the Panner Grid. These speakers are also used as Snap Pan to Speaker controls. This section identifies all the controls and features found in Pro Tools multichannel panners.
The X/Y Grid and Pan Location Cursor The X/Y Grid is where multichannel panning information is input and displayed. You can input pan information using X/Y mode, 3-Knob mode, or by entering numeric values in the Position data fields. You can also edit pan automation graphically in the Edit window. Position Controls The Position controls let you set the positions of the panner. Position and Center % controls Front Displays and controls the current front Xaxis (left/right) position of the panner.
Front, Rear, and F/R Divergence Provide separate, automatable divergence control over front speakers, rear speakers, and between front/rear, respectively. Multichannel Panner Linking Stereo tracks with multichannel outputs provide left and right multichannel panners. The Output window provides controls to link the left and right channels for precise panning.
Panning Modes The Panning Mode button provides access to four panning modes: X/Y mode, Divergence Editing, 3-Knob mode, and AutoGlide mode. Panning controls can be automated in all four modes. To enable a Panning Mode: Click on the Panning Mode button in the Surround Panner until the mode icon is displayed. X/Y Panning To pan in X/Y mode: 1 Click on the Panning Mode button until the X/Y mode icon is displayed.
To snap the Pan Location cursor to a location in the Grid: Control-Shift-click (Windows) or CommandShift-click (Mac) at the location in the X/Y Grid. 3-Knob Panning Pro Tools provides 3-Knob mode as an additional way to input pan moves. 3-Knob mode lets you: Grid Options and Shortcuts Fine-Adjust Mode Hold down the Control key (Windows) or Command key (Mac) for fine adjustment of all Panner controls.
To enable 3-Knob Panning mode: AutoGlide Mode Click on the Panning Mode button until the 3-Knob mode icon is displayed. AutoGlide mode lets you quickly write Surround Panner automation by clicking new locations in the Surround Panner window, instead of manually moving the Surround Panner controls. 3-Knob mode icon Panner Mode button set to 3-Knob mode The panner trajectory line appears across the Grid, extending from the front (X-axis) to the rear (Y-axis).
4 Set a new destination for the cursor by doing one of the following: • Click a Snap Pan to Speaker icon to glide to its speaker location. – or – • Click in the pan window to glide to a specific location in the X/Y Grid. Snap Pan to Speaker icons Divergence and Center Percentage The Divergence and Center Percentage controls range from 0 to 100, and can be automated. They are especially useful for ensuring audibility and coverage in large venues, and to increase clarity of voices.
By default, Pro Tools surround panners are 100% or fully divergent, meaning that a signal that is panned completely to one speaker will only be audible in that speaker. Lower divergence settings result in a progressively wider source signal. When Divergence is less than 100%, tracks will be routed to neighboring speakers to some degree, even when the Pan Location cursor is positioned next to a single speaker.
To mix to the LFE channel: Adjust the LFE fader in any “.1” surround format Output window. For general information about LFE, sub channels, and related topics, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide. LFE Faders and Groups Pan Playlists Multichannel panners have an automation playlist for each position and divergence control. Pan automation can be drawn, edited, cut, copied, and pasted from the Edit window. For more information, see Chapter 42, “Automation.
Part XI: Sync and Video 1007
1008
Chapter 47: Working with Synchronization Synchronization allows one system to output time code and the other device to chase (follow) that time code. Pro Tools is synchronized to other devices using SMPTE/EBU time code or MIDI Time Code. For more information on different SMPTE/EBU formats, and other concepts related to time code, refer to the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide.
SMPTE Trigger while Locking to an Unresolved Source SMPTE Trigger can be used with an optional SYNC peripheral or equivalent Digidesign-qualified device to resolve Pro Tools recording and playback speed while slaving to LTC. This enables long-term, accurate synchronization by resolving to any variations in incoming time code. SYNC peripherals also support VITC and Biphase/Tach positional reference.
The Session Setup window is organized into three sections. Session displays and settings are displayed at the top of the window. The SYNC Setup & Session Offsets section, and the Time Code Settings section, can be shown or hidden using their dedicated expand/collapse triangles. See Figure 25 on page 1011. To show the Session Setup window: From a Pro Tools session, choose Setup > Session. Press Control+2 (Windows) or Command+2 (Mac) to open the Session Setup window.
Session Displays and Settings Sample Rate This display indicates the sample rate for the current session. Bit Depth This display indicates the bit depth for the current session. Audio Format This display indicates the file format for files recorded in the session. Clock Source Use this menu to configure the system Clock Source. You can choose between a SYNC peripheral, an internal clock source from a Digidesign peripheral, or an external clock source connected to a Pro Tools|HD audio interface.
Time Code Rate The Time Code Rate setting lets you set the SMPTE time code rate for the current session. Feet+Frame Rate The Feet+Frame Rate setting lets you set the Feet+Frame rates for sessions. Supported rates include 23.976, 24, and 25 fps. SYNC Setup Set this rate to match the rate of the film projector, or the video if the film projector speed is taken into account. For example, doing a Telecine transfer from a 24 fps film projector to NTSC video would necessitate the projector running at 23.
Ref Present, Locked, and Speed Cal Indicators The Ref Present, Locked, and Speed Cal indicators in the SYNC Setup section of the Session Setup window display synchronization status of the SYNC peripheral. The Locked and Speed Cal indicators reflect the state of the same LEDs on the front panel. • SYNC HD • Yellow Solid: SYNC HD is locked and the clock reference is within 0.025% of the expected rate • Yellow Flashing Fast: SYNC HD is locked but the clock reference is between 0.
Positive and negative offset values can be entered to offset Pro Tools time code display later or earlier, respectively. Time Code Settings If you are using the MachineControl option, additional options for External Time Code Offsets are available. See the MachineControl Guide for more information. The choices in the Freewheel section let you configure how Pro Tools will freewheel, or continue playback if time code is interrupted or corrupted.
Preparing to Work with SMPTE The first step when preparing to work with SMPTE is to choose an appropriate SMPTE frame rate. Pro Tools supports all standard SMPTE frame rates. If you are working with SMPTE striped tape, it is important to know the frame rate. In some cases, a SYNC peripheral can be used to do this. For a full explanation of SMPTE frame rates, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround Concepts Guide.
To capture an incoming SMPTE address as the session start time: Redefining a Feet+Frames Position 1 Click in the Session Start field. (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) 2 Begin playback of the time code source. 3 At the location where you want to capture the incoming value, press Equal (=) in the numeric keypad. 4 Press Enter to accept the value. You can then edit the captured address.
Redefining a Time Code Position (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2 Only) Use the Current Time Code Position command to redefine the current time code position and session start time. By creating an insertion point (or selection), and then entering the new time code position for that location, the session start time will be recalculated based on the new, relative Time Code location.
from within Pro Tools, and that recalls and restores pull factors automatically when a session opens. Other synchronization peripherals must be configured manually. Pull up and down settings do not affect time code generated by a SYNC peripheral. Configuring Pull Up and Pull Down To pull up or pull down audio or video: 1 Choose Setup > Session. Press Control+2 (Windows) or Command+2 (Mac) to open the Session Setup window.
For example, if audio was already being pulled –0.1% when you changed the session Frame Rate from 29.97 to 24 fps, then the Audio Rate Pull Up/Down menu would switch to None. Example of Auto Match Pull Factors The Auto Match Pull Factors option links audio and video pull factors when changing session frame rate. For example, assume a Pro Tools session is set to a frame rate of 25 fps, the audio and video are both playing with no pull ups, and Auto Match Pull Factors is enabled.
Video Frame Rate Pull Up and Down The Video Pull Up/Down setting lets you change the frame rate of QuickTime movie playback independently from the audio pull-up/down rate. See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on page 1019. The choices available for Video Rate Pull Up/Down depend on the file format and frame rate of the QuickTime movie. Video pull rates are saved with the session.
The Online button flashes while Pro Tools waits for a SMPTE frame to trigger playback. When time code is received, playback begins and the Online button becomes highlighted. The Edit Selection indicators in the Edit window, and the Incoming Time field in the Session Setup window display the incoming time code. To take Pro Tools offline, do one of the following: Generating Time Code Using a SYNC peripheral, Pro Tools can generate SMPTE and MIDI Time Code (MTC).
To generate time code using a SYNC peripheral: 1 Connect the SYNC peripheral LTC Out to the SMPTE in connector on the devices you are slaving. If you are slaving a device that recognizes MTC, connect the MTC OUT connector of the SYNC peripheral to the MIDI IN connector of the slaved device. 9 Select one of the following: • Gen MTC to generate MIDI Time Code. – or – • Gen LTC to generate Linear Time Code. 2 Make sure your SYNC peripheral is powered on.
Using MIDI Machine Control Pro Tools provides the capability to transmit location information to external devices and to control their transports using MIDI Machine Control (MMC). Controlling External Devices Using MMC Any device that supports MMC can be controlled directly from within Pro Tools, with either the device or Pro Tools acting as clock master. The external devices supported by Pro Tools implement “open loop” communications only.
MMC commands contain an ID number to identify which machine should respond to the MMC command. There are 128 MMC ID numbers, from 0–127. The default of ID #127 is a special setting that transmits to all 128 MMC IDs. With a setting of 127, Pro Tools will transmit MMC commands to all MMC IDs. 10 Set a pre-roll time for your MMC slave device. Pre-roll is needed to provide the device with sufficient time to lock to the time code transmitted by Pro Tools. This value will vary depending on the external device.
9 In the MIDI Machine Control (Slave) section, select Enable. To control external devices from the Pro Tools Transport: Select either Pro Tools or MMC from the Transport pop-up in the Pro Tools Transport window. The selected item will act as Transport Master. Machine Control page of the Peripherals dialog 10 Set the MMC ID number (channel) on which this information will be received in the “ID” field. 11 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
Taking a Device Offline Use the Online pop-up menu in the Transport Master selector to take a MIDI (or Machine) device offline. To take a device offline: 1 Click the Transport Master selector. 2 In the Transport, click on the Online pop-up menu and deselect the device (Machine or MIDI). Device choices depend on the current Transport Master and which devices have been set up in Pro Tools.
be more than the time required for color frame lock. This is not a problem with a SYNC peripheral, which will drop out of lock until the color frame is locked. Remote Track Arming Digidesign’s MachineControl option for Pro Tools allows you to remotely arm tracks on supported 9-pin (or V-LAN for transport only) decks. Without MachineControl, Pro Tools does not support remote track arming of external devices.
A highlighted numeric field indicates the current active field for numeric entry editing. Entering a value in a field allows you to move a selected element to the time location that you enter. The Start, Sync Point, and End fields are accessible when the Time Grabber tool is active. Only the Start or End (depending on where you click the mouse) and Duration fields are active when one of the Trimmer tools is active (see “Using the Trimmer Tools in Spot Mode” on page 1030).
5 Enter the SMPTE frame location by doing one of the following: • If you are using VITC, you can press the Equal (=) key on the numeric keypad, or click Current Time Code to enter a paused VTR’s current SMPTE location. – or – • If you are using LTC, when Time Code is selected for the Time Scale, press the Equal (=) key on the numeric keypad to capture the incoming time code. When Bars|Beats is selected for the Time Scale, press the Equal key to capture the nearest measure.
Time Stamping Pro Tools time stamps every region recorded online with the original SMPTE time at which audio was recorded. You can recall this original SMPTE time for a region by clicking the Original Time Stamp button in the Spot dialog. You can also spot a region to a separate user-defined SMPTE time stamp, defined using the Time Stamp command in the Region List menu.
This command can be used in “batch mode” to set new time stamps for several regions at a time. To do this, simply select several regions and choose the Time Stamp command. One after another, a dialog will open for each region, allowing you to quickly enter new values. To create a sync point in a region: 1 Do one of the following: • Click with the Selector tool at the point in the region that you want to synchronize to a SMPTE frame location.
The same problem occurs when audio is recorded into Pro Tools without a resolved SMPTE source (for example, if it was recorded before the current session). The audio cannot be accurately synchronized with an analog tape recorder or video tape deck, since the Pro Tools audio was not recorded referenced to the SMPTE time code from the analog tape deck or video tape deck.
Use a Consistent Clock Source When possible, media files should be played back using the same sync reference signal they were recorded with. This assures the closest match between record and playback sample rates.
Chapter 48: Working with Video in Pro Tools This chapter covers video features in Pro Tools. Differences between support for QuickTime, Windows Media, and Avid video are noted throughout. For detailed information on features that apply specifically to working with Avid video in Pro Tools, see the Avid Video Peripherals Guide.
QuickTime Movies Support in Pro Tools Pro Tools supports the import, playback, and editing of QuickTime movies. QuickTime Required Quicktime must be installed if you plan to include movie files, or import MP3 or MP4 (AAC) files in your Pro Tools sessions. QuickTime for Windows is available as a free download from the Apple website (www.apple.com). For information on which version of QuickTime is compatible with your version of Pro Tools, visit the compatibility pages of the Digidesign website at www.
DV Stream Movies Pro Tools does not support audio from a DV Stream file. DV Stream files contain the entire data stream that has been transferred or recorded over the FireWire cable from a camera. In this type of file, the audio and video data are stored in an interleaved fashion, as opposed to a QuickTime file where audio and video are stored separately. See also “Exporting QuickTime DV from Avid” on page 1056.
Sufficient Space on Video Drives Ensure sufficient space is available on separate dedicated video-only drives. Video files take up significantly more space and bandwidth than audio, and must be kept on separate drives from audio files to prevent performance problems. Separate Video-Only and Audio-Only Drives For best results, always use separate video-only and audio-only drives. For complete information on hard drive requirements, visit the Digidesign website at www.digidesign.com/compatibility.
Multiple Video Track Playlists (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an Avid Video Peripheral Only) Playlists provide an easy way of changing back and forth between alternate versions of a video track. You can perform all of the same operations with video playlists as you can with audio playlists, including: Main Video Track The main video track is the video track that is currently online, and will be played back with any audio in the session.
Video Track Controls and Indicators Video Track View The video track can be viewed in Frames View or in Blocks View, both of which display all video region boundaries and metadata. Video frame images are displayed only in Frames View. When switching from Blocks mode to Frames mode during playback, the video track will not update to displaying frames until playback is stopped.
You can add any supported video to an empty video track, in which case the icon will update and the video track will play back only that type of video. Differences in Video Tracks with Avid Video When an Avid video peripheral (such as an Avid Mojo SDI) is connected to your system and powered on, the following conditions apply: • All video tracks display a Video Output selector, but only tracks containing Avid video display a Video Input selector. • You can add Avid video to an empty video track.
track. However, unlocking a region in a locked track will not allow you to edit that region. It will behave as if the region were locked until you unlock the track. You can Edit lock or Time lock individual Video regions. For more information about locking regions, see “Locking Regions” on page 730.
Importing Video into Pro Tools Pro Tools provides the following methods of importing video files into the Timeline, Region List, and new or existing video tracks: • Using the Import Video command (File > Import > Video) • Dragging from the Region List to the Timeline (Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or Pro Tools LE with an Avid video peripheral only) • Dragging from a DigiBase browser or from Windows Explorer or Mac Finder • Using the Import Session Data command
Importing Video into Pro Tools with Drag and Drop Dragging Video Files from the Region List to the Timeline You can drag and drop video files from a DigiBase browser or from Windows Explorer or Mac Finder to the Timeline, a track, a Track List, or the Region List. (Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools LE with Complete Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2, or with an Avid Video Peripheral Only) When you use this method to import video into Pro Tools, the Video Import Options dialog appears.
See “Bypassing the Video Import Options Dialog” on page 1046 for details on bypassing the Video Import Options dialog when dragging and dropping video files. Destination Section The Destination section of the Video Import Options dialog lets you choose a general destination for imported video in Pro Tools. Main Video Track The video file is imported directly to the track that is currently online (known as the main video track) and into the Region List.
See “Video Engine Rate” on page 1042 for more information. Clear Main Video Track Playlist When selected, all existing video regions in the currently-selected playlist on the main video track will be removed from the track before Pro Tools imports video into the session. No other playlists, video tracks, or video regions will be affected. (This option is only enabled if the main video track is selected as the Destination option.
To set the sample rate conversion quality: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Processing tab. 2 Click the Conversion Quality pop-up menu and select a conversion setting. Video Regions You can create video regions that function in much the same way as audio regions. • You can add only one video region to a session. It can be played back, but cannot be edited and will not be listed in the Region List.
Showing or Hiding Video Regions in the Region List The Region List menu provides commands that let you show or hide video regions in the Region List.
• Region groups (see “Video Region Groups” on page 1050) • Region looping Managing Regions • Insert space (see “Using the Insert Silence Command to Insert Space in Video Tracks” on page 1050) Selecting and Editing Across Multiple Audio and Video Tracks You can create a selection across multiple audio and video tracks, and cut, copy, or paste audio and video simultaneously.
Selecting within Video Frame Boundaries Pro Tools does not let you select, play back, or edit a partial video frame. The following rules apply when selecting or editing video: • When you make a selection in a video track, the selection boundaries follow the current Grid setting but round to the nearest video frame boundary, as follows: • If the selection includes more than half of a video frame, the full video frame is included within the selection.
Using the Video Window Pro Tools provides a Video window that lets you view, display, or scrub video. To toggle the online status of the main video track: Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click (Mac) the Video window, and select Online. Avid video displays in the Video window only when scrubbed or shuttled. To display the Video window, do one of the following: Select Window > Video. – or – Press Control+9 (Windows) or Command+9 (Mac).
To toggle output of QuickTime video between the Video window and PCIe, do one of the following (Mac only): Select (or deselect) Options > Video Out PCIe. – or – Right-click, or Control-click, the Video window, and select (or deselect) Video Out PCIe For information on playing video through PCIe, see “Playing Video to an External Monitor Using a Video Card” on page 1057. Resizing the Video Window You can resize the Video window by dragging or using the Video window pop-up menu.
2 Make sure the Video Online button in the video track you want to scrub is set to an online (blue) status. 3 With the Selector tool, click in the audio track where you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two tracks, Shift-click in a second audio track. 4 Press the Start key (Windows) or Control (Mac) and a number on the numeric keypad: 0–9 (9 is fastest, 5 is normal speed, and 0 stops shuttling). The Video Universe window displays the center video frame of each video region in the main video track.
Selecting Zoom Resolutions in the Video Universe When you move the cursor over the top half of a video frame in the Video Universe, it displays and behaves as a zoom tool. This tool lets you zoom in on one or more video regions to fill the entire Edit window display. Selecting Ranges in the Video Universe When you move the cursor over the bottom half of a video frame in the Video Universe, it displays and behaves as a selector tool.
Selecting Zoom Resolutions and Ranges Simultaneously in the Video Universe Setting Session Time Code Rate for HD QuickTime and HD Windows Media Video Import When you move the cursor over a video frame in the Video Universe while pressing Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac), the cursor appears as a selector tool. This tool lets you zoom and select ranges simultaneously.
Performance may vary, depending on the specifics of your system and projects. When using an Avid video peripheral (such as an Avid Mojo SDI, Avid Mojo, or AVoption|V10), you can output QuickTime video formats to an external display using the FireWire port on Windows and Mac. See the Avid Video Peripherals Guide for more information. Playing QuickTime DV Video Through the FireWire Port (Mac Only) To Play QuickTime DV video through the FireWire Port: 1 Import a QuickTime video file into a Pro Tools session.
For more consistently smooth video playback, here are some suggestions: • Use an Avid video peripheral. • Use the fastest computer possible. • Set Scrolling option to None (Options > Scrolling > None). • Recompress the video at a reduced pixel dimension, for example 320 x 240 pixels to 640 x 480 pixels. The amount of delay introduced varies based on your system and the type of video peripheral you are using.
Playing QuickTime HD or SD Video Through PCIe (Mac Only) With a Digidesign-qualified PCIe video card, Pro Tools can play and display QuickTime SD or QuickTime-based HD video files with frame edge-locked HD image output to a variety of professional HD monitors. Though no PCI video cards have been qualified for use with Pro Tools, some may work. Visit www.digidesign.com for more information. To Play QuickTime video through PCIe: 1 Import a QuickTime-based video file into a Pro Tools session.
Supported Video Formats using a PCIe video card Video Output Format* Video Format Video Reference Rate 720p/ 29.97 HDV 720p/ 59.94 or NTSC 29.97 720p/ 59.94 720p/50 720p/50 or PAL 25 720p/50 1080i/50 1080i/50 or PAL 25 1080i/50 720p/ 59.94 720p/ 59.94 or NTSC 29.97 720p/ 59.94 1080i/ 59.94 1080i/ 59.94 or NTSC 29.97 PT Frame Rate 1080i/ 59.94 * The video output format may displayed on the external monitor.
5 Do one of the following: • To bounce the entire session, click Return to Zero in the Transport window to go to the beginning of the session. – or – • To bounce a portion of the session, enable Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection, and make a selection in the Edit window or the Timeline. 6 Choose File > Bounce to > QuickTime Movie. The Bounce dialog appears (if you are bouncing QuickTime movies) or the Bounce to QuickTime dialog appears (if you are bouncing Avid video to QuickTime movies).
7 Select your mix’s output or bus path from the Bounce Source selector. 8 Click Bounce. 9 In the Windows Media dialog, do the follow- ing: • In the Profile pop-up menu, select the profile matching the size and data rate of the exported video—the larger the resolution, the larger the resulting video file. • To include uncompressed audio in the video file that will be exported, select Lossless Audio Compression. 10 Select a destination for the new video file, enter a new name, and click Save.
1062 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Index Symbols + and – (see Plus (+) and Minus (–)) Numerics 003 33 003 Rack 33 003 Rack+ 33 1622 I/O 30 16-bit Bounce to Disk 967 176.4 kHz and pull factors 1021 192 Digital I/O 30 192 I/O 30 Hardware Setup 53 Soft Limit 53 192 kHz and pull factors 1021 24-bit Bounce to Disk 967 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O 30 29.97 FPS Non-Drop 1033 3 Second Clip Hold option 82, 163 3 Second Peak Hold option 82, 163 3-knob panning 1002 5.0 paths in 5.1 mixes 991 5.
audio files compacting 507 concepts 13 default names 356 formats 964 importing 276 mixed file types 121 Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button 250 Audio Files folder 115 audio format, for session 1012 audio interfaces 32 input channels 15 Audio Media options 292 Audio Pull Up and Pull Down 1019 audio regions 429 and automation 433 fitting to an Edit selection 508 stripping silence from 732 whole-file 428 Audio Track RecordLock option 86, 410 audio tracks 12 5.
writing 913 writing to selection, selection start, or selection end 938 Automation Enable window 913 Automation Follows Edit option 909 Automation lanes 911 in MIDI Editor windows 628 in the Edit window 911 Automation Mode selector 904 Automation modes Latch 905 Latch Trim 908 Off 904 Read 904 Read Trim 907 Touch 904 Touch Trim 907 Touch/Latch Trim 908 Trim Off 907 Write 904 Write Trim 908 Automation Preferences AutoMatch Time preference 909 Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option 926 Automation Preview mode
browsers 140, 224, 228 display options 235 foreground 230 navigating 229 opening 229 sorting 236 Buffer Size (Hardware) 366 bussing multichannel sends 987 sends 842 signal paths 59 submixing and effects processing 853 surround examples 991 BWF (.
Constant command (Tempo Operations) 684 continuous controller events 10 Continuous Scroll with Playhead option 335 Continuous Scrolling During Playback option 334, 335 continuous zoom 449 control surfaces C|24 868 Command|8 868 D-Command 868 D-Control 868 controller events 10, 592 and MIDI regions 434 chasing 601 editing 593 editing with Smart Tool 467 inserting 593 Controller lanes 593, 911 in MIDI Editor windows 628 in the Edit window 911 Controller Meter Path selector 75 Controllers folder (controller pe
delay Channel Delay indicator 162 MIDI Track Offsets 602 Delay (dly) indicator 862 Delay After Play Command preference 98 Delay Before Locking to LTC option 98 Delay Before Locking to Time Code option 98 Delay Compensation 47, 860 applying to automatically bypassed tracks 407, 864 bypassing 863 changing track delay 863 configuring Delay Compensation Engine 861 dedicating DSP resources 47 Delay (dly) indicator 862 enabling 860 engine 47 exceeding compensation limit 863 H/W Insert 77 information 862 MIDI Beat
WaveCache 227 waveform display 246 Workspace browser 225, 260, 262 DigiBase Pro catalog database file 227 Catalogs 226, 265, 267, 268 Clip Name 266 commands 235 saving a search as a Catalog 246 search features 242 sharing catalog database files 228 DigiDelivery 300 Digidesign Audio Engine 8 Digidesign Synchronization Device settings 102 DigiGroove templates 561 digital clipping 346 Digital Format 53 digital mastering 971 DigiTest 42 DigiTranslator 2.
Consolidate command 506 Copy command 441 Copy Special commands (automation) 934 Copy to Send command 916 Create Fades command 521, 522 Cut command 441 Cut Special commands 934 Delete Fades command 522 Duplicate command 736 Fade To End command 521 Fade To Start command 521 Fades command 513 Heal Separation command 500 Identify Sync Point command 728 Insert Silence command 735 Paste command 442 Play Edit Selection command 337 Play Timeline Selection command 337 Redo command 438 Repeat command 737 Repeat to Fi
Elastic Audio 763 Accordion Warp 782 adding Event markers 786 analysis 772 analysis in DigiBase 247 Analysis view 771, 785 and AudioSuite processing 792 and Edit Groups 785 batch analysis 247 calculating analysis in DigiBase 247 clearing analysis in DigiBase 247 Clip indicator (Rendered) 774 committing 770 common workflows 763 Conform to Tempo 675 CPU processing activity 56 creating new tracks 770 deleting Event markers 787 disabling 770 enabling on tracks 769 event confidence 772 Event markers 779 example
exporting 276 AAF files 298 audio 287 audio from regions 287 markers 304 MIDI tracks 303 OMFI files 298 region definitions 289 region groups 307 Score to Sibelius 651 sessions as text 298 Sibelius (.sib) files 651 stereo interleaved files 289 Ext.
G H generating time code 1022 Glide Automation commands 935 global (system-wide) preferences 80 Global MIDI Playback Offset preference 96, 602 Go to End button 135 Grabber tools 448, 465, 477, 584 editing breakpoints with 679, 928 Object Grabber tool 465, 477 selecting MIDI notes with 582 Separation Grabber tool 465, 498 Time Grabber tool 465 Grid mode 446, 725 Absolute 447, 725 configuring 447 Draw Grids in Edit Window option 446 Regions/Markers option 448 Relative 447, 725 setting the Grid value 725 sus
I I/O Labels (see I/O Setup) I/O Settings 73 I/O Settings files import and export 72 I/O Setup 59 and surround sessions 976 dialog 60 displaying unavailable I/O 74 factory settings files 73 import and export settings 72 importing for surround 978 last used 73 Mic Preamps 77 resizing 60 settings files 71 Stereo Mix preset 73 surround mix examples 990 surround mix settings file 73 I/O View 161, 838 Identify Beat command 689, 690 Identify Sync Point command 728, 1032 Idle MTC Enabled option 102 Ignore Errors D
Instrument tracks 154 and surround mixing 987 channel strips 157 configuring for recording 393 MIDI Input selector 188 MIDI Output selector 188 monitoring and mixing 853 Notes View 170 Regions View 170 signal flow 831 track controls 160 Instruments View 837 Internal mode (Clock Source option) 1012 internal side-chain processing 885 Inverse linked panning 851 Items To Copy Preserve Folder Hierarchy 123 Items to Copy 122 J Jam Sync 1015 Join command 905 K key input 881, 885 Key Input selector 757, 881 key s
loops creating with the Loop Trimmer tool 462 recording with reverb or delay 962 low latency monitoring Bounce to Disk 367 Low Latency Monitoring option 367 LTC Output Level setting 102 M Mac sessions compatibility with Windows 314 Machine Chases Memory Location option 97, 1026 Machine Cues Intelligently option 97 Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub option 97, 1026 Machine Track Arming window 1028 MachineControl 103 Main Counters 666 main paths 60 Main Time Scale 666, 1018 Main Timebase ruler 666 Make Act
muting notes 587 offsets 602 patch name files (.
Minutes:Seconds Time Scale 664 Mirror MIDI Editing 577 missing files 310 fades and regenerating 255 skipping 255 mix busses 316, 844 resetting 67 Mix Groups 202 Mix window 128, 129 All View option 128, 837 None Views option 837 track controls 128 track width 164 Mix Window Follows Bank Selection option 91 Mix Window option 128 Mix Window View options 837 Mix Window View selector 836 mixed file types 121 mixing down to stereo 970 Mixing Preferences 90 AutoMatch Time preference 93 Mixing Preferences page Touc
Notation in MIDI Editor windows 626 Notation Display Track settings 641 Note Chasing option 601 Note Selector tool 583 notes (see MIDI notes) Notes report 117 Notes View 170, 171, 435 MIDI and Instrument tracks 435 mini-keyboard 435 scrolling up or down 435 Nudge value 503 trimming regions by 502 nudging 502 by next Nudge value 504 fades 524 multiple regions 504 region contents 504 regions with fades 525 selection range 479 selection start/end points 479 selections and regions 503 setting the Nudge value 50
Parabolic command (Tempo Operations) 685 parallel mixing 985 pass-through point 904 Paste command 442 Paste Settings command 887 Paste Special commands (automation) 934 pasting automation 935 multiple data types 444 plug-in settings 888 selections and regions 442 to multiple tracks 444 with Repeat to Fill Selection command 443 Patch Select button 596 Patch Select dialog 596 paths active and inactive 69 audition 75 creating 65 creating multichannel 978 customizing 66 default mono and stereo 66 default order
Playlist selector 529 recalling 530 recording to new 380 renaming 531 setting pre/post-roll in 376 Playlists view 535 plug-in controls adjusting 884 linking 897 Plug-in Controls Default to Auto-Enabled option 91 plug-in inserts 871 plug-in maps 891 creating 893 deleting 895 importing and exporting 896 Learn mode 891 managing 894 setting default 895 Plug-in selector for AudioSuite plug-ins 754 for real-time plug-ins 881 plug-in settings creating User Default 888 Plug-in Settings menu 881, 886 Plug-in Streami
Pro Tools menu Quit command (Mac) 125 Pro Tools M-Powered systems 35 Pro Tools|HD Accel systems 30 Pro Tools|HD systems 30 audio capabilities 31 audio interfaces 32 file management 309 I/O capabilities 32 MIDI capabilities 31 QuickPunch 406, 407 Process Mode selector 756 processing AudioSuite 759 multichannel for AudioSuite 759 processing bandwidth 56 Processing Preferences 93 Program Change dialog 597 program changes 10, 596 and bank select 596 auditioning 599 chasing 601 default, for MIDI tracks 596 delet
recording 369 a mono audio track 369 a stereo audio track 369 a submix to disk 961 additional takes 379 at half-speed 388 bouncing to disk 962 cancelling takes 371 configuring Instrument tracks 393 configuring MIDI tracks 393 destructively 379 from a digital source 386 from Record Pause mode 372 keyboard shortcuts 372 Loop Record 381 MIDI regions 396 multichannel tracks 369 multiple audio tracks 371 nondestructively 7, 379 nonlinear 7 online 1022 QuickPunch mode 411 record enabling tracks 358 status LED 413
displaying names 437 displaying times 437 dragging from Region List 715 dragging to multichannel tracks 506 duplicating 736 Edit-locking 730 exporting as audio files 287 extending selections to include 480 finding 214 healing separations 500 hiding auto-created 220 inserting silence into 735 locking 730 looping 739 managing 219 MIDI 396 moving in Grid mode 725 moving regions with fades 525 multichannel 429 muting 732 nudging 503 nudging regions with fades 525 offline 429 Original Time Stamp 724 pasting 442
rulers changing display order 665 Conductor rulers 665 displaying all 665 pull up and pull down 1021 scrolling in 487 Timebase rulers 663 zooming in 452 S S/PDIF Hardware Setup 53 safing automation 910 Sample Offset (Sync Offset) 1015 Sample Rate Hardware Setup dialog 51 Playback Engine dialog 47 Sample Rate Conversion options 293 sample rate conversion quality 277, 967, 1046 Sample Rate Conversion Quality preference 94, 279 Sample Rate setting 967 sample-based timing 667, 706 Samples Time Scale 664 Satell
cutting 441 duplicating 736 extending 479, 679 extending to the Meter Ruler 694 extending to the Tempo ruler 672, 712 including Conductor rulers 482 looping 338 moving to adjacent tracks 482 moving to the next/previous region 483 non-contiguous 477 nudging 479, 503 nudging start/end points 479 Object 477 on-the-fly 477 pasting 442 playing 335 removing a track from 482 repeating 737 shifting 730 storing with Memory Locations 706 Selector tool 330, 448, 464 making a Timeline selection 464 making an Edit selec
Sibelius (.
surround and sends 986 basic signal routing 986 center percentage (%) 1005 configuring Pro Tools 983 configuring Pro Tools and sessions 976 discrete level, solo, mute 984 example 5.
Tempo Operations window 683 Tempo Resolution selector 677 Tempo ruler displaying 671 extending an Edit selection to 672, 712 Tempo Ruler Enable button 138 test 968 Text Encoding Import Session Data 292 Thin Automation command 926 thinning automation 909, 925 tick-based timing 667, 706 time code and Jam Sync 1015 capturing 1029 freewheeling 1015 generating 1022 redefining position 1018 Time Code 2 Rate setting 1013 Time Code 2 ruler 664 Time Code Mapping options 293 Time Code Rate setting 1013 Time Code Time
Track View 169 and edit content 440 Blocks 170 changing 172 Master View 933 Notes 170, 171, 435 Playlists 535 Regions 170, 171, 433 Sysex 600 toggling 173 Velocity 588 Waveform 429 Track View selector 171 Track View Toggle 173 track width 164 TrackInput Monitor button 364 TrackInput Monitor indicator 136 TrackPunch crossfades 409 preferences 409 tracks 5.
U unavailable I/O 74 unavailable resources 117 Undo and audio recording 371 Undo command 438 Undo History window 438 Undo Queue 439 Ungroup All Regions command 745 Ungroup Region command 745 Ungroup Regions command 745 Universe view 489 unlinked Timeline and Edit selection 473 unlinking plug-in controls 897, 987 Unlock Region command 730 Unloop Regions command 741 Use Absolute Pan Linking option 90 Use All Available Space preference 87 Use AudioSuite Dither option 93, 867 Use F11 for Wait for Note option 96
W Wait for Note 138, 392 Warp indicator 784 Warp markers 779 adding 779 deleting 780 relocating (without applying warping) 780 Warp view 771, 778 warped regions 429 warping audio (Elastic Audio) 780 WAV file format 312, 964 AES31/Broadcast compliant 312 WaveCache 246 WaveCache.
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