Pro Tools Reference Guide Version 5.0.1 for Macintosh and Windows Digidesign Inc. 3401-A Hillview Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 USA tel: 650·842·7900 fax: 650·842·7999 Technical Support (USA) 650·842·6699 650·856·4275 Product Information (USA) 650·842·6602 800·333·2137 Fax on Demand (USA) 1-888-USE-DIGI (873-3444) World Wide Web www.digidesign.com Digidesign FTP Site ftp.digidesign.
Copyright This User’s Guide is copyrighted ©1999 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this manual may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign. DIGIDESIGN, AVID and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
contents Part I Introduction Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 The Pro Tools Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Compatibility Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Digidesign Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part II Pro Tools Sessions Chapter 5. Creating Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Starting Up Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Configuring Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Changing the Pro Tools Playback Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 7. File Management and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Locating Audio Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 WAV File Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Naming Files, Playlists and Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 10. MIDI Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 MIDI Controller Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Enabling Input Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 MIDI Thru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part IV Editing Chapter 13. Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Pro Tools Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Track Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Displaying Region Names and Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 15. Working with Regions and Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Creating New Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Healing a Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Placing Regions in Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 The Trimmer Tool . . . . .
Chapter 17. Conductor Tracks and Memory Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Tempo Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Default Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Identify Beat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Meter Events . . . . .
Chapter 20. Advanced Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Hardware I/O Inserts and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Creating a Submix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Using an Auxiliary Input to Mix an External Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part VI Synchronization Chapter 23. Synchronization Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 Your Sync Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 Aspects of Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 Syncing Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 25. Working with QuickTime Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 About QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 QuickTime Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 Movie Playback Quality Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Part I Introduction
chapter 1 Welcome to Pro Tools Welcome to Pro Tools®. Pro Tools integrates powerful multitrack digital audio and MIDI sequencing features, giving you everything you need to record, arrange, edit, mix, and master professional-quality audio. Quick Reference Cards (TDM Systems only) Separate cards for Macintosh and Windows that list the many keyboard shortcuts not shown in the Pro Tools menus. ✽ Online PDF versions of the Quick Reference cards are included for Pro Tools LE systems.
The following symbols are used to highlight important information: ✽ User Tips are helpful hints for getting the most from your Pro Tools system. ▲ Important Notices include information that could affect your Pro Tools session data or the performance of your Pro Tools system. Compatibility Information Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for devices it has tested and approved.
chapter 2 Pro Tools System Configurations TDM-equipped systems Pro Tools TDM-equipped systems are available in the following configurations: Pro Tools 24 MIXplus A core system includes: • MIX Core card • MIX Farm card • Pro Tools software • Digidesign Audio Interface (sold separately) Pro Tools III PCI (Macintosh only) A core system includes: • a Disk I/O Audio Card • a DSP Farm Card • Pro Tools software • Digidesign Audio Interface (sold separately) Supported Audio Interfaces You can use the following
TDM System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits The following table lists the audio playback, recording, and voice limits of each type of Pro Tools TDM system. The term virtual voice refers to the maximum number of audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. TDM-equipped Pro Tools systems can open sessions with up to 128 audio tracks, but any audio tracks beyond that system’s virtual voice limit will be automatically set to Voice Off.
Pro Tools LE Systems Pro Tools with Audiomedia III Pro Tools LE-based systems are available in the following configurations. An Audiomedia III system includes: • Audiomedia III card • Pro Tools LE software Digi 001 ▲ The total track count and processing capac- A Digi 001 system includes: • Digi 001 PCI card • Digi 001 I/O box • Pro Tools LE software ity of Pro Tools LE-based systems depend on the processing power of your computer.
8 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 3 Pro Tools Concepts This chapter is an overview of some essential concepts related to digital audio, MIDI, and digital signal processing as they apply to Pro Tools. Hard Disk Recording Tape-based recording is a linear medium— you need to rewind or fast forward a tape to hear a particular spot in a recording. To rearrange or repeat material in a linear system, you need to re-record it.
Elements of a Session Region When you start a project in Pro Tools, you create a session. Some basic elements of sessions are explained in this section. Session File Pro Tools session file icon A session file is the document that Pro Tools creates when you start a new project. The session file contains maps of all elements associated with a project, including audio files, MIDI data, and all your edit and mix information. You can make changes to a session and save those changes in a new session file.
Track Channel Computer 1 Computer 2 7 8 5 3 ANALOG OUTPUT 6 4 1 7 2 8 5 3 ANALOG INPUT 6 4 1 2 5/6 1/2 AES/EBU OUTPUT 7/8 3/4 5/6 1/2 AES/EBU INPUT 7/8 3/4 8 CH Mode 2 x 4 CH Mode S/PDIF S/PDIF IN OUT Audio track in the Edit Window A track is where audio or MIDI regions are strung together in a playlist. A playlist can be made up of a single region or many separate regions.
Audio and MIDI channel strips have similar controls, but those controls have slightly different effects. For example, Audio and Auxiliary Input channel strip faders control the Pro Tools mixer, while MIDI channel strip faders send MIDI volume data (MIDI controller 7). The term channel also describes an aspect of MIDI operation. See “MIDI Concepts” on page 12. Playback Engine All Pro Tools systems allow you choose the Playback Engine for a session at any time.
A single MIDI cable can transmit a separate set of messages for each of 16 channels. These 16 channels correspond to separate MIDI devices or to multiple channels within a single device (if the device is multitimbral). Each channel represents a discreet instrument sound; for instance, bass on channel 1, piano on channel 2 and drums on channel 10. Similar to a multitrack tape recorder, a MIDI sequencer can record complex arrangements—even using a single multi-timbral keyboard.
Common Misconceptions about MIDI MIDI is not audio. The messages that travel down a MIDI cable are only numbers that translate to specific instructions. For instance, when you strike a key on your MIDI keyboard it sends a message to its MIDI OUT port telling another device (if connected and set to the same MIDI channel) to play that particular note. Signal paths for MIDI instruments However, to actually hear that second device (sound source) you’ll need to connect its audio outputs to a sound system.
chapter 4 Pro Tools Windows Pro Tools provides two complementary ways of viewing a project: the Mix window and the Edit window. Pro Tools also allows you to control many functions from the Transport window. The main elements of these windows are explained in the following sections.
write-enable a grouped track, any group members that are hidden will be soloed, muted, or automation write-enabled as well. The only exception to this rule is record enabling of Audio or MIDI tracks. These functions are not applied to hidden tracks in the Mix window. name. The pop-up menu at the top of this list provides commands to create, delete or suspend groups. You can link groups in the Mix Groups and Edit Groups lists. For more information on grouping, see “Grouping Tracks” on page 62.
Stereo Send Real-Time Plug-In Inserts View Show/Hide Tracks List Send Pan Send Volume Sends View Send Level Meter I/O View Automation Mode Selector Record Enable, Solo, Mute buttons Channel Pan Group ID Indicator Channel Volume Track Level Meter Mix Groups List Track Name Track Comments View Audio Channel Strip Auxiliary Input Channel Strip AutoMatch Indicator MIDI Channel Strip Master Fader Channel Strip Figure 1.
A MIDI Track/Channel Strip Mix Window Track Controls Record Enable button MIDI Channel Automation Mode Selector Automation Mode Voice Selector Record Enable/Solo/Mute/Patch Mute button MIDI Pan Solo button MIDI Volume Mix window track controls in channel strip Record Enable Button MIDI Velocity Meter Track Name MIDI Channel Strip Each MIDI track has its own set of controls for volume, pan, record enable, automation mode, solo, mute, MIDI patch assignment, and MIDI channel assignment.
When the Latch Solo Buttons option is selected, you can solo more than one track at the same time simply by clicking the solo button on each of the desired tracks. If the Latch Solo Buttons option is deselected, Shift-click to solo multiple tracks. Voice Selector (TDM Systems Only) Solo Safe Mode Pro Tools also allows you to solo safe a track. This prevents the track from being muted even if you solo other tracks.
Input/Output View Output Selector (Audio Tracks, Aux Inputs, Master Faders) Input Selector Output Selector Level/Peak/Delay Indicator Pan Indicator Inputs/Outputs view in channel strip Audio Track Output Selector The I/O (Inputs/Output) view shows Input and Output Selectors on Audio tracks, and the Channel Selector on MIDI tracks. Both types of tracks show volume and pan values in this view. To show the I/O View, select Display > Mix Window Shows (or Edit Window Shows) > I/O View.
Default Program Button Pan Indicator The Pan Indicator displays the current pan setting of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full left) to 100> (full right). Panning controls are only available if you are using Pro Tools in Stereo Mix mode. Default Program button in channel strip The Default Program button opens the Program Change window, where you can specify a default program for the track. The track’s default program is transmitted each time the track plays.
You can globally set level meters to indicate pre-or post-fader levels by choosing Operations > Pre-Fader Metering. When set to pre-fader, the level meters show levels independent of fader position. With postfader metering, the level meters respond to fader position. If clipping occurs, the topmost LED will stay lit (red).
Send level, pan and mute controls can be adjusted from the Inserts and Sends Editor, or directly from the sends area of a track by showing individual send controls. Edit Window Track Controls Record Enable button When you display the controls for an individual Send, you also have the option of displaying Send level meters.
Edit Mode Buttons Grid/Nudge Selector Event Edit Area Zoom Buttons Editing Tools Location Indicators Link Selection, Commands Focus Buttons Audio Regions List Rulers Audio Waveform View Audio Track Show/Hide Tracks List Volume Automation View MIDI Track Edit Groups List MIDI Regions List Selected Region MIDI Velocity View Figure 2.
Playlist Selector Track Display Format Selector Playlist Selector Tracks have edit playlists and automation playlists. You can create any number of edit playlists for a track, and assign them by clicking the Playlist Selector in the track and choosing from the pop-up menu. Each track has a single set of automation playlists, according to the type of track and any Send or Plug-In assignments. You choose the automation playlist to display with the Track Display Format Selector.
Edit Modes, Commands Key Focus, and Linked Selections Edit Mode Linked Selections ✽ You can also press F4 to set the Edit mode to Grid. Commands Key Focus (TDM Systems only) Enables the Commands Key Focus, which provides a wide range of shortcuts from the alpha keyboard for editing and playing. Commands Key Focus Edit mode buttons in Edit window Shuffle Sets the Edit mode to Shuffle, which restricts the placement of regions so that they snap to each other and are placed end to end.
✽ While pressing Command (Macintosh) or Edit Tools Control (Windows), you can also use the bracket keys to zoom in and out horizontally. Vertical Zoom In/Out (Audio) Zooms in and out vertically for audio tracks. Option-click (Macintosh) or Alt-click (Windows) either of the Vertical Zoom buttons to return to the previous zoom level.
For TDM systems, choose from the Trimmer pop-up these other Trimmer tools: Choose from the Grabber pop-up these other Grabber tools: Trimmer pop-up menu Grabber pop-up menu • Scrub Trimmer, scrubs audio material to find the trim point before performing the trim. • TCE Trimmer, expands or compresses audio material to fit within a time range. • Separation Grabber, separates selections into new regions.
Press Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows) and the Pencil changes to an Eraser, which can be used to delete notes, program changes, and sysex events. Choose from the Pencil pop-up any of the five shapes, which can be used to affect a range of note velocities, controller events, or automation breakpoints. Using the Smart Tool With the Smart Tool you can instantly access the Selector, Grabber, and Trimmer, and you can also perform fades and crossfades.
◆ For a fade-in or fade-out, position the cursor near an audio region’s start or end point, near the top. Drag into the region to set the fade length. The fade is created automatically with the settings last used in the Fades dialog. ◆ For a crossfade, position the cursor between two adjacent audio regions, near the bottom. Drag left or right to set the crossfade length. The fade is created automatically with the settings last used in the Fades dialog.
Event Edit Area Selection Indicators Location Indicators, Grid/Nudge Values, Current Cursor Display Note Attributes Pitch Location Indicators Grid/Nudge Values Attack Velocity Release Velocity Event Edit Area showing MIDI track information Start Displays the start point for a selected region or note, or for an Edit selection. To move the start point, enter a new value in this field. End Displays the end point for a selected region or note, or for an Edit selection.
lect the Nudge value from the pop-up menu to the right of this field, or type in any value you want. In addition to nudging regions and notes, you can also nudge start/end points for regions and notes, start/end points for selections, and region contents. Cursor Location Provides feedback on the current cursor location. This location is displayed in the time format for the Main Time Scale.
MIDI Regions List and Pop-up Menu Online Puts Pro Tools online so that playback and recording is triggered by an external SMPTE source. Return to Zero Locates to the beginning of the session. ✽ You can also press Return (Macintosh) or Enter on the alpha keyboard (Windows) to locate to the beginning of the session. All MIDI regions that are recorded, imported, or created by editing appear in the MIDI Regions List. Regions can be dragged from the list to tracks and arranged in any order.
✽ To play or record at half-speed, Command- click (Macintosh) or Control-click (Windows) the Play button. Fast Forward Fast forwards from the Timeline insertion point. You can also click repeatedly to fast forward incrementally (by an amount based on the Main Time Scale). ✽ With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Trans- port, you can also fast forward by pressing 2. Go to End Locates to the end of the session.
Transport Master Specifies the “master” for transport functions. Click this button and choose from the pop-up menu to select the Transport Master, which can be set to Pro Tools, Machine, ADAT, or MMC. Countoff When selected, Pro Tools counts off a specified number of measures (indicated in the button) before playback or recording begins. Double-click the Countoff button, to open the Click/Countoff Options dialog.
Keyboard Focus The Keyboard Focus in Pro Tools determines how the alpha keys function. Depending on which Keyboard Focus is enabled, you can use the keys on your alpha keyboard to select regions in the Audio or MIDI Regions List, enable or disable groups, or perform an edit or play command (TDM systems only). Audio Regions List Key focus Commands Key Focus (TDM Systems only) When selected, provides a wide range of shortcuts from the alpha keyboard for editing and playing.
Part II Pro Tools Sessions
chapter 5 Creating Sessions This chapter covers some of the basics of starting a project in Pro Tools, including how to set up and save a Pro Tools session. Starting Up Your System In order for the components of your Pro Tools system to communicate properly with each other, you need to start them up in a specific order. Start your Pro Tools System in this order: 1 Turn on your external hard drives. Wait approximately ten seconds for them to come up to speed.
✽ The Interface port pop-up does not appear for Pro Tools III systems. Pro Tools LE Systems To change the Hardware Setup: 4 From the Sample Rate pop-up, select a 1 Choose Setups > Hardware. sample rate. 2 From the Sample Rate pop-up, select a 5 From the Sync Mode pop-up, select the sample rate. appropriate sync mode on the currently selected interface (Internal or Digital). In most cases you will use Internal. Digital is used primarily for inputting data from DAT or other digital sources.
Changing the Pro Tools Playback Engine Pro Tools allows you to select different Playback Engines depending on your system configuration. The Playback Engine determines which Pro Tools card is used to for Pro Tools recording and playback features. Supported Digidesign cards include the Pro Tools MIX card, d24 card, Disk I/O card, Digi 001, or Audiomedia III card. On TDM systems, the Playback Engine is also used to change the Audio Interface assignments for each card.
◆ Allocating a smaller buffer can sometimes improve playback/recording initiation speed. This can be useful if you are experiencing a time lag when you initiate playback/recording. Windows NT You should also note the following: Choose Setups > DAE Buffer Size and adjust the Buffer Size. Restart your computer for this change to take effect. ◆ Choosing a smaller buffer can make it difficult for slower hard disks to play or record tracks reliably.
To create a new session: 1 Choose File > New Session. New Session dialog 2 Choose the drive where you want to save the session. On Pro Tools III systems, sessions can only be created on drives that are connected to your Pro Tools Disk I/O SCSI chain. All other systems allow you to create your sessions on any SCSI drive attached your computer.
Pro Tools 24 and Pro Tools 24 MIX systems on both Macintosh and Window platforms. the Track Name. 4 Enter a name for the session and click OK 2 In the Track Name/Comments dialog, (Macintosh) or Save (Windows). To rename a track: 1 In the Edit or Mix window, double-click type a new track name. 3 Type comments for the track in the Com- Choosing a Bit Depth (Pro Tools 24 MIX and Pro Tools 24 only) ments text box. Click Previous or Next to rename another track.
To display track controls: Choose Display > Mix Window Shows, or Edit Window Shows, and select the controls you want to display from the submenu. ■ Comments View This view shows the comments you enter when creating the track, or type directly into the comment area. Opening a Session When you open a session, Pro Tools looks in the same directory for its associated audio and fade files. To open an existing session: 1 Choose File > Open Session.
Saving a Session Save regularly while working on your session to ensure that your work is preserved on your hard disk. Speeding up Saves by Reducing the Disk Cache Size (Macintosh Only) To speed up session saves and disk bounces, it is recommended that you reduce the Cache Size (in the Memory Control panel) for your Macintosh to 512k. Saving the Session File The Save Session command saves the changes you have made to your session and writes them over the previously saved version of the file.
To copy the track layout, signal routing and Plug-In choices in your session, you can create a Session Template of your original session. For details, see “Creating Custom Session Templates” on page 48.
To save a session in a different location or in a different format: 1 Choose File > Save Session Copy In. Creating Macintosh Templates You can create a session template on the Macintosh by saving a session file as a Stationery pad document. Once a session is saved as stationery, it acts as a template that you can open and then resave as a normal session.
To use this template, double-click it or open it with the Open Session command if you are already running Pro Tools. You can create several custom templates for studio setups that you frequently use. 7 Click the General tab and select the Read Only option. When you open a session saved as a Stationery pad, Pro Tools gives you the option of editing the template or starting a new session using the template settings.
Closing a Session Because Pro Tools allows you to work on just one session at a time, you must close the current session if you want to work on another. The Close Session command closes your current Pro Tools session but leaves the Pro Tools application open. You can save your work using the Save Session or Save Session As command before closing the current session. To close a session: ■ Choose File > Close Session.
chapter 6 Working with Tracks This chapter covers basic track management tasks such as creating and deleting tracks, assigning voices and output channels, and grouping tracks. To create a new audio or MIDI track: 1 Choose File > New Track. 2 Choose the type of track to create from the pop-up menu. 3 Enter the number of new tracks and click Create. Creating Tracks You can add tracks to your session at any time by using the New Track command. New tracks appear in both the Edit and Mix windows.
5 Choose which controls appear on the track by choosing Display > Mix Window Shows or Display > Edit Window Shows and selecting the controls from the submenu. Displaying track controls Hiding Tracks The Show/Hide Tracks 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 by selecting or deselecting its name. Even though a track is hidden, the material on the track will still play as part of the session.
To hide a track: Click the highlighted name of a track in the Show/Hide Tracks List. ■ To show a track that is currently hidden: ■ Click the unhighlighted name of a track in the Show/Hide Tracks List. To show all tracks: 1 Click the Show/Hide button at the top of the Show/Hide Tracks List. 2 From the pop-up menu, choose Show All Tracks. To hide all tracks: 1 Click the Show/Hide button at the top of the Show/Hide Tracks List. 2 From the pop-up menu, choose Hide All Tracks.
Assigning Track Outputs Your Pro Tools system has a certain number of hardware outputs, in the form of the physical outputs on your Pro Tools Audio Interface, your Digi 001, or your Audiomedia III card. Pro Tools also provides internal mix busses that can be the destination of track outputs. To assign a track to an output: 1 If I/O controls are not currently visible on your tracks, choose Display > Mix Window Shows (or Edit Windows Shows) > I/O View.
Voice Selector When you click a track’s voice selector, a pop-up menu appears offering a choice of voice numbers, which refer to voice assignments. The following example demonstrates the concept of dynamic voice allocation: The “Lead Guitar” region will pop through Audio Track Voice selector On-screen track placement The left-most track in the Mix window (or the topmost track in the Edit window) has priority over other tracks with the same voice assignment.
The track with the highest priority is assigned to the chosen voice, with all other tracks assigned to successive voices. To assign all selected audio tracks to successive voices: 1 Select the desired audio tracks by Shift- clicking their names. 2 While pressing Command+Shift (Mac- intosh) or Control+Shift (Windows), click on the Voice Selector for any of the selected tracks and choose the starting voice number.
in higher priority tracks, you will find many useful ways to apply virtual tracks and dynamic voice allocation. Voice Management In Expanded Systems (Macintosh Pro Tools III systems only) Voice Numbering In expanded Pro Tools III systems, the first 16 voices of your system are numbered A-1 through A-16. The next Disk I/O’s voices would be numbered B-1 through B-16, and so on.
Ghost Regions If you decide not to copy the file, Pro Tools will display what are called Ghost regions. Ghost regions occur in cases where Disk I/O SCSI chain/voice combinations make them invalid for playback. A Ghost region appears “grayed out” (much like a muted region does) and signifies that the audio is not present on the drive to which the voice refers, and is not available for audio playback as currently assigned.
Setting MIDI Channels MIDI tracks can be assigned to one or more MIDI channels with the Device/Channel selector. When assigned to multiple channels, all material in the track is sent to all assigned channels. MIDI Tracks in Pro Tools can not contain multiple channels of MIDI data. To assign all regions on a MIDI track to a specific MIDI channel: 1 Click on the track’s MIDI Device/Chan- nel Selector and assign a device and channel from the pop-up menu.
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. Grouping affects mute and solo behavior as well. Normally, muting or soloing a track that is a member of an active mix group will mute or solo all other tracks that are a member of that active mix group as well.
To solo a track: Mute Button 1 Click the Solo button on the track. The The mute button silences a chosen track. More than one track can be muted at one time. If Operations > Mute Frees Voice is enabled, muting a track will allocate its voice to the next highest priority virtual track in your session. button is highlighted and all other tracks are muted. 2 Click the Solo button again to turn off the solo function.
Color Coding Tracks Grouping Tracks The Pro Tools Color Code options in the Preferences dialog allow you to quickly identify tracks which are assigned to the same voice or group. Color coding of voices is particularly useful in sessions where you wish to make efficient use of virtual tracks. Since tracks assigned to the same voice share the same color, you can easily identify and arrange regions so that they do not overlap or conflict with other regions on tracks assigned to the same voice.
Using the Groups List The Pro Tools grouping functions are located at the left side of your screen in the Groups List. This scrolling window contains the names of all the groups in your session, as well as a pop-up menu for accessing grouping commands. From this menu, you can select and enable groups. By default, every session has a group named All, which includes every track and channel in the session. The All group cannot be edited or deleted.
Delete Selected Groups This command allows you to permanently remove a group from the Groups List. You must first select a Group Name in the Groups List to do this. Enabling Grouping Editing operations are not applied to members of a group that are hidden with the Show/Hide Tracks List. Mix operations (with the exception of Record-enable) are applied to hidden tracks. Pro Tools allows you to create separate groups for editing and mixing. You set this option when you use the New Group command.
Creating a Group To create a group: 1 Hold down the Shift key and select the tracks you wish to include in the group. Changing the Members of a Group You can add or remove members from a group at any time. To change the members of a group: 1 Hold down the Shift key and select the tracks to include in the group. 2 Choose New Group from the Group popup menu. Selecting tracks to be grouped 3 In the dialog that appears, select the 2 Choose File > Group Selected Tracks. Group ID that you want to update.
Linking Mix and Edit Groupings The “Link Mix and Edit Group Enables” option links group enabling between the Mix and Edit windows. Pro Tools allows you to create groups that are both Mix and Edit groups. but in some cases you may prefer not to link enabling of Mix and Edit groups. For example, when you are using the Mix window for mixing, you may prefer to work with large, nested groups. However, in the Edit window, you may want to perform editing tasks within a smaller group.
chapter 7 File Management and Compatibility The various Pro Tools systems require that you keep certain files on specific hard drives in order for these systems to function properly. Observe the following file management rules: Macintosh ◆ On all Macintosh Pro Tools Systems, the Pro Tools software should reside on your Start-up drive (the drive that contains your System folder and other System-related files).
In cases where the unique identifier is not present (for example, with files imported from a Macintosh session), Pro Tools can identify an audio file using other file attributes, such as sample rate, bit depth, file length, and creation or modification date. Pro Tools will search for files with similar attributes, and list potential matches in the Candidate Files list. 4 If you determine that a file in the Candidate Files list is not the target file, click Skip.
This variant complies with the new standards set down by the EBU (European Broadcasters Union), and the AES (Audio Engineering Society). Choose this option to ensure compatibility with other workstations that recognize this new standard file type. Compatibility Preference Setting Naming Files, Playlists and Regions To ensure portability of your Pro Tools sessions between Windows and Macintosh platforms, you will want to name your session files, bounced audio files, regions and playlists carefully.
70 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Part III Recording
chapter 8 Record Setup Before you start recording, make sure your your Pro Tools system is connected and configured properly. For details on connecting Pro Tools to your studio, refer to the Pro Tools Hardware Installation Guide that came with your system. While some of the information in this chapter is relevant to recording MIDI, there are more specific setup details for MIDI recording in Chapter 10: MIDI Recording.
range of your Pro Tools system. If the input level is too high, however, it will be clipped. Calibration Mode You can use the Calibration Mode in Pro Tools to adjust the input and output levels for your audio interface so they match those of your mixing console and other audio devices in your studio. For more information on Calibration Mode, see the TDM Hardware Installation Guide. Record Enabling Tracks To record to a track you must first recordenable it.
Latch Record Mode When the option for Latch Record Enable Buttons is selected (in the Operations Preferences), you can record enable (latch) additional audio tracks by clicking their Record buttons. Previously record-enabled tracks remain record-enabled. When Latch Record Enable Buttons is deselected, record-enabling a subsequent audio track takes the previously record-enabled track out of record-enabled mode.
Input Only Monitoring In this mode, when a track is record-enabled, Pro Tools monitors audio input only, regardless of any punch in/out selection. Monitor Levels for Record and Playback Pro Tools allows you to set two different fader levels for each audio track: one for when the track is record-enabled, and one for when it is not record-enabled. This lets you adjust levels for playback and configure a different set of levels for monitoring while recording.
▲ If have a SampleCell II Plus card, a buffer size of 128 should not be used when running the SampleCell Editor at the same time as Pro Tools LE. Use a larger buffer setting to avoid performance errors. The following table lists the amount of monitoring latency (in ms) you can expect from the four Buffer Sizes. Sample Buffer Latency Use for: rate Size Amount (kHz) (samples) (ms) 128 2.9 recording drums and other timing-critical instruments 256 5.
Low Latency Monitoring and Bounce To Disk With Low Latency Monitoring Enabled, only audio tracks are included with the Bounce To Disk command—Auxiliary Input tracks are ignored. To record Auxiliary Inputs with Low Latency Monitoring enabled, you must record the material in real time. Track Names When creating new audio and MIDI tracks, Pro Tools names them as either “Audio” or “MIDI” and numbers them consecutively.
Recording to Multiple Hard Drives To increase system performance, Pro Tools lets you record each track to different hard drive. Since Pro Tools III systems use a Disk I/O card for SCSI connections, it may not be necessary to allocate tracks to multiple drives. However, using Round Robin Allocation can minimize the performance burden on a single drive. To record to multiple hard drives: 1 Choose Setups > Disk Allocation.
Reallocating Tracks When opening a session where some of the previously assigned hard drives are no longer available (or don’t match the current session platform), Pro Tools automatically reassigns tracks to the volume where the session file is stored. In such cases, Pro Tools gives you the option of reallocating tracks to other drives. Recording to the System Volume Though Pro Tools will let you record to your system hard drive, this is generally not recommended.
Record Modes For recording audio, Pro Tools has four record modes: • Normal Nondestructive Record • Destructive Record • Loop Record • QuickPunch To enable Destructive Record, Loop Record, or QuickPunch, select them from the Operations menu. If none of these record modes are selected, Pro Tools is in normal Nondestructive Record mode. The record mode can also be switched by Control-clicking (Macintosh) or Rightclicking (Windows) the Record button in the Transport window.
Loop Record Mode Loop Record mode allows you to record take after take (non-destructively) while the same section of audio repeats. This is a convenient technique for quickly recording multiple takes of a part without losing spontaneity. The time range that is looped and recorded—which must be at least one second in length—is defined by selecting a range in the Ruler or in a track’s playlist, or by specifying start and end points in the Transport window.
In almost all instances, recording MIDI is destructive (though you can undo a MIDI record pass), either overwriting or adding to region material. One exception to this rule is when Loop Record mode is enabled; in this mode, existing track regions are replaced with new regions when new material is recorded. The old regions remain intact and available from the MIDI Regions List, and from the Takes List pop-up. In Loop Record mode, MIDI Merge has no effect, so its button is dimmed.
To configure the click options: 1 Choose MIDI > Click Options. – or – Double-click the Click or Countoff button in the Transport window. 2 In the Click/Countoff Options dialog, choose from the Output pop-up the port number (device) and channel that will play the click. 4 Select whether the click is heard “During play and record” or “Only during record.” 5 If using a countoff, specify the number of Bars to be counted off. To hear the countoff only when recording, select that option. 6 Click OK.
2 Enter the Meter you will use for the ses- To insert a default tempo event: sion and set the Location to 1|1|000 (so the inserted meter event replaces the default one). 1 Choose Windows > Show Tempo/Meter. 2 At the top of the Tempo/Meter Change window, choose Tempo Change from the pop-up menu. Tempo/Meter Change window 3 Choose a note value for the number of Tempo/Meter Change window clicks to sound in each measure.
▲ While you can adjust the Manual Tempo dur- ing playback, doing so will momentarily interrupt playback. To set the manual tempo with the Tempo slider: 1 To view the MIDI controls in the Trans- port window, select Display > Transport Window Shows > MIDI Controls. 2 In the Transport window, click the Con- ductor button so it becomes unhighlighted. To set the manual tempo with the Tap button: 1 To view the MIDI controls in the Trans- port window, select Display > Transport Window Shows > MIDI Controls.
chapter 9 Basic Audio Recording Recording a Single Audio Track When recording from a mono source, record to a single audio track in Pro Tools. To configure a new audio track for recording: 4 Rename the new track as desired. Track names are used to auto-name recorded audio files and regions. For more information, see “Track Names” on page 78. 5 In the Mix Window, click the audio track’s Record button to record enable the track.
To record to the new audio track: 3 Click Play in the Transport window to be- 1 Put Pro Tools in normal Nondestructive gin playback. Adjust the track’s volume and pan faders as necessary. Record mode. In the Operations menu, deselect Destructive Record, Loop Record, and QuickPunch. 2 If desired, enable the click and countoff in the Transport window. Also, make sure to specify the session’s default meter and tempo. For details, see “Recording with the Click” on page 83.
Stereo and Multiple-Track Recording Pro Tools can record multiple audio tracks simultaneously, up to the track recording limits of your system. To record a stereo audio signal, record to two audio tracks. 8 Click Record in the Transport window. When you are ready to begin recording, click Play. 9 When you have finished recording, click Stop in the Transport window.
Recording Additional Takes After recording to an audio track, you can record additional takes into the same track. However, if you record these additional takes in Destructive Record mode, the audio residing on your hard drive from the previous takes will be permanently lost. To keep the audio from previous takes, record the new takes non-destructively in normal Nondestructive Record mode. ☞ For details on audio file and region names for new takes, see “Track Names” on page 78.
5 Click Record in the Transport window. When you are ready to begin recording, click Play. 6 When you have finished recording, click Stop in the Transport window. The audio for the new take is written to disk, permanently overwriting the original. The new material replaces the original material within the existing region. Appending New Material to the End of a Track You can also append new material to the end of a track.
Punch Recording Audio To replace a portion of a recorded track, you can punch in by specifying the record range before recording. Though there are several ways to set record and play ranges (see “Setting Punch/Loop Points” on page 96), perhaps the easiest is select within the track’s playlist the material to be replaced. ▲ To set a record or play range by selecting within a playlist, the Edit and Timeline selections must be linked.
clicked in the Transport window. If postroll is enabled, playback continues for the specified post-roll amount. corded takes to the desired length with the Trimmer tool (see “The Trimmer Tool” on page 180). If recording non-destructively, a new audio file is written to your hard drive and a new audio region appears in the record track and Audio Regions List. When loop recording audio, Pro Tools creates a single audio file that comprises all takes.
point is reached, Pro Tools loops back to the start time and continues playing and recording. Auditioning Record Takes cording, press Command+period (Macintosh) or Control+period (Windows). After recording multiple takes with loop or punch recording, you can replace the take currently residing in the track with previous takes to audition them. 7 When you have finished recording, click To place and audition previous takes: Stop in the Transport window.
Takes List pop-up A pop-up menu appears containing a list of regions that share the same User Time Stamp. 2 Choose a region from the Takes List pop- up menu. The region replaces the previous take and snaps precisely to the correct location. 3 Repeat the above steps as desired to audi- tion other takes. One way to ensure that future takes have the same User Time Stamp (and appear in the Takes List pop-up) is to store punch and loop record selections as Memory Locations.
Setting Punch/Loop Points The start and end points of a record range for punch and loop recording can be set by the following means: • Select a range in a track’s playlist • Select a range in a Timebase Ruler • Drag the Playback Markers in the Ruler • Enter start and end times in the Transport window • Recall a Memory Location To set the record range with a Timeline selection: 1 If desired, set the Edit mode to Grid so the selection is constrained to the current Grid value.
3 Drag the second Playback Marker (up arrow) to the end point of the range. ✽ If the current record range is already the right length and the range needs only to be moved, Option-drag (Macintosh) or Alt-drag (Windows) either Playback Marker to move both to a new location (while keeping the same length). 3 Type in the start location and press slash to enter the value and automatically move to the end field. 4 Type in the end location and press Enter to accept the value. ✽ Use the period (.
Setting Pre- and Post-Roll in the Transport Window Pre- and post-roll can be enabled and set from the fields in the Transport window. 3 With the Selector, Option-click (Mac- intosh) or Alt-click (Windows) in the track’s playlist before the selection to enable the pre-roll at that location.
To set the pre- and post-roll amounts by dragging in the Ruler: 1 If desired, set the Edit mode to Grid so the dragged flags snap to the current Grid value. 3 If desired, enable and set the pre/post-roll amounts in the Transport window, or by dragging the Pre- and Post-Roll Flags in the Ruler. 4 Press Enter on the numeric keypad. 2 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to the desired loca- 5 In the New Memory Location dialog, set tion in the Ruler.
100 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 10 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 “The Record Modes and MIDI” on page 82 for details. ◆ Unlike audio, a MIDI recording take can be undone after stopping the Transport. For details, see “Undo and MIDI Recording” on page 107.
In addition, the following options affect how MIDI data is recorded in Pro Tools. ◆ The Input Filter allows you to filter out certain 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 103. To enable input devices: 1 Choose MIDI > Input Devices. 2 In the Input Devices dialog, select the MIDI devices you will record from.
MIDI Thru MIDI Input Filter 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 MIDI track currently record-enabled. Use the MIDI Input Filter to filter out certain MIDI messages from your recordings. The Input Filter can be set to record “all” messages, “only” the specified messages, or “all except” the specified messages.
Input Quantize Wait for Note When Input Quantize is enabled, all recorded MIDI notes are quantized automatically. To preserve the original “feel” of your recorded MIDI tracks, make sure to disable this option. The Wait for Note button, located in the Transport window, determines how Pro Tools begins recording. When enabled, Pro Tools will not begin recording until a MIDI event is received.
MIDI Merge/Replace Recording a MIDI Track The MIDI Merge button, located in the Transport window, determines how MIDI is recorded when overdubbing or punching in. When MIDI Merge is on (Merge mode), recorded MIDI is merged with existing track material. When MIDI Merge is off (Replace mode), existing data within the punched region is replaced by the newly recorded material. To record MIDI in Pro Tools, first add a new MIDI track and record enable it.
✽ To assign multiple destinations to a single 6 Click Record in the Transport window. MIDI track, Shift-click the MIDI Device/Channel Selector and select additional channels from any device. Record button 4 If desired, assign a default program change to the track. In the Mix window, click on the Program button (Prog) and make the necessary selections for program and bank select, then click Done. Default program changes are sent whenever the track is played.
Undo and MIDI Recording After recording a MIDI track and the Transport is stopped, you can undo the previous record take. Punch Recording MIDI To replace a portion of a MIDI track, you can punch in by specifying the record range before recording. To undo a MIDI recording: Once the Transport has been stopped, choose Edit > Undo MIDI Recording. ■ The track’s playlist is restored to its previous state.
If pre-roll is enabled, the track material leading up to the punch-in point plays. You can start playing during the pre-roll to get the “feel.” Material is not recorded until the start point is reached. When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins recording. Recording continues until the end point is reached, unless Stop is clicked in the Transport window. If postroll is enabled, playback continues for the specified post-roll amount.
However, when selecting an entire region, or a section within a region, before punching, no new regions are created. In this instance, only the material residing within the existing region changes, with no new material recorded outside the region. Unlike audio recording, MIDI recording in this scenario is destructive. If a region is altered because of a record take, the original material is lost (unless you choose Edit > Undo MIDI Recording).
6 Make sure to select Operations > Link Edit and Timeline Selection. 7 With the Selector, drag in the track’s playlist until the selection encompasses the desired loop range. For other methods of setting the record range, see “Setting Punch/Loop Points” on page 96. 8 To hear track material up to the start point of the loop, enable and set the preroll time. For details, see “Setting Pre/PostRoll” on page 97. 9 Click Record in the Transport window. When you are ready to begin recording, click Play.
For other methods of setting the record range, see “Setting Punch/Loop Points” on page 96. 6 To hear track material up to the start point of the loop, enable and set the preroll time. For details, see “Setting Pre/PostRoll” on page 97. 7 Click Record in the Transport window. When you are ready to begin recording, click Play. The Record button flashes during the preroll. When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins recording.
Recording System Exclusive Data Pro Tools supports recording and playing System Exclusive data (sysex) with MIDI tracks. This allows you to use MIDI tracks in Pro Tools to store patch and configuration data for your MIDI devices, or to record real-time sysex changes for a particular synth parameter (filter cutoff, for instance). To record a sysex dump at the beginning of a MIDI track: 1 Make sure that the MIDI OUT for the device sending the sysex is connected to your MIDI interface’s MIDI IN.
chapter 11 Advanced Recording Using QuickPunch Pro Tools features an intelligent on-the-fly punch capability called QuickPunch. QuickPunch lets you instantaneously punch in and out on record-enabled audio tracks during playback by merely clicking the Record button in the Transport window. ✽ For Digi 001 systems, you can use a foot- switch (connected to the I/O box) to punch in and out when recording with QuickPunch.
A good general-purpose crossfade length for punches is 4 milliseconds. If you set the preference to zero, Pro Tools will not create any crossfades at the punch-in/out points. 3 Click Done. If a value other than zero is specified for the QuickPunch Crossfade Length, QuickPunch writes a pre-crossfade at the punchin point (which occurs up to but not into the punched region boundary), and a postcrossfade at the punch-out point (which occurs after the punched region).
QuickPunch Guidelines for Pro Tools LE Digi 001 and Audiomedia III For non-TDM systems, the maximum number of tracks that can be simultaneously recorded with QuickPunch in a session with 24 audio tracks is 8. To simultaneously record more tracks than this with QuickPunch, you’ll need to reduce the number of tracks in the session. For instance, a session with 20 audio tracks can record 10 tracks with QuickPunch, and a session with 16 audio tracks can record 12.
QuickPunch with an Edit Selection If you make an Edit selection and use QuickPunch, the following rules apply: If you are not online, recording begins and stops whenever you click the Record button—regardless of the selection’s start or end point. If you are online, punch-in/out behavior is controlled by the Online Options setting in the Operations Preferences.
To record from a DAT recorder with Pro Tools: 9 Put Pro Tools in normal Nondestructive 1 Connect the digital output of the DAT re- corder to the appropriate digital input of your audio hardware. Record mode. In the Operations menu, deselect Destructive Record, Loop Record, and QuickPunch. 2 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup. 10 In the Transport window, click Return From the Sample Rate pop-up menu, choose the desired sample rate. to Zero so the start/end times are cleared.
Half-Speed Recording and Playback Pro Tools lets you play and record at halfspeed. This capability is similar to that of a tape deck where you can record material at half-speed and then play it back at normal speed (up an octave) for special effects. To record at half-speed: 1 Press Command+Shift+Spacebar (Mac- intosh) or Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows). Recording begins and all existing track material plays at half-speed. 2 When you have finished recording, click Stop.
chapter 12 Importing/Exporting Audio and MIDI Importing Audio In Pro Tools you can import previously recorded audio files and regions from other sessions. In addition, you can convert and import audio files that don’t match the session’s supported file type, bit depth, or sample rate. Audio files and regions can be imported onto a new track, or they can be imported into the Regions List, where they can be dragged to existing tracks.
▲ Pro Tools does not store waveform overview data with AIFF files, so it must be recalculated every time the session is opened. To avoid this, convert AIFF files to SDII format (see “Convert and Import Audio Command” on page 121 for details). To import files in other formats or bit depths, or to work with a copy of the source file, use the Import & Convert command in the Audio Regions List pop-up menu. For details, see “Convert and Import Audio Command” on page 121.
To import audio into the Audio Regions List: Convert and Import Audio Command 1 Choose Import Audio from the Audio Re- (Macintosh) gions List pop-up menu. To import audio files that don’t match the session’s file type, bit depth, or sample rate, use the Convert and Import Audio command. This command is also useful if you want to work with a copy of an audio file or region. Import Audio command (Macintosh) 2 In the Import Audio dialog (see Figure 4), locate the audio files you want to import.
2 In the Convert and Import Audio dialog, locate the audio files you want to import. Importing Audio into a Session (Windows) When importing into a Windows session, choose File > Import Audio/Track to place the audio into a new track. To import into the Audio Regions List, choose Import and Convert Audio from the Audio Regions List pop-up menu. Both commands call up the same Convert & Import Audio dialog (see Figure 5 on page 123).
Figure 5. Convert & Import dialog (Windows) (in center), and whether it will need to be converted (in Status Bar at bottom). Rightclick in this list area to change the display of the folder’s contents. 5 To place an audio file in the import list The center list displays the regions associated with the currently selected audio file. One region name reflects the original audio file, or the “whole-file region.” Importing this region loads the entire source file into the session.
In the import list, audio files are distinguished from regions by their icons. Icons for audio files (left) and regions (right) Also indicated in the import list is whether Pro Tools will use “Add” or “Convert & Import” for the file or region. The latter imports a copy of the audio file or region. 7 To import any recently opened audio files or regions, choose them from the Files menu at the top of the Convert & Import dialog. This places them directly into the import list.
Recalculating Waveform Overviews Pro Tools converts it to two mono files and saves them to the “Audio Files” folder for the current session. When the Display Preference for “Recompute Invalid Waveforms” is not enabled, waveforms are not displayed for audio files that are imported. Transferring Audio from CD Waveforms for these files can be displayed with the Recalculate Waveform Overviews command.
4 When the Save dialog appears, click the Options button. 5 In the Options dialog, select the sample rate, bit resolution, and stereo format. Conversion Quality The Conversion Quality Preference determines the quality of sample rate conversion used when converting and importing audio into a session, and when importing CD audio tracks (Macintosh only). There are five possible settings, ranging from Low to Tweak Head. The higher the quality, the longer it will take for the sample rate conversion.
Exporting Audio The following sections discuss exporting regions as audio files, exporting left and right audio files as stereo interleaved files, exporting region information, and transferring entire tracks between sessions (Macintosh only). You can also export audio from Pro Tools by bouncing or consolidating audio tracks. For more information, see “Bouncing Tracks to Disk” on page 313 and “Consolidate Selection Command” on page 196.
Exporting Region Definitions Pro Tools stores region definitions for audio files within each session. If you want to use an audio file’s regions in another session, or with another application that supports them, you can export the region information. The Export Region Definitions command does not export regions as audio files (unlike the Export Selected As Files command). Instead, it stores pointers to the regions within the parent source file.
1 Choose File > Import MIDI/Track. To import a Standard MIDI File into the MIDI Regions List: 2 Select the MIDI file you want to import. 1 Choose Import MIDI from the MIDI Re- To import a Standard MIDI File to new tracks: gions List pop-up menu. 2 Select the MIDI file you want to import. 3 To import the MIDI file’s tempo and meter tracks, select the option for Import Tempo From MIDI File. This option overwrites existing meter and tempo events in the current session.
To export all MIDI tracks in the current session: 1 Make sure to unmute any MIDI tracks in the session that you want to export. 2 Choose File > Export MIDI. 3 Specify a folder destination and name for the MIDI file. Export MIDI dialog 4 Select whether the Standard MIDI File will be Type 0 (merged, single track) or Type 1 (multi-track). 5 Click Export. Pro Tools exports all MIDI tracks in the current session to a Standard MIDI File and writes it to your hard drive.
Part IV Editing
chapter 13 Editing Basics Pro Tools Editing The Edit window in Pro Tools provides a powerful collection of tools for editing and assembling audio and MIDI tracks. Track material can be edited non-destructively and in real time during playback. Nondestructive Editing The vast majority of audio editing in Pro Tools is nondestructive. Whether cutting, pasting, trimming, separating, or clearing regions, you are only performing these functions on a map of the actual audio data.
Track Material Each time you record or import audio and MIDI, Pro Tools creates regions for the new track data, which not only indicate where the material begins and ends, but also provides good feedback on its general shape and content. When you record additional takes, or “punch in” on a specific location within a track, Pro Tools creates additional regions. Regions are also created by cutting and pasting, resizing, separating, and re-capturing existing regions.
MIDI tracks can be set to Blocks, Regions, Notes, Volume, Pan, Mute, Velocity, Pitch Bend, After Touch, Program, Sys Ex, and any continuous controller type. Except when editing controller data, program changes, or sysex events, MIDI tracks are usually set to Notes or Regions, each of which displays notes in a “piano roll” format. Use Notes view for inserting, editing, and copying and pasting MIDI notes; use Regions view to arrange, capture, or consolidate regions.
Track Height Track Controls and Track Height Tracks can be viewed in the Edit window at any of six heights: Mini, Small, Medium, Large, Jumbo, and Extreme. Larger track heights are particularly useful for precise editing. Smaller track heights are useful for conserving screen space in a large session. The Track Height affects how the various track controls appear in the Edit window.
Displaying Region Names and Times Audio Regions and Waveforms Region names can sometimes get in the way of editing audio waveforms and MIDI data. In these instances you may want to disable their display. When the Display Format for audio tracks is set to Waveform, Pro Tools draws a waveform diagram of the audio. Audio waveforms tell you several things about the recorded sound. To disable the display of region names in playlists: ■ Deselect Display > Display Name In Regions.
tive and negative waveform excursions are summed together and viewed as a single positive-value signal. beat, chances are that you can create rhythmically accurate regions by referring to the drum’s waveform. Some important rules to keep in mind when defining regions: Audio displayed in rectified mode ◆ Whenever possible, begin a region precisely before a volume peak, and end it immediately before another volume peak.
aries that do not touch or overlap other regions. See “Using the AutoFade Feature” on page 254 for details. ◆ Apply a crossfade between regions where a click or pop occurs. See “Creating a Crossfade” on page 251 for details. Nondestructive Audio Editing When editing an audio track’s playlist in Pro Tools, you’re not actually cutting and moving pieces of sound as you would if you were cutting and splicing analog tape.
audition pitches. Arrows at the top and bottom of the mini-keyboard (not available in the smaller track heights) are used to scroll the Notes display up and down. The pitch range of MIDI notes that can be displayed depends on the track height, and on the current zoom value. Any time a track’s notes do not fit within its current height, notes above or below the viewed area are displayed as single-pixel lines at the very top and bottom of the range (see Figure 7).
◆ Similar rules also apply when MIDI regions are trimmed with the Trimmer tool. If the MIDI region’s start point is moved beyond a note’s start point, the note is removed. If the region’s end point is trimmed so that a note’s start point is within the region but its end point is not, the note remains and overlaps the edge of the region. When moving and placing MIDI regions with overlapping notes, the notes always move with the regions.
number of edit playlists, which are shared among all tracks, each track has its own set of dedicated automation playlists. ▲ Automation playlists for audio tracks store data for volume, pan, mute, and Plug-In paramaters. Automation playlists for MIDI tracks, however, store only mute information; continuous controller events, program changes, and sysex events are stored in MIDI regions and therefore reside within edit playlists.
The Audio and MIDI Regions Lists All regions that are recorded, imported, or created by editing appear in the Audio and MIDI Regions Lists. Regions can be dragged from either list to tracks and arranged in any order. Regions can also be auditioned from the Regions List by Option-clicking them. Because region names can become lengthy (up to 31 characters), the Regions List can be scrolled or resized as necessary (see Figure 8).
Sorting and Searching the Regions Lists Most sessions will contain many regions, which may make it difficult to locate a particular region in the Regions Lists. The ability to sort regions and search for them will help greatly in keeping track of large numbers of regions.
Finding Regions Use the Find command to display all regions in a list whose names contain a particular word or phrase. To find and display regions that match a word or phrase: Edit Modes Pro Tools has four Edit modes: Shuffle, Spot, Slip, and Grid. The Edit mode is selected by clicking the desired button in the upper left of the Edit window. 1 Choose Find from the pop-up menu in the Audio or MIDI Regions List. 2 Type the name, or any portion of the name, for the regions you want to find, then click OK.
Slip In Slip mode, regions can be moved freely within a track or to other tracks. In this mode it is possible to place a region so that there is space between it and other regions in a track. When the track is played back, this space is silent. It is also possible to move a region so that it overlaps or completely covers another region. Use Slip mode when you want the Trimmer, Selector, Grabber, and Pencil tools to work without any restrictions to placement in time.
You can also enable and disable grid lines by Control-clicking (Macintosh) or Altclicking the Indicator Dot for any Timebase Ruler. Control-click (Macintosh) or Alt-click (Windows) for Grid lines Press Command+] (Macintosh) or Control+] (Windows). To zoom out, press Command+[ (Macintosh) or Control+[ (Windows).
To return to the previous zoom level: To zoom into a particular track area: Option-click (Macintosh) or Alt-click (Windows) any of the Horizontal or Vertical Zoom buttons. – or – 1 Select the Zoomer tool. Press Command+Option+E (Macintosh) or Control+Alt+E (Windows). To zoom horizontally and vertically, press Command (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows) while dragging in the track’s playlist. ■ To zoom in on a selection: 2 To zoom horizontally, drag with the Zoomer in the track’s playlist.
Zoom Preset Buttons Pro Tools allows you to save up to 5 horizontal zoom presets, which can be recalled by typing a number or by clicking a Zoom Preset button. To store a zoom preset: 1 Using either the Horizontal Zoom but- tons or the Zoomer tool, navigate to the zoom level you want to store. 2 While pressing Command (Macintosh) or Control (Windows), click one of the five Zoom Preset buttons.
To display all Rulers: ■ Select Display > Ruler View Shows > All. To remove a Ruler from the display: ■ Option-click the Ruler’s name (to the left of the Ruler display). – or – ■ Deselect the Ruler in Display > Ruler View Shows. To display only the Main Time Scale in the Ruler: ■ Select Display > Ruler View Shows > None. To add a specific Ruler to the display, such as the Markers Ruler, for instance: ■ Select Display > Ruler View Shows > Markers.
Feet.Frames Displays the Time Scale in feet and frames for referencing audio-for-film projects. The Feet.Frames time display is based on the 35 millimeter film format. With this Time Scale, you can enter a Start Frame based on an appropriate frame location at the beginning of your project tape. The Feet.Frames Ruler will then use this value as its start reference. The Feet.Frames dialog To set a start frame for a session: ■ Choose Setups > Feet.
Ticks vs. Samples Tick-Based Timing Pro Tools is a sample-based program with an internal resolution of 960,000 pulses per quarter note (ppq). However, when the Time Scale is set to Bars:Beats, the display resolution in Pro Tools is 960 ppq. In Bars:Beats, Pro Tools is tick-based (960 ticks to a quarter note), which means that some amount of sample-rounding may occur when placing events at certain locations (see “Sample-Rounding and Edit Operations” on page 152).
When selecting audio regions to be copied, duplicated, or repeated, make sure to select the material with the Selector (enable Grid Mode for precise selections), or set the selection range by typing in the start and end points in the Event Edit area. Do not select the material with the Grabber (or by double-clicking with the Selector). This ensures that the selection will be precise in terms of bars and beats (and not based on the length of the material in samples).
154 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 14 Playing/Selecting Track Material Playing Tracks After recording or importing to tracks, you’ll want to listen to the material to find track ranges that require editing, or material that can be turned into regions for use elsewhere. You can click anywhere in a track with the Selector to begin playback from that point (as long as the Edit and Timeline selections are linked, see “Separate Edit and Timeline Selections” on page 161).
✽ With the Edit and Timeline selections linked, you can click on a region or MIDI note with the Grabber to automatically update the Timeline with the selection’s start time, allowing you to easily play from that point. Page Scroll During Playback You can set Pro Tools to scroll the track display while playing, and have the edit cursor appear wherever playback stops. To make the track display and the edit cursor follow playback: 1 Select Operations > Scrolling Options > Page Scroll During Playback.
dicator can be set to any of the other Time Scale formats for another timing reference. Both the Main and Sub indicators also appear in the Transport window when it is set to display Counters. To scroll the entire contents of the Edit window from the Ruler: ■ While pressing Comand+Option+Control (Macintosh) or Control+Alt+Start (Windows), drag left or right in any of the Timebase Rulers. To navigate with the Location Indicators: 1 Click in one of the Location Indicators.
Continuous Scroll During Playback (TDM Systems Only) This scrolling option causes the Edit window’s contents to scroll continuously past the playback cursor, which remains in the center of the window. With this option, playback is always based on the Timeline selection (unlike Continuous Scroll With Playhead). Continuous Scroll With Playhead With the Playhead enabled, you can still jump to and play an Edit or Timeline selection.
When the Operation Preference for “Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle” is enabled, the edit cursor automatically locates to the point where scrubbing stops. When the Scrolling Option is set to Continuous Scroll During Playback or Continuous Scroll with Playhead, clicking with the Scrubber in a track’s playlist centers the Edit window around that point, and moves the Playhead there. With these Scrolling Options, scrubbed material moves past the Playhead, which remains stationary and centered.
Shuttle Lock Mode Numeric Keypad Set to Shuttle Shuttle Lock mode lets you trigger playback for up to two tracks at varying speeds, forward and reverse, from the numeric keypad. If multiple tracks are selected, only the first two tracks are shuttled. (TDM Systems Only) To play a track with the shuttle lock: 1 For TDM systems, make sure the Opera- tion Preference for Numeric Keypad Mode is not set to Shuttle. 2 With the Selector, click in the track where you want playback to begin.
Separate Edit and Timeline Selections Pro Tools lets you unlink the Edit and Timeline selections. In doing so, you can make a selection within a track for editing purposes that is distinct from the selection in the Timeline (which determines the playback and recording range). By default, the Edit and Timeline selections are linked. In this mode, selecting in a track’s playlist (an Edit selection) also defines the play and record range (the Timeline selection).
When the Edit and Timeline selections are unlinked, Edit selections are displayed in the Ruler with Edit Markers, which appear as black brackets. If the Edit and Timeline selections are linked, Edit selections are represented by the blue Playback Markers.
To select an entire track: Making Selections While Playing ■ Click in the track with the Selector and then choose Edit > Select All. – or – Pro Tools lets you make on-the-fly selections with the Arrow keys. Triple-click in the track with the Selector. To make a selection while playing: 1 Make sure to select Operations > Link To select all regions in all tracks: Edit and Timeline selection.
▲ The Object Grabber is not available when the Edit mode is set to Shuffle or Spot. To select discontiguous regions: 1 Make sure the Edit mode is set to either Slip or Grid. Converting to an Object selection is useful when working with large selections, especially across multiple tracks, and want to remove certain regions from the selection. Converting to a Time selection is useful if you want to select all regions between a discontiguous Object selection.
To change an Object selection to a Time selection: To quickly make a lengthy selection: 1 Select any number of regions with the of the selection. Object Grabber. 2 Scroll to the end point of the selection 2 Double-click the Selector icon in the and Shift-click at that point. toolbar. The time range between the first and last region becomes selected.
3 While pressing Option+Shift (Mac- intosh) or Alt+Shift (Windows), press Plus or Minus on the numeric keypad to move the selection’s start point by the Nudge value. – or – While pressing Command+Shift (Macintosh) or Control+Shift (Windows), press Plus or Minus on the numeric keypad to move the selection’s end point by the Nudge value. To extend a selection to a Marker or Memory Location: 1 Click in a track with the Selector at the selection’s start or end point.
3 Type in the start point for the selection and press the slash key to enter the value and automatically move to the end field. 4 Type in the end point for the selection and press Enter to accept the value. Numeric Entry Shortcuts for Selection Indicators Following is a list of relevant keyboard shortcuts for entering values in the Selection Indicators: Press the slash key to cycle through the three Selection Indicators. ■ Use period (.
To select data on All tracks at the same time: 2 With the Selector or Grabber, make a With the Selector, Option-Shift-drag (Macintosh) or Alt-Shift-drag (Windows) in any track. – or – track selection. ■ Enable the All Edit Group and make a selection in any track. – or – Drag with the Selector in any Timebase Ruler (make sure the Edit and Timeline Selections are linked). These selections include all tracks in the Edit window, but do not include the Conductor Tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers).
Other Useful Selection Techniques In time you will discover your favorite selection techniques. Here are a few to get you started: To position the edit cursor precisely at a region start, end, or sync point: To slide an Edit selection in the Ruler: 1 With the Selector or Grabber, make a track selection. 2 While pressing Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows), move the cursor over either of the Playback Markers in the Ruler (the Grabber appears). 1 Click with the Selector in the track.
Playing Selections Once an Edit selection is made, you can audition the track range by clicking Play in the Transport window. If enabled, the preand post-roll amounts play as well. lows you to quickly check, for instance, whether the beginning or end of a selection includes any unwanted clicks or pops. To play a selection: 1 Make sure to select Operations > Link plays start (for post amount) Edit and Timeline Selection.
Looping Playback When Loop Playback is enabled, the selected track range repeats on playback. If there is no selection, playback occurs normally from the current cursor location. Playback begins from the pre-roll point (if enabled) and continues to the selection’s end point, where it loops back to the start point. 5 Click Stop in the Transport window to stop playback. ▲ A selection must be at least 1 second in length for it to loop on playback.
To make a Timeline selection with the Selector: To set the Timeline selection by typing into the Transport window: 1 If desired, set the Edit mode to Grid to constrain the selection to the current Grid value. 1 If necessary, resize the Transport window by clicking in the upper right so the start and end times are displayed. 2 Drag with the Selector in any Timebase 2 In the Transport window, click in the Ruler. start field.
Timeline Selections to/from Edit Selections When the Edit and Timeline selections are unlinked, you can copy selections between them. To copy an Edit selection to the Timeline: ■ Choose Operations > Copy Edit Selection to Timeline. 4 Choose Operations > Play Edit Selection. The Playhead jumps to the Edit selection and plays it from beginning to end, and then stops. To play a Timeline selection with the Playhead enabled: 1 Deselect Operations > Linked Edit and Timeline Selections.
174 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 15 Working with Regions and Selections Because regions are the basic building block of audio and MIDI tracks, understanding how they 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 selections. The material, for the most part, applies to both MIDI and audio data. For editing procedures more specific to MIDI, see Chapter 16: MIDI Editing.
Auto-Name Separated Regions Separation Grabber With the Auto-Name Separated Regions option in the Editing Preferences selected, Pro Tools automatically names separated regions for you. The name is a numbered variation of the original region’s name. (TDM Systems Only) To separate a new region: 1 With the Selector, drag within an exist- ing region to select the material for the new region. – or – Click with the Selector at the point where you want to split the region in two.
To turn a selection into a region without affecting the original region: 1 With the Selector, drag within an exist- ing region to select the material for the new region. 2 From the Grabber pop-up, choose the Separation Grabber. 3 While pressing Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows), drag the selection to the new location, or to another track.
Placing Regions in Tracks Once you have created a region, it appears in the Audio or MIDI Regions List. From there 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 145 for details).
To place the end of a region at the Edit insertion point: To align the start points of regions on different tracks: 1 Click with the Selector in the track at the desired time location. 1 With the Grabber, select the region you 2 While pressing Command+Control 2 For TDM systems, if Continuous Scroll (Macintosh) or Control+Start key (Windows), drag the region from the Regions list, or from another track, to the destination track.
To align the sync point of a region to the start of another region (on a different track): 1 With the Grabber, select the region you want to align to by clicking it. 2 For TDM systems, if Continuous Scroll with Playhead is enabled, move the playhead to the start of the selected region. For details, see “Moving the Playhead” on page 173. 3 With the Grabber, Shift-Control-click (Macintosh) or Shift-Start-click (Windows) the region to be moved.
3 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 using Shuffle mode, adjacent regions are slid as necessary to make room for the edited region. If using Grid mode, the dragged start/end times snap to the nearest Grid boundary. If using Spot mode, the Spot dialog opens, where you can enter the new location for the region’s start or end point.
To trim from a start point to insertion: 1 With the Selector, click inside the region or note where you want the new start point to be. 2 Choose Edit > Trim > Start To Insertion. The region’s start point is automatically trimmed to the insertion point. To trim from an end point to insertion: 1 With the Selector, click inside the region Moving Regions A region or group of selected regions (on the same track or on multiple tracks) can be moved with the Grabber tool.
To identify a region sync point: To shuffle regions: 1 Set the Edit mode to Slip by clicking its 1 Set the Edit mode to Shuffle by clicking button in the upper left of the Edit window. its button in the upper left of the Edit window. 2 With the Selector, click in the region at the point, usually the peak of the waveform, where you want to define the sync point. 2 Drag a region from the Regions List to an 3 Choose Edit > Identify Sync Point.
Moving Regions in Slip Mode In Slip mode, regions can be moved with the Grabber freely within a track, or onto other tracks. In this mode it is possible to place a region so that there is space between it and other regions in a track. When the track is played back, this space is silent. It is also possible to move a region so that it overlaps or completely covers another region. To slip regions: 1 Set the Edit mode to Slip by clicking its button in the upper left of the Edit window.
5 Click in the field for Start, Sync Point, or End and type in a new location. – or – Click one of the up arrows next to Original Time Stamp or User Time Stamp to enter the associated values into the currently selected field. – or – If you are using an external SMPTE time code source, click the down arrow next to the Current Time Code display (or press Equal (=) on the numeric keypad) to capture an incoming time code address. 6 Click OK.
Defining the Grid Value To place or move a region while in Grid mode: In addition to affecting the placement of regions, the Grid value also constrains Edit and Timeline selections, and determines how the Quantize Regions command works. 1 Configure the Grid value as desired. For To set the Grid value: 1 From the Display menu, select the Time Scale you will use for the Grid value.
Defining the Nudge Value To nudge a selection or region: The Nudge value determines how far regions and selections are moved when nudging. 1 Configure the Nudge value as desired. For Start and end points for selections can also be moved by the Nudge value (see “Nudging Selection Start/End Points” on page 165). In addition, regions can be trimmed by the Nudge value (see “Trimming with Nudge” on page 182).
3 Press slash (/) to nudge the selected ma- 2 With the Grabber, select the region terial forward by the next Nudge Value. Press M to nudge the selection back. whose contents you want to nudge. ✽ You can also nudge by the next Nudge Value without enabling the Commands Key Focus. While pressing Control (Macintosh) or the Start key (Windows), press slash or M.
4 If desired, select the Use Subframes op- tion for greater accuracy. 5 Click OK. The material is shifted back or relationships. To quantize individual MIDI notes, use the Quantize command in the MIDI menu (see “Quantize” on page 214). forward by the specified amount. If a portion of a region was selected, new regions are created from the selection and from any material outside of the selection. The Shift command works the same regardless of the Edit mode.
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. When cutting or copying track material, the track’s Display Format determines the type of data placed on the Clipboard. When displaying waveforms for audio tracks, or notes or regions for MIDI tracks, selections include all underlying automation and controller data.
If tracks are grouped, copying and pasting on any of the tracks affects each of the other tracks in the group. Tracks that are hidden—even if they are part of a group being edited—are not affected by edits. The current Edit mode affects how material is selected, copied, and pasted: • In Slip mode, the Cut command leaves an empty space corresponding to the data removed from the track.
3 Drag with the Selector in the track to se- lect the material you want to cut or copy. – or – Use the Grabber to select one or more regions (or a group of MIDI notes). Paste Command Use the Paste command to place the Clipboard’s contents at the Edit insertion point, overwriting existing material already there. 4 Choose Edit > Cut to remove the selec- To paste a selection or region: tion and place it on the Clipboard.
Copying and Pasting Automation Following are two special functions for copying and pasting automation data. ◆ To copy all automation playlists for a track, press Control (Macintosh) or the Start key (Windows) when copying from any of the track’s automation playlists. This special function also works across multiple tracks.
Duplicate Command The Duplicate command copies a selection and places it immediately after the end of the selection. Though this is similar to using Copy and Paste, Duplicate is more convenient and faster, particularly when working with data on multiple tracks. To make more than one copy of a selection, use the Repeat command (see “Repeat Command” on page 194). As with the Copy and Paste commands, certain rules apply when duplicating material on multiple tracks.
To repeat a selection or region: 1 If working with material that is bar- and beat-based, such as loops, set the Main Time Scale to Bars:Beats. 2 If desired, set the Edit mode to Grid to constrain the selection to the current Grid value. 3 Drag with the Selector in the track to se- lect the material you want to repeat. – or – Merge Paste Command (MIDI Only) Use the Merge Paste command to merge MIDI notes from the Clipboard with material already residing in the paste destination.
Consolidate Selection Command During the course of normal edit operations, a track may eventually contain many regions. However, once a track or track range (such as a verse or chorus) reaches a satisfactory state, you may want to consolidate its regions into a single region—thus making the material much more easy to work with. When consolidating an audio track, a new audio file is written that encompasses the selection range, including any blank space.
✽ If the Editing Preference for “Regions List Selection Follows Track Selection” is enabled, you can highlight a region in the Regions List by selecting it in a track. 3 Choose Rename Selected from the Re- gions List pop-up menu. Auto-Rename Selected dialog 4 When prompted, enter a new name for Name Determines the root name for the auto-created regions. the region. If a whole-file audio region was selected, specify whether just the region is renamed, or the region and the disk file.
Hiding Auto-Created Regions Removing Unwanted Regions You can hide regions that were automatically created during the course of editing. You can locate and remove any unused regions in a session with the Clear Selected command. To hide auto-created regions: Deselect Display > Display Auto-Created Regions. With this option deselected, only user-created regions appear in the Audio and MIDI Regions List.
When clearing audio files for multiple regions, Pro Tools presents a warning dialog for each audio file. To bypass repeated warning dialogs: ■ Option-click (Macintosh) or Alt-click (Windows) the Delete button in the Clear Audio dialog. This permanently deletes each successive audio file from your hard drive (for each of the unused regions) without any further warnings. Use this “power delete mode” with care, since deletion of these files cannot be undone.
5 Enter the amount of padding in milliseconds that you want to leave around each region in the file. 6 Click Compact to compact the file or Cancel to cancel the command. Once the Compact operation has been completed, the session is automatically saved.
chapter 16 MIDI Editing You can edit individual MIDI notes and controller events with the Pencil, Trimmer, and Grabber. You can also use the various MIDI Operations (Quantize, Transpose, Change Velocity, and Change Duration) to transform groups of MIDI notes to affect pitch, timing, and phrasing. For information on region-specific editing for both MIDI and audio, see Chapter 15: Working with Regions and Selections. 3 Set the Time Scale to Bars:Beats.
ences option for “Play MIDI notes with Grabber and Pencil Tools” is enabled, each inserted note will sound. The Pencil can be dragged after clicking (and before releasing) to adjust the note’s pitch or duration. 2 Select the Pencil tool and make sure it is set to Random. Pencil tool set to Freehand 3 Set the Time Scale to Bars:Beats. In addi- tion, set the Edit mode to Grid and the Grid value to quarter notes (0|1|000). With these settings, the inserted notes will be spaced one quarter note apart.
Selecting MIDI Notes To select a single pitch for the entire length of a track: To select a group of MIDI notes: ■ On the mini-keyboard, Command-Shiftclick (Macintosh) or Control-Shift-click the note. ■ With the Grabber, Shift-click each note. – or – With the Grabber, move the cursor to where there are no notes (the Marquee appears) and click and draw a rectangle around the group of notes.
✽ To transpose a copy of the note, leaving the original unchanged, press Option (Macintosh) or Control (Windows) while dragging. To change the end points for a group of MIDI Notes: 1 Set the MIDI track’s Display Format to Notes. 2 Using the Grabber, Shift-click each note Moving Notes with the Grabber you want to trim. Like regions, MIDI notes can be dragged left or right with the Grabber to change their start point. If several notes are selected before dragging, each is moved.
Manually Editing Note Velocities To draw velocity values that fade in: When a MIDI track’s Display Format is set to Velocity, each note’s attack velocity is represented with a velocity stalk. The taller the velocity stalk, the higher the velocity value (0-127). 1 Set the MIDI track’s Display Format to To edit a velocity stalk with the Grabber: Velocity. 2 Select the Pencil tool with the shape set to Line.
Typing in Note Attributes When an individual note is selected with the Grabber, its attributes are displayed in the Event Edit area. A new value in the Start field moves the first note in the selection to that location, with all other notes moving with it. Multiple notes in the Event Edit area Event Edit Area, Pitch attribute selected Pitch is listed by note name and octave number. Attack and release velocities are listed with their MIDI values (0-127).
To delete a single MIDI note with the Pencil: With the Pencil tool selected, press Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows) so the tool changes to an Eraser, then click the note to delete it.
Inserting/Editing Controller Events Continuous controller events can be edited with any of the following methods: ◆ Individual breakpoints can be dragged with the Grabber to adjust their location or value. ◆ A group of selected breakpoints can be scaled up or down with the Trimmer. ◆ New controller events can be drawn in with the Pencil tool to replace existing events. Events can be drawn with the Pencil set to Freehand, or using any of the shapes (Line, Triangle, Square, or Random).
OMS Patch Names 2 In the Program Change window, select a (Macintosh Only) program number (or name) and, if necessary, specify a bank change value. If your MIDI devices are subscribed to OMS patch names, these names will appear in the Program Change window in Pro Tools, and also in the inserted program change events. If not, programs will be selected and viewed by number. For details on using the OMS Name Manager, refer to the online OMS Manual included on the Pro Tools CD-ROM.
To insert a program change with the Pencil: 1 Set the MIDI track’s Display Format to Program. 2 If desired, set the Edit mode to Grid so ☞ The placement of program changes can also be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Command” on page 188) or Nudge (see “Nudging” on page 186). the inserted event snaps to the Grid. 3 Click with the Pencil in the track’s play- To delete a program change event: list at the point where you want to insert the program change.
3 Click on a program number—the starting point from which you will scroll through the patches. To move a sysex event: 4 If desired, enter a value for the number of 2 With the Grabber, click on the region seconds that will elapse between each program change. and drag left or right. 5 Select the option for Increment Patch. After the specified number of seconds, Pro Tools selects the next patch and transmits the program change to the track’s assigned MIDI device.
MIDI Operations Window The MIDI Operations window opens when choosing any of the following commands from the MIDI menu: • Quantize • Change Velocity • Change Duration • Transpose • Select Notes • Split Notes • Input Quantize To invoke the command in the MIDI Operations window: ■ Click Apply or press Enter on the numeric keypad. This invokes the command and leaves the window in the foreground. – or – Press Return (Macintosh) or Enter on the alpha keyboard (Windows).
Select Notes The Select Notes command allows you to further narrow a selection of MIDI notes based on pitch. The command can be used to select a single note or note range for the entire length of a region or track, or to select the upper or lower voices within chords. (hi-hat, for instance), and affect it over the selected time range with the Quantize, Transpose, or Change Duration command.
Split Notes The Split Notes command has the same selection criteria as the Select Notes command, but also lets you automatically cut or copy the selected notes when clicking Apply. When the either of the Pitch fields are selected, you can play a pitch on your MIDI controller to automatically enter it. 4 Click Apply. Notes falling within the specified pitch range are removed from the selection and placed on the Clipboard. The notes can then be pasted or merged to another a track.
To open the Quantize window, choose MIDI > Quantize. Each of the Quantize options is discussed in the following sections. Figure 13 shows how notes are adjusted by the different What To Quantize options. before quantize Quantize window What to Quantize The options under “What to Quantize” determine which aspects of the notes are quantized: attacks, releases, or both. Attacks When selected, note start points are quantized. Releases When selected, note end points are quantized.
Offset Grid By Offsets the Quantize Grid forward or back in time by a specified number of ticks. Use this option to achieve a pushed (positive values) or laid back (negative values) feel. falling within the shaded area (equivalent to an eight note area around each beat) are quantized. ✽ To Quantize just the backbeats, set the Quantize Grid to half-notes with an Offset of 960 ticks.
Randomize When selected, notes are moved randomly forward or back in time (after the Quantize occurs). For instance, with the Quantize Grid set to eighth notes and Randomize set to 50%, notes are placed up to a 32nd note before or after the beat boundary. The Randomize setting also affects note durations (if Releases is selected). Quantize Examples The following examples illustrate some of the more common uses for the Quantize command. 4 Set the Quantize Grid to sixteenth notes.
Quantizing with Swing To humanize the rhythmic feel of notes: If you’re working with hi-hats or bass lines, you may want to apply more of a swing feel to the track. 1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be quantized. 2 Choose MIDI > Quantize. 3 Under What to Quantize, select the At- To quantize with an eighth note swing feel: 1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be tacks option. To quantize note durations as well, select the Releases option. quantized.
Change Velocity The Change Velocity command automatically adjusts attack and release velocities for selected MIDI notes. Use it to make notes louder or softer, or to create crescendos or decrescendos. Velocities can also be edited manually with the Pencil and Grabber Tools (see “Manually Editing Note Velocities” on page 205). ✽ Velocity values usually affect the loudness of MIDI notes. They may also affect other aspects of an instrument’s sound, such as filter cutoff, envelopes, and modulations.
Limit To When selected, restricts the Change Velocity command to a minimum and maximum range. Randomize When selected, the Change Velocity command is randomized by the specified percentage value. For instance, using “Set all to” with a value of 64, along with a Randomize value of 50%, yields velocities anywhere between 48 and 80 (+/– 25% of the velocity value). To preserve (somewhat) the existing velocity relationships and still achieve velocity fades, use the option for Change Smoothly by Percentage.
Change Duration The Change Duration command adjusts durations for selected MIDI notes. Use it to make melodies and phrases more staccato or detached, or more legato. ✽ The settings in the Change Duration window are saved with each session. To store your favorite settings as the default for use in future sessions, save them as part of a session template (see “Creating Custom Session Templates” on page 48). To open the Change Duration window, choose MIDI > Change Duration.
along with a Randomize value of 50%, yields durations anywhere between 360 and 600 (+/– 25% of the duration value). Change Duration Examples To make notes more staccato: 1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be ed- ited. 2 Choose MIDI > Change Duration. Transpose While the Grabber Tool can be used to manually transpose individual MIDI notes, or small groups of notes, the Transpose command can be used for entire MIDI tracks and regions. To open the Transpose window, choose MIDI > Transpose.
MIDI tracks that want to transpose, making sure to exclude any drum tracks from the group so they aren’t transposed. To transpose MIDI notes to another key: 1 If you will be transposing a group of tracks, make sure to enable the Edit Group. 2 With the Selector or Grabber, select the range of MIDI notes to be transposed. 3 Choose MIDI > Transpose. 4 Select the option for Transpose From–To. 5 Set the “From” and “To” values, for in- stance, to C4 and E4 to transpose from C Major to E Major.
For instance, suppose a MIDI track lasting 32 measures starts out with a volume of 127 and in the last bar fades the volume down to 0. If after playing the track in its entirety you attempt to play from bar 8, the initial volume of 127 is chased and sent to the track’s assigned device—otherwise the track would not be heard since the most recent volume event sent would have been 0. Chasing also occurs for a MIDI track’s default program changes, along with any program change events residing within the track.
To configure the MIDI offset in Pro Tools: 1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click MIDI. 2 For the “Negative MIDI Playback Offset” option, enter the number of samples (up to 10000) for the offset. In general, you should set the offset to a value that is roughly equivalent to the Hardware Buffer Size. 3 Click Done. Stuck Notes If you encounter stuck notes with any of your MIDI devices, you can silence them with the All Notes Off command. To turn off all stuck notes: ■ Choose MIDI > All Notes Off.
226 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 17 Conductor Tracks and Memory Locations Inserting Tempo Events Tempo Events Tempo events can be inserted at the beginning of a session to replace the default tempo (of 120 BPM), and they can be inserted anywhere within the session for additional tempo changes. Tempo events are displayed in the Tempo Ruler. To display the Tempo Ruler: ■ Select Display > Ruler View Shows > Tempo.
2 In the Tempo Change window, enter the To move a tempo event by dragging: Location and BPM value for the tempo change. In the Tempo Ruler, drag the triangle for the tempo event left or right. ■ Dragging a tempo event 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. Tempo Change window To edit a tempo event: Select the Snap To Bar option to place the inserted tempo event cleanly on the first beat of the nearest measure.
If the beginning of the selection includes a tempo event, press Command (Macintosh) or Control (Windows) so the Selector appears. ✽ Press Command+Option (Macintosh) or Alt+Control (Windows) while dragging to select across all Conductor tracks. 3 Choose Edit > Copy. 4 Click in the Tempo Ruler at the point where you want to paste the tempo events. 5 Choose Edit > Paste.
Default Tempo New sessions open with a default tempo of 120 BPM. This tempo can be changed by inserting a tempo event at 1|1|000. However, this is not the same as inserting normal tempo events at other locations. The tempo event that resides at 1|1|000 is actually a Bar|Beat Marker (notice that it has a blue triangle). Bar|Beat Markers look similar to tempo events, but instead have small blue triangles to indicate their location.
4 In the Bar|Beat Markers dialog, specify the start and end points for the inserted Bar|Beat Markers. Since this example deals with a one-bar loop, enter 1|1|000 and 2|1|000. When working with a selection, the Identify Beat command only calculates a single tempo for the selected range.
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. Dragging a Bar|Beat Marker When dragging a Bar|Beat Marker: • Its BPM value is recalculated along with the Bar|Beat Marker to its immediate left.
Meter Events Meter events can be inserted at the beginning of a session to replace the default meter (of 4/4), and they can be inserted anywhere within the session for additional meter changes. Meter events are displayed in the Meter Ruler. While pressing Control (Macintosh) or the Start key (Windows), move the cursor into the Meter Ruler (cursor changes to the Grabber with a “+”) and click at the desired location.
4 Click Apply to insert the new meter event. The new meter event is inserted and appears in the Meter Ruler. If the beginning of the selection includes a meter event, press Command (Macintosh) or Control (Windows) so the Selector tool appears. ✽ Press Option+Command (Macintosh) or Inserted meter event 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 doubleclicked to edit the meter event.
Partial Measures Aligning Beat 1 to a SMPTE Location When scoring to film or video, you will often need to start a section of music at a precise SMPTE location. Since this SMPTE location will usually not fall cleanly at the beginning of a measure, you can insert a meter event at the SMPTE location where the music needs to start. As necessary, Pro Tools will create a partial measure to accommodate the inserted meter event.
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 ✽ When creating Memory Locations, the next Any of the three types of Memory Locations (Marker, Selection, and General Properties) can store and recall any combination of the following properties: available number is assigned to it (1-200). This number is used in recalling the Memory Location from the numeric keypad. Zoom Settings Recalls the horizontal and vertical zoom values for both audio and MIDI tracks.
5 In the New Memory Location dialog, se- lect the Marker option and specify the Reference as either Bar|Beat or Absolute. 6 If desired, enter a name for the new Marker and select any General Properties you want to save with the Marker. 7 Click OK. The Marker is created and ap- pears in the Markers Ruler, and in the Memory Locations window.
To create a Marker during playback: To recall a Memory Location: 1 From the pop-up menu in the Memory 1 If the Memory Locations window is not Locations window, select Default To Marker. This ensures that new Memory Locations default to being Markers. already open, choose Windows > Show Memory Locations to display it. 2 From the pop-up menu in the Memory 2 If recalling a Selection Memory Location Locations window, select Auto-Name Memory Locations.
Editing Memory Locations Memory Locations can be renamed, edited, deleted, and copied and pasted. To rename a Memory Location: 1 In the Memory Locations window, dou- ble-click the Memory Location you want to rename. – or – To change a Memory Location from one type to another: 1 In the Memory Locations window, dou- ble-click the Memory Location you want to change. – or – If changing a Marker Memory Location, double-click the Marker in the Markers Ruler.
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 align a Marker to a different location: To delete a Marker from the Markers Ruler: While pressing Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows), move the cursor over the Marker (cursor changes to the Grabber with a “–”) and click to remove it. ■ 1 Make sure to select Operations > Link Edit and Timeline Selection.
To select all tempo events: Double-click with the Selector in the Tempo Ruler. ■ Memory Locations Window Memory Locations are listed, with their name and assigned number, in the Memory Locations window. To recall a Memory Location from this window, simply click it. Marker Memory Location Selection Memory Location General Properties Memory Location Show Markers Only When selected, only Marker Memory Locations are displayed in the Memory Locations window.
In addition, the view filter provides a handy reference for which properties are stored in each Memory Location (indicated by a row of icons for each Memory Location). Default To Marker When selected, new Memory Locations default to Markers, though in the New Memory Location dialog you can still define the new Memory Location as one of the other types.
244 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 18 Advanced Editing Pro Tools includes a rich advanced editing feature set, which is covered in this chapter. Using Crossfades You can quickly and easily crossfade between two adjacent audio regions. Crossfading is the process of fading 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.
Standard Crossfade (“Centered”) splice point region 1 fade out curve fade in curve Post Crossfade border of region 1 and 2 region 2 crossfade selection region 1 region 2 selection range begins just after end of region 1 ‘Centered’ crossfade ‘Post’ crossfade This type of selection creates a crossfade on both sides of the splice point, which affects the volume of region 1 and region 2. It is the most common type of crossfade. This type of selection creates a crossfade after the splice point.
The controls in the Fades dialog include: Audition Click this button to display the waveforms of the first two adjacent tracks in a multitrack fade. Fade Curves Only Click this button to audition your crossfade. Pro Tools plays the audio in one of two ways, depending on your system: • Pro Tools 24 MIX and Pro Tools 24 systems allow crossfade auditioning directly from your audio interface outputs. • All other Pro Tools systems use Apple’s Sound Manager to audition crossfades.
Zoom Out Click this button to scale the view of the waveform’s amplitude downwards. Command-click (Macintosh) or Control-click (Windows) for the default view scale. Fade Out Shape Parameter ◆ Preset Curve 1 keeps region 1 at full volume throughout the crossfade, then immediately drops the volume at the end of the crossfade. Preset Curve 1 ◆ Preset Curve 2 fades out region 1 relatively slowly, keeping the volume fairly high throughout the duration of the fade.
◆ Preset Curve 7 silences region 1 at the beginning of the crossfade. Preset Curve 7 Link Parameters 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. To edit only the fade-in portion of the curve, press Option (Macintosh) or Alt (Windows) while dragging.
Fade In Shape Parameters ◆ Preset Curve 2 fades in region 2 quickly in the beginning, reaching full amplitude fairly early in the crossfade. Preset Curve 2 Fade In Shape ◆ Preset Curve 3 fades in region 2 moderately fast. The In Shape parameter allows you to choose the shape of the fade-in to region 2. Standard Selects a single continuous fade curve. This creates a general-purpose fade that can be edited by dragging the curve itself.
Typical Curve Combinations Fade and Crossfade Preferences Following are the available combinations of fade-out and fade-in curves. (TDM Systems Only) Linear Crossfade This is a good general purpose crossfade with a smooth, even transition between region 1 and region 2. 1-out 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.
they occur inside a single region). Crossfade selections can begin and end anywhere in their respective regions. To remove a crossfade: 3 Use the view buttons to adjust the view Select the area of the track containing the crossfades you want to delete and choose Edit > Fades > Delete Fades. – or – of the crossfade. It may take a few moments to calculate the waveform display for long selections. Select the crossfade with the Grabber and press Delete (Macintosh) or Backspace (Windows).
Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions In addition to crossfades between regions, Pro Tools lets you create fade-ins and fadeouts at the beginnings and ends of regions. On Pro Tools 24 MIX and Pro Tools 24 systems, you can also use an automatic fadein/out option, which applies real time fadeins/outs to all regions during playback. These fades are not written to disk, but automatically applied during playback. To create a fade-in: 1 Select the beginning of the region that you want to fade in.
3 Click the Audition button to hear the Using the AutoFade Feature fade (or press the Spacebar to start/stop playback). {Pro Tools 24 MIX and Pro Tools 24 Only) 4 You can adjust the curve by dragging it or by choosing a different shape with the Out Shape pop-up menu. 5 When you are finished, click OK. Pro Tools calculates the fade and writes it to disk. The chosen fade curve appears in the region.
multiple regions as a continuous file. To render these real-time auto fades to disk, choose File > Bounce to Disk. 2 Drag to extend the selection to the last region you want to crossfade. Make sure that the selection includes the entire region. To set the length of automatic fade ins/outs: 1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click Operation. 2 Enter a value between 0 and 10 ms for the Auto Region Fade In/Out Length. A value of zero means that no auto-fading will occur. 3 Click Done.
7 Click OK. Pro Tools creates the fades for the selected regions. ✽ You can edit the length of a fade after you create it by resizing it with the Trimmer. Stripping Silence From Regions The Strip Silence command examines a selection and removes any areas of silence (sections where the amplitude level falls below a pre-defined level for a user-selectable period of time). The Strip Silence command does this by dividing the selected region into smaller regions and removing the silent regions.
Pre-Roll Specifies a time value to add to the start of regions created with the Strip Silence command. For example, a value of 200 ms of Pre-Roll will add 200 ms to the beginning of each stripped region. Different values here can be useful for preserving certain types of data, such as breaths on vocal tracks that would otherwise be stripped out, resulting in an unnatural, “gated” sound. Post-Roll The value that you enter here is appended to the end of regions created with the Strip Silence command.
Inserting Silence The Insert Silence command is a simple and convenient way to insert silence in sessions. This command allows you to make a selection on a track (or tracks) and insert precisely that amount of silence. In Shuffle Mode, all data on the track is shuffled later in the track by an amount equal to the selection. In Grid Mode, the Insert Silence command works just like the Clear command.
To use the Time Trimmer in Grid Mode: 1 Set the Edit mode to Grid. 2 Select “TCE Trimmer” from the Trimmer pop-up menu. Time Trimmer over a region The Time Trimmer works by using the Time Compression/Expansion AudioSuite Plug-In to create a new audio file. You use the Time Trimmer by dragging the region’s start or end point to expand or compress the region.
To use the Time Trimmer in Spot Mode: 1 Set the Edit mode to Spot. 2 Select “TCE Trimmer” from the Trimmer pop-up menu. 3 Click on 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. A new region is automatically processed using the Time Compression/Expansion AudioSuite Plug-In. The new region appears in the playlist and in the Regions List.
selection is pasted in exactly as many times as it takes to fill the selection. If you fill an area that is not an exact multiple of the copied region size (for example, filling 15 seconds of a track with a 2 second atmosphere or room noise region), the remaining selection area is filled with an automatically trimmed version of the original selection. This is also useful in music production if you want to replace a certain loop or sample (for example, a drum beat) with a new one.
Match: Start Position Replaces all regions that have the same original start time as the selected region. This includes regions that may have been auto-created when trimming end points. Fit to: Original Selection Length When the playlist selection extends beyond the original region, the replacement region (if larger than the original region) is trimmed to fit within the selection. Match: End Position Replaces all regions that have the same original end time as the selected region.
5 Select whether to fit the replacement re- gions to the current selection, the entire region, or the entire replacement region regardless of the destination length. 6 When you have set all the options, click OK. Before using the Pencil tool, it is recommended that you create a backup copy of the target audio. You can do this by using the AudioSuite Duplicate Plug-In. To make a backup copy of an audio region: 1 Select the source region in the track’s playlist.
4 Carefully draw with the Pencil by drag- ging over the desired area of the waveform. Don’t over-edit or the results may be undesirable. You can use the Undo command to undo your previous edit. Repairing a “pop” with the Pencil tool Try to limit editing to smoothing over a very small problem area, and keep the “fixes” in character with the shape of the surrounding wave.
Part V Mixing
chapter 19 Basic Mixing The following chapters cover the various steps in mixing a session, such as creating inserts and sends, adding effects, using automation, and bouncing tracks, all of which lead to the final mixdown. Although the mixing process typically begins when you finish recording and editing, many mixing tasks can occur any time during a recording session.
Track Selector Provides access to any Audio, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader track. Insert/Send Selector Provides access to any Insert or Send on the displayed track. Insert/Send Type Selector Allows you to select any Hardware I/O channel, real-time Plug-In, or send destination for the displayed track. Settings Pop-Up menu Provides access to commands for saving and importing PlugIn settings. Librarian Pop-Up Menu Recalls settings files for real-time Plug-Ins.
material on a track with a hardware Insert in real time. For details, see “Hardware I/O Inserts and Sends” on page 277. A Hardware I/O Insert Mono and Stereo Inserts Inserts can be either mono or stereo. Stereo versions of Plug-Ins become available when you use them on a stereo channel. A stereo Hardware I/O Insert, which sends the signal to an input/output pair, can also be created on a stereo channel.
To remove an Insert from a track: Click the Insert button on the track and choose No Insert from the pop-up menu. ■ To select a different Plug-In on the same track: ■ Click the Insert Type Selector button and choose a Plug-In from the pop-up menu. Removing an Insert ☞ For details on the Plug-Ins included with your Pro Tools system, refer to the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide.
Sends Pro Tools allows you place up to five Sends on each audio or Auxiliary Input track. You can set Sends to be either pre- or post-fader. When you create a new Send, its output level is automatically set to –∞. ✽ You can set the Send output level to zero by Option-clicking (Macintosh) or Alt-clicking (Windows) the Send fader. Sends are typically returned to the mix by means of an Auxiliary Input. They can also be recorded directly onto another track.
Using the Sends Editor In addition to the Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows, you can access the controls for Sends directly from the Inserts/Sends Editor. To display the controls for a different Send on the same channel: ■ Click the Send Selector button and choose the desired Send from the pop-up menu. To display Sends for a different track: ■ Click the Track Selector button and choose a track from the pop-up menu.
To display Send level meters when viewing individual Sends: To copy a track’s current control settings to a Send on that track: 1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click 1 Select the tracks you want to edit by Display. 2 Select Show Meters in Sends View and clicking on the track names to highlight them. click OK. 2 Choose Edit > Copy To Send.
Auxiliary Inputs do not provide an input gain stage, so if you are using them as inputs for external sources, you must match levels between the external devices and your Audio Interfaces. When you create a new Auxiliary Input, its main fader level is automatically set to –∞. 5 Click the Output selector of the Auxiliary Input channel and choose an output. 6 Set the Auxiliary Input level.
Generating Stereo Output from a Mono Send/Return 4 Click the Output Selector of the Auxiliary You can use an Auxiliary Return arrangement to generate a stereo output from a mono Send. Set the send destination to a mono Auxiliary Input track and place a stereo Plug-In on the Auxiliary Input. The output of the Auxiliary Input becomes stereo. Set the effect on the external device to “100% wet.” You can then adjust the level of the processed signal in the mix with the main fader of the Auxiliary Input track.
• Controlling submaster (bussed tracks) levels while bouncing to disk in real time • Applying Dither to an entire mix 3 Enter the number of tracks and click Cre- ate. 4 Click the Master Fader’s Output selector and choose the output that you want to control. You can choose either Audio Interface outputs or internal busses. If the Master Fader is a stereo fader, you can control the level of a pair of outputs.
chapter 20 Advanced Mixing Hardware I/O Inserts and Sends You can connect external devices, such as reverb or effects processors, to your Pro Tools system and use them as inserts or make them the destination for effects sends and returns. You can also label the connections so that the device name appears in the I/O pop-up menus in Pro Tools. Connecting External Devices Pro Tools TDM and Digi 001 systems allow you to create dedicated connections to external analog or digital devices.
To label hardware I/O Inserts or Sends: 1 Choose Setups > I/O Labels. To set up a digital send to an external device, do the following for your system: TDM Systems 1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup. 2 Do one of the following: On an 888/24 I/O Interface, choose Setups > Hardware, click Other Options, and set the channel pair to Digital. ◆ The I/O Labels dialog ◆ On an 882/20 I/O or 1622 I/O Interface, choose Setups > Hardware and set Channel 1–2 input to Digital.
7 Click Inputs and then click Factory Reset to update the input label configuration. Enter new names for the Input I/O labels. 8 Click OK. In an expanded TDM system, connect to the digital input on Channels 1–2 of the master Audio Interface. This is the Audio Interface connected to the first MIX, d24, or Disk I/O card in your system. ▲ If you set the Optical Format to S/PDIF, Pro Tools will watch the Optical port for any audio input on the S/PDIF RCA jacks.
Audiomedia III Systems Pro Tools can receive external clock from the S/PDIF input on the Audiomedia III card. To select an external clock source for an Audiomedia III system: 1 Choose Setups > Hardware. 2 Set the Sync Mode to match the type of The Auxiliary Input track controls the output levels of all tracks routed to it. You can apply mix automation to the Volume, Pan, Mute, and Send Level, Send Pan, and Send Mute controls of the Auxiliary Input.
To apply an Insert to all tracks in a stereo submix: 1 Choose File > New Track and choose Aux Input (stereo) from the pop-up menu. 2 Set the output of the tracks you want to include in the submix to a bus pair and set the panning of each track. 3 Set the input of the Auxiliary Input track You can apply real-time Plug-Ins to the audio signal or route it through an external device by using the Inserts or Sends on the Auxiliary Input track.
Printing Effects to Disk By using the Bounce to Disk command, or by bussing tracks with effects to audio track inputs, you can print effects to disk. This is the technique of permanently adding an effect, such as EQ or reverb, to an audio track by re-recording it to disk with the effect added. The original audio is preserved, so you can return to the source track at any time. This method of adding effects is useful when you have a limited number of tracks or effects devices.
4 If you are recording in stereo, set the panning of the new tracks to full left and right. 5 Set the input of each destination track to match the bus or bus pair to which you are recording. Pro Tools III The 16-bit Optimized Mixer is installed by default. When you run your Pro Tools Installer, a copy of the 24-bit Optimized Mixer is placed in the folder “PlugIns (Unused)”.
◆ More mixing channels (On TDM systems, 36 x 2 mixing channels can be created per DSP) ◆ 18 dB of mix headroom ◆ Output clip indication: Master Fader meters indicate clipping at the input summing stage only. However, the 16-bit Optimized Mixer internal mix bus still processes signals with 24-bit precision, and can produce a 24-bit digital output mix result from an Audio Interface digital output or when bouncing to disk.
could lower the Master Fader to reduce your output level, but any clipping at the input stage would not be indicated. If reducing the output level has no effect on clipping, it could be occurring in one of the following places: ◆ At the input summing stage. To prevent clipping at the input stage, trim the input summing levels. ◆ At an insert on the Master Fader. If you are using a Plug-In on the Master Fader, its meters show the levels on the Insert.
286 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 21 Automation Pro Tools features dynamic automation of volume, pan, and mute controls for audio tracks, Sends, and MIDI tracks, as well as real-time Plug-In parameters. In Pro Tools, you can write automation moves 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. Using Control Surfaces ProControl Digidesign’s ProControl supports all automation features in Pro Tools.
Edit Playlists and Automation Pro Tools handles audio regions and playlists differently from MIDI regions and playlists. Audio Tracks On audio tracks, automation data resides on a separate playlist from audio data and regions. Each edit playlist on an audio track shares the same automation data. When you trim audio regions with the Trim tool, the underlying automation data remains unchanged.
Auto Read Auto Read mode plays the automation that was previously written for a track. Auto Touch Auto Touch mode writes automation only while a fader or switch is touched or clicked with the mouse. When the fader is released, the writing of automation stops and the fader returns to any previously automated position, at a rate determined by the AutoMatch and Touch Timeout settings. See “AutoMatch” and “Touch Timeout” under “Automation Preferences” on page 291.
indicator or Send Level indicator shows the delta values being written rather than the absolute value. Trim mode works with the other automation modes (Auto Read, Auto Touch, Auto Latch, Auto Write) to affect how delta values are written to existing automation data. When Trim mode is enabled, nontrimmable controls behave in the same manner as in the standard automation modes, with the exception of Trim/Auto Write mode, where non-trimmable controls operate as in Auto Touch mode.
touched. When they are touched, their absolute positions are written until playback is stopped. Trim/Auto Write In Trim/Auto Write mode, the Volume and Send Level faders are disengaged from displaying the existing automation data, so you don’t have to chase them during playback. Faders are automatically positioned at 0 dB, where no trimming occurs (they start with a delta value of zero). From this reference point you can then set the initial delta values before initiating playback.
lected, you can still mute/unmute individual group members by Control-clicking (Macintosh) or Right-clicking (Windows) the mute button of the channel you want to affect individually. Touch Timeout If you are writing automation in Auto Touch mode and you stop moving a non-touch sensitive control, Pro Tools continues to write automation for the Touch Timeout period. Solos Follow Mix Groups When this option is selected, soloing a track/channel that belongs to a group solos all other members of the group.
About Thinning AutoMatch Indicators Thinning automatically reduces the overall number of breakpoints in the automation playlist in order to improve system performance. The amount of thinning applied is determined by the Degree of Thinning setting in the Automation Preferences. 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.
Writing Automation You can write automation for all automatable controls by moving those controls during playback. To write additional automation to a previous pass: 1 In the Edit window, make a selection or place the cursor in a location where you want to write automation. 2 Choose Auto Touch or Auto Latch mode To write automation on a track: on the tracks you want to automate. 1 In the Automation Enable window, make 3 Click Play to begin writing automation.
You can permanently store the initial position of an automatable control by doing one of the following: ◆ Place the track in Auto Write mode and press Play to write a few seconds of automation data to the track ◆ Manually place a breakpoint on the automation playlist somewhere after the initial breakpoint. Automating Switched Controls Automating Sends Pro Tools allows dynamic automation of Send Level, Send Mute, and for stereo Sends, Send Pans.
To copy a track’s automation to a Send on that track: To enable Plug-In parameters for automation: 1 Select the tracks you want to edit by serts/Sends Editor window for the Plug-In. 1 Click the Automation button in the In- clicking on the track names to highlight them. 2 Choose Edit > Copy To Send. Accessing the Plug-In Automation dialog 2 Choose the parameters to automate and click Add.
Enabling or Suspending Automation From the Automation Enable window, you can enable or suspend writing for the following automation parameters across all tracks: • Volume • Pan • Mute • Plug-In • Send Level • Send Pan • Send Mute To suspend writing of automation on all tracks: 1 Choose Windows > Show Automation Enable. 2 Do one of the following: To suspend writing of all automation on all tracks, click the Auto Suspend button.
Automation Enable Guidelines The following rules determine whether automation is written or played back for a track: ◆ Although Pro Tools shows a single automation mode for each track, all controls associated with that track are not necessarily in the same automation mode. If automation is globally suspended in the Automation Enable window, all controls behave as if they were in Auto Off mode, regardless of the track’s current automation mode.
Thinning Automation Pro Tools writes a maximum density of automation data during an automation pass, in the form of breakpoints. Since Pro Tools creates ramps between breakpoints, it may not need all of the captured points to create a sonically accurate representation of the automation moves that you have made. Each breakpoint takes up space in memory allocated for automation, so thinning data can allow you to maximize efficiency and CPU performance.
Drawing Automation You can use the Pencil tool to create automation events for audio and MIDI tracks by drawing them directly in any automation or MIDI controller playlist. The Pencil tool can be set to draw a series of automation events with the following shapes: Square Draws a square pattern that repeats at a rate based on the current Grid value. Amplitude is controlled by vertical movement of the Pencil tool. Random Draws a random pattern of levels that change at a rate based on the current Grid value.
The illustrations below show the same MIDI controller automation drawn with different Pencil Tools resolution settings. MIDI Data drawn with resolution of 10 ms 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. When you drag an automation breakpoint up or down, the change in value is numerically or textually indicated.
Using the Trimmer Editing Mute Automation The Trimmer allows you to adjust all selected breakpoints up or down by dragging anywhere within that selection. Drag the breakpoint down to mute a section. Drag a breakpoint up to unmute the section. Drag a breakpoint to the left or right to adjust the timing of the mute.
To edit a breakpoint: Click an existing point on the line graph with the Grabber and drag it to a new position. ■ To edit several breakpoints at once: Use the Selector 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.
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Automation Cutting automation data is different from deleting it, and yields different results. Copying automation leaves the original automation data intact. You delete automation data by selecting a range of breakpoints and pressing Delete (Macintosh) or Backspace (Windows). See “Deleting Automation” on page 298 for details. You cut automation data by selecting a range of breakpoints from an automation playlist and selecting the Cut command.
Editing and Track Display Formats Tips for Cutting, Copying and Pasting Audio and MIDI tracks each have a Track Display Format that acts as the main format for purposes of editing. When the main format is displayed, any edits performed on the track apply to all data in the track. On audio tracks, when you are in waveform view and cut or copy a section of the waveform, any automation data associated with the waveform is also cut or copied.
Special Paste Function for Automation Data Normally, when you copy and paste automation data, it is pasted in an automation playlist of the exact same type (for example, Left Pan data is pasted into the Left Pan playlist). However, there may be times when you want to paste from one data type to another (for example, pasting Send 1 level data into the Send 2 level playlist, or track Mute data into the Send Mute playlist).
To write current automation values to the beginning/end/all of a track or selection: 4 Click Play to begin playback. 1 In the Automation Enable window, make lection that contains the trim setting (delta value) you want to apply, click the Write to Start, Write to All, or Write to End button in the Automation Enable window. sure that the automation type is write-enabled. 2 Click in a track at an insertion point. – or – Drag with the Selector to select a portion of the track.
lined in yellow. This outline flashes to indicate that the track is trim-enabled, and appears solid whenever trimming is occurring on the track’s Volume or Send Levels. To trim Track Volume or Send Levels in real time: 1 In the Automation Enable window, make sure the automation type (Volume or Send Level) is write-enabled. 2 Click the Automation Mode selector on the tracks you want to automate and select Trim from the pop-up menu.
Adding Snapshot Automation to Empty Automation Playlists When you use the Write Automation command on an automation playlist with no previously written automation data, the selected value is written to the entire playlist and not just the selected area. This is because a playlist with no automation data contains only a single automation breakpoint that corresponds to the current position of the control. The position of the breakpoint is updated whenever the parameter value is changed.
Capturing Automation and Applying it Elsewhere 4 With the Selector, select the location The Write Automation command can also be used to capture automation states at specific locations in a session and apply them to other locations. This differs from simply copying and pasting automation data in that you can set any selection length for the application of the captured automation data. 5 Enable the automation parameters previously suspended.
2 Select the area of the track you want to edit. All automated controls update to reflect the automation at the beginning of the selection. 3 Move the controls for the parameter up or down by the amount you want to change the data. 4 Choose Edit > Trim Automation and do one of the following: ◆ To write the current delta value to only the currently displayed automation parameter, choose To Current Parameter.
312 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 22 Mixdown and Mastering Pro Tools lets you re-record or bounce tracks to disk, for purposes of creating a submix or a final mixdown. You can master your final mix directly to disk or use an external mastering recorder. Bouncing Tracks to Disk The Bounce to Disk command lets you mix down with all available voices on your system. Since it records to separate audio files, you don’t have to reserve any tracks for a bounce.
Bounce Parameters When you use the Bounce to Disk command, you can set several parameters that affect the bounced audio. Stereo file Creates a single interleaved stereo file. This allows you to use the file in applications that support an interleaved stereo file format. In an interleaved stereo bounce, tracks assigned to odd-numbered outputs are sent to the left channel, and tracks assigned to even-numbered outputs are sent to the right channel.
Resolution This parameter allows you to select between three different bit resolutions for the bounced file: 8-bit This resolution is often used in multimedia applications. If the material you are working with is relatively simple, you can use the Pro Tools “Squeezer” feature for optimal results. See “Use Squeezer” on page 320 for details. Output Options If you select Convert After Bounce, you can then click Settings to set Pro Tools output options. 16-bit This is the Compact Disc standard bit resolution.
WAV (Windows Audio File Format) RealAudio G2 (Macintosh Only) This is the native format for Windowsbased Pro Tools systems. The WAV format is supported by many Windows applications and some Macintosh applications. To use a WAV file on Macintosh-based Pro Tools systems, you must use the Convert and Import Audio command. RealAudio G2 is the latest version of the format created by Real Networks for streaming audio over the Internet.
Copy Protection These settings determine how the clip is handled by the RealPlayer client. ■ To allow RealPlayer Plus users to save your clip using the RealPlayer Plus recording feature, select Allow Recording. ■ To allow RealPlayer users to download your clip to their hard drive, select Allow Download. If you don’t want to allow RealPlayer users to make copies your clip, deselect both of these options.
When you select this format, the Resolution and Sample Rate pop-up menus in the Pro Tools Output Options dialog are unavailable, because resolution and sample rate are set by the encoder. ◆ Constant Bit Rate (CBR) encodes the file at a single bit rate that you choose from the CBR pop-up menu. Because the bit rate is fixed, the quality of the encoded audio will vary depending on the nature of the material being compressed.
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 v2.3, you can enter a CD track number for the file. This information is displayed by many MP3 players. Year Enter a year for the file. This information is displayed by many MP3 players.
Resolution This option in the Pro Tools Output Options dialog sets a bit resolution for the converted audio file. See “Resolution” on page 315 for explanations of each resolution setting. Channels This option appears in the Pro Tools Output Options dialog only when you are exporting selected audio as files, not when you are bouncing to disk. Mono Saves all selected regions as individual files. Stereo from .L/.R Saves all matching region pairs from a selection as stereo interleaved files.
Conversion Quality The Conversion Quality option sets the quality of sample rate conversion used to create the converted file. The higher the quality of sample rate conversion, the longer it takes to convert the file after the bounce has taken place. There are five possible settings, ranging from Low to Tweakhead. For most applications, the Better setting yields satisfactory results.
Creating a Submix You can create a submix with the Bounce to Disk command by muting tracks or bypassing inserts that are not part of the submix group, and selecting the part of the session you want to bounce. You can also create a submix by re-recording tracks directly into your session. For details, see “Recording a Submix to Disk” on page 282.
Final Mixdown In final mixdown, you create a mix that includes all your edits, automation, and effects processing. ◆ To convert the bounced audio file to another format, bit resolution, or sample rate, select Convert After Bounce, then click the Settings button and choose the output options. 9 Choose the bit resolution for the To bounce a final mix to disk: bounced file.
24-bit Input and Output with Pro Tools 24 MIX and Pro Tools 24 Systems Pro Tools 24 MIX and Pro Tools 24 are full 24-bit audio recording and mixing environments, supporting record, playback, mixing, and processing of 24-bit audio files. You can record to and from other 24-bit recording systems without any bitdepth conversion.
Mastering and Error-Correcting Media Random access media (such as hard disks, optical cartridges, Bernoulli cartridges or WORM drives) can produce a true digital copy of your data, because every bit value is maintained. Sequential media (such as DAT tapes) use error correction schemes to fix the occasional bad data that is received in a digital transfer. These corrections are deviations from the actual data, and with successive reproductions, represent a subtle form of generation loss.
326 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Part VI Synchronization
chapter 23 Synchronization Concepts Time code and synchronization (sync) are complex topics. This section is designed to give you a basic understanding synchronization as it relates to your work with Pro Tools. However, if you are using a device that sends or receives time code, such as a video tape recorder, you need to understand how that device generates or receives time code, and how to configure its options. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for operational details.
Syncing Pro Tools Pro Tools requires a clock reference—in addition to time code—in order to maintain synchronization over time. You can resolve Pro Tools to an external clock reference without locking it to a positional reference. For instance, you can use a USD to resolve the Pro Tools sample clock to house sync, without synchronizing Pro Tools to external time code. You should do this if you need all your work in Pro Tools to match the speed of all other machines in your facility.
does offer powerful features for post-production professionals who work with video. There is also a non-SMPTE form of time code called MIDI Time Code (MTC) that some devices use to send timing information. Time code is timing information in the form of a data stream that can be recorded on magnetic tape as an audio or video signal.
VITC Speed Usage VITC’s ability to capture a time code value when moving a VTR transport at slow speeds or when the VTR is paused makes it more useful in audio post-production environments than LTC. When VITC is used, Pro Tools captures the current SMPTE time from the VTR when it is paused or in “crawl” mode.
30 FPS Drop Frame Format This format is used for sound recordings done for film-originated programs that are destined for NTSC broadcast. 29.97 Non-Drop Frame Format This format is used with NTSC color video. It runs at a rate of 29.97 FPS. 29.97 Drop Frame Format NTSC color video has an actual frame rate of 29.97 FPS, so an hour’s worth of frames (108,000) running at 29.97 FPS Non-Drop will take slightly longer than one hour of real-time to play.
Typically during the Telecine process, a master digital video tape is created, along with a work copy on 3/4” analog video tape for the picture editor to use. At the same time, a new audio master may be created by slowing down, or “pulling down” by 0.1%, to compensate for the change in speed from film to NTSC video. Guide Tracks In the Video editing process, the audio track produced by the video editor (the “guide track”) is rough and needs to be enhanced and improved by the audio engineer.
Film Speed Differs from NTSC Video Speed The new NTSC Telecine master tapes will always run at 29.97 FPS during post-production, so the original production sound rolls (at 30 FPS) will be too fast, and therefore out of sync with the video. Some adjustment of this audio may be required. When spotting audio to video that was transferred from film to NTSC video, there are two important terms to keep in mind: film speed and video speed.
Final Audio Destination: Film If your final destination is film, your source audio is at film speed, and your goal is to edit and mix audio in Pro Tools and then lay back to a device that runs at film speed (such as Mag or Time Code DAT), you can temporarily Pull Down the audio in Pro Tools for NTSC video work, then return the audio back to film speed when you’re finished.
Pull Down the Audio Source Note on Sample Rate Conversion Some professional DAT machines will let you Pull Down the sample rate to 44.056 kHz, then you can record this audio into Pro Tools using a D-A-D (digital-to-analogto-digital) process. Then your audio will be at the correct speed for the remainder of the project, since the final destination is video, and no Pull Down or Pull Up is necessary.
338 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 24 Time Code Synchronization Synchronization (sync) allows connected systems or devices to start and stop their transports together, and, in some cases, to adjust transport speeds to maintain accurate synchronization of audio and video material during playback. Pro Tools is synchronized to other devices using SMPTE time code or MIDI Time Code. For a discussion of different SMPTE formats, and other concepts related to time code, refer to Chapter 23: Synchronization Concepts.
SMPTE Resolved with USD (TDM Systems Only) You can use the optional USD, or an equivalent third-party device, to resolve Pro Tools recording/playback speed with any of the following clock reference sources while slaving Pro Tools to LTC: • Video source • Video “blackburst” or “house” sync • VITC • 1x Word Clock • AES/EBU “null” clock • 256x slave clock • Pilot Tone • Bi-Phase This enables long-term, high-fidelity synchronization when all transports within the system are resolved to this common sync source,
either 16-bit Optimized or 24-bit Optimized. “CPU Mixer” is displayed in this field on a Pro Tools LE system. Ch 1-2 Input (TDM Systems Only) This allows you to choose an audio input format (analog or digital) for channels 1 and 2 of your master Audio Interface. Sync Mode This allows you to choose the clock mode for your master Audio Interface, Audiomedia III card, or Digi 001.
Using Peripheral This option outputs time code from the Device type selected in the Synchronization page of the Peripherals dialog. Pull Up This speeds up the current sample rate to 100.1%. A 48 kHz sample rate is sped up to 48.048 kHz. A 44.1 kHz sample rate is sped up to 44.144 kHz. MTC to Port This option outputs MIDI Time Code to the MIDI destination selected in the pop-up menu. Pull Down This slows the current sample rate to 99.9%. A 48 kHz sample rate is slowed to 47.952 kHz. A 44.
Variable Speed Override Determining SMPTE Frame Rate Variable Speed Override (VSO) requires a USD (or SSD). When a USD is connected to Pro Tools, the Session Setup window expands to display additional controls for VSO, clock, and Positional Reference (see Figure 23). Of course, it’s always best to determine the SMPTE frame rate through labeling procedures or communication, but this is not always possible.
Selecting a SMPTE Format To set a SMPTE Start Frame for your session: 1 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup. To choose a SMPTE format: 1 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup. 2 In the pop-up Frame Rate menu, select the SMPTE frame format appropriate to your session. 3 Enter the Time Code Freewheel frames (if any) in the designated box. See “Time Code Freewheel” on page 342 for more information. 2 Enable playback of your SMPTE time code source.
5 If there are existing regions on the tracks and you are changing the original SMPTE start frame to an earlier time, do one of the following: To set the Main Time Scale to SMPTE Time Code: ■ Click Maintain Time Code to place the additional session time at the start of the session, and keep existing regions in their original time code locations. – or – ■ Click the Main Time Format selector in the Edit window, and select Time Code.
3 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup. Notice the additional field for the SSD or USD at the bottom of this window. Putting Pro Tools Online To trigger playback or recording from an external source, you put Pro Tools online, or set it to look for incoming time code. To put Pro Tools online: 1 Choose Operations > Online.
Record Online at Time Code (or ADAT) Lock 3 On a Macintosh, make sure your SSD is Online recording begins as soon as Pro Tools receives and locks to time code or ADAT sync. In this case, you don’t need to make an insertion or selection in a track to designate a start point. powered on and connected to the Modem or Printer port. Also, make sure that the Mac Port/MIDI Port switch on the back of the SSD is set to Mac Port.
15 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup To generate time code using a USD: and choose the appropriate frame and sample rates. 1 Connect the SMPTE out of the USD to 16 In the Generate Time Code field, select the “Using SSD” option. 17 Select the desired Clock Reference mode from the Clock Reference pop-up menu in the Session Setup window. the SMPTE in connector on the device(s) you are slaving. Refer to the Universal Slave Driver User’s Guide to determine how to make these connections for your system.
9 Close the Session Setup window. Con- firm that your chosen parameters have been received by the USD. If not, check your connections and the settings in the Session Setup Window. 10 Click the Online button on the Trans- port, then click Play. Pro Tools generates and outputs time code from the USD. To slave an OMS-compatible MIDI sequencer to Pro Tools: 1 Make sure the OMS IAC Driver is in- stalled in the OMS Folder inside your System Folder.
6 In the OMS Studio Setup window, define an IAC Bus by double-clicking the IAC Driver icon, and typing IAC1, for example, in the first field (this provides a unique name for this particular IAC bus). In Pro Tools: 15 Select Operations > Active in Back- ground. 16 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup. 17 In the Session Setup window, choose an appropriate frame rate. 18 Select the SMPTE Start Frame to match the offset in Vision.
Syncing a Sequencer to Pro Tools in Windows Using MIDI Machine Control To synchronize Pro Tools to a Windows sequencer: Pro Tools provides the capability to transmit location information to external devices, and to control their transports, using MIDI Machine Control (MMC). 1 Make sure your MIDI interface is cor- rectly installed and configured. You must do this before proceeding.
Macintosh Pro Tools on the Macintosh uses OMS to facilitate MIDI Machine Control. In order to use MMC with Pro Tools you must configure your MMC device as an OMS device and enable MMC as an attribute of the device in OMS. For an example of this, see “Using MMC to Sync an ADAT to Pro Tools on the Macintosh” on page 354. 3 Select the appropriate port for synchroni- zation information. This is the port to which your synchronization peripheral is attached.
7 Set a preroll time for your MMC device. Preroll is needed to provide Pro Tools with sufficient time to lock to the incoming time code. This value will vary depending on the external device. If the preroll time is insufficient, Pro Tools may not be ready to lock until after the current time code position has passed. 8 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog. Pro Tools will now be able to control the selected device’s transport.
Setting Minimum Sync Delay Lock up delay is the amount of time 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 window of the Peripherals dialog. The minimum delay is 15 frames. Find the shortest possible lockup time that your equipment can operates at consistently, and set this as the Minimum Sync Delay.
4 Configure the ADAT OMS device by dou- 14 Click Play or press the Spacebar. The ble-clicking its icon. Leave Is Controller and Is Multitimbral unchecked (disabled). Enable both Sends and Receives MIDI Time Code and MIDI Machine Control. You do not need to have any Receive channels enabled. ADAT will cue to the play point and begin playing back in sync with Pro Tools. You do not need to put Pro Tools online to control the ADAT. 5 Save/Make Current and then close the new OMS Studio Setup.
MMC and OMS Synchronization When using MIDI Machine Control, you must have the OMS-compatible sequencer configured to synchronize to Pro Tools using the OMS IAC Driver (see “Syncing a Sequencer to Pro Tools on the Macintosh” on page 349). When controlled by a sequencer via MMC, Pro Tools serves as clock master for the sequencer. Pro Tools also serves as a transport and location slave to the sequencer.
11 In the Sync Options dialog, set the Re- 20 First, select Generic MTC Reader as the ceive Sync Mode pop-up to MTC/Machine Control, set the Receive Sync Device popup to IAC1, and enable Remote Start. (Leave the Send Sync option set to None.) Also, configure the frame rate to match your Pro Tools session. Click OK to close the Sync Options dialog. synchronization device, and select Any as the port. 12 Set the sequence start time (01:00:00:00 for example).
MIDI Beat Clock Some MIDI devices such as drum machines, hardware sequencers, and arpeggiators can only sync to MIDI Beat Clock. To sync these devices to Pro Tools, you can transmit MIDI Beat Clock to them. To transmit MIDI Beat Clock: 1 Choose MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock. 2 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the Enable MIDI Beat Clock option. Spotting Regions to SMPTE Frame Locations ▲ Spotting to SMPTE time code is available on TDM systems only.
the SMPTE hours:minutes:seconds:frames box, which appears as the far right time field when enabled. Use a period to separate subframe values from whole frames. ✽ Subframe measurements are not available in the Current Time Code field. Spot dialog Information in these fields is displayed in SMPTE Time Code, Minutes:Seconds, Feet.Frames, Samples, or Bars & Beats, depending on which Time Scale format is selected. A highlighted numeric field indicates the current active field for numeric entry editing.
To spot a region to a specific SMPTE frame: 1 Choose Display > Show Edit Window. 2 Choose Display > Time Code. 3 Click the Spot button at the top left of the Edit window to put Pro Tools into Spot mode. Spot Mode button Auto-Spotting Regions The Pro Tools Auto-Spot Regions option simplifies the task of spotting regions even further.
Start or End and Duration fields to specify exactly where you wish to trim the region’s beginning or end. Use this to edit the length of a region to correspond to a particular visual “hit point.” Trimming a region which contains a Sync Point (see “Identifying a Sync Point” on page 362) will not affect the SMPTE location of the Sync Point, unless the region is trimmed past the Sync Point.
To time stamp a region (or regions) with a new SMPTE frame number: To display the user time stamps in regions: 1 Choose Display > Display Time in Re- 1 In a track, select the region that you wish gions > User Time Stamp. to time stamp. 2 To hide User Time Stamps, choose Dis- 2 From the Regions List pop-up menu, play > Display Time in Regions > None. choose the Time Stamp Selected command. Using a Region with its Time Stamp in Another Session Time Stamp Selected command 3 Enter a new SMPTE time.
very beginning of the audio file nor at the very end. It is somewhere in the middle, making it tough to spot. In this scenario, use the Identify Sync Point command to create a point in the region and sync that point to a SMPTE frame. When you choose this command, the current SMPTE time is automatically entered as the SMPTE location for the Sync Point. To create a sync point in a region: 1 Click with the Selector at the point in the region that you wish to synchronize to a SMPTE frame location.
Stripe SMPTE Before You Record All tapes in your setup (both audio and video) must be striped with SMPTE Time Code before any audio is recorded onto them or to Pro Tools. If tapes aren’t striped, your system may seem to work, but synchronization will never properly occur. The machines and Pro Tools will drift farther and farther apart the longer they run. The same problem occurs when audio is recorded into Pro Tools without a resolved SMPTE source (if it was recorded before the current session, for example.
Any SMPTE reader that uses the time code numbers to make real-time calculations (as Pro Tools does when it tries to trigger and sync to SMPTE) also needs to know that the frame format is 29.97 and not 30 FPS. Since Pro Tools allows this choice of frame rate this does not really pose a problem. The problem exists because many users cannot readily distinguish 29.97 from 30 FPS. More importantly, some production companies will distribute video work prints striped with 29.
366 Pro Tools Reference Guide
chapter 25 Working with QuickTime Movies You can use Pro Tools to import QuickTime™ movies and audio, perform audio post-production tasks, and export the finished product as a new QuickTime movie. fast, random-access visual reference for “sweetening” the movie by adding sound effects, music, Foley, dialog, or other audio. ▲ QuickTime™ movie features in Pro Tools are supported on Macintosh systems only.
◆ synchronize audio events to a QuickTime movie, using the Pro Tools editing features to spot and nudge regions to video frames. ◆ scrub audio elements in tandem with a QuickTime movie. ◆ use the Pro Tools Bounce to Movie command to compile a new “flattened” QuickTime movie file that can be read by any QuickTime-compatible application.
QuickTime Requirements Pro Tools supports playback of QuickTime videos without additional hardware. However, performance will vary in terms of maximum movie size, frame-rate, and smoothness of playback. Capture of 30/25 FPS (frames per second), 60/50 fields-persecond video requires a Digidesign-approved video capture card, and associated software and hardware. About Frame Length and QuickTime Movies Not all video capture software can guarantee consistent frame lengths.
Blue & White G3 Macintosh computers have an internal IDE system drive. Audio and video should be stored on SCSI drives, connected to the computer with a Digidesign-approved SCSI interface card. Some recent Macintosh computers have two SCSI busses, an internal SCSI bus, and a separate external SCSI bus. The internal bus is often a SCSI Fast-compatible bus which can yield better disk performance. The external bus is a narrow SCSI bus, which is slower.
About the Movie Track Scrubbing the Movie Track Once a movie is imported into Pro Tools it appears in the Edit Window in its own Movie Track. This picon (picture-icon) track displays a “thumbnail” overview of the frames of the movie it represents.
Using a 14-inch monitor for playback If you capture 320 x 240 (NTSC) movies and have a second monitor with 640 x 480 resolution (a standard 14-inch monitor), clicking on the Movie window will route movie playback to that monitor. The Movie will “bounce” over to the second monitor, and will be pixel-doubled so that it takes up the whole screen.
Since a movie can be moved inside the Movie track, it is fairly easy to match these two times. In fact, you may not have to move the Movie track at all. For finer adjustment of a movie’s start time, you can use the Set Movie Sync Offset command to offset your movie in 1/4frame increments. This is more accurate than dragging the movie track, and is especially useful in cases where your movie track happens to begin with a partial frame.
Consult your video capture software documentation for more information. More Tips for Spotting Audio ◆ Specify your Movie size up front. For purposes of spotting audio, 320 x 240 is usually adequate. If you are displaying the movie on a 2nd monitor with 640 x 480 resolution, with pixel doubling, it will fill the screen. ◆ Try to work with a window burn in your Movie, since it will help you spot material. You can produce your own window burns for your capture using Digidesign's Universal Slave Driver.
Sample Rate Conversion Quality Importing Audio from a QuickTime Movie If you import QuickTime audio that was not originally recorded at your session’s current sample rate, the sample rate is converted to match the audio to your session. Pro Tools allows you to choose the quality of the sample rate conversion via the Conversion Quality parameter in the Editing Preferences. The higher the quality of sample rate conversion that you choose, the longer it takes to perform the sample rate conversion.
3 Select the desired audio tracks by clicking them. To select multiple tracks contiguously in this dialog, Shift-click them. To select discontiguous tracks, Command-click them. 4 Click OK. The audio is converted to your session’s sample rate setting and bit resolution, and a new region appears in the Audio Regions List for each imported file (2 regions appear for each imported stereo file).
7 Select the resolution for your movie audio. Red Book audio CDs are always 16bit, while many multimedia presentations and CD-ROMs use 8-bit resolution. You cannot create a QuickTime movie with 24bit audio; audio from 24-bit sessions is converted to 16-bit or 8-bit audio, depending on what you choose. ✽ Pro Tools sample rate and bit resolution conversions use large amounts of processing power. Save time by selecting a lower sample rate conversion quality in the Editing Preferences.
378 Pro Tools Reference Guide
appendix a DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing In all digital systems, signal processing incurs signal delays of varying amounts. These delays can vary from as short as several microseconds to as long as several milliseconds, depending on the type of processing being performed.
Compensating for Delays If you wish to compensate for offsets incurred by these delays, there are two different methods you can use: apply samplelevel delay to tracks with the TimeAdjuster Plug-In, or physically adjust tracks in the Edit window by the appropriate number of samples. Using the TimeAdjuster Plug-In You can use the TimeAdjuster TDM Plug-In provided with your Pro Tools system to apply an exact number of samples of delay to the signal path of the tracks you are working with.
Nudging Audio Tracks On audio tracks, you can use the Pro Tools Nudge feature, which supports single-sample increments, to nudge the affected regions to preserve phase coherency. If it is necessary to nudge a region by a large number of samples, you may want to calculate the equivalent value in milliseconds and nudge the Region in millisecond increments. If the value doesn’t divide evenly, you can switch the Nudge value back to samples and use these smaller increments for the remainder.
Typical Delay Scenarios Example 3, Pro Tools 24 MIX System A bus-based TDM bounce with no Plug-Ins adds 10 samples of delay: Below are some typical delay scenarios that you may encounter in a Pro Tools session. The more complex a session becomes, the greater the TDM delay factors may become. Track 1 routed to Bus 1-2, with pan set <100 = 2 samples Once you know the delay for your session, set the Nudge Value to that amount (in samples) and nudge the affected regions to compensate for the delay.
appendix b TDM Mixing and DSP Usage Pro Tools TDM Technology DSP Allocation (TDM Systems Only) (TDM Systems Only) Digidesign’s TDM (or time division multiplexing) technology is based on the concept of a single, high-speed data highway, or bus. In Pro Tools 24 MIX/MIXplus, Pro Tools 24 and Pro Tools III systems, individual channels from sources such as disk tracks, sends, or busses are sent out from Digidesign audio cards, and combined together or multiplexed onto the TDM bus.
We refer to certain mixing or signal processing functions as “using one DSP” or “using two DSPs.” This refers to the fact that there are a certain number of DSP chips on a card (six on a MIX card, or four on a DSP Farm card), each of which can only power a certain number of processing functions.
Setting up Sessions to use DSP Efficiently The dynamically configurable mixing environment in Pro Tools lets you make choices based on the type of setup you wish to have—such as how many inputs you want for your mixer, how many Plug-Ins you want to use, or how many sends you need. DSP Usage window showing Detailed format For example, you could allocate all of your DSP power to create a large mixer with dozens of channels—but you wouldn’t be able to use as many busses, sends, or TDM PlugIns.
DSP Usage with TDM Mixers Understanding Mixers DSP allocation for mixing in a Pro Tools TDM system is based on the concept of DSP summing mixers. Every send bus or output mix that you use demands that a summing mixer exist for that group. Each pair of outputs or busses that you use requires its own mixer. An “input” can be a disk track, a send, or an internal bus connection. Adding a pair of outputs or busses adds the requirement for more DSP power.
MIX card with two I/Os declared: 16-bit Optimized mixer: 43x2 per chip 24-bit Optimized mixer: 43x2 per chip Submixing When there is no space remaining on any DSP for a single mixer to increase the number of inputs, summing mixers must be created. For example, on a Pro Tools 24 system, when a 24-bit Optimized mixer needs to grow to more than 26 inputs, a summing mixer is created along with another 1 x 2 mixer to handle the 27th input.
DSP Usage with TDM Plug-Ins Some basic guidelines for DSP usage on Pro Tools systems follow: ◆ TDM-equipped systems running Pro Tools 4.3 or higher software use Digidesign’s MultiShell technology, which allows any MultiShell compatible Plug-In to share DSP chips on both MIX cards and DSP Farm cards. Up to five types of MultiShell compatible Plug-Ins can share a single DSP chip. ☞ Refer to the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide for de- tails on MultiShell Plug-In counts.
appendix c Keyboard Shortcuts Global Key Commands This section shows keyboard shortcuts that apply to many functions in Pro Tools.
Commands Key Focus Numeric Keypad Modes (TDM Systems Only) The Operation preference for Numeric Keypad Mode determines how the numeric keypad functions. The Commands Key Focus provides a wide range of single-key commands from the alpha keyboard for controlling editing and playback. Pro Tools TDM systems include a set of keyboard stickers that show the single-key commands and other modifier keys. To enable the Commands Key Focus: Click the a-z button in upper left of the Edit window.
Transport Shuttle This mode allows you to set a number of record and play functions, and also operate the Transport from the numeric keypad. (TDM Systems Only) : Function Key Click on/off 7 Countoff on/off 8 MIDI Merge/Replace mode 9 Loop Playback mode on/off 4 Loop Record mode on/off 5 QuickPunch mode on/off 6 Rewind 1 Fast Forward 2 Record 3 Play/Stop 0 With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can also: • Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode.
392 Pro Tools Reference Guide
appendix d Troubleshooting Backing up your work Common Issues It is highly recommended that you back up your work on a regular basis, and especially before making changes to your system configuration. Pro Tools software won’t authorize Back up your session data Problem: Back up your session and audio data frequently. There are a variety of media that are suited to back up projects of various sizes, from automated tape backup systems to high-capacity optical drives, to desktop CD-R burners.
Pro Tools won’t launch Problem: When you double-click the Pro Tools application or a Pro Tools session file, Pro Tools doesn’t launch. Possible Solutions: ◆ (TDM systems only) Turn off your computer and check to be sure your cables are properly and securely connected to the correct Pro Tools cards and to your Audio Interfaces. ◆ (Digi 001 systems only) Turn off your computer and check to be sure your cable is properly and securely connected to the Digi 001 PCI card and to the Digi 001 I/O Box.
Audio Interface isn’t recognized Possible Solutions: (TDM Systems Only) Turn off your computer and check to be sure your cables are properly and securely connected to the Disk I/O card and to the hard drive. Problem: When you launch Pro Tools it does not recognize an Audio Interface, or a connected Audio Interface is not available. Possible Solutions: Turn off your computer and check to be sure your cables are properly and securely connected to the correct Pro Tools cards and to your Audio Interfaces.
Using DigiTest As a Diagnostic Tool The DigiTest utility performs diagnostic tests on the Pro Tools cards in your system. To use DigiTest: 1 Refer to the DigiTest ReadMe file for the latest operational information. 2 Restart your computer. 3 Turn down any audio outputs on your system. 4 Locate and open DigiTest. 5 Click the Run button. DigiTest will run a diagnostic test on your Pro Tools cards. When the test has been completed, the Status field will indicate whether each card has passed or failed.
Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support Register your System As a registered owner of a new Digidesign product under warranty, you are eligible to receive Digidesign Technical Support. Fill out and sign your Registration Form and mail or fax it to the address supplied with the registration materials. Refer to the registration materials that came with your system for details on warranty coverage and the range of services available.
Other Hardware If you are using additional hardware, refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for operational details. The most common hardware additions include the following: ◆ SCSI Accelerators (manufacturer, model, settings) ◆ Expansion Chassis (manufacturer, model, bridge chip type) ◆ Video Capture cards (manufacturer, model) Refer to Digidesign’s compatibility documents or contact your Digidesign dealer to verify that the hardware has been qualified for use with your Pro Tools system.
index Numerics 11025 sample rate 320 11127 sample rate 320 16-bit Optimized Mixer 283 clipping 284 for 24-bit recording 284 22050 sample rate 320 22254 sample rate 320 24 FPS 333 24-bit Optimized Mixer 283 clipping 284 25 FPS (EBU) 333 29.97 FPS Drop 333 29.
Audio Regions List menu 32, 361 Auto Rename Selected command 197 Clear Selected command 198 Compact Selected command 199 Convert and Import Audio command Macintosh 121 Windows 124 Display All command 145 Export Region Definitions command 128 Export Selected As Files command 127 Find command 145 Import Audio command (Macintosh) 121 Rename Selected command 197 Selected Unused command 198 Show Disk Names option 143 Show File Names option 143 Show Full Pathnames option 143 Sorting option 144 Time Stamp Selected
Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option 292, 299 Solos Follow Mix Groups option 60, 292 Touch Timeout option 292 Auto-Name Memory Locations While Playing option 238 Auto-Name Separated Regions option 176 auto-naming and Strip Silence 257 audio files and regions 78 QuickPunch regions 116 separated regions 176 takes 78 tracks 78 Auto-Spot Regions command 360 Auxiliary Inputs 273, 281 adding 274 and DSP usage 387 Auxiliary Returns 274 Auxiliary Send level, and Master Fader 281 B bank select 13, 208 Bar|Beat Ma
Conductor Rulers 149 including in selections 168 configuring click options 84 MMC 352 Pull Up/Down 345 SMPTE 343 conforming QuickTime movies 373 connecting effects units 278 external audio devices 277 external clock sources 279 Consolidate Selection command 196 Continuous Scroll During Playback option 158 and half-screen 158 Continuous Scroll with Playhead option 158 and half-screen 158 control surfaces (see MIDI control surfaces) controller events 13, 207 and MIDI regions 141 chasing 223 editing 208 editin
Delete Selected Groups command 64 Delete Selected Tracks command 52 deleting automation 298, 304 groups 65 Memory Locations 241 MIDI notes 206 playlists 142 program changes 210 sysex events 211 tracks 52 underlying region data 192 unused regions 198 destructive editing compacting audio files 199 Destructive Record mode 81, 90 destructive recording 90 Digi 001 7 punching with footswitch 108, 113 QuickPunch 115 Digidesign Audio Engine (see DAE) digital clipping 73 digital mastering 323 digital signal processi
durations, for MIDI notes editing with Change Duration command 221 making more legato 222 making more staccato 222 randomizing 221 dynamic voice allocation 55 E Edit and Timeline selections, unlinked 161 edit commands 190 and Edit mode 191 clear 191 cut 191 paste 192 edit cursor 155 and scrubbing 159 moving to region boundaries 169 Edit Groups 32 and selections 162 Edit Groups list 32 Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle option 159 Edit insertion point placing regions at 178 trimming regions to 181 Edit Ma
nondestructive 133 non-destructively for audio 139 non-destructively for MIDI 141 note attributes 206 note durations 221 note velocities 205, 219 program changes 210 Shuffle mode 145 Slip mode 146 Spot mode 146 tempo events 228 waveforms 138 Editing Preferences Auto-Name Memory Locations While Playing option 238 Auto-Name Separated Regions option 176 Conversion Quality option 126 Crossfade Preference for Pre/Post-Roll option 251 QuickPunch Crossfade Length option 113 Region List Selection Follows Track Sele
File menu Close Session command 50 Delete Selected Tracks command 52 Exit command (Windows) 50 Export MIDI command 130 Group Selected Tracks command 65 Import Audio/Track command Macintosh 120 Windows 122 Import MIDI/Track command 129 New Session command 43 New Track command 44, 51, 87, 105 Open Session command 45 Quit command (Macintosh) 50 Rename Selected Tracks command 52 Revert to Saved command 46 Save Session As command 46 Save Session command 46 Save Session Copy In command 48 film speed 335 final mix
I/O View 20 Identify Beat command 230 Identify Beat dialog 231 Identify Silence command 256 Identify Sync Point command 183, 363 Import Audio command (Macintosh) 121 Import Audio dialog (Macintosh) 120 Import Audio from Current Movie command 375 Import Audio From Other Movie command 125 Import Audio/Track command Macintosh 120 Windows 122 Import MIDI command 129 Import MIDI/Track command 129 Import Movie command 370 Import Movie dialog 370 importing audio 119 audio and Conversion Quality 126 audio from CDs
level meters clearing 22 for audio tracks 21 for MIDI tracks 22 for Sends 23 linear crossfades 251 Link Edit and Timeline Selection option 161 Linked Selections button 26, 161 Local Control 13, 103 locating with Fast Forward/Rewind 156 with Location Indicators 157 Location Indicators 31, 156 locating with 157 locations, for MIDI notes dragging 204 quantizing 217 randomizing 217, 218 Lock/Unlock Regions command 189 locking regions 189 Loop Playback option 171 and audio recording 94 and Auto Touch mode 294 lo
Meter Ruler displaying 233 extending an Edit selection to 234 MIDI 12 common misconceptions 14 MIDI Beat Clock command 358 MIDI channels 13 assigning 59 MIDI clips and Regions List 143 MIDI control surfaces 13, 267 MIDI controller devices 13, 101 Local Control 13, 103 MIDI Device/Channel Selector 20, 59, 105 MIDI devices 13 MIDI files (see Standard MIDI Files) MIDI Machine Control (MMC) 351 configuring in Pro Tools 352 controlling external devices with 351 remote track arming 353 syncing to a sequencer with
MIDI tracks and MIDI offset 224 and tempo changes 229 assigning to multiple channels 106 channel strips 18 configuring for recording 105 default program change 209 exporting 130 loop recording 109 Merge Paste command 195 note chasing 223 Notes view 135, 139 punch recording 107 punching on the fly 108 record enabling 74 recording 101, 105 Regions view 135, 140 selecting a pitch range in 213 Sys Ex view 211 Velocity view 205 Minimum Sync Delay option 354 Minutes:Seconds Time Scale 150 mix busses 271 Mix Group
Nondestructive Record mode 81 nondestructive recording 90 recording to a new playlist 91 with QuickPunch 113 Normal Priority Playback option 369 Note Chasing option 223 notes (see MIDI notes) Notes view 135, 139 mini-keyboard 139 scrolling up or down 140 Nudge value 31, 187 trimming regions by 182 nudging 186 by next Nudge Value 187 region contents 188 selection range 165 selection start/end points 165 selections and regions 187 setting the Nudge value 187 numeric entry Calculator mode 167 shortcuts 167 Num
partial measures 235 Paste command 192 pasting automation 306 between automation playlists 193 multiple data types 193 selections and regions 192 to multiple tracks 193 with Merge Paste command (MIDI) 195 with Repeat Paste To Fill Selection command 260 PCI Load 311 Peak Hold options 22 Peak Indicator 21 Pencil tool 28 as Eraser 207 drawing automation with 300 editing breakpoints with 301 inserting MIDI notes with 201 repairing waveforms with 263 resolution for inserted controller events 208 shapes 300 Penci
Pro Tools III systems 5 24-bit input and output 324 file management 67 importing audio 119, 121 voice management 57 Pro Tools LE 7 Pro Tools MIX systems 5 24-bit input and output 324 auto-fades 254 file management 67 pre/post-roll 97 QuickPunch 114 Pro Tools TDM 6 processing bandwidth 311 Program Change window 209 program changes 13, 208 and bank select 208 auditioning 210 chasing 224 default, for MIDI tracks 209 deleting 210 editing 210 inserting 210 moving 210 patch names 209 Pull Up/Down 335 3:2 Pulldown
recording a MIDI track 105 a single audio track 87 a submix to disk 282 additional takes 90 at half-speed 118 bouncing to disk 313 cancelling takes 88 destructively 90 from a digital source 116 from Record Pause mode 89 in stereo 89 keyboard shortcuts 88 monitoring latency 76 multiple audio tracks 89 non-destructively 9, 90 non-linear 9 online 346 System Exclusive data 112 to a new playlist 91 to multiple hard drives 79 to the system volume 80 with a countoff 83 with Round Robin Allocation 79 with the click
Remove Sync Point command 183 removing crossfades 252 Inserts 270 Sends 271 sync points 363 Rename Selected command 197 Rename Selected Tracks command 52 renaming auto-created regions 196 groups 65 Memory Locations 240 playlists 142 regions 196 tracks 78 Repeat command 194 Repeat Paste To Fill Selection command 260 repeating selections and regions 195 Replace mode Replace Regions command 261 Replace Regions dialog 261 resolving sync 364 Return to Zero button 33 Revert to Saved command 46 Rewind incrementall
selections and Edit Groups 162 and hidden tracks 162 and Playback Markers 162 auditioning start/end points 170 changing length of 165 clearing 191 consolidating 196 copying 191 cutting 191 discontiguous 163 duplicating 194 extending 166 extending to the Meter Ruler 234 extending to the Tempo Ruler 229, 241 including Conductor Rulers 168 looping 171 moving to adjacent tracks 168 moving to the next/previous region 169 nudging 165, 187 nudging start/end points 165 Object 163 on-the-fly 163 pasting 192 playing
Slip mode 26, 146 and moving regions 184 Smart Tool 29 and audio tracks 29 and MIDI tracks 30 creating crossfades with 30 creating fades with 30 editing automation with 30 editing controller events with 30 Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option 292, 299 smoothing automation 292 SMPTE configuration 343 frame formats 332 start frame for session 341 SMPTE Slave Driver (SSD) 340 generating time code with 347 snapshot automation 308 adding to empty automation playlists 309 and trim values 310 writing over existi
syncing to a sequencer Macintosh 349 Windows 351 with MMC 356 syncing to an ADAT 354 Sys Ex view 211 System Exclusive data 13, 211 and MIDI Thru 103 deleting 211 moving 211 recording 112 System Load 311 T Take Region Lengths That Match option 95 Take Region Names That Match Track Names option 95 takes auditioning 94 auditioning from Takes List 94 default names 78 numbering for QuickPunch 116 recording additional 90 Takes List pop-up menu 94 tapping in the tempo 86 TDM 383 TDM Mixer Plug-Ins 283 switching 2
track level meters 21 Track Name/Comments dialog 44, 78 Track Selection Follows Region List Selection option 169 Track Transfer™ utility software 128 track width 61 tracks 11 adding to selection 167, 168 adding to session 44, 51 and Record Safe mode 75 appending new material to end of 91 assigning inputs 53 assigning outputs 54 assigning Sends 272 color coding 62 deleting 52 Display Format 25, 134 grouping 62 hiding 53 locating with Fast Forward/Rewind 156 master view 135, 305 moving selections between 168
V Variable Speed Override 343 velocities, for MIDI notes default for inserted 201 dragging velocity stalks 205 drawing with Pencil 205 editing 205, 219 fading 220 randomizing 220 scaling 220 scaling with Trimmer 205 Velocity view 205 Vertical Zoom buttons 147 video capture/playback cards 368 video speed 335 views Comments View 23 I/O View 20 Inserts View 22 Sends View 22 Virtual Memory 396 virtual tracks 11, 14, 54 VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code) 331 Voice Selector 19 voices 11, 19 allocating 14, 55 and
