Pro Tools Reference Guide

Pro Tools

Reference GuideVersion 7.0

CopyrightThis guide is copyrighted 2005 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter Digidesign), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign. DIGIDESIGN, AVID, M-Audio, 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. Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without notice. PN 9106-17743-00 REV A 011/05

ContentsPart I Introduction

Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3The Pro Tools Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Compatibility Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 About www.digidesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter 2. Pro Tools System Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Pro Tools|HD Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Pro Tools LE Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Pro Tools M-Powered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 3. Pro Tools Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Hard Disk Audio Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Digidesign Audio Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pro Tools Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . System Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 11 12 16 19

Chapter 4. Pro Tools Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21The Mix Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Edit Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Transport Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Menus and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tool Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 21 25 29 30

Chapter 5. Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Global Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Keyboard Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Numeric Keypad Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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Part II

Sessions & Tracks

Chapter 6. Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a New Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opening a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saving a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating Custom Session Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Closing a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quitting Pro Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . System Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 37 42 45 46 47 49 53 54 54 55 56

Chapter 7. I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69The I/O Setup Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating and Editing Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I/O Settings Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I/O Setup Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H/W Insert Delay Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 73 74 81 83 86

Chapter 8. Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Track Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Track Channel Strips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Track Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Adjusting Track Width. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Creating Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 The Track List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Track Priority and Voice Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Setting MIDI Input and Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Soloing and Muting Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Making Tracks Inactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Color Coding for Tracks, Regions, Markers and Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Grouping Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Chapter 9. Importing and Exporting Session Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Importing Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conversion Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing Audio Files and Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing Tracks and Track Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iv Pro Tools Reference Guide

119 121 121 124

Exporting Audio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as OMFI or AAF Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exporting Sessions as Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Send via DigiDelivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing MIDI Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exporting MIDI Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing and Exporting Region Group Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

131 133 133 135 136 138 139

Chapter 10. File and Session Management and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Audio File Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WAV File Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharing Sessions Created on Different Computer Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Software Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Multilingual Application Support for Pro Tools|HD Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 143 144 146 147 148

Part III

Recording

Chapter 11. Record Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Input Connections and Audio Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Record Enabling Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Record Monitoring Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monitor Levels for Record and Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monitoring Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Low Latency Monitoring with Delay Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Default Track Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Disk Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monitoring Drive Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Record Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recording with a Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the Default Meter and Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 152 154 156 156 157 158 159 161 162 162 165 166

Chapter 12. Basic Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Recording an Audio Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Record Shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Record Pause Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recording Additional Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Punch Recording Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loop Recording Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 173 173 173 176 177

Contents

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Auditioning Different Record Takes in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting Punch/Loop Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recording from a Digital Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Half-Speed Recording and Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

178 180 184 186

Chapter 13. MIDI Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Recording from MIDI Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enabling Input Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Thru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Input Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Input Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wait for Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Merge/Replace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring MIDI or Instrument Tracks for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recording to MIDI and Instrument Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Punch Recording MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loop Recording MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Step Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recording System Exclusive Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 188 189 190 190 191 191 192 194 195 197 200 203

Chapter 14. Advanced Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205QuickPunch Audio Recording. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 TrackPunch Audio Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Part IV

Editing

Chapter 15. Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219Pro Tools Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Displaying Region Names, Region Times, and Other Data in Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audio Regions and Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Regions and MIDI Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timebase Rulers and Conductor Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Main Time Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tick-Based Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Multiple Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Region List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zooming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trimming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Selector Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi Pro Tools Reference Guide

219 220 225 226 228 231 232 234 236 239 240 246 248 249 254 257

Grabbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Smart Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scrubbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Universe Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

258 259 260 263 263

Chapter 16. Playing and Selecting Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265Playing Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Auto-Scrolling Tracks in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scrolling Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linking or Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linking or Unlinking Track and Edit Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selecting Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playing Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timeline Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TCE (Time Compression and Expansion) Edit To Timeline Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Playing Timeline and Edit Selections with the Playhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 270 271 272 274 274 283 285 287 288

Chapter 17. Working with Regions and Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289Creating New Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trimming Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Healing Separated Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Placing Regions in Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sync Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nudging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shift Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quantizing Regions to Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Locking Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Muting/Unmuting Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replacing Audio Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Duplicate Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repeat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing Stereo and Multichannel Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Processing Audio with AudioSuite Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Waveform Repair with the Pencil Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Region Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Region Looping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 293 295 295 303 305 307 308 308 309 309 312 317 318 318 319 320 321 328

Chapter 18. Fades and Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333Using Crossfades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating a Crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using AutoFades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating Fades and Crossfades in Batches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 340 341 343 343vii

Contents

Chapter 19. Managing Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345Stripping Silence from Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inserting Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Consolidate Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Compacting an Audio File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naming and Displaying Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 347 348 349 350

Chapter 20. Conductor Tracks and Memory Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353Song Start Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tempo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graphic Tempo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Changing the Linearity Display Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tempo Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Identify Beat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meter Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Time Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Renumbering Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Memory Locations and Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Memory Locations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353 354 358 363 364 370 374 376 382 382 389

Chapter 21. Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391Beat Detective Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Beat Detective Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beat Detective Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Defining a Beat Detective Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calculating Tempo with Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Generating Beat Triggers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DigiGroove Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Separating Regions with Beat Detective (Audio Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conforming Regions with Beat Detective (Audio Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Smoothing (Audio Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 393 393 394 395 396 401 402 404 406 408 410

Part V

MIDI Editing

Chapter 22. MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415Mirrored MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Pencil Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Custom Note Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the Grid Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inserting MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manually Editing MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .viii Pro Tools Reference Guide

415 416 417 418 418 419

Time Compression/Expansion Trim Tool Functionality on MIDI Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Continuous Controller Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . System Exclusive Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Note and Controller Chasing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Offsetting MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stuck Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Remove Duplicate Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

425 426 429 432 433 434 436 436

Chapter 23. MIDI Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437MIDI Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grid/Groove Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Restore Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flatten Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Change Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Change Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select/Split Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Input Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Real-Time Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437 438 448 449 449 451 453 454 456 457 460

Chapter 24. MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467The MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inserting Events in the MIDI Event List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing in the MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Event List Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467 470 472 474

Part VI

Mixing

Chapter 25. Basic Mixing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Metering and Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Signal Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Views in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audio Input and Output Paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Output Windows for Tracks and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 477 478 482 483 486 488 494

Contents

ix

Sends and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Submixing for Signal Routing and Effects Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Delay Compensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using a Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

499 499 505 509 510

Chapter 26. Plug-In and Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511Inserting Plug-Ins on Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plug-In Menu Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moving and Duplicating Plug-In and Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Plug-In Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing Plug-In Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting and Integrating External Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515 517 519 520 523 528 530 530

Chapter 27. Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533Automation Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Automation Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Automation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Automation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enabling and Suspending Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deleting Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thinning Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drawing Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trimming Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing Automation to the Selection, Selection Start, or Selection End. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing Automation to the Next Breakpoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mute Automation Overwrite/Extend Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating Snapshot Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 534 536 540 542 543 547 549 549 550 552 560 561 563 565 568

Chapter 28. Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571Recording to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bounce to Disk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bounce Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recording a Submix (with Bounce to Disk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Final Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mastering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573 574 575 582 583 584

x

Pro Tools Reference Guide

Part VII

Surround

Chapter 29. Surround Concepts (Pro Tools HD Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589Mixing Formats and Surround Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pro Tools Mixing Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Speaker Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Surround Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Formats and Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Surround Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589 590 590 592 593 596

Chapter 30. Pro Tools Setup for Surround (Pro Tools HD Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599 600 603 604

Chapter 31. Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing (Pro Tools HD Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605Multichannel Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Multichannel Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Multichannel Signal Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paths in Surround Mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605 606 609 612 614

Chapter 32. Surround Panning and Mixing (Pro Tools HD Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Output Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Standard Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Surround Panner Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Panning Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Divergence and Center Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pan Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SurroundScope Metering Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619 620 621 622 624 627 629 630 630

Contents

xi

Part VIII

Synchronization

Chapter 33. Synchronization Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633Synchronization Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aspects of Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Synchronizing Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SMPTE Frame Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Working with Film-Originated Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633 633 634 637 638

Chapter 34. Working with Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643Pro Tools Synchronization Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Session Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preparing to Work with SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring Pro Tools for SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pull Up and Pull Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Putting Pro Tools Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Generating Time Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using MIDI Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting Minimum Sync Delay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Remote Track Arming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIDI Beat Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spotting Regions to SMPTE Frame Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Time Stamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Identifying a Synchronization Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troubleshooting Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 643 645 649 649 652 656 656 657 660 660 661 661 664 666 667

Chapter 35. Working with QuickTime Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669About QuickTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . QuickTime Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . QuickTime Movie Playback Performance Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FireWire Playback of QuickTime DV Movies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Setting the Movie Start Time (Movie Offset) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spotting Audio to a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Importing QuickTime Audio (and Other Compressed Video Files). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bouncing to a New Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 669 671 671 672 673 676 677 678 679

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691

xii


Part I: Introduction

1

2

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 quality audio for music, video, lm, and multimedia.

DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide Instructions for using the DigiRack plug-ins (included with Pro Tools) for both real-time and file-based audio processing in Pro Tools. (Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems only include an electronic PDF version of this guide.) Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide Electronic PDF guide with instructions for using optional Digidesign plug-ins for both real-time and file-based audio processing in Pro Tools. DigiBase Guide Full details on using Pro Tools DigiBase databasing and browsers for data and media management. (Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems only include an electronic PDF version of this guide.) Expanded Systems Guide (Pro Tools|HD Systems Only) Instructions for expanding a Pro Tools|HD system with optional Digidesign cards or an expansion chassis. MachineControl Guide (Pro Tools|HD Systems Only) Electronic PDF guide for MachineControl option. This guide includes installation and operation instructions for using the MachineControl option for Pro Tools to enable serial communication with remote audio and video transports. Pro Tools Keyboard Shortcuts Separate electronic PDF guides for Windows and Macintosh that list keyboard shortcuts not shown in Pro Tools menus.

The Pro Tools GuidesPro Tools systems include the following guides: Getting Started Guide Instructions for installing your Pro Tools system and connecting your studio. Basics Guide (Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered Only) Designed for new users, these guides provide specic methods for accomplishing common tasks (such as getting sound in and out of your Pro Tools LE or Digidesign-qualied M-Audio hardware, connecting a mic or instrument, and recording a session). Pro Tools Reference Guide Full details on all Pro Tools functionality and operations. (Pro Tools LE and M-Powered systems only include an electronic PDF version of the Reference Guide.) Pro Tools Menus Guide Electronic PDF guide to the Pro Tools on-screen menus.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools

3

Digidesign also provides guides with audio interfaces, dedicated worksurfaces (such as D-Control) and controllers (such as Command|8), and other Digidesign options (such as MIDI I/O, PRE, and SYNC I/O). Refer to the separate guide provided with each Digidesign product.

Compatibility InformationDigidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved. For a list of Digidesign-qualified computers, operating systems, hard drives, and third-party devices, refer to the latest compatibility information on the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato).

Conventions Used in These GuidesThe Pro Tools guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands::

About www.digidesign.comConventionFile > Save

ActionChoose Save from the File menu Hold down the Control key and press the N key Hold down the Control key and click the mouse button Click with the right mouse button

Control+N

The Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com) is your best online source for information to help you get the most out of your Pro Tools system. The following are just a few of the services and features available. Registration Register your purchase online. See the registration form included with your system for instructions. Support Contact Digidesign Technical Support or Customer Service; download software updates and the latest online manuals; browse the Compatibility documents for system requirements; search the online Answerbase or join the worldwide Pro Tools community on the Digidesign User Conference. Training and Education Study on your own using courses available online or find out how you can learn in a classroom setting at a certified Pro Tools training center. Products and Developers Learn about Digidesign products; download demo software or learn about our Development Partners and their plugins, applications, and hardware. News and Events Get the latest news from Digidesign or sign up for a Pro Tools demo.

Control-click

Right-click (Windows)

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. Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or mouse shortcuts. Cross References point to related sections in Digidesign guides.

4


Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Congurations

There are three types of Pro Tools systems: Pro Tools|HD These systems include Pro Tools HD software for Pro Tools|HD system hardware. Pro Tools LE These systems include Pro Tools LE software for Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, Mbox 2, or Mbox hardware. Pro Tools M-Powered These systems include Pro Tools M-Powered software for Digidesignqualified M-Audio interfaces.

Pro Tools|HD SystemsPro Tools|HD systems are available in the congurations shown on page 6. Each system requires at least one Digidesign audio interface (sold separately). Pro Tools|HD systems can be expanded by adding Pro Tools|HD system cards to increase track count, add to the amount of possible plug-in and mixer processing, and connect additional audio interfaces.

Pro Tools system performance depends on factors such as computer processor speed, amount of system memory, and hard drive performance. Contact your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesigns Web site for the latest system requirements and compatibility information.


5

Pro Tools|HD SystemsPro Tools|HD 1Includes: HD Core card Pro Tools HD software

Supported Audio Interfaces(Pro Tools|HD Systems Only)The following audio interfaces are compatible with Pro Tools|HD systems: 192 I/O 192 Digital I/O 96 I/O 96i I/O

Pro Tools|HD 2 AccelIncludes: HD Core card HD Accel card Pro Tools HD software

Pro Tools|HD systems require the use of at least one 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O, or 96i I/O.The following Legacy Digidesign audio interfaces are supported with Pro Tools|HD systems: 888|24 I/O and 882|20 I/O 1622 I/O 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O

Pro Tools|HD 3 AccelIncludes: HD Core card Two HD Accel cards Pro Tools HD software

Pro Tools|HD 2Includes: HD Core card HD Process card Pro Tools HD software

Pro Tools|HD 3Includes: HD Core card Two HD Process cards Pro Tools HD software

HD Accel and HD Process cards can be used in the same system. Refer to the Pro Tools|HD Getting Started Guide.

6


Pro Tools|HD System Playback, Recording and Voice LimitsThe following table lists the audio playback, recording, and voiceable track limits of each type of Pro Tools|HD system. Playback and recording voices refer to the number of unique simultaneous playback and record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks refers to the maximum number of audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. (Mono tracks take up one voice. Stereo and multichannel tracks take up one voice per channel.) Voice limits are dependent on the session sample rate and the number of DSP chips dedicated to the systems Playback Engine. Pro Tools|HD systems can open sessions with up to 256 audio tracks, but any audio tracks beyond that systems voiceable track limit will be automatically set to Voice Off.Table 3. Pro Tools|HD system audio playback, recording and voice limits Playback Voices (Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Playback) 96 48 12 192 96 36 128 64 24 Recording Voices (Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Recording) 96 48 12 192 96 36 128 64 24

Core System Type

Sample Rate (kHz)

Total Voiceable Tracks

Pro Tools|HD 1

44.1/48 88.2/96 176.4/192

112 48 12 224 120 36 224 80 24

Pro Tools|HD Accel 2, Pro Tools|HD Accel 3

44.1/48 88.2/96 176.4/192

Expanded Pro Tools|HD 1, Pro Tools|HD 2, Pro Tools|HD 3

44.1/48 88.2/96 176.4/192

Pro Tools|HD systems provide up to 160 Auxiliary Input tracks and a total of 128 internal mix busses. These systems also provide up to 5 inserts and 10 sends per track (depending on the DSP capacity of your system). In addition, Pro Tools|HD systems support up to 128 Instrument tracks and 256 MIDI tracks.


7

Audio Interfaces for Pro Tools|HD SystemsTable 4 lists the input and output capabilities of the various audio interfaces for Pro Tools|HD systems.

Table 4. Pro Tools|HD system audio interface channel capabilities Interface Type 192 I/O Number of I/O Channels 16 in/16 out Sample Rates (kHz) 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 44.1, 48 A/D Conversion 24-bit D/A Conversion 24-bit Digital I/O 24-bit

192 Digital I/O

16 in/16 out

None

None

24-bit

96 I/O

16 in/16 out

24-bit

24-bit

24-bit

96i I/O

16 in/2 out

24-bit

24-bit

24-bit

888|24 I/O

8 in/8 out

24-bit

24-bit (or 20-bit, on older I/O) 20-bit 24-bit 24-bit

24-bit

882|20 I/O 1622 I/O 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O

8 in/8 out 16 in/2 out 16 in/16 out

44.1, 48 44.1, 48 44.1, 48

20-bit 20-bit None

24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

You can expand your Pro Tools|HD system by adding Pro Tools|HD cards to your computer, either directly in the computer or using an expansion chassis. Expanding your Pro Tools system will provide an increased track count, add to the amount of possible plug-in and mixer processing, and let you connect additional audio interfaces. For more information, see the Expanded Systems Guide.

8


Pro Tools LE SystemsPro Tools LE-based systems are available in the following configurations:

Processing CapacityThe total processing capacity of a Pro Tools LE system depends on the processing power of your computer. Contact your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesigns Web site (www.digidesign.com) for the latest system requirements and compatibility information.

Digi 002A Digi 002 system includes: Digi 002 combined audio interface and controller Pro Tools LE software

Digi 002 RackA Digi 002 Rack system includes: Digi 002 audio interface Pro Tools LE software

Mbox 2An Mbox 2 system includes: Mbox 2 audio interface Pro Tools LE software

MboxAn Mbox system includes: Mbox audio interface Pro Tools LE software


9

Pro Tools LE System CapabilitiesTable 5 lists the playback, recording, and input and output capabilities of each Pro Tools LE system. Mono tracks of simultaneous playback refers to the number of unique simultaneous playback and record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks refers to the maximum number of audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. (Mono tracks take up a single audio track, while stereo tracks take up two tracks.) If you open a Pro Tools session created on a Pro Tools|HD system containing more than the number of tracks supported on the LE-based system, audio tracks beyond the LE systems voiceable track limit will be automatically set to inactive.Table 5. Pro Tools LE system audio playback, recording, and channel capabilities System Type Digi 002 or Digi 002 Rack Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Playback 32 Total Voiceable Tracks 128 Number of I/O Channels up to 18 in/18 out (48 kHz or lower) up to 10 in/10 out (88.2 or 96 kHz) 32 128 up to 2 in/2 out 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit A/D Conversion 24-bit D/A Conversion 24-bit Digital I/O 24-bit

Mbox 2 or Mbox

Pro Tools LE systems provide up to 128 Auxiliary Input tracks, a total of 32 internal mix busses, and up to 5 inserts and 10 sends per track (depending on your computers processing capacity). In addition, Pro Tools LE systems support up to 32 Instrument tracks and 256 MIDI tracks. For details on transferring session material between Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools LE systems, see Sharing Sessions Created on Different Pro Tools Systems on page 146.

Pro Tools M-PoweredA Pro Tools M-Powered system includes: Pro Tools M-Powered software Digidesign-qualied M-Audio interface (not supplied with M-Powered software)

References to Pro Tools LE in this guide are usually interchangeable with Pro Tools M-Powered, except as noted in this guide and the Pro Tools M-Powered Getting Started Guide.

For a list of Digidesign-qualified M-Audio interfaces, refer to the latest compatibility information on the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato) .10 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts

This chapter explains the principles and concepts that form the foundation of Pro Tools operation and functionality.

The Digidesign Audio EngineDAE (or Digidesign Audio Engine) is Digidesigns real-time operating system for digital audio recording, playback, and processing. When you install Pro Tools, DAE is automatically installed on your system. In the same way that a computers operating system provides the foundation for programs that run on the computer, DAE provides the foundation for much of the hard disk recording, digital signal processing, and mix automation required by Pro Tools and other products from Digidesign and its Development Partners. The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates to manage disk buffers. For more information, see DAE Playback Buffer Size on page 41. The DAE Playback Buffer Size can be changed in the Playback Engine dialog, discussed below.

Hard Disk Audio RecordingTape-based recording is a linear mediumyou 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 rerecord it. Hard disk recording is a nonlinear (or random access) mediumyou can go immediately to any spot in a recording without having to rewind or fast forward. Nonlinear systems have several advantages. You can easily rearrange or repeat parts of a recording by making the hard disk read parts of the recording in a different order and/or multiple times. In addition, this re-arrangement is nondestructive, meaning that the original recorded material is not altered. Pro Tools is a nonlinear recording system that lets you rearrange and mix recorded material nondestructively.


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Playback Engine DialogPro Tools takes advantage of your computers host processor for certain tasks and optional host-based DSP processing. Pro Tools LE uses host (CPU) processing to provide audio track recording, playback, mixing, and effects processing. Pro Tools HD can also use host processing to run RTAS plug-ins for effects processing. Performance is determined by your system and its Playback Engine settings. The Playback Engine dialog lets you set a hardware buffer size and allocate a percentage of CPU resources for these tasks. For more information, see Configuring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback Engine) on page 37.

Pro Tools SessionsWhen you start a project in Pro Tools, you create a session. Some basic elements of sessions are explained in this section.

Session FileA session le is the document that Pro Tools creates when you choose File > New Session and configure a new session. Pro Tools can open only one session file at a time. The session file is named with a .ptf (Pro Tools file) extension. Session files contain maps of all elements associated with a project, including audio files, MIDI data, and all your edit and mix information. It is important to realize that a Pro Tools session file does not contain any media files (audio or video), but rather it references audio, video, MIDI, and other files. You can make changes to a session and save those changes in a new session file. This lets you create multiple versions of a session or back up your editing and mixing work. Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools LE, and Pro Tools MPowered have different session file icons.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools HD

On Pro Tools|HD systems, you can select the number of voices and voiceable tracks for your system and its sessions. Voice count choices are based on how much DSP processing you want to allocate for voicing. For more information, see Conguring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback Engine) on page 37.

Pro Tools HD

Pro Tools LE

Pro Tools M-Powered

Session le icons

See also System Resources on page 16.On Pro Tools|HD systems, the Playback Engine dialog is also where you dedicate DSP resources for Delay Compensation.

Although there are different session file icons, the session files may be opened by all three applications (with certain restrictions). See Opening a Session on page 47.

When a session is transferred to a different Pro Tools system, its session file icon will change to the icon type of the destination system.

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TracksPro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, and automation data are recorded and edited. Pro Tools tracks also provide audio channels for routing internal busses, and physical inputs and outputs for audio and MIDI. Pro Tools provides five types of tracks: audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, Master Faders, Instruments tracks, and MIDI tracks.

Audio FileWhen you record audio into a Pro Tools session, audio files are created.

Audio le icon

Audio files for each session are stored in a folder named Audio Files. Audio files are listed in the Pro Tools Region List and can appear in an audio track. A section of an audio file can be defined as a region. See Regions on page 13.

Audio track in the Edit window (stereo track shown)

Regions

MIDI track in the Edit window

Audio, MIDI, and Instrument track data can be edited into regions or repeated in different locations to create loops, re-arrange sections or entire songs, or to assemble tracks using material from multiple takes. Auxiliary Input tracks can route internal audio busses or physical inputs to internal busses or physical outputs. Auxiliary Inputs are typically used for audio effects busses, audio throughput, and submixing. Master Fader tracks provide controls for physical audio output channels, including the volume level of your mix, panning, and plug-in inserts. Audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, and Master Fader tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel (Pro Tools HD only). When creating a new track, you can choose from a list of formats supported by your system.

Audio region

A region is a segment of audio or MIDI data. A region could be a drum loop, a guitar riff, a verse of a song, a recording take, a sound effect, a piece of dialog, or an entire sound file. A region can also have associated automation data. In Pro Tools, regions are created from audio or MIDI files, and can be arranged in audio and MIDI track playlists. Regions can also be grouped and looped.


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Playlist

A playlist can be made up of a single region or many separate regions. It can be made up of similar elements, such as regions from several different takes of a solo, or dissimilar elements, such as several sound effects. You can create any number of alternate edit playlists for a track. This lets you assemble different versions of performances or edits on a single track and choose between them with a popup menu on the track.

Playlist selector pop-up menu

A playlist is a sequence of regions arranged on an audio or MIDI track. Tracks have edit playlists and automation playlists. On audio tracks, an edit playlist tells the hard disk which audio regions to play in what order. For example, you can use the same audio region to access the same piece of audio multiple times at different locations and not use additional disk space. Different versions of the same original audio can be used in different places and have different effects applied. On MIDI and Instrument tracks, edit playlists can store multiple MIDI sequences (or performances) on a track.

Each track also has a single set of automation playlists, for volume, pan, mute and each automation-enabled control for the insert and send assignments on that track.

ChannelThe term channel is used to describe several related components of a Pro Tools system. The first example of channel refers to a physical input or output of your Pro Tools system. For example, a 96 I/O audio interface (Figure 1) provides up to 16 channels of input and output to a Pro Tools|HD system, while an Mbox 2 audio interface provides up to 4 inputs and 2 outputs

INPUTS 1-4SW CTRL GAIN

INPUTS 5-16+4dBu/12dBV

OUTPUT+4dBu/10dBV

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

1

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

2

Figure 1. Back view of 96 I/O, with eight analog inputs, eight analog outputs, and eight digital input/output channels (using a lightpipe)

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The second use of the term channel refers to a channel strip in the Pro Tools Mix window. Each track in a Pro Tools session has a corresponding channel strip in the Mix window. 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 output gain to the mix bus for that channel, while MIDI channel strip faders send MIDI volume data (MIDI controller 7) to the MIDI instrument. Instrument track channel strips combine a MIDI track and Auxiliary Input into a single channel strip.

Signal RoutingPro Tools provides software-based mixing and signal routing controls. The Mix window is where these controls are located. (Some of these controls can also be accessed from the Edit window.) A common signal routing task is to submix multiple tracks to a single channel strip (such as an Auxiliary Input or a Master Fader) for shared processing and level control. The following example shows three audio tracks submixed to a stereo Auxiliary Input.Stereo plug-in

Inserts

SendsInput from stereo bus path Output to stereo output path

Outputs to stereo bus path

Figure 2. Channel strip in the Mix window (audio track)

The term channel also describes a separate aspect of MIDI operation. See MIDI Concepts on page 19.

Auxiliary Inputs Audio tracks Submixing to an Auxiliary Input Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 15

Signal Routing OptionsSignal routing options include the following: Track Input and Output (I/O) Controls The most basic type of signal routing is track input and output. A track needs to have an assigned input path to record audio, and an assigned output path in order to be audible through a hardware output. Signals can also be routed to or from other tracks in Pro Tools (or hardware inputs and outputs) using internal busses. Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders Auxiliary Inputs are tracks that can be used as returns, submixers and bus masters. Master Faders are used as bus and output master level controls. Both Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders can have plug-in and/or hardware inserts. Instrument Tracks Instrument tracks let you route sound from a plug-in instrument to outputs, sends and busses, or other inserts. Sends Sends route audio from tracks to hardware outputs, or to internal busses that are in turn routed to other tracks within Pro Tools. Master Faders do not have sends. Plug-In and Hardware Inserts Plug-in processing occurs completely within the Pro Tools system. Hardware inserts utilize audio interface inputs and outputs, for traditional insert routing to and from external effects and other devices. Paths Paths are any routing option in Pro Tools, including internal or external inputs, outputs, busses, and inserts. Pro Tools lets you name these paths, and these path names appear in the Audio Input and Output Path selectors and other menus. See Chapter 7, I/O Setup for more information.

Mixing Formats Sessions can include combinations of mono, stereo, and multichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, outputs, and inserts. (Multichannel formats are supported on Pro Tools|HD systems only.)

System ResourcesTrack count, plug-in processing, signal path and routing options, and voice availability are ultimately limited by the combined resources available from the host computer, and from your Pro Tools hardware. Pro Tools provides several ways to manage and conserve resources to maximize the performance of your system. As you begin working with Pro Tools sessions and tracks, you can take advantage of the following features to extend the effectiveness of your available DSP and other resources: Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording capabilities. See Conguring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback Engine) on page 37. In order to free up needed DSP resources, Pro Tools allows for certain items (such as tracks and inserts) to be manually made inactive. Inactive elements are viewable, editable, and retained within the session. See Active and Inactive Items on page 17. All Pro Tools systems provide exible voice options for audio tracks, to help maximize use of available voices in your system. For more information on voice management and options, see Voice Borrowing on page 104.

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Active and Inactive ItemsPro Tools lets you set certain items (such as tracks and inserts) as inactive, in order to free up DSP resources and mixer connections. Items in Pro Tools that can be made inactive (or active) include the following: Audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, and Master Fader tracks Track Inputs and Outputs Sends Side-chain inputs Plug-ins Hardware inserts Paths (session-wide)

Paths and Path Assignments When a path or path assignment is inactive, its mixer resources are made available for other signal routing purposes in the session. Paths and assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode on page 18). Tracks When a track is made inactive, its voices become available for another track. Mono inactive tracks free up one voice, and stereo and multichannel tracks free up one voice per channel. Additionally, when an audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, or Master Fader track is made inactive, its plug-ins, inserts, sends, and I/O assignments become inactive, and the associated DSP used is freed up for use elsewhere in the session.

MIDI tracks cannot be made inactive.In addition to manually setting Active and Inactive modes, Pro Tools will automatically make items inactive if there are insufficient or unavailable resources. When active, items are fully engaged and operational. When inactive, items are silent and off, although most associated controls can still be adjusted. Different inactive items affect available system resources in specific ways, as follows: Plug-Ins When a plug-in is inactive on a track, its DSP is made available for other plug-ins and processing. Plug-in assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode on page 18).

Display of Inactive ItemsWhen items are inactive, their names appear in italics, and their background becomes dark grey. When a track is inactive, the entire channel strip is grayed out.


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Automatically Inactive ItemsActive Inactive plug-in

Inactive track

When opening a session, it is possible that not all signal paths, plug-ins, or audio interfaces used in the session will be available as defined on the current system. When opening a session, sufficient voices may also be unavailable if the session was created on a different Pro Tools system type (for example, opening a session created on a Pro Tools HD system on a Pro Tools LE system). Whenever this occurs, the session will open as it was last saved. All items that are unavailable, or cannot be loaded due to insufficient resources, are made inactive.

Manual Inactive SwitchingYou can manually apply Active or Inactive modes to manage system resources. By making an item inactive, its associated resources are made available elsewhere in the session. The following are basic instructions for manually making items inactive. Throughout the Pro Tools Reference Guide, instructions are provided whenever an item can be made inactive. To toggle an item active or inactive:Active and inactive items and tracks Control-Start-click (Windows) or CommandControl-click (Macintosh) the item.

Automatic and Manual Inactive ModeActive and Inactive modes are powerful options for session transfer and system resource management. Pro Tools provides automatic and manual Inactive mode switching. You can manually make items inactive (or active) to selectively manage system resources while editing and mixing.

You can apply Active or Inactive modes to all or all selected tracks using standard Pro Tools modifiers (Alt and Alt+Shift in Windows, Option and Option+Shift on the Macintosh). Side-chain inputs support direct active and inactive switching, but do not follow switching all or all selected side-chain inputs.

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MIDI ConceptsMIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a communication protocol for musical instruments. This industry standard enables connections between a variety of devices from different manufacturers. Examples of MIDI-compatible equipment include synthesizers, sound modules, drum machines, patch bays, effects processors, MIDI interfaces, MIDI control surfaces, and sequencers. MIDI devices are equipped with 5-pin DIN connectors, labeled as either IN, OUT, or THRU. The MIDI OUT port transmits messages. The MIDI IN port receives messages. The MIDI THRU echoes whatever is received from the IN port. MIDI devices are connected with MIDI cables that are available at most music stores.

channel 10. Similar to a multitrack tape recorder, a MIDI sequencer can record complex arrangementseven using a single multi-timbral keyboard.

MIDI TermsThe following are some basic MIDI terms: MIDI Instrument (or Virtual Instrument) An instrument plug-in. In this guide, instrument refers to soft synths and plug-in inserts. MIDI Interface Hardware that lets computers connect to and communicate with MIDI devices. MIDI Device Any keyboard, sound module, effects device or other equipment that can send or receive MIDI information. MIDI Controller Any MIDI device that transmits MIDI performance data. These include keyboards, MIDI guitar controllers, MIDI wind instruments, and others. Controllers transmit MIDI from their MIDI OUT ports. MIDI Control Surface Any device (such as the Digidesign Command|8), which uses a MIDI connection to send control messages to a software program, but is not generally used to record MIDI information. MIDI Tone Generator (MIDI Sound Source) Any MIDI instrument capable of playing back MIDItriggered sound. Sound sources receive MIDI from their MIDI IN ports. Multi-Timbral The ability of one MIDI device to play several different instrument sounds (such as piano, bass, and drums) simultaneously on separate channels. This makes it possible for a single MIDI sound source to play back entire arrangements.

echoed from IN

MIDI signal ow

Not all devices will have all three MIDI ports (IN, OUT, and THRU).The MIDI protocol provides 16-channels of MIDI per port. A single MIDI cable can transmit a separate set of messages for each of the 16 channels. These 16 channels correspond to separate MIDI devices or to multiple channels within a single device (if the device is multi-timbral). Each channel can control a different instrument sound. For example, bass on channel 1, piano on channel 2, and drums on


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MIDI Channel Up to 16 channels of MIDI performance data can be transmitted on a single MIDI cable. The channel number separates the different messages so your sound sources can receive the right ones. Program Change Event A MIDI command that tells a sound source which of its sounds (or sound patches) to use. The MIDI protocol lets you choose from a range of 128 patches. Bank Select Message Many devices have more than 128 patches, which are arranged in banks. The Bank Select Message is a MIDI command that specifies the bank of patches from which to choose. Local Control A controller setting found on most MIDI keyboards that lets them play their own sound source. Disabling local control ensures that a devices internal sound source is only played by external MIDI messages. When using Pro Tools, local control should usually be disabled. When local control is off, your keyboard still transmits data to its MIDI OUT port. Continuous Controller Events MIDI instructions that allow real-time changes to notes that are currently sounding. These include pitch bend, modulation, volume, pan, and many others. System Exclusive Data MIDI data commonly used for sending and retrieving patch parameter information for storage purposes.

particular velocity. This could be its internal tone generator, an external MIDI instrument, or an instrument plug-in, which can be contained completely within Pro Tools. In order to create or play a MIDI recording, you must have a MIDI instrument. Audio from your instrument can be sent to an external mixer or monitored through your Pro Tools audio interface. If you are using an external MIDI instrument, it must be connected to MIDI ports that are recognized by your computer. These ports can be on a Pro Tools interface that has MIDI ports (such as MIDI I/O, Mbox 2, or a Digidesign-qualified MAudio interface) or some other MIDI interface.

Signal paths for external MIDI instruments

To actually hear an external MIDI instrument, you need to connect its audio outputs to a mixing console or connect it to one of the audio inputs of your Pro Tools audio interface. Just as each Pro Tools system has hardware limitations, each MIDI device has its own limitations as to the number of voices and instruments it can play at one time. Consult the devices documentation for its limitations. When using MIDI with instrument plug-ins in Pro Tools, virtual MIDI nodes are created. These nodes provide software MIDI connections between Pro Tools and other MIDI software, such as instrument plug-ins. For example, when you insert Propellerheads Reason as a ReWire client on a track, its various MIDI inputs become available to Pro Tools MIDI and Instrument track MIDI outputs.

Common MIDI MisconceptionsMIDI is not audio, and by itself makes no sound. MIDI is control information only. It is like the piano roll for a player piano; it provides control information for what note to play when, for how long, and at what volume. For example, when you strike a key on a MIDI keyboard, it sends a message to a MIDI instrument or tone generator to play that particular note at that20 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows

Pro Tools provides two complementary ways of viewing a session: the Mix window and the Edit window. Pro Tools also lets you control the transport and transport-related functions in the Transport window.

To display all Mix window view options:

Select View > Mix Window > All.

To toggle between the Mix and Edit windows, press Control+Equals (=) (Windows), or press Command+Equals (=) (Macintosh). For information on the main elements of the Mix window and Edit window, see the page references provided in Figure 3 on page 22, and Figure 4 on page 23.Pro Tools also includes DigiBase browsers for searching, sorting, and importing data.

For information on selecting individual view options, see Views in the Mix and Edit Windows on page 483.

The Edit WindowThe Edit window provides a timeline display of audio, as well as MIDI data and mixer automation for recording, editing and arranging tracks. As in the Mix window, each track has controls for record enable, solo, mute and automation mode. Pro Tools also provides a video track. To display the Edit window:

For more information on DigiBase, see the DigiBase Guide.

Choose Window > Edit.

To display all Edit window view options:

The Mix WindowIn the Mix window, tracks appear as channel strips, with controls for inserts, sends, input and output assignments, volume, panning, record enable, automation mode, and solo/mute. To display the Mix window:

Select View > Edit Window > All.

For information on selecting individual view options, see Views in the Mix and Edit Windows on page 483.

Choose Window > Mix.


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Send selector (page 488) Session name

Plug-In Insert (page 482)

Track Color Coding (page 111)

Track List (page 98)

Instrument View (page 484) Inserts View (page 484) Sends View (page 484)

Automation Mode selector (page 536) Pan slider (page 91) Output Window button (page 494) Group ID indicator Voice selector (page 103)

Track controls (page 24) Volume fader (page 92) Level meter (page 92) MIDI Track Patch Select button (page 429) Track Name button (page 94) Track Comments View (page 484)

Mix Group List (page 114)

AutoMatch indicator (page 541)

Delay Compensation View (page 485) Mix Window View selector (page 483)

Stereo audio track (page 88)

Mono audio track (page 88) Auxiliary Input (page 89)

Instrument track (page 90)

Master Fader (page 89) MIDI track (page 90)

Figure 3. Pro Tools Mix window

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Timeline selections (page 285) Zoom buttons (page 249) Commands Keyboard Focus (page 32) Graphic Tempo Editor (page 358) Edit Mode buttons (page 246) Tab to Transients (page 283) Track List (page 98) Timebase rulers (page 231) Region Group (page 321) Volume Automation View (page 542) Audio Waveform View (page 226) Region List (page 240) Edit Selection indicators (page 24)

Edit tools (page 24)

Grid and Nudge values (page 25)

Event Edit Area (page 24)

Transport controls (page 25) Timeline

Track View selector (page 221) Timebase selector (page 235) Edit Group List (page 235)

MIDI track (page 87) MIDI Velocity View (page 422) Audio track (page 87) Selected region (page 275) MIDI Notes View (page 228)

Figure 4. Pro Tools Edit window


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Track Controls

Edit Window Counters and Selection IndicatorsMain and Sub CountersMain and Sub Counters (page 269)

Automation Mode selector (page 536) Record Enable button (page 152) TrackInput Monitor button (page 155) Mute Button (page 110) Solo button (page 107)

Edit window display showing counters

Mix window track controls for mono audio track (Wide View)

Record Enable button (page 152)

Track Name button (page 94) Playlist selector (page 236)

The Main and Sub Counters can be set for different Time Scale formats (such as Samples, Bars:Beats, or Minutes:Seconds). For more information, see Main Time Scale on page 232. These counters are also displayed in the Transport window.

Edit Selection IndicatorsSolo button (page 107) Mute button (page 110) Track Height selector (page 224) Voice selector (page 103) Automation Mode selector (page 536) TrackInput Monitor button (page 155) Track View selector (page 221) Timebase selector (page 235) Edit Selection indicators

Edit Selection indicators in the Edit window

Edit window track controls for stereo audio track (medium track height)

Edit ToolsTrim tools (page 254) Zoomer tool (page 249) Selector tool (page 265) Grabber tools (page 276) Scrubber tool (page 260) Pencil tool (page 416)

The Edit Selection Start, End, and Length indicators display can be set for different Time Scale formats (such as Samples, Bars:Beats, or Minutes:Seconds). For more information, see Main Time Scale on page 232.

Event Edit AreaThe Event Edit Area provides time, pitch, and other information for the currently selected audio or MIDI data. It also lets you dene selections using the keyboard.Note Attributes (page 424) Pitch Attack Velocity Release Velocity

Zoom Toggle (page 249)

Smart Tool (page 259)

Custom Note Duration button (page 417)

Edit tools in Edit window

Event Edit Area showing MIDI track information 24 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Edit Window BarThe Edit Window bar contain various selectors, commands, indicators, and pop-up menus for working in the Pro Tools Edit window.

Cursor Location Indicators

View Selectors

Cursor Location indicator (page 265) Cursor Location Value indicator (page 265)

Cursor Location indicators in the Edit Window bar

Ruler View selector (page 483) Edit window View selector (page 483)

The Transport WindowThe Transport window can be set to show basic transport controls, counters, MIDI controls, and expanded features. The counters in the Transport window mirror the controls and counters at the top of the Edit window. To display the Transport window:

View selectors in the Edit Window bar

Commands

Linearity Display Mode (page 363) Tab to Transients (page 283) Commands Keyboard Focus (page 32)

Mirrored MIDI Editing (page 415) Link Timeline and Edit Selection (page 272) Link Track and Edit Selection (page 274)

Choose Window > Transport.

Basic Transport Controls and CountersTrack Record Enable indicator Return to Zero Fast Forward Play Go to End Record Enable

Commands in the Edit Window bar

Grid/Nudge Value Indicators and PopUp Menus

Rewind Online Stop

Pre-Roll Post-Roll Grid Value indicator (page 302) Grid Value pop-up menu (page 302) Nudge Value indicator (page 305)) Nudge Value pop-up menu (page 305)

Transport Master Pre-Roll indicator

Start, End, and Length Selection indicators TrackInput Monitor indicator

Post-Roll indicator

Transport window showing basic transport controls and counters (Main and Sub Counters and MIDI not shown)

Grid/Nudge Value indicators and pop-up menus in the Edit Window bar


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Online Puts Pro Tools online so that playback and recording is triggered by an external time code source. Return to Zero Locates to the beginning of the session.

Play Starts playback or (if the Record Enable button was clicked first) recording from the Timeline insertion point. With the Transport stopped, Right-click Play (Windows) or Control-click Play (Macintosh) to toggle Loop Playback mode. When enabled, a loop symbol appears in the Play button and Pro Tools plays continuously from the beginning of the selection to the end. You can also initiate playback with the following shortcuts: Press the Spacebar. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, press 0. You can play at half-speed with the following shortcuts: Press Shift+Spacebar. Shift-click (Macintosh) 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).Fast Forward Increments Main Time Scale Format Increment Amount 1 second 1 frame

Press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) to Return to Zero.Rewind Rewinds from the current play location. You can also click repeatedly to rewind incrementally, by an amount based on the Main Time Scale, as follows:Rewind Increments Main Time Scale Format Min:Sec Time Code (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit) Bars:Beats Feet+Frame (Pro Tools HD or Pro Tools LE with DV Toolkit) Sample 1 second 1 bar 1 foot Increment Amount 1 second 1 frame

Min:Sec Time Code

With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport, you can rewind by pressing 1.Stop Stops playback or recording. You can also stop the Transport with the following shortcut

Documents

Pro Tools Reference Guide