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contents
Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
New Features in Pro Tools HD 8.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Contents iii
Chapter 4. Editing Features and Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Universe View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
New Waveform Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
MIDI Editor View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Customizable Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
New Look for the Smart Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Commands Keyboard Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Edit Window Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
New Edit Window Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Edit Window MIDI Editing Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
New Edit Window Zoom Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Strip Silence Down to –96 dB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Snap To Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
New Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Edit Selection Enhancements and Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
New Record Enable, Input Enable, Solo, and Mute Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Locking Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Regions View for MIDI and Instrument Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Elastic Audio Region-Based Pitch Transposition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Improved Quantize Event Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Improvements for Field Recorder Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 8. Pro Tools Mixing and Automation Features and Enhancements . . . . . . 103
Automation and Controller Lanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Ten Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Improvements for Recording with Automatic Delay Compensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Contents v
Chapter 10. Pro Tools Controller Features and Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Accessing 10 Inserts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Plug-in Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
ICON Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
D-Control Enhancements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
D-Command Enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Chapter 12. Pro Tools Video and Avid Interoperability Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Support for QuickTime HD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
AAF Pan Improvements with DigiTranslator 2.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Pro Tools Support for Avid Interplay on Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Media Composer Video Satellite Software Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Video Satellite LE Software Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Introduction
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Changes to Pro Tools Preferences Synchronization Preferences
• Synchronization section:
Display Preferences
• “Delay Before Locking to Longitudinal
• “MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity” option Time Code” setting
• “Delay Before Locking to Serial Time Code”
Operation Preferences
setting
• “Latch Forward/Rewind” option
• Satellite Link section:
• “Automatically Create New Playlists When
• Transmit Solos
Loop Recording” option
• Receive Solos
• “Show Quick Start Dialog when Pro Tools
Starts” option • Solo Independent Of Linked State
• DAE Errors Stop All Linked Systems
Editing Preferences • Transmit Play Selections
• Moved the following “Matching Start Time” • Receive Play Selections
Takes List options to the Match Criteria dia-
log: Editing Features and Enhancements
• “Includes Take Region Names That Match
Track Names” Edit Window Features
• “Includes Take Region Lengths That • New Universe View
Match” • New MIDI Editor View
• New Waveform Views
MIDI Preferences
• Customizable Toolbar
• Moved the “Play MIDI Notes When Editing” • Chord Symbol ruler
option to the Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Ed-
• Restore Last Selection
itor windows
• Edit selection enhancements and key com-
• “Remove Range Selection After Opening the mands
MIDI/Score Editor” option
• Region Edit and Time Locking
• Moved the “Default Note On Velocity” setting • MIDI and Instrument tracks now default to
to the Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor win- Regions view in the Edit window
dows
• Timeline Insertion Follows Playback indi-
• “Double-clicking a Region Opens…” options: cator
• MIDI Editor • Strip Silence to –96 dB
• Score Editor
• MIDI Event List
• Name Dialog
• MIDI/Score Editor Display section:
• “Additional Empty Bars in the Score Edi-
tor” setting
Chapter 1: Introduction 3
Plug-ins Additional Plug-ins Included with Pro Tools
(previously only available by purchase)
A.I.R. Creative Collection Plug-ins • Eleven™ Free
• Instrument Plug-ins: • Digidesign Maxim™
• Boom
• Digidesign D-Fi™
• DB-33
• Sci-Fi™
• Mini Grand
• Lo-Fi ™
• Structure Free
• Recti-Fi™
• Vacuum
• Vari-Fi™
• Xpand!2
• Bomb Factory Sans Amp
• Effects Plug-ins:
• Chorus TL Utilities Free and Installed with Pro Tools
• Decimator • TL Metro™
• Distortion • TL InTune™
• Dynamic Delay • TL MasterMeter™
• Enhancer
• Ensemble DigiRack EQ III
• Filter-Gate-Sequencer • Stereo version
• Flanger
DigiRack D-Verb
• Frequency Shifter
• FuzzWah • Chorusing added to RTAS version
Chapter 1: Introduction 5
6 What’s New in Pro Tools HD 8.0
chapter 2
Figure 1. New Pro Tools graphic user interface: Edit, Mix, Plug-in, and Transport windows shown
For more information on editing features associated with the new user interface, see Chapter 4,
“Editing Features and Enhancements.”
Session Parameters
reveal button
Session Template
list
Quick Start dialog
5 Configure any of the following session set- Quick Start dialog, Create Blank Session
tings as necessary:
2 If you want to change any of the session pa-
• Audio File Type rameters, click the Session Parameters reveal
• Bit Depth button.
• Sample Rate
3 Configure any of the following session param-
6 Click OK. eters as necessary:
• Audio File Type
7 In the Save dialog, name the session, choose
where you want to save the session, and click • Bit Depth
Save. • Sample Rate
• I/O Settings
4 Click OK.
3 Click Open.
To open a recent session:
1 Select Open Recent Session. Showing or Hiding the Quick Start
Dialog on Launch
Quick Start dialog, Open Recent Session 2 Click the Operation tab.
2 Select any of the last ten recent sessions from 3 In the Miscellaneous section of the Operation
the list (on the right). Preferences page, select the Show Quick Start Dia-
3 Click OK. log when Pro Tools Starts option.
4 Click OK.
6 Click OK.
Category
Include Media
Checking For Software
Select this option to include any audio, MIDI, or
Updates
video media in the session with the template.
Pro Tools can check for Pro Tools application
and Digidesign plug-in updates, either automat-
Creating New Sessions from
ically or manually. An internet connection is re-
Templates quired to be able to check for updates. Approxi-
You can create new session from templates by mately every two weeks, Pro Tools checks online
opening a template. In addition to being able to for any available application and plug-in up-
open session templates from Pro Tools Session dates.
Quick Start dialog, you can simply open any
If updates are available for Pro Tools or any
Pro Tools Session Template file (.ptt) to start a
plug-ins, Pro Tools reports what updates (if any)
new session based on that template.
are available and how important the updates are
For information on creating new sessions for your system. You can then visit the Digide-
from templates using the Quick Start dialog, sign website to locate, download, and install the
see “Creating a New Session from a Tem- appropriate updates for your Pro Tools system.
plate” on page 8.
• If updates are available, do one of the follow- If you save your session after opening it
ing: with all plug-ins set to inactive, you will not
• Click Details to launch your web browser be able to use Revert to Saved or Open Most
and see what updates are available for Recent to re-activate all of the plug-ins in
download. the session.
• Click Not Now if you do not want to review
To re-open the same session with all plug-ins set to
or download updates until later.
active, do one of the following:
To disable checking for software updates Choose File > Revert To Saved.
automatically: – or –
In the Software Update dialog, enable the Do
Choose File > Open Recent and select the most
Not Check For Updates Automatically option.
recent session in the submenu.
Approximate
Sample Offset
Color Coding
Display Preferences
The following preference is new:
Basics Section
The following preferences have been removed.
• Recompute Invalid Overviews (Pro Tools al-
ways recalculates invalid or missing wave-
form overviews)
• Draw Grids in Edit Window (this option is
now available with the Grid Value selector
in the Edit window)
• Draw Waveforms Rectified (this option has
been moved to View > Waveforms > Recti-
fied)
Editing Preferences
Transport Section
The following preference is new:
Basics Section
The following preferences are new:
Universe view
You can resize the height of the Universe view to the right of the Universe view.
fit the total number of tracks in the session, or to
show more of the Edit window.
2 Choose View > Waveforms and select or dese- Power view is not available in Destructive
lect Rectified. Punch mode or when zoomed to the sample
level.
3 Choose View > Waveforms and select or dese-
lect Outlines.
Showing and Hiding Controls in the Edit Window MIDI Controls When selected, the MIDI controls
are displayed in the window toolbar.
To show or hide controls in the Edit window
toolbar:
1 Do one of the following:
• Click the Edit Window Toolbar menu (in
the upper-right corner of the window).
Synchronization When selected, the Synchroni-
• Right-click in the toolbar.
zation controls are displayed in the Edit window
toolbar.
Edit Window Toolbar menu
For example, if you want the Counters and Edit Commands Keyboard Focus
Selection indicators to the right of the Transport
The Commands Keyboard Focus button for the
controls in the toolbar, Control-click (Windows)
Edit window has been relocated to the upper-
or Command-click (Mac) and drag them to the
right corner of the tracks pane in the Edit win-
right of the Transport controls.
dow. Commands Keyboard Focus is also avail-
able in any MIDI Editor window. Only one win-
dow can have Commands Keyboard Focus
enabled at a time.
3 Click OK.
Audio Zoom
In and Out
buttons
Vertical Zoom Buttons Zoom the track heights Strip Silence Down to –96 dB
proportionally in the Edit window.
In Pro Tools 8.0, Strip Silence now lets you ad-
Horizontal Zoom Buttons Zoom the Timeline just just the Strip Threshold down to –96 dB (the
like the Horizontal Zoom controls in the Edit lower limit used to be –48 dB). This increased
window toolbar. dynamic range is especially useful when work-
ing on recordings with low signal levels (such as
ambient recordings) and recordings with a wide
dynamic range (such as orchestral music).
trol+F (Mac).
– or –
mand+Control+] (Mac).
To enable Snap To Grid while in another Edit mode: Press Control+Alt+Start+[ (Windows) or Com-
mand+Option+Control+[ (Mac).
Shift-click the Grid mode button.
Press Shift+F4 to enable Snap To Grid while To zoom MIDI vertically to show all notes (lowest
in another Edit mode. to highest) in MIDI and Instrument tracks:
Press Control+Start+Shift+[ (Windows) or
To enable Shuffle, Slip, or Spot while in Grid mode: Command+Control+Shift+[ (Mac).
Shift-click the Shuffle, Slip, or Spot mode but-
ton.
tion+Shift+E (Mac).
Locking Regions
In many cases you may want to “lock” regions
or region groups to a specific time location to
keep them from being moved inadvertently.
You may also want to protect them from being
inadvertently edited. Pro Tools provides two dif- Edit Lock icon
ferent types of region locking: Time-locking and Edit locked region
Edit-locking.
For regions that you want to lock to a particular In Shuffle mode, Time-locked regions, and all re-
location in a track (a beat, SMPTE frame, or sam- gions occurring after the locked region, are not
ple location), you can lock it in place so it can- displaced when other neighboring regions are
not be moved accidentally. Time-locked regions moved.
cannot be moved. However, they can be edited
On tick-based Elastic Audio–enabled tracks,
in ways that do not move the region to a differ-
Time locked regions conform to tempo changes,
ent time location (such as separating, trimming,
but no other Elastic Audio processing (such as
AudioSuite processing, or even moving the re-
Quantize or manual warping) can be applied.
gion to another track). Time-locked regions can
also be deleted. When separating a Time-locked
region, any new regions will also be locked to Allowing Editing of Locked
their time locations. Regions
To Time-lock (or unlock) a region: If you attempt to edit an Edit-locked region,
Pro Tools warns you and prompts you to Cancel
1 With the Time Grabber, select the region or re- or Allow the edit. If you allow an edit that keeps
gions to Time Lock (or unlock). The regions can any part of the region intact, the region remains
reside on multiple tracks. locked.
2 Choose Region > Time Lock/Unlock.
When opening Pro Tools 7.4.x sessions that Shoot Date Metadata
use Elastic Audio in Pro Tools 8.0, some
Elastic Audio processing may be slightly al- Many field recorders do not populate the Shoot
tered due to the new and improved algo- Date field, relying instead on the file’s Creation
rithms. Be sure to listen to the session in Date to indicate date of production. When
Pro Tools 8.0 with the new Elastic Audio Pro Tools imports a field recorder file, it now
processing algorithms and make any neces- checks to see if the Shoot Date field is populated.
sary adjustments (such as adjusting the De- If it is empty, Pro Tools copies the Creation Date
cay Rate when using the Rhythmic Elastic of the original source file to the Shoot Date field
Audio plug-in). of the new imported files.
Track Compositing
Pro Tools 8.0 provides track compositing tools for Configure a session:
audio tracks. Track compositing is the process of
1 Open an existing Pro Tools session or create a
assembling various selections from alternate
new one.
takes, or playlists, to construct the best possible
version of a performance from multiple record- 2 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the Op-
ing passes. Using Playlists view for an audio eration tab.
track, you can select the best parts from the
3 On the Operation page, in the Record section,
track’s alternate playlists and copy them to the
select the Automatically Create New Playlists When
main playlist. This lets you quickly and easily
Loop Recording option.
create the “perfect take” from multiple alternate
playlists.
Copy Selection to
Main Playlist button
Before starting work with Track Composit- Dropping audio from Region List to create an alternate
playlist
ing, duplicate the track’s Main Playlist to
keep it intact as a backup alternate playlist. If the track contains one or more alternate play-
lists in addition to the main playlist, they are
displayed in lanes under the main playlist. Re-
Region Groups are not supported in Playl-
gardless, the bottom Playlist lane is always
ists Track View.
empty and can be used for adding regions to cre-
To view the Playlist lanes for a track: ate new alternate playlists.
1 Click the Solo button for the Playlist lane you In addition to manually copying and then past-
want to audition. (Soloing a Playlist lane only ing to the main playlist, Pro Tools provides sev-
solos the playlist in the track, it does not mute eral commands for copying and pasting the se-
any other tracks in the session.) lection to the main playlist:
2 Choose Edit > Copy Selection to Duplicate Playl- To reorder Playlist lanes:
ist. Click the name of the alternate playlist and
Playlist lane to any other track of the same chan- down. The track and all Playlist lanes resize ac-
nel width. cordingly.
– or –
Editing in Playlist Lanes
Right-click the vertical scale between the play-
You can edit regions in Playlist lanes in the same list area and the Playlist Lane controls and select
way that you do in the main playlist. You can the lane size you want. The track and all Playlist
even move regions between different Playlist lanes resize accordingly.
lanes (including the main playlist), between dif-
ferent tracks, and to different points in time. Press Start+Up/Down Arrow key (Win-
However, you will not be able to hear your edits dows) or Control+Up/Down Arrow key
on Playlist lanes unless the lane you are editing (Mac) to resize heights for tracks, playlists,
is soloed (see “Auditioning Alternate Playlists” and lanes containing the Edit cursor or Edit
on page 47). selection.
3 Click OK.
audio track
Playlist lanes
• Show Only Lanes With > “Regions Rated >= 2 Do one of the following:
1–5” • Choose Region > Rating, and select a rank-
• Hide All Lanes ing of 1 to 5.
• Hide Only Lanes With > Regions Within The – or –
Edit Selection
• Right-click the region, choose Rate, and se-
• Hide Only Lanes With > Regions Outside The lect a ranking of 1 to 5.
Edit Selection
• Hide Only Lanes With > “Regions Rated >= You can rate regions during playback and
1–5” recording by pressing Control+Alt+Start
(Windows) or Command+Option+Control
Playlist lanes are shown and hidden accord- (Mac) and then typing the rating number
ingly. (1–5) on the numeric keypad.
Pro Tools also provides several ways to access Matching Criteria affects MIDI as well as
and audition multiple matching alternate re- audio regions.
gions:
To configure the Matching Criteria options for
• Use the Region Right-click menu to select
matching alternate regions:
matching alternate regions according to cer-
tain criteria. 1 Do one of the following:
• Right-click the region with the Selector or
• Use the Alternate Takes pop-up menu to select
the Grabber tool and select Matches >
matching alternate regions.
Match Criteria.
• Use the Expand Alternates to New Tracks com-
– or –
mand to copy matching alternate regions to
new tracks. • With the Selector tool, Control-click (Win-
dows) or Command-click (Mac) at the pre-
cise beginning of the loop or punch range
and select Match Criteria.
4 Leave the Matching Criteria window open to Selection Range Any complete regions that are
change the settings as appropriate while com- entirely within the Edit selection.
positing tracks. Close the Matching Criteria win-
None No other criteria in addition to the se-
dow when you are done.
lected Alternates Match options are used to filter
Matching Criteria settings are saved with matching alternate regions.
your Pro Tools session.
If alternate channels are available, Pro Tools ex- 1 Multitrack audio is recorded in Pro Tools
pands them to new tracks (including the chan- while chasing time code. A mono or stereo mix
nel represented in the original track) according is recorded simultaneously as a guide track for
to the chosen parameters. the video editor.
It is not possible to rename files encoded 2 The picture and audio guide tracks are edited
with XML metadata. The file extension will in a video editing application (such as Avid
always be .A1 and .A2 (even for stereo Media Composer).
files). Also, it is not possible to rename files
with a .L/.R suffix. As a result, Pro Tools
does not always recognize these channels as
a stereo pair.
Pro Tools 8.0 provides MIDI Editor windows for detailed MIDI editing.
a MIDI Editor window, MIDI notes from differ- on the track, or the track name in the track con-
ent tracks are superimposed. MIDI Editor win- trols or in the Track List, and choose Open In MIDI
dows can also show Auxiliary Input tracks. Editor.
Edit Tools
The Edit tools in MIDI Editor windows can be MIDI Editing controls
viewed as a single tool with a pop-up menu for
selecting other tools, or as an expanded, com- Play MIDI Notes When Editing, Link Time-
plete row of Edit tool icons just like in the Edit line and Edit Selection, and Mirrored MIDI
window. The Edit tools in MIDI Editor windows Editing are all global settings that are avail-
function exactly the same way for MIDI data as able in the Edit window, MIDI Editor win-
in the Edit window. Edit tool settings can be set dows, and in the Score Editor window.
independently in each MIDI Editor window,
and are independent of tool selection in the Edit Track Edit Selector
window and Score Editor.
If more than one MIDI or Instrument track is
shown in the MIDI Editor window, the Track
To view the Expanded Edit tools in a MIDI Editor Edit selector lets you select which track is “pen-
window, do one of the following:
cil-enabled.” You can manually insert MIDI
Click the MIDI Editor Window Toolbar menu notes only in pencil-enabled tracks. You can
and select Expanded Edit Tools. also pencil-enable tracks in the Track List (see
– or – “Manually Inserting MIDI Notes” on page 72).
Target disabled
The MIDI Editor Window menu provides access Expanded Grid/Nudge Display
to MIDI Editor Window Display options and
When selected, the Expanded Grid/Nudge Display
Scrolling options.
option displays the Nudge selector in addition
to the Grid selector in the MIDI Editor window
toolbar.
You can rearrange the controls and displays in Pro Tools provides MIDI Zoom In and Out but-
the MIDI Editor window toolbar just like in the tons in the upper-right corner of MIDI Editor
Edit window or the Score Editor window. windows. These controls function exactly the
same as the MIDI Zoom controls in the toolbar,
To rearrange controls and displays in a MIDI Editor and let you zoom in and out vertically on MIDI
window toolbar: notes.
Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
Zoom Controls
Vertical and Horizontal Zoom In and Out
Buttons
Vertical Zoom
In and Out
buttons
Horizontal Zoom
In and Out Track List
buttons
the MIDI Editor window (see “Showing and Hid- tracks you want to hide in the MIDI Editor win-
ing Tracks” on page 67). dow.
Showing and Hiding Tracks All but the top MIDI or Instrument track in the
Track List are hidden. MIDI Editor windows re-
To show MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input quire that at least one MIDI or Instrument track
tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
always be shown in the window.
Click the Show/Hide icon in the Track List for
tracks you want to show in the MIDI Editor win- To hide selected MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary
dow. Input tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
1 In the Track List, select the MIDI, Instrument,
To show all MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input and Auxiliary Input tracks you want to hide.
tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
2 From the Track List menu, select Hide Selected
From the Track List menu, select Show All
Tracks.
Tracks.
You can sort tracks in the Track List by the fol- Rename Renames the selected track.
lowing criteria:
Duplicate Duplicates the selected track.
Name Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List
by Track Name. Split into Mono Splits the selected stereo Instru-
ment or Auxiliary Input track into two mono
Type Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List by tracks.
Track Type.
Delete Deletes the selected track.
Edit Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Track
List by Edit Groups. MIDI Real-Time Properties Opens the MIDI Real-
Time Properties window for the selected track.
Mix Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Track
List by Mix Groups. Open in New MIDI Editor Opens the tracks dis-
played in the current MIDI Editor window in a
Voice Sorts the order of tracks in the Track List new MIDI Editor window. The new MIDI Editor
by Voice allocations. window will be untargeted.
List.
Group List
The Group List in MIDI Editor windows pro-
Track List Right-click Menu Options vides the same functionality as in the Edit win-
dow. You can create, edit, and delete Edit
The following options are available depending
Groups using the Group List in any MIDI Editor
on the track type (Auxiliary Input, Instrument,
window. The Group List is linked between the
or MIDI).
Edit window and all MIDI Editor windows.
Hide Hides the selected track.
For information on grouping tracks in
Hide and Make Inactive Hides the selected track Pro Tools 8.0, refer to the Pro Tools Refer-
and makes it inactive. ence Guide (Help > Pro Tools Reference
Guide).
Make Inactive Makes the selected track inactive.
Figure 2. MIDI Editor window, Notes pane with five superimposed Instrument tracks
When Color Coding by Track is enabled, MIDI notes from the same track have the same color, but
notes on different tracks are represented by different colors. The corresponding color coding for MIDI
notes is displayed in the Color column of the Track List for each track. See Figure 3 on page 70.
When Color Coding by Velocity is enabled, MIDI notes are all the same red color (hue) on all tracks
displayed, and MIDI notes vary in color saturation (from a light red to a dark red) based on the Note
On velocity. Notes with low velocities are lighter in color and those with high velocities are darker.
See Figure 4 on page 71.
No Color Coding
When neither Color Coding by Track nor Color Coding by Velocity are enabled, notes are drawn in
the MIDI Editor in as the same color they are in the Edit window—using the color coding options as
set in the Track Color Coding settings in the Display Preferences.
The Notes Pane Right-click menu provides sev- The Cut command cuts the current Edit selec-
eral useful commands for editing, exporting, tion.
and viewing MIDI data.
Copy
To access the MIDI Editor Right-click menu: The Copy command copies the current Edit se-
Right-click anywhere in the Notes pane. lection.
Trimmer Selects the Trimmer tool. The Merge command pastes the clipboard to the
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cur-
Selector Selects the Selector tool.
sor location and merges the pasted data with
Grabber Selects the Grabber tool. any MIDI notes already present at the same lo-
cation.
Scrubber Selects the Scrubber tool.
Clear
Pencil Selects the Pencil tool.
The Clear command clears (deletes) the current
Smart Selects the Smart tool. Edit selection.
The Open In MIDI Event List option opens the se- Notation view enabled in a MIDI Editor window
lected track in the MIDI Event List.
– or –
Display Notation Right-click in the Notes pane and select Nota-
tion View.
Selecting the Display Notation option changes
the MIDI Editor to Notation view. Deselecting Editing in Notation view in a MIDI Editor win-
reverts the MIDI Editor to Notes view. dow works the same way as in the Score Editor
window, but with the advantage of having ac-
cess to Velocity, Controller, and Automation
lanes.
When viewing multiple MIDI and Instrument To change the Automation or Controller type for a
tracks, the velocities for notes on separate tracks lane:
are superimposed in a single lane, just like notes Click the Automation or Controller Type se-
in the Notes pane. However, all other Controller lector and select the Automation or Controller
lanes are grouped by automation and controller type you want.
type, and provide individual lanes for each
shown track.
Show/Hide lanes
Velocity lane
(2 tracks superimposed)
Remove lane
Add lane
Controller/Automation
Type selector
Paired Automation
lanes for separate
tracks
Figure 7. Velocity, Controller, and Automation lanes for two stereo Instrument tracks
Consolidate tool
Press Alt+Shift+3 (Windows) or Op-
tion+Shift+3 (Mac) to consolidate adjacent
selected MIDI notes of the same pitch.
The Score Editor window lets you view, edit, arrange, and print MIDI from your session as music no-
tation. Whether you record, import, draw (with the Pencil tool), or Step Enter MIDI, the Score Editor
transcribes MIDI notes in real-time.
1 Ensure that there is no Edit selection. The Zoomer tool provides two modes:
2 Right-click the Track name of an unselected Normal Zoom The Zoomer tool remains selected
track in the Edit or Mix window, or in the Track after zooming.
List of the Edit, Mix, or MIDI Editor window.
Single Zoom The previously selected Edit tool is
3 From the Right-click menu, choose Open In automatically reselected after zooming.
Score Editor.
Press the F5 key to select the Zoomer tool
To open the Score Editor window with the current and toggle between Normal and Single
Edit selection shown: Zoom modes.
1 In the Edit window or in a MIDI Editor win-
dow, make an Edit selection on one or more Also see “Zoom Controls” on page 90
tracks that includes what you want shown in
the Score Editor window. Normal Zoom Mode
Note Selector
Use the Note Selector tool to select notes on one
or more staves in the Score Editor window. Se-
lected notes highlight blue. Selected notes can
be deleted, moved, transposed, and processed
(using Event Operations).
Note velocities are determined by the Default The start time for each note is determined by the
Note Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Ve- selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 86).
locity” on page 85).
Random
The duration is determined by the selected De-
fault Note Duration (see “Default Note Dura- The Square Pencil tool lets you draw a series of
tion” on page 85). MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities
change randomly within the range between the
The start time for each note is determined by the defined Default Note Velocity and 127 in a
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 86). square pattern. The duration of each note is de-
termined by the current Grid value.
Double Bar
Selection Display
Follow Edit Window When selected, the Score Ed- To rearrange controls and displays in a MIDI Editor
itor window follows the scrolling option se- window toolbar:
lected for the Edit window (Options > Edit Win- Control-click (Windows) or Command-click
Page Controls
The Score Editor window provides controls for
navigating forward and backward by page. The
current page number is displayed in the lower-
left corner of the window.
1 In the Track List, select the MIDI and Instru- To display the next page of the score:
ment tracks you want to show in the score.
Click the Page Forward button.
2 From the Track List menu, select Show Only Se-
lected Tracks. To display the previous page of the score:
Click the Page Back button.
To hide MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
Editor:
Click the Show/Hide icon in the Track List for
2 Type the page number for the page you want 2 From the Zoom pop-up menu, select the de-
to view. sired zoom percentage.
Zoom Controls
In addition to the Zoomer tool, the Score Editor
provides Zoom In and Out buttons in the lower
right hand corner of the window. It also pro-
vides a Zoom selector that lets you zoom to a
preset percentage or page size. When using these
Zoom controls, the Score Editor zooms around
the current Edit selection.
To zoom out one level: Fit Page Width Zooms so that the width of one
Click the Zoom Out button. page fits in the Score Editor window.
Clef
From the Clef pop-up menu, select the Clef you
want for the selected track from the following
options:
• Grand Staff
• Treble Clef
• Bass Clef
• Alto Clef
• Tenor Clef
Display Transposition
From the Key pop-up menu, select the key of
Transposition for the track. For instruments that
transpose from another octave, you can also ad-
just the Octave slider. For example, for a Bass
Notation Display Track Settings
Clarinet track, select the Key of B-flat and set the
To configure the Notation Display Track settings: Octave slider to +1. This way, when you print
the Bass Clarinet part, the player will be able to
1 Do one of the following:
read the part and concert pitch will sound cor-
• From the Track menu in the Score Editor, rectly a major ninth below where the part is
select Notation Display Track Settings. written.
• Right-click in the Score Editor and select
Notation Display Track Settings.
• Double-click a Clef on a Staff.
The Attributes tab lets you specify the notation Pro Tools only displays a single rhythmic line on
display quantization settings for the selected a single staff. When two notes that start at dif-
track. If the Clef is set to Grand Staff, you can also ferent times overlap, the first note will be trun-
set the Split Point to divide notes between the cated when the second note begins. If the Allow
treble and bass clefs. Note Overlap option is enabled, Pro Tools dis-
plays the full length of overlapping notes using
tied notes.
Split Point
Straighten Swing
Display
The Display options determine which score ele-
ments you want displayed in the score. Deselect
the elements you do not want displayed in the
score.
Moving Notes
Use the Grabber tool to move selected notes
from one time location to another time location
on the same staff. When moving notes in the
Selecting notes with the Grabber tool
Score Editor, the underlying MIDI notes main-
Transposing Notes tain their position relative to the Grid.
You can use the Grabber tool or the Pencil tool To move notes to another time location:
to manually transpose a note up or down. You
1 Click the Grabber tool.
can also use the Transpose Event Operation
(Event > Event Operations > Transpose) to trans- 2 If you want to move more than one note, click
pose selected notes. and drag around the notes you want to move to
select them.
To transpose a single note:
3 Click and drag any of the selected notes to an-
1 Click the Grabber tool. other time location on the same staff.
2 Click and drag the note you want to transpose
up or down.
2 Click and drag around the notes you want to You can also Nudge notes in the Score Editor
Transpose to select them. by the currently selected Grid value.
– or –
• Click at the time location and pitch you
want and drag to the right to increase the
duration of the note. Let go of the mouse
when you have the duration you want.
Entering multiple note of the same pitch with the Line
Pencil tool
The Score Editor automatically adds rests as nec- The Copy command copies the current Edit se-
essary. Rests cannot be moved or inserted man- lection.
ually.
Paste
To access the Score Editor Right-click menu: The Merge command pastes the clipboard to the
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cur-
Right-click anywhere on the score.
sor location and merges the pasted data with
any MIDI notes already present at the same lo-
Tools
cation.
The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools
relevant to the Score Editor. Clear
Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool. The Clear command clears (deletes) the current
Edit selection.
Note Selector Selects the Note Selector tool.
Event Operations
Grabber Selects the Grabber tool.
The Event Operations submenu lets you select
Pencil Selects the Pencil tool. any of the Event Operations windows (such as
Quantize or Change Velocity).
Insert
Chord Inserts a chord symbol. The Open In MIDI Event List option opens the se-
lected track in the MIDI Event List.
Cut
Choosing the Notation Display Track Settings op- 1 With the Note Selector, Grabber, or Pencil
tion opens the Notation Display Track Settings tool, Right-click at the location in the score
dialog (see “Notation Display Track Settings” on where you want to change key and select Insert >
page 91). Key Change.
1 With the Note Selector, Grabber, or Pencil The selected chord symbol is placed above the
tool, Right-click at the location in the score top staff in the system.
where you want to add a chord symbol and se-
lect Insert > Chord. chord symbol
Chord Quality
Chord selector selector Bass selector
3 Select the quality from the Chord Quality se- In the Score Settings dialog (File > Score
lector (such as major or minor). Setup), enable or disable the Chord Symbols op-
tion.
4 Select the bass note of the chord from the Bass
selector (such as B-flat for an inverted G minor
To display or hide chord diagrams (guitar tab) in
chord). the score:
5 Select the desired Chord Diagram (guitar tab- In the Score Settings dialog (File > Score
lature) from the available options. Setup), enable or disable the Chord Diagrams op-
tion.
3 Select a destination and click Save. To print the score from your Pro Tools session:
1 Open the Score Editor window and configure
Automation Type
selector
Revealing an Automation lane
Chapter 8: Pro Tools Mixing and Automation Features and Enhancements 103
To replace all Automation and Controller lanes To reorder lanes:
under the track with a single lane of the specified
To reorder lanes on-screen, drag the lane con-
automation or controller type:
trol section to new positions in the Edit window.
1 Right-click the Show/Hide Lanes button.
Chapter 8: Pro Tools Mixing and Automation Features and Enhancements 105
106 What’s New in Pro Tools HD 8.0
chapter 9
Plug-ins
DB-33
Creative Collection Plug-ins
(RTAS Only)
Delay
Modulation
Xpand!2 is a workstation synthesizer plug-in for
Pro Tools that offers a wide variety of useful Chorus Provides chorusing pitch modulation ef-
sounds. Xpand!2 comes with 1.5 gigabytes of fects for guitar, keys and vocals.
content; everything from keyboards to guitars,
basses, drums, orchestral instruments, and Ensemble Provides classic, fluid, shimmering ef-
rhythmic loops. fects that are great for chords and pad sounds.
If Xpand! is already installed on your sys- Flanger Provides flanging pitch modulation ef-
tem, installing Xpand!2 will overwrite fects for pronounced, resonant sweeps.
Xpand! All Xpand! presets are copied to the MultiChorus Provides stacked chorus effects with
Xpand!2 Plug-in Presets folder and will be individual rate and depth controls for each
available in Xpand!2. layer.
Preview Level meters 1 Choose Setup > I/O and click the Output tab.
Preview volume
2 From the Audition Paths pop-up menu, select
AudioSuite window, Invert plug-in shown
the audition path that you want.
Preview Volume
Pro Tools 8.0 provides several new features and To view the parameters for an individual plug-in:
enhancements for Digidesign control surfaces
Press the Select switch on the corresponding
and ICON work surfaces.
encoder.
2 Hold Shift and press the INSERT/PARAM 1 Press the Inserts switch in the track’s channel
switch in the DSP Edit/Assign section. strip.
Close the plug-in window. 5 Repeat steps 3-4 for each parameter you want
to map.
Click the Learn button in a different plug-in
Plug-ins are automatically taken out of To change parameter mapping in a plug-in map:
Learn mode when moved to a different
1 Open the plug-in whose custom map you
insert position, made inactive, or converted
want to change.
between TDM and RTAS formats.
2 Choose the map you want to change from the
Map Preset pop-up menu.
You can save plug-in maps as presets for reuse 4 Enter a new name for the plug-in map.
on the same Pro Tools system, or export them 5 Click OK.
for use on other Pro Tools systems with a similar
control surface.
When you create a custom plug-in map, its pa- 1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to ex-
When you page through the controls for a plug- 3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
in on a control surface, the pages for custom Export Current Plug-in Map.
plug-in maps appear first, and the pages for the
4 Choose a location for the map file.
Factory Default map appear after the custom
pages. 5 Click Save.
With D-Control, you can put a plug-in into D-Control plug-in map parameters are arranged
Learn mode, select parameters for mapping, and in Custom Fader pages of 8 separately mappable
independently map two sets of plug-in parame- encoders and switches.
ters to each encoder or its associated B/M/P
When plug-in mapping is displayed in Plug-in
switch, all directly from the control surface.
Custom Fader banks, the arrangement of plug-
You can map parameters to encoders and B/M/P in map pages follows the setting for Maximum
switches in both the Custom Faders and in Custom Fader Bank Size for Plug-ins (in the Op-
channel strips. eration Soft keys).
You cannot map controls to the EQ and By default, the Left Custom Fader Bank is used,
Dynamics sections of D-Control. unless the Left Custom Fader Bank Size (LCF) is
set to 0 or the Left Custom Faders are locked. In
When you put a plug-in into Learn mode, its these cases, the Right Custom Fader Bank is
track is focused in the Focus Channel strip and it used.
is automatically put into Custom Fader Plug-in
mode. In Learn mode, encoder displays for a fo- When creating and recalling plug-in maps,
cused plug-in are blank, showing that it is ready it is important to use the same Custom
for mapping of parameters to the encoders and Fader Bank Size setting, so that plug-in
B/M/P switches. maps display consistently. The examples in
this section are for a Custom Fader Bank
LrnTch (Learn Touch) Console Preference Size of 8 channels.
The Learn Touch preference (in the Operation Putting a Plug-in into Learn Mode
Soft Keys) determines whether controls are ac-
tive when a plug-in is in Learn mode. When this You can put a plug-in into Learn mode directly
preference is enabled, encoders and switches from D-Control.
will not send commands to Pro Tools while in
Learn mode, but will only allow Learn mode op- To put a plug-in into Learn mode from the control
erations. This lets you select parameters for map- surface:
ping from the control surface. 1 Focus the plug-in in Custom Fader mode.
– or – – or –
• If D-Control is in Flip mode, touch the
Press the Win switch in the Custom Faders
fader to map a continuous or a switched pa-
section to close the plug-in window.
rameter, or press the channel Select switch
to map a switched parameter.
Creating and Editing Plug-in Maps
8 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
To create a custom map of plug-in parameters:
To change parameter mapping in a plug-in map:
1 Make sure the LrnTch (Learn Touch) prefer-
ence (in the Operation Soft Keys) is set to On. 1 Make sure the LrnTch (Learn Touch) prefer-
ence (in the Operation Soft Keys) is set to On.
2 Open the plug-in whose mapping you want to
customize. 2 Open the plug-in whose mapping you want to
change.
3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in
is focused with blank encoders and switches, 3 Choose the map you want to change from the
ready for mapping. Map Preset pop-up menu.
4 On the control surface, do one of the follow- 4 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in
ing: map is focused on the control surface.
• For an EQ or Dynamics plug-in, make sure 5 On the control surface, do one of the follow-
a plug-in of the same type is displayed in ing:
the EQ or Dynamics section of the control
• For an EQ or Dynamics plug-in, make sure
surface.
a plug-in of the same type is displayed in
– or – the EQ or Dynamics section of the control
• For all other plug-in types, display a differ- surface.
ent instance of the same plug-in type in a – or –
second location (for example, on a channel
• For all other plug-in types, display a differ-
strip in Normal mode, or in another bank
ent instance of the same plug-in type in a
of Custom Faders).
second location (for example, on a channel
5 Touch the encoder or press the switch for the strip in Normal mode, or in another bank
parameter you want to map. The encoder’s auto of Custom Faders).
LED or the switch’s Mute LED lights.
6 Touch the encoder or press the switch for the
6 On the encoder where you want to map the parameter you want to map. The encoder’s auto
parameter, press the encoder Select switch to LED or the switch’s Mute LED lights.
toggle between the two available views on the
control.
With D-Command, you can put a plug-in into D-Command plug-in map parameters are ar-
Learn mode, select parameters for mapping, and ranged in Custom Fader pages of 8 separately
independently map two sets of plug-in parame- mappable encoders and switches.
ters to each encoder or its associated B/M/P
When plug-in mapping is displayed in Plug-in
switch, all directly from the control surface.
Custom Fader banks, the arrangement of plug-
You can map parameters to encoders and B/M/P in map pages follows the setting for Maximum
switches in both the Custom Faders and in Custom Fader Bank Size for Plug-ins (in the Op-
channel strips. eration Soft keys).
You cannot map controls to the EQ and When creating and recalling plug-in maps,
Dynamics sections of D-Command. it is important to use the same Custom
Fader Bank Size setting, so that plug-in
When you put a plug-in into Learn mode, its maps display consistently. The examples in
track is focused in the Focus Channel strip and it this section are for a Custom Fader Bank
is automatically put into Custom Fader Plug-in Size of 8 channels.
mode. In Learn mode, encoder displays for a fo-
cused plug-in are blank, showing that it is ready Putting a Plug-in into Learn Mode
for mapping of parameters to the encoders and
You can put a plug-in into Learn mode directly
B/M/P switches.
from D-Command.
LrnTch (Learn Touch) Console Preference
To put a plug-in into Learn mode from the control
The Learn Touch preference (in the Operation surface:
Soft Keys) determines whether controls are ac-
1 Focus the plug-in in Custom Fader mode.
tive when a plug-in is in Learn mode. When this
preference is enabled, encoders and switches 2 Hold Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) and
will not send commands to Pro Tools while in press the Map switch in the Custom Faders sec-
Learn mode, but will only allow Learn mode op- tion.
erations. This lets you select parameters for map-
ping from the control surface. To take a plug-in out of Learn mode from the
control surface, do one of the following:
Plug-in Mapping and Channel Strips Hold Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) and
D-Command plug-in map parameters are ar- press the flashing Map switch in the Custom
ranged in Channel Strip pages of 6 separately Faders section.
mappable encoders and switches. These pages – or –
are displayed 2 encoders at a time on D-Com-
Press the Win switch in the Custom Faders
mand channel strips.
section to close the plug-in window.
To create a custom map of plug-in parameters: To change parameter mapping in a plug-in map:
1 Make the LrnTch (Learn Touch) preference (in 1 Make the LrnTch (Learn Touch) preference (in
the Operation Soft Keys) is set to On. the Operation Soft Keys) is set to On.
2 Open the plug-in whose mapping you want to 2 Open the plug-in whose mapping you want to
customize. change.
3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in 3 Choose the map you want to change from the
is focused with blank encoders and switches, Map Preset pop-up menu.
ready for mapping.
4 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in
4 On the control surface, do one of the follow- map is focused on the control surface.
ing:
5 On the control surface, do one of the follow-
• For an EQ or Dynamics plug-in, make sure ing:
a plug-in of the same type is displayed in
• For an EQ or Dynamics plug-in, make sure
the EQ or Dynamics section of the control
a plug-in of the same type is displayed in
surface.
the EQ or Dynamics section of the control
– or – surface.
• For all other plug-in types, display a differ- – or –
ent instance of the same plug-in type in a
• For all other plug-in types, display a differ-
second location (for example, on a channel
ent instance of the same plug-in type in a
strip in Normal mode, or in another bank
second location (for example, on a channel
of Custom Faders).
strip in Normal mode, or in another bank
5 Touch the encoder or press the switch for the of Custom Faders).
parameter you want to map. The encoder’s auto
6 Touch the encoder or press the switch for the
LED or the switch’s Mute LED lights.
parameter you want to map. The encoder’s auto
6 On the encoder where you want to map the LED or the switch’s Mute LED lights.
parameter, press the encoder Select switch to
7 Locate the encoder where you want to change
toggle between the two available views on the
the mapping, and if necessary, press the encoder
control.
Select switch to toggle between the two avail-
7 Map the parameter by doing one of the fol- able views on the control.
lowing:
8 Touch the encoder or press the B/M/P switch
• Touch the encoder to map a continuous or to map the parameter.
a switched parameter, or press the B/M/P
switch to map a switched parameter. 9 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
– or –
To remove parameter mapping from a plug-in map:
• If D-Command is in Flip mode, touch the
fader to map a continuous or a switched pa- 1 Make the LrnTch (Learn Touch) preference (in
rameter, or press the channel Select switch the Operation Soft Keys) is set to On.
to map a switched parameter.
3 Choose the map you want to change from the 1 Focus the plug-in in the Custom Faders sec-
Map Preset pop-up menu. tion.
4 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in 2 Hold Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) and
map is focused on the control surface. press the Page Up (Next) or Page Down (Previ-
ous) switch in a Custom Fader channel. The
5 Locate the encoder where you want to change name of the plug-in map preset is shown mo-
the mapping, and if necessary, press the encoder mentarily in the Custom Fader channel dis-
Select switch to toggle between the two avail- plays.
able views on the control.
To select the next or previous plug-in map
6 Do one of following for each parameter map-
on multiple channels, use the Do To All and
ping you want to remove:
Do To Selected switches on D-Command.
• If the Parameter menu shows No Control,
touch the encoder or press the B/M/P
switch to remove the parameter mapping.
ICON Enhancements
– or –
(All D-Control and D-Command Systems)
• If the Parameter menu shows the name of a
preset, hold Control (Windows) or Com-
mand (Mac) and press the B/M/P switch to Display of Slave Tracks in VCA
remove the parameter mapping. Master Tracks
7 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode. You can turn off the display of slave track con-
trols in the encoders of VCA Master tracks if you
Changing Plug-in Map Presets from don’t want to view or adjust slave track controls
D-Command from the VCA Master channel strip.
• Aux input 1 Press and hold the Sends switch on the track.
• Aux output The Sends switch lights to indicate display of
I/O assignments.
• MIDI tracks
• MIDI input 2 If you have multiple I/O assignments on the
track, press the B/M/P switch under any output
• MIDI output
name preceded by a plus (+) sign. The names of
• Master Fader tracks output paths “spill” onto the track’s encoder dis-
• Output plays.
• VCA Master tracks 3 Hold Start (Windows) or Control (Mac) and
• Group assignment press the B/M/P switch under the I/O path you
want to rename.
The AsnMtx (Assign Matrix) console preference you want to assign a send.
(in the Operation Soft Keys) determines whether 2 Do one of the following for the send you want
the control surface follows legacy Assign mode to assign:
behavior or Assign Matrix operation. When this • If no send if present at the send position,
preference is enabled, Assign Matrix operation is press the encoder Select switch.
used for assigning Inserts, Sends, or I/O routing
on the control surface. – or –
• If a send is already present, press and hold
Insert Assign Matrix Mode the encoder Select switch.
The Insert Assign Matrix shows insert positions I/O Assign Matrix Mode
(A-J), and information about the inserts, such as
insert type (TDM, RTAS, HW), plug-in category Depending on the track type, the I/O Assign ma-
(such as EQ or DYN), plug-in manufacturer, and trix shows audio or MIDI input and output, VCA
plug-in name, in the Assign Matrix encoders. group assignment, or Master Fader output in the
Assign Matrix encoders.
To enter the Insert Assign Matrix:
To enter the I/O Assign Matrix:
1 Press the Inserts switch on the channel where
you want to assign an insert. 1 Press and hold the Sends switch on the chan-
nel where you want to assign I/O routing.
Pro Tools 8.0 introduces the following changes The Window switch displays the following com-
to the Soft Key pages on D-Control and D-Com- mands:
mand.
Page 4
• Window Confgs: Window > Configura-
Soft Keys When No Session is Open
tions > Window Configuration List
When no Pro Tools session is open, D-Control • MIDI Editor: Window > MIDI Editor
and D-Command Soft Keys show the following
• Score Editor: Window > Score Editor
commands:
Page 5
Window Switch • Tile Windws: Window > Arrange > Tile
Page 1 • Tile Hrzntl: Window > Arrange > Tile Hori-
• Task Managr: Window > Task Manager zontal
• Disk Space: Window > Disk Space • Tile Vertcl: Window > Arrange > Tile Verti-
cal
• System Usage: Window > System Usage
• Cascde Windws: Window > Arrange > Cas-
Page 2 cade
• I/O Setup: Setup > I/O
Audio Files Switch
• HW Setup: Setup > Hardware
• PB Engine: Setup > Playback Engine The Audio Files switch displays the following
• Preferences: Setup > Preferences commands:
• Peripherals: Setup > Peripherals Page 1
• New Sessn: File > New Session
Audio Files Switch
• Open Sessn: File > Open Session
• Recent Sessions (up to 2 pages)
• Close Sessn: File > Close Session
• Revert Sessn: File > Revert to Saved
Soft Keys in Pro Tools
• Save As: File > Save As
On D-Control and D-Command, the following
• Save Copy In: File > Save Copy In
Soft Keys pages have a new arrangement of com-
mands. Page 2
• Import Audio: File > Import > Audio
• Import MIDI: File > Import > MIDI
• Import SesDat: File > Import > Session Data
• Import RgnGrp: File > Import > Region
Groups
• Import Video: File > Import > Video
1 Hold the Start key (Windows) or Control key 3 Change the properties of the Window Config-
(Mac) and press the Mem Loc switch in the Se- uration in the Edit Window Configuration dia-
lect/MIDI Soft Keys section. The Mem Loc log.
switch flashes to indicate Window Configura- 4 Press the Soft Key that corresponds to Enter to
tion display. save the Window Configuration.
2 If there are more than six Window Configura-
tions, press the Soft Keys that correspond to To delete a Window Configuration from the Soft
Page Up and Page Down to view additional con- Keys:
figurations. 1 Hold the Start key (Windows) or Control key
(Mac) and press the Mem Loc switch in the Se-
lect/MIDI Soft Keys section.
Memory Locations
You can create new Memory Locations from the
D-Control Enhancements
Soft Keys. The following enhancements apply to D-Con-
trol systems.
To create a new Memory Location from the Soft
Keys:
Display of Insert and Send
1 Press the Mem Loc switch in the Select/MIDI Positions
Soft Keys section. The Mem Loc switch lights to
indicate Memory Location display. You can set D-Control to display Send and Insert
letters on send and insert positions with no as-
2 Press any Soft Key that corresponds to a blank
signment.
display.
3 Set the properties of the new Memory Loca- To enable display of Insert and Send letters:
tion in the New Memory Location dialog. 1 In the Console Prefs Soft Keys section, press
4 Press the Soft Key that corresponds to Enter to the Operation switch repeatedly to display the
save the Memory Location. page that includes Show Send/Insert Letters
(“Lettrs”).
To edit a Memory Location from the Soft Keys: 2 Press the Soft Key that corresponds to “Lettrs”
1 Press the Mem Loc switch in the Select/MIDI to toggle the setting between “On” and “Off.”
Soft Keys section. The Mem Loc switch lights to 3 Hold Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
indicate Memory Location display. and press the Operations switch to exit.
2 If there are more than six Memory Locations,
D-Control and D-Command encoder and chan-
press the Soft Keys that correspond to Page Up
nel strip displays show Insert and Send informa-
and Page Down to view additional locations.
tion as follows:
3 Hold the Start key (Windows) or Control key • With the Show/Send Insert Letters prefer-
(Mac) and press the Soft Key that corresponds to ence enabled, inserts with no assignments
the Memory Location you want to edit. show only uppercase letters (A–J) in the
4 Change the properties of the Memory Loca-
corresponding positions.
tion in the Edit Memory Location dialog. • With the Show/Send Insert Letters prefer-
ence enabled, sends with no assignments
5 Press the Soft Key that corresponds to Enter to
show only lowercase letters (a–j) in the cor-
save the Memory Location. responding positions.
• Inserts and Sends with assignments show
To delete a Memory Location from the Soft Keys:
the only the Insert or Send name and no
1 Press the Mem Loc switch in the Select/MIDI letters.
Soft Keys section.
2 Press the Soft Key that corresponds to MtxJst (Matrix Select Area Justification) Deter-
“ChanPI” to toggle the setting between “On” (to mines whether Assign Matrix rows are arranged
focus plug-ins on Custom Faders) and “Off” (to from Top to Bottom or Bottom to Top on the en-
focus plug-ins in channel strips). coders.
3 Hold Control (Windows) or Command (Mac) PIClmn (Plug-in Menu Column Width) Deter-
and press the Operations switch to exit. mines the number of plug-in names displayed
per row in the Assign Matrix
To focus a plug-in directly in Custom Faders:
IOClmn (I/O Menu Column Width) Determines
1 Press the Inserts switch for the channel to dis- the number of I/O labels displayed per row in
play plug-in names on the channel’s encoders. the Assign Matrix
Press the Page Up and Page Down switches on
the channel to display additional plug-ins. MtxRws (Assign Matrix Rows) Determines the
number of rows used to display elements in the
2 Press the encoder Select switch for the plug-in
Assign Matrix
you want to focus.
MtxLck (Assign Matrix Lock) Determines
The controls of the focused plug-in appear in
whether the Assign Matrix is locked by default
Custom Fader Plug-in mode.
or needs to be put into lock mode manually.
Start Switch
Automation
Write to All
switch The Start switch writes the current automation
value of all write-enabled parameters to the start
Automation Automation
Write to Start Write to End of a selection or track when performing an auto-
switch switch
mation pass.
Automation Automation
Write to Punch Write to Next
switch switch To manually write automation to the start of a
track or selection:
“Auto Write To” switches Press the Start switch during playback.
Press the Start switch. key (Mac) and press the Punch switch.
The Punch switch writes the current automation key (Mac) and press the Next switch.
value of all write-enabled parameters back to the
punch point (the location in the track where the To disable automatic Write to Next on Stop:
current automation pass started). Press the Next switch.
On D-Command, various Soft Key pages have To more closely reflect the arrangement of the
“Auto Write To” switches on the D-Command
new or rearranged commands.
surface, the following Modes switch pages have
a new arrangement of commands:
Actions Switch
Page 1
To more closely reflect the arrangement of the
“Auto Write To” switches on the D-Command AWrtTo All (Auto Write to All on Stop) Writes
surface, the following Actions switch pages have current automation values to an entire selection
a new arrangement of commands:
or track when the transport is stopped after an
Page 2 automation pass.
Wrt To All (Write to All) Writes current automa- By default, Automatic Write to All on Stop mode
tion values to an entire selection or track while is enabled for a single automation pass only. To
performing an automation pass. configure the mode to remain enabled after an
automation pass, hold Start+Alt
Snap Back Causes all Latch or Write enabled
(Windows) or Control+Option (Mac) while
tracks to exit their current automation pass and
pressing the AWrtTo All switch.
return instantly to the previously written auto-
mation levels. During playback, this command AWrtTo Start (Auto Write to Start on Stop) Auto-
stops writing of automation without applying matically writes current automation values from
any AutoMatch ramping. the insertion point backward to the beginning
of a selection or track when the transport is
Wrt To Start (Write To Start) Writes current au-
stopped after an automation pass.
tomation values from the insertion point back-
ward to the beginning of a selection or track By default, Automatic Write to Start on Stop
while performing an automation pass. mode is enabled for a single automation pass
only. To configure the mode to remain enabled
Wrt To End (Write to End) Writes current auto-
after an automation pass, hold Start+Alt
mation values from the insertion point forward
(Windows) or Control+Option (Mac) while
to the end of a selection or track while perform-
pressing the AWrtTo Strt switch.
ing an automation pass.
AWrtTo Punch (Auto Write to Punch Point on
Wrt To Punch (Write To Punch Point) Writes cur- Stop) Writes current automation values back to
rent automation values back to the point where where the current automation pass began.
writing of automation began
By default, Automatic Write to Punch Point on
Wrt To Next (Write to Next Breakpoint) Writes Stop mode is enabled for a single automation
current automation values from the insertion pass only. To configure the mode to remain en-
point forward to the next automation break- abled after an automation pass, hold Alt (Win-
point while performing an automation pass. dows) or Option (Mac) while pressing the
AWrtTo Punch switch.
Export PIMaps (Export Plug-in Maps) Opens IOClmn (I/O Menu Column Width) Determines
“Save Plug-in Mapping As” dialog in Pro Tools. the number of I/O labels displayed per row in
the Assign Matrix
Faders (Faders On/Off) Turns off D-Command
faders to prevent fader movement when moni- MtxLck (Assign Matrix Lock) Determines
toring a mix. whether the Assign Matrix is locked by default
or needs to be put into lock mode manually.
2 Under Advanced Network Settings, choose the Do the following for each Pro Tools system you
Ethernet interface from the Interface pop-up want to configure as a Satellite Link satellite:
menu. 1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click Satellites.
3 Click OK. 2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for
the system.
TCP/UDP Port
3 Under Mode, choose Satellite.
Systems in a Satellite Link network need to use
4 Click OK.
the same TCP/UDP port to communicate. Avail-
able satellite systems will only appear on other
satellite systems using the same port.
5 Click OK.
Declared satellites in the in the Satellites page of the
Peripherals dialog
When a Pro Tools system has been declared as a Choose View > Transport > Synchronization and
satellite, it can then be placed in a linked state. View > Transport > Expanded.
When a system is linked, the following fea-
tures/commands can be controlled across all Link button
linked systems:
• Linking and unlinking of the system
• Transport controls (Stop, Play, FF, Rew)
• Play selections
• Scrub/Shuttle location
Satellite Link buttons
• Channel solo (including Solo clear)
Satellite Link controls in the Transport window
• Clearing system errors (such as DAE errors)
To link or unlink the local Pro Tools system:
Satellite Link Controls Click the Link button in the Transport win-
dow.
When a Pro Tools system has been declared as a
satellite, the following Satellite Link controls ap- To link or unlink other satellite systems:
pear in the Transport window:
Click the corresponding Satellite Link button
Link Button Controls the link status of the local in the Transport window.
system.
To link or unlink all declared satellite systems:
Satellite Link Buttons Control the link status of
Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac) the
the other satellite systems. On every system, one
of these buttons corresponds to that system’s Link button or a Satellite Link button in the
main Link button. Transport window.
Link buttons highlight to indicate linked status. Linking Systems During Playback
2 In the Satellites section of the Synchroniza- system, Shift-click the Satellite Link button for
tion page, select the Solo Independent of Linked the affected system.
State option.
To set a linked system to stop the transport on all
systems when an error occurs:
Solo Link Behavior in the Solo Modes
Make sure the DAE Errors Stop All Linked Sys-
Solo in Place With Solo Link, when using Solo tems option is selected in the Synchronization
In Place, the mode of solo operation is deter- Preferences.
mined by the system transmitting the solo.
To set all systems to stop the transport when an
If a linked system is in Solo Latch mode, solo-
error occurs, make sure this option is selected on
ing a track on that system adds to the number of
all linked systems.
tracks in solo, regardless of the solo mode of
other systems set to receive solos.
Playback and Dialogs
If a linked system is in Solo X-OR mode, solo-
ing a track on that system cancels all other sys- Linked systems will stop playback (or prevent
tem’s solos regardless of the solo mode of other playback from starting) if a modal dialog (such
systems set to receive solos. as the I/O Setup, Hardware Setup, or Playback
Engine dialog) is opened on any linked system.
AFL and PFL Modes With Solo Link, AFL and PFL
solos on a linked system have no effect on other To avoid interrupting playback on another
systems. system when opening a modal dialog,
unlink the system before opening the dialog.
An AFL-soloed track on a linked system can be
muted by a Solo In Place on another system. To
avoid this, use PFL instead of AFL.
Linking Satellite Systems To toggle the solo transmit status of the local
(D-Control, D-Command, and C|24) Pro Tools system:
1 Hold Control (Windows) or Command (Mac)
To link or unlink the local Pro Tools system:
and press the Modes switch in the Automation
Hold Control (Windows) or Command (Mac) Soft Keys section.
and press the Online switch in the Transport
2 Press the Soft Key that corresponds to
section.
“Transmit Solo.”
Chapter 12: Pro Tools Video and Avid Interoperability Improvements 149
Supported Video Formats
AAF Pan Improvements with
Supported Video Formats using PCIe DigiTranslator 2.0
Video Video
Video PT Frame With DigiTranslator 2.0, Pro Tools 8.0 includes
Reference Output
Format* Rate improvements for importing Avid generated
Rate Format*
AAF sequences with clip-based pan and support
23.976p NTSC 23.976 NTSC
for automation (keyframe) pan.
NTSC
Chapter 12: Pro Tools Video and Avid Interoperability Improvements 151
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