Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pro Tools Reference Guide 2018.1 PDF
Pro Tools Reference Guide 2018.1 PDF
Version 2018.1
Legal Notices Sundance Digital, SurroundScope, Symphony, SYNC HD,
© 2018 Avid Technology, Inc., (“Avid”), all rights reserved. SYNC I/O, Synchronic, SynchroScope, Syntax,
This guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without TDM FlexCable, TechFlix, Tel-Ray, Thunder, TimeLiner,
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TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL MasterMeter,
003, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, Adrenaline, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities, tools for storytellers, Transit,
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DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, Digi 002, Digi 003, DigiBase,
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Accelerator, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DigiWear, DINR,
DNxchange, Do More, DPP-1, D-Show, DSP Manager,
DS-StorageCalc, DV Toolkit, DVD Complete, D-Verb, Eleven,
EM, Euphonix, EUCON, EveryPhase, Expander,
ExpertRender, Fairchild, FastBreak, Fast Track, Film Cutter,
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Intelli-Sat Broadcasting Recording Manager, InterFX,
Interplay, inTONE, Intraframe, iS Expander, iS9, iS18, iS23,
iS36, ISIS, IsoSync, LaunchPad, LeaderPlus, LFX, Lightning,
Link & Sync, ListSync, LKT-200, Lo-Fi, MachineControl,
Magic Mask, Make Anything Hollywood,
make manage move|media, Marquee, MassivePack,
MassivePack Pro, Maxim, Mbox, Media Composer,
MediaFlow, MediaLog, MediaMix, Media Reader,
Media Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaServer, MediaShare,
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MultiShell, NaturalMatch, NewsCutter, NewsView,
NewsVision, Nitris, NL3D, NLP, NSDOS, NSWIN, OMF,
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Personal Q, PET, Podcast Factory, PowerSwap, PRE,
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ShuttleCase, Sibelius, SimulPlay, SimulRecord,
Slightly Rude Compressor, Smack!, Soft SampleCell,
Soft-Clip Limiter, SoundReplacer, SPACE, SPACEShift,
SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide, Streamfactory,
Streamgenie, StreamRAID, SubCap, Sundance,
Contents
Contents iii
Toolbar Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Numeric Keypad Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Contents v
MIDI Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Ethernet Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Mic Preamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
VENUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Atmos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Contents vii
Tracks List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Track Name Right-Click Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Track Priority and Voice Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Assigning MIDI Inputs and Outputs to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Soloing and Muting Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Making Tracks Inactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Color Coding for Tracks, Clips, Markers, and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Contents ix
Leaving a Project or Group Chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
Move to or Restore from Artist Chat History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Remaining Signed In to your Avid Account Offline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Availability for Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Contents xi
Connecting a Sound Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Recording with a Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Setting the Session Meter and Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Record Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
Configuring Default Names for Audio Files and Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
Assigning Hardware I/O on a Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
Record Enabling Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510
Working with Hard Drives for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513
Selecting a Record Input Monitoring Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
Setting Monitor Levels for Record and Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Reducing Monitoring Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Part V Editing
Chapter 27. Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583
Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 584
Audio Clips and Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585
MIDI Clips and MIDI Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
Naming Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 592
Displaying Clip Names, Clip Times, and Other Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 593
Multiple Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 594
Basic Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596
Editing Across Multiple Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600
Contents xiii
Zoom Preset Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
Zoom Toggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
Zooming with a Scroll Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 614
Using the Trim Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
Trim Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
Time Compression/ Expansion Trim Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
Scrub Trim Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618
Loop Trim Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 619
Tandem Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Using the Selector Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
Using the Smart Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
Using the Scrubber Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 625
Numeric Keypad Set to Shuttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Contents xv
Beat Detective Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720
The Beat Detective Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721
Beat Detective Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721
Defining a Beat Detective Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722
Beat Detective Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 723
Calculating Tempo with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 724
Generating Beat Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 724
Editing Beat Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728
Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
DigiGroove Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731
Separating Clips with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 733
Conforming Clips with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734
Edit Smoothing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739
Part VI MIDI
Chapter 34. MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745
MIDI Editing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745
Setting the Grid Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747
Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 748
Inserting MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750
Inserting a Series of Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751
Manually Editing MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754
Time Compression/Expansion Trim Tool Functionality on MIDI Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 762
Continuous Controller Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 763
Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 767
Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 771
System Exclusive Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775
Note and Controller Chasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 776
Offsetting MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777
Stuck Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779
Remove Duplicate Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779
MIDI Real-Time Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779
Real-Time Properties Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 781
Contents xvii
Key Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825
Meter Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 826
Chord Symbols and Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 826
Exporting Scores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828
Printing Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828
Contents xix
Unlooping Clips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 919
Editing Looped Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 919
Clip Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 921
Creating Clip Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 922
Ungrouping Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 923
Regrouping Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 923
Multitrack Clip Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 923
Clip Groups on Tick-Based Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925
Editing Clip Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 926
Fades and Crossfades on Clip Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 927
Clip Groups and Clip Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 928
Importing and Exporting Clip Group Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 928
Contents xxi
Master Bypass and Track Bypass Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1036
A Note About Other Track Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1037
DSP and Voice Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1037
Using HEAT with a Control Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1038
Part IX Mixing
Chapter 48. Basic Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1043
Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1043
Metering and Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1043
Signal Flow by Track Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1044
Audio Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1044
Auxiliary Input Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1045
Master Fader Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1046
Instrument Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1047
VCA Master Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1048
Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
Configuring Inserts View in the Mix and Edit Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
HEAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
Stereo Pan Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053
Views in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053
Audio Input and Output Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1058
Sends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060
Configuring Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1064
Sends View Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1064
Editing Sends in the Mix and Edit Windows (Individual Send Views) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1066
Bus Interrogation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1070
Output Windows for Tracks and Sends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1071
Output Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1074
Signal Routing for Monitoring and Submixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1075
Delay Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1083
Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1090
Using an Ethernet Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1090
Using a MIDI Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1091
Contents xxiii
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1157
Glide Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1161
Trimming Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1162
Writing Automation to the Start, End, or All of a Track or Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1164
Writing Automation to the Next Breakpoint or to the Punch Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1166
Guidelines for “Write To” Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1168
Overwriting or Extending Mute Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1169
Creating Snapshot Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1172
Previewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1174
Capturing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1176
VCA Master Track Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1179
Coalescing VCA Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1180
Part X Surround
Chapter 52. Pro Tools Setup for Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1199
Surround Mixing in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1199
Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1199
7.1 and 7.0 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1200
7.1.2 and 7.0.2 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1200
Ambisonics Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1201
Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1201
Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1206
5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1207
Contents xxv
Import ADM files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1254
Dolby Atmos PEC/DIR Recorder Workflow Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1255
Contents xxvii
Browsing Video in the Video Universe Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1339
Playback of High-Definition Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1341
Optimized Video Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1341
Tips for Optimizing Video Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1342
Compensating for Video Monitoring Delays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1342
Playing Video to an External Monitor Using a Video Peripheral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1343
Bouncing the Video Track to a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1343
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1379
Avid Master Account If updates are available for Pro Tools or any plug-
ins, Application Manager reports what updates (if
Your Avid Master Account simplifies access to all of any) are available and how important the updates
your user accounts and entitlements at my.avid.com. are for your system. You can visit the Avid website
To sign up, go to avid.com and click on “Sign In.”
to locate, download, and install the appropriate up-
Fill in the required fields located under the “Create dates for your system.
Avid Master Account.”
To manually check for updates:
The Master Account is divided into sections. Notice
that the Avid Support Center, Download Center and 1 Launch Avid Application Manager.
Avid Community need to be linked. Simply choose 2 If you are not already logged in, click the
“Link this account” if you already have an account or
Account tab and login to your Avid Master
choose “Create Account,” fill in the required fields
Account.
and click Submit.
3 Click the Apps tab to review what updates are
available and follow the on-screen instructions.
System Requirements and
Compatibility Information For more information about the Avid Appli-
cation Manager, refer to the Avid Applica-
Avid can only assure compatibility and provide tion Manager Guide.
support for hardware and software it has tested and
approved.
Convention Action
Registration
File > Save Choose Save from the
Activate your product to access downloads in your
File menu
Avid account (or quickly create an account if you
Control+N Hold down the Control don?t have one). Register your purchase online,
key and press the N key download software, updates, documentation, and
Control-click Hold down the Control other resources.
key and click the mouse www.avid.com/account
button
The MIDI protocol provides 16 channels of MIDI Surround sound simply means having one or more
per port. A single MIDI cable can transmit a sepa- speakers with discrete audio signals (channels)
rate set of messages for each of the 16 channels. placed behind the listener in addition to the typical
These 16 channels can correspond to separate stereo pair.
MIDI devices or to multiple channels within a sin-
There are multiple types of surround formats in use
gle device (if the device is multitimbral). Each
(from three-channel LCR to 7.1, which has eight
channel can control a different instrument sound.
channels).
Pro Tools provides powerful MIDI sequencing ca-
The most common surround format is 5.1, which
pabilities. You can record, enter, edit, and play
refers to having 5 speakers and a sub-woofer (the
back MIDI data on Pro Tools Instrument and
“.1”). 5.1 is used in movie theaters and home enter-
MIDI tracks. These actions can be done in the Edit
tainment systems. Additionally, most DVDs are
window, the MIDI Editor window, the Score Edi-
mixed to 5.1. The standard speaker placement for
tor window, and the MIDI Event List.
5.1 for surround monitoring is stereo left and right
MIDI data in Pro Tools can be anything from speakers, and an additional center speaker in front,
MIDI note data (note number, on/off, velocity) to two more stereo left and right speakers in the rear,
System Exclusive (Sysex) messages. MIDI data and the sub-woofer on the side.
can be recorded or played back from both external
Pro Tools | HD Software supports mixing in sur-
MIDI devices with a MIDI interface and other
round formats. In Pro Tools, each surround format
MIDI software (such as instrument plug-ins and
is considered to be a greater-than-stereo multi-
ReWire client applications).
channel format.
Synchronization
Pro Tools Sessions
When you are working with multiple time-based
When you start a session in Pro Tools, you create a
systems, such as Pro Tools and an external deck,
session.
you want the systems to be synchronized. Syn-
chronization is where one system outputs clock
source (such as timecode or MIDI Beat Clock) and Session Files
another device synchronizes to or follows that A session file is the document that Pro Tools cre-
clock source so that they work together. Pro Tools ates when you choose File > New Session and con-
can be synchronized to other devices (or other de- figure a new session. Pro Tools can open only one
vices can be synchronized to Pro Tools) using session file at a time. The session file is named
SMPTE/EBU timecode or MIDI Timecode. with a .ptx (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 re-
alize that a Pro Tools session file does not contain
Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, video, VCA Master tracks provide control of tracks in a
and automation data are recorded and edited. Mix Group that has been assigned to the VCA
Pro Tools tracks also provide audio channels for Master.
routing internal busses, and physical inputs and
Video tracks support QuickTime movies (all
outputs for audio and MIDI.
Pro Tools systems) and VC-1 video files (Win-
Pro Tools provides multiple types of tracks: dows only). Additionally, Pro Tools supports Avid
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA video using a the Avid Video Engine (AVE) either
Master, MIDI, Instrument, and Video. natively or with a supported Avid video peripheral.
An individual video track can play back only one
type of video at a time.
Voices
In Pro Tools, voices are unique, discrete audio
MIDI track in the Edit window streams that can be routed to and from Pro Tools
audio tracks, and physical audio outputs and inputs
on your Pro Tools audio interfaces. The audio
paths to and from Pro Tools software routed to
Pro Tools hardware use voices. If you exceed the
number of available voices in your system, you
have effectively exceeded the available number of
Video track in Frames view audio paths. Voices are allocated dynamically.
Video Files
For more information about voicing in
Pro Tools, see “Track Priority and Voice When you record or import video into a Pro Tools
Assignment” on page 251. session, all video data is stored as the correspond-
ing video file type (such as QuickTime). Video
Media Files files can be created in (or copied to) the Video
Pro Tools sessions create, import, export, and ref- Files folder in the session folder. However, in most
erence media files. Media files are audio, MIDI, cases, Pro Tools references video files that have
and video files. Audio and video media files are been captured by another application, such as Avid
stored separately from the Pro Tools session file. Media Composer® | Software.
MIDI data is stored in the session file.
Clips
Audio Files
A clip is a segment of audio, MIDI, or video data.
When you record audio into a Pro Tools session, A clip could be a drum loop, a guitar riff, a verse of
audio files are created. a song, a recording take, a sound effect, some dia-
log, or an entire sound file. Clips are especially
useful for arranging audio and MIDI. A clip can
also have associated automation data. In
Audio clip
Channels
The term channel is used to describe several re-
lated components of a Pro Tools system.
Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and Signal routing options include the following:
signal routing controls for audio and MIDI. These
Track Input and Output (I/O) Controls The most
controls are located in the Mix window. Some of
these controls can also be accessed from the Edit basic type of signal routing is track input and out-
window. put. A track needs to have an assigned input path to
record audio, and an assigned mapped output path
A common audio signal routing task is to submix in order to be audible through a hardware output.
multiple tracks to a single channel strip (such as an Signals can also be routed to or from other tracks in
Auxiliary Input) for shared processing and level Pro Tools (or hardware inputs and outputs) using
control. The following example shows two audio internal busses.
tracks submixed to a stereo Auxiliary Input.
Auxiliary Input and Master Fader Tracks Auxil-
iary Inputs can be used as returns, submixers, and
bus masters. Master Fader tracks are used as bus
Inserts and output master level controls. Both Auxiliary
Input and Master Fader tracks can have plug-in and
hardware inserts.
Paths Paths are any routing option in Pro Tools, You can only collaborate with projects, never with
including internal or external inputs, outputs, bus- sessions. Otherwise, projects work just like ses-
ses, and inserts. Pro Tools lets you name these sions. Projects have all of the same recording, ed-
paths, and these path names appear in the Audio iting, mixing, and processing capabilities as do
Input and Output Path selectors and other menus. sessions (you can save a copy of a session as a
For more information, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.” project or a project as a session using the Save
Copy In command). Throughout this Reference
Mixing Formats Sessions can include combina-
Guide, “sessions” refers to session and projects un-
tions of mono, stereo, and greater-than-stereo mul-
less otherwise noted.
tichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, outputs,
and inserts. Greater-than-stereo multichannel for- Project data and media are bundled and cached on
mats are supported with Pro Tools HD only. local storage, but you cannot open a project by
navigating through the file system. You can only
Grouping and VCA Tracks Tracks can be grouped
access projects through the Pro Tools Dashboard.
together for mixing so that their relative mix set-
Projects are differentiated from sessions by their
tings are maintained when changing a mix setting
file icon.
for any track in the group. For example, changing
the volume of one track affects the volume of all
the other tracks in the group. VCA Master tracks
control the relative mix settings for all tracks
within the selected group. Project icon (online, left; offline, right)
session sequence
MXF file icon
whole file clip master clip
Pro Tools can import and play back MXF audio
and video files created in Media Composer or clip subclip
other Avid applications.
plug-ins real-time audio effects
Embedded Media
Exporting to AAF or OMF with embedded media results in one large AAF or OMF file containing both the
metadata and all associated media files.
The main benefit to this approach is that fewer copies of media files may need to be made, so the
export and import process can be much faster. Using this approach, it is less likely that you will
encounter any file size limitations since the data is broken up into many smaller files.
The main disadvantage to this approach is that there are potentially many files (for example, one AAF or
OMF file and hundreds of media files) that must be transported between systems.
Linked to:
Apply action to Option+ Alt+Shift+ For extra-fine Hold Command Hold Control
selected channel Shift+ action adjustment of +Shift while +Shift while
strips/tracks action breakpoints in adjusting auto- adjusting
Grid mode mation break- automation
Vertically con- points breakpoints
strained, fine adjust-
ment for automation
and control break-
points
With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled, you While pressing Command+Option (Mac) or
can still access any of its key shortcuts by pressing Control+Alt (Windows), press one of the fol-
the Start key Control (Mac) or (Windows) along lowing keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Clips List), or 3
with the key. See the Shortcuts Guide for a com- (Groups List).
plete list of Commands Keyboard Focus shortcuts.
Although multiple plug-in windows can have a
Clips List Keyboard Focus When selected, audio keyboard focus enabled, only the front-most
clips, MIDI clips, and clip groups can be located window receives any keyboard input.
and selected in the Clips List by typing the first few
letters of the clip’s name.
To enable Toolbar focus for the Tracks pane, do 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
one of the following: Operation tab.
Click the Toolbar at the top of the Edit window. 2 In the Transport section, select a Numeric Key-
Press Command+Option+4 (Mac) or pad mode (Classic, Transport, or Shuttle).
Control+Alt+4 (Windows). 3 Click OK.
There are two Shuttle Lock modes (Classic and This mode lets you set a number of record and play
Transport). Both modes let you use the numeric functions, and also operate the Transport from the
keypad to shuttle forward or backwards at specific numeric keypad.
speeds.
Function Key
• 5 is normal speed.
• 6–9 provide increasingly greater fast-forward Click on/off 7
speeds. Countoff on/off 8
• 1–4 provide progressively greater rewind speeds MIDI Merge/Replace mode 9
(4 is the slowest, 1 is the fastest).
Loop Playback mode on/off 4
• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the num-
ber to resume Shuttle Lock speed. Loop Record mode on/off 5
• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock QuickPunch mode on/off 6
mode.
Rewind 1
Custom Shuttle Lock Speed Fast Forward 2
(Pro Tools HD Only)
Record enable 3
The highest fast-forward Shuttle Lock speed
(key 9) can be customized. Play/Stop 0
For more information, see “Custom Shuttle With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport,
Lock Speed” on page 627. you can also:
• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock
Classic Mode
mode. Press the Control key (Mac) or the Start
This mode emulates the way Pro Tools worked in key (Windows), followed by 1–9 for different
versions lower than 5.0. With the Numeric Keypad play speeds.
mode set to Classic, you can: • Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.
• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock • Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the num-
mode. Press the Control key (Mac) or the Start ber to resume Shuttle Lock speed.
key (Windows), followed by 1–9 for different
• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock
play speeds.
mode.
• Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.
• Recall Memory Locations by typing Period (.),
• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the num- the Memory Location number, and Period (.)
ber to resume Shuttle Lock speed. again.
• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock
mode.
• Recall Memory Locations by typing the Mem-
ory Location, followed by a Period (.).
1x Forward 6
1x Rewind 4
4x Forward 9
4x Rewind 7
1/4x Forward 3
1/4x Rewind 1
2x Forward 8+9
2x Rewind 8+7
The Pro Tools Help menu provides quick access to Guides Accessible in Pro Tools
installed PDF documentation and online Help. The
The following guides are available from the
Help system is HTML-based and launches in the
Pro Tools Help menu:
Pro Tools in-application browser. It also runs on
most common web browsers. Audio Plug-Ins Guide Describes the plug-ins in-
cluded free with Pro Tools, as well as additional
The Pro Tools Help menu also provides direct ac-
plug-ins available for purchase separately.
cess to the online Pro Tools Knowledge Base,
Avid Audio Forums, and the Avid Support Center Pro Tools Reference Guide Explains Pro Tools
using the in-application browser (an internet con- systems and software in detail.
nection is required).
Pro Tools Shortcuts Lists keyboard and
The Pro Tools in-application Web browser Right-click shortcuts for Pro Tools, including
is not available outside Pro Tools. To use those shown in Pro Tools menus.
Pro Tools Help while Pro Tools is not
running, use the default Web browser for
your operating system. Accessing the Help System
There are several ways to access the Help system.
Accessing Guides in • Open Help at its Welcome page from the Help
Pro Tools Software menu in Pro Tools
PDF (Portable Document Format) versions of the • Open Help at its Welcome page from within a
main Pro Tools guides are accessible from the Help browser in Pro Tools
Pro Tools Help menu. Adobe Reader is recom- • Open Help at its Welcome page outside of
mended for PDF documentation. Pro Tools
Using Help 31
To open Help within Pro Tools, do one of the
following: Using the Contents and Index
Choose Help > Pro Tools Help.
Tabs
The left pane of the Help browser is the display
From the Pro Tools Online browser window,
area for most of the Help system’s main navigation
choose Help.
tools, including the Contents and Index tabs.
To open Help outside of Pro Tools (or to select a
different version or language of Help): Contents Tab
1 Open your favorite online browser (such as
The Contents tab displays a complete hierarchical
Safari or Explorer).
list of all topics in the Help system. This lets you
2 Visit the Pro Tools Help launch page quickly see the overall organization of the Help
(http://apps.avid.com/ProToolsHelp/). system.
3 Follow the on-screen instructions to open a You can expand and collapse the contents to view
version of Help. the logical organization of the Help system, and
you can move to any topic by clicking its entry in
To close the Help system: the Contents.
Click the Help viewer’s Close button.
When you move to a new topic, the contents ex-
pands to the level of that topic and highlights the
topic. This feature, like the hierarchy links at the
Help Display top of each topic, lets you see exactly where the
The Help system includes the following display el- current topic is positioned within the logical orga-
ements: nization of the Help system.
Topics Help topics open in the right pane of the To display a topic from the contents:
Help viewer. Click the Contents tab, and then click a topic’s
Navigation Tools Contents, Index, and Search tabs entry in the contents.
open in the left pane of the Help viewer.
To expand or close a section in the contents:
Hierarchy Links Use these links to verify the
Click the Contents tab, and then click a book
location of the currently displayed topic within its
icon to the left of a link.
chapter and to jump to relevant higher-level topics,
including the Main Topic.
The Index provides an alphabetized list of entries 1 Click the Search tab.
similar to the index of a printed book. 2 In the Search pop-up menu (located below the
Search text box), click whether you want to
If Java is enabled in your browser, the Index dis-
search in “All Available Books” or a specific
plays as a dynamic index where the listing scrolls
book (such as Pro Tools Shortcuts).
as you type a word in the text box. If you do not
have Java enabled in your browser, or if your 3 In the Search text box, type the word or words
browser does not support Java implementations, a that you want to find.
JavaScript version of the index displays, which lets
4 Click Go.
you scroll manually through the entries.
A list of topics and ranking numbers appears.
To find topics by using the Index tab:
Additional Search Information
1 Click the Index tab.
The Search feature provides the best combination
2 Click the first character of the topic in the
of usefulness and speed:
Numerics, Letters, Symbols list.
• The Search feature uses a database of valid
To view the topic associated with an index entry: words. This database includes all words that are
Click the index entry. significant for identifying topics and excludes
all other words. When you type words in the
search text box, the system ignores any invalid
words that you have typed and searches for valid
Using the Search Tab words.
The Search tab lets you search the entire text of the • The Search feature cannot search for words in a
Help system for one or more words and then lists certain order. For example, if you type “TIFF
the topics that include those words. The list of re- graphics import” as a search entry, Search dis-
sults is ranked, placing the topics that the Search plays all topics that contains these three words
feature considers most likely to be relevant at the regardless of their location in the topic. The re-
top of the list. sults include topics where the three words ap-
pear together as a phrase, and also topics where
When you search for text, the text string automati-
the three words are scattered throughout the
cally highlights by default. You can turn these
topic.
highlights off. You can also stop displaying high-
lights after a search by using the Back and Forward • The Search feature cannot distinguish between
buttons to go to a different topic. When you come words that are similar but not identical. For ex-
back to your searched topic, the highlights no lon- ample, if you type “capture” as a search entry,
ger display. Search displays topics that include that word,
but it does not find topics that include related
For more guidelines on using the Search feature ef- words such as “captures” or “capturing.” If a
fectively, see “Search Guidelines” on page 34. search for a word fails to produce useful results,
you might be more successful if you search
again using one of the related words.
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1 Open or click the topic to make it active. priate guide.
There are three types of Pro Tools systems: Pro Tools HD Software with Avid or Third-Party
Hardware
Pro Tools Software with Avid or Third-Party
Hardware These systems include Pro Tools HD software
with any compatible non-HDX or non-HD Native
These systems include Pro Tools software with Avid audio interfaces (such as Mbox Pro), or Core
Avid audio hardware (such as Pro Tools | Quartet, Audio (Mac), ASIO (Windows), or WASAPI
Pro Tools | Duet, Pro Tools | Fast Track family, hardware.
Pro Tools | Mbox® family (third generation),
Pro Tools | Eleven® Rack, or Avid 003™ family
audio interfaces). These systems also include Pro Tools Software
Pro Tools software using third-party audio inter-
faces with supported Core Audio (Mac, including Pro Tools software provides the following
the built-in audio on Mac computers), ASIO (Win- capabilities, depending on your hardware
dows), or WASAPI (Windows). configuration:
• Up to 32 channels of I/O depending on your sys-
For a list of qualified audio interfaces and
tem and audio hardware
computers for all Pro Tools systems, visit
www.avid.com/compatibility. • Up to a total of 128 mono or stereo audio tracks
per session:
Pro Tools HD Software with HDX or HD Native
• Playback of up to 128 tracks, or a combina-
Hardware
tion of playing back and recording up to 128
Hardware accelerated Pro Tools HD systems in- tracks, mono or stereo, at 44.1 kHz and
clude Pro Tools HD software with HDX or 48 kHz
HD Native (PCIe or Thunderbolt) hardware. Hard- • Playback of up to 64 tracks, or a combination
ware accelerated systems provide expanded I/O of playing back and recording up to 64 tracks,
capabilities and low latency monitoring. HDX sys- mono tracks or stereo, at 88.2 kHz and
tems also provide dedicated DSP for plug-in pro- 96 kHz
cessing and for large mixer configurations. • Playback of up to 32 tracks, or a combination
of playing back and recording up to 32 tracks,
mono or stereo, at 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz
• Up to 128 Auxiliary Input tracks
• Up to 64 Master Fader tracks
• Up to 512 MIDI tracks
The total processing capacity of a Pro Tools sys- Pro Tools HD with HDX hardware provides the
tem depends on the processing power of your com- following capabilities:
puter. Contact your dealer or visit www.avid.com • Up to 256 channels of I/O depending on your
for the latest system requirements and compatibil- system
ity information. • Up to a total of 768 voiced audio tracks
• Up to 512 Auxiliary Input tracks
• Up to 64 Master Fader tracks
With HDX hardware accelerated systems, voice limits are dependent on the session sample rate and the
number of DSP chips dedicated to the system’s Playback Engine. Pro Tools HD can open sessions with up
to 768 audio tracks, but any audio tracks beyond that system’s voiceable track limit will be automatically
set to Voice Off.
s
Pro Tools HD audio playback, recording and voice limits by hardware configuration
Playback and
Recording
Voices Total
Sample
Core System Type Maximum I/O (Mono Tracks of Voiceable
Rate (kHz)
Simultaneous Tracks
Playback and
Recording)
176.4/192 64 768
176.4/192 64 768
Playback and
Recording
Voices Total
Sample
Core System Type Maximum I/O (Mono Tracks of Voiceable
Rate (kHz)
Simultaneous Tracks
Playback and
Recording)
176.4/192 64 768
HD OMNI is a professional digital audio interface • 8 channels of AES/EBU output (up to 192 kHz
designed for use with Pro Tools HD systems. Single Wire) using a DB-25 breakout cable (sold
HD OMNI provides a compact preamp, monitor- separately)
ing, and I/O solution for music production and re- • 2 channels of AES/EBU XLR input (up to
cording, and post production studios. 192 kHz Single Wire)
• 2 channels of S/PDIF RCA input and output (up
HD OMNI Features
to 192 kHz)
HD OMNI provides up to 8 discrete channels of • 8 channels of ADAT TOSLINK input and output
Pro Tools input and output, with 4-segment LED
• Support for ADAT S/MUX Optical for sample
meters for input or output (selectable).
rates of 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, and
Analog I/O
192 kHz
• 24-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-an- • Support for two channels of S/PDIF Optical
alog (D/A) converters, with support for sample with sample rates of up to 96 kHz
rates up to 192 kHz • Real-time sample rate conversion (SRC) on Dig-
• 2 high-quality Mic/DI preamps (Channels 1–2) ital Inputs 1–2 of either AES/EBU, S/PDIF, or
Optical (S/PDIF)
• 2 combined XLR and 1/4-inch TRS front panel
inputs for microphone and instrument level in- SRC is not supported with ADAT S/MUX.
put
Monitoring
• 2 XLR back panel microphone inputs
• An additional stereo “CUE” output path in
• 2 1/4-inch TRS Send and 2 1/4-inch TRS Return
Pro Tools for headphone monitoring from the
back panel jacks for hardware inserts on chan-
front panel headphone jack
nels 1 and 2
• Front panel Control Room (MAIN/ALT) and
• 4 analog TRS line level back panel inputs
Headphone monitoring volume control
(Channels 1–4)
• Flexible monitoring with fold-down from all ste-
HD OMNI provides multiple analog input con- reo and surround formats (up to 7.1 surround)
nections, but only provides up to four channels
• Input mixer for low latency direct monitoring of
of simultaneous analog input for Pro Tools.
a variety of incoming signals (configured in the
• Soft Clip and Curv limiting circuits to protect Pro Tools Hardware Setup)
against clipping on analog input
Synchronization
• 8 channels of analog back panel output using a • Loop Sync input and output for connecting
DB-25 breakout cable (sold separately) with additional HD peripherals
variable output gain
• External Clock input and output for synchroniz-
• 2 channels of analog back panel output using ing HD OMNI with external Word Clock de-
TRS (Mirrors channels 1–2 or 7–8 on DB-25 vices
connector)
• Front panel stereo 1/4-inch headphone jack For more information, see the HD OMNI Guide.
HD I/O is a multichannel digital audio interface • Up to sixteen channels of 24-bit digital I/O, us-
designed for use with Pro Tools HD systems. ing AES/EBU, TDIF DB-25, or Optical at sam-
HD I/O features extremely high quality 24-bit an- ple rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and
alog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) 192 kHz with a Digital HD I/O card
converters, and supports sample rates of up to • Real-time sample rate conversion on digital in-
192 kHz. puts with a Digital I/O card (up to sixteen chan-
nels of AES/EBU, Optical, or TDIF)
HD I/O comes in three standard configurations:
• Support for S/MUX Optical for sample rates of
• 8 x 8 x 8 (8 analog in, 8 analog out, and 8 digital 88.2 kHz and higher
in and out)
• Support for 2 channels of S/PDIF Optical
• 16 x 16 analog in and out (enclosed) with sample rates of up to 96 kHz
• 16 x 16 digital in and out • 2 channels of AES/EBU I/O (enclosed) with
You can also add or remove HD I/O Analog Ex- support for sample rates up to 192 kHz
pansion cards (ADC and DAC) and HD I/O Digi- • 2 channels of 24-bit-capable S/PDIF I/O
tal Expansion cards for custom configurations. (enclosed) with support for sample rates up to
192 kHz
HD I/O Features
Synchronization
HD I/O provides up to 16 discrete channels of
• Loop Sync input and output for connecting addi-
Pro Tools input and output, with 4-segment LED
tional Avid HD audio interfaces and peripherals
meters for input and output.
• External Clock input and output for synchroniz-
Analog I/O ing HD I/O with external Word Clock devices
• Up to sixteen channels of 24-bit D/A and A/D
Expandability
converters for superior analog input and output
at sample rates of 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, • Optional addition of I/O cards to expand analog
96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, and 192 kHz with Analog In or digital I/O
and Analog Out HD I/O cards • Simultaneous use of multiple Avid HD audio in-
• Soft Clip and Curv limiting circuits to protect terfaces to further expand system input and out-
against clipping on analog input put
The I/O Setup provides tools to label, format, and assign Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus audio sig-
nal paths both for individual sessions as well as for your specific Pro Tools system. I/O Setup also provides
controls for PRE (Mic Preamp) signal paths, and Delay Compensation settings for hardware inserts.
The I/O Setup displays a graphical representation (cross-point matrix) of the signal routing for physical in-
put and output paths for each connected audio interface. Like a virtual patchbay, I/O Setup controls let you
route physical inputs and outputs on audio interfaces to Pro Tools input and output channels. For HDX and
HD Native systems, some of these controls mirror the routing controls found in the Hardware Setup—
changes made to physical routing in one is always reflected in the other. The I/O Setup also includes con-
trols for creating internal mix busses and for creating and mapping output busses.
Active/Inactive
Status
Channel Grid
Import/Export Settings
To close the I/O Setup without saving changes: A sub-path represents a signal path within a main
path. For example, a default stereo output bus path
Click Cancel.
consists of two mono sub-paths, left and right.
Mono tracks and sends can be routed to either
Navigating in the I/O Setup mono sub-path of the stereo output bus path.
To scroll left or right in the I/O Setup:
Opening an I/O Setup Page Configure input signal path names, formats, and
source channel (analog or digital) on the Input
To open an I/O Setup page: page. Multichannel input paths (stereo or greater)
can have any number of sub-paths. Input channels
Click the corresponding tab at the top of the I/O
can have overlapping input paths. Input names,
Setup.
channel widths, and physical input mappings are
Hold the Command key (Mac) or the Control saved with the system and the session, and can be
key (Windows) and use the Left or Right Arrow recalled from either.
keys to cycle through the different pages of the
I/O Setup.
Active/Inactive
Status box
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the Compensation for Input Delays After
Import Settings button to import settings to all Record Pass
pages of the I/O Setup.
When enabled, this option provides automatic
Export Settings Button Lets you save I/O settings compensation for any analog or digital input delay
as a file that can be imported into other sessions or with Avid HD interfaces. Enable this option for all
used on other Pro Tools systems. Export Settings recording situations. When recording from a digi-
exports the settings for all pages of the I/O Setup. tal source, both the Compensation for Input Delays
After Record Pass and the Compensation for Out-
Show Last Saved Setup Appears in the I/O Setup
put Delays After Record Pass options must be en-
in certain session transfer situations. For details on
abled.
this feature, see “Show Last Saved or Current
Setup” on page 84. The Compensation for Input Delays After Record
Pass option is only available in the Input page of
Cancel Button Closes the I/O Setup without
the I/O Setup.
saving changes.
OK Button Closes the I/O Setup and saves any Compensation for Output Delays After
changes. Record Pass
Selecting None as the AFL/PFL Path disables To configure Low Latency Monitoring in the I/O
AFL and PFL Solo modes. When None is Setup:
selected, AFL and PFL cannot be used. 1 Open the I/O Setup dialog (Setup > I/O).
Setting AFL or PFL Path Levels 2 Click the Output tab.
You can set a separate master AFL/PFL Path level 3 Enable the Low Latency Monitoring option.
for all AFL solos and all PFL solos.
4 From the Low Latency Monitoring pop-up menu,
Tracks do not need to be soloed to have the select the Output path you want to use for Low
master AFL/PFL Path level adjusted. Latency Monitoring.
5 Click OK to save your changes and close the I/O
To set the AFL/PFL Path level for AFL or PFL
solos:
Setup.
The Path Order selector is available in the Input, 4 Create an audio track, and set its input to the
Output, and Insert pages of I/O Setup. Setting the corresponding input on your audio interface.
Path Order on any page of I/O Setup affects the
other pages. 5 Record enable the track.
6 Record your part.
3 For HDX and HD Native systems, double-click 7 If you are using one or more PRE peripherals,
the label above an interface and enter a name. click the Mic Preamps tab and configure it ac-
cordingly (see the PRE Guide).
With systems using HDX or HD Native hard-
8 Click the Bus tab.
ware, the I/O Setup bases default Input and
Output path names on the custom name given 9 Create internal mix bus paths and sub-paths.
to the interface. Ensure that output busses are mapped to the cor-
rect output paths (see “Output Busses” on
page 76).
Configuring Hardware in
I/O Setup
I/O Channel selector pop-up menu
(Pro Tools HDX and HD Native Systems Only)
5 Repeat the above step for additional channel
With HDX and HD Native systems, you can define
pairs.
which physical ports on your audio interface are
routed to available input and output channels in the 6 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
I/O Setup. Any changes made here are also re- Setup.
flected in the Hardware Setup, and vice-versa (see
“Configuring Hardware Settings in Pro Tools” on The Monitor path for HD OMNI is fixed
page 95). and cannot be changed in the I/O Setup.
The Monitor path for HD OMNI can be
HD MADI and Pro Tools systems such as configured in the Monitor page of the
Mbox Pro and 003 are “hard-wired” and Hardware Setup.
cannot be changed. For third-party and built-
in hardware, in the Hardware Setup click the Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair
Launch Setup App button to for available to Multiple Destinations
configuration options.
Pro Tools channel pairs can be routed to
To configure I/O routing in I/O Setup: multiple outputs on an audio interface through the
I/O Setup. For example, if you assign both Analog
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
1–2 and Analog 3–4 interface outputs to Pro Tools
2 Click the Input or Output tab to display the Output pair 1–2, when you send a signal to
corresponding path type. Pro Tools Outputs 1–2, that signal will be routed
simultaneously to both pairs of output ports on
3 Click the Input or Output selector for the first
your audio interface.
interface channel pair, located below the first
audio interface icon. This lets you send the same signal (such as a stereo
pair, a stem mix, or a multichannel mix) to multi-
ple destinations (such as multiple mastering de-
vices).
Input signal path from an HD OMNI to the Pro Tools mixer as mapped in I/O Setup
(1) Physical Input For Avid HD interfaces, such as (2) Input Path Main input paths and sub-paths are
the HD OMNI, the physical inputs that are avail- routed (patched) to physical inputs using cross-
able to Pro Tools are set on the Main page of the point matrix mapping in the I/O Setup. In this ex-
Hardware Setup (this selector is mirrored in the In- ample, audio input is routed from HD OMNI phys-
put page of the I/O Setup). ical inputs Analog 1–2 to Pro Tools Input channels
A 1–2.
For Pro Tools systems such as the Mbox Pro
and the 003, physical inputs are fixed. For (3) Track Input Input paths and sub-paths are
third-party and built-in hardware, in the routed to track inputs in the Pro Tools mixer by se-
Hardware Setup click the Launch Setup App lecting the path (or sub-path) from the Track Input
button for available configuration options. selector. In this example, input sub-path A1 is
routed to the input of track “Audio 1.”
Chapter 6: I/O Setup 65
Signal Path Routing for Audio Output
The following example shows the signal path from the output of an audio track through an output bus
mapped to an output path that is routed to a physical output on an HD I/O audio interface:
Output signal path from an audio track to a physical output as mapped in I/O Setup
(1) Track Output Audio is played back from disk and routed from the Track Output to Output Bus “B 1–2.”
(2) Output Bus Path The Output Bus is defined on the Bus page of the I/O Setup. On the Bus page of the
I/O Setup, the Output Bus “B 1–2” is mapped to Output “B 1–2,” which is defined on the Output page of
the I/O Setup.
(3) Output Path On the Output page of the I/O Setup, the Grid is used to route the output path (to which the
output bus is mapped) to physical outputs.
Path Name Enter the path name. If you are creat- Mono N/A N/A
ing more than one path, the number of each new
Stereo 2 mono <main path
path will be appended to the path name (for exam- name > followed by
ple, Bus 1, Bus 2, Bus 3, and so on). channel designation
.L and .R
Add/Remove Rows Click the Add Row button to
add more paths, or click Click the Remove Row LCR 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path
button to remove paths. 3 Mono (one for name >.LR
each channel) Mono: <main path
Move Row Icon Drag a Move Row icon up or name >.L, .C, .R
down to reorder paths. LCRS 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path
4 Mono (one for name > .LR
each channel) Mono: <main path
name>.L, .C, .R, .S
7.0.2 1 each: 7.0, 5.0, multichannel sub- 4 Configure the New Sub-Paths dialog as desired
(Dolby Quad, LCR, Ste- paths: <main path and click Create.
Atmos reo, Overhead name >.<channel
only) (LR); format> 5 Click in the Grid to assign the new sub-path
and 9 Mono Mono: <main path channels to available main path channels.
(one for each name >.L, .C, .R,
channel) .Lss, .Rss, .Lsr, .Rsr,
.Lts, .Rts New Sub-Path Dialog
7.1.2 1 each: 7.1, 7.0, Stereo: <main path The New Sub-Path dialog lets you create new sub-
(Dolby 5.1, 5.0, Quad, name >.LR paths for main paths on the Input, Output, Bus, and
Atmos LCR, Stereo, Mono: <main path Insert pages of the I/O Setup.
only) Overhead (LR); name >.L, .C, .R,
and10 Mono .Lss, .Rss, .Lsr, .Rsr,
Number of new sub-paths Add/Remove Row
(one for each .LFE, .Lts, .Rts
channel) Sub-Path Format Sub-Path Name
Renaming Paths
Path names can be customized in the I/O Setup.
Individual and multiple paths can be selected in the Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
I/O Setup Path Name column. Selected paths and path name that is highlighted.
sub-paths can be reordered higher or lower in the
Path Name column to change their menu order in Reordering Paths
track Input, Output, Insert, and Bus selectors.
Selected paths and sub-paths can be reordered
Paths can also be deleted. Sub-paths follow their
higher or lower in the Path Name column to
main paths when they are moved in the I/O Setup.
change their menu order in track Input, Output,
To select a main path or sub-path: Insert, and Bus selectors.
Click the path name. To reorder paths in the I/O Setup and Track
selectors:
Deleting Paths
Selecting paths in the I/O Setup Path definitions can be deleted from the current
session to reflect changes to your hardware setup,
To select a range of paths:
or to clean up track selector menus by removing
1 Click the path name. unwanted or unnecessary path definitions. After
2 Shift-click an additional path name. deleting a path, any tracks or send assignments to
that path are reset to No Output.
All paths between the first selected path name and
the additional path name will also be To delete a main path or sub-path:
selected. 1 In the I/O Setup, select the path you want to
delete.
To select or deselect noncontiguous paths, do one
of the following: 2 Click Delete Path.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click 3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
(Windows) path names that are unhighlighted to Setup.
select them.
To delete all paths:
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
(Windows) path names that are highlighted to 1 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
deselect them. path name.
2 Click Delete Path.
To select all paths and sub-paths:
3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
Setup.
path name that is unhighlighted.
Any tracks that were assigned to the now inactive Assigning channels
path will show that path's name in italics on the
Other channels for the path type, if any, fill to the
track's I/O selectors.
right. For example, when assigning a new stereo
path, clicking in the path row under output channel
1 fills both channel 1 and 2 (left to 1, right to 2).
Assigning Paths with the Surround Mixer Changing a path’s format erases any cur-
(Pro Tools HD Only) rent channel assignment.
When assigning multichannel paths, the left chan- Sub-Paths Follow Main Paths
nel (L) is assigned first to the clicked Grid box, and
When a main path is reassigned, its sub-paths (if
remaining channels fill immediately to the right
any) are reassigned automatically to maintain con-
according to the default path order.
sistent routing. For example, reassigning a stereo
Because some multichannel mixing formats use path to different hardware outputs results in any of
unique track layouts, Pro Tools lets you set the de- its sub-paths moving with it.
fault format in the I/O Setup (see “I/O Setup Op-
tions” on page 57).
Valid Paths and
Requirements
While configuring the I/O Setup, certain rules ap-
ply for path definition and channel assignment. All
Default Format and Path Order settings paths must be valid before the I/O Setup configu-
ration can be applied.
Reassiging Paths
Though it is possible to set up invalid assignments
You can move the individual assignments to dif- in the Channel Grid, Pro Tools will not accept an
ferent channels, to reorder the path’s definition I/O Setup configuration unless all paths meet the
(for example, changing a multichannel path to path definition and channel assignment require-
L-R-C-LFE-Ls-Rs). ments, as follows:
To reassign channels in a path: Minimum Path Definitions All paths must have a
name, be of a specific format, and have a valid I/O
Drag the channel to the new location in the
assignment.
Grid. Other channel assignments move (shuffle)
to accommodate dragged channels. Valid Paths Channel assignment follows certain
rules regarding overlapping paths.
• There can be no partial overlaps between any
two output paths.
Output Busses
Output busses are mapped (routed) to output paths,
Valid (complete) output path as configured on the Output page of the I/O Setup.
Output paths are then assigned to the system’s
physical audio outputs in the I/O Setups Grid (see
“Assigning Paths to Hardware I/O” on page 74).
Busses appear on the Bus page of the IO Setup. Physical outputs for output paths are configured on
Pro Tools provides two types of busses: the Outputs page of the I/O Setups (see “Assigning
• Output busses Paths to Hardware I/O” on page 74).
1 Do one of the following: 1 On the Bus page of the I/O Setup, click New
• Shift-click to select contiguous Output Path.
busses. 2 In the New Paths dialog, specify Mono channel
• Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- width for the bus path, type a path name, and
dows) to select noncontiguous Output busses. click Create.
To map all busses of the same format to unique Selecting a multichannel output path
ascending output paths (cascading):
5 To assign another channel, click the mono bus
Command-Option-click (Mac) or Control-Alt-
indicator and select the channel from the pop-up
click (Windows) the Mapping to Output selec-
menu.
tor of the top-most output path and select the
first output path.
Pro Tools creates 24 internal busses by de- Click to sort by Name Click to sort by map-
ping to output status
fault. Click to sort by Format
• Output Busses 1 In the Bus page, click the Name column header.
• Internal Busses 2 Click the Name column header again to toggle
between ascending and descending sort order.
4 Click Default.
Resetting busses to the default setting will re- To sort bus paths by Format:
name all busses to their default name (Bus 1 In the Bus page, click the Format column
1–2, Bus 3–4, and so on). header.
5 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O 2 Click the Format column header again to toggle
Setup. between ascending and descending sort order.
Surround Mix Settings 3 Click the Mapping to Output column on the row
(Pro Tools HD Only) for the Output bus that you want to remap to a
lower or higher channel format (from the avail-
The Surround Mix setting provides additional, sur- able Output paths).
round-specific Output and Bus settings files.
Pro Tools lets you “downmix” session output Selecting a 5.1 Output path for an LCRS Output Bus
buses to physical output paths with channel for-
mats of a lesser width. For example, you can listen 4 Click OK to save your changes and close I/O
to a 5.1 mix on a stereo system without modifying Setup.
the actual session routing.
You can also import I/O paths and path To export and save an I/O Setup configuration as a
names, as well as other session data, from custom I/O Settings file:
a different session by using the Import Ses- 1 Configure the I/O Setup settings.
sion Data command (File > Import > Ses-
sion Data). For information, see “Import- 2 Click Export Settings.
ing Session Data” on page 418. 3 Name and save the settings file. The settings file
To import I/O Settings:
is appended with “.pio” to distinguish it as an
I/O settings file.
1 Click the tab for the page of the I/O Setup for
which you want to import settings. To start sessions with a blank or empty
I/O Setup, you can create and export an I/O
2 Click Import Settings.
Settings file in which all definitions have been
Enable the Apply to all tabs option or press deleted.
Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while click-
ing Import Settings to overwrite I/O Settings Restore from Session
in all pages with the settings imported from a
Pro Tools provides a Restore from Session button
session file or I/O settings file.
that only affects the currently viewed page in I/O
3 Select an I/O settings file (.pio) or a Pro Tools Setup. For example, if you are viewing the Output
session file (.ptx) in the Import Settings dialog page, only the Output settings are overwritten by
and click Import. the settings saved with the session.
4 A dialog appears asking whether you want to To restore I/O settings from the session:
delete existing paths. Do one of the following: 1 Open the I/O Setup (Setup > I/O).
• Click Yes to remove any unused paths and add
2 Select the tab for the page that you want to re-
the imported paths to the current I/O Setup con-
store from the session.
figuration.
• Click No to add the imported paths to the current 3 Click Restore from Session.
I/O Setup configuration.
Enable the Apply to all tabs option or press
If the import results in overlapping paths, the new Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while click-
paths will appear in the I/O Setup as Inactive. See ing Restore from Session to restore settings
“Making Paths Active or Inactive” on page 74. for all I/O Setup pages from the session.
After importing I/O Settings, you can then reassign 4 Click OK to save your changes and close I/O
path routing definitions in the I/O Setup by remap- Setup.
ping, renaming, and deleting paths. See “Pro Tools
Software Signal Paths” on page 50.
Unavailable hardware Input shown in italics I/O Settings and the Playback
Engine
Additionally, when showing the I/O Setup last
saved with the session, the Monitor Path, Audition When you change the Playback Engine (for exam-
Path, Output Meter Path, and AFL/PFL Path set- ple, from HDX to Built-in) Pro Tools automati-
tings that were saved with the session are shown cally creates and recalls I/O Settings (.pio) files
grayed out. based on the Playback Engine. The first time that
you use a new Playback Engine, Pro Tools uses the
stereo defaults for the selected Playback Engine
and corresponding hardware. Thus, even on the
same computer, Pro Tools treats different Play-
back Engines as if they are different systems. This
facilitates changing the Playback Engine without
having to manually remap Output Busses in the
I/O Setup. These I/O Settings files are named after
the corresponding Playback Engine and are saved
both on the system and with the session.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences. Session Notes with unmapped Output busses
2 Select the Display tab. To open the I/O Setup from the Session Notes
dialog:
3 Select one of the following options from the Or-
ganize Track IO Menus By selector: 1 If the Session Notes dialog reports unmapped
bus paths, click the I/O Setup button.
Type Displays only the I/O Type (Interface or Bus)
2 In I/O Setup, reassign any unmapped bus paths
as I/O categories in Track I/O menus.
as necessary.
Width Displays only the I/O Channel Width (such
3 Click OK to save your changes and close I/O
as stereo or 5.1) as I/O categories in Track I/O
Setup.
menus.
You can review and update the setup of your sys- 7 Do one of the following, depending on your
tem to ensure it is configured for your needs. Pro Tools system:
• For HDX and HD Native systems, with the vol-
ume of all output devices lowered, turn on your
Starting Up or Shutting Down audio interfaces (such as HD OMNI). Wait at
Your System least fifteen seconds for your system hardware
to initialize.
To ensure that the components of your Pro Tools
system communicate properly with each other, you • For Pro Tools systems that use hardware requir-
need to start them in a particular order. ing external power (such as 003), with the vol-
ume of all output devices lowered, turn on the
Start up your Pro Tools system in this order: hardware.
1 Make sure all your equipment (including your 8 Turn on your computer.
computer) is off.
9 Launch Pro Tools or any third-party audio or
2 Lower the volume of all output devices in your MIDI applications.
system.
Shut down your Pro Tools system in this order:
3 For systems with an expansion chassis, turn on
the chassis. 1 Quit Pro Tools and any other running applica-
tions.
4 Turn on any external hard drives. Wait approxi-
mately ten seconds for them to spin up to speed. To quit Pro Tools, choose Pro Tools >
5 Turn on any control surfaces (such as Quit (Mac) or File > Exit (Windows).
D-Command® or Avid Artist Control).
2 Turn off or lower the volume of all output
6 Turn on any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or devices in your system.
synchronization peripherals.
3 Turn off your computer.
• For third-party audio interfaces with compatible You can configure the Input and Output options
Core Audio (Mac) or ASIO (Windows), select for Pro Tools Aggregate I/O in the Mac Audio
the name of the corresponding Core Audio Setup, which can be accessed from the Pro Tools
(Mac) or ASIO (Windows) compatible audio in- Hardware Setup.
terface.
If you need simultaneous input (recording)
• On Mac systems, if you are using built-in audio, and output (playback and monitoring) with
select any of the available built-in options for Pro Tools using the built-in audio options on
playback or select Pro Tools Aggregate I/O for Mac, use the Pro Tools Aggregate I/O option.
simultaneous input and output with the built-in If you only need to play back audio for editing
I/O hardware options. and mixing, select the appropriate built-in
3 Click OK. audio output option.
2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate 3 Click OK.
pop-up menu.
Your digital input device must be
3 Click OK. connected and powered on for Pro Tools to
synchronize to it. If your input device is not
powered on, leave the Clock Source set to
Internal.
6 Repeat the above steps for each additional audio 2 From the Peripherals list, select the audio
interface in your setup. interface connected to the first card in your
system. This will be the interface at the top of
the list.
Configuring Avid HD Audio
Interfaces 3 Click the Main tab.
HD OMNI supports up to eight channels of simul- Press Command+Left or Right Arrow keys
taneous I/O and multiple I/O formats (such as ana- (Mac) or Control+Left or Right Arrow keys
log, AES/EBU, ADAT Optical, and S/PDIF). (Windows) to move though the different
pages of the Hardware Setup.
HD I/O audio interfaces support sixteen channels
of simultaneous I/O and multiple I/O formats (such 4 From the Clock Source pop-up menu, select the
as analog, AES/EBU, ADAT Optical, S/PDIF, and appropriate clock source for the interface.
TDIF). HD MADI supports up to 64 channels of
MADI I/O. In many cases, you will use Internal. The other
choices are for resolving Pro Tools to external
The Main page of the Hardware Setup is where clock sources. Depending on your audio interface,
you define which physical inputs and outputs on Clock Source options can include: AES/EBU
your audio interface are routed to available inputs [Encl], S/PDIF, Optical [Encl], AES/EBU 1–8, TDIF,
and outputs in Pro Tools. You can think of this ADAT, and Word Clock (optional Word Clock rates
window as a patchbay that allows you to route any are available when operating at higher sample
of the inputs or outputs on your audio interfaces to rates).
channel assignments in the Pro Tools mixer.
5 If you want to send clock output to other de-
vices attached to the audio interface, select the
appropriate output from the Ext. Clock Output
pop-up menu.
6 Select which digital I/O port on your audio in-
terface enclosure is active by selecting the cor-
responding option under Digital Format.
Depending on the type of interfaces in your
system, choices include AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and
Optical (S/PDIF). Selecting Optical (S/PDIF) re-
Hardware Setup for HD I/O, Main page
sets the Optical I/O port (which is, by default,
eight channels of ADAT Optical I/O) to two
channels of S/PDIF Optical I/O.
Inputs and outputs of similar format are differenti- 3 Click the Monitor tab and configure the options.
ated in the input and output channel pop-up menus. When working with HD OMNI, you should al-
For example, the AES/EBU inputs and outputs in ways configure the Monitor page first.
the HD I/O enclosure are listed as AES/EBU [Encl],
while the AES/EBU inputs and outputs on the fac-
tory-installed Digital I/O card are listed (in pairs)
as AES/EBU 1–2, AES/EBU 3–4, AES/EBU 5–6,
and AES/EBU 7–8. For HD I/Os equipped with a
second Digital I/O Card, the additional AES/EBU
I/O ports on the optional card are listed as
AES/EBU 9–10, AES/EBU 11–12, AES/EBU
13–14, and AES/EBU 15–16.
9 Configure any specific controls for your audio HD OMNI Hardware Setup, Monitor page
interface:
4 Click the Main tab and configure the options.
• “Configuring HD OMNI Controls” on
page 100.
• “Configuring HD I/O Controls” on page 101.
• “Configuring HD MADI Controls” on
page 102.
10 For additional audio interfaces, select them in
the Peripherals list, and repeat the above steps.
Activity Meters The Memory meter displays how much of the in-
stalled physical RAM in the system is being used
The Activity section of the System Usage window
by Pro Tools. This includes RAM used by the au-
display meters for disk usage and memory usage.
dio engine, the video engine (if enabled), plug-ins,
and the disk cache. Other than Pro Tools, it does
Disk Meter
not show any other RAM usage by the system. If
As in previous versions of Pro Tools, the Disk me- the Memory meter approached 100%, install more
ter displays the amount of hard disk processing ac- physical RAM or lower the Disk Cache setting in
tivity. the Playback Engine dialog.
Pro Tools HD provides a meter in the System Us- HDX systems provide additional meters below the
age window for monitoring the Disk Cache. This Activity meter:
meter is only present if a fixed Cache Size is se-
lected in the Playback Engine dialog. Voices
Time Slots
These options determine how plug-in menus are These options determine how track I/O menus are
organized in the Insert selector or Plug-In selector. organized in the Track Input selector, and Send
and Track Output selectors.
Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in
alphabetical order. Type Displays only the I/O Type (Interface or Bus)
as I/O categories in Track I/O menus.
Category Organizes plug-ins by process category
(such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individ- Width Displays only the I/O Channel Width (such
ual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. Plug- as stereo or 5.1) as I/O categories in Track I/O
Ins that do not fit into a standard category (such as menus.
the Signal Generator), or third-party plug-ins that
Type and Width Displays both Type and Width as
have not had a category designated by their devel-
opers, appear in the Other category. Plug-Ins can I/O categories in Track I/O menus.
appear in more than one category.
Language Options
Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manu-
You must have Administrator privileges for the
facturer (such as Bomb Factory, Focusrite, or TL
Pro Tools application Properties to change these
Labs), with individual plug-ins listed in the manu-
options.
facturer submenus. Plug-Ins that do not have a
Manufacturer defined will appear in the “Other” Language Sets the language to use in the
manufacturer folder. Pro Tools application, independently of what lan-
guage is used by your OS.
Category and Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins in
two levels of menus. The top menus display plug- Default Automatic Naming to English Causes au-
ins by process category (such as EQ, Dynamics, tomatically named session elements in a session to
and Delay), with individual plug-ins listed in the be named in English even when working with the
category submenus. The bottom menus display Pro Tools application set to another language.
plug-ins by manufacturer (such as Bomb Factory,
Focusrite, or TL Labs), with individual plug-ins Auto-Switch Input Language
listed in the manufacturer submenus.
When the Auto-Switch Input Language option is
enabled, the input language is switched automati-
cally from English to the current OS input lan-
guage when entering text. It automatically
switches back to English for using Keyboard com-
mands in Pro Tools. When disabled, English is
used when entering text regardless of the current
OS input language.
Always Display Marker Colors Lets you choose to None Turns off color assignment for clips. Clips
view Marker colors in the Markers ruler, regard- are drawn with black waveform or MIDI notes on
less of the settings you choose for Default Clip a light gray background.
Color Coding.
Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to each
MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity When enabled, clip in the Edit window according to its voice or
MIDI notes display varying shades of the assigned MIDI channel assignment.
track color in MIDI notes view in the Edit window
Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each
and in MIDI Editor windows. Notes with high ve-
clip in the Edit window according to its voice as-
locities are darker and notes with lower velocities
signment or MIDI device assignment.
are lighter.
Groups Assigns a color to each clip according to
Default Track Color Coding Options the Group ID of its track. If groups are suspended
using the Suspend Groups command, all clips dis-
These color coding options determine the default
play black waveforms or MIDI notes on a light
color coding assignment for tracks in the Edit and
gray background.
Mix windows. The options are:
Track Color Assigns a clip color based on the color
None Turns off color assignment for tracks.
assigned to the track.
Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to each
Marker Locations Assigns a unique color to each
track in the Mix or Edit window according to its
marker area in the Marker ruler, including the area
voice or MIDI channel assignment.
preceding the first marker.
Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each
Clips List Color Assigns a color to each clip based
track in the Mix or Edit window according to its
on its color in the Clips List.
voice assignment or MIDI device assignment.
Project Media Cache When selected, the Enable Hardware During Scrub
option lets you monitor video using video hard-
Click the Change button to set the Root directory ware (such as Avid Mojo DX or Nitris DX video
for caching all project media. peripherals) while scrubbing. When this option is
disabled, you can only monitor video in the
Sound Libraries
Pro Tools Video window while scrubbing. If you
When Pro Tools is installed, any included audio experience performance issues when scrubbing
loops are stored in the Sound Libraries folder by de- video while monitoring video using video hard-
fault: ware, disable this option.
Mac Macintosh HD/Users/<username>/
Play Start Latency
Documents/Pro Tools/Sound Libraries
If you are working on a slower computer, set the
Windows C:\Users\<username>\Documents\
Play Start Latency setting to a higher value. The
Pro Tools\Sound Libraries
range is from 1-Shortest to 5-Longest.
Click the Change button to direct Pro Tools to ref-
erence another location for the Sound Libraries Record Section
folder and Loops content.
Latch Record Enable Buttons When selected,
Show Sound Libraries in Workspace Locations multiple audio tracks can be record-enabled. When
not selected, multiple audio tracks cannot be re-
Enable the Show Sound Libraries in Workspace/ cord-enabled. Record-enabling an audio track
Locations option to show Sound Libraries in the takes all other audio tracks out of record-enabled
Locations pane of Workspace browsers. mode.
Send Fully Overlapped Clips to Playlist while Suppress Name Dialog When Creating New
Editing Whenever a whole clip is fully overlapped Playlists Enable this option to automatically name
by another clip when editing it is moved from the new playlists without opening the Name New
main playlist to a new playlist (or the first available, Playlist dialog. This applies when creating both
empty playlist). This is true for editing on all play- new of duplicate playlists.
lists, not just the main playlist.
Show Target Playlist(s) After Sending Clip
Send Fully Overlapped Clips to Playlist while Selection Enable this option to show Target play-
Recording Whenever a whole clip is fully over- list(s) in the Main playlist after moving or copying
lapped by another clip when recording it is moved an Edit selection to that playlist.
from the main playlist to a new playlist (or the first
available, empty playlist).
Memory Locations Section
Clip Gain Nudge Value This setting specifies the
Auto-Name Memory Locations When
amount (from 0.1 dB to 6.0 dB) by which clip gain Playing When selected, Pro Tools gives new
settings are adjusted when nudging clip gain. Memory Locations default names based on their
Clip Matching Options Lets you assign number time location in the session. The time units cur-
keys 1–5 to control either Zoom Presets or Clip Ef- rently chosen in the View menu determine the
fects Presets. Press Control+1–5 (Mac) or units for the names.
Start+1–5 (Windows) to recall the corresponding Recall Memory Location at Original Track When
preset in your session or project for the selected selected, Memory Locations that recall a selection
option. If Keyboard Command Focus is also en- also recall the track in which the selection was
abled in the Edit window, just press the number for made.
the preset you want (1–5).
Specifies a default length for crossfades created by Fade In Selects the default envelope shape for
QuickPunch or TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD only) fade-ins when using the Smart Tool.
recordings. Crossfades occur before the punch in
Fade Out Selects the default envelope shape for
and after the punch out.
fade-outs when using the Smart Tool.
Preserve Fades when Editing This option pre-
Crossfade Selects the default envelope shape for
serves fade-ins and fade outs, and converts sepa-
crossfades when using the Smart Tool.
rated crossfades into corresponding fade-ins and
fade-outs. To apply a Fade In, Fade Out, or Crossfade
Auto Accept Adjust Bounds This option automat- to an Edit selection using the Default Fade
ically adjusts fade boundaries without presenting settings, and without opening the Fades dia-
the Invalid Fades dialog. log, press Command+Control+F (Mac) or
Control+Start+F (Windows).
Smart Tool Fade Adjustment
REX Selects the default envelope shape for fades
Determines whether adjusting fade and crossfade and crossfades between clips (“slices”) in im-
shapes in the Edit window using the Smart Tool is al- ported REX files.
ways on or if it requires that you also use the Com-
mand key (Mac) or the Control key (Windows) to ad-
just fades and crossfades with the Smart Tool (see
“Adjusting Fade Shapes with the Smart Tool in the
Edit Window” on page 683).
When Delay Compensation is enabled (Options > Track and Master Meter Types Linked
Delay Compensation), this option lets you choose
Enable the Track and Master Meter Types Linked
whether information in the Delay Manager is dis-
option to ensure that Track (audio, Auxiliary Input,
played in milliseconds or samples.
and Instrument tracks) and Master (Master Fader)
Compensate Side Chains
meters always use the same Meter Type setting.
(HDX Systems Only) Disable this option if you want the Track and Mas-
ter meters to use different Meter Type settings (for
When Delay Compensation is enabled (Options > example, you may want to use VU metering for
Delay Compensation), this option applies Delay your Track meters, but Peak for your Master me-
Compensation to plug-in sidechain signals. ters).
Linear (Extended) Provides the same ballistics as PPM EBU Is a variant of the British PPM designed
Linear, but the meter scaling extends to –60 dB. for the control of program levels in international
program exchange (Type IIb PPM in IEC 60268-
RMS Provides metering ballistics that display the
10). It is identical to the British PPM (BBC) except
average loudness (Root Mean Square of the signal) for the meter scale. The meter scale is calibrated in
over a range of time. Peak metering, on the other dB relative to the Alignment Level, which is
hand, displays the peak signal level at any given marked “TEST.” There are ticks at 2 dB intervals
point in time. and at +9 dB, which corresponds to the Permitted
VU Popular for music and dialog mixing, the VU Maximum Level.
scale used in Pro Tools is extended on the low end PPM DIN Used in German broadcasting, the nomi-
from –23 dB to –40 dB to accommodate a wide nal analog signal corresponding to Permitted Max-
range of material without the need for stage re-cal- imum Level was standardized by ARD at 1.55
ibration. volts (+6 dBu), and this is the usual sensitivity of a
Digital VU Provides VU ballistics with a modern DIN-type PPM for an indication of 0 dB. The
digital scale. Alignment Level (−3 dBu) is shown on the meter
by a scale mark at −9.
PPM Digital Popular in Europe and Asia with
broadcasters, and also with US Film consoles K-12 The K-scales are RMS based scales with an
(such as the Avid System5 consoles), PPM Digital integrated sample peak meter as a secondary value.
has a similar integration time to Sample Peak me- K-Scales are popular with music mixers that are
tering, but different scales and decay times. looking for a meaningful indication of overall
loudness. K-12 should be reserved strictly for au-
The PPM Digital option, like all other Meter Type dio to be dedicated to broadcast, though broadcast
options besides Sample Peak, does not report ev- recording engineers may choose K-14 if they feel it
ery transient (such as a series of very fast tran- fits their program material.
sients). However, even though it under-reports the
actual digital dynamic range, it more closely K-14 Use K-14 for mastering when working in a
matches human hearing of loudness over time. calibrated mastering suite.
PPM BBC Adopted by commercial broadcasters in K-20 Using K-20 during mix encourages a clean-
the UK, BBC scaling uses 4 dB spacing between sounding mix that is advantageous to the mastering
scale marks. Other organizations around the world, engineer. At that point, the producer and mastering
including the EBU, CBC, and ABC used the same engineer should discuss whether the program
dynamics but with slightly different scales.
Peak Hold Options Enable the Show Track Gain Reductions Meter op-
tion to show Gain Reduction meters in tracks on
These options determine how long the peak indica- audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, and Master
tors on track meters stay lit after a peak is detected. Fader tracks in the Mix window. Note that even
when this option is enabled, Gain Reduction me-
3 Seconds When selected, track meters display
ters are only displayed for those tracks with sup-
the last peak level for three seconds.
ported dynamics plug-in inserted. When this op-
Infinite When selected, track meters display the tion is disabled, Gain Reduction meters are not
last peak level until you click them to clear them. displayed on tracks.
None When selected, track meters do not hold the Show Insert Assignments Gain Reduction
peak level. Meter
Clip Indication Options Enable the Show Insert Assignment Gain Reduc-
tions Meter option to show Gain Reduction meters
These options determine how long the clip indica- in Insert Assignments on audio, Auxiliary Input,
tors on plug-in, send, and track meters stay lit after Instrument, and Master Fader tracks in the Mix
a clip is detected. window. Note that even when this option is en-
3 Seconds When selected, meters display the last
abled, Gain Reduction meters are only displayed
clip indication for three seconds. for those tracks with supported dynamics plug-in
inserted. When this option is disabled, Gain Re-
Infinite When selected, meters display the last clip duction meters are not displayed in Insert Assign-
indications until you click them to clear them. ments on tracks.
None When selected, meters do not hold the clip Gain Reduction Meter Type
indication.
The Gain Reduction Meter Type settings determine
which dynamics processing plug-ins display Gain
Display Section
Reduction meters on audio, Auxiliary Input, In-
The Display section of the Metering preferences strument, and Master Fader tracks in the Mix win-
provides options for configuring the display of the dow. Note that even Gain Reduction Meters are
new Gain Reduction meters on tracks and in sends. only displayed for those tracks with supported dy-
namics plug-in of the corresponding type inserted.
Show Send Assignment Level Meter
Compressor/Limiter When selected, only gain re-
Enable the Show Send Assignment Level Meter duction applied by Compressor/Limiter plug-ins
option to show Level meters in Sends Assignments on tracks are displayed in the gain reduction meter.
on audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument tracks in
the Mix window. When this option is disabled, Expander/Gate When selected, only gain reduc-
level meters are not displayed in Send Assign- tion applied by Expander/Gate plug-ins on tracks
ments on tracks. are displayed in the gain reduction meter.
Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to The Rendered File Bit Depth options determine the
Session Tempo bit depth of new audio files created using the Track
Commit command.
The Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to
Session Tempo options determine whether or not Always Use 32-bit When selected, new audio files
REX, ACID, and audio files are imported as tick- created using Track Commit command are 32-bit
based Elastic Audio and conformed to the session files regardless of the session bit depth.
tempo.
Follow Session Settings When selected, new au-
dio files created using Track Commit command are
the same bit depth as the session.
This option lets you set the default MIDI Thru in- MIDI Merge Release Mode
strument. You can select a predefined device from
your available MIDI instruments, or select First MIDI Merge Release mode determines how
Selected MIDI Track to use the assigned MIDI out- Pro Tools writes MIDI CC data when recording
put of the first selected MIDI or Instrument track. MIDI in MIDI Merge mode.
When multiple MIDI or Instrument tracks are se- Latch Continues writing the last value. Any exist-
lected, the instrument in the selected track that is ing events are overwritten until you stop recording.
closest to the top of the Edit window (or closest to
the left edge of the Mix window) is used. Select Latch Until Next Event Continues writing the last
None to only route MIDI Thru record enabled value until the next event even if you are still re-
MIDI and Instrument tracks. cording.
Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Touch Immediately stops writing any new values
Controller Data (only use this mode to add pedal-based control
data, not to modify existing data).
This option lets you set the default resolution for
MIDI controller data created with the Pencil tool.
Setting this to a lower resolution helps avoid creat- Note Display Options
ing controller data that is unnecessarily dense. The These options set the reference for middle C as C3,
value range is from 1 to 100 milliseconds. C4, or MIDI note number 60.
This option lets you specify what happens when MIDI Timecode When selected, Pro Tools applies
you double-click MIDI clips with the Grabber tool. Delay Compensation to Pro Tools-generated
MIDI Timecode (MTC). Enable this option when
MIDI Editor Opens the MIDI clip in a MIDI Editor synchronizing video to Pro Tools using MTC.
window.
MIDI Beat Clock When selected, Pro Tools applies
Score Editor Opens the MIDI clip in the Score Ed- Delay Compensation to Pro Tools-generated
itor window. MIDI Beat Clock.
Synchronization Preferences
Misc
New Tracks Are Shared When enabled, new
Machine Control Section
tracks are automatically shared when they are cre-
ated. Machine Chases Memory Location When se-
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session
First Invite Shares All Tracks When enabled, all with a Memory Location causes a connected trans-
tracks are automatically shared when you invite port to chase to that location.
anyone to join your project.
• Default Track Color Coding options • Automatically Create Click Track in New
Sessions
• Default Clip Color Coding options
• Default Thru Instrument
• Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Con-
troller Data
• Delay for External Devices Options
• Synchronization Preferences
• None
When this option is selected, VITC is inserted into This setting lets you select from the following op-
the outgoing video signal—assuming that a video tions for Bi-Phase or Tach wiring:
signal is present at a synchronization peripheral • Bi-Phase: FWD = A leads B
video input, and that the synchronization periph-
eral is in a valid mode for inserting VITC. • Bi-Phase: FWD = B leads A
• Tach:FWD = B is Low
Pitch Memory Enabled
• Tach: FWD = B is High
When this option is selected, the synchronization
peripheral will remain at a pitch (sample rate) that
corresponds to the last known incoming timecode
speed. When deselected, the Synchronization pe-
This button lets you set the Bi-Phase/Tach start Machine Control
frame from Pro Tools. Click the button to update
the Timecode Display on the synchronization pe- The Machine Control page lets you configure
ripheral to match the session timecode value. Pro Tools for use with MIDI Machine Control or
9-Pin Machine Control.
Enable Dub Window
For information about the MachineControl
When this option is selected, you can insert a time- Software Option for Pro Tools, see the
code window into a video signal with the follow- MachineControl Guide.
ing Window dub appearance settings:
Enable Enable
When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is
the Master and it sends MMC commands to the the slave and it receives MMC commands from the
slave device and receives MTC information back master device and sends MTC information back to
from the slave device. the slave device.
The MIDI Out Port pop-up menu lets you select the The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID
MIDI Out port to which the slave device is con- number for which MMC information will be re-
nected. ceived.
MMC ID
9-Pin Machine Control (Deck
The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID Control)
number for which MMC information will be sent. (HDX and HD Native Systems with
MMC commands contain an ID number to identify MachineControl Only)
which machine should respond to the MMC com- The 9-Pin Machine Control (Deck Control) settings
mand. There are 128 MMC ID numbers, from let you configure a Machine Control device for Se-
0–127. The default of ID #127 is a special setting rial Deck Control mode with Pro Tools. Serial
that transmits to all 128 MMC IDs. With a setting Deck Control mode is available whenever Ma-
of 127, Pro Tools will transmit MMC commands chine Control is connected using the Serial Deck
to all MMC IDs. Control cable. When connected for Serial Deck
Control mode, Machine Control enables all
Preroll
Pro Tools track arming, synchronization, and
The Preroll setting lets you specify a pre-roll time Transport features, as available on your system.
in frames for your MMC slave device. Pre-roll is Serial Deck Control mode also supports 9-pin se-
needed to provide the device with sufficient time rial timecode.
to lock to the timecode transmitted by Pro Tools.
This value will vary depending on the external de- Enable
vice. If the pre-roll time is insufficient, the device When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is in
may not be ready to lock until after the current Serial Deck Control mode.
timecode position has passed.
The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machine The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machine-
Control port. The available choices depend on Control port. The available choices depend on
your platform and configuration your platform and configuration
After you select a port, Pro Tools automatically The Machine Type setting lets you select the ma-
polls the port to see what kind of machine is con- chine description for specific machine controllers
nected. If the machine is recognized, Pro Tools (such as the Soundmaster ATOM). By default,
loads the corresponding Machine Type. This in- Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75.
cludes the corresponding track layout and auto-
matically enters the name of that machine into the Chase LTC
Machine Track Arming window. However, if the
When Chase LTC is enabled, Pro Tools still re-
machine is not recognized, the “Generic 1” per-
sponds to track arming and record commands.
sonality is automatically loaded.
However, Pro Tools will chase incoming LTC in-
stead of behaving as a master or slave device with
Preroll
the machine controller. By slaving Pro Tools to the
The Preroll setting lets you specify a variable LTC source instead of slaving the machine to
amount of machine preroll to account for the time Pro Tools timecode, you can avoid the waiting
it may take the machine to achieve servo lock. (and tape wear) that occurs while a machine trans-
Shorter preroll values are usually better for non- port locates and bumps tape to the cue point.
linear machines. Longer preroll values are usually
better for older tape transports. The Machine pre-
roll value is added to any preroll specified in the MIDI Controllers
Transport window.
The MIDI Controllers page lets you configure up
to four different MIDI controllers for Pro Tools.
9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation)
(HDX and HD Native Systems with
MachineControl Only)
Enable
Type
Receive From
Ethernet Controller
Click the Name button to enter a name for the se- The Type setting lets you select none or PRE.
lected Ethernet controller. Select the PRE option to declare any connected
PRE.
Enable EUCON (Extended User Control)
Receive From
When selected, Pro Tools is enabled for control by
one or more EUCON-compatible controllers. EU- The Receive From setting lets you specify the
CON is an innovative high-speed Ethernet proto- MIDI In port to which the PRE is connected.
col developed by Avid to allow hardware control
surface to directly communicate with a software Send To
application.
The Send To setting lets you specify the MIDI Out
For more information about using Pro Tools port to which the PRE is connected.
with EUCON, see the documentation
Defaults
included with your controller.
Click the Reset button reset the corresponding
PRE to its default settings.
Mic Preamps
Retain Current Settings
The Mic Preamps page lets you configure up to
nine different Mic Preamps (PRE) for Pro Tools. Select the Retain Current Settings option to retain
PRE channel settings when an existing session
For information about the PRE, see the with different settings is loaded. New sessions will
PRE Guide. automatically retain the current settings.
Satellite Link lets you link up to 12 HDX or The Mode settings let you configure the satellite
HD Native systems (or any combinations of 11 behavior of the local system.
HDX or HD Native systems and an Avid Video
Administrator When enabled, the Administrator
Satellite system or a Pro Tools Video Satellite sys-
tem) over an Ethernet network so that you can cue, option sets the local system to be the administrator
play, and stop the transport, make play selections, system for any satellite systems on the network.
and solo tracks across any of the systems from any Satellite systems can be declared from the admin-
linked workstation. istrator system.
Monitor Format
Enable
Connection Status
If you are using external MIDI devices with 2 If the MIDI Studio window is not showing,
Pro Tools (such as controllers or sound modules), choose Window > MIDI Studio.
you can customize your MIDI studio setup to dis-
play the names of your MIDI devices in Pro Tools.
Making MIDI input and output connections For Manufacturer and Model names, AMS
refers to one or more files with the suffix
6 Click the arrow for the appropriate input port of “.middev” in the directory Root/Library/
the device and drag a cable to the output arrow Audio/MIDI Devices. Pro Tools installs a file
of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface. that contains information for many commer-
cially available MIDI devices, named
To remove a connection, select the cable and
“Digidesign Device List.middev.” If the
press Delete.
Manufacturer or Model names for any of
7 Repeat steps 3–6 for each MIDI device in your your external MIDI devices is not available in
MIDI setup. the AMS Manufacturer and Model pop-up
menus, you can add them by editing the
To customize an external MIDI device in AMS: .middev file in any text editor (such as
TextEdit).
1 Select the external device icon and click Show
Info (or double-click the new device icon).
For more information, see “MIDI Patch
Names” on page 772.
Interface Controls
MSS also supports XML-based patch file names
for storing and importing patch names for your ex- Create Adds a new instrument to the Instrument
ternal MIDI devices. Name list.
Entire MIDI Studio Setup configurations created Delete Deletes the instrument or instruments
within MSS can be imported and exported. selected in the Instrument Name list.
To configure your MIDI studio with MSS: Import Imports an existing MIDI Studio Setup file.
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Export Exports the current MIDI Studio Setup file.
Studio.
Show Duplicate Emulated Ports When this option
2 Configure the MIDI Studio Setup windows. is selected and you are using a MIDI interface that
3 When you are finished configuring the MIDI supports time-stamping, the MIDI Studio setup
Studio Setup, close the MIDI Studio Setup window shows both the DirectMusic time-stamped
window. output ports, and non-stamped duplicate emulated
output ports.
MIDI Studio Setup Window Some MIDI Interfaces will not properly load
The MIDI Studio Setup window is organized into or unload their drivers unless you quit and
three sections. Interface controls are at the top of re-launch Pro Tools. Refer to the documenta-
the window. All the currently defined instruments tion that came with your MIDI interface for
are displayed in the Instrument Name list on the more information.
left side of the window. A detailed view of MIDI Instrument List
parameters is shown in the Properties section on
the right. The Instrument list contains all the currently de-
fined instruments. Selecting an instrument in the
list displays that instrument’s properties in the
Properties section of the window.
The Properties section lets you edit information for The Instrument Name field shows the user-defin-
new instruments, or instrument currently selected able instrument name for the currently selected in-
in the Instrument list. strument.
6 From the Output pop-up menu, choose the out- If you set the input port to None, the defined
put port on your MIDI interface that is con- instrument will not appear as a choice in a
nected to the MIDI In of your instrument. MIDI Input Selector.
Send Channels
Receive Channels
Dashboard window
• Create a new blank session or project. Cancel Click to close the Dashboard window with-
out creating or opening a session or project.
• Open any of the last ten most recent sessions and
projects. Create/Open Click Create to close the Dashboard
• Open any other session on your system. and create a new session or project with the speci-
fied session or project settings (on the Create tab
• Open any projects you created or projects that
only). Click Open to open the selected session or
you are collaborating on.
project (on the Recent and Project tabs only). You
To open or close the dashboard window, do any of can also press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to
the following: Create or open a session or project.
Choose File > New or press Command+N (Mac) Show on Startup Disable to skip the Dashboard
or Control+N (Windows). when Pro Tools starts. To resume showing the
Dashboard when Pro Tools starts, enable the Show
Choose File > Open Project or press Com-
Dashboard window when Pro Tools starts option
mand+Option+N (Mac) or Control+Alt+N
(Settings > Preferences > Display).
(Windows).
Create Tab Settings
Dashboard Commands, Options,
and Settings To show the Create tab (if not already shown, do
one of the following:
The Dashboard provides several options for creat-
ing and opening sessions and projects. In the Dashboard, click the Create tab.
In the Dashboard, press Command+1 (Mac) or
Global Dashboard Commands and Control+1 (Windows).
Settings
In the Dashboard, press Command+Up/Down
Sign In/Out The Sign In/Out link is present in all Arrows to toggle through the tabs.
tabs. Click Sign In to sign in to your Avid Master
Account. Once you are signed in, your Display In Pro Tools, choose File > Create New, or press
Name will be shown and you will also see the per- Command+N (Mac) or Control+N (Windows).
centage of your Avid Cloud storage that you are In Pro Tools, choose File > Create New, or press
using all of the projects you own. Any media you Command+N (Mac) or Control+N (Windows).
post to a shared project that you do not own will
count against the project owner’s Cloud storage al- Local Storage (Session) Select this option to
location. To sign out, click your Display Name and create a session using local storage only.
choose Sign Out.
File Type Sets the File Type (WAV or AIFF) for In the Dashboard, click the Recent tab, or press
the session or project. Press Command+F (Mac) or Command+2 (Mac) or Control+2 (Windows) to
Control+F (Windows) to toggle between the two show the Recent tab. The Recent tab lists your 10
options. most recent sessions and projects, but otherwise it
has no unique commands, options, or settings.
Sample Rate Sets the sample rate for the session or Double-click any session or project in the list to
project. Press Command+R (Mac) or Control+R open it. Recent projects are not shown if you are
(Windows) to scroll not logged in.
Bit Depth Sets the Bit Depth (16-bit, 24-bit, or
Projects Tab
32-bit floating) for the session or project. Press
Command+B (Mac) or Control+B (Windows) to In the Dashboard, click the Projects tab, or press
toggle through the available options. Command+3 (Mac) or Control+3 (Windows) to
show the Projects tab. The Projects tab lists all
I/O Settings Sets which I/O Settings to use for the
projects stored in the cloud that you have created
session or project. Press Command+I (Mac) or
or collaborated on. Double-click any project in the
Control+I (Windows) to toggle through the avail-
list to open it. No projects are shown if you are not
able I/O Settings options.
logged in.
Interleaved Enable the Interleaved option to create
interleaved stereo (or greater) audio files in the ses-
sion or project. Press Command+G (Mac) or Con-
trol+G (Windows) to enable or disable the Inter-
leaved option.
When selecting a bit depth or sample rate for your To change the Bit Depth for the Pro Tools session
session or project, consider fidelity, any compati- or project:
bility issues with others systems, and storage 1 Choose Setup > Session.
space.
2 In the Session Setup window, select a bit depth
Bit depth and sample rate also have an effect on from the Bit Depth selector.
the amount of mixing power available in a session
or project. Fewer mixer channels are available
with 24-bit and 32-bit floating point sessions and
projects, and with sessions at higher sample rates.
Opening a Session
When you open a session, Pro Tools looks in the
session folder for audio and fade files linked to the
session.
How the Save Copy In Command 32-bit float to 16-bit Yes Yes
Works
24-bit to 32-bit float No No
Unlike the Save As command, Save Copy In does
not close the original session, so subsequent edits 24-bit to 24-bit No No
are made to the original session. Session copies
can be used to archive important sessions, for ver- 24-bit to 16-bit Yes Yes
sioning, or as a means to prepare sessions for trans-
fer to another Pro Tools system. 16-bit to 32-bit float No No
Save Copy In can save only the audio being used in 16-bit to 24-bit No No
the session. Any audio that was recorded or im-
16-bit to 16-bit No No
ported and then later removed from the session, but
not deleted from disk, is not included in the new
session or project copy. The dither setting used for any conversion is the
Dither plug-in with Noise Shaping enabled.
To include all audio being used in the session
or project, select the All Audio Files option. For more information about using Dither,
see “Dither” on page 1090.
Using the Save Copy In command is the only way
to change the sample rate of a session or project.
The sample rate of each of the session or project
copied audio files is converted to the selected sam-
ple rate. When saving a session copy to a different
sample rate, Pro Tools uses the selected Sample
Rate Conversion Quality option in the Import sec-
tion of the Processing Preferences page (Setup >
Preferences).
When saving a copy of a session or project, the You can save the session or project at a Bit Depth
Save Copy In command provides the following of 16 Bit, 24 Bit, or 32 Bit Float.
options.
Pro Tools 10.0 and higher sessions can use audio
Format files with different bit depths. If your original ses-
sion or project has mixed bit depths, they are not
When saving a copy of a session or project with the converted to the selected bit depth unless you spec-
Save Copy In command, you can save the session ify that they be converted by selecting the Convert
or project copy in the following formats: to Specified Format option in the Items To Copy
• Project; lets you save a copy of the session as a section (see “Items to Copy” on page 169).
project.
When saving to a Session Format lower than 10.0,
• Latest; supports Pro Tools 10.x and higher if your session or project is in a different bit depth,
sessions (.ptx) audio files are converted to the new session bit
• Pro Tools 7.x -> 9.x Session (.ptf) depth, and copied to the specified location. Also,
32 Bit Float is not available for session formats
• Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Session (.pts)
lower than 10.0.
Session Parameters
For information on bouncing to disk and
When saving a copy of a session or project with the dither, see “Using Dither” on page 1184.
Save Copy In command, the following Session Pa-
Sample Rate
rameters are available:
You can save the session or project at various sam-
Audio File Type
ple rates depending on your system hardware. See
You can save the session or project to reference “Supported Hardware Configurations with
BWF (.WAV) or AIFF audio files. Pro Tools Software” on page 38.
When saving a Pro Tools 7.x or higher session to a When the Convert To Specified Format option is
lower version, enable the Enforce Mac/PC Com- selected, all copied audio files are converted to the
patibility option to force Windows or Mac versions specified audio file format settings in the Session
of Pro Tools to create sessions and audio files that Parameters section. When this option is not se-
are compatible on both platforms. lected, any copied audio files retain their original
audio file format settings (including sample rate
For more information, see “Saving Copies and bit depth), and are exactly copied, bit-by-bit.
of Mac Sessions to be Compatible with Win-
dows” on page 463. Note that copying formats bit-by-bit is much
faster than converting files.
Limit Character Set
This option is automatically selected if you do any
When saving a copy of a session or project to the
of the following:
current session or project format, you can choose
to limit the character set to a single language by se- • Save to a session format lower than 10.0.
lecting the Limit Character Set option. • Enable Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility.
When saving a copy of a session or project to a Don’t Copy Elastic Audio Rendered Files
lower session format, the Limit Character Set op-
tion is automatically selected. Select a language When this option is selected, Elastic Audio Ren-
from the Limit Character Set pop-up menu. dered files are not copied to the new session’s Ren-
dered Files folder or project bundle.
To choose the language encoding when saving a
copy of a session or project: When opening the new session or project,
Pro Tools opens the session or project with all
1 Choose File > Save Copy In.
available media and any missing Rendered files
2 Select the Limit Character Set option. are regenerated automatically.
3 Choose the language you want to use from the Main Playlist Only
Limit Character Set pop-up menu.
When this option is selected, only the main play-
Items to Copy lists are included with the copy. Any alternate
playlists are not included with the copy.
When saving a copy of a session or project with the
Save Copy In command, you can select which When this option is not selected, all playlists are
items are copied, as follows: included with the copy.
When this option is selected, all audio files are When this option is selected, only the selected
copied to the new location. This setting is automat- tracks in the source session or project are saved
ically selected if you select a Session Format lower with the copy. This option is automatically enabled
than 10.0. when choosing File > Export > Selected Tracks As
New Session.
3 Type any notes for this version of the project un- To open the revision history window, do one of the
der Project Notes. This is optional—you can al- following:
ways add or edit Project Notes for any given Choose File > Revision History.
version later (see “Project Notes” on page 179).
Press Command+Control+O (Mac) or
4 Click OK. Control+Start+O (Windows).
On the Project page of the Dashboard, choose
Open Revision History from the Project pop-up
menu.
If you selected the Install Template In System op- The Name setting is only available if the Install
tion, your session template will be available in the Template In System option is enabled. This lets
Dashboard. you project a new name for the template file. From
the Name pop-up menu (to the right of the Name
If you selected the Select Location For Template field), you can select from a list of all of the tem-
option, you are prompted by the Save As Template plates available in the currently selected Category.
dialog to save the file to another location on your Selecting one places that name in the Name field,
system. letting you overwrite, or create a incremental ver-
sion of, an existing template.
When you are ready to use a template as the
basis for a new session, see “Creating a New
Select Location For Template
Session or Project from a Template” on
page 160. Select this option to save the template file to any
directory location on your system. Note that the
Save Session Template Dialog saved session template will not appear in the Dash-
board unless it is in a subdirectory (Category) in
The Save Template dialog provides the following
the Session Templates folder in the Pro Tools Root
options:
Settings folder. You can change the location of the
Root Settings Folder in the Operation Preferences
Install Template In System
(see “User Media and Settings Location” on
Select this option to save the template file in the page 110).
system folder referenced by the Dashboard (the
Session Templates in the Pro Tools application Include Media
folder).
Select this option to include any audio, MIDI, or
video media in the session with the template.
4 Choose Rename.
Pro Tools only lets you work on just one session or
project at a time. The Close Session/Project com- 5 In the resulting dialog, project the new name for
mand closes your current Pro Tools session or the project.
project but leaves the Pro Tools application run-
6 Click OK.
ning. Pro Tools prompts you to save the session or
project when closing it, but it is recommended that
you save your work using the Save or Save As
command before closing a session or project.
To remove the local cache for a project: You cannot undo the Delete Project command. If
you delete a project that you do not own, but are
1 Ensure that you are logged in to your Avid Mas-
only collaborating on, you simple remove yourself
ter Account through Pro Tools (File > Sign In or
as a collaborator for that project. The project re-
click Sign In in the upper right corner of the
mains available to the owner and other collabora-
Dashboard).
tors. However, once you delete a project that you
2 In the Dashboard window, select the Projects own, it is permanently deleted and is unrecover-
tab to view your current projects; or if Pro Tools able.
is already running, choose File > Open Proj-
ect—Command+Option+O (Mac) or Con- To delete a project:
trol+Alt+O (Windows)—to access Projects tab 1 Ensure that you are logged in to your Avid Mas-
in the Dashboard window. ter Account through Pro Tools (File > Sign In or
3 To the right of the project list, click the pop-up click Sign In in the upper right corner of the
menu for the project whose local cache you Dashboard).
want to clear. 2 In the Dashboard window, select the Projects
tab to view your current projects; or if Pro Tools
is already running, choose File > Open Proj-
ect—Command+Option+O (Mac) or Con-
trol+Alt+O (Windows)—to access Projects tab
in the Dashboard window.
Dashboard, Remove Local Cache 3 To the right of the Project list, click the pop-up
menu for the project you want to delete.
4 Choose Remove Local Cache.
5 When prompted, click Delete.
4 Choose Delete.
To restore a project from the cloud: 1 Ensure that you are logged in to your Avid Mas-
ter Account through Pro Tools (File > Sign In or
1 Ensure that you are logged in to your Avid Mas-
click Sign In in the upper right corner of the
ter Account through Pro Tools (File > Sign In or
Dashboard).\
click Sign In in the upper right corner of the
Dashboard). 2 In the Dashboard window, select the Projects
tab to view your current projects; or if Pro Tools
2 In the Dashboard window, select the Projects
is already running, choose File > Open Proj-
tab to view your current projects; or if Pro Tools
ect—Command+Option+O (Mac) or Con-
is already running, choose File > Open Proj-
trol+Alt+O (Windows)—to access Projects tab
ect—Command+Option+O (Mac) or Con-
in the Dashboard window.
trol+Alt+O (Windows)—to access Projects tab
in the Dashboard window. 3 To the right of the Project list, click the pop-up
menu for the project for which you want to open
3 To the right of the Project list, click the Cloud
the Revision History.
icon for the project you want to restore.
Using the Backup to Cloud option in the Projects 1 Ensure that you are logged in to your Avid Mas-
tab in the Dashboard, you can take existing online ter Account through Pro Tools (File > Sign In or
projects offline or put offline projects online at any click Sign In in the upper right corner of the
time. Since shared projects cannot be taken offline, Dashboard).
the Backup to Cloud option is grayed out and un- 2 Choose File > Open Project, or press Com-
available. mand+Option+O (Mac) or Control+Alt+O
For projects you are taking offline, all project data (Windows) to open the Dashboard showing the
and associated media is deleted from your Avid Projects tab.
Cloud Storage Account and the Project icon turns 3 In the list of projects list, deselect (or select)
gray. Backup to Cloud from the pop-up menu to the
right of the project you want to take offline (or
For projects you are putting online, all project data
put online).
and associated media are uploaded to your Avid
Cloud Storage Account and the Project icon turns
blue.
Pro Tools provides two complementary ways of Edit Window Shows tracks and track material
viewing tracks in a session: against the Timeline (see “Edit Window” on
page 188).
Mix Window Shows tracks as channel strips, like a
mixing board (see “Mix Window” on page 186). To toggle between the Mix and Edit windows,
press Control+Equals (=) (Windows), or
press Command+Equals (=) (Mac).
Edit window
Transport window
Plug-In window
Instrument
Tracks List View
(page 243) (page 1055
Inserts View
(page 1055)
Sends View
(page 1055)
Solo/Mute
(page 256)
Volume
fader
(page 224)
Level meter
Voice selector (page 225)
(page 252)
AutoMatch
indicator Track Name
(page 1137) (page 233)
Universe view
Grid and
(page 647)
Nudge values
Zoom buttons (page 606) Collaboration (page 377) (page 190) Edit Window
Counters and Edit Toolbar and menu
Edit Mode Selection indicators
Edit tools (page 188)
buttons (page 644)
(page 601) (page 605)
Tracks List
(page 243)
Tracks
(page 213)
Edit
Groups
List
At the top of the Edit window is the Edit Window The Counters and Edit selection indicators provide
Toolbar and menu. This Toolbar provides access information where selections are in the Timeline.
to the editing modes, tools, options, indicators, and
displays for Pro Tools. You can customize the MIDI Selection
Toolbar in the Edit, MIDI Editor, or Score Editor Edit Selection
windows by re-arranging, showing, and hiding the Main and Sub Counters
available controls and displays.
Delay Compensation Status Indicator Is dis- If the Track Solo indicator is lit, you can click it to
played when Delay Compensation is enabled (Op- clear all soloed tracks in the session.
tions > Delay Compensation). When Delay Com-
Track Mute Indicator Lights orange when any
pensation is disabled, this indicator is not
track in the session is muted. When no tracks in the
displayed.
session are muted, the Track Mute indicator ap-
Task Manager Status Lights and animates when pears dim green. (Note that because Mute is an au-
the Task Manager is busy. When no tasks are in tomatable mixing function, the Track Mute indica-
progress, it is unlit. The indicator turns red if the tor does not function to clear all mutes when
Task Manager requires your attention. Click the clicked.)
Task Manager Status indicator to open or close the
Task Manager window. Grid and Nudge
Global Freeze Tracks Indicator lights when one or The Grid and Nudge selectors let you set the Grid
more tracks in the session are frozen. When it is and Nudge values for editing in Pro Tools. For in-
unlit, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) formation on the Grid Value selector, see “Config-
the Global Freeze Tracks button to freeze all audio, uring the Grid” on page 604. For information on
Auxiliary Input, and Instrument tracks in the ses- the Nudge Value selector, see “Defining the
sion. When it is lit, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click Nudge Value” on page 660.
(Windows) it to unfreeze all tracks in the session.
You can also Right-click the Global Freeze Tracks
Grid Value selector
button to specify which track types you want (or Nudge Value selector
don’t want) to freeze.
Tracks cannot be frozen while hidden or Grid and Nudge value selectors
inactive.
Clips List When selected, the Clips List is shown Moving the Counters and Edit Selection indicators
on the right of the Edit window.
Edit Window Zoom Buttons
MIDI Editor When selected, the MIDI Editor view
is shown at the bottom of the Edit window. The Edit window also provides Zoom buttons in
the lower right and upper right corners of the tracks
MIDI Input Display When selected, the MIDI Input pane.
display is shown in the Edit window toolbar.
Vertical and Horizontal Zoom In and Out
Buttons
3 Click OK.
Choose Window > Transport. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans-
port, you can rewind by pressing 1.
Increment
Main Time Scale Format
Transport Window menu Amount
Track Record Enable indicator
Go to End Min:Sec 1 second
Fast Forward Stop
Rewind Play Timecode 1 frame
Return to Zero Record
Online Bars|Beats 1 bar
Feet+Frames 1 foot
Sample 1 second
Pre-
Roll
Post- Fast Forward Fast forwards from the Timeline in-
Roll sertion point. You can also click repeatedly to fast
forward incrementally (by an amount based on the
Start, End, and Length
Selection indicators Main Time Scale).
TrackInput Monitor
indicator With Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans-
port, you can fast forward by pressing 2.
Transport window showing basic transport controls
and counters (Main and Sub Counters and MIDI not
shown) Go to End Locates to the end of the session.
Online Puts Pro Tools online so that playback and You can press Option+Return (Mac) or Con-
recording is triggered by an external timecode trol+Enter (Windows) on the alphanumeric
source. keyboard to locate to the end of the session.
2 From the menu, select or deselect Output Me- MIDI Editor Windows
ters.
MIDI Editor windows let you view and edit MIDI
notes and controller data. You can open multiple
MIDI Editor windows to work on different parts of
your MIDI arrangements separately. MIDI Editor
windows show Instrument and MIDI track data su-
perimposed in Notes view, or on separate tracks in
Output meters in the Transport window Notation view, and lets you view and edit MIDI
controller data (such as velocity, pitch bend, and
mod wheel) in controller lanes under the Notes
For more information, see “Output Me-
pane.
ters” on page 1074.
For more information, see Chapter 35,
Track Collaboration “MIDI Editors.”
(Projects Only)
Go Backward
Go Forward Locations Open in external browser
Refresh
Click Help and choose one of the following: The Avid Support Center command provides ac-
cess to the online Avid Support Center using the
• Pro Tools Help Pro Tools in-application web browser. The Avid
• Pro Tools Knowledge Base Support Center provides support instructions for
• Avid Audio Forums your Avid products.
Window Configurations
Pro Tools provides a powerful means of managing
the configuration of windows in your session, as
well as the internal configurations of the Edit, Mix,
MIDI Editor, Score Editor, and Transport win-
dows. Use the Window Configuration List to cre-
ate (or delete) and manage stored Window Config-
urations. Pro Tools lets you store up to 99 Window
Configurations. Window Configurations are saved New Window Configuration dialog
with the session.
3 In the New Window Configuration dialog, do
Create a session template with your favorite one of the following:
Window Configurations. You can then use • Select Window Layout and whether or not to in-
the template when you start a new session, or clude the Edit, Mix, Targeted MIDI Editor,
you can use Import Session Data to import Score Editor, and Transport window display set-
Window Configurations into your current tings.
session.
• Select a Window Display Settings option from
the pop-up menu (Edit Window, Mix Window,
Creating New Window
Configurations MIDI Editor (Targeted), Score Editor Window, or
Transport Window.
To create a new Window Configuration:
• If there are any shown MIDI CC lanes that you
1 Open the windows you want to include in the want to save with the configuration, enable In-
Window Configuration and position them clude MIDI Lanes in Display Settings.
where you want on the screen.
4 Name the Window Configuration.
2 Do one of the following:
5 You can type a different number for the new
• Choose Window > Configurations > New Config- Window Configuration. If the number you type
uration. is already used by another Window Configura-
• If the Window Configuration List is open, tion, you are prompted to replace it or Cancel.
choose New Configuration from the Window Otherwise, Pro Tools automatically fills in the
Configuration List pop-up menu. first available number (1–99) for the Window
Configuration.
Choose Window > Configurations > Update Ac- 2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up
tive Configuration. The active Window Config- menu, select Clear <Name>.
uration updates to include any changes to its
included properties (Window Layout and Win- Deleting Window Configurations
dow Display Settings).
Deleting a Window Configuration removes it and
From the Window Configuration List pop-up its slot number, and renumbers any subsequent
menu, choose Update <Name>. The selected Window Configurations.
Window Configuration updates with any
changes to its included properties. To delete a Window Configuration:
1 In the Window Configuration List, select the
To have Pro Tools automatically update the active Window Configuration you want to delete.
Window Configuration, do one of the following:
2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up
Select Window > Configurations > Auto-Update
menu, select Delete <Name>.
Active Configuration.
From the Window Configuration List pop-up To delete all Window Configurations:
menu, select Auto-Update Active Configuration. From the Window Configuration List pop-up
When Auto-Update Active Configuration is menu, select Delete All.
selected, the active Window Configuration
updates with every change to the Window Layout Importing Window
and Window Display Settings. Configurations
Window Configurations that do not include Win- You can import Window Configurations from an-
dow Layout and only store Window Display Set- other session using Import Session Data.
tings cannot be made active and thus won't auto-
To import Window Configurations:
matically update. If you want to update a Window
Configuration with changes to the Window Dis- 1 Choose File > Import > Session Data.
play Settings (such as the width of the Clips List in
2 Select the Window Configurations option.
the Edit window), use the Update command in the
Window Configuration List.
• All floating windows listed in the Window Select Window > Configurations > Window
menu: Configuration List.
• Task Manager window
Press Command+Option+J (Mac) or
• Transport window Control+Alt+J (Windows) to show or hide
• Big Counter window the Window Configuration List.
• Automation window
• Memory Locations window
Window Configuration
Properties
• Machine Track Arming window
Window Configurations can be stored and
• Video Universe window
recalled with the layout of windows in your
• Video window Pro Tools session, as well as with the settings for
• Color Palette window the Edit, Mix, and Transport windows. You can
• Undo History window specify which of these properties are stored for
each Window Configuration either in the New
• Disk Space window
Window Configuration dialog or the Edit Window
• System Usage window Configuration dialog.
The location and size of the Window Con-
figuration List is not stored with Window
Configurations.
For more information, see “Track Name 2 In the Basics section, enable the Tool Tips op-
Right-Click Menu” on page 246. tions you want displayed.
Clip Name Right-Click Menu (Edit Window Only) Function Shows the functional name of different
Pro Tools items (such as specific buttons, indica-
Right-clicking a clip name in the Clips List pro-
tors, modes, selectors, and Edit tools).
vides commands to clear, rename, time stamp, or
replace clips (Pro Tools HD software only). The Details Shows abbreviated or hidden Pro Tools
pop-up menu also lets you export clip definitions names or values for different Pro Tools items
or selected clips as files, recalculate waveform (such as insert names, gain levels, settings, and
overviews, select the parent file of selected clips in routing assignments).
a Workspace Browser, or select a clip as an object
in the Edit window. To turn off Tool Tips, leave both options
deselected.
For more information, see Chapter 16,
“The Clips List.” 3 Click OK.
Pro Tools provides different types of tracks for Master Fader Tracks Master Fader tracks control
working with audio, MIDI, and video in Pro Tools the overall level of audio paths that are routed to
sessions. physical output paths. For example, you could
have 24 tracks in a session with channels 1–8
routed to Analog Output 1–2, channels 9–16 to
Track Types Analog Output 3–4, and channels 17–24 to Analog
Output 5–6. You could then create three master
In a Pro Tools session, you can have several differ- faders, one to control each of these output pairs.
ent types of tracks. These can include audio, Aux-
iliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, In- Master Fader tracks have additional uses (such as
strument, and video tracks. controlling submix levels). For more information,
see “Master Fader Tracks and Signal Flow” on
Video track features are described in page 1046.
Chapter 59, “Working with Video in
Pro Tools” VCA Master Tracks VCA Master tracks (or VCA
Masters) emulate the operation of voltage-con-
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA trolled amplifier channels on analog consoles,
Master Tracks where a VCA channel fader would be used to con-
trol, group, or offset the signal levels of other chan-
Pro Tools provides mono, stereo, and multichan-
nels on the console.
nel format audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader,
and VCA Master tracks. VCA Master tracks do not pass audio, so they do
not have inputs, outputs, inserts, or sends. A Mix
Audio Tracks Audio tracks let you record to disk
Group is assigned to a VCA Master track, which
and play back from disk recorded or imported au-
appears in the VCA track’s Assignment selector.
dio files.
Auxiliary Input Tracks Auxiliary Input tracks can The controls of the tracks in that Group, called the
be used as effects sends, destinations for submixes, slave tracks, are modified by the controls on the
as a bounce destination, as inputs to monitor or VCA Master. For more information, see “VCA
process audio (such as audio from external MIDI Master Tracks” on page 1048.
instruments), and for many other audio routing
tasks.
Volume fader
Level meter
Voice selector
Peak/Delay and Headroom indicators
Track Type indicator
Track Name button
Delay Compensation view
Track Comments
Group ID Group ID
Pan knobs
Pan indicators
Solo/Mute buttons
Volume fader
Volume fader
Level meters
Level meters
Solo/Mute buttons
Record
TrackInput Enable MIDI Volume fader
Solo Mute
MIDI Velocity meter
Volume
fader
Level meter Patch Select
MIDI Volume indicator
Track Type indicator
Track Name button
Volume indicator
Track Type indicator Track Comments
Pan knobs
Pan indicators
Record Enable
Solo/Mute buttons
Volume fader
Level meters
Patch Select
Peak/Delay and Headroom indicators
Track Type indicator
Track Name
Delay Compensation view
Track Comments
Timebase selector
Playlist
selector Show/Hide Automation lanes
Timebase selector
Playlist
Playlist selector selector
Track View
selector
Track View selector
Instruments View
Edit window track controls for a video track (medium
track height) Instruments view provides MIDI controls for In-
strument tracks: MIDI Input selector, MIDI Output
selector, MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI
Edit Window Views Mute.
In addition to track controls and playlists (of clips For more information, see “Assigning MIDI
of events on the Timeline), the Edit window pro- Input and Output for Instrument Tracks” on
vides the following views that correspond to chan- page 255.
nel strip controls in the Mix window:
• Comments Inserts View (A–E and F–J)
• Mic Preamps Inserts view provides up to ten inserts (software
• Instruments plug-ins and hardware I/O inserts for generating
and processing audio) on each audio, Auxiliary In-
• Inserts (A–E and F–J)
put, Master Fader, and Instrument track.
• Sends (A–E and F–J)
• I/O For more information on inserts, see
Chapter 49, “Plug-In and Hardware
• Object (Pro Tools HD with Dolby Atmos only)
Inserts.”
• Real-Time Properties
• Track Color Sends View (A–E and F–J)
• Track Collaboration (projects only) Sends view shows send assignments in each audio,
• All Auxiliary Input, and Instrument track.
• Minimal For more information, see “Configuring
Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows” on
See also “Views in the Mix and Edit
page 1064.
Windows” on page 1053.
Input Path selector Edit window I/O view, Volume pop-up fader (audio
Output Window button track)
Volume indicator
Pan indicator
Peak Indicator Functions as a headroom indicator
Output Path selector
based on the last peak playback level. To reset the
peak counter, click anywhere in the meter. Values
Edit window I/O view (audio track)
range from – (no signal) to 0 dB.
To show the I/O View in the Edit window:
Pan Indicator
Select View > Edit Window > I/O.
The Pan indicator displays the current pan setting
Channel strips in the Mix window always dis- of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full left) to
play Input and Output selectors as well as 100> (full right). Pan controls are only available
volume and pan values, so there is no I/O for stereo tracks or for mono tracks routed to a ste-
view display option for the Mix window. reo output.
To toggle the Volume indicator display: Edit window I/O view, Pan pop-up slider (audio track)
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) the indicator to toggle it between the fol- Greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks do
lowing modes: not provide a Pan indicator in I/O view. You
can view and adjust multichannel panning in
Volume Indicator (and Pop-Up Fader) Shows the the track’s Output window or in the Mix win-
current volume, or input level of a track as set by dow.
the track Volume fader. In I/O view (Edit win-
dow), click the Volume indicator to display the
Volume pop-up fader, which can be used to adjust
the volume.
Pro Tools meters provide a Peak Hold feature with 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
three options: 3 Second, Infinite, or None. Metering tab.
Clip Indication
Because Pro Tools uses 64-bit floating point calcu-
lations for the mixer, there will never be any inter-
nal clipping in the mixer. However, it is possible to
clip at the converters on your audio interface. It is
also possible to clip when writing audio to disk in
fixed point audio files (16-bit or 24-bit files only,
32-bit floating point files will not clip).
Master Fader track clip indicators display red Command-Option-Control-click (Mac) or Con-
when the audio signal exceeds 0 dBFS, causing trol-Alt-Start-click (Windows) any track level
clipping at the output converters on your audio in- meter in the Mix or Edit window.
terface. This behavior is mirrored in the Output
Meters in the Transport.
Wide Meters View From the Mix Window View selector, select (or
deselect) Meters and Faders.
Wide Meters view expands the width of the level
meters for tracks in both the Mix and Edit win-
dows, to make the track level meters easier to read.
Wide Meters view are also available Narrow Mix
view.
Meter Type
scale
Advanced Metering
Peak VU
Pro Tools lets you change metering ballistics and Different Meter Type scales
scales to match your needs for visually monitoring
audio levels. For most users, the default settings Gain Reduction Meter Placement to
for each of the Meter Type settings work best. Scale
However, for some broadcasters, post production The placement of the Gain Reduction meter (when
facilities, and mixing and mastering facilities, shown) depends on the scale for the selected Meter
other metering options may be desired so that Type. The top of the Gain Reduction meter will al-
Pro Tools metering matches the metering on vari- ways match the reference level for the selected
ous external consoles or other devices. Meter Type. Likewise, the bottom the Gain Reduc-
tion meter scales to the range of the selected Meter
Fader and Meter Scales
Type.
In the Mix window, Pro Tools shows a gain boost
and attenuation scale, measured in dB, to the left of
the track Volume fader from +12 dB down to
–INF dB. This scale shows how much changes to
the fader affect the audio level for the track. In
some cases, such as with Wide Meters view or
greater-than-stereo channel widths, the Fader scale
may not be displayed.
Peak VU K-20
5 Click OK.
Right-click on any Track meter and select the Deselect View > Narrow Mix.
desired option from the Gain Reduction sub-
You can toggle track width by pressing
menu in the Gain Reduction Meter Type menu.
Command+Option+M (Mac) or
Control+Alt+M (Windows).
Creating Tracks
You can create mono and stereo tracks on all
Pro Tools systems. With Pro Tools HD option,
you can also create multichannel tracks (from LCR
to 7.1).
8 Click Create.
Double-click in the empty area of the Mix win- Control-double-click (Mac) or Start-double-
dow below or to the right of any current tracks. click (Windows) in the empty area below any
current tracks in the Tracks list.
Double-click in the empty area of the Edit win-
dow below any current tracks. If no tracks exist in the session, a stereo Auxiliary
Input track is created by default.
Double-click in the empty area below any cur-
rent tracks in the Tracks list. To add a new Master Fader track of the same
channel width as the last new track, do one of the
If no tracks exist in the session, a stereo audio track following:
is created by default.
Shift-double-click on the empty area of the Mix
To add a new audio track of the same channel window below or to the right of any current
width as the last new track, do one of the tracks.
following:
Shift-double-click on the empty area of the Edit
Command-double-click (Mac) or Control-dou- window below any current tracks.
ble-click (Windows) on the empty area of the
Mix window below or to the right of any current Shift-double-click (Mac) in the empty area be-
tracks. low any current tracks in the Tracks list.
To rename a track:
1 Do one of the following:
• In the Mix or Edit window, double-click the
Track Name button for the track you want to re-
name.
• In the Tracks List, or Mix or Edit window,
Right-click the track name for the track you
want to rename.
2 In the Track Name/Comments dialog, type a
new track name.
3 Click Previous or Next to rename other dis-
played tracks.
4 Click OK.
With Track Number view enabled, each track is as- All tracks between the first track selected and the
signed a number corresponding to its position in additional track will also be selected.
the Mix and Edit Windows. When tracks are reor-
To select or deselect noncontiguous tracks, do
dered, they are renumbered to maintain positional one of the following:
sequence.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
To enable Track Number view: dows) Track Name buttons that are unhigh-
lighted to select them.
Choose View > Track Number.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) Track Name buttons that are highlighted
to deselect them.
Pro Tools lets you link Track selection with Edit Scroll To Track dialog
selections. When Track and Edit selections are 4 Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows), or
linked, you can make a selection within a track or click OK.
across multiple tracks for editing and each associ-
ated track is selected (track names automatically The specified track is selected and scrolled into
highlight). view.
To link Track and Edit selections: To scroll a track into view from the Tracks List
Right-click menu:
Select Options > Link Track and Edit Selection.
In the Tracks List, or Mix or Edit window,
Right-click the track name and select Scroll into
Scrolling a Track into View View.
The Scroll to Track dialog lets you type the name
of the track you want to scroll to. As you type a Deleting Tracks
track name, only those tracks whose names begin
with the letter you enter appear in the scroll to track When you delete tracks, your audio or MIDI clip
list. You can also Right-click a track name in the data remains in the Clips List, but your arrange-
Tracks List and choose to scroll it into view. ment of the clips on the deleted track (the track’s
playlist) will be lost.
To scroll to a track by name in the Edit or Mix
window: If the track contains playlists that are not assigned
to any track, you are prompted to delete or retain
1 Choose Track > Scroll to Track. them.
Press Command+Option+F (Mac) or Con- The Delete Track command cannot be un-
trol+Alt+F (windows) to open the Scroll to done.
Track dialog.
• Choose Track > Duplicate. • To maintain all Mix and Edit Group assign-
ments, select Group Assignments.
• Press Option+Shift+D (Mac) or Alt+Shift+D
(Windows).
• Right-click the name of the track in the Tracks
List, or Mix or Edit window, and select
Duplicate.
For audio, Auxiliary Input, MIDI, and Instrument To toggle Track Views on tracks containing the edit
tracks, you can change to the next or previous cursor (or an Edit selection):
Track View, or toggle between pre-defined com- 1 Click in the track you want to toggle. To toggle
mon views. multiple tracks, Shift-click or drag with the Se-
lector tool to select additional tracks.
Changing to Previous or Next Track View
2 Do one of the following:
When changing to the next or previous Track
• Press Control+Minus (Mac) or Start+Minus
View, Track View list ordering is maintained as
(Windows) on the alphanumeric keyboard.
shown in the Track View selector.
• With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled (see
Track Views at the beginning of the list (such “Keyboard Focus” on page 27), press Minus on
as Blocks for audio or MIDI tracks) cannot the alphanumeric keyboard.
be changed to the previous Track View.
Tracks Views at the end of the list (such as a To toggle Track Views for all tracks, press
MIDI controllers option) cannot be changed Option+Control+Minus (Mac) or
to the next Track View. Alt+Start+Minus (Windows) on the
alphanumeric keyboard.
To change to the previous or next Track View:
1 Click in the track you want to change. To To toggle Track Views for all tracks with
change views on multiple tracks, Shift-click or Keyboard Command Focus enabled, press
drag the Selector tool to select additional tracks, Option+Minus (Mac) or Alt+Minus
or select a group. (Windows) on the alphanumeric keyboard.
• Audio tracks: Waveform and Blocks The track is resized to the new height. If the track is
• MIDI and Instrument tracks: Clips, Blocks, and part of an Edit Group, all tracks in the group are set
Notes (when using the Selector tool) to the new height.
Track Show/Hide
Track Color Code
Track Type icon
Track name
Tracks List menu
Show/Hide Tracks List /Groups List, in Edit Window
Tracks List
Showing and Hiding Tracks In the Tracks List (or on the track channel strip),
Right-click the track name and select Show (or
The Mix and Edit windows are linked in terms of Show and Make Active if the track is inactive
which tracks are shown or hidden. However, the and you also want to make it active).
Score Editor window and MIDI Editor windows
are all unique in terms of which tracks are shown To show all tracks:
or hidden. For example, hiding a specific track in
Click the Tracks List menu and choose Show All
the Edit window also hides it in the Mix window,
Tracks.
but not in the Score Editor or MIDI Editor win-
dows. Also, hiding a specific track in a MIDI Edi- You can also show all tracks by Option-click-
tor window hides it only in that MIDI Editor win- ing (Mac) or Alt-clicking (Windows) the
dow. Show/Hide icon of any track that is hidden.
Hide and Make Inactive Hides the track and makes Field Recorder Guide Track (Audio Tracks on
it inactive (or selected tracks if any). Pro Tools HD Only) Sets the selected track to be
the guide track for field recorder workflows.
Make Active/Inactive Toggles the active status of
the track (or all selected tracks in the Mix or Edit MIDI Real-Time Properties (MIDI and Instrument
window only). Tracks Only) Opens the Real-Time Properties
window for the track.
Scroll Into View Scrolls the track to the top of the
Edit window or to the left of the Mix window. Open in New MIDI Editor (MIDI and Instrument
Tracks Only) Opens the track in a new MIDI
Export MIDI (MIDI and Instrument Tracks Editor window.
Only) Exports the MIDI data from one or more
MIDI or Instrument tracks to a standard MIDI file. Open in Score Editor (MIDI and Instrument Tracks
Only) Opens the track in the Score Editor window.
For more information, see “Exporting MIDI Files”
on page 416. Open in MIDI Event List (MIDI and Instrument
Tracks Only) Opens the track in the MIDI Event
List.
246 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Notation Display Track Settings (MIDI and Instru- Automatic Input and Output
ment Tracks Only) Opens the Notation Display Assignments
Track Settings window for the track. Music nota-
tion can only be viewed in the Score Editor or in When adding tracks to a new session, inputs are
MIDI Editor windows set to Notation view. automatically assigned in ascending order. For ex-
ample, if you have an audio interface with eight in-
Expand Channels to New Tracks Expands multi- puts, creating four new mono audio tracks will au-
channel audio files imported from a field recorder tomatically add four audio tracks with inputs
to new tracks, such that every channel resides on assigned to the first four paths defined in the I/O
its own mono audio track. Pro Tools also automat- Setup dialog. When creating stereo tracks, inputs
ically conforms all expanded tracks to the edits in are automatically assigned to subsequent input
the guide (expanded) track. You can expand multi- pairs.
channel files to new tracks ordered by channel
name, by channel number, by channel name and The outputs automatically assigned to new tracks
number, or by Timecode only. are determined by the New Track Default Output
Bus specified in the I/O Setup dialog.
Inputs for audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument To assign an audio input of an audio, Auxiliary
tracks can be assigned to audio interface channels Input, or Instrument track:
or busses. Outputs for audio, Auxiliary Input, Mas- 1 In order to assign audio track inputs in the Edit
ter Fader, and Instrument tracks can also be as- window, select View > Edit Window > I/O.
signed to audio interface channels or busses.
2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the track’s In-
Track Input Track Input Track set to put Path selector and choose from the available
set to Audio 2 set to Bus 2 No Input
audio interface channels and busses. Stereo and
multichannel surround tracks have inputs avail-
able as pairs and multichannel groups.
The Input Path selector lets you route any audio in-
put or any of the Pro Tools internal busses to an au-
dio, Auxiliary Input, or Instrument track. The
Input/output assignments for three mono audio tracks choices available in this pop-up menu are deter-
mined by the Input Path configuration in the I/O
For stereo and multichannel surround tracks, in-
Setup. Inputs in use by another track appear bold in
puts and outputs appear as stereo pairs and multi-
the Input Path selector pop-up menu.
channel groups. The available inputs, outputs, and
busses are defined as paths in the I/O Setup dialog Instrument tracks automatically assign the
(see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup”). audio output from the instrument plug-in in-
serted on the track to the track audio Input.
While your Pro Tools hardware allows a fixed You can also adjust the relative priority of tracks
number of voices, Pro Tools software allows for by freeing up the voices of individual tracks, mak-
additional audio tracks beyond that fixed number ing them available to other tracks in the session.
of voices. While all of these tracks can be recorded
to or imported, arranged, and cued for playback, To free up the voice of a track, do one of the
not all of them can be played back simultaneously. following:
For information on assigning MIDI input to MIDI tracks in Pro Tools cannot contain
Instrument tracks, see “Assigning MIDI In- multiple channels of MIDI data.
put and Output for Instrument Tracks” on
page 255.
For information on assigning MIDI output to
To assign a MIDI track input: Instrument tracks, see “Assigning MIDI In-
put and Output for Instrument Tracks” on
Click the track’s MIDI Input selector and assign
page 255.
a port and channel for MIDI input. Channels al-
ready assigned to another track appear in bold. To assign a MIDI track (and all its clips) to a
specific MIDI device channel:
In the Edit window, select View > Edit
Click the track’s MIDI Output selector and as-
Window > I/O to access any track’s Input
sign a port and channel for MIDI output. Chan-
selector.
nels already assigned to another track appear in
bold.
To assign multiple destinations to a single MIDI Channels in use by another track input appear bold
track: in the MIDI Input pop-up menu.
Control-click (Mac) or Right-click (Mac or
To assign an Instrument track MIDI input:
Windows) the MIDI Output selector and select
additional channels from any device. Click the track’s MIDI Input selector and assign
a port and channel for MIDI input. Channels al-
For information on recording and ready assigned to another track appear in bold.
importing MIDI data, see Chapter 25,
“MIDI Recording.” Instrument Track MIDI Output
In addition to assigning MIDI input and out- Channels in use by another track input appear as
put for recording and playing back MIDI bold in the MIDI Input pop-up menu.
data, Instrument tracks can also be used to
monitor the audio from your hardware MIDI
instruments and instrument plug-ins. See
“Signal Routing for Monitoring and Submix-
ing” on page 1075.
To make one or more tracks inactive or active, do Tracks List Track colors are displayed in vertical
one of the following: color bars that appear to the left of each track
Select the track and select Track > Make Inac- name.
tive/Active. Groups List Track colors are displayed in vertical
Right-click the Track Name in the Tracks List, color bars that appear to the left of each Group
or Mix or Edit windows and choose Make Inac- Name.
tive/Active.
Default colors are automatically assigned to tracks,
To select multiple tracks, Command-click but you can override those colors by choosing
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) additional from a color palette of 96 possible colors. For more
Track Names. information, see “Color Palette” on page 261.
7 Select a Default Clip Color Coding option. Track Type Assigns a color to each track according
to its type (audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader,
8 Click OK.
VCA Master, MIDI, Instrument, or video).
Always Display Marker Colors
Default Clip Color Coding
This option lets you view Marker colors in the
The Default Clip Color Coding options determine
Markers ruler, regardless of the option you choose
how colors are assigned to the display of tracks,
for the Default Clip Color Coding option.
clips in the track playlist and Clips List, and
Marker Locations.
MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity
None Turns off default color assignment for clips.
When this option is enabled, MIDI notes display
varying shades of the assigned track color in MIDI Clips are drawn as black waveforms or black MIDI
notes view in the Edit window and in MIDI Editor notes on a light gray background.
windows. Notes with high velocities are darker Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to each
and notes with lower velocities are lighter. clip in the Edit window according to its voice or
MIDI channel assignment.
Track Presets are available for recall in the Track 1 Create and configure one or more tracks for any
Type selector in the New Tracks dialog. Track Pre- of your common workflow scenarios (such as
sets can also be recalled from a Workspace “lead vocal input chain,” or “drums parallel
browser to create new tracks. You can use Work- compression bus,” and so on).
space browsers to organize, manage, and search 2 Do one of the following:
your collection of Track Presets, so you always
• Select the track or tracks and choose Track >
have easy access to the perfect Track Presets for
Save Track Preset.
any session or project.
• Right-click the track name and choose Save
Track Preset.
• Select the track or tracks and press Op-
tion+Shift+P (Mac) or Alt+Shift+P (Win-
dows).
3 Configure the Save Track Preset dialog as de-
sired (see “Save Track Preset Dialog Settings”
on page 264).
4 Click OK.
Category
Selecting the directory in which to create a new Track
From the Category selector, assign the Track Pre- Preset Category
set to an appropriate category. If the appropriate 4 Click OK.
category for the preset doesn’t yet exist, create a
new one. The new category is added to the available Track
Preset Categories.
To create a new Track Preset Category:
Press Command+Left/Right Arrow keys (Mac)
1 In the Save Track Preset dialog, choose Add
or Control+Left/Right Arrow keys (Windows)
Category from the Category selector.
to cycle through the available Categories.
The Name field is pre-populated with the track Enable Auto-populate tags from Track Data to au-
name. You can continue using the track name for tomatically create tags based on the following
the preset, type a new name, or select the name of Track Data: Plug-in Manufacturers, Plug-in
an existing preset to overwrite it. Names, Plug-in Categories, Plug-in Preset (if un-
modified), Track Types, Track Names, and Track
Press Command+Up/Down Arrow keys (Mac) Width.
or Control+Up/Down Arrow keys (Windows)
to cycle through the Name menu. Press Command+T (Mac) or Control+T (Win-
dows) to enable or disable the Auto-populate
Include Audio and MIDI Clips Tags from Track Data option.
Enable Include Audio and MIDI Clips to include any Tags Field
audio or MIDI clips on the track with the Track
Preset. This can be useful if you often work with Type descriptive tags for the Track Preset in the
loops, for example. Tags field.
Press Command+R (Mac) or Control+R (Windows) to open the Track Data To Recall dialog from the
Save Track Preset dialog.
When recalling a Track Preset by any means, press Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) to open and
edit the Track Data to Import dialog. You can then specify what Track Data you want to recall.
Clips and media will only be stored with a Track Preset if the Clips and Media option is enabled.
2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes
dows) the Presets button where you want to the current settings file from disk.
store the current Track Data to Recall settings.
Lock (Unlock) Settings File Locks (or unlocks)
To recall a Track Data to Recall preset: the selected Settings file so that it cannot (or can)
be edited.
Click the Presets button that contains the set-
tings you want to recall. Track Data
Librarian Menu Pro Tools lets you include (or exclude) Track Data
with Track Presets. For a complete list of Track
Use the Librarian menu to save and recall presets
Data options with descriptions, see “Track Data to
files (.ptpreset). These are usually saved to and re-
Import” on page 424.
called from the Track Data to Recall folder
(/Documents/Pro Tools/Pro Tools Presets/Track Session Data
Data to Recall/). However, you can save to and re-
call from any directory location on your system. Pro Tools lets you include (or exclude) the follow-
Preset files can be shared and used on any other ing Session Data with Track Presets: For a com-
Pro Tools system as well. plete list of Session Data options with descriptions,
see “Importing Session Data” on page 418.
The Librarian menu commands include:
4 Click Create.
The Track Preset is recalled into the session as a new track (or as new tracks) according to the current Track
Data to Recall settings.
2 From the Track Type selector, choose Track Presets and select the Track Preset Category (such as
“Avid”).
4 Click Create.
The Track Preset is recalled into the session as a new track (or as new tracks) according to the current Track
Data to Recall settings.
To recall Track Presets from the Workspace into a session and create new tracks, do one of the following:
Drag and drop a Track Preset to the Tracks List or to blank space in the Mix or Edit windows.
Double-click a Track Preset.
Right-click a Track Preset and choose Recall Track Preset.
For more information about the Track Data Press Option+Shift (Mac) or Alt+Shift (Win-
to Recall settings, see “Track Data to Re- dows) when dragging and dropping to config-
call” on page 266. ure all tracks based on the Track Preset.
Pro Tools provides a relative grouping function for Mix Groups, Edit Groups, and
linking tracks and their controls. Mix/Edit Groups
Mix Groups only affect mixing functions and Edit
Groups only affect editing. Mix/Edit Groups link
Grouping Tracks the grouping functions of the Mix Group and the
Groups are useful for editing several tracks in ex- Edit Group.
actly the same way, or for mixing several tracks
(such as a pair of stereo tracks or a submix) while Edit Groups
keeping them at the same relative volume level. Edit Groups affect the following items in the Edit
and MIDI Editor windows:
Pro Tools provides the following grouping
features: • Track View
• Up to 104 different groups are available, ar- • Track Height
ranged in 4 banks of 26 Group IDs. • Track Timebase
• Groups can be nested (subgroups within • Audio and MIDI editing functions
groups).
• Automation editing functions
• Grouped faders or controllers preserve their lev-
els relative to each other.
• Groups are assignable to an available VCA Mas-
ter track.
Grouping Limitations 2 Deselect the Link Mix and Edit Group Enables
option.
Grouping does not affect these parameters:
3 Click OK.
• Voice assignment
• Output assignment
• Inserting plug-ins
• Elastic Audio plug-ins
Group Controls
Colors Group IDs Show/Hide
Menus and commands for creating and modifying Groups List
groups are accessible in the following:
• Groups List Groups List
Hollow Circle
Filled In Circle
Group Dialog
Whether you are creating or modifying groups
with the Groups List, a track's Group ID indicator,
or the Track > Group menu command, you use the
Groups dialog.
2 Do one of the following: • To replace all tracks in the group with the tracks
that are currently selected in the session, click
• Choose Track > Group.
the Replace button at the bottom of the Group
• Choose New Group from the Groups List menu. dialog.
3 Type a name for the group. In either list, Shift-click to select a range of
4 Select the type of group to create: Edit, Mix, or track names. Command-click (Mac) or Con-
Mix/Edit. trol-click (Windows) to select discontiguous
track names.
5 Choose a Group ID from the ID pop-up menu.
Four banks of 26 are available: a–z, 2a–z, 3a–z, 7 If the group is a Mix Group or a Mix/Edit
4a–z. (If you do not choose a Group ID, Group, do the following:
Pro Tools automatically assigns the next avail-
• Set the Attributes for the Group (see “Setting
able ID to a new group.)
Group Attributes” on page 284).
• If you want to assign the group to an available
VCA, select the VCA Master track from the
VCA pop-up menu.
8 Click OK.
Track controls:
• Main Volume
• Main Mute
• Main Pan
• Main LFE Level (Pro Tools HD only)
To disable a group:
Groups List Keyboard Focus enabled
In the Groups List, click the name of the group
To enable and disable groups using the Edit and
you want to disable. The name is unhighlighted
Mix Groups List Keyboard Focus:
to indicate that it is not enabled.
With Groups List Keyboard Focus enabled,
type the Group ID letter (a–z) to automatically
enable or disable the corresponding group.
The Edit Window displays all audio clips, MIDI Because clip information can become lengthy, the
clips, and clip groups in a single, comprehensive Clips List can be scrolled or resized as necessary.
Clips List.
Use the Clips List as a bin for storing your
Drag to resize width Keyboard Focus favorite audio loops and MIDI clips. Save
of Clips List the session as a template and the clips are
Clips List menu
available for future sessions (see “Session
Templates” on page 176).
Clips List
Hiding Auto-Created clips can be useful File Name Displays the parent file name.
when importing clip groups (or REX files
Disk Name Displays the name of the hard drive on
as clip groups), because these file types can
which referenced file resides.
contain so many separate clips that it be-
comes difficult to read the Clips List. Full Path Displays the full directory path of the
clip’s parent file.
In the Clips List, whole-file audio clips are dis-
played in bold, and stereo and multichannel audio Channel Name Displays the channel name for
clips can be expanded to display individual chan- audio files imported from field recorders.
nels.
Scene and Take Displays the scene and take for
audio files imported from field recorders.
2 From the submenu, select a basis for sorting. • User Time Stamp
Different options are available for audio and • Timebase
MIDI clips. See “Sort By Options” on page 291. • Start in Parent
3 To set whether clips are listed in ascending or • End in Parent
descending order, click the Clips List menu,
choose Sort By, and select Ascending or Clips can also be sorted by Clip Type (Audio and
Descending. MIDI), or in Ascending or Descending order.
Unused Except Whole Files Selects clips that To preview a clip in the Clips List:
have not been placed in a track in the current ses-
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
sion, but do not include Whole-file clips. Whole-
clip name.
file clips are clips that were created when record-
ing or importing audio, consolidating existing Audio clips and clip groups play back through the
clips, and when nondestructively processing with specified Audition Path (see “Audition Path” on
an AudioSuite plug-in. Whole-file audio clips ref- page 58).
erence an entire audio file that resides on your hard
drive. Whole-file audio clips are displayed in bold Sample-based clips play back at their native
in the Clips List tempo. Tick-based MIDI and Elastic Audio pro-
cessed clips play back at the session tempo (based
Offline Selects clips whose parent files cannot be on the location of the playback cursor). You can
located, or are not available, when opening a ses- also preview clips from the Clips List during ses-
sion or importing a track. Offline clips appear in sion playback.
the Clips List as italicized and dimmed; they ap-
pear in playlists as light blue clips with italicized MIDI clips play back using the Default Thru In-
names. strument selected in the MIDI Preferences page
(see “The Default Thru Instrument” on page 543).
“Select Unused” Ignores Parent Clip Enabling
the “Select Unused” Ignores Parent Clip option af-
fects the behavior of the Select Unused command.
When it is enabled, all unused clips are selected ex-
cept for any unused whole clips that have related
sub-clips currently on tracks in the session.
When auditioning a mono component of a mono Stereo clips, expanded (top) and collapsed (bottom)
component clip, the clip can be routed equally to To expand or collapse all stereo and multichannel
all outputs of the parent clip’s Audition Path. clips:
in the Clips List • From the Clips List menu, choose Rename.
A typical session can become cluttered with doz- • Right-click on any selected clip and select Re-
ens of tracks and hundreds of clips. There are a name from the pop-up menu.
number of things you can do to keep track of and 4 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
manage a session’s clips, including: clip. If a whole-file audio clip was selected,
• Renaming existing clips specify whether to rename just the clip, or both
the clip and the disk file.
• Specifying how auto-created clips are named
• Hiding auto-created clips
• Removing unused clips
Renaming Clips
In the course of a session you can rename clips to
give them more descriptive names, or to shorten or
simplify existing names. When renaming a clip
that was auto-created during editing, the clip be- Name dialog
comes a user-defined clip and is displayed in the 5 Click OK to rename the clip. If renaming multi-
Clips List even when auto-created clips are hidden. ple clips, you are prompted, successively, to re-
If a clip resides in a track, you can easily rename it name each clip.
by double-clicking it with one of the Grabber tools. You can resize the Name dialog by dragging
However, if the clip does not reside in a track, or if the boundaries of the dialog.
you want to rename several clips, use the Rename
command in the Clips List.
The Name dialog provides the option to view in- In the Name dialog, click the show/hide triangle
formation about the selected clip. This information for Clip Info.
is not editable from the Name dialog. The follow-
ing clip information is available:
Managing Clips in the Clips To ensure that you keep any specific auto-created
List clips, rename them. When you name a clip, it is
promoted from being an auto-created clip to a user-
In the course of editing a session, the Clips List can
defined clip (see “Renaming Clips” on page 297).
quickly fill up with many clips—with ones you
have created intentionally and also with those that
are automatically created by cutting, pasting, and Clearing Unwanted Clips
separating other clips, or importing Clip Group In the Clips List, you can select unwanted clips and
files (or REX files as clip groups). Pro Tools lets then use the Clear command to remove them from
you hide or remove clips in your session so you do the session. Whole-file clips can also be perma-
not have to scroll through a long Clips List. nently removed from the hard drive on which they
are stored.
Hiding Auto-Created Clips
The Clear command cannot be undone.
You can hide clips that were automatically created
during the course of editing. To find and remove unused clips in a session:
Replace Clip (Pro Tools HD Only) Replaces multi- Renaming tasks are applied in order from
ple instances of a clip with another clip. top to bottom: Replace, then Trim, then Add,
and finally Numbering.
Compact Compacts selected clips.
Enable (or disable) the Replace option to replace Enable (or disable) the Trim option to remove the
text in the names of clips or tracks. specified number of characters from the beginning
or end of names.
Press Command+R (Mac) or Control+R
(Windows) to select (or deselect) Replace. Press Command+T (Mac) or Control+T
(Windows) to select (or deselect) Replace.
For more information about using regular Range Enable Range and then enter the number of
expressions for batch renaming tasks, see characters From the beginning and the number of
“Regular Expressions Workflow Examples” character To the end of the range that you want to
on page 305. trim (or crop) the selected names to. The From and
To values can be counted from the beginning or
from the end of the selected names.
Enable (or disable) the Add option to add prefixes Enable (or disable) the Numbering option to add
or suffixes to names. You can also insert text into numbers to the names of selected items.
the middle of names.
Press Command+N (Mac) or Control+N
Press Command+D (Mac) or Control+D (Windows) to select (or deselect) Numbering.
(Windows) to select (or deselect) Add.
\
Suffix Enable the Suffix option and type the text Number of Places Enter the number of places you
you want to add to the names of selected items as a want for numbering (for example, type 3 for three
suffix. places 000).
Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes For more information about regular expres-
the current settings file (.ptpreset) from disk. sions, visit https://www.regex101.com.
Some commonly used regular expressions for advanced find and replace text operations:
\-\ Lets the character following the second \ be considered differently. For
example, since . (period) is used to match any character, type \. to match an
actual . (period) in a search string.
\s Matches any instance of a single space (such as the space bar or tab).
+ Any of the above regular expressions or any literal character can be fol-
lowed with + to match one or more of the preceding characters (for exam-
ple, \w+ can be used to find any number of spaces created by the spacebar
or tab).
With Regular Expressions enabled, any number of text patterns can be matched and replaced when batch
renaming tracks or clips. In the Find field, type the pattern you want to match inside parentheses and then
separate patterns using | (the pipe symbol). For example:
find replace
(Audio)|(VCA)|(Aux) (?1)(?2)(?3)
The text following ?1 will replace the text Audio, the text following ?2 will replace VCA, and the text fol-
lowing ?3 will replace Aux—(?1Aud)(?2Group Master)(?Bus)
Use the following regular expressions to remove all instances of .dup1, .dup2, or up to any number of du-
plicates from track or clip names by replacing them with no character at all.
find replace
\.dup\d+
\. searches for literal periods—as opposed to the special token . (period) since . itself is used to match any
character—followed by dup, then \d (the regular expression for any number) followed by + (which matches
any number of digits that follow .dup) and replaces all matches with nothing (effectively deleting that text).
Use the following regular expressions to find text automatically added by common AudioSuite processes
and remove them or replace them with something more appropriately descriptive.
find replace
(-Norm)|(-EQ3-1B) (?1)(?2-HPF)
This replaces -Norm with nothing (effectively deleting that text), and replaces -EQ3-1B with -HPF to indi-
cate that the EQ3-1B AudioSuite processing on the selected clips was used to roll off low frequencies.
The Pro Tools Workspace combines an intuitive, When offline items are needed, Pro Tools lets you
browser-style interface with an integrated databas- find the correct matching files, then relink to on-
ing engine, optimized for metadata and media line media.
management.
The Workspace browser provides access to all
Workspace browsers provide extensive databasing your mounted volumes, as well as the folders and
tools for searching, sorting, auditioning, and im- files they contain.
porting of audio, MIDI, video, plug-in settings
(.tfx), Guitar Rig Settings (Eleven Rack only), and Using the Workspace browser, you can:
session files. Multiple browsers can be displayed • Use Soundbase to tag and find audio files with
and arranged, with custom display settings pro- musically descriptive metadata
vided to customize your work environment. • Access all mounted volumes
For information on dragging and dropping • Access all Catalogs
files from Workspace browsers to your • Search across multiple volumes and Catalogs
Pro Tools session, see “Importing Files with simultaneously
Drag and Drop” on page 402.
• Designate volumes for Record and Playback,
Playback Only, or Transfer
Workspace Browsers
• View, manage, audition, and import individual
Workspace browsers provide an intuitive user in- items in any catalog or mounted volume
terface to databases with many convenient features
for various file management tasks (such as search • Update databases for entire volumes
and sort functions).
Sound Libraries
Workspace browsers in Pro Tools are analogous to
At the top of the list in the Location pane of any
windows in your computer’s operating system, but
Workspace browser is the Sound Libraries direc-
are specifically designed for Pro Tools workflow.
tory. Sound Libraries provides easy access to
Multiple browsers can be displayed simultane-
tagged audio files, and search on criteria that in-
ously, and arranged independently with custom
cludes musically useful information about the au-
display settings for each.
dio content—especially Time Base, Duration
Workspace browsers let you search and sort audio (Min:Sec or Bars|Beats), Tempo, Key, Time Sig-
files, video files, and sessions. Audio, video, and nature, Favorites, Rating, and Tags. Use Sound-
session files displayed in browsers can be dragged base in Workspace browsers to find audio files us-
directly into the current Pro Tools session. ing tags (WAV and AIFF only). Tags are
Transfer Volumes These are volumes that are not When opening sessions created in lower versions
supported for media playback in Pro Tools (such of Pro Tools in Pro Tools 12.7 or higher, you are
as shared network volumes or CD-ROMs), or stor- prompted to update the database file and to man-
age volumes (hard drives) that have been desig- ually back up the database file from the lower
nated in the Workspace browser as Transfer (T) version of Pro Tools. This is important if you (or
volumes. Transfer volumes cannot be used to re- anyone else for that matter) expect to continue to
cord or play back media in a Pro Tools session. work on the session in a version of Pro Tools
lower than 12.7. Back up that database file to fa-
Designated Transfer (T) volumes can be useful for
cilitate session interchange between different
transferring session and media files between dif-
versions Pro Tools. This helps to maintain things
ferent Pro Tools systems. like Catalogs created in lower versions of
Pro Tools or Favorites and Ratings created in
For more information, see “Volume
Pro Tools 12.7 or higher.
Permissions” on page 312.
When opening a session last saved in Pro Tools
12.7 in a lower version of Pro Tools, any
Databases Pro Tools 12.7 database file is backed up auto-
matically and appended with the version of the
The information displayed in Workspace browsers
backup starting with “.1” (Workspace.wksp.1).
is stored in the system-wide Pro Tools database.
The appended number increases incrementally
Pro Tools creates a centralized database automati-
for each subsequent backup.
cally for all mounted volumes, including Transfer
volumes, on your system drive. Pro Tools uses a With Pro Tools 11 and higher, the database file
single database file that maintains an index of all is versioned and is not backward compatible with
volumes (hard drives, networked drives, and re- previous versions of Pro Tools. When using a
movable media) and catalogs. system where Pro Tools 11 or higher and
Pro Tools 10 are co-installed, there will be sepa-
On Mac, the database file is stored in
rate database files for each version of Pro Tools.
/Users/Shared/Pro Tools.
Database files of the same version are cross-
On Windows, the database file is stored in platform compatible (Mac and Windows).
<Systemdrive>/Users/Public/Pro Tools.
Pro Tools databases use two file types:
The waveform cache for audio files indexed by the
Workspace.wksp Stores media and session file
database are stored within the database file. This
metadata for a particular volume or catalog.
includes the mini thumbnail waveforms for pre-
viewing (waveform cache files for sessions con- Wavecache.wfm Stores waveform overviews for
tinue to be stored in the session folder). all audio files referenced by each session.
There is also the MiscSettings file which stores the
directory path for the Sound Libraries folder.
Toolbar
Column headers
Items List
Locations pane
Browser pane
Show/Hide
Pane split
To maximize processing speed and protect vital The main elements of a Workspace browser
components, Workspace browsers do not display include the following.
all folders. For example, in Windows, Workspace
Toolbar Provides the Browser menu, Search icon,
browsers do not display the WU Temp or System
Volume Information folders; and on Mac, Work- View Presets (numbered 1–5), Workspace browser
space browsers do not display the System folder. navigation tools, and preview tools.
This excludes them from being indexed, searched, Items List Displays the contents of a volume,
sorted, or affected in any way by Workspace tasks. folder, session, or Catalog database in rows.
You should not store Pro Tools session or media
files in any of these folders.
Choose Window > New Workspace > Sound- Select Sound Libraries, or a volume, folder, or
base. Catalog, and press the Right Arrow key to ex-
pand, or the left Arrow key to collapse.
Press Option+Control+I (Mac) or
Control+Alt+I (Windows). To move up one level in a browser:
To open a new Workspace browser focused Click the Browse Back arrow in the toolbar.
on the Project:
To move up one level in a browser,
Press Option+O (Mac) or Alt+O (Windows). press Command+Up Arrow key (Mac)
or Control+Up Arrow key (Windows).
To send all Workspace browsers to the T (Transfer) Can only be used for storing, transfer-
background, press Option+Shift+J (Mac) ring, or auditioning files, and cannot be used for re-
or Alt+Shift+J (Windows). cording or playback.
All open Workspace browsers are moved to the If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple
background, bringing the other windows to the drives, and you intend to record multiple
foreground. Nonetheless, all Workspace browsers tracks simultaneously, you may want to des-
remain open and accessible. ignate the System drive as a Playback only or
Transfer only drive for optimal performance.
To bring an open Workspace browser to the
To change a volume designator:
foreground:
1 Open a Workspace browser.
Choose Window > Browsers, and select an open
Workspace browser from the submenu. 2 In the Locations pane, select Volumes.
3 In the Browser pane, click and select the appro-
To cycle to the next or previous Workspace
priate permissions for any volume.
browser:
Press Command+Left/Right Arrow keys (Mac) You can also Right-click any volume in either
or Control+Left/Right Arrow keys (Windows). the Locations pane or the Browser pane and set
the desired permissions setting for the selected
volume.
Closing Workspace Browsers
To close all Workspace browsers:
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Close box of any Workspace browser.
AAF and OMF sequences can be opened from To open a folder in the current Workspace
Workspace browsers. browser:
You can also drag and drop AAF and OMF se- Double-click the folder, or click the
quences from Workspace browsers into the current Expand/Collapse icon for the item.
session.
With a browser in the foreground and the
To open an AAF or OMF sequence from a folder selected, press Command+Down
Workspace browser: Arrow (Mac) or Control+Down Arrow
(Windows) to open a folder in the
1 Do one of the following:
current Workspace browser.
• With no Pro Tools session currently open, dou-
ble-click the AAF or OMF sequence in the
Browser pane of any Workspace browser.
• Drag the AAF or OMF sequence from the
Browser pane of any Workspace browser to the
Timeline in an open session.
2 Configure the Import Session Data dialog.
3 Click OK.
To scroll to the top or bottom of the active If a volume or folder has not been indexed, it is in-
pane: dexed automatically the first time it is opened in a
Workspace browser. Volumes or folders contain-
Press Home (for the top) or End (for the
ing a lot of media files can take a long time to in-
bottom).
dex. For this reason, you may want to manually in-
dex specific volumes or files prior to starting a
To move items up or down in the current
Workspace browser:
project to help expedite workflow.
Manual Indexing
Manual indexing fills in all missing data, and up-
dates changed data for selected folders and all of
their sub-folders.
To update the index for a folder and all sub- Workspace Browser menu icon
folders: Loop Preview Previews the selected file by loop-
Right-click the item in a Workspace browser ing playback of the file. If multiple files are se-
Items List and choose Update Index. lected, only the first selected file previews. When
Loop Preview mode is enabled, the Preview button
To update the index for an entire volume: updates to show a Loop Preview Mode icon.
Right-click the volume to update in the Work- Auto-Preview Enables or disables automatic pre-
space browser and choose Update Index. view of files. When this option is enabled, select-
ing a file in the browser starts preview. The Pre-
Last Indexed Date Display view button updates to show that Auto-Preview is
enabled.
The Date Indexed column shows the date that the
index for that folder and all of its sub-folders was
updated. Keep in mind that individual sub-folders
may have been updated more recently.
Chapter 17: Workspace Browsers 315
Spacebar Toggles File Preview Enables or dis- Show Offline Volumes Select (or deselect) the
ables the Spacebar for starting and stopping pre- Show Offline Volumes command to show (or hide)
view. When this option is disabled, use the Pre- all indexed offline volumes from the database in
view button to start and stop preview. In this mode, the Locations pane.
the Spacebar starts and stops session playback.
Delete Index for All Offline Volumes Deletes the
This lets you play back the session and, with the
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option en-
index for all offline volumes from the database.
abled, preview the selected audio file in time with Keep Window on Top Select (or deselect) the Keep
the session. Window On Top option in the Workspace Browser
menu to ensure that the Workspace remains in the
When a browser is front-most, Command+P
foreground when working with other windows. This
(Mac) or Control+P (Windows) starts and
can be helpful when working with the Workspace
stops preview. Also, the Esc key stops preview.
and the Edit window in particular. When this option
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Con- is disabled, clicking on another window (such as the
forms all tick-based audio files with Elastic Audio Edit or Mix windows) brings that window to the front
analysis, as well as REX and ACID files, to the and the Workspace may be hidden behind it. When
session tempo. This option lets you play back the enabled, all open Workspace browser remain in front
session and simultaneously preview the selected of all other windows with the focused Workspace al-
files in time with the session. This option is only ways in the foreground.
available when a session is open. For more infor-
mation, see “Conforming Preview to the Session
Tempo” on page 343. Workspace Right-Click Menu
When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Pro Tools lets you Right-click on items in the Lo-
option is enabled, Pro Tools analyzes un-analyzed cations pane (such as volumes and folders) and the
files on preview or import. Audio files that have Browser pane (such as folders and files) to access
been analyzed as tick-based can then be previewed relevant contextual commands. These commands
at the session tempo and conform to the session are specific to the type of items selected in the Lo-
tempo on import. cations pane or the Browser pane, as described be-
low.
When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
option is disabled, any tick-based audio files with New Folder Creates a new folder on the currently
Elastic Audio analysis, and REX and ACID files selected volume or folder, or within the currently
preview and import at their native tempo. selected catalog. For volumes and folders, a new
folder is created on disk. For more information, see
Don’t Limit Search Results Select (or deselect) “Creating and Opening Workspace Browser Fold-
the Don’t Limit Search Results option to show all ers” on page 313.
search results past the default 1,000 item limit. If a
search returns more than 1,000 items you are notified Create Catalog from Selection Creates a fully in-
to the left of the simple search field that 1,000+ items dexed catalog of all items selected in either the Lo-
were found. You can click the 1,000+ link to show cations or the Browser pane.
all items found or you can enable the Don’t Limit
Search Results option to always show all search re-
sults.
Spot To Edit Insertion Spots the selected audio Load Guitar Rig Settings (Eleven Rack
Only) Loads the Guitar Rig Settings for selected
file to the current Edit insertion location. Note that
audio files with embedded Guitar Rig Settings
the channel width of the file must match the chan-
from an Eleven Rack.
nel width of the target audio track.
Select Offline Files Selects all files that are
Update Index Updates the index for the currently
currently offline.
selected volumes or folders.
Select Online Files Selects all files that are online.
Delete Index Deletes the index of files for the
items in the selected volume or folder from the da- Select Transfer Files Selects all files identified as
tabase. Transfer files (files found on media that do not
support playback).
Delete Index for All Offline Volumes Deletes the
index for all offline volumes from the database. Relink Offline Opens the Relink window for items
selected in the current session.
Invert Selection Reverses (inverts) the current
selection. Relink Opens the Relink window, with all selected
files from the current browser displayed and se-
Select All Selects all items shown in the browser.
lected as Files to Match. This command is avail-
Calculate Waveform Calculates the waveform dis- able for catalogs and sessions only.
plays for selected audio files, or for all audio files
Copy and Relink Copies items selected in the cur-
within selected volumes, folders, or catalogs.
rent session browser to a chosen location, and
For more information, see “Waveforms” on relinks the session to the copies instead of the orig-
page 337. inals. Use this to easily move files from a Transfer
to a Performance volume. This command is also
Calculate Elastic Analysis Calculates Elastic Au- available in selected catalogs to copy items and
dio analysis data for all selected audio files. Ana- relink the current catalog to the copies.
lyzed files are indicated by a blue clock for sam-
ple-based files and by a green metronome for tick-
Chapter 17: Workspace Browsers 317
Duplicate Creates a duplicate of the selected items Moving Columns
in the same location.
To move a column:
Rename Renames the selected item.
Drag the column to a new location in the
Permissions Lets you set Transfer, Playback, or Workspace.
Record permissions for the selected volume (see
“Volume Permissions” on page 312).
Resizing Columns
Lock Locks all selected items. Any files already
locked remain so. Locking a folder locks all files To resize a column, do one of the following:
and sub-folders it contains. Drag the right column boundary to a new width.
Unlock Unlocks the selected items. Double-click the right column boundary to re-
size the column to the widest element in col-
Delete Lets you delete selected files, folders, and
umn.
catalogs from disk, or move selected items to the
Trash (Mac) or to the Recycle Bin (Windows).
Showing and Hiding Columns
You can show or hide individual columns in
Workspace Browser Panes Workspace browsers to fit your workflow. The de-
and Display fault column display includes the items you would
use in most sessions.
Workspace browsers display an Items List consist-
ing of various columns (such as file name, size,
To show or hide individual columns, do one
creation date, and sample rate). of the following:
Right-click a column label and select or dese-
Showing (or Hiding) the
Size Displays the size of a file. This field cannot be Time Signature Displays the assigned Time Sig-
edited. nature of the file. Click in the Time Signature col-
umn and select the meter (such as 4/4).
SMPTE ID Displays the 32-bit unique ID for spe-
cific MXF files that were made with the SMPTE Unique ID Displays the standard 8-bit Unique ID
standard identifier. for most media and Pro Tools files.
Sound Roll Displays sound roll number data (This User Bits Displays text information embedded in
data is usually named “Tape” in BWF files, but is audio files. This field can be used for user com-
distinct from the date displayed in the Workspace ments, or auto-generated info with certain field re-
Tape column). This field cannot be edited. corders.
Sound Roll TC Displays the starting timecode of User Time Stamp Displays the user time stamp, if
audio files. This field cannot be edited. any, of audio files only.
Sound Roll TC Rate Displays the frame rate infor- Video Compression Displays the compression ra-
mation embedded in audio files: 24, 25, 29.97, 30, tio of video files where applicable.
drop or non-drop. This field cannot be edited.
Waveform Displays a graphical overview of an au-
Tags Displays, and lets you add and edit tags. dio file. See “Waveforms” on page 337 for more
Click in the Tags column for an item to add or edit information.
tags. You can also mark items as Favorites and
Rate them from zero to five stars. For more infor- Comments Fields
mation, see “Soundbase and Tags” on page 331.
Comments about individual files can be stored in
Take Displays take number data embedded in au- the database, and embedded with the file’s meta-
dio files. data wrapper. There are two types of comments
fields: File Comments and Database Comments.
Tape This column displays the original Avid tape
name if the item is an OMF file (audio or video). If File Comments
an audio file was originally recorded in Pro Tools,
this field displays the name of the original session. File Comments are stored with the metadata of the
file itself. Not all file types support File Com-
Tape ID Displays tape ID information embedded in ments. Indexing stores File Comments in the data-
audio files. This field cannot be edited. base, allowing them to be searched and viewed
TC Rate This column displays the frame rate of the even if the file is offline. File Comments can be ed-
item if the item is an AAF sequence or an OMF se- ited in Workspace browsers, as long as the files or
quence or file: 24, 25, 29.97, 30, drop or non-drop. their parent media are not defined as read-only.
For sequences, the frame rate at the start of the se-
You can also add and edit File Comments to
quence is displayed.
Pro Tools Session files. File Comments cannot be
edited in Catalogs.
322 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Database Comments To select all Transfer files in the current
(Sessions and Catalogs Only) window:
Database Comments, which can be up to 256 char- Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser
acters in length, are searchable, cross-platform, menu.
and editable.
To select all offline files:
Adding and Editing Comments Choose Select Offline Files from the Browser
menu.
To add, view, or edit a comment:
1 Click the Comments field. The field expands to To select all online files:
display the entire contents of the field if neces- Choose Select Online Files from the Browser
sary. menu.
2 Enter or edit a comment.
To reverse the current selection:
3 Press Enter, or click outside the text box to close
Choose Invert Selected from the Browser menu.
it.
Number of items
in the Browser List Tags button
Search tools
Initiating a search with no search criteria returns all items on the system.
Location selected for search Browser Search field Simple Search enabled
Search results
Volume selected for search Advanced Search settings Advanced Search enabled
Search Checked
option (disabled) Search results
6 Click in the Search Text field and type text for the search.
If you want to refine your search, click the Add Row button to add further constraints to the search.
Repeat steps 4–6 for each row you add.
Folders checked for search Advanced Search settings Advanced Search enabled
Search Checked
option (enabled) Search results
6 Click in the Search Text field and type text for the search. (Use spaces between text strings
for either/or searches and use quotes around text strings with spaces for and searches.)
7 Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).
Click the Simple Search button (“X”). Use the Search Text field to search the selected
column type according to the selected column type
Advanced Search Features and search criteria.
Once you have initiated an advanced search, the Add/Remove Row Buttons
Workspace browser displays additional advanced
search features. Pro Tools lets you refine your search by up to 8
rows of search criteria.
Add Row button
Add Row Button Click the Add button (“+”) to
Search Text field add another row to refine the advanced search.
Search Column selector
Press Shift + “+” (plus) or to add a new row.
Pro Tools lets you change the location of the An alias of that folder is added to Sound Libraries.
Sound Libraries folder in the Operation prefer- Directories (and all folders and files in that folder)
ences. However, you will have to manually copy or that are added as a Sound Library Location are col-
move any media to the new location. ored blue, whereas files and folders actually lo-
cated in the default (or assigned) Sound Libraries
To change the location of the Sound location are gray.
Libraries folder:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
2 Click the Operations tab.
3 Click the Change button for Sound Libraries un-
der User Media and Settings Location.
4 Navigate to the new location you want for the
Sound Libraries folder and click Open.
5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Added folders that point to other locations are blue
3 Select the tags you want to add or type in a new Creating a new tag for the selected audio file
tag. You can add as many tags to any audio file
(WAV or AIFF only) as you like. If more than one Choose from the Recently Used Tags options
audio file is selected, you are prompted to confirm in the Right-click menu to quickly add any of
that you want to add the tag to all selected files. the last used tags to the selected audio files.
4 When done, press Enter.
To use the Favorites designation in an Waveform displays for stereo and multichannel
Advanced Search: files are summed.
1 Select Favorites for the Column type.
2 Select either Set or Not Set for the Search Crite-
ria.
3 Press Enter or Return.
Tick-based Sample-based
file icon file icon
To audition from a specific location within MIDI files can be previewed from the
the file: session Clips List, but not from Workspace
Click in the waveform display at the location. browsers. See “Previewing Clips in the
Clips List” on page 295.
Meters
• Click the Browser Preview button again. 1 In the session, place the insertion point at the lo-
cation where you want to preview the file in
• If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in
Workspace.
the Browser menu, press the Spacebar again.
2 In a Workspace browser, select the file you want
• Press Command+P (Mac) or Control+P
to preview.
(Windows).
• Press the Esc key. 3 Do one of the following:
• Click the Audio Files Conform to Session
Auto-Preview Tempo button. It highlights when enabled.
• From the Browser menu, select Audio Files Con-
Auto-Preview plays the audio file as soon as it is
form to Session Tempo.
selected. Additionally, the Preview button
updates to show an Auto-Preview icon. • Right-click the file you want to preview and se-
lect Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo from
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click the pop-up menu.
(Windows) the Preview button to toggle
Auto-Preview mode on and off. 4 Click the Preview button in the Workspace
browser and the file plays at the session tempo.
To automatically preview files when
selected:
Do one of the following:
• From the Browser menu, select Auto-Preview.
The Preview button updates to show that Auto-
Preview is enabled.
• Right-click the Preview button and select Auto-
Preview.
Catalogs have unique linking characteristics. To copy Transfer files found when opening a
See “Relinking and Aliases in Catalogs” on session, do one of the following:
page 351.
Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink dialog.
Choosing When to Relink Click No to open the session with all Transfer
files offline. When opened, the session’s Work-
Pro Tools lets you relink files while opening a ses-
space browser indicates Transfer files with a
sion or after a session is already open, as follows:
“T” in their Status column.
Relinking when opening a session ensures that
the session opens with all media playable. Auto- Transfer Files in an Open Session
matic and manual relinking can be performed. See
“Opening a Session with Missing Files” on To make Transfer files playable in the current
page 346. session:
1 Select the current session in the Locations pane.
Relinking later (after a session is already open)
is the fastest way to open the session, but all miss- 2 Double click the Audio Files folder to display
ing items remain offline and unplayable. See all of the audio files.
“Relink Window” on page 348.
3 Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser
Forcing a Relink menu.
4 Choose Copy and Relink from the Browser
If you cannot relink to the original file, you can
menu.
force a relink to another file. See “Force Relinking
Files” on page 351. 5 Specify a location for the copied files on a valid
Performance volume and click OK.
6 Repeat for video files, as necessary.
• Choose Window > New Workspace and select 1 When you open a session, Pro Tools opens the
the current session in the Locations pane. session with all available media, then shows
you how many files are missing (if any) and
• Open a Catalog.
asks how you want to proceed. (If told that files
2 Select the items you want to copy and relink. are unsuitable for playback, see “Transfer Files”
You can select any media files (online, offline, on page 345.)
and Transfer files).
2 Select one of the following:
3 Choose Copy and Relink Selected from the • Skip All—or press Command+S (Mac) or
Browser menu. Control+S (Windows).
4 If the default location for the copies (the ses- • Manually Find Relink—or press Command+M
sion’s Audio Files folder) is not appropriate, (Mac) or Control+M (Windows).
specify a different location and click Choose.
• Automatically Find Relink—or press
5 The files are copied to the chosen destination Command+A (Mac) or Control+A (Windows).
and the session or Catalog is relinked in the
3 Select Regenerate Missing Rendered Files
background.
Without Searching to exclude rendered Elastic
Audio files from the relink process and regener-
ate them instead.
4 Click OK.
Areas to Search
Files to Relink
Candidates
Menu and Toolbar Includes the Relink menu, Opening the Relink Window
View Presets, and relinking buttons. Status is dis-
played at the far right. When opening a session with missing files, use the
Manually Find and Relink option to open the Relink
Areas to Search Selects volumes on which to window. The Relink window can also be accessed
search for missing items. after a session is open.
OMF video clips can only be relinked to a To relink multiple missing files:
session if they have matching Unique IDs. 1 Configure Areas to Search. (See “Selecting Ar-
eas to Search” on page 349.)
QuickTime video clips can only be relinked to 2 Select one or more items in the Files to Relink
a session by file name and file format (Quick- list. The Find Links button becomes available.
Time).
3 Click Find Links.
To control matching and linking criteria 4 Configure criteria for relinking, if necessary, in
when relinking an individual missing file, the Linking Options dialog:
use the Find Links button. Find Links is ex- • By default, Find by Name and ID is enabled.
plained in “Relinking Multiple Missing • To add additional matching criteria, select an op-
Files” on page 350. tion from the Linking Options dialog. (Modifi-
cation Date is only applicable to Catalogs.)
4 Click the Link icon next to the appropriate Can-
didate to which you want to relink. A Link icon • If Match Duration is enabled, Pro Tools only se-
next to an item indicates it will be relinked to lects files of the same length or greater.
the item currently selected in the Files to Relink
list.
To force a relink:
Relinking and Aliases in
Catalogs
1 Select the items you want to relink.
Catalogs are collections of “aliases” or “shortcuts”
2 Choose Relink Offline from the Browser menu. to actual files. If the files are moved, an item in a
3 In the Relink window, select one item in the Catalog can become unlinked from the file it refer-
Files to Relink list. ences.
2 In the Browser pane, select one or more items in Metadata Metadata for all files found online, in-
the catalog that you want to remove. cluding File comments, are updated.
3 Choose Remove Selected Items from the Database Comments Database Comments are not
Browser menu. updated, because they are unique to each Catalog
and are not part of the file’s metadata.
4 When prompted, do one of the following:
• To remove the aliases for the selected items from
Relinking Catalog Items
the Catalog, click Remove.
If files are ever missing from a Catalog, use the
• To delete the selected items from disk (and re-
Relink window to locate, copy, and relink files.
move their aliases from the Catalog), click Move
For more information, see “Linking and Relinking
To Trash (Mac) or Move To Recycle Bin (Win-
Files” on page 344.
dows).
The Task window lets you monitor, pause and cancel ongoing tasks including file copying, fade regener-
ation, and indexing. You can also use the Task Manager to monitor upload and download progress with
projects.
Status
Active Tasks
Paused Tasks
Because the Task window is a floating window, it Quantification Shows percentage of progress of
does not interrupt current work. This allows you to the current task.
continue recording and editing, and postpone file
management until a more convenient time. Active Tasks Pane
Stored Tasks
Any task that imports files into a session is stored
with a session when it is closed, and resumes when
the session is re-opened. For example, if you Im-
port Session Data with Copy From Source Media
selected, then Save and Close the session before
the copy completes, the copy tasks resume when
the session is reopened.
Grouped Tasks
Some tasks consist of many smaller tasks. For in-
stance, Copy and Relink may require hundreds of
individual files to be copied. To help manage these
tasks, they are grouped under the originating com-
mand. So in the example of a Copy and Relink
command, one copy task would appear with an Ex-
pand/Collapse icon in the Task window. Clicking
the icon shows each of the individual sub-tasks.
Use the Artist Chat window to find and invite other Pro Tools users to collaborate on projects. Use text chat
to communicate during the collaboration process. The Artist Chat window is a floating window.
Add Contacts
To add a contact:
1 Click Contacts in the left column of the Artist
Chat window. Send a contact request
Notifications
When you receive and invitation to collaborate on
a project, you are informed by Notifications. You
can choose to accept or reject the request to collab-
My Contacts
orate.
3 You can double-click one of your contacts to
start a text chat with them. Accepting or rejecting an invitation to collaborate
on a project:
To delete a contact: 1 When you receive a notification, a number ap-
1 Click Contacts in the left column of the Artist pears to the right of Notifications in the left col-
Chat window. umn of the Artist Chat window.
Invite Contacts
Participant Name Participant menu
to Collaborate
Project Chat controls
1 To show the collaboration transaction logs for 2 Search your contacts or select one or more con-
the project, click the Show/Hide Collaboration tacts from the list.
Transaction Logs icon so that it turns blue.
3 Click Add.
Project chat
Double-click the Project icon in the Project List. To view the Chat list in the Artist Chat window:
1 Click the Chat list in the left column of the Art-
ist chat window. If the Chat list was collapsed, it
Chat is revealed to show all chat threads that you are
participating in. You can reveal or collapse the
The Chat section of the Artist Chat window keeps
Chat list by clicking the reveal/collapse triangle
track of all of your of your individual and group
to the left of Chat.
chats that are independent of project chats. You
can collapse and reveal the Chat list in the left col- 2 Select the Chat thread you want to view.
umn of the Artist Chat window just like you can
with the Projects list. Also, when you are not view
a specific chat thread, a number shows up to the
right of the chat thread name in the list if you have
received any messages or actions have taken place
with the chat thread while you were not viewing it.
As soon as you select that chat thread in the list, the
number will disappear as you will be able to re-
view all messages and transactions in the chat sec-
tion.
Individual Chat
New individual chat
To chat with an individual contact:
1 Do one of the following: 3 Type your message in the text chat field and
press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to send
• Double-click the contact with whom you want to
the message.
chat in the My Contacts list. If a chat thread is al-
ready in progress with that contact, that chat 4 If you want you can even add emoticons and no-
thread is shown. tation symbols to your message (for more infor-
mation, see “Emoticon and Notations Panel” on
page 371).
Any participant in a group chat can specify a topic If you initiated a group chat, you can remove any
for the chat thread. This can help maintain focus other participant in that group chat.
for the discussion in the group. Only a group chat
can have a topic. To remove a participant from a group chat (only if
you started the chat):
To specify a topic for a group chat: 1 Click the Participant menu for the person you
1 Double-click the topic field under the group want to remove from the chat.
chat title. 2 Choose Remove.
2 Type the desired topic for the group chat and
press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).
Set the group chat topic Remove a participant from a group chat
Group Chat Participants That person is removed from the group chat.
Use the Participant menu to privately message any Add a Participant to your Contacts
participant of a group chat. If you initiated the
group chat, you can remove participants from it. If there is a participant in a Group Chat with you
Also, if a participant is not one of you contacts, you who is not already in your contacts, you can add
can add them to your contacts. them.
Emoticons pane
Message removed
3 Select the emoticon, notation, or chord symbol
that you want to add to the chat.
Notations pane
Collaborator busy
running Pro Tools HD
Collaborator offline
running Pro Tools | First
The owner of the project is the one who creates the 3 Configure the Dashboard to create a new online
project and invites others to collaborate on the project and click Create. (This step is unneces-
project. All media posted to the shared project sary if a session or a project is already open.)
counts only against the project owner’s storage al- 4 The Artist Chat window opens and you can im-
location. Be sure to communicate using the Artist mediately invite collaborators from your con-
Chat window to make sure all participants manage tacts to join the project.
the amount of media they post to the project so as
to not overburden the project owner. Only the proj- For detailed information about Artist Chat,
ect owner can invite participants to collaborate on see Chapter 18, “Artist Chat Window.”
the project and delete participants from the project.
When the project owner deletes the project, it is de-
leted for all participants. When a participant who is
not the project owner deletes the project, it is the
same as if they simply leave the project and all
other participants will be able to continue collabo-
rating on the project.
Invite User
Upload All
Track Ownership Request
New Changes
Download All
The Track Ownership Request indicator turns or-
New Changes ange when you have ownership of a track and an-
Download All other participant wants to take ownership of the
Shared Tracks
track.
Invite User
Click the Invite User button to open the Artist Chat
window and invite one or more of your contacts to
participate on the project (see “Invite Contacts to
Collaborate” on page 364).
Select (or deselect) View > Edit Window Views > Select (or deselect) View > Mix Window Views >
Track Collaboration. Track Collaboration.
From the Edit Window View selector, enable From the Mix Window View selector, enable
(or disable) Track Collaboration. (or disable) Track Collaboration.
Share Track
Shared track
Enable the Share Track control to share a track
with other participants in the project. When a track Share Track Indicators
is shared, the Share Track icon is blue. When a
There are three different states that the track can be
track is not shared, it is gray. Anyone can share or
in with sharing. The clearest is when a track is ei-
unshare any track in the project that has been
ther shared or not shared. Anyone can click any
posted to the cloud and that they have downloaded
Share Track control to share it or unshare it just as
from the cloud. Any participant can create new
long as they already have that track in their local
tracks and keep them private in their own local
copy of the project.
copy of the project by not sharing them at all.
To share a track:
1 Create a new track (or use an existing one).
2 Show Track Collaboration view to access the
Track not Track
Track Collaboration controls (see “Track Col- shared shared
laboration Track View in the Edit and Mix Win- Share Track indications
dows” on page 383).
3 Click the Share Track control.
You manually own the track The Track Ownership control reverts to the
owner’s name and remains colored orange.
Requesting Track Ownership
Seizing Ownership
If another collaborator has manual ownership of a
track, their Display Name appears in the Track If you really need to work on a track owned by
Ownership control on the track and the control is someone else and they aren’t responding to your
colored orange. You can request ownership, and request for ownership, you can seize ownership.
they can relinquish ownership to you or deny your
request. To seize track ownership:
The you now own the track, and the Track Owner-
Track owned by another participant ship control displays your name and turns solid
To request track ownership, do one of the green (or orange for every one else).
following:
If you place the cursor over any yellow track Download from cloud in progress that conflicts with
local track changes
Upload Track Changes or Track Download
Changes control, a tool tip appears with a
warning about whether the track will be over- Track Cloud Synchronization
written by the cloud copy or the cloud copy Indicator in the Tracks List
will be overwritten by you track changes.
Pro Tools displays a Cloud icon in the Tracks List
Making Changes to Tracks for tracks in online projects that are shared but the
Owned by Another Collaborator track data is not downloaded to the local cache.
The Cloud icon is gray for tracks that are in the
You can make changes to a track that you do not cloud, but not mirrored in the local project cache.
own, in which case the Upload Track Changes The icon changes to clear with a black boarder and
control is darkened. You should request and take an arrow pointing down while the track is being
ownership of the track before uploading your downloaded. The Cloud icon is cleared once the
changes to avoid conflicts with other collabora- track is downloaded and synchronized between the
tor’s work. You will not be able to upload your cloud copy and the local cache.
changes until ownership is relinquished.
Top three tracks on the cloud, but not downloaded
Tracks List Right-click menu for online, shared tracks Ruler Collaboration controls
The Force Upload command d is only available To download Conductor ruler changes, do one of
when the Upload Ruler Changes control is not lit. the following:
Choose Force Upload to force upload the entire
Click the Download Ruler Changes control.
ruler as is, replacing the cloud version.
Right-click the Download Ruler Changes con-
trol and choose Accept Download.
Accept Download
Request
Ignore Changes
Choosing the Ignore Changes command clears the Choose Request to request ownership of a Con-
download and keeps your Conductor ruler as is re- ductor ruler that is owned by another or to take
gardless of any changes in the cloud copy of the ownership of an unowned Conductor ruler.
project.
Keep
Manual Downloads Only Choose Keep to keep ownership of a Conductor
Enable the Manual Downloads Only option to en- ruler that you have changed without posting your
sure that the Download All New Changes button changes.
does not automatically download any changes
Relinquish
from the cloud copy of the project to this Conduc-
tor ruler. Cloud changes to the ruler will only be Choose Relinquish to surrender ownership of a
downloaded if you click its Download Ruler Conductor ruler.
Choose Reject Collaborator Request to deny the When you automatically take ownership of a Con-
request for ownership of a Conductor ruler by an- ductor ruler by making a “share-able” change on
other collaborator, keeping ownership for yourself. an unowned ruler, the Upload Ruler Changes con-
trol turns dim green.
Relinquish After Posting
Manual Ownership
Relinquish Now
When you manually take ownership of a Conduc-
Choose Relinquish Now to surrender ownership of
tor ruler by clicking its Conductor Ruler Owner-
a Conductor ruler without posting changes.
ship control, it turns solid green and no other par-
Rescind My Request ticipant can take ownership of that Conductor ruler
simply by making a “share-able” change to their
Choose Rescind My Request to cancel your re- copy of that Conductor ruler.
quest for ownership of a Conductor ruler.
Seize
Choose Seize to seize ownership of a Conductor You Manually Own the Conductor ruler
ruler from another collaborator. Ownership Requested
You can take ownership of a Conductor ruler either Conductor Ruler Ownership Requested
by making “share-able” changes on that ruler (in
You can click the Conductor Ruler Ownership
this case you automatically own the ruler for the
control to relinquish ownership of that ruler and
time being) or you can click the Ruler Ownership
the other participant will take ownership of that
control and manually take ownership of the ruler.
ruler.
For whoever takes ownership of a ruler, the Con-
ductor Ruler Ownership control turns either dim
green or solid green. For all other participants, the
Conductor Ruler Ownership control turns orange
in their local copy of the project.
Ownership Pending
Pro Tools lets you import and export a variety of • Using the File menu Import commands:
data into and out of a session, including audio and • Session Data
MIDI files, clip groups, video files, track playlists,
• Audio
I/O configurations, and signal routing configura-
tions. • MIDI
• Video
You can import individual audio and MIDI files
• Clip Groups
into a session, or import entire audio or MIDI
tracks, along with all of their attributes, from an- • VENUE Channel Names as Track Names
other session. Additionally, with Pro Tools HD,
Session or project data, audio files, and clips can
you have the option of importing any combination
be imported to existing tracks, new tracks, the
of track attributes from another session, such as a
Tracks List, or the Clips List in a Pro Tools session
track’s audio or MIDI playlists, signal routing,
or project.
plug-ins, or automation (see “Importing Session
Data” on page 418). Exporting
When you are working with video, you can import Pro Tools lets you export audio, video, MIDI, clip
and export video files from a session (see groups, and session data by:
Chapter 59, “Working with Video in Pro Tools”).
• Using the Export to Sibelius or Send to Sibelius
command (MIDI only)
When files are added to a Pro Tools session, Audio files formats other than WAV and AIFF
they remain at their current hard drive location and must be converted on import. Pro Tools automati-
are not moved or copied. The session references cally converts these files to the current session or
the original files wherever they are on your system. project audio file format on import. Also, if the
Additionally, the files referenced by the session re- session or project is not enabled for Interleaved
tain their original file format, sample rate, and bit files, Pro Tools splits interleaved audio files into
depth. multiple mono files on import.
When files are copied into the session, the orig- If clip definitions are present in an audio file, you
inal files remain wherever they are on your system can convert and import the audio for a clip without
and are copied to the session’s Audio Files folder importing the entire parent audio file using the Im-
and are then added to the session. The session ref- port Audio command.
erences the copied files, not the original files. Ad-
ditionally, the copied files referenced by the Pro Tools 7.x and higher does not support
session retain their original file format, sample audio file names that contain certain ASCII
rate, and bit depth. characters (see “Opening a Session that
Contains Audio File Names with Illegal
When files are converted into the session, the
Characters” on page 459).
original files remain wherever they are on your
system, converted to the session file format, sam-
Supported Audio File Formats
ple rate, and bit depth, and are written to the ses-
sion’s Audio Files folder. The session references Audio files of the following types can be
the converted files, not the original files. imported into Pro Tools sessions and projects
without conversion:
Files That Can Be Added to a Session or Project
Without Conversion • AIFF
• WAV or BWF (.WAV) (including support for
Any audio file of a supported file format (WAV
WAV Extensible and RF64)
and AIFF) and bit depth (16, 24, and 32-bit float)
can be added to sessions and projects without con-
version. Audio files with sample rates that do not
match the session or project sample rate can be
When using the Import Audio command, inter- 1 Select audio, video, MIDI, clip group, REX, or
leaved stereo files are automatically imported to ACID files in a Workspace browser, or Win-
stereo tracks. With Pro Tools HD, greater-than- dows Explorer, or Mac Finder.
stereo multichannel audio files are automatically 2 Drag the selected files onto the Clips List.
imported to tracks with the corresponding multi-
channel audio file format. To import files into an existing track:
If the Interleaved option is enabled for the session, 1 Select the files you want to import in a Work-
or is enabled on import, interleaved files are im- space browser, or Windows Explorer or Mac
ported to the session and remain interleaved files. Finder.
If this option is not enabled, interleaved files are 2 Drag the selected file to a location on an exist-
split into multi-mono. ing, compatible track. The file is imported and
placed where it was dropped.
Conversely, split stereo (dual mono) audio files
can be automatically imported to stereo tracks. To import files as new tracks:
Split stereo audio files must have the channel iden-
tifiers “.L” and “.R” in their names (for example, 1 Select the files you want to import in a Work-
filename.L and filename.R), and the files must be space browser, or Windows Explorer or Mac
the same length. In Windows, or in Mac/PC Com- Finder.
patibility mode, these files will have a 3-letter file 2 Do any of the following:
extension appended after the “.L” or “.R” channel
• Shift-drag files and drop anywhere in the Edit
identifier.
window.
• Drop files to the Tracks List.
Importing Files with Drag • Drop files to empty space in the Edit window,
and Drop below or between tracks.
Pro Tools lets you import audio, MIDI, video, and Importing does not always convert or copy
session files by dragging and dropping files from a audio files. See “Audio Conversion on Im-
Workspace browser, Windows Explorer, or Mac port” on page 400.
Finder to the Pro Tools application icon, the ses-
sion Timeline, a track, the Tracks List, or the Clips
List. Importing using drag and drop does not
necessarily bring the Edit window to the
The following figure illustrates some of the foreground. For example, dragging and
options available to import files using drag and dropping a file from a browser into a track
drop from Workspace browsers. leaves the source browser in the fore-
ground (not the Edit window). Always
verify the active, foreground window or
browser before continuing.
Adjust the preview volume with the vertical slider. 5 When you have added all audio files and clips to
To navigate to a particular location in the file, use the Import list, you can apply sample rate con-
the horizontal slider under the Play and Stop but- version by doing the following:
tons.
• Enable Apply SRC.
The Preview Volume control in the Import • Specify the Source Sample Rate either by typ-
Audio dialog also affects the preview volume ing a number, or by selecting a sample rate from
when auditioning clips in the Clips List. the pop-up menu.
The audition output path defaults to channels 1–2. • Select the sample rate conversion quality from
For Pro Tools systems with more than 2 channels the Quality pop-up menu. This setting overrides
of output, the audition path can be changed in the the Sample Rate Conversion Quality setting in
I/O Setup (see “Audition Path” on page 58). the Processing Preferences page.
6 Click Done.
To import ACID and REX flies as sample-based To import REX files as tick-based clip groups:
clips: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro- Processing tab.
cessing tab.
2 Select the Import REX Files as Clip Groups
2 Disable the Import REX Files as Clip Groups op- option.
tion.
3 To apply real-time crossfades to the files, enable
3 Select No Files as the Drag and Drop from the Automatically Create Fades option (see
Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo prefer- “Automatic Fades for Imported REX Files” on
ence. page 409).
4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. 4 Select REX and ACID Files Only or All Files as
the Drag and Drop from Desktop Conforms to
5 When importing by drag and drop from Work-
Session Tempo preference.
space browsers, make sure that the Audio Files
Conform to Session Tempo option is disabled. 5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Exporting Audio
Pro Tools supports exporting audio clips as audio
files, exporting left and right audio files as stereo
interleaved files, and exporting clip information.
Exporting a Clip as a New Audio 3 In the Export Selected dialog, set the File Type,
File Format, Bit Depth, and Sample Rate. In addi-
You can export clips as audio files with the tion, specify the Conversion Quality, and choose
Export Clips as Files command. Use this the Destination Directory.
command if you intend to use a clip in other ses-
sions (or other audio applications) without using
its parent source file.
Additional Options
2 Drag the files onto the Clips List of the current 1 Make sure to unmute any MIDI tracks in the
session. session that you want included in the exported
MIDI file. (Or, conversely, mute any MIDI
To import MIDI into an existing track: tracks you do not want included in the exported
MIDI file.) For Instrument tracks, enable or dis-
1 Select MIDI files in a Workspace browser, Win-
able the MIDI mute button (Instruments view).
dows Explorer, or Mac Finder.
2 Choose File > Export > MIDI. The Export MIDI
2 Drag the files onto an existing track in the Edit
Settings dialog opens.
window of the current session.
• Dragging a session to a track in Pro Tools lets To manually copy files on import:
you import tracks.
Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) the
• Dragging a session to a track playlist in files. A copy is created in the session Audio
Pro Tools opens the Import Session Data dialog, Files folder or, for projects, uploaded to the
letting you select tracks and attributes to import. cloud.
The imported session data will begin wherever
you drop the session in the Timeline. When importing sessions or tracks, the Import Ses-
sion Data dialog lets you specify whether to refer-
To import tracks and other session data by drag ence the source media, or copy it.
and drop:
1 Open a Workspace browser. To automatically copy files on import:
2 Drag a Pro Tools session file, or an AAF or 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
OMF sequence, into the current session, as Processing tab.
follows: 2 Select Automatically Copy Files on Import.
• Drag onto an existing track to overlay or over- 3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
write data on the target tracks. Hold the Shift key
while dragging if you intend to replace the cur-
rent track playlists with those being imported Using Undo after Importing
(the Shift key pre-configures the settings in the Using Undo after importing any files to the Time-
Import Session Data dialog). line removes the files from the Timeline. However,
• Drag to empty space in the Edit window to cre- the files remain in the session or project (in the
ate new tracks for the imported session data. Clips List and Workspace browser) and are offline.
If you do not remove or delete the files from the
• Configure the Import Session Data options (see
session or project manually, Pro Tools will report
“Import Session Data Dialog” on page 421).
them as missing files the next time the session or
project is opened.
When you choose this option, you can also choose Import as Offline Satellite Media
the Handle Size (in milliseconds) applied to con- (Pro Tools HD Only)
solidated audio. Handle is the amount of the origi-
nal audio file that is preserved before and after Select this option to import a video track with of-
each clip in case you need to make any edits (such fline media. You will be able to see cuts and clip
as applying fades or trimming) to the new clips. names, but the video media remains offline. You
can view the video media on a connected Video
Consolidate From Source Media is not avail- Satellite system. This option is only available
able when importing Elastic Audio tracks. when New Satellite Track is selected for the video
track.
Force to Target Session Format This option cop-
ies and converts all source media files to the cur-
rent session or project file format, bit depth, and
sample rate. Files are copied even if they already
match the current session or project format.
Adjust Session Start Time to Match Source Conversion Quality This option lets you set the
Start Time quality of the sample-rate conversion process (see
“Sample Rate Conversion Quality” on page 401).
When selected, the Adjust Session Start Time to
Match Source Start Time option lets you automat-
ically set the start time of the current Pro Tools ses-
sion to match the start time of the session, or AAF
or OMF sequence you are importing.
Plug-In Assignments Recalls the source track’s Track Colors Recalls the track color associated
plug-in assignments. Any plug-ins in the destina- with the source track. Any color for the destination
tion track are removed, and their associated set- track is changed.
tings and automation are lost.
Record Safe/Solo Safe Settings Recalls the re-
If the source track uses a plug-in that is not avail- cord safe and solo safe settings of the source track
able on the destination system, it appears in the from the source session. Any record safe or solo
destination track and is made inactive. safe settings in the destination track are replaced.
Plug-In Settings and Automation When the Track View Settings Recalls the track height and
source track’s plug-in assignments are recalled, playlist view of the source track from the source
this option imports the track’s plug-in settings and session.
any automation data associated with the plug-ins.
Mix/Edit Groups Recalls track groups from the
If no plug-in assignments are imported, this option
source session.
has no effect.
Elastic Audio Track State Recalls the source ICON Custom Fader Groups (Pro Tools HD Only)
track’s Elastic Audio track state. Any Elastic Au- Recalls any ICON Custom Fader Groups from the
dio settings in the destination track are replaced. source session.
HW Insert Assignments Recalls the source track’s ICON Automation Snapshots (Pro Tools HD
hardware Insert assignments. Any Insert assign- Only) Recalls any ICON Automation Snapshots
ments in the destination track are replaced. from the source session.
Voice Assignments Recalls the source track’s HEAT Switch Settings (Pro Tools HD with the
voice assignment from the source session. Any HEAT Software Option Only) Recalls any stored
voice assignments in the destination track are re- HEAT switch settings from the source session.
placed.
Object Assignment and Toggle Setting
Input Assignments Recalls the source track’s (Pro Tools HD with Dolby Atmos Only) Recalls
channel input assignment. The Input assignment in Object Output Path assignments and Bus/Object tog-
the destination track is replaced. gle settings for any tracks selected for import.
Side-Chain Assignments When the source track’s Track Data to Import Presets
plug-in assignments are recalled, this option im-
Pro Tools lets you store and recall different config-
ports any side-chain assignments associated with
urations of the Track Data to Import dialog as pre-
the plug-ins. If no plug-in assignments are im-
sets. The Presets controls for the Track Data to Im-
ported, this option has no effect.
port dialog work much like the Presets controls for
Track Active State Recalls the active/inactive state Batch Renaming, Fades, and Clip Effects.
of the source track from the source session.
2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Lock (Unlock) Settings File Locks (or unlocks)
dows) the Presets button where you want to the selected Settings file so that it cannot (or can)
store the current Track Data to Import settings. be edited.
Import Options
To recall a Track Data to Import preset:
<factory default> Restores the default settings for Import Marker/Memory Locations Imports mark-
the Track Data to Import dialog. ers and Memory Locations as they appear in the
Marker ruler, from the source session. Any mark-
Save Settings Saves the current settings. This ers and Memory Locations in the destination ses-
command overwrites any previous version of the sion or project are retained. Imported marker and
preset. Memory Locations are assigned the next available
Marker/Memory Location numbers.
Press Command+Shift+S (Mac) or Control+
Shift+S (Windows) to save the current settings. Import Window Configurations Imports the Win-
dow Configurations from the source session.
Save Settings As Saves the current settings as a
new preset. You can name the preset and save it to
any location on your system.
If you select this option and import all of the When importing AAF sequences generated from
source track’s attributes, this is equivalent to im- an Avid video editing application, Pro Tools can
porting the entire track. import mono, stereo, and 5.1 and 7.1 surround au-
dio tracks. Mono tracks with 5.1 or 7.1 surround
If you select this option and do not import any
panning can also be imported, with panning infor-
of the source track’s attributes, you replace the au-
mation intact. (Greater-than-stereo multichannel
dio playlists while keeping your current mixer set-
formats are supported with Pro Tools HD only.)
tings.
When opening and importing an AAF or OMF se-
Import – Overlay New On Existing Playlists Im-
quence, a modified version of the Dashboard win-
ports the main playlist from the source track. When
dow opens and prompts you to name and save the
you import the playlist into an existing track, any
sequence as a new session or project. Once you
existing playlist data that overlaps data imported
name and save the new session or project, the Im-
from the source track is trimmed and replaced with
port Session Data dialog opens. For more informa-
the imported data. Any playlist data in the destina-
tion, see “AAF/OMF Source Track Translation
tion track that does not overlap remains in the des-
Settings” on page 436.
tination track.
Use the File > Import > Audio command. 7 Select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and Bit
Depth to use for the session.
Drag and drop them from any Workspace
browser or the desktop. 8 To create interleaved multichannel audio files in
the session. select Interleaved.
9 Click OK.
To open and import audio and/or video tracks from 8 Set the Track Offset Options (see “Track Offset
an OMF or AAF sequence: Options” on page 435).
1 Launch Pro Tools, and open an existing 9 Set the Sample Rate Convert Options (see
Pro Tools session or project. “Sample Rate Conversion Options” on
page 435).
2 Choose File > Import > Session Data, and select
the AAF or OMF sequence that you want to im- 10 Change other settings and options as necessary
port. (for more information about the Import Session
Data dialog, see “Import Session Data Dialog”
You can also open an AAF or OMF sequence on page 421).
by dragging it from any location on your com-
puter or the Workspace browser to the 11 Click OK.
Pro Tools Timeline.
If there are any errors or clip name truncations,
3 In the Import Session Data dialog, deselect any a dialog will appear asking you if you want a
source tracks that you do not want imported. detailed report of the changes. Click Yes and
(If importing Session Data from AAF or OMF choose where you want to save the log.
sequences, all tracks are selected by default.
12 If your audio or video source media is on a vol-
However, if you are importing tracks from a
ume that is not suitable for playback (shown as
Pro Tools session, no tracks are selected by
a Transfer volume in the Workspace browser),
default.)
Pro Tools displays a dialog that guides you to
copy the media to a volume designated for Play-
back or Record. (Click Yes.)
Pro Tools recognizes and creates two different Select this option to translate the AAF or OMF file
unique IDs for media files (AIFF and WAV only): to a Pro Tools session that refers to as many of the
Unique ID and SMPTE ID. SMPTE ID (Pro Tools original media files as possible. In this case, the
12.8 and higher only) provides optimal compatibil- Pro Tools session points to the BWF (WAV) or
ity and interchange with other applications that uti- AIF files from the source project.
lize SMPTE IDs in media files and AAF sequences
(such as Avid Media Composer), and ensures truly When importing audio embedded in an AAF se-
unique IDs for AIFF and WAV files. quence, Pro Tools copies the audio to a new drive
or folder even if this setting is selected.
8-bit Unique ID Legacy ID format used with ver-
sions of Pro Tools lower that 12.8. For projects, you should always copy or consoli-
date from source media. Any tracks in a project
SMPTE ID 32-bit SMPTE IDs created and sup- that contain linked local media cannot be shared.
ported with Pro Tools 12.8 or higher.
Copy from Source Media
You can sample-rate convert the audio during Select this option to import a video track with of-
translation. fline media. You will be able to see cuts and clip
names, but the video media remains offline. You
Force to Target Session Format can view the video media on the connected Video
Satellite system. This option is only available
Use this setting to convert source media to the ses- when New Satellite Track is selected for the video
sion audio file format if the source media file for- track.
mat differs from the project or session file format.
The Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right set- 1 Click the Markers to Import menu.
ting enables you to set the basic track pan setting so 2 Select the colors of markers you want to import.
that odd-numbered tracks translate with full-left Check marks appear next to the selected colors.
panning, and even-numbered tracks translate with
full-right panning. This is useful if you want to pan Once imported, the new Markers can be edited as
the currently unpanned audio full-left or full-right. normal.
The Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right Unlike Pro Tools Markers, which only mark
setting is not supported when importing specific points in time in a session,
multi-channel audio tracks from an AAF. Media Composer Markers point specifically
When importing multi-channel tracks, the to individual audio or video tracks. Informa-
setting is greyed-out and any imported stereo tion on which track each Marker was associ-
channels are panned hard right and hard left. ated with can be found in the Comments sec-
tion in the Memory Locations window in
Markers To Import Pro Tools.
Avid Media Composer sequences can contain
metadata points called Markers that serve a similar When Media Composer Markers are im-
purpose to the Markers in Pro Tools, adding color- ported to Pro Tools as Markers, the associ-
coded contextual information to the timeline. Even ated comment text is added to the Marker
though markers are associated with specific tracks name in Pro Tools (up to 31 characters).
in Media Composer, you can import markers into Comments over 31 characters can be viewed
Pro Tools without importing those tracks. in full in the Memory Locations window in
Pro Tools.
When exporting an AAF from Media Composer,
Marker information is included and can be im- Track Data to Import Pop-Up Menu
ported into Pro Tools, thus preserving this data.
The Track Data to Import pop-up menu lets you se-
Markers can only be imported from AAF lect which attributes of the selected tracks you
sequences. want to import into the current session or project.
The selected attributes are applied to all tracks that
To import all Markers: you choose to import into the current session or
Click the Markers to Import menu and select All. project. For more information about Track Data To
Import options, see “Track Data to Import” on
To import no Markers: page 424.
Click the Markers to Import menu and select When importing an AAF into Pro Tools, use the
None. Track Data to Import menu to specify whether or
not to import the plug-ins and plug-in settings.
A1<01:00:00:00–01:00:16:06>“Jag film to
Whirl.01.Sub.06.new.01”; insufficient source
material for clip;shortening clip by 1 sample.
Pro Tools can export AAF or OMF se- Shift-click to select multiple tracks; or
quences linked to RF64 audio files, which are Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
special WAV files that can be larger than 2 to select all tracks.
GB (normal WAVs must be under 2 GB).
2 Choose File > Export > Selected Tracks as
However, Avid video editing applications
OMF/AAF.
cannot open WAV files larger than 2 GB.
Keep file size in mind when exporting 3 From the Export As pop-up menu, select AAF or
AAF/OMF for Avid video users. OMF.
9 Select other export options as desired. 16 Click Choose (Mac) or Use Current Folder
(Windows).
For more information, see “Export Options
when Exporting to AAF or OMF Sequences” on Pro Tools exports the composition and related
page 446. media to the appropriate folders.
10 Click OK.
The clip gain of Pro Tools clips with static volume Exporting Pro Tools Tracks
between -inf dB and +12 dB will translate directly as MXF Audio Files
to clip-based gain upon export. Dynamic clip gain You can export MXF audio files using the follow-
and values above 12 dB will be rendered for each ing commands:
clip in the resulting media, to optimize compatibil-
ity with Avid video editing applications. • Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF
• Bounce to Disk
Clip-based gain is not exported when
exporting to OMF format.
• Export Selected Clips as Files
5 Ensure the Target Project Timecode Format is Pro Tools exports the AAF sequence to the se-
correct for the Avid application project to which lected folder, and exports the related media to the
you are exporting the AAF sequence. OMFI MediaFiles folder (OMF files) or the Avid
MediaFiles folder (MXF files).
6 Under the Audio Media Options section, select
MXF from the Audio Format pop-up menu. 16 If you are ready to import the files into the Avid
video application, exit Pro Tools.
7 Verify the Audio Bit Depth setting is acceptable
for the recipient of this export. For more information on working in Avid
8 If you’re exporting a sequence that contains ste- video applications, see the appropriate Avid
reo, 5.1 or 7.1 tracks and want to export those video application guide.
tracks as multi-channel audio files, enable the
Export Stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 Tracks as Multi-
Channel option.
9 Click OK.
10 In the Publishing Options dialog, type the
Pro Tools Comment and Sequence Name.
11 Click OK.
7 Click Export.
If the Enforce Media Composer Compatibility op- The Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries option al-
tion is enabled, all AAF and OMF files and se- lows Pro Tools to export your sample-accurate
quences will meet the specific requirements of Me- Pro Tools edits into an AAF or OMF file so they
dia Composer. Sample rates are limited to appear as frame-accurate.
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. Exported clips will be padded
to the nearest frame boundaries (Quantize Edits to The Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries set-
Frame Boundaries). This padding ensures that the ting must be selected when you are translating
placement of a file in the Timeline will be the same your Pro Tools session or project for use in
on sample-accurate as well as frame-accurate sys- frame-accurate editing workstations. There-
tems. fore, it is automatically selected whenever you
export tracks with Enforce Media Composer
When exporting a sequence with multi-chan- Compatibility selected.
nel audio tracks, the Enforce Media Com-
poser Compatibility option must be enabled.
This setting allows you to specify the sample rate Select 16-bit or 24-bit as the target bit depth for the
for audio files after the AAF or OMF translation. exported media. Pro Tools automatically applies
dither, without noise shaping, when reducing bit
If this setting differs from the Source Sample Rate depth from 24-bit to 16-bit.
setting, audio is sample-rate converted digitally to
the Destination Sample Rate. Source Media
Exporting Session
Information as Text
You can use the Export Session Info as Text com-
mand to create a text file that contains extensive in-
formation about your session or project.
7 You can also enable the Main Playlist Only 1 Choose File > Export > Session Info as Text.
option if you do not want to include any of 2 Select whether to include the File List, Clips
the alternate playlists associated with any of the List, and track EDLs.
selected tracks in the new session or project.
8 Click OK.
# OF AUDIO TRACKS: 19
Select this option to export a list of all markers in- Time Format
cluded in the session or project.
You can select the appropriate time format that ex-
ported EDL information is based on. For example,
Include Plug-In List
for post work, you might select SMPTE time, but
Select this option to export a list of the plug-ins for music creation locked to a grid, you might se-
used in the session or project. lect Bars:Beats.
You can export track EDLs (playlists). Track On Mac, you can to export to TextEdit, UTF-8, MS
EDLs can be used to spot-check clip placement Excel, MS Word, Write Now, Word Perfect, and
and edits, or in a conforming program for post ap- AppleWorks text formats. On Windows, you can
plications. In extreme circumstances the EDL can export to either TextEdit or UTF-8.
be used to recreate the entire session or project.
You can export session text for All Tracks or for
Selected Tracks Only. Importing and Exporting Clip
MIDI track EDLs are not exported.
Group Files
Pro Tools can export and import the clip group file
When exporting track EDLs, the following options format (.rgrp). This lets you do the following:
are available:
• Separate clip group metadata from audio files to
Show Subframes This option allows you to export avoid unnecessary file copy operations when ex-
subframe time information with track EDLs, if porting audio clip groups composed from multi-
used in your session or project. ple source files.
• Export MIDI data as part of a clip group.
• Create multitrack loops.
• Embedded fades and crossfades 1 Choose File > Import > Clip Groups and select
the clip group you want to import.
• Clip group names and format (single or multi-
track) 2 In the Clip Group Import Options dialog,
• All MIDI data present in the clip group (such as choose where the clip group will go:
notes, controllers, and Sysex) New Track Creates a new track where the clip
• Track names group will be imported.
• Elastic Audio Warp markers and TCE factor Clips List Imports the clip group into the Clips
• Clip timebase (samples or ticks) List, where it will be where it will be available to
place into tracks.
• Sync points
• Loops
• Tempo map
Pro Tools provides several ways to import clip 3 If you chose to create a new track, choose a lo-
groups into an open session: cation for the imported group in the track.
• “Importing Clip Groups with Pro Tools Menu Session Start Places the group at the start of the
Commands” on page 454 session or project.
• “Importing Clip Groups with Drag and Drop” on Song Start Aligns the beginning of the group to
page 455 the Song Start point.
1 Select one or more clip groups in a Workspace Export Clip Groups dialog
browser, or Windows Explorer or Mac Finder.
3 In the Export Clip Groups dialog, the Destina-
2 Drag the files onto the Clips List of the current tion Directory defaults to the auto-created Clip
session. Groups folder in the session folder. You can
change the Destination Directory by clicking
To import clip groups into an existing track: the Choose button, navigating to a new loca-
1 Select one or more clip groups in a Workspace tion, and clicking Open. Click Reset to reset the
browser, or from Windows Explorer or Mac Destination Directory to the default location.
Finder.
4 Enable one of the following options for resolv-
2 Drag the files onto an existing track in the Edit ing duplicate clip group file names:
window of the current session or project. • Prompting for Each Duplicate (default)
1 Select one or more clip groups in a Workspace • Replacing with New Files
browser, Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. 5 Click Export.
2 Do one of the following:
• From the Workspace browser, Shift-drag the
files anywhere in the Edit window of the current
session or project.
• Drag the files onto any empty space in the Edit
window of the current session or project.
• Drag the files to the Tracks List.
When working with Pro Tools, you will encounter In Pro Tools sessions, use the Disk Allocation
several different kinds of computer files. Pro Tools command to specify where you want newly re-
systems require that you keep certain files in spe- corded audio files to be stored (see “Working with
cific hard drive locations in order to function prop- Hard Drives for Recording” on page 513).
erly:
Although Pro Tools lets you record to your
• Pro Tools software files (such as the application
system drive, this is generally not recom-
and plug-ins files) should be located on your
mended. You should record to system drives
Startup drive (the drive that contains your oper-
only when necessary—for example, if your
ating system and other system-related files).
computer system has just one hard drive, or it
• Data files (such as session files, audio files, and your other hard drives are completely full.
video files) can be located on any compatible
drive connected to your computer’s internal or
If you have a system with multiple drives,
external SAS, SATA, IDE/ATA, FireWire, or
you can designate the System drive as a
Thunderbolt busses.
Playback only or Transfer only drive for op-
You can specify the location of new session files timal performance (see “Volume Permis-
when creating new sessions (see “Creating a New sions” on page 312).
Blank Session or Project” on page 161).
4 Click OK.
It is possible to have a Pro Tools 7.x or Pro Tools always creates AES31/Broadcast com-
higher session that contains audio file names pliant BWF (.wav) files when the file originates in
with illegal characters. If you Save Copy In Pro Tools. Non-BWF .wav files can be added to
the session to Pro Tools 6.9.x or lower with BWF (WAV) format Pro Tools sessions without
Mac/PC Compatibility on, the tracks are re- conversion. This option ensures that all WAV files
named with legal characters. If Mac/PC are imported, and if necessary, converted to BWF
Compatibility is off, the characters are not (WAV), compliant with the AES31/EBU Broad-
changed. cast standard.
Pro Tools supports the RF64 audio file format. Moving Sessions on Windows
RF64 is an extension to the WAV audio file format
Systems to Mac-Based HFS+
Drives
that addresses the 4 gigabyte size limitation of
(From Window-Based NTFS Drives Only)
other WAV audio file formats. RF64 audio files
are identified in Workspace browsers with the des- There are specific steps for transferring session
ignation “MBWF” in the Attributes field. files from Windows-based NTFS drives to Mac-
based HFS+ drives.
Lower versions of Pro Tools cannot read
RF64 files. These files have to be manually ed- To transfer Pro Tools Windows sessions from
ited and consolidated so that they are no NTFS drives to HFS+ drives:
larger than 4 GB in order to be available to 1 Set the MacDrive Options to Backup/File
systems running lower versions of Pro Tools. Transfer.
For details on transferring sessions between Windows and Mac systems, see “Sharing Sessions Created
on Different Computer Platforms” on page 461.
Maximum number of 512 Aux Input tracks 512 Aux Input tracks 128 Aux Input tracks
Auxiliary Input tracks
Maximum number of 512 Instrument tracks 512 Instrument tracks 512 Instrument tracks
Instrument tracks
When opening a Pro Tools HD 12.x session in Pro Tools 12.x, the following occurs:
Tracks
• Any tracks beyond the first 128 are deleted.
• Any Auxiliary Input tracks beyond 128 are deleted.
• DSP plug-ins with Native equivalents are
converted; those without equivalents are made inactive.
• Multichannel surround tracks are removed from the session.
• Unavailable input and output paths are made inactive.
• HEAT (if present) is removed.
You can choose the language you want to use in • If you are changing from a localized language to
the Pro Tools application, independently of what English, launch Pro Tools.
language the OS is using. • If you are changing from one language to an-
other (or from English to a localized language),
To select the language for Pro Tools: log out and log in from the Apple menu, then
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and select the Dis- launch Pro Tools.
play tab.
If you want your computer to start with the
2 Choose the language you want to use in previous language (after working on a dif-
Pro Tools from the Language pop-up menu. ferent language version) follow the above
steps and change the International prefer-
Multilingual Application Support ence back to the previous language.
for Pro Tools Systems
(Localized OS on Mac Only)
After importing or recording audio or MIDI to To stop playback, do one of the following:
tracks, you will want to play back the material • Click Stop in the Transport.
when editing and mixing.
• Press the Spacebar.
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport
Starting and Stopping Playback
or Shuttle, press 0 on the numeric keypad.
To start playback, do one of the following: • If you have a control surface connected and con-
• Click Play in the Transport. figured, press the Stop switch.
• Press the Spacebar. • If Pro Tools is online and slaved to another deck,
press stop on the master deck (see “4% audio
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport
pull rates are not available in 176.4 and 192 kHz
or Shuttle, press 0 on the numeric keypad.
sample rate sessions.Putting Pro Tools Online”
• If the Numeric Keypad mode is set to Transport, on page 1279).
and the Use Separate Play and Stop Keys option
is enabled, press Enter on the numeric keypad.
Playing Back Audio
• If you have a worksurface or MIDI control sur-
face connected and configured, press the Play To play back audio:
switch. 1 Import or record audio to a track.
• If Pro Tools is online and slaved to another deck,
2 Assign the track’s Output selector to your main
press play on the master deck (see “4% audio
monitoring path.
pull rates are not available in 176.4 and 192 kHz
sample rate sessions.Putting Pro Tools Online” 3 To have playback start from the beginning of
on page 1279). the session, click Return to Zero in the Trans-
port.
For more information about the Numeric
Keypad modes, see “Numeric Keypad 4 Start playback.
Modes” on page 28. 5 The audio plays through the selected Output
Path. Adjust the track’s volume and pan faders
as necessary.
6 When you are finished, stop playback.
With the Timeline and Edit selections linked, you Setting Playback Location with
can click a clip or MIDI note with the Time Grab- Fast Forward/Rewind
ber tool to automatically update the Timeline with You can use the Fast Forward and Rewind buttons
the selection’s start time, letting you play from that in the Transport window to move the playback lo-
point. cation. If the Operation preference for Audio
During Fast Forward/Rewind is selected, the
Setting Playback Location with scanned audio is heard (similar to a CD player)
Basic Transport Controls when clicking the Fast Forward and Rewind but-
tons.
Transport controls in the Transport window and
top of the Edit window can be used to move the You can also fast forward or rewind incrementally
playback location. These include Rewind, Fast by repeatedly clicking the appropriate button. The
Forward, and Return to Zero (to move playback lo- size of these increments is determined by the Main
cation to the beginning of the session). For more Time Scale:
information, see “Basic Transport Controls and
Counters” on page 194. Bars|Beats Moves to the beginning of the previous
or next bar.
You can also move the playback location in multi- • Select a preset amount in the Back/Forward
ple increments by repeating the command (See Amount pop-up menu.
“Repeating Back/Forward Commands” on • In the Back/Forward Amount field, enter a
page 483). custom amount.
To play a selection:
1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection.
Choose Edit > Selection > Play Timeline. To audition a selection start point:
To play from the pre-roll point to the start of a To audition a selection start point with pre-roll:
selection, or to the current Cursor location:
Press Command+Option+Left Arrow (Mac) or
Press Option+Left Arrow (Mac) or Alt+Left
Control+Alt+Left Arrow (Windows).
Arrow (Windows).
To audition a selection end point:
To play to the post-roll point from the end of a
selection, or from the current Cursor location: Press Option+Right Arrow (Mac) or Alt+Right
Arrow (Windows).
Press Command+Right Arrow (Mac) or
Control+Right Arrow (Windows). When auditioning the end of a selection, playback
begins before the end point by the pre-roll amount.
Auditioning Start and End Points
for Selections To audition a selection end point with post-roll:
There may be times when you want to audition the Press Command+Option+Right Arrow (Mac)
start or end of an audio selection without hearing or Control+Alt+Right Arrow (Windows).
the entire selection. This allows you to check, for
instance, whether the beginning or end of a selec-
tion includes any unwanted clicks or pops.
1 Open the Expanded Transport window. 1 Deselect Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selections.
2 Click in the numeric field to the right of the
Fade-in enable button. 2 Select Options > Scrolling > Center Playhead.
3 Type in the desired time. 3 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
ruler to set the play range.
4 Choose Edit > Selection > Play Timeline.
2 With the Selector tool, select the track range Dynamic Transport Mode
you want to loop.
Dynamic Transport mode lets you decouple the
3 Enable Loop Playback by doing one of the playback location from the Timeline selection.
following: This means that you can start playback from any-
where on the Timeline without losing your Time-
• Select Options > Loop Playback.
line or Edit selections. For example, you can use
• Right-click the Play button in the Transport win- Dynamic Transport mode in conjunction with
dow and select Loop from the pop-up menu. Loop Playback mode to quickly audition loop tran-
• Control-click (Mac) or Start-click sitions.
(Windows) the Play button in the Transport win-
When Dynamic Transport mode is enabled, the
dow.
Main Timebase ruler expands to double-height and
• Press Command+Shift+L (Mac) or reveals the Play Start Marker. The Play Start
Control+Shift+L (Windows). Marker determines where playback starts when the
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans- Transport is engaged. You can position the Play
port, press 4 on the numeric keypad. Start Marker independently of the Timeline Selec-
tion. The Play Start Marker can be repositioned
during playback and playback continues from the
new location.
Select or deselect Options > Dynamic With any Edit tool selected, click in the Play
Transport. Start Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler.
Right-click the Play button in the Transport With any Edit tool selected, drag the Play Start
window and select Dynamic Transport from the Marker to a new location.
pop-up menu.
Click Fast Forward or Rewind in the Transport
Press Command+Control+P (Mac) or to relocate the Play Start Marker forward or
Control+Start+P (Windows) to toggle Dynamic backward by the standard Fast Forward and Re-
Transport mode on or off. wind increment amount.
Enabling Dynamic Transport mode automat- Double-click anywhere in the Play Start
ically disables Link Timeline and Edit Selec- Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler to
tion, and automatically enables Loop Play- move the Play Start Marker to that location
back mode. and start playback.
Using Separate Play and Stop Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
Keys the Right Arrow.
When enabled, the Use Separate Play and Stop To move the Play Start Marker to the Edit Selection
Keys option lets you start playback with the Enter Start:
key and stop playback with the 0 key on the nu-
Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
meric keypad. This is useful for quickly starting
the Down Arrow.
and stopping playback when auditioning loop tran-
sitions. To move the Play Start Marker to location of the
Playhead:
To use separate play and stop keys on the numeric
keypad: Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
the Up Arrow.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
2 Click the Operation tab. To nudge the Play Start Marker backward (rewind):
4 Select Use Separate Play and Stop Keys. To nudge the Play Start Marker forward (fast
forward):
This option overrides using the Enter key to
add Memory Location markers. Press Pe- Press 2 on the numeric keypad.
riod (.) and then Enter on the numeric key-
pad to add a Memory Location marker.
For information about synchronizing exter- 4 Enter the correct negative offset values (such as
nal MIDI devices with Pro Tools for play- “–200” samples) for each port that is enabled
back and recording using MIDI Timecode, for transmitting MIDI Beat Clock (see “Mea-
see “Generating Timecode” on page 1280. suring Beat Clock Latency” on page 494).
5 Click OK.
1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio. 2 Ensure that your external MIDI device is con-
figured to receive MIDI Beat Clock, and that it
2 In the MIDI Devices window of Audio MIDI is correctly configured to play back a simple
Setup, double-click the IAC Driver icon. rhythmic pattern “on the beat.”
3 Configure the IAC Driver ports and confirm 3 Create a new Pro Tools session.
that it is online.
4 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, ensure that MIDI
4 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock. Beat Clock is enabled and that the device is se-
5 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the lected.
Enable MIDI Beat Clock option. 5 Set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats.
6 Select the IAC Driver ports you want to enable 6 Create a new audio track and select the audio in-
for sending MIDI Beat Clock. put channels for your external MIDI device.
7 Click OK. 7 Record enable the audio track and start record-
ing. MIDI Beat Clock is sent to the external
MIDI device, which starts playing back the
MIDI Beat Clock Offsets pattern.
You can set an offset for MIDI Beat Clock on a 8 Stop recording after a few bars.
port-by-port basis with your MIDI interface and 9 Enable both Snap to Grid and Show Grid.
external MIDI devices. This lets you adjust the
timing for each device where some devices sound 10 With the Selector tool, place the edit cursor on
late due to different, fixed latencies. Where appro- the beat grid prior to a prominent transient in the
priate, enter negative offset values in samples for waveform that is “on the beat.”
each port to correctly synchronize the audio sig- 11 Enable Tab to Transients and Shift+Tab to the
nals from your external MIDI devices with transient. The duration of this selection is the
Pro Tools playback. approximate amount of latency for your exter-
nal MIDI device.
12 Switch the Main Time Scale to Samples. The
length of the selected clip in samples is the
MIDI Beat Clock latency for that device.
13 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, enter the Sample Offset value as a negative number.
Since MIDI is not sample accurate, you may want to make several measurements at different grid
locations and average them to come up with the best value for the MIDI Beat Clock Offset.
Once you have measured the latency for your MIDI Beat Clock-enabled devices, be sure to keep
a record of these values in case you need to re-enter the MIDI Beat Clock Sample Offset in other
sessions.
Before you start recording in Pro Tools, you need Session Setup for Recording
to set up your Pro Tools system, a session, and one • Configuring a new or existing session for
or more tracks for recording. You will also need to recording:
configure how Pro Tools monitors the input you
• “Working with Hard Drives for Recording”
intend to record.
on page 513
While some of the information here is relevant to • “Recording with a Click” on page 500
preparing to record MIDI, there are more • “Setting the Session Meter and Tempo” on
specific setup details for MIDI recording in page 502
Chapter 25, “MIDI Recording.”
• Setting a Record Mode. See “Record Modes”
For information on recording audio, see on page 505
Chapter 24, “Audio Recording.”
Track Setup for Recording
For information on digitizing (recording) • Configuring one or more tracks for recording:
video in Pro Tools, see Chapter 59, “Work-
• “Configuring Default Names for Audio Files
ing with Video in Pro Tools” or the Avid
and Clips” on page 508
Video Peripherals Guide.
• “Assigning Hardware I/O on a Track” on
page 509
Record Setup Overview • “Record Enabling Tracks” on page 510
Record setup includes the following: • “Recording with Multiple Hard Drives” on
page 513
Hardware Setup for Recording
Monitoring Setup for Recording
• “Configuring Pro Tools Hardware I/O for Re-
cording” on page 498 • “Selecting a Record Input Monitoring Mode” on
page 516
• “Connecting a Sound Source” on page 500
• “Setting Monitor Levels for Record and Play-
back” on page 518
• “Reducing Monitoring Latency” on page 518
• “Recording with Delay Compensation” on
page 519
003 Rack+ has eight inputs with preamps, to which Set Input Levels
you can connect low-level signals.
When you feed a signal into any audio recording
003 and 003 Rack have four inputs with preamps, system, including Pro Tools, make sure to adjust
to which you can connect low-level signals, and the input level to optimize the dynamic range and
four additional line-level inputs with switchable signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded file. If the in-
gain. put level is too low, you will not take full advan-
tage of the dynamic range of your Pro Tools sys-
Eleven Rack has one Mic input with a preamp and tem. If the input level is too high, the waveform
1 instrument-level Guitar input with a special vari- can clip and distort the recording. Set the input lev-
able-impedance circuit called True-Z (for more in- els high, but not high enough to clip.
formation, see the Eleven Rack User Guide.)
As a general rule of thumb, try to set levels so that
Mbox (3rd generation), Mbox 2, Mbox Pro, Mbox they peak within –3 dB to –12 dB on the input me-
2 Pro, Mbox Mini, and Mbox 2 Mini each have two ter without triggering the clipping indicator on
inputs with preamps, to which you can connect your audio interface. Depending on the type of ma-
low-level signals. terial you are recording and its dynamic range and
peak content, you may want to record with higher
or lower levels.
Headroom Indicator
Headroom indicator
Pro Tools provides a numeric display (in dB) of Audio Volume indicator
the available headroom on tracks based on the last
Audio Volume and Headroom indicators
registered sample peak level in relation to the ref-
erence level of the currently selected Meter Type. Calibration Mode
The Headroom indicator is just to the right of the (HDX and HD Native Systems Only)
Audio Volume indicator below the faders and me-
ters in the Mix window. Click the Headroom indi- You can use the Calibration mode in Pro Tools to
cator to reset the current value. adjust the input and output levels for your audio in-
terface so they match those of your mixing console
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) to and other audio devices in your studio.
reset all Headroom indicators. Shift-Option-
click (Mac) or Shift-Alt-click (Windows) to HD I/O has one set of adjustable trim pots for its
reset the Headroom indicators for only se- inputs. Additionally, the reference level for the in-
lected tracks. put can be set to +4 dBu or –10 dBV. For more in-
formation on calibrating HD I/O, see the HD I/O
If the Headroom indicator is displayed in blue, Guide.
it is measuring below the dB value of the lowest
scale marking for the currently selected Meter There are no input or output trims on the following
Type. audio interfaces: HD OMNI, HD MADI. Some
Pro Tools audio interfaces that do not have output
trims (such as the HD OMNI) offer software-con-
trollable input levels, adjustable from Setup >
Hardware (see the guide for your particular audio
interface).
When your track material lines up with the beats, To create a click track using MIDI:
you can take advantage of some very useful editing
1 Create a new (mono) Auxiliary Input or Instru-
functions in Pro Tools, such as quantizing MIDI
ment track.
and audio events or clips, quantizing individual
MIDI notes, and copying and pasting measures 2 Do one of the following:
and song sections in Grid mode.
• From the track’s Input selector, select the path to
Material that is recorded without listening to which the MIDI device is connected.
a click can still be aligned to bar and beat • Insert an instrument plug-in on the track (such as
boundaries in Pro Tools with Beat Detective TL Metro or Xpand2).
(see Chapter 33, “Beat Detective”), or by us-
3 Configure the Click/Countoff options, and be
ing the Identify Beat command to determine
sure to select the port for the MIDI device or in-
the tempo (see “Identify Beat Command” on
strument plug-in from the Output pop-up menu
page 865).
(see “Click Options” on page 502).
4 Enable Click (see “Enabling the Click” on
page 501).
Selecting MIDI Controls from the Transport window Count Off button, enabled
menu
Hearing the countoff before recording helps musi-
• Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- cians to start playing at the right time and in tempo.
dows) the Expand/Collapse “+” button in the The Count Off button in the Transport window dis-
Transport window to display the MIDI controls. plays the number of bars counted before the trans-
port starts.
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Expand/Collapse “+” button in the Transport The countoff is ignored when Pro Tools is on-
window to display the MIDI controls and the line and synchronized to SMPTE timecode.
Counters.
• Choose Setup > Click/Countoff. 4 Select whether the click is heard During Play
and Record, or Only During Record, or Only
• Double-click the Metronome button in the
During Countoff.
Transport window.
5 If using a countoff, specify the number of Bars
2 In the Click/Countoff Options dialog, do one of
to be counted off. To hear the countoff only
the following:
when recording, select that option.
• If using the TL Metro or Click plug-in, select
None in the Output pop-up menu. 6 Click OK.
To set the Manual Tempo with the Tempo slider: 2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo Ruler
Enable (Conductor) button so it becomes un-
1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport win-
highlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
dow, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.
Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in
2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo Ruler the Tempo ruler are ignored.
Enable button (Conductor) button so it becomes
3 Do one of the following:
unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in • Click in the Tempo field so it becomes high-
the Tempo ruler are ignored. lighted and tap the “T” key on your computer
keyboard repeatedly at the new tempo.
Tempo Resolution selector • If the Use MIDI to Tap Tempo option is enabled
Tempo value in BPM in the MIDI Preferences, click in the Tempo
Tempo Ruler field so it becomes highlighted and tap in the
Enable button tempo by playing a note repeatedly at the new
Manual Tempo mode tempo on your MIDI keyboard controller.
3 To base the BPM value on something other than To compute the new tempo, Pro Tools averages
the default quarter-note, click the Tempo Reso- the last eight (or fewer) taps to determine the cor-
lution selector and select a different note value. rect tempo. The computed BPM value appears in
(For example, if you are in 6/8, select a dotted- the Transport window’s Tempo field.
quarter note.)
To lock in the new tempo:
4 To enter a new tempo, do one of the following:
Take Pro Tools out of Manual Tempo mode by
• Drag the Tempo value up or down. For finer res-
clicking the Tempo Ruler Enable (Conductor)
olution, press Command (Mac) or Control (Win-
button, then set the default tempo for the Song
dows) while dragging.
Start Marker to the new tempo.
• Click the Tempo value, type a new number, and
press Enter.
Unlike audio loop recording, the state of the MIDI QuickPunch, TrackPunch, and Destructive
Merge toggle determines whether existing material Punch modes use a different method for num-
is replaced or merged. bering clips. For details, see “TrackPunch
Audio Recording” on page 568.
Unless MIDI Merge is enabled, MIDI recording is
destructive (though you can undo a MIDI record When recording MIDI tracks, a similar naming
pass), either overwriting or adding to clip material. scheme is used, though with only one set of digits.
One exception to this rule is when Loop Record For example, after recording to a track called
mode is enabled; in this mode, existing track clips “Synth 1,” a clip is created called “Synth 1-01.”
are replaced with new clips when new material is Subsequent clips for that track, generating either
recorded. The old clips remain intact and available from additional record takes or clip edits, are num-
from the Clips List, and from the Matches pop-up bered sequentially (for example, “Synth 1-02”).
menu. In Loop Record mode, MIDI Merge has no
effect, so its button is dimmed. To rename a track:
Monitoring Drive Space By default, Pro Tools records audio files to the Au-
dio Files folder inside the session folder. If you
Pro Tools lets you check how much drive space is have multiple hard drives for recording, you can
available. The Disk Usage window shows the use the Disk Allocation window to specify other
available drive space for each drive connected to hard drive locations to record audio files on a
your system as text and as a gauge display. track-by-track basis.
To monitor available space on your drive during a Hard drives that are full do not appear in the Disk
Pro Tools session: Allocation window.
Choose Window > Disk Space.
To increase system performance, Pro Tools can re-
cord and play each track from a different hard
drive. You can also automatically distribute any
newly created tracks to multiple audio drives with
Round Robin Allocation.
5 When you are finished, click OK. Record to system drives only when absolutely nec-
essary, such as if your computer system has only
one hard drive, or if your other hard drives are
Saving Disk Allocation Settings completely full.
To save Disk Allocation settings for use with fu-
By default, the system volume is not included in
ture sessions, save the session as a template. For
Round Robin Allocation (regardless of volume
details, see “Session Templates” on page 176.
designation in the Workspace browser). To include
the System Volume in Round Robin Allocations,
Disk Allocation and Cross- see “Allocating Audio Drives in Your System” on
Platform Sessions page 514.
To ensure cross-platform operation, it is required
If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple
that Mac Pro Tools sessions and their associated
drives, and you intend to record multiple
audio files be on Mac-formatted (HFS or HFS+)
tracks simultaneously, you may want to
drives. Windows Pro Tools sessions and their as-
designate the System drive as a Playback only
sociated audio files must be on Windows-format-
or Transfer only drive for optimal
ted NTFS drives.
performance.
See “Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be
Compatible with Windows” on page 463 and
“Sharing Sessions Created on Different
Computer Platforms” on page 461.
When in Auto Input mode, the switch back to Select Track > Set Record Tracks to Auto Input.
monitoring track material on punch-out is
To toggle between Auto Input and Input
not instantaneous.
Only monitoring, press Option+K (Mac) or
Alt+K (Windows).
TrackInput monitoring lets you toggle individual To toggle individual tracks, click the TrackInput
audio tracks between Auto Input and Input Only Monitor button for each track you want to tog-
monitoring modes at any time, during playback, gle.
recording, while stopped, and even when a track is To toggle all tracks in the session, Option-click
not record-enabled. TrackInput monitoring pro- (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a TrackInput
vides the necessary monitoring flexibility for over- Monitor button.
dubbing and mixing, and is similar to input switch-
ing on analog multitrack recorders and similar To toggle all selected tracks in the session,
machines. Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click
(Windows) a selected track’s TrackInput Moni-
When the TrackInput button in a track is enabled tor button.
(green), the track monitors audio in Input Only
mode. Press Shift+I to enable the TrackInput
Monitor button for any track containing the
Edit cursor on an Edit selection.
TrackInput Monitor button On (Input Only), in the Edit To change all record-enabled tracks to Input
Window Only monitoring, select Track > Set Record
Tracks to Input Only.
When the TrackInput button in a track is disabled,
the track monitors in Auto Input mode. To toggle record-enabled tracks between
Auto Input and Input Only monitoring, press
Option+K (Mac) or Alt+K (Windows).
Pro Tools keeps track of these two states for fader With Pro Tools, latency occurs as follows:
levels automatically. If you adjust a fader when a • All Pro Tools systems can have Virtual Instru-
track is record-enabled and then turn off record en- ment plug-in MIDI-to-audio latency (such as
able for the track, the fader returns to its playback when playing a virtual instrument live and mon-
level. itoring the instrument’s output).
When audio tracks are record-enabled, their vol- • Pro Tools systems have input-to-output moni-
ume faders in the Mix window turn red, indicating toring latency on any record-armed tracks or
that the record monitor level is active. Auxiliary Inputs with live inputs.
• HDX systems have monitoring latency on tracks
Link Record and Play Faders that have one or more host-based plug-ins.
When the Link Record and Play Faders option is The latency amount is related to the H/W Buffer
selected in the Operation Preferences, Pro Tools Size setting—the larger the buffer size, the greater
does not keep track of record and play levels for the latency. You can reduce the amount of moni-
audio tracks. In this case, record enabling an audio toring latency by reducing the H/W Buffer Size set-
track has no effect on the fader level for the track. ting. However, even at the smallest buffer size,
This lets you maintain a consistent mix regardless there is still some latency.
of whether you are recording or just listening.
In addition, reducing the buffer size limits the
number of simultaneous audio tracks you can re-
cord without encountering performance errors.
Reducing Monitoring Latency
While there may be times when you want a larger
There will inevitably be some audio delay, or
buffer size, such as when you have higher track
latency, in the monitoring signal (even if only a
counts with more plug-ins, you will generally want
few samples) due to the process of converting an
the smallest possible buffer size when latency is
analog signal to a digital signal (input) and back
present during recording and monitoring.
again (output). There may be additional latency
due to mixer configurations and processing. If you are monitoring the recording source with an
external mixer before it is routed to Pro Tools, you
HDX systems have additional latency when using
will not hear any latency.
Native plug-ins because these plug-ins also use
your computer’s host processor.
In Pro Tools, you record audio to audio tracks. Au- Basic Recording Steps
dio tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel as
appropriate for the recording source. To record an audio track:
When recording a stereo audio source, record to a 3 Click the Record Enable button for the audio
single, stereo audio track in Pro Tools. A single, track. It lights red.
mono audio file is written to disk for each channel
of a stereo track: one for the left channel, and one
for the right channel. These files appear as a stereo
clip both in the track’s playlist and in the Clips
List.
8 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected 3 To start playback, click Play in the Transport or
(see “Record Modes” on page 505). press the Spacebar.
The track’s playlist is restored to its previous state For each record-enabled track, a new audio file is
and material is discarded as follows: written to disk, and a new clip is created that ap-
pears both in the track’s playlist and in the Clips
• When in normal Record mode, only the most re-
List.
cent take is discarded.
• When in Loop Record mode, all takes from each If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple
record pass are discarded. drives, and you intend to record multiple
tracks simultaneously, you may want to
• When using QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or
designate the System drive as a Transfer only
DestructivePunch mode, all punches from the
drive for optimal performance.
last recording pass are discarded.
The Stop button lights and both the Play and Re-
cord buttons flash.
3 To begin recording instantaneously, click Play.
4 Click Stop to stop recording.
Memory Locations
Transport window with Start, End, and Length fields You can store Edit selections as Memory Loca-
displayed tions, which can also include current pre- and post-
You can enter locations in the start and end fields roll values.
to set the record or play range. The Timeline Selec- For more information on Memory Locations,
tion Markers in the Main Timebase ruler are up- see Chapter 39, “Memory Locations.”
dated accordingly.
To save an Edit selection with a Memory Location:
To set the record range by entering start and end
times in the Transport window: 1 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection is selected.
1 To see the start, end, and length times, do one of
the following: 2 Set the record range by making an Edit or Time-
line selection, or by entering start and end times
• Select View > Transport > Expanded.
in the Transport window.
• Shift-click the Expand/Collapse “+” button in
the Transport window.
The start and end times and pre- and post-roll set-
tings stored with the Memory Location are re-
called.
7 Click OK.
Setting Pre- and Post-Roll in the To set and enable the pre- and post-roll by clicking
Transport Window in a playlist:
Pre- and post-roll can be enabled and set in the 1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
Transport window. tion.
Pre-roll enabled for 2 beats; Post-roll disabled 2 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or
Alt-click (Windows) in the Edit selection near
5 To enable either pre- or post-roll, click the ap- the end to disable the post-roll.
propriate button so it is highlighted.
In the Timeline, you can reset the pre- and
Use the Period (.) or Left/Right Arrow keys to post-roll to zero. First, drag the Pre-Roll
move through the different time fields for pre Flag to the Timeline Selection In Point, then
and post-roll. Use the Up/Down Arrow keys drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline Se-
to increase or decrease the numerical values. lection Out Point.
• To record from the beginning of the session, • To record from the beginning of the track, click
click Return to Zero in the Transport. Return to Zero in the Transport.
• If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is • If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is
enabled, click anywhere in the track’s playlist to enabled, click anywhere in the track’s playlist to
begin recording from that point. begin recording from that point.
To record a specific track range, with precise To record a specific track range, with precise
start and end points, see “Audio Punch Re- start and end points, see “Audio Punch Re-
cording Over a Specified Range” on cording Over a Specified Range” on
page 529. page 529.
4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools 4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
for recording. for recording.
6 Click Stop to stop recording. 6 When finished, click Stop to stop recording.
Pro Tools adds the new material to the end of the 4 Record enable the track.
track. If using Destructive Record mode, the new 5 To start from the beginning of the session, click
audio is appended to the audio file and clip from Return to Zero in the Transport.
the first take. In Nondestructive Record mode, a
new file and clip are created. 6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
for recording.
Recording to a New Playlist 7 Click Play to start recording.
Instead of recording over existing audio clips, 8 Click Stop to stop recording.
there is another way to nondestructively record
new takes to the same track. Do this by creating a An audio file for the new take is written to disk and
new playlist for the track, then record just as be- appears as an audio clip both in the track’s new
fore. playlist and in the Clips List.
Tracks can have multiple edit playlists, each of Selecting a previous playlist from track’s Playlist
which stores a list of clips strung together in a par- selector recalls its clips as they previously ap-
ticular order. Also, since playlists follow groups, peared in the track. At any time, all clips from all
duplicating or selecting alternate playlists for a playlists are available in the Clips List, and can be
track in an enabled group will affect all tracks in mixed and matched between playlists and tracks.
the group. For more information on playlists and play-
list editing, see “Playlists” on page 691.
When loop recording audio, Pro Tools creates a 5 To hear track material up to the start point of the
single audio file that includes all takes. Takes ap- loop, enable pre-roll and set the pre-roll time
pear as individual clips in the Clips List and are (see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 527).
numbered sequentially. Once you stop recording, 6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
you can audition any of the recorded takes. for recording.
To use alternate takes created with Loop 7 Click Play to start recording.
Record in other sessions (such as when us-
ing Import Session Data), export clip defi- The Record button flashes during the pre-roll.
nitions (see “Exporting Clip Definitions” When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins
on page 414). If clip definitions are not ex- recording. When the end point is reached,
ported, alternate takes created with Loop Pro Tools loops back to the start time and contin-
Record will be inaccessible when im- ues recording.
ported into another session. 8 To cancel all recorded takes while loop record-
ing, press Command+Period (.) (Mac) or Con-
trol+Period (.) (Windows).
9 When finished, click Stop to stop recording.
When loop recording, Pro Tools creates a single Selecting Alternate Takes from the
file containing all recording passes where each re- Clips List
cording pass is a clip in the file. On the track, only
the last recording pass is present as a clip in the To select a take from the Clips List:
main playlist. All other clips (recording passes) are 1 In the Edit window, select the current clip (take)
hidden and can only be recalled as matching alter- with the Time Grabber tool.
nate clips (takes). When enabled, the new Auto-
2 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) dif-
matically Create New Playlists When Loop Record-
ferent clips in the Clips List to audition them.
ing option in the Operation Preferences page
automatically copies each clip (take) to a new play- 3 Control-drag (Mac) or Start-drag (Windows)
list in the track. This facilitates using Playlists the clip you want from the Clips List into the
view for auditioning and selecting alternate takes. playlist.
To automatically create new playlists when loop The clip replaces the previous take and snaps pre-
recording: cisely to the correct location.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Op-
eration tab. Selecting Alternate Takes on a Track
2 In the Recording section, enable the Automati- Each clip resulting from a punch or loop record
cally Create New Playlists When Loop Record- pass has an identical start time (the User Time
ing option. Stamp). You can select and audition alternate takes
from the Right-click Matches submenu or the Al-
ternate Takes pop-up menu—even during play-
back.
Clip Start Any clips that have the same start time
as the time location of the Edit cursor or Edit selec-
tion.
Clip Start and End Any clips that have the same
start and end times as the Edit selection.
Pro Tools lets you copy alternate takes to new Expanding alternate takes to new tracks readily fa-
playlists or tracks. This is especially useful for au- cilitates auditioning, editing, and mixing alternate
ditioning, editing, and mixing multiple alternate takes, each on separate tracks.
takes or channels. Alternate takes are created when
punch and loop recording. To expand alternate takes to new tracks:
have audio Input and Output selectors. These Devices that are assigned as a MIDI Controller
selectors are different than the Instrument track’s in the Peripherals dialog (Setup > Peripherals) are
selectors for MIDI Input and Output and are pri- ignored when MIDI tracks are recorded. This is to
marily used for monitoring audio from MIDI in- avoid recording data from MIDI control surfaces
struments or instrument plug-ins. (such as Command|8).
It is not necessary to use QuickPunch, Track- To record and play MIDI, the device must be
Punch, or DestructivePunch to punch in with MIDI enabled in the MIDI Input Enable dialog. For more
or Instrument tracks. This capability is available information, see “Enabling Input Devices” on
both in Normal (Nondestructive) Record mode and page 542.
Destructive Record mode.
MIDI Control Surfaces In order to use any MIDI MIDI Input Enable dialog
control surfaces (such as Command|8), they must
be enabled in the MIDI Input Enable dialog.
Devices do not need to be selected to receive
MMC In order for Pro Tools to synchronize to MIDI data from Pro Tools. For example, a
MIDI Machine Control (MMC), the MMC source device used exclusively as a sound module
must be enabled in the MIDI Input Enable dialog. does not need to be selected in the MIDI
For more information on using MMC with Input Enable dialog.
Pro Tools, see “Using MIDI Machine Control” on
page 1281. 4 Click OK.
2 In the MIDI Input Filter dialog, select the All Ex- For more information on Input Quantize, see
cept option. “Input Quantize Command” on page 1029.
3 Select the option for Program Changes. Leave
all other messages deselected.
Wait for Note
The Wait for Note button, located in the Transport
window, determines how Pro Tools begins record-
ing. When enabled, Pro Tools does not start re-
cording until a MIDI event is received. This en-
sures that recording begins only when you start
playing, and that the first note, or other MIDI data,
is recorded precisely at the beginning of the set re-
cord range (start time).
1 Do one of the following: 3 From the track’s MIDI Input selector, select the
device and channel to be recorded. (For Instru-
• Right-click the MIDI Merge button.
ment tracks, the MIDI Input selector is available
• Choose Settings > Preferences > MIDI. in Instruments view.)
2 Select the best option for your workflow:
1. Start recording
2. Recording
3. Recorded
Recorded MIDI clip fits to nearest whole bars based on first and last recorded MIDI events
Footswitches are supported by 003 family in- Clip added after punch record
terfaces, Mbox Pro, and Mbox 2 Pro, as well When selecting an entire clip, or a section within a
as any Pro Tools system with a supported con- clip, before punching, no new clips are created. In
trol surface. this instance, only the material residing within the
existing clip changes, with no new material re-
The Record button in the Transport and the track’s
corded outside the clip.
Record Enable button stop flashing and stay lit
during recording. Unlike audio recording, MIDI recording in this
7 To punch out, click Record again (or press the scenario is destructive. Newly recorded MIDI data
footswitch). overwrites existing MIDI data while leaving the
existing clip boundaries intact.
Pro Tools exits Record mode and continues play-
ing. You can perform additional punches during
the same pass.
The Record button flashes during pre-roll. When To record MIDI in Loop Record mode:
the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins record-
1 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re-
ing. When the end point is reached, Pro Tools
cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument
loops back to the start point and continues playing
Tracks for Recording” on page 546).
and recording.
2 Select Options > Loop Record. When Loop Re-
12 Play your MIDI controller. Newly recorded
cord mode is enabled, a loop symbol appears in
MIDI data appears as a clip in the record track.
the Record button.
On each successive take, recorded material
shows up in the clip, without replacing material
from previous takes.
13 To switch to a new record track, press Com-
mand (Mac) or Control (Windows), and press Loop Recording enabled
the Up/Down Arrow keys to record enable the
previous or next MIDI or Instrument track. 3 If you have not done so already, record enable
the MIDI or Instrument track by clicking its Re-
14 When you are finished recording, click Stop in cord Enable button. Make sure no audio tracks
the Transport. are record-enabled.
The newly recorded MIDI data appears as a MIDI 4 Disable Wait for Note and Countoff in the
clip in the track’s playlist, and in the Clips List. Transport window.
5 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Loop Recording Multiple Takes Selection.
When recording MIDI in Loop Record mode, new 6 With the Selector tool, select the loop range in
clips are created each time new material is received the track’s playlist.
during a record pass. This differs somewhat from
loop recording audio, where Pro Tools creates a For other methods of setting the record
single audio file that comprises all takes, which ap- range, see “Setting Punch and Loop Points”
pear as individual clips in the Clips List. on page 524.
For more information on Step Input, see 10 When the Sysex transfer is complete, click Stop
“Step Input Command” on page 1030. in the Transport.
Instrument track record-enabled, Transport not record-enabled, MIDI performance sounds during playback
MIDI performance written to record enabled track using Retrospective Record command
Punch recording is used in many areas of audio Pro Tools Punch Recording
production for film, video, and music. Modes
Pro Tools provides three different manual punch
recording modes:
Introduction to Punch
Recording Modes QuickPunch A nondestructive Record mode that
lets record-enabled tracks be punched in and
Once basic track material has been recorded, it is punched out during playback by clicking the Re-
often necessary to replace some, but not all, of the cord button in the Transport. QuickPunch mode is
audio that makes up each track. Punch recording available on all systems.
lets you manually punch one or more audio tracks
in and out of recording without stopping the Trans- TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD Only) A nondestruc-
port. tive Record mode that lets individual tracks be
punched in, punched out, and taken out of record
You do not need to use QuickPunch or any enable without interrupting online recording and
other audio punch recording mode to punch playback.
record with MIDI tracks. MIDI tracks can be
punched while in Normal (Nondestructive) DestructivePunch (Pro Tools HD Only) A de-
Record mode, and in Destructive Record structive Record mode that maintains a single
mode. continuous audio file per punch track, and lets in-
dividual tracks be punched in, punched out, and
taken out of record enable without interrupting
online recording and playback.
• Tracks with assigned voices that are record-en- Command-Control-click (Mac) or Control-
abled. Start-click (Windows) the Track Compensation
indicator on the track.
• Tracks with Dynamically Allocated Voicing that
are not record-enabled. To apply Delay Compensation to all selected
• Tracks with Dynamically Allocated Voicing that tracks where Delay Compensation was
are record-enabled. suspended, do one of the following:
Transport and Record preferences for punch re- Punching out of record by pressing Record
cording appear on the Operation Preferences page. on the Transport takes the transport out of re-
These preferences specify how track and Transport cord enable.
record status respond during, between, and after
Destructive Recording and Transport RecordLock
punches and passes.
As a precaution against accidentally recording
over previous material, the Transport RecordLock
option is automatically disabled and grayed out
when Destructive record mode is enabled.
Audio Track RecordLock
Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming • Select Options > QuickPunch.
Profiles to configure your system, and choose • Right-click the Record button in the Transport
Window > Machine Track Arming to display and select QuickPunch.
the Machine Track Arming window.
When QuickPunch is enabled, a “P” appears in the
Record button in the Transport.
For information on remote track arming
with MachineControl, see the Machine-
Control Guide.
QuickPunch enabled
Before each pass, you must TrackPunch enable all Each track’s Record Enable button indicates its
tracks that you intend to punch (you can Track- TrackPunch and record enable status as follows:
Punch enable tracks without record enabling • When a track is TrackPunch-enabled but not re-
them). cord-enabled, its Record Enable button lights
solid blue.
To TrackPunch enable one audio track:
Option-Control-Shift-click (Mac) or
Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) a track’s
Record Enable button.
When TrackPunch enabled, Track record enable Record Enable button, enabled
buttons light solid blue.
• When a track is both TrackPunch-enabled and
Create track groups for each stem or set of record-enabled, its Record enable button flashes
tracks on which you plan to punch, then use blue and red.
the Groups List to quickly select all tracks in • When a track is record-enabled only, its Record
the group. Enable button flashes red.
• While a track is recording (in any mode), its Re-
cord Enable button lights solid red.
In order for a track to be enabled for Destructive- To prepare a track for DestructivePunch
Punch recording, the track must contain a contigu- recording:
ous audio file that meets the following require- 1 Enable DestructivePunch mode (“Enabling De-
ments: structivePunch Mode” on page 572).
• The file must start at the beginning (sample 0) of
2 Make sure the tracks you want to prepare are
the session.
DestructivePunch-enabled (see “Destructive-
• The File Length must be equal to or greater than Punch Enabling Tracks without Record En-
the DestructivePunch File Length setting (see abling Them” on page 574).
“DestructivePunch File Length” on page 573).
3 Choose Options > Prepare DPE Tracks.
If a track does not contain a file that meets these re-
quirements, you can do any of the following to Pro Tools consolidates audio on all Destructive-
meet the requirements: Punch-enabled tracks from the beginning of the
session to the value specified in the Destructive-
• Move the current file in the track Timeline so Punch File Length preference.
that its beginning aligns with the session start.
• Use the Consolidate command to create a con- For clips with any clip gain settings other
tinuous file of the required length. than 0 dB, the Prepare DPE Tracks com-
mand automatically renders all clip gain and
• Change the DestructivePunch File Length set-
resets all clip gain to 0 dB.
ting so that the current file is equal to or greater
than the required length.
Enabling Tracks for
• Use the Prepare DPE Tracks command to con- DestructivePunch Recording
solidate audio on all DestructivePunch-enabled
You can enable tracks for DestructivePunch with-
tracks. (See “Using the Prepare DPE Tracks
out record enabling them. This lets you punch in on
Command” on page 573.)
individual tracks at any time after starting play-
DestructivePunch File Length back by clicking their respective Record Enable
buttons.
To use DestructivePunch on an audio track, the
track must contain a contiguous audio file of a You can also simultaneously DestructivePunch en-
minimum length, which is set in the Pro Tools Op- able tracks and record enable them. This lets re-
eration preferences page. cording begin as soon as the transport is record-
armed and playback begins. (See “Destructive-
To set DestructivePunch File Length: Punch-Enabling and Record-Enabling Tracks Si-
multaneously” on page 574.)
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
6 Stop playback. When you are finished with the Because Pro Tools can be networked, TrackPunch
record pass, track Record Enable status and (and all other) audio files and whole sessions can
transport Record Arm status follow the current be available for secure transfer to other systems for
Audio Track RecordLock and Transport Record- review, editing, and archiving.
Lock preference settings.
Film Dubbing and Mixing
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Workflow example for configuring “in-the-box”
Operation tab. dubbing:
2 Enable Mute Record-Armed Tracks While 1 Using internal busses, route your source tracks,
Stopped. by stem (for example, dialog, music, and ef-
fects), to your record tracks (see Figure 1 on
3 Configure synchronization and other settings page 579).
for Pro Tools and your other devices.
2 Route your stem source tracks to your print
4 Enable TrackPunch or DestructivePunch mode master track (such as a 5.1 audio track).
and proceed with punch recording.
Use the Edit window in Pro Tools to edit and ar- Nondestructive Editing
range audio, video, and MIDI. Track material can
The vast majority of audio editing in Pro Tools is
be edited nondestructively and in real time during
nondestructive. Whether cutting, pasting, trim-
playback.
ming, separating, or clearing clips, you are only
The Edit window also lets you graphically edit performing these functions on a map of the actual
other data, as follows: media (such as audio files). The source files re-
main untouched. However, certain processes or
Editing Clips and Selections See Chapter 30, tools work destructively (can permanently change
“Editing Clips and Selections.” Also, see audio files on your hard disk), as noted in other
Chapter 40, “Arranging Clips.” topics.
Editing Fades and Crossfades See Chapter 31, While editing for MIDI tracks is in some instances
“Fades and Crossfades.” destructive, with a few precautions you can keep
Editing Elastic Audio See Chapter 44, “Elastic important MIDI tracks and clips safe when per-
Audio.” forming edits (see “Nondestructive MIDI Editing”
on page 592).
Editing MIDI See Chapter 34, “MIDI Editing.”
Track Material User-Defined Clips These are clips that are explic-
itly defined, such as when you record or import au-
Each time you record or import audio, video, and
dio or MIDI; capture, separate, or consolidate a se-
MIDI, Pro Tools creates clips for the new track
lection; trim a whole-file audio clip; or rename an
data, which not only indicate where the material
existing clip.
begins and ends, but also provides visual feedback
on its general character and content. When you re- Auto-Created Clips These clips are automatically
cord additional takes, or “punch in” on a specific created in the course of editing, and, in some in-
location within a track, Pro Tools creates addi- stances, when punch recording over existing clips.
tional clips. Since these clips can accumulate rapidly in a ses-
sion, you can hide them in the Clips List. Auto-cre-
Clips are also created by cutting and pasting, resiz-
ated clips can be turned into user-defined clips by
ing, separating, and re-capturing existing clips.
renaming them.
Clips in a session are listed in the Clips List, where
they can be dragged to existing tracks. A track can For more information, see “Naming and Dis-
contain any number of clips, in any arrangement. playing Clips in the Clips List” on page 297.
The order and location of clips in a track define its
playlist.
Peak When selected, the waveform display is cal- Peak view is always shown during recording.
culated based on the sample-by-sample peak level. Power waveform view is calculated and
Peak view is traditionally how Pro Tools calcu- shown only after you stop recording.
lates the waveform overview and can be used for
normal or rectified views. Peak view clearly dis-
plays any clipping in the waveform. Power view is not available in Destructive
Punch mode or when zoomed to the sample
level.
Rectified Waveforms
Rectified waveforms are displayed so that their
Normal Peak Waveform view with Outlines positive and negative waveform excursions (the
portions that fall above and below the center line)
When zoomed in to the sample level, are summed together and viewed as a single posi-
Pro Tools always displays Peak view. tive-value signal. This view lets you see more
waveform detail in normal or reduced track height
views. It can be particularly useful when editing
volume automation data, since it depicts waveform
levels as starting at the bottom of the track. Recti-
fied view is available in both Peak and Power
views.
Some important rules to keep in mind when Apply a crossfade between clips where a click
defining clips: or pop occurs. See “Creating a Crossfade” on
page 679 for details.
Whenever possible, begin a clip precisely
before a volume peak, and end it immediately be- With Pro Tools HD, use the AutoFade feature to
fore another volume peak. apply real-time fade-ins/outs to all clip boundaries
that do not touch or overlap other clips. See “Using
Whenever possible, make sure a clip starts and AutoFades” on page 680 for details.
ends on exactly the same part of a beat.
Use the following Pro Tools features to help Nondestructive Audio Editing
you edit rhythmic material or audio with clear tran-
sients into precise clips: When editing an audio track’s playlist in
Pro Tools, you are not actually cutting and moving
• Tab to Transients (see “Tabbing to Transients” pieces of sound as you would if you were cutting
on page 642.) and splicing analog tape. Instead, Pro Tools cre-
• Editing to a Grid (see “Grid Mode” on page 602) ates a map of the audio file on your hard disk,
• Beat Detective (see Chapter 33, “Beat Detec- which describes the order in which to play various
tive”) portions of the audio.
You can edit automation data by switching track Use Clips view to define clips that represent song
views or by revealing the automation lanes under sections and clips, or to rearrange or assemble
the track. track material.
For more information on automation, see In Clips view, the vertical zoom is automatically
Chapter 50, “Automation.” scaled to fit the entire range of pitches of MIDI
notes on a track.
MIDI Clips and MIDI Data You can double-click a MIDI clip to open it in
the MIDI Editor window. See Chapter 35,
The two most common Track Views you will use “MIDI Editors.”
for MIDI and Instrument tracks are Notes and
Clips: There are a few things to consider when selecting,
copying and cutting, and trimming MIDI clips:
Use Clips view for arranging clips.
When cutting or clearing a clip or clip group se-
Use Notes view for inserting and editing indi-
lection that includes a note’s start point, the entire
vidual MIDI notes, and for working with and af-
note is removed. This is even the case when only a
fecting groups of notes.
portion of the note (that includes its start point) is
For more information on setting Track View, selected.
see “Track Views” on page 237. When cutting or clearing a clip or clip group se-
lection that includes a note’s end point (but not its
To toggle the Track View between Notes and start point), the note remains and overlaps the edge
Clips, click in the track you want to toggle of the clip.
and press Control+Minus (Mac) or
Start+Minus (Windows) on the alphanu-
meric keyboard.
When moving and placing MIDI clips with over- For more information on editing MIDI con-
lapping notes, the notes always move with the troller data, see Chapter 34, “MIDI Editing.”
clips. When placing MIDI clips with overlapping
notes next to or near another clip, the overlapping MIDI Mute Automation
notes extend into the next clip on the track.
Unlike continuous controller events, which repre-
To separate MIDI notes, rather than leave sent nuances that are part of a MIDI performance,
them hanging, when separating, cutting or Mute in Pro Tools is an automation playlist that ac-
copying clips, make the Edit selection you tually mutes the MIDI engine. Mute automation
want, switch to Notes view and use the does not correspond to actual MIDI events and is
Separate At Selection command, then switch therefore not exported when saving as a Standard
back to Clips view and make the edit MIDI File.
(separating, cutting, or copying).
When a MIDI or Instrument track’s Track View is Click either the up or down arrow of the mini-
set to Notes, MIDI notes are displayed in a keyboard.
“piano roll” format. Each note is displayed as a
small rectangle with its vertical placement indicat-
ing pitch and its horizontal placement indicating
location in time (and duration).
To the left of the MIDI or Instrument track’s play- Scrolling Notes display by dragging
list is a vertical mini-keyboard, complete with oc-
tave numbering, for pitch reference. You can click If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, move
the mini-keyboard to play pitches using the track’s the cursor over the track and Command-Option-
selected MIDI output. Arrows at the top and bot- Control-scroll (Mac) or Control-Alt-Start-scroll
tom of the mini-keyboard (not available in the (Windows) up or down to scroll the notes dis-
smaller track heights) are used to scroll the Notes play up or down.
display up and down.
Using the Edit tools, notes can be inserted, deleted,
Clicking the mini-keyboard clears the cur- transposed, trimmed, and moved. For more infor-
rent Edit selection. For more information, mation, see “Manually Editing MIDI Notes” on
see “Selecting MIDI Notes” on page 752. page 752.
However, if the Mirror MIDI Editing option is dis- For more information, see “Renaming
abled, when editing a MIDI clip that appears else- Clips” on page 297.
where in the session (either on the same track at an-
To rename a clip on a track:
other location or in a different playlist, or in
another track), editing is nondestructive and cre- 1 Do one of the following:
ates a new auto-created clip. To go back to the pre- • Select the clip you want to rename and then
vious material, drag the original clip from the Clips choose Clip > Rename.
List, or return to a previously saved playlist.
• With any of the Edit tools, Right-click the clip
One way to safely return to a track’s previous that you want to rename and select Rename
state is with playlists. Before you edit notes, from the pop-up menu.
trim clips, or rearrange the order of clips, • Press Command+Shift+R (Mac) or Con-
make a duplicate of the track’s existing play- trol+Shift+R (Windows).
list and then edit the duplicate (see “Play- • With the Grabber tool, double-click the clip you
lists” on page 691). want to rename. For MIDI clips, the Name Dia-
log option must be selected as the Double-Click-
To apply edits to all instances of a MIDI clip, ing a MIDI Clip Opens setting in the MIDI
enable Mirrored MIDI Editing mode (see Preferences.
“Mirrored MIDI Editing” on page 747). 2 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
clip. If a whole-file audio clip was selected,
specify whether to rename just the clip, or both
the clip and the disk file.
3 Click OK to rename the clip.
Choose Edit > Redo. The operation you choose, as well as all the opera-
tions in the queue before it, are redone.
Press Shift+Command+Z (Mac) or Shift+Con-
trol+Z (Windows). To toggle display of creation times in the Undo
History window:
If no actions are available to redo, the menu
Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
displays Can’t Redo.
Show Creation Times.
Undo History Window To undo all the operations in the Undo Queue:
You can use the Undo History window to view the Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
queue of the undoable and redoable operations and Undo All.
return to any previous state. The Undo History can
show edit creation times, enabling you to revert to To redo all the operations in the Redo Queue:
the state a session held at a particular time.
Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
Redo All.
Options selector
Creation times
3 Click OK.
You cannot cut or copy automation data Use the Copy command to place a copy of the se-
from an automation playlist unless that lection on the Clipboard so it can be pasted to an-
playlist includes at least one breakpoint in other track, or to the same track at a different loca-
it. The selection you are cutting or copying tion, while leaving the original intact and in place.
does not need to include any breakpoints,
To cut or copy a selection or clip:
but without at least one breakpoint on an
automation playlist, there is no automation 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
data to copy. rent Grid value, enable Snap to Grid.
2 Set the Track View for the tracks you want to
edit.
4 Do one of the following: • Place the insertion point in each of the destina-
tion tracks by Shift-clicking in them.
• If pasting audio clips to larger areas, the Batch
Fades dialog opens. Configure the dialog to cre- • Make a selection in one of the Timebase rulers.
ate crossfades between each pasted clip, then 2 Choose Edit > Paste.
click OK.
When you paste multiple types of data, whatever
• If you do not want crossfades for the pasted au-
data has been copied is pasted into the correct type
dio, click Cancel in the Batch Fades dialog.
of playlist. Automation data is pasted into the cor-
responding automation playlist. Audio or MIDI
data is pasted into the audio or MIDI playlist. You
Editing Across Multiple do not need to set target tracks to the specific type
Tracks of data being pasted for the paste to work correctly.
When working with data from multiple tracks,
If all destination tracks in a multitrack paste are
there are some important points to remember.
displayed as automation, the paste replaces any
For example, if any selected tracks are set to their
previous data on the target track without shuf-
master view (see “Master Views for Tracks” on
fling—regardless of whether Shuffle Clips is
page 241), edits affect not only audio and MIDI for
enabled.
the selected tracks, but all automation and control-
ler data as well.
Edit mode buttons When using any of the Trim tools in Shuffle mode,
changing a clip’s start or end point automatically
The Edit mode affects the movement and place-
moves any subsequent clips as necessary. The
ment of audio and MIDI clips (and MIDI notes),
placement and insertion of MIDI notes is not af-
how commands like Copy and Paste function, and
fected by Shuffle mode.
also how the various Edit tools (Trim, Selector,
Grabber, and Pencil tools) work. Press F1 to enable Shuffle mode.
Spot Mode
Shuffle Lock enabled
Use Spot mode to place clips at precise locations.
To lock out Shuffle Mode: In Spot mode you can specify a frame location (or
While in any Edit mode other than Shuffle a location based on any of the other time formats),
mode, Command-click (Mac) or Control-click capture an incoming Timecode address, or use a
(Windows) the Shuffle button on-screen. A lock clip’s time stamps as reference points for spotting.
icon appears in the Shuffle button. This can be particularly useful when performing
post production tasks around SMPTE frame loca-
To unlock Shuffle Mode: tions.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- When Spot mode is enabled, Pro Tools asks you to
dows) the locked Shuffle button on-screen. specify a destination location when a clip is
dragged from the Clips List, a Workspace browser,
Windows Explorer, or the Mac Finder.
Slip Mode
Press F3 to enable Spot mode.
In Slip mode, clips can be moved freely within a
track or to other tracks. In this mode, it is possible
to place a clip so that there is space between it and Grid Mode
other clips in a track. When the track is played
back, this space is silent. It is also possible to move In Grid mode, clips and MIDI notes that are
a clip so that it overlaps or completely covers an- moved, trimmed or inserted “snap” to the currently
other clip. selected Grid value, or to precise increments on a
user-definable time grid.
Shift-click the Shuffle, Slip, or Spot mode but- Press Shift+Equal (=)
ton.
To decrease the grid value incrementally:
Press F1+F4 to enable Snap To Grid and
Press Shift+Minus (–)
Shuffle mode; press F2+F4 to enable Snap
To Grid and Slip mode; and press F3+F4 to The Clips/Markers option in the Grid Value menu
enable Snap To Grid and Spot mode. allows events to be placed freely (as in Slip mode),
but they will snap to clip locations (start, end, and
Configuring the Grid sync points), markers, and Edit selections when
placed near them.
The actual Grid size, chosen from the Grid value
selector can be based on a time value using the MIDI notes inserted with the Pencil tool ig-
Main Time Scale; or, if the Follow Main Time nore the Clips/Markers option, and instead
Scale option is deselected, another time format can snap to the time value selected in the Grid
be used for the Grid size. Value selector.
The Grid Value indicator and selector are located
in the Edit window. Also, the Score Editor window Grid Mode Lock
and MIDI Editor windows each provide an inde- To ensure that you do not inadvertently change the
pendent Grid Value indicator and selector. Grid mode setting when using Edit mode keyboard
shortcuts, you can enable Edit/Tool Mode Key-
board Lock.
To zoom in horizontally for all tracks, do one of the MIDI Vertical Zoom only affects tracks in not
following:
in Clips view.
Click the Horizontal Zoom In button.
To zoom in vertically for all audio tracks, do one of
Drag on the Horizontal Zoom In button to zoom the following:
in continuously.
Click the Audio Zoom In button.
Press Command+] (Mac) or Control+] (Win-
Drag on the Audio Zoom In button to zoom
dows).
continuously.
To zoom out horizontally for all tracks, do one of Press Command+Option+] (Mac) or Con-
the following: trol+Alt+] (Windows).
Click the Horizontal Zoom Out button.
Drag on the Horizontal Zoom Out button to
zoom out continuously.
Press Command+[ (Mac) or Control+[ (Win-
dows).
The Zoomer tool offers two modes: 3 To zoom back to the previous level, Option-
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) with the
Normal Zoom The Zoomer tool remains selected Zoomer tool.
after zooming.
To zoom into a particular track area:
Single Zoom The previously selected Edit tool is
automatically reselected after zooming. 1 Do one of the following:
• Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
Press the F5 key to select the Zoomer tool Normal Zoom mode.
and toggle between Normal and Single Zoom
modes. • Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom.
Zooming in a Ruler
To zoom horizontally in a ruler:
1 Press Command+Control (Mac) or Con-
trol+Start (Windows) and move the cursor into
the ruler area, so the Zoomer tool appears.
Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window
When selected, this option ensures that zoom tog- If Last Used is selected for any of the following,
gle automatically follows the current Edit selec- you can adjust the corresponding zoom, height, or
tion. When disabled, changing the Edit selection view in the Edit window to update the stored zoom
has no affect on the currently toggled-in track. state:
• Vertical Zoom
Using Zoom Toggle • Horizontal Zoom
Depending on the Zoom Toggle preference set- • Track Height
tings, the Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window
• Track View
lets you define a zoom state and toggle between it
and the current zoom state, or it zooms to the set- In Commands Keyboard Focus mode (see
tings in the Zoom Toggle preferences. When “Keyboard Focus” on page 27), press the
Zoom Toggle is enabled, the Edit window displays E key to enable or disable Zoom Toggle.
the stored zoom state. Additionally, any changes
made to the view while Zoom Toggle is enabled
are also stored in the zoom state. Press Option+Shift+E (Mac) or Alt+Shift+E
(Windows) to cancel Zoom Toggle without
When Zoom Toggle is disabled, the Edit window reverting to the previous view.
reverts to the last zoom state.
To modify the stored Zoom Toggle state if Last
To store a zoom state using Zoom Toggle: Used is selected:
1 Set the Zoom Toggle preferences. 1 Make sure the Zoom Toggle button is lit (en-
abled).
2 Make an Edit selection.
2 Adjust the Track Height, Vertical Zoom, Track
3 Click the Zoom Toggle button. It lights to indi- View, or the Grid depending on which prefer-
cate that Zoom Toggle is enabled and Pro Tools ences are set to Last Used. Changes are stored
zoom toggles in based on the settings of the as the new Zoom Toggle state.
Zoom Toggle preferences.
Using the Zoom Toggle Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while
turning the mouse scroll wheel.
Trim tools provide clip, note, and data trimming To trim a clip with the Trim tool:
functions. The following Trim tools are available:
1 Select the Trim tool.
• Trim tool; also called the Standard Trim tool
2 Do one of the following:
• Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool; also
• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
called the TCE Trim tool
Standard.
• Scrub Trim tool (Pro Tools HD Only)
• Loop Trim tool
The TCE, Scrub, and Loop Trim tools do not apply 3 Move the cursor near the start or end of the clip,
to fades. so the Trim Tool cursor appears.
Trim Tool
With the Trim tool, you can quickly shorten or ex-
pand a clip (up to the entire length of the source au-
dio file). The first time you trim a clip, Pro Tools Trim tool
automatically adds it to the Clips List as a new clip To reverse the direction of the Trim tool, press Op-
(with a name derived from the original) in order to tion (Mac) or Alt (Windows).
differentiate it from the original.
To use the TCE Trim tool in Spot mode: 1 Do one of the following:
1 Set the Edit mode to Spot. • Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
Scrub.
2 Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
TCE. • Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Trim Tools > Scrub.
3 Click the clip near its start or end point. The
Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale, enter The tool changes to a speaker with a bracket.
a new start or end time (or duration) for the clip, 2 Drag within a track to the left or right. Audio
then click OK. from a scrubbed track is routed through the
track signal path, including any DSP effects.
When you locate the trim point, release the
Scrub Trim Tool mouse button to trim the clip.
(Pro Tools HD Only) • To scrub trim two tracks, drag with the Scrub
The Scrub Trim tool is a convenient tool for audi- Trim tool between two adjacent tracks.
tioning material (on up to two tracks) to find a trim • To scrub with finer resolution (without having to
point. You can drag in a track to hear the audio in- zoom in), press Command (Mac) or Control
formation, then trim at a specific location by re- (Windows) while scrubbing.
leasing the mouse button.
Tandem trimming
Placing the edit cursor with the Selector tool
Click the Grabber tool in the Edit window and Trim Trim
select the Grabber tool from the pop-up menu. tool tool
(start) (end)
Trim Trim
tool Selector tool tool
(start) (end)
For the Selector tool, position the cursor over For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over
the middle of the clip, in the upper half of the clip. the note, near its middle.
For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over For the Trim tool, position the cursor near the
the middle of a clip, in the lower half of the clip, note start or end point.
but not over an Event marker or Warp marker.
2 Drag within the track: left for reverse or right Scrub within a selection that contains multiple
for forward. tracks.
The distance and speed dragged determine the Custom Shuttle Lock Speed
speed for the scrubbed audio. (Pro Tools HD Only)
To shuttle with the Numeric Keypad mode set to When editing automation or MIDI control
Shuttle: data with the Pencil tool, you can switch be-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the tween the current Pencil Tool shape (such as
Operation tab. Line) and Free Hand pencil editing using the
Command key (Mac) or the Control key (Win-
2 Set the Numeric Keypad mode to Shuttle and dows). When editing with the selected Pencil
click OK. shape, the Pencil cursor angles to the left.
3 With the Selector tool, click in the track where When editing in Free Hand with the key mod-
you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two ifier, the Pencil cursor angles to the right.
tracks, Shift-click in a second track.
Waveform Repair with the Pencil
4 Hold any of the following keys (or key combi- Tool
nations) on the numeric keypad to trigger play-
back. On audio tracks, the Pencil tool lets you destruc-
tively “redraw” waveform data. This tool is most
Shuttle Speed Rewind Key Forward Key commonly used to repair a pop or click in an audio
file. A pop or click appears as a sudden sharp spike
1 X Speed 4 6
in a waveform. This tool only becomes active
4 X Speed 7 9 when the Edit window is zoomed in to the sample
level.
1/4 X Speed 1 3
For information about the AudioSuite Du- The Pencil tool can independently edit different
plicate plug-in, see the Audio Plug-Ins channels of a multichannel track.
Guide.
Try to limit editing to smoothing over a very small
To destructively edit an audio waveform with the problem area, and keep the “fixes” in character
Pencil tool: with the shape of the surrounding waveform.
1 Locate the area you want to edit.
Using the Zoomer tool or the Zoom buttons,
Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard
2
zoom down to the sample level so the waveform
appears as a continuous thin line. Adjust the Lock
Track Height, as necessary, to edit the wave- Enable Options > Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock
form with greater precision. You can also use to lock the currently selected Edit Tools (Zoom,
vertical zoom for greater visual resolution. Trim, Grabber, and Pencil only) in place and pre-
vent them from being inadvertently changed when
You can recall zoom levels with the Zoom
using keyboard shortcuts. However, even when
Preset buttons (see “Zooming Options” on
Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock is enabled, Edit
page 605), or with Memory Locations (see
Tool types can still be changed using the mouse or
“Recalling Memory Locations” on
by using the Right-click menu. You can also
page 887). The default setting for Zoom Pre-
switch between tools (such as switching from the
set 5 is at the sample level for Pencil editing.
Grabber to the Trim) using keyboard shortcuts.
3 Select the Pencil tool.
To lock (or unlock) the current Edit Tool modes:
Pro Tools provides many tools for selecting To link or unlink the Timeline and Edit selections,
material in the Edit window. do one of the following:
When Track and Edit selections are linked, you When you make a selection, it appears as a high-
can make a selection within a track or across mul- lighted area of the tracks, and is also indicated by
tiple tracks for editing and each associated track is blue start and end arrows (Timeline Selection
selected (track names automatically highlight). Markers) in the Main Timebase ruler. If any track
This lets you quickly apply track-level commands (audio or MIDI) in the session is record-enabled,
(such as Track View toggle, change track heights) even if it is hidden, these markers appear red.
and have the command apply to all tracks you are
working on.
Select or deselect Options > Link Track and Edit Timeline Selection Markers indicating Edit selection
Selection.
If the Timeline and Edit selections are unlinked,
In the upper left of the Edit window, under the the Edit selection range is indicated by Edit Mark-
Edit tools, click the Link Track and Edit Selec- ers in the Main Timebase ruler. See “Linking or
tion button so it becomes highlighted (selected) Unlinking Timeline and Edit Selections” on
or unhighlighted (not selected). page 631 for details.
Link Track and Edit Selection enabled Selections and Hidden Tracks
Noncontiguous selection
Converting to a Time selection is useful if you To change an Object selection to a Time selection:
want to select all clips between a noncontiguous
1 Select any number of clips with the Object
Object selection.
Grabber tool.
2 Double-click the Selector tool in the toolbar.
The time range between the first and last clip
becomes selected.
Dragging a Timeline Selection Marker To move a selection start or end point by the
Nudge value:
If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is disabled,
drag the Edit Marker to change the selection 1 Configure the Nudge value. For details, see
length. “Defining the Nudge Value” on page 660.
2 Make the initial selection with the Selector tool.
3 Do one of the following:
Edit Markers • While pressing Option+Shift (Mac) or Alt+Shift
To make a long-length selection: (Windows), press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the
numeric keypad to move the selection’s start
1 With the Selector tool, click at where you want point by the Nudge value.
the selection to start.
• While pressing Command+Shift (Mac) or Con-
2 Scroll to the end point and Shift-click at the trol+Shift (Windows), press Plus (+) or
point where you want the selection to end. Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move the
selection’s end point by the Nudge value.
To verify the start and end points of a long selec-
tion, press the Left Arrow key to scroll to the be-
ginning of the selection, or press the Right Arrow
key to scroll to the end.
• With Tab to Transients disabled, press Con- 2 Click in the Start field at the top of the Edit win-
trol+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Start+Shift+Tab (Win- dow.
dows) to extend the selection to the next clip 3 Type in the start point for the selection and press
boundary. the Forward Slash key (/) to enter the value and
• Press Option+Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con- automatically move to the end field.
trol+Start+Shift+Tab (Windows) to extend the
4 Type in the end point for the selection and press
selection to include the previous clip boundary.
Enter to accept the value.
To extend a selection to a Marker or Memory
Numeric Entry Shortcuts for Selection
Location:
Indicators
1 Do one of the following:
You can use the following shortcuts for entering
• Click in a track with the Selector tool at the start
values in the Edit Selection indicators:
or end point.
• Press the Forward Slash (/) key to cycle through
• Make a selection with the Selector or Time
the three Edit Selection indicators.
Grabber tool.
• Use Period (.) or the Left and Right Arrow keys
2 Do one of the following: to move through the different time fields in each
• Shift-click a Marker in the Markers ruler. Edit Selection indicator.
• Shift-click a Memory Location in the Memory • Press the Up or Down Arrow keys to increase or
Locations window. decrease numerical values.
2 Press Minus (–) on the numeric keypad. Enable the All Edit Group and make a selection
in any track.
3 Type the amount you want to subtract from the
current time value, then press Enter. Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
ruler (make sure the Timeline and Edit Selec-
4 Press Enter again to apply the change. tions are linked).
To add time values: These selections include all tracks in the Edit win-
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the dow, but do not include the Conductor tracks (for
time field you want to change. Tempo, Meter, and Markers).
2 Press Plus (+) on the numeric keypad. To select across all tracks, including the
Conductor tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers):
3 Type the amount you want to add to the current
time value, then press Enter. Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) with
the Selector tool in any Timebase ruler.
4 Press Enter again to apply the change.
To move a selection to an adjacent track: In either instance, the original Edit selection re-
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key- mains selected.
board Focus” on page 27).
With Commands Keyboard Focus dis-
abled, press Control+Shift+P (Mac) of
Start+Shift+P (Windows) to extend the se-
lection to the previous track, or Con-
trol+Shift+Semicolon (;) (Mac) or
Start+Shift+Semicolon (;) (Windows) to
extend the selection to the next track.
Commands Keyboard Focus button enabled To remove the bottom track from a selection:
2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a Press Option+Control+Semicolon (;) (Mac) or
selection. Alt+Start+Semicolon (;) (Windows) to remove
the bottom track.
3 Do one of the following:
• Press P on your computer keyboard to move the Other Useful Selection
selection to the previous track. Techniques
• Press semicolon (;) to move the selection to the Following are some additional selection tech-
next track. niques.
In either instance, the original Edit selection be-
To position the edit cursor precisely at a clip start,
comes deselected. end, or sync point:
With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled, 1 Make sure the Tab to Transients button is not
press Control+P (Mac) or Start+P (Win- enabled. (See “Tabbing to Transients” on
dows) to move the selection to the previous page 642.)
track, or Control+Semicolon (;) (Mac) or
2 Click with the Selector tool in the track.
Start+Semicolon (;) (Windows) to move the
selection to the next track. 3 Do one of the following:
• Press Tab to move the cursor to the next clip or
To extend a selection to an adjacent track:
clip group start, end, or sync point.
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key-
• Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win-
board Focus” on page 27).
dows) to move the cursor to the previous clip or
2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a clip group start, end, or sync point.
selection.
4 While pressing Shift, scrub to an appropriate 3 Drag left or right to move the Edit selection
end point for the selection, then release. The back or forward in time while preserving its
range between the initial and final scrub be- length.
comes selected. If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is disabled
(Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection), Op-
To move a selection to an adjacent clip on the
same track: tion-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) the Edit
Markers instead.
1 Select a clip with the Time Grabber.
2 Do one of the following: Right-Click Commands and
• Press Control+Tab (Mac) or Start+Tab (Win- Selection Preservation
dows) to move the selection to the next clip. You can use Right-click commands with key com-
• Press Option+Control+Tab (Mac) or Con- binations to perform operations on objects while
trol+Start+Tab (Windows) to move the selection maintaining selections in the Edit and Mix win-
to the previous clip. dows. For example, you can maintain selections in
the following areas while carrying out certain com-
In either instance, the original clip becomes dese- mands:
lected.
• Clip selections in the Timeline
To slide an Edit selection in the Main Timebase • Clip name selections in the Clips List
ruler:
• Track selections
1 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a
selection. To apply a command to an object while keeping the
current selection:
2 While pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows),
move the cursor over either of the Timeline Se- Command-Right-click (Mac) or Control-Right-
lection Markers in the ruler (the Time Grabber click (Windows) the object and choose a com-
appears). mand from the pop-up menu.
Tab to Transients button enabled If necessary, you can move to the previous tran-
sient by pressing Option+Tab (Mac) or Con-
To toggle Tab to Transients on and off,
trol+Tab (Windows).
press Command+Option+Tab (Mac) or 5 Press Shift+Tab until the cursor locates to the
Control+Alt+Tab (Windows). end of the material you want to select.
In Warp view, Tab to Transients tabs to all Event To move the selection end point to the previous
and Warp markers in a clip. Normal Tab tabs to transient, press Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con-
clip boundaries and all Warp markers. In Analysis trol+Shift+Tab (Windows).
view, pressing Tab always tabs to Event markers,
regardless of whether or not Tab to Transients is Once selected, the material can be looped for re-
enabled. cording or playback, or it can be turned into a new
clip with the Separate or Capture command.
With MIDI and Instrument tracks when Tab to
Transients is disabled, pressing Tab moves the in- Peak transients are usually visible in the
sertion point to the next MIDI clip boundary re- waveform. However, some low-frequency
gardless of the track view (just like with audio transients may not appear as visible peaks in
clips). the waveform.
With MIDI and Instrument tracks when Tab to Tab to Transients Across Multiple
Transients is enabled, pressing Tab moves the Edit Tracks
insertion to the beginning of the next note or clip With the edit cursor inserted across multiple
boundary regardless of the track view (just like tracks, you can use Tab to Transients to tab to the
with audio transients), but does not make note se- next transient on any of those tracks. When tran-
lections. sients on multiple tracks are closely aligned, Tab to
For more information on navigating
Transients tabs to the first transient on any of those
MIDI, see XXX tracks.
Choose Edit > Selection > Change Timeline to The Edit Selection indicators (to the right of the
Match Edit. Main and Sub counters) display the Start and End
times, and Length of the current Edit selection ac-
Press Option+Shift+5 (Mac) or cording to the Main Timebase.
Alt+Shift+5 (Windows) to change the
Timeline selection to match the Edit The Main and Sub Counters, as well as the Edit Se-
selection. lection indicators, also appear in the Transport
window when it is set to display Counters.
You can scroll the contents of the Edit window by 1 Place the mouse over the window you want to
dragging in a ruler. While this does not actually up- scroll (for example, in the Edit window you
date the session’s Current Location, it does let you might want to scroll either the track display or
conveniently shift the display left or right for the the Clips List).
sake of finding and editing material. 2 Shift-scroll the scroll wheel up or down to scroll
This method of scrolling is especially useful when the window to the left or right.
using the Continuous Scrolling option, which does
not update or follow Timeline selections.
Scrolling in a ruler
This overview represents audio and MIDI material on all tracks in the session that are not hidden (including
tracks that are inactive, or that contain offline clips). The order in which material is displayed in the Uni-
verse view corresponds to the track order in the Edit window.
In the Universe view, audio, MIDI, and video clips on tracks are represented by horizontal lines that are the
same colors as the clips on the tracks. Each audio track is represented at the same height regardless of how
many channels it has. Additionally, tracks that show Automation, Controller, or Playlist lanes are repre-
sented with increasing height for each lane shown.
Since Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA Master tracks do not contain audio or MIDI clips, they are
displayed as blank areas in the Universe view.
Showing the Universe Window Double-click the divider above the Main Time-
base ruler.
To show or hide the Universe view in the Edit
window, do one of the following: From the Edit window menu, select or deselect
Universe.
Select or deselect View > Other Displays >
Universe.
3 Press the Down Arrow to place the Edit cursor Press Command+Control+Option+’ (single
at the current playback location and mark the quote) (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+’ (single
beginning of the Edit selection. quote) (Windows).
4 Press the Up Arrow to mark the end point of the To move the selection backward by the selection
Edit selection. amount:
5 Stop playback. Press Command+Control+Option+L (Mac) or
Control+Alt+Start+L (Windows).
6 Do one of the following:
• Press the Left arrow to locate the beginning of To double the Edit selection:
the Edit selection.
Press Command+Control+Option+Shift+’ (sin-
• Press the Right arrow to locate the end of the gle quote) (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+’
Edit selection. (single quote) (Windows).
Press Command+Control+Option+Shift+L
Pro Tools provides several keyboard shortcuts for
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+L (Win-
moving and extending or decreasing the range of
dows).
an Edit (or Timeline) selection.
You can also press Command+Option+Z To change Track views for all tracks together:
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Z (Windows) to restore Press Command+Option+Control+Left or
the previous selection. Right arrows (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Left
or Right arrows (Windows).
Clips are the basic building blocks for arranging Capture Clip Command
audio and MIDI in Pro Tools. Understanding how
The Capture Clip command defines a selection as a
clips are created, edited, and arranged is essential
new clip and adds it to the Clips List. From there,
to taking full advantage of the editing capabilities
the new clip can be dragged to any existing tracks.
of Pro Tools.
This chapter covers basic editing functions as they To capture a new clip:
apply to clips and clip groups, and selections, 1 With the Selector tool, drag in an existing clip to
which for the most part apply to both MIDI and au- select the material for the new clip.
dio data. For editing procedures more specific to
MIDI, see Chapter 34, “MIDI Editing.” For edit-
ing procedures specific to video, see “Video Clips”
on page 1333.
The Separate commands define a selection within • Choose Edit > Separate > At Selection.
an existing clip, or a partially selected clip, as a • With an Edit selection, Right-click near the cur-
new clip and separate it from surrounding material. sor position or selection and choose Separate
The Separate commands can also be applied to from the pop-up menu.
MIDI notes (see “Separating MIDI Notes” on
page 757). Press Command+E (Mac) or Control+E
(Windows) for Separate At Selection.
New clips appear in the tracks in which they are
created, separate from the data surrounding them. 3 If the Editing preference for Auto-Name Sepa-
They also appear in the Clips List. rated Clips is disabled, type a name for the new
clip when prompted, then click OK.
There are three different Separate commands:
To separate clips (or MIDI notes) according to the
At Selection (or Edit Cursor) Creates new clip current grid resolution:
boundaries at the selection start and end points. If
there is no selection and the edit cursor is placed 1 Make an Edit selection.
within the clip, the clip is split into two new clips at 2 Choose Edit > Separate > On Grid.
the insertion point. Likewise, MIDI notes can be
separated at the selection start and end points (or at 3 In the Pre-Separate Amount dialog, type a
the Edit cursor). pre-separate amount in milliseconds. This can
be useful to pad the beginnings of the new clips.
On Grid Creates new clips according to the se-
lected Grid value (see “Defining the Grid Value”
on page 903). Likewise, MIDI notes can be sepa-
rated on the grid.
This option helps you compare different sections Once separated, this material can be moved or cop-
from a group of related takes. For example, you ied to another location.
can quickly separate an entire group of related vo-
cal takes into sections, then audition and select the Separation Grabber Tool
best material from each section independently.
You can use the Separation Grabber tool to auto-
If this option is selected, make sure the Track matically separate an Edit selection and move it to
Name and Clip Start and End options are also se- another location or another track.
lected in the Matching Criteria window (see
“Matching Criteria” on page 705). If they are not, To separate a selection with the Separation
all clips in the session that have the same User Grabber tool:
Time Stamp will be affected. 1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection.
The selection can reside within a single clip,
In most instances, you will want to disable the
across adjacent clips within the same track, or
Separate Clip Operates On All Related Takes op-
across multiple tracks.
tion, to prevent a large number of clips from being
created when you use the Separate Clip command.
1 With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection. To heal a separation between two clips:
The selection can reside within a single clip,
1 With the Selector tool, make a selection that in-
across adjacent clips within the same track, or
cludes part of the first clip, the entire separation
across multiple tracks.
between the clips, and part of the second clip.
2 From the Grabber tools pop-up menu, choose
2 Choose Edit > Heal Separation.
the Separation Grabber tool.
Press Command+H (Mac) or Control+H
(Windows) to Heal Separation.
to the next or previous clip boundary depending on 1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the
which command you use. Nudge Value” on page 660).
The Nudge value determines how far clips and se- Press Shift+Option+Equal (=) (Mac) or
lections are moved when nudging. Shift+Alt+Equal (=) (Windows)
Start and end points for selections can also be To decrease the nudge value incrementally:
moved by the Nudge value (see “Nudging Selec- Press Shift+Option+Minus (–) (Mac) or
tion Start/End Points” on page 637). In addition, Shift+Alt+Minus (–) (Windows)
clips can be trimmed by the Nudge value (see
“Trimming with Nudge” on page 659).
Nudging Clips by the Nudge
To set the Nudge value: Value
1 Do one of the following: To nudge one or more clips:
• From the View > Main Counter menu, select the 1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the
Time Scale for the Nudge value. Nudge Value” on page 660).
• To keep the Main Time Scale and use a different 2 With the Time Grabber or Selector tool, select
time format for the Nudge value, deselect Follow the clip, clips, or clip groups you want to nudge.
Main Timebase in the Nudge Value pop-up The clips can reside on multiple tracks. Only
menu. clips that are completely selected are nudged.
2 Specify a Nudge value by doing one of the fol- 3 Do one of the following:
lowing:
• On the numeric keypad, press Plus (+) to move
• From the Nudge value pop-up menu in the Edit the selection forward by the Nudge value.
window, select the Nudge value.
• Press Minus (–) to move the selection back by
• To specify a Nudge value not listed in the Nudge the Nudge value.
Value pop-up menu, click the Nudge Value indi-
cator and type in the value. The Nudge command works the same regardless of
the Edit mode. Adjacent clips are overlapped in
Shuffle mode, the Spot dialog does not appear
when in Spot mode, and shifted material does not
snap to the Grid when in Grid mode.
For MIDI clips, only the clips are quantized and all
MIDI data contained within the clips (such as
notes) are moved equally, thereby retaining their
rhythmic relationships.
You can quickly and easily apply fade-ins, fade- The type of selection you make determines the
outs on audio clips, and crossfades between adja- character of the crossfade.
cent audio clips. Crossfading is the process of fad-
ing between two clips of audio to prevent pops, Since crossfades are created by fading between
clicks, or sudden changes in sound. Crossfades overlapping audio material, a crossfade cannot
have many applications, from smoothing transi- be performed on clips that do not contain audio
tions between clips to creating special audio ef- material beyond their clip boundaries.
fects. The crossfade duration, position, and shape
are all user-definable. If a clip references insufficient data to execute
a selected fade or crossfade, you are prompted
to either skip those fades or to adjust the
About Crossfades and Curves bounds of the selection to execute those fades.
Use the Fades dialog to select, view, and manipu- Centered crossfade
late the curves used to perform fades and cross-
fades. Different volume curves can be assigned to This type of selection creates a crossfade on both
the fade-out and fade-in portions of crossfades. sides of the splice point, which affects the volume
The Fades dialog can also be used to audition a of clip 1 and clip 2. It is the most common type of
fade or crossfade before applying it. crossfade.
splice
sp lice splice
point point
clip 11
clip clip 22
clip clip 1 clip 2
This type of selection creates a crossfade before This type of selection creates a crossfade after the
the splice point. This lets you maintain the volume splice point. It is useful if you want to maintain the
of the very beginning of clip 2 instead of fading amplitude of clip 1 until its very end. When mak-
across it, which is useful if there is a strong attack ing selections for crossfades that occur on the bor-
at the beginning of clip 2 that you want to preserve. der of two clips, you can use the Tab key to move
When making selections for crossfades that occur the cursor to the exact beginning or end of a clip.
on the border of two clips, you can use the Tab key
to move the cursor to the exact beginning or end of This crossfade type requires that clip 1 contain au-
a clip. dio material beyond its end point.
Fade Out dialog If you are cross-fading between more than one
track this button allows you to view and preview
the audio of the second in a pair of adjacent tracks.
Preset Curve 6
Preset Curve 7
Preset Curve 6
Preset Curve 7
Preset Curve 4 fades in with a linear fade curve. Equal Gain Recommended for material that is
This is the default curve. phase-coherent or nearly phase-coherent. With this
fade, you can Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click
(Windows) the fade curve to reset it to its default
shape.
Preset Curve 5
Fade Link
For more information on adjusting the fade Overlap Fade This combination of curves keeps
shape, see “Manually Adjusting Fade Shapes both clips at full amplitude throughout the cross-
in Fade Windows” on page 682. fade: clip 2 “jumps in” at the beginning and clip 1
“jumps out” at the end.
For information on adjusting the start and end
1. Out 2. In
points of fades in a crossfade, see “Adjusting
the Start and End Points of a Crossfade” on
page 682
<factory default> Restores the default settings for Clip with a fade-in
the Fades dialog.
Creating Fade-Ins and Fade-
Save Settings Saves the current settings. This Outs
command overwrites any previous version of the
Depending on how you make the selection, you
preset.
can position a fade-in or fade-out at the exact be-
Save Settings As Saves the current settings as a ginning or end of a clip, or position it so it extends
new preset under a different name. into a blank area of the track. The length of the se-
lection in the clip determines the length of the
Import Settings Imports a fade settings file (.fd- fade-in or fade-out.
preset) from a location other than the Root Settings
folder or Session folder. You can also fade to the beginning or end of a clip
from an insertion point.
Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes
the current fade settings file (.fdpreset) from disk. Although fades appear to be discrete clips, they
cannot be separated from the clips in which they
Save Fade Settings To Selects the folder where were created.
Fades preset files (.fdpreset) are saved. If you se-
lect Session Folder, the settings are saved in a When changing tempo in a tick-based audio track,
folder named “Fades Presets” within the current fade-ins and fade-outs remain with their parent
Session folder. If you select Root Settings Folder, clips. Fades maintain their absolute duration and
the settings are saved in the Pro Tools Root folder are consequently recalculated after any tempo
specified in the Operation preferences. changes.
Selecting the beginning of a clip for a fade-in Selecting the end of a clip for a fade-out
To apply a Fade In using the Default Fade To apply the Fade Out using the Default
In setting (in the Editing Preferences page), Fade Out setting (in the Editing Preferences
and without opening the Fades dialog, page), and without opening the Fades dia-
press Command+Control+F (Mac) or log, press Command+Control+F (Mac) or
Control+Start+F (Windows). Control+Start+F (Windows).
3 Select the fade-in curve and configure the other 3 Select the fade-out curve and configure the
Fade settings. other Fade settings.
4 Click the Audition button to audition the fade. 4 Click the Audition button to audition the fade.
5 Adjust the curve by dragging it or by selecting a 5 Adjust the curve by dragging it or by selecting a
different shape from the In Shape pop-up menu. different shape from the Out Shape pop-up
menu.
6 Click OK.
6 Click OK.
The selected fade curve appears in the clip.
Pro Tools calculates the fade and the selected fade
curve appears in the clip.
• Choose Edit > Fades > Fade To End. • Drag the Fade-In and Fade-Out curves to a cus-
tom shape. By choosing None as the Linking op-
• Press Control+G (Mac) or Start+G (Windows).
tion, you can drag the beginning or end points of
The fade is applied based on the Fade Out prefer- a fade curve to adjust its beginning or end point.
ences (see “Fade and Crossfade Preferences” on 8 Click the Audition button to audition the cross-
page 676). fade again.
9 When the crossfade sounds right, click OK.
Creating a Crossfade Crossfade lengths can be resized with any of
the Trim tools, including Nudge Trim com-
To create a crossfade between two clips:
mands. See “Using the Trim Tools” on
1 With the Selector tool, click at the point where page 615 and “Trimming with Nudge” on
you want the crossfade to begin in the first clip page 659.
and drag to where you want it to end in the sec-
ond clip. Crossfade selections can begin and To remove a crossfade, do one of the following:
end anywhere in their respective clips. Select the area of the track containing any cross-
2 Do one of the following: fades you want to delete and choose Edit >
Fades > Delete.
• Choose Edit > Fades > Create.
• Press Command+F (Mac) or Control+F (Win- Select the crossfade with the Time Grabber tool
dows). and press Delete (Mac) or Backspace (Win-
dows).
To apply a Crossfade using the Default
Right-click the crossfade with any of the edit
Crossfade setting (in the Editing Prefer-
tools and select Delete Fades from the pop-up
ences), and without opening the Fades dia-
menu.
log, press Command+Control+F (Mac) or
Control+Start+F (Windows).
Pre and Post Crossfade Pro Tools HD can automatically apply real-time
Selections fade-ins and fade-outs to all clip boundaries in the
session on playback. Specify the duration (0 to
By making a selection that begins or ends precisely
10 ms) for automatic real-time fades with the Auto
on the border of two clips, you can create “pre” or
Clip Fade In/Out Length preference in the Opera-
“post” crossfades. Use the Tab key to place the in-
tion Preferences page). These fade-ins and fade-
sertion point at the exact beginning or end of a clip.
outs are performed during playback and do not ap-
To create a pre- or post-crossfade:
pear in the Edit window.
1 With the Selector tool, click in the track that AutoFades are not applied to AudioSuite
contains the clips you want to crossfade. processing.
2 Do one of the following: This feature is especially useful in post production
• Press Tab to move forward to the next situations such as dialogue tracking. For example,
clip boundary. you can assign both a dialogue track and a “room
• Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win- tone” track with matching background to the same
dows) to move back to the previous clip bound- voice. You can then set the AutoFade option to a
ary. moderate length (4 ms or so) so that whenever a si-
lence occurs in the dialog, playback switches
smoothly to and from the background track with-
out clicks or pops.
2 Type a value between 0 and 10 ms for the Clip • Press Command+F (Mac) or Control+F (Win-
Auto Fade In/Out Length. A value of zero (the dows).
default) means that no auto-fading will occur. 4 In the Batch Fades dialog, select whether you
3 Click OK. The AutoFade value is saved with the want to Create New Fades, Adjust Existing
session, and is automatically applied to all free- Shape & Slope, Adjust Existing Length, or a
standing clip boundaries until you change it. combination of these options for fade ins, cross-
fades and fade outs.
Fade lengths can subsequently be resized Manually adjusting the fade shape
with any of the Trim tools, including
Nudge Trim commands. See “Using the
For Crossfades, you can edit only the fade-in
Trim Tools” on page 615 and “Trimming
shape of the curve by pressing Option (Mac)
with Nudge” on page 659.
or Alt (Windows) while dragging left or right.
To edit only the fade-out portion of the curve,
press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
Manually Adjusting Fade while dragging.
Shapes in Fade Windows
If the Fade Shape setting for a Fade In, Fade Out, 4 Click OK.
or Crossfade is set to Standard or S-Curve, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
Pro Tools lets you adjust the fade shape in the any the fade curve to reset it to its default shape.
of the corresponding Fade window (Fade In, Fade
Out, and Crossfade) using the mouse. This in-
cludes Batch Fades and Fade windows in the Edit-
Adjusting the Start and End
ing preferences.
Points of a Crossfade
To adjust the fade (or crossfade) shape: If the Link setting for a Crossfade is set to Standard
1 Create a new fade (or crossfade) or open the or None, Pro Tools lets you adjust the start and end
Fade (or Crossfade) window for an existing points of the fade in and fade out of the crossfade
fade (or crossfade). independently. This includes the Batch Fades and
Crossfade windows in the Editing preferences.
2 Ensure that the Fade Shape is set to either Stan-
dard or S-Curve, and not to one of the seven To adjust the start and end points of a crossfade:
preset Fade Shapes.
1 Create a crossfade or open the Crossfade win-
dow for an existing crossfade.
2 Ensure that the Link setting for the Crossfade is
set to None.
• Use the Time Grabber tool to select the fade. 1 Do one of the following:
• Use the Selector tool to select a range that in- • Click a clip with the Time Grabber tool (or dou-
cludes the fade. ble-click with the Selector tool) to select the clip
along with the fade (in or out).
• Select multiple clips that include the fades and
crossfades you want to move.
1 Select the clip, but not the fade. 5 Drag the selected clip with the Grabber.
If you nudge a clip beyond the boundary of avail- Where your selection overlaps any fade-ins or
able audio for the crossfade, the fade is removed. fade-outs, the fade is trimmed to fit the selection.
To rename a track’s assigned playlist: To show the previous playlist in the main
playlist for tracks that contain the Edit
1 Double-click the track’s name. cursor:
2 Type a new name and click OK. Press Shift+Up Arrow.
You can also delete playlists in Playlists view. Two tracks, Audio 1 with main playlist only (gray) and
Audio 2 with multiple playlists (blue)
Right-click the Playlist Name on a lane or in
Playlists and Edit Groups
the Tracks List and choose Delete.
Right-click on the Playlist lane and choose 1 Once you have identified the best take, make
Hide. any changes to the Edit selection. This is the se-
lection that will be copied to the target playlist.
With the same Edit selection that you used for
loop recording intact, Right-click the Track 2 Do one of the following:
Name or any of the Playlist Lane Names and • Choose Edit > Copy Selection To > Target
choose Filter Lanes > Show Only Lanes With > Playlist.
Clips Within the Edit Selection.
• Right-click the selection and choose Copy
Selection to Target Playlist.
• Click the Copy Selection to Target Playlist but-
ton for the Playlist lane.
Copy Selection to
Main Playlist button
Click the name of the alternate playlist and drag To resize a single Playlist lane, do one of the
it to the location you want. following:
• Hide Only Lanes With > Clips Within The Edit • When duplicating playlists (audio or MIDI),
Selection there will be matching alternate clips between
playlists.
• Hide Only Lanes With > Clips Outside The Edit
Selection • When importing multichannel audio from a field
recorder, there will be matching alternate clips
• Hide Only Lanes With > “Clips Rated >= 1–5” between channels.
Playlist lanes are shown and hidden accordingly. Pro Tools also provides several ways to access and
audition multiple matching alternate clips:
• Use the Clip Right-click menu to select match-
ing alternate clips according to certain criteria.
• Use the Alternate Takes pop-up menu to select
matching alternate clips.
• Use the Expand Alternates to New Tracks com-
mand to copy matching alternate clips to new
tracks.
• Use the Expand Alternates to New Playlists
command to copy matching alternate clips to
new alternate playlists on the same track. Then
use Playlists view to access the alternate play-
lists.
The following In Addition To Match options are 1 Configure the Matching Criteria window if nec-
mutually exclusive. essary (see “Matching Criteria” on page 705).
2 Do one of the following:
All Any clips that include the time location of the
Edit cursor; or any clips that are either partly or • Right-click the clip with the Selector or the
fully within the current time range of the Edit se- Grabber tool, and select a matching alternate
lection. take from the Matches submenu in the pop-up
menu.
Clip Start Any clips that have the same start time
as the time location of the Edit cursor or Edit selec-
tion.
Clip Start and End Any clips that have the same
start and end times as the Edit selection.
Expanding alternate takes to new playlists readily • If the clip is selected, with the Selector tool,
facilitates track compositing. Once you have ex- Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
panded alternate takes to new playlists on a track, dows) anywhere on the selected clip and choose
you can audition and edit them in Playlists view to Matches > Expand Alternates To New Tracks.
assemble the best takes in the main playlist. • If the clip is not selected, with the Selector tool,
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
To expand alternate takes to new playlists: dows) at the precise beginning of the loop or
1 Identify the clip on the main playlist with punch range and choose Matches > Expand
matching alternate clips (takes). Alternates To New Tracks.
2 Do one of the following: 3 Then choose one of the following from the Ex-
• Right-click the clip and choose Matches > pand Alternates To New Tracks sub-menu:
Expand Alternates To New Playlists. By Track Name Names all new tracks after the
• If the clip is selected, with the Selector tool, source track name.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
By Clip Name Names each new tracks after the
dows) anywhere on the selected clip and choose
corresponding original clip names that you see in
Matches > Expand Alternates To New Playlists.
the Matches list.
• If the clip is not selected, with the Selector tool,
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- By Track and Clip Name Names all new tracks af-
dows) at the precise beginning of the loop or ter the source track name, but with the correspond-
punch range and choose Matches > Expand ing original clip names in parenthesis.
Alternates To New Playlists.
All matching alternate clips are copied to new
All matching alternate clips are copied to new tracks.
playlists on the track. To view all playlists for the
track, select Playlists view. In any track view, you
can also select any available alternate playlist as
the main playlist from the Playlist selector.
It is not possible to rename files encoded with 6 The Pro Tools editor Right-clicks the name of
XML metadata. The file extension will always the guide track and selects Expand Channels to
be .A1 and .A2 (even for stereo files). Also, it New Tracks > By Timecode Only. The original
is not possible to rename files with a .L/.R source tracks expand to new tracks with edits
suffix. As a result, Pro Tools does not always and fades that match the guide track.
recognize these channels as a stereo pair.
2 Right-click the edited guide track audio file in • Copy or move an Edit selection to the Target
the browser and choose Relink Selected. playlist from Waveform view without having to
switch to Playlist view.
3 In the upper pane of the Relink window, navi-
• Composite Grouped tracks.
gate to the original unedited guide track audio
file that was recorded in Pro Tools. The Main playlist is the Target playlist by de-
fault.
If the original unedited file is not available,
you can relink to any of the source audio files
as long as they have the same start and end Designating the Target Playlist
times as the guide track. The designated Target playlist is the destination
for all edits whether you are editing in Playlist
4 In the Select Files To Relink pane, select the ed-
view or Waveform view. Editing to Target play-
ited guide track file.
lists in Waveform view is especially useful when
5 Drag the original unedited guide track audio file editing grouped tracks.
into the Candidates pane. If a dialog appears
stating that one or more files are shorter than the To designate any playlist as the Target playlist
from any track view:
media file you are trying to relink, click Yes to
select it for relinking anyway. 1 Click the Playlist selector.
6 Check the box to the left of the file in the Can- 2 Select Target Playlist > Main Playlist or <playlist
didates pane so that the Link icon appears. name> for any other available playlist.
If a Clip Group spans multiple tracks, the 1 Place the Edit cursor in the playlist you want to
Clip Group is broken if the any of the tracks target.
in the Clip Group are not also Edit grouped
2 Press Command+Shift+Right Arrow (Mac) or
when switching to Playlists view.
Control+Shift+Right Arrow (Windows).
Home icon indicating that the audio selection cycled through all alternate playlists to its original playlist
When cycling through playlists, when you return to the starting playlist a “home” icon appears, no clip
edits are made, and any previous clip separation edits are healed.
• If you designate the playlist in the Main playlist view as the Target playlist (using either the keyboard
shortcut or the menu command), a blue target icon and light blue overlay the size of the Main playlist are
briefly displayed.
Blue target indicating that the Main playlist is the Target playlist
Gray target indicating that the Main playlist is no longer the Target playlist
Table 1. If you send a selection to the Target playlist from the Target playlist, a red “not allowed” icon is briefly
displayed at the center of the selection.
Move the Edit cursor up and down through Control+P and Control+ Start+P and Start+
Playlist lanes Semicolon (;) Semicolon (;)
Show the previous or next playlist in the main Shift+Up Arrow/Shift+Down Shift+Up Arrow/Shift+Down
playlist for tracks that contain the Edit cursor Arrow Arrow
To designate the Target playlist for the playlist Command+Shift+Right Control+Shift+Right Arrow
containing the Edit insertion Arrow
To show the Target playlist as the Main Play- Shift+Right Arrow Shift+Right Arrow
list
To toggle between the current and most Shift+Left Arrow Shift+Left Arrow
recent Main playlists
Copy the selection to the Target playlist Option+Shift+Up Arrow or Alt+Shift+Up Arrow or
Option+Control+V Alt+Start+V
To cycle in material in the Edit selection from Command+Shift+Up Arrow Control+Shift+Up Arrow
the previous playlist
To open the Beat Detective window, do one of the The Beat Detective modes include the following:
following:
Operation Lets you choose to analyze either MIDI
Choose Event > Beat Detective.
or audio material.
Press Command+8 (Mac) or Control+8 (Win-
Bar|Beat Marker Generation Generates Bar|Beat
dows) on the numeric keypad.
Markers corresponding to transients detected in
Beat Detective is a floating window that can be left the audio selection or according to accent patterns
open while working. This lets you adjust the con- with MIDI notes.
trols in real time during playback, while viewing
Groove Template Extraction Extracts the rhyth-
the beat triggers that appear in your selection in the
mic and dynamic information from audio or MIDI,
Edit window.
and saves this information to the Groove Clip-
board, or as a DigiGroove template.
Beat Detective Modes Clip Separation (Audio Only) Separates and cre-
ates new clips based on transients detected in the
The Beat Detective window is divided into three audio selection.
sections: Operation, Selection, and Detection. De-
pending on the Operation mode, the controls in the Clip Conform (Audio Only) Conforms all sepa-
Action section change. The Selection options for rated clips within the selection to the current tempo
Beat Detective are available in each of the Opera- map. Beat Detective can conform audio clips to
tion modes. groove templates (such as DigiGroove templates)
in addition to standard quantization.
As long as the audio material is correctly Beat Detection Across Multiple Tracks
aligned with the session’s tempo map, use
When analyzing a selection with multiple tracks,
Capture Selection each time you make a new
Beat Detective analyzes each independently. Tran-
selection or make any changes to the tempo
sients that are detected in any track appear as Beat
map (such as changing tempo or meter).
Triggers across all selected tracks regardless of
whether or not the detected transient resides in any
The Selection definition is not retained when other track. However, for closely aligned events on
a session is closed and re-opened multiple tracks, Beat Detective only identifies the
first detected transient of a beat event.
4 To improve Beat Detective’s accuracy in ana-
lyzing swung notes, select the Contains option For example, if you have four drum tracks—kick,
that indicates the smallest sub-division of the snare, and a pair of overheads—transients in the
beat contained in the selection. The Contains overhead mics tracks occur a little later than the
option includes quarter-notes, eighth-notes, six- closely miked snare and kick tracks because it
teenth-notes (the default setting), thirty-second- takes more time for the sound to travel from the
notes, and a triplet modifier. The selected Con- source to the microphones. If you make a selection
tains option determines the groove template across all four tracks and analyze them using Beat
grid locations for DigiGroove templates. Detective, only the transients in the kick and snare
tracks will be identified as beat triggers because
the transients on overheads will be recognized as
being part of the same beat events (only a little bit
late). For information on individually analyzing
multiple tracks, see “Using Collection Mode” on
page 740.
10 To display the metric locations for the triggers, 7 If your MIDI track contains chords, choose one
select the Show Trigger Time option. of the following MIDI chord recognition algo-
rithms from the Analysis pop-up menu:
11 If you cannot get the beat triggers to appear at
• Last Note
the right locations, repeat steps 5–10, trying one
of the other Analysis algorithms (High or Low • First Note
Emphasis). • Loudest Note
• Average Location
• Highest Note
• Lowest Note
8 Click Analyze.
Beat Detective translates the amplitude of signals 6 In the Extract Groove Template dialog, enter
in audio tracks to MIDI velocity according to a lin- comments about the groove. You can enter a
ear scale. For example: maximum of 255 characters to describe the
groove. Comments can be viewed using the
• A 0 dBFS signal equals a MIDI velocity of 127.
Show Info button in the Beat Detective window.
• A –6 dBFS signal equals a MIDI velocity of 64.
• A –12 dBFS signal equals a MIDI velocity of
32.
• A –48 dBFS signal equals a MIDI velocity of 1.
2 Select Groove.
• Higher percentage values align the clips more • If necessary, select Edit > Undo, and repeat steps
tightly to the groove templates grid, with 100% 4–9 trying a different groove template or Groove
aligning precisely to the template grid. Conform settings.
• If the slider is set to 200%, clips move to a loca- • If necessary, apply Edit Smoothing (see “Edit
tion that is twice the difference between the orig- Smoothing” on page 737).
inal clip location and the position of the
referenced template event.
Edit Smoothing
For example, if a note was played at Bar 1|1|060 (a
(Audio Only)
16th note), and the corresponding template event is
at 1|1|073, a slider value of 100% results in the note After clips are conformed, there may be gaps be-
being shifted to 1|1|073; a slider value of 200% tween the clips. These gaps can cause the material
shifts the note to 1|1|086. to sound unnatural on playback.
8 To conform the material before applying the
groove template, enable the Pre-Process Using
Standard Conform option.
1. Beat triggers
detected in Kick track
added to collection
Overhead mic track displaying a collection of beat triggers containing unique triggers generated from the kick,
snare, and hi-hat tracks
11 Repeat steps 7–10 for each additional track you are analyzing.
The beat triggers stored in the Collection mode are saved with sessions. Therefore, when a session is
opened later, the previous collection material is still there (until it is cleared).
12 Once the beat triggers have been added to the collection, you can use them to generate Bar|Beat Markers
or groove template, or separate clips. However, this must be done from the Collection Mode section
(when the triggers are displayed in multiple colors).
To separate clips across multiple tracks, make sure to extend the selection to any additional tracks be-
fore separating.
The Default Note Duration setting updates to show Click the Default Note On Velocity setting in
the selected note value. the Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or the
Score Editor window, type a new number and
press Enter.
Inserting a Series of Notes With these settings, the notes are inserted spaced
one quarter note apart.
In the Edit window and in MIDI Editor windows,
the Line, Triangle, Square, and Random Pencil 4 Click at the point to insert the first note and drag
tool shapes can be used to enter a series of identical to the right until the number of notes you want
pitches with varying velocities. The duration and have been inserted.
spacing for the inserted notes are determined by
the current Grid value and the Default Note Dura-
tion setting.
When using a Grabber tool, if any portion of the You can also select notes in the Select/Split
rectangle touches a note (either its start or end Notes window. See “Select/Split Notes Com-
point), the note is included in the selection. How- mand” on page 1027.
ever, selections made with a Grabber tool are ob-
ject selections and do not include underlying con-
troller and automation data for the MIDI track.
With the Selector tool, drag across a range of
notes.
1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Notes view. • Select the Trim tool.
• Use the Pencil tool.
2 With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, drag
the note left or right (press Shift while dragging 4 Move the cursor near the beginning of any of
to preserve the note’s pitch). the highlighted notes, so the Trim tool appears.
Drag right to shorten the notes, or drag left to
As the note is dragged, the Cursor Location Value lengthen them.
indicator (in the Edit window) displays the new
start point.
Trimming Note Start and End When in Grid mode, use the Command key
Times (Mac) or Control key (Windows) to temporar-
ily disable Grid mode.
Like clips, start and end points for MIDI notes can
be adjusted with the Trim tool. If several notes are Notes can also be trimmed with the Trim Clip to Se-
selected when performing the trim, each note is lection command (see “Trim to Selection Com-
changed. mand” on page 657) and the Trim To Insertion
command (see “Trimming with Nudge” on
The Trim tool can also be used on MIDI clips. page 659).
For more informations, see “Time Compres-
sion/Expansion Trim Tool Functionality on
MIDI Clips” on page 762.
Consolidating MIDI notes into one using the 1 Select the MIDI notes you want to unmute.
Consolidate Tool
2 Do one of the following:
Consolidating MIDI Notes • Choose Edit > Unmute Notes.
The Consolidate command lets you combine two • Right-click the selected MIDI notes and choose
or more consecutive MIDI notes of the same pitch Unmute Notes.
into a single MIDI note.
Press Command+M (Mac) or Control+M
To consolidate MIDI notes: (Windows) to mute and unmute selected
MIDI notes.
1 Select the MIDI notes you want to consolidate.
2 Do one of the following: Manually Editing Note Velocities
• Choose Edit > Consolidate. When a MIDI or Instrument track is set to Velocity
• Right-click the selected notes and choose Con- view, or when the Velocity lane is revealed under a
solidate. track, each note’s attack velocity is represented
with a velocity stalk. The taller the velocity stalk,
Press Option+Shift+3 (Mac) or Alt+Shift+3 the higher the velocity value (0–127).
(Windows) to consolidate adjacent selected
MIDI notes of the same pitch.
The velocities for a range of notes can be edited 1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Velocity
with any Pencil tool. view.
For fine-resolution editing of velocity values, 2 Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, se-
Command-click-drag (Mac) or Control-click- lect the range of notes to be edited.
drag the top of the velocity stalk to the desired
value.
Multiple notes in the Event Edit area To delete a single MIDI note with the Pencil tool:
Values entered in the pitch and velocity fields add With the Pencil tool selected, Option-click
to or subtract from the values for all selected notes. (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the note. The
For example, to transpose all selected notes down Pencil tool changes to an Eraser when Option
an octave, enter a value of –12 for pitch. (Mac) or Alt (Windows) is pressed.
3 Click OK.
The controller is automatically added to the Selecting Add/Remove Controllers from the Controller
Automated MIDI Controllers list when you Type selector on a Controller lane
record controller information from an exter-
2 In the Automated MIDI Controllers dialog, se-
nal device.
lect the MIDI Controllers range for the control-
To manually enable a continuous controller for ler you want to automate.
automation:
Press Shift+Up Arrow to transpose up or To trim the note off value of selected notes
Shift+Down Arrow to transpose down by an oc- incrementally by the current grid value, do one of
tave. the following:
To duplicate notes when transposing in key (to To trim the note on value of selected notes
create chords): incrementally by the current grid value, do one of
the following:
1 Press Control+Option+Up/Down Arrows
(Mac) or Start+Alt+Up/Down Arrows (Win- Press Control+Left Arrow (Mac) or
dows) to duplicate the notes in key. Start+Alt+Left Arrow (Windows) to lengthen
selected notes.
2 Then Press Control+Up/Down Arrows (Mac) or
Start+Up/Down Arrows (Windows) to trans- Press Control+Option+Right Arrow (Mac) or
pose the duplicate notes to the desired chord Start+Alt+Right Arrow (Windows) to shorten
tone in the key. selected notes.
Use the Up and Down Arrow keys with key modi- About Program and Bank
fiers to change the velocities of selected MIDI Changes
notes on MIDI and Instrument tracks in Notes
The MIDI protocol lets you choose from a range of
view or in MIDI Editor windows.
128 programs (0–127). However, most MIDI in-
To increase or decrease the velocities of selected struments have several banks of 128 programs. To
notes in increments of 5: specify a bank, a bank select message must be sent.
Some instruments use Controller 0 to switch the
Press Command+Up/Down Arrow (Mac) or
bank while others use Controller 32; some use a
Control+Up/Down Arrow (Windows).
combination of the two. The Patch Select dialog in
To increase or decrease the velocities of selected Pro Tools lets you use either of these bank select
notes in increments of 15: messages when inserting a program change event.
Refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for
Press Command+Shift+Up/Down Arrow (Mac)
your MIDI device to see which Controller value it
or Control+Shift+Up/Down Arrow (Windows).
uses.
The placement of program changes can also 4 Type a value for the number of seconds that will
be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Command” elapse between each program change.
on page 908) or Nudge (see “Nudging Clips” 5 Select the Increment Patch option.
on page 659).
After the specified number of seconds, Pro Tools
To delete a program change event: selects the next patch and transmits the program
1 With the Track View or Controller lane set to change to the track’s assigned MIDI output.
Program Change view, click the program
6 When you are finished auditioning settings, de-
change event with any Grabber tool to select it.
select the Increment Patch option and select the
If the clip contains other events you want to program number (or patch name) you want and
delete, you can delete the clip and the Pro- click Done.
gram Change event will also be deleted.
Auditioning Programs
When the Patch Select dialog is open, Pro Tools
can automatically scroll through the different
patches for a track’s assigned MIDI device.
Sysex event block, Sysex view shown
2 Open the Patch Select dialog by clicking the To record a Sysex event:
Patch Select button, or by inserting or editing a
1 Create a new MIDI track.
program change event in a MIDI or Instrument
track. 2 Set the MIDI track Input to the MIDI port to
which your MIDI device is connected.
The Global MIDI Playback Offset can also be 1 Choose Event > MIDI Track Offsets.
set from the MIDI Track Offsets window. You
can also apply MIDI Real-Time Properties
delay to offset MIDI (see “MIDI Real-Time
Properties” on page 779).
Choose Event > All MIDI Notes Off. For MIDI Real-Time Properties to apply to
incoming MIDI data with MIDI Thru
Press Command+Shift+Period (.) (Mac) or
enabled, the corresponding MIDI and
Control+Shift+Period (.) (Windows) for the
Instrument tracks must be record-enabled.
All MIDI Notes Off command.
Indicates
track-based
Indicates
clip-based Writing Real-Time Properties
Real-Time Properties Real-Time Properties to Tracks or Clips
Once you have found the settings you want, you
can write Real-Time Properties to the selected
tracks or clips using the Real-Time Properties win-
dow. Real-Time Properties are applied to the cur-
Track-based and clip-based Real-Time Property rent MIDI data on the track or in a clip.
indicators
To write Real-Time Properties to tracks:
Clip-Based Real-Time Properties
1 Enable Link Track and Edit Selection.
Clip-based Real-Time Properties can only be ap-
2 Select one or more tracks to which you want to
plied using the Real-Time Properties window
apply Real-Time Properties.
(Event > MIDI Real-Time Properties). Real-Time
Properties can be applied to multiple clips. Once 3 Open the Real-Time Properties window (Event
Real-Time Properties have been assigned to a clip, > MIDI Real-Time Properties).
the clip can be moved or copied and pasted and re-
4 Select Tracks from the Real-Time Properties
tain its Real-Time Properties.
Apply To pop-up menu.
Pro Tools provides MIDI Editor windows for detailed MIDI editing.
Record enable
Solo Track Edit selector
Default Note Duration
Mute
Default Note Velocity
Notation Key Focus
View Play MIDI Notes While Editing
Edit Mirrored MIDI Editing MIDI Editor menu
Tools Link Timeline and Edit Selection
Edit modes Grid Chord Cursor Target
selector display location
Tracks List
Velocity, Controller and Superimposed MIDI Zoom controls
Groups List Automation lanes and Instrument tracks
MIDI Editor window
Mute
The Mute button lets you mute all the tracks cur-
rently displayed in the MIDI Editor window.
Cursor Location Display To show (or hide) the MIDI Input display in a MIDI
Editor window:
The Cursor Location display in MIDI Editor win- 1 Click the MIDI Editor Window menu or Right-
dows functions exactly the same way in MIDI Ed- click anywhere in the MIDI Editor window
itor windows as in the Edit window. toolbar.
2 Select (or deselect) MIDI Input Display.
Edit Selection Display
The Edit Selection display in MIDI Editor win- Note names are displayed as the note letter
dows functions exactly the same way for MIDI name and register number (for example, C3
data in MIDI Editor windows as in the Edit win- or C4) or as the MIDI note number (for ex-
dow. The Selection display can be shown or hid- ample, 60) according to the specified Note
den in the Toolbar. Display option in the Pro Tools MIDI Prefer-
ences (Setup > Preferences > MIDI).
To show (or hide) the Edit Selection display in a
MIDI Editor window, do one of the following:
Target
Generally, the Target button for MIDI Editor win-
dows functions just like the Target button for Plug-
In, Output, and Send windows. Additionally, the
Target button in a MIDI Editor window synchro-
nizes its Timeline location view to the Timeline lo-
cation view in the Edit window. Any changes to
Untargeted MIDI Editor window
the Edit selection in the Edit window are reflected
in the Targeted MIDI Editor window. There can
MIDI Editor Window Menu
only be one targeted MIDI Editor window at a
time. The targeted MIDI Editor window can also The MIDI Editor Window menu provides access to
be stored in a Window Configuration. MIDI Editor Window Display options and Scroll-
ing options.
One or more untargeted MIDI Editor windows can
remain open and available at the same time, just MIDI Editor Window Display Options
like untargeted Plug-In windows. Targeting an un-
targeted MIDI Editor window disables any other Expanded Edit Tools
targeted MIDI Editor window.
When selected, the Expanded Edit Tools option
The front-most window, regardless of whether it is displays all of the Edit Tools in the MIDI Editor
targeted, always receives Keyboard Command Fo- window toolbar.
cus and control surface focus.
Tracks List
Scrolling Submenu
Expanded Grid/Nudge Display No Scrolling The MIDI Editor window does not
scroll during or after playback. The playback cur-
When selected, the Expanded Grid/Nudge Display sor moves across the MIDI Editor window, indi-
option displays the Nudge selector in addition to cating the playback location.
the Grid selector in the MIDI Editor window tool-
bar. After Playback The playback cursor moves across
the MIDI Editor window, indicating the playback
location. When playback has stopped, the MIDI
Editor window scrolls to the final playback loca-
tion.
Grid and Nudge selectors
Selection Display Page The playback cursor moves across the MIDI
Editor window, indicating the playback location.
When selected, the Selection Display option shows When the right edge of the MIDI Editor window is
the Edit Selection Display in the MIDI Editor win- reached, its entire contents are scrolled, and the
dow toolbar. playback cursor continues moving from the left
edge of the window.
Tracks List
MIDI Zoom In and Out Buttons Show/Hide Indicates which tracks are shown or
hidden in the MIDI Editor window.
Pro Tools provides MIDI Zoom In and Out buttons
in the upper-right corner of MIDI Editor windows. Track Color Displays the track color for each track
These controls function exactly the same as the by type or by track.
MIDI Zoom controls in the toolbar, and let you Name Displays the name for each track.
zoom in and out vertically on MIDI notes.
Pencil Lets you enable a track for manually enter-
ing MIDI notes with the Pencil tool.
To show only selected MIDI, Instrument, and Type Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks List by
Auxiliary Input tracks in a MIDI Editor window: Track Type.
1 In the Tracks List, select the MIDI, Instrument,
Edit Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks
and Auxiliary Input tracks you want to show in
List by Edit Groups.
the MIDI Editor window.
Mix Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks
2 From the Tracks List pop-up menu, select Show
List by Mix Groups.
Only Selected Tracks.
Voice Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks List by
To show all tracks of a single type (MIDI or Voice allocations.
Instrument) in a MIDI Editor window:
Groups List
The Groups List in MIDI Editor windows provides the same functionality as in the Edit window. You can
create, edit, and delete Edit Groups using the Groups List in any MIDI Editor window. The Groups List is
linked between the Edit window and all MIDI Editor windows.
You can also view and edit MIDI notes in Notation view in the Notes pane (see “Notation View”
on page 803).
MIDI Editor window, Notes pane with five superimposed Instrument tracks
When Color Coding by Track is enabled, tracks in the MIDI Editor are temporarily assigned one of
sixteen fixed colors, in the order they appear in the Tracks List.
When Color Coding by Velocity is enabled, MIDI notes are all the same red color (hue) on all tracks dis-
played, and MIDI notes vary in color saturation (from a light red to a dark red) based on the Note On ve-
locity. Notes with low velocities are lighter in color and those with high velocities are darker.
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.
Inserting a MIDI note on track “Inst 3” The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools
relevant to the Score Editor.
To pencil-enable multiple contiguous Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool.
tracks, Shift-click in the Pencil column of
the range of tracks you want. To pencil-en- Trim Selects the Trim tool.
able multiple discontiguous tracks, Com- Selector Selects the Selector tool.
mand-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) in the Pencil column of any Grabber Selects the Grabber tool.
additional tracks. Option-click (Mac) or
Scrubber Selects the Scrubber tool.
Alt-click (Windows) to pencil-enable all
tracks. Manually inserted notes are written Pencil Selects the Pencil tool.
to all pencil-enabled tracks.
Smart Selects the Smart tool.
The Insert submenu lets you insert key changes, The Consolidate command lets you consolidate se-
meter changes, and chord symbols at the location lected multiple consecutive MIDI notes of the
of the Edit cursor. same pitch.
The Paste command pastes the clipboard to the Open In New MIDI Editor
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cursor
Selecting the Open In New MIDI Editor option
location. Any MIDI notes already present at the
opens all shown tracks in a new MIDI Editor win-
same location are overwritten.
dow.
Merge
Open In Score Editor
The Merge command pastes the clipboard to the
The Open In Score Editor option opens the shown
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cursor
tracks in the Score Editor window.
location and merges the pasted data with any MIDI
notes already present at the same location.
Open in MIDI Event List
Clear The Open In MIDI Event List option opens the se-
lected track in the MIDI Event List.
The Clear command clears (deletes) the current
Edit selection. Display Notation
In MIDI Editor windows, notation is displayed as a Right-click in the Notes pane and select
continuous timeline and not in page view as in the Notation View.
Score Editor window.
Editing in Notation view in a MIDI Editor window
For information on editing notation, see works the same way as in the Score Editor win-
“Editing Notes” on page 821. dow, but with the advantage of having access to
Velocity, Controller, and Automation lanes.
To enable Notation view, do one of the following:
In Notation view, the Trim tool functions as
Enable the Notation view button in the MIDI
the Grabber tool when over a note and as the
Editor window toolbar.
Note Selector tool when not over a note.
Show/Hide lanes
Velocity lane
(2 tracks superimposed)
Remove lane
Add lane
Controller/Automation
Type selector
Paired Automation
lanes for separate
tracks
Velocity, Controller, and Automation lanes for two stereo Instrument tracks
The Score Editor window lets you view, edit, arrange, and print MIDI from your session as music
notation. MIDI notes are transcribed in real-time whether you record, import, draw (with the Pencil tool),
or Step Enter MIDI.
1 Ensure that there is no Edit selection. Normal Zoom The Zoomer tool remains selected
after zooming.
2 Right-click the Track name of an unselected
track in the Edit or Mix window, or in the Single Zoom The previously selected Edit tool is
Tracks List of the Edit, Mix, or MIDI Editor automatically reselected after zooming.
window.
Press the F5 key to select the Zoomer tool
3 From the Right-click menu, choose Open In and toggle between Normal and Single Zoom
Score Editor. modes.
If the Score Editor option is selected as the 2 Click once with the Zoomer tool at a location
“Double Clicking a MIDI Clip Opens” set- within the score. The score is zoomed in by one
ting in the MIDI Preferences page, you can level and is centered around the zoomed loca-
double-click a MIDI clip to open it in the tion.
Score Editor.
3 To zoom back to the previous level, Option-
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) with the
Zoomer tool.
Note Selector
Use the Note Selector tool to select notes on one or
more staves in the Score Editor window. Selected
notes highlight blue. Selected notes can be deleted,
moved, transposed, and processed (using Event
Operations).
Use the Pencil tools to insert, select, move, or de- The Triangle Pencil tool lets you draw a series of
lete notes in the Score Editor window. The various MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities os-
Pencil tools differ in how they draw note durations, cillate between the defined Default Note Velocity
repeated notes, and velocities, but function the and 127 in a triangle pattern. The duration of each
same when drawing notes on tracks in Notes view note is determined by the current Grid value.
in the Edit window or in a MIDI Editor window.
The duration is determined by the selected Default
To select a Pencil tool: Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
page 811).
Click the Pencil tool pop-up menu and select the
Pencil tool you want. The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 813).
Press the F10 key repeatedly to cycle through
the different Pencil tools. Square
The following Pencil tools are available in the The Square Pencil tool lets you draw a series of
Score Editor: MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities al-
ternate between the defined Default Note Velocity
Free Hand and 127 in a square pattern. The duration of each
note is determined by the current Grid value.
The Free Hand Pencil tool lets you draw single
notes of varying duration. The duration is determined by the selected Default
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
Note velocities are determined by the Default Note
page 811).
Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Velocity”
on page 811). The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 813).
The minimum duration of the note is determined
by the selected Default Note Duration (see “De- Random
fault Note Duration” on page 811).
The Square Pencil tool lets you draw a series of
Line MIDI notes on a single pitch whose velocities
change randomly within the range between the de-
The Line Pencil tool lets you draw multiple notes
fined Default Note Velocity and 127 in a square
of the same pitch and duration.
pattern. The duration of each note is determined by
Note velocities are determined by the Default Note the current Grid value.
Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Velocity”
The duration is determined by the selected Default
on page 811).
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
The duration is determined by the selected Default page 811).
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
The start time for each note is determined by the
page 811).
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 813).
The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 813).
If you want dotted note values, also select the Dot- Play MIDI Notes When Editing enabled in the Score
ted option. Editor window
When inserting MIDI notes with the Pencil tool When the Target is disabled, the Score Editor does
(using the Line, Triangle, Square, or Random not update to show the current Edit window selec-
shapes), the Grid value determines the Note On lo- tion or Edit cursor location.
cation and the Default Note Duration value deter-
mines the note duration (see “Default Note Dura-
tion” on page 811).
Selection display
Keep Score Editor Window On
Top
Tracks List
The Score Editor window lets you set it to remain
When selected, the Tracks List option displays the in the foreground even when clicking on and fo-
Tracks List in the Score Editor window. cusing another window (such as the Edit or Mix
windows).
Scrolling
Enable the Keep Window On Top option in the
The Scrolling submenu lets you select the scrolling Score Editor window menu to ensure that the win-
options for the Score Editor window inde- dow remains in the foreground when working with
pendently of the Edit window and any MIDI Editor other windows. When this option is disabled,
windows. The scrolling options include: clicking on another window (such as the Edit or
Mix windows) brings that window to the front and
No Scrolling The Score Editor window does not
the Score Editor window (whichever one you are
scroll during or after playback. The playback cur-
working with) may be hidden behind it.
sor moves across the Edit window, indicating the
playback location.
Changing Toolbar Display Options From the Score Editor Window menu, select or
deselect Tracks List.
To change the toolbar display options in the Score
Editor window toolbar:
Showing and Hiding Tracks
1 Do one of the following:
Use the Tracks List to show and hide MIDI and In-
• Click the Score Editor Window Toolbar menu. strument tracks as staves in the score.
• Right-click in the Toolbar.
To show MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
2 From the pop-up menu, select or deselect any of Editor:
the following:
Enable the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks
• Selection Display List for tracks you want to show in the score.
• Expanded Edit Tools
Display Transposition
Information
On pages where the music is vertically justi- The Score Editor provides simple score editing
fied, the distance between staves and systems tools for entering, moving, and transposing MIDI
will be larger than the numbers specified. notes as music notation:
Below Title and Composer Enter the spacing you • The Trim tool lets you lengthen or shorten the
want between the Title and Composer and the first duration of notes.
staff of the score. • The Note Selector tool lets you make object se-
lections of notes in the score.
Below Chord Symbols and Diagrams Enter the
spacing you want between Chord Symbols and Di- • The Grabber tool lets you select and move notes
agrams and the top stave of each system. to another time or pitch location on the same
track.
Layout • The Pencil tool lets you insert notes and move
them to another time or pitch location on the
Page Size Select the page size (Letter, Legal, Tab-
same track.
loid, or A4).
Page Margins Enter the size for the top, bottom, 1 Click the Note Selector tool.
left, and right page margins.
2 Drag in the score to highlight the notes you
Inches Select to enter Stave Size and Page Mar- want to select.
gins in inches.
Moving Notes
Use the Grabber tool to move selected notes from
one time location to another time location on the
Selecting notes with the Grabber tool same staff. When moving notes in the Score Edi-
tor, the underlying MIDI notes maintain their posi-
Transposing Notes tion relative to the Grid.
You can use the Grabber tool or the Pencil tool to To move notes to another time location:
manually transpose a note up or down. You can
1 Click the Grabber tool.
also use the Transpose Event Operation (Event >
Event Operations > Transpose) to transpose se- 2 If you want to move more than one note, drag
lected notes. around the notes you want to move to select
them.
To transpose a single note:
3 Drag any of the selected notes to another time
1 Click the Grabber tool. location on the same staff.
2 Drag the note you want to transpose up or down.
Cut
Entering multiple note of the same pitch with the Line
Pencil tool The Cut command cuts the current Edit selection.
Rests Copy
The Score Editor automatically adds rests as nec- The Copy command copies the current Edit selec-
essary. Rests cannot be moved or inserted manu- tion.
ally.
Paste
Chord Quality
selector
Chord selector Bass selector
To export a score from Pro Tools: 1 Open the Score Editor window and configure
your score.
1 Configure the score for your session in Score
Editor window. 2 Choose File > Print Score.
2 Choose File > Export > To Sibelius. 3 Configure the Print dialog as necessary and
click Print (Mac) or OK (Windows).
3 Select a destination and click Save.
Press Command+P (Mac) or Control+P
To send the score from your Pro Tools session to (Windows) to print the score.
Sibelius, do one of the following:
Track Selector
The Track selector in the MIDI Event List both in-
dicates the currently displayed MIDI or Instrument
track and can be used to choose a different MIDI or
Instrument track to be displayed.
Number of Events
MIDI Event List The number of MIDI events on the selected track
are displayed at the top of the MIDI Event List.
Events in the MIDI Event List can be copied and
pasted, selected, or deleted. Any MIDI event (ex-
cept Sysex data) can be inserted and edited in the Target
list. Certain MIDI event types can be hidden with The Target button for the MIDI Event List deter-
the View Filter. mines whether or not the MIDI Event List follows
the Edit cursor and Edit selections in the Edit win-
Unlike playlists in the Edit window, you can
dow and MIDI Editor windows. For example,
insert and display polyphonic aftertouch in
when the Target is enabled, the Events shown in
the MIDI Event List.
the MIDI Event List update to show the event in
The playback cursor appears as a blue arrow (red, When inserting an event type that has been
when tracks are record-enabled) in the Start col- filtered from the MIDI Event List, that event
umn. type will no longer be filtered.
When several events reside at the same location, Example: To filter the display of aftertouch and
the location is only indicated for the top event, with System Exclusive Messages in the MIDI Event
List:
the others dimmed. The dimmed locations can be
edited by double-clicking them. 1 In the MIDI Event List, choose View Filter from
the MIDI Event List menu.
• Press Tab or the Down Arrow to move to the 4 Enter the location you want to go to, then click
next event (with or without the edit field se- OK.
lected).
• Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win-
dows) or the Up Arrow to move to the previous
event (with or without the edit field selected).
With the MIDI Event List as the front-most To insert a controller event in the MIDI Event List:
window, press Command+N (Mac) or Con- 1 From the MIDI Event List menu, choose Insert
trol+N (Windows) to Insert a note. > Controller.
2 Enter the location, pitch, attack (Note On) and With the MIDI Event List as the front-most
release (Note Off) velocities, and length for the window, press Command+L (Mac) or Con-
new note. To move between the Event Entry trol+L (Windows) to Insert a controller
fields, use the Left and Right Arrow keys. event.
To edit an event in the MIDI Event List: Selecting Events in the MIDI
1 Do one of the following: Event List
• Double-click the event field you want to edit. To select a range of events in the MIDI Event List,
do one of the following:
• To edit a selected event, press Command+Enter
(Mac) or Control+Enter (Windows). Click the event at the beginning of the selection
and drag to the ending event.
Shift-click the event at the beginning of the se-
lection, then Shift-click the ending event.
Displaying Rulers
To display all rulers:
If a Timebase ruler is displayed, click its name From the Main Counter selector, select (or dese-
so it becomes highlighted. lect) the Show Sub Counter option.
Setting the Main Time Scale to the timebase To show the Sub Counter in the Transport window:
currently displayed in the Sub Counter
From the Transport Window menu, ensure that
switches the two Time Scales, setting the Sub
the Counters and Expanded Transport options
Time Scale to the previous timebase of the
are enabled.
Main Time Scale.
To set the Time Scale for the Sub Counter:
When working in Bars|Beats, you will often want Tick- and Sample-Based
to specify tick values for a number of operations, Timebases
including:
Pro Tools lets you set any track timebase to either
• Placing and spotting clips
sample-based or tick-based.
• Setting lengths for clips or MIDI notes
Audio tracks in Pro Tools are sample-based by de-
• Locating and setting play and record ranges (in-
fault. This means that audio clips and events are lo-
cluding pre- and post-roll)
cated at specific sample locations, and they do not
• Specifying settings in the Quantize and Change move from that location if the tempo changes in
Duration pages of the Event Operations window the session—even though their bar and beat loca-
• Setting the Grid and Nudge values tions do change.
When the Main Time Scale is set to MIDI and Instrument tracks in Pro Tools are tick-
Bars|Beats, and you are using tempo based by default. This means that MIDI clips and
changes, set the Linearity Display Mode to events are located at a specific bar and beat loca-
Linear Tick Display (see “Changing the tions, and they do not move from that location if
Linearity Display Mode” on page 858). the tempo changes in the session—even though its
This will keep the Bars|Beats ruler fixed (at sample location does change.
the selected zoom level) and sample-based
rulers such as Minutes:Seconds will scale Sample-Based Audio and MIDI
to fit any tempo changes while bar lengths
With a sample-based audio track, all audio clips in
remain constant.
the track have an absolute location on the absolute
Timeline (for example, on the Samples or Min-
utes:Seconds Timebase ruler). Audio stays fixed to
the sample time, regardless of any tempo or meter
changes occur in a session.
Switching Timebases
All Pro Tools tracks can be switched between be-
Track Height pop-up menu
ing sample-based or tick-based.
When you change the timebase for an audio track Do not select the material with any of the Grab-
that is part of an active Edit group, all the tracks in ber tools (or by double-clicking with the Selector
the group will change to the same timebase. tool).
In the Tempo ruler with any Edit tool, drag the Select View > Rulers > Tempo.
Song Start Marker left or right.
To set the default session tempo, see “Setting
the Session Meter and Tempo” on page 502.
4 To place the inserted tempo event cleanly on the Dragging a tempo event
first beat of the nearest measure, select the Snap
If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event
To Bar option.
snaps to the current Grid value.
5 To base the BPM value on something other than
the default quarter note, select a different note To edit a tempo event:
value. 1 In the Tempo ruler, double-click the tempo
6 Click OK. The new tempo event is inserted and event.
appears in the Tempo ruler. 2 In the Tempo Change window, enter a new
Location or BPM value for the tempo event.
3 Click OK.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
tempo event (the cursor changes to a Grabber rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
with a “–”).
2 Drag with the Selector tool in the Tempo ruler to
To copy and paste several tempo events:
select the tempo events you want to remove.
1 With the Selector tool, drag in the Tempo ruler 3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected tempo
to select the range of bars that includes the events.
tempo events.
Tap Tempo
You can manually set the tempo for a Pro Tools
session by tapping on your computer keyboard.
You can also use a connected MIDI keyboard to
Tempo events selected tap tempo.
Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while To set the Manual Tempo by tapping on a computer
dragging to select across all Conductor keyboard:
tracks. 1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport win-
dow, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.
2 Choose Edit > Copy.
2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo Ruler
3 Click in the Tempo ruler at the point where you Enable (Conductor) button so it becomes un-
want to paste the tempo events. highlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
4 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip- Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in
board are pasted from the insertion point, re- the Tempo ruler are ignored.
placing any existing tempo events.
Graphic Tempo Editor Click the Tempo Editor Zoom Out button (“–”).
Tempo Editor
With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event up or Selecting a single tempo event
down. To Select a tempo curve in the Tempo Editor:
To adjust the location of the tempo change: Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, tri-
ple-click on a horizontal tempo line in the curve
With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event to the that you want to select.
left or right.
You can extend Tempo selections to the next or the 1 Open the Tempo Editor.
previous tempo event. 2 With the Selector tool, select the area you want
to edit.
To extend a tempo selection:
3 With the Trim tool, click within the selected
1 With the Selector tool, select a range of tempo
area, and drag up or down. Dragging up in-
events.
creases the tempo values of the selection in
2 Do one of the following: BPM; dragging down decreases them.
• Press Shift+Tab to extend the selection to the
next tempo event.
• Press Shift+Option+Tab (Mac) or Shift+Con-
trol+Tab (Windows) to extend the
selection to the previous tempo event.
The Tempo Operations window lets you define Choose Event > Tempo Operations, followed
tempo events over a range of time (or measures). by one of the Tempo Operations page com-
The time range is specified in the time format cho- mands (such as Constant).
sen for your Main Time Scale. In addition, the
Tempo Operations window lets you: If the Tempo Operations window is already
open, you can select any of the pages from the
• Fit a specific number of Bars|Beats into a precise pop-up menu at the top of the window.
time range.
To open the last active Tempo Operations window
• Create tempos that speed up or slow down, both
page:
linearly and over various curves.
Choose Event > Tempo Operations > Tempo
• Scale and stretch existing tempos.
Operations Window.
The Tempo Operations window is not
Press Option+2 (Mac) or Alt+2 (Windows)
available in Manual Tempo mode.
on the number keypad to open the Tempo Op-
The Tempo Operations window has six pages, one erations window and display the last active
for each type of tempo operation. Tempo Operations page.
Constant Lets you create a constant tempo over a To define tempo events over a range of time:
selected range of time. 1 Make a selection in the Timebase or in a track.
Linear Lets you create tempos that change evenly 2 Choose Event > Tempo Operations > Tempo
over a selected range of time. Operations Window.
Parabolic Lets you create tempos that accelerate or 3 Select a Tempo Operation page from the pop-up
decelerate following a tempo curve that changes menu at the top of the Tempo Operation win-
the tempo more rapidly or less rapidly over the se- dow.
lection time.
4 Change the settings for the page you have cho-
S-Curve Lets you create tempos that accelerate or sen, as necessary.
decelerate following a tempo curve with a defin- 5 Do one of the following:
able breakpoint that determines mid-curve times
and tempo values. • Click Apply.
• Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to auto-
Scale Lets you scale tempos within the selection
matically apply the values and close the window.
by a percentage amount.
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates either
previous tempo setting that was in effect at the se- the selection end time, the start tempo, the end
lection end point is preserved after the selection. If tempo or the curvature of the tempo change.
unselected, the last tempo event created by the
Selection Start and End Displays the start and end
tempo operation continues to the end of the ses-
points for the tempo change in the currently se-
sion, or until the next tempo event beyond the se-
lected Main timebase. When an Edit selection is
lected range.
made, the Start and End fields will display the se-
lection boundaries. Changing start or end values
changes the selection range.
Resolution (Advanced Option) Lets you select the Scale page (Advanced Option)
BPM note value for your tempo setting. Advanced When this option is selected, the
selection range changes to the Main Time Scale
Select “Follow Metronome Click” will set the
format, and additional and modified options be-
tempo BPM note value to mirror the click
come available.
value set in the meter markers.
Calculate (Advanced Option) In combination with
Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the
settings chosen in the Scale pop-up menu, the Cal-
density of the tempo change events written to the culate pop-up menu lets you calculate the selection
Tempo ruler. end time, the average tempo, the start tempo, or the
end tempo.
Average Tempo Displays the Average Tempo, in Stretch To End Specifies a new end point for the
beats per minute (BPM), across the selected range. clip to which you want to apply the selected tempo
Changing the Average Tempo changes the Scale events. Changing the end point causes the Stretch
percentage. percentage to change.
Scale Displays the percentage by which the tempo Stretch To Start (Advanced Option) Specifies a
is scaled, in beats per minute (BPM), across the se- new start point for the clip to which you want to
lected range. Changing Scale changes Average apply the selected tempo events. Changing the end
Tempo. point causes the Stretch percentage to change.
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the Stretch Specifies the percentage of time for the se-
previous tempo setting that was in effect at the se- lected tempo events to cover.
lection end point is preserved after the selection. If
unselected, the last tempo event created by the
tempo operation continues to the end of the ses-
sion, or until the next tempo event beyond the se-
lected range.
864 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the Choosing Bar|Beat Markers or
previous tempo setting that was in effect at the se- Tempo Events
lection end point is preserved after the selection. If
Because tempo events are tick-based, and Bar|Beat
unselected, the last tempo event created by the
Markers are sample-based, they cannot be mixed.
tempo operation continues to the end of the ses-
If a session contains tempo events and you attempt
sion, or until the next tempo event beyond the se-
to insert Bar|Beat Markers, existing tempo events
lected range.
are converted to Bar|Beat Markers (and vice
versa).
The Identify Beat command analyzes a selection 1 Press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
range (usually with a distinct number of beats or and click the Add Tempo Change button.
measures) and calculates its tempo based on the
2 Select either Tempo Events or Bar|Beat
specified meter. In doing this, Bar|Beat Markers
Markers from the pop-up menu.
for the calculated tempo are inserted and appear in
the Tempo ruler at the beginning and end of the se-
lection; in addition, meter events are inserted into
the Meter ruler.
Bar|Beat Marker
Current Meter
As meter events are encountered during playback,
the session’s current meter is displayed in the
Current meter displayed in Transport window
Transport window.
2 In the Meter Change window, enter the Loca-
tion and Meter for the meter change.
3 If you want the inserted meter event to fall
cleanly on the first beat of the nearest measure,
select the Snap To Bar option.
5 Click OK to insert the new meter event. The Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while
new meter event is inserted and appears in the dragging to select across all Conductor tracks.
Meter ruler.
3 Choose Edit > Copy.
4 Click in the Meter ruler at the point where you
want to paste the meter events.
5 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip-
Inserted meter event board are pasted from the insertion point, re-
placing any existing meter events.
Each meter event has a small yellow triangle next
to it that indicates its location. These triangles can To extend an Edit selection in a track to the Meter
be selected for copying and pasting, and they can ruler:
be double-clicked to edit the meter event. 1 Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, se-
lect a track range.
Editing Meter Events 2 Shift-click in the Meter ruler.
Existing meter events can be edited, deleted, cop-
Shift-click again in the Meter ruler to remove it
ied, and pasted.
from the selection.
To edit a meter event:
To select all meter events:
1 In the Meter ruler, double-click the meter event.
With the Selector tool, double-click in the Me-
2 In the Meter Change dialog, enter a new Loca- ter ruler.
tion or Meter for the event.
To clear a range of selected meter events:
3 Click OK.
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
To delete a meter event: rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the 2 Drag in the Meter ruler to select the meter
meter event. events you want to remove.
3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected meter
events.
As necessary, Pro Tools will create a partial mea- Choose Event > Time Operations > Time Oper-
sure to accommodate the inserted meter event. ations Window.
When a meter event is preceded by a partial mea-
Press Option+1 (Mac) or Alt+1 (Win-
sure, the meter event is displayed in italics in the
dows) on the number keypad to open the
Meter ruler.
Time Operations window and display the
last active Time Operations window.
Change Meter
Partial measure of 4/4
Change Meter in the Time Operation window lets
Partial measures can also occur when pasting me- you specify complex meter changes for Bar|Beat-
ter events to locations other than the first beat of a based material. You can enter meter changes at a
measure. particular bar, make a meter change over a selected
To insert meter events while avoiding partial area of time, or add meter changes sequentially one
bars, use the Change Meter command in the bar at a time.
Time Operations window. See “Change Me-
ter” on page 870.
Time Operations
The Time Operations window lets you:
• Change Meter
• Insert Time
• Cut Time
• Move Song Start
Pitched tracks are MIDI or Instrument tracks that The Import MIDI dialog includes the Import Key
can be affected by transpositions due to key Signature from MIDI File option. When selected,
changes (including constrain to key). MIDI and In- key signatures (if present) are imported into
strument tracks are “pitched” by default. However, Pro Tools with any other MIDI data.
if you have MIDI or Instrument tracks assigned to
drum machines or samplers, you do not want those
tracks to be affected by key changes because of
key mappings. You can deselect the Pitched option
for specific MIDI and Instrument tracks so that
they will not be affected by key changes.
Select View > Rulers > Chord Symbols. To delete a chord symbol, do one of the following:
From the Ruler View selector in the Edit win- Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
dow or in a MIDI Editor window, select Chords. Chord Symbol marker in the Chords ruler.
Make a selection in the Chords ruler that in-
cludes the chord symbols you want to delete and
choose Edit > Clear or press Delete.
Pro Tools adds Chord Symbol markers to the Chord Symbols ruler for all chords detected in the selected
MIDI clips.
Chord Symbol markers added to the Chord Symbols ruler for all chords detected in the selected MIDI clips
Memory Locations provide a powerful way to nav- When creating Memory Locations, the next avail-
igate your session while editing and arranging. able number is assigned to it (1–999). This number
is used in recalling the Memory Location from the
Each session can save up to 999 Memory Loca- numeric keypad.
tions that can be used to recall:
• Markers to important locations in the session To create a Marker Memory Location:
• Edit selections across one or more tracks 1 Configure any session settings you will save
with the Marker Memory Location, such as
• Record and play ranges, along with pre- and
zoom settings, pre- and post-roll times,
post-roll times
Show/Hide status for tracks, Track Heights, and
• Track settings that include Show/Hide status, Edit and Mix Group enables.
Track Heights, and zoom values
2 If necessary, enable Options > Link Timeline and
• Edit and Mix Groups enables Edit Selection.
• Window Configurations
3 Ensure that the Markers ruler is displayed (View
Memory Locations are viewed and sorted in the > Rulers > Markers).
Memory Locations window, where they can be re- 4 Do one of the following:
called by clicking the Memory Location.
• Click with the Selector tool in any track or ruler
at the location where you want to place the
Marker. To place a Marker at the beginning of a
Creating Memory Locations clip, select the clip with the Time Grabber tool.
Memory Locations can be created in different Click the Add Marker/Memory Location button
ways, based on the type of Memory Location: (or press Enter on the numeric keypad).
• In the Marker ruler, double-click the Marker to 2 Select a range of material in one or more tracks.
open the Edit Memory Location dialog and relo-
3 In the Memory Locations window, Control-
cate the insertion point at the marker location.
click (Mac) or Right-click (Windows) the
• In the Marker ruler, Control-click (Mac) or Memory Location that you want to redefine.
Start-click (Windows) the Marker to open the
4 Enter a name for the Memory Location and
Edit Memory Location dialog without locating
click OK.
the insertion point at the marker location.
4 Enter a name for the Marker and click OK. If the beginning of the selection includes a Marker,
press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) so
the Selector tool appears.
Deleting Memory Locations Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while
To delete a Memory Location, do one of the dragging to select across all Conductor
following: tracks.
Select the Memory Location and choose Delete 3 Choose Edit > Copy.
Memory Location from the Memory Locations
Window menu. 4 Click in the Markers ruler at the point where
you want to paste the tempo events.
In the Memory Locations window, Option-click
(Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the Memory Lo- 5 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip-
cation. board are pasted from the insertion point, re-
placing any existing Markers.
In the Memory Locations windows, Memory Lo- View Filter Submenu Provides commands to show
cations are listed with assigned number, name, and or hide specific memory location properties:
View Filter icons. Locations can be recalled or ed- • Show Icons
ited from this window.
• View Markers
• View Selections
• View Locations with Zoom Info
• View Locations with Pre/Post Roll Info
• View Locations with Track Show/Hide Info
• View Locations with Track Height Info
• View Locations with Group Info
Memory Locations window with View Filter icons
• View Locations with Window Configuration
To recall a Memory Location from the Memory Info
Location window:
• Show Markers Only
Click the Memory Location.
• View All
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
Classic, press the Memory Location number
followed by Period (.). With the Numeric
Keypad mode set to Transport or Shuttle,
press Period (.), the Memory Location
number, and Period (.) again.
Main/Sub Counters in the Memory Locations window Sort by Time When selected, Markers are sorted
by their order in the Timeline, followed by Selec-
You can click at the top of the Main Time Scale tion and General Properties Memory Locations,
column for a pop-up menu that lets you change the which are listed in the order in which they were
Main Time Scale. created.
Delete <Name> Slot Deletes the selected Memory Marker Window Configuration
Zoom Show/Hide
Location, and renumbers all subsequent Memory Settings Track Heights
Locations.
Auto-Name Memory Location When selected, Memory Locations View Filter icons
Memory Locations are created automatically with- To show or hide Memory Locations containing a
out encountering the New Memory Location dia- specific property:
log. If the Default To Marker option is selected, a
Marker Memory Location is auto-created. Other- Click the appropriate icon.
wise, the Memory Location type is determined by
Color and Properties
whatever type (Marker, Selection, or None) was
created last. When a view icon is enabled, it appears in color.
When it is disabled, it appears gray.
Pro Tools provides several ways of arranging clips If dragging multiple clips, the clips are placed on
on tracks including, but not limited to, moving adjacent tracks left to right or on multiple tracks
them with the Grabber tool, nudging, cutting or from top to bottom depending on the selected
copying and pasting, spotting them to a time loca- Timeline Drop Order option (see “Setting Timeline
tion, and so on. The exact placement of clips in a Drop Order” on page 894). If dragging a stereo au-
track depends on whether the Edit mode is set to dio clip, it must be placed in a stereo track or in two
Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid (see “Edit Modes” on mono tracks.
page 601).
Clips are placed according to the current Edit
mode:
Placing Clips from the Clips • In Shuffle mode, existing track clips are slid as
List on to Track Playlists necessary to make room for the new clip.
• In Spot mode, you are prompted by the Spot di-
Once you have created a clip, it appears in the
alog to enter a location for the dragged clip (see
Clips List. From the Clips List you can drag it to a
“Spotting Clips” on page 902).
track to add to an existing arrangement of clips on
a track, or you can create a new track and start add- • In Grid mode, the dragged clip snaps to the near-
ing clips from scratch. est Grid boundary.
You can locate clips in the Clips List by You can temporarily disable Grid mode while
typing the first few letters of their name dragging a clip by holding down the Com-
(see “Keyboard Selection of Clips” on mand key (Mac) or Control key (Windows)
page 294). after clicking with the mouse.
To place a clip from the Clips List on a track: • In Slip mode, the clips are placed exactly where
1 In the Clips List, select the clip or clips you they are dropped in the destination track.
want to place.
2 Drag the selected clips from the Clips List to a
location in a track.
Choose Clips List > Timeline Drop Order, and New tracks after dropping multiple Clips List items,
with Timeline Drop Order set to Top to Bottom mode
then Top to Bottom or Left to Right.
To place multiple items across multiple existing
tracks:
Dragging and Dropping Multiple
Items from the Clips List 1 From the Clips List menu, choose Timeline
Drop Order > Top to Bottom.
To drag and drop multiple items from the Clips List
to multiple new tracks: 2 Select multiple items in the Clips List and drop
them in the playlist of a compatible track at the
1 From the Clips List menu, choose Timeline
target location. When the cursor is over a com-
Drop Order > Top to Bottom.
patible destination, the clip outlines appear at
2 Search and sort the Clips List to configure the the location.
order in which items will be placed.
1 With the Selector tool, click in the track at the 1 Place the Edit insertion point where you want.
time location where you want to place the sync
2 Do one of the following:
point of the clip.
• Command-Control-drag (Mac) or Control-Start-
2 Do one of the following: drag (Windows) a clip from the Clips List to an-
• While pressing Control+Shift (Mac) or other track.
Start+Shift (Windows), drag the clip from the • If the clip is already in the track, Command-
Clips List, or from another track, to the destina- Control-click (Mac) or Control-Start-click
tion track. (Windows) the clip you want to move with the
• If the clip is already in the track, Shift-Control- Time Grabber tool (or with the Smart tool posi-
click (Mac) or Shift-Start-click (Windows) the tioned over the middle, lower-third of the clip).
clip with the Time Grabber tool.
Command-Option-Control-click (Mac) or
Start-Alt-Start-click (Windows) and drag to
Insertion Point
the clip.
To shuffle clips:
1 Enable Shuffle mode (see “Edit Modes” on
page 601).
2 Drag a mono clip from the Clips List to an
empty track. The clip snaps to the beginning of
the track.
3 Drag a second clip from the Clips List to the
same track, somewhere in the middle. The start
point for the second clip snaps to the end of the
first clip.
4 With the Time Grabber tool, drag the second
clip to the beginning of the track.
You can also use the Snap To commands with 5 Experiment more with Shuffle mode by drag-
an Edit selection that includes multiple clips ging additional clips to the track and rearrang-
on one or more tracks. ing them.
For more information on using SMPTE with 4 If the Time Scale is set to Timecode, select the
Pro Tools, see Chapter 57, “Working with Use Subframes option to display subframes in
Synchronization.” the fields for improved accuracy.
5 Do one of the following:
To spot a clip:
• Click in the field for Start, Sync Point, or End
1 Enable Spot mode (see “Edit Modes” on
and type in a new location. Changing one of
page 601).
these locate points automatically updates the
2 Do one of the following: other locate points.
• Drag a clip from the Clips List, or drag audio • Click one of the up arrows next to Original Time
files or sessions from a Workspace browser to an Stamp or User Time Stamp to enter the associ-
existing track. ated values into the currently selected field.
• Click a clip already in a track with the Time • If you are using an external SMPTE timecode
Grabber tool. source, click the down arrow next to the Current
Timecode display—or press Equal (=) on the nu-
3 In the Spot dialog, select a time format from the
meric keypad—to capture an incoming time-
Time Scale pop-up menu.
code address.
6 Click OK. The clip is moved to the new location
specified for its start, end, or sync point.
Sync points in audio clips may displayed or 1 If you want the sync point to snap to the current
hidden. Grid value when you finish scrubbing, set the
Edit mode to Grid (see “Edit Modes” on
To disable the display of sync points in audio clips: page 601).
Deselect View > Clip > Sync Point. 2 Select the Scrubber tool.
3 Drag the sync point to a new location. The sync
To enable the display of sync points in audio clips:
point scrubs the audio as you move it.
Choose View > Clip > Sync Point.
Locking Clips
In many cases you may want to “lock” clips or clip Edit Lock icon
groups to a specific time location to keep them
from being moved or otherwise edited inadver- When Edit-locked, a small Edit Lock icon appears
tently. Pro Tools provides two different commands in the clip and it cannot be moved, deleted, or ed-
for locking clips: Edit locking and Time locking. ited. If you attempt to perform edits on a locked
clip, Pro Tools alerts you (see “Allowing Editing
of Edit-Locked Clips” on page 910).
Edit Locking Clips
In Shuffle mode, Edit-locked clips, and all clips
If you have a clip or group of clips that you want to
occurring after the locked clip, are not displaced
protect from being inadvertently edited, you can
when other neighboring clips are moved.
Edit lock them. Clips that are Edit-locked cannot
be edited (such as cutting, deleting, separating, On tick-based Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, Edit-
trimming, or adjusting clip gain) or moved to a dif- locked clips conform to tempo changes, but not
ferent time location. Copied edit-locked clips can other Elastic Audio processing (such as Quantize
be pasted to any other track or time location, but or manual warping) can be applied.
the copy will also be Edit-locked at the new time
location.
For example, if you set these naming options to: For finer resolution on these controls, press Com-
• Name = SFX mand (Mac) or Control (Windows) while adjusting
them.
• Auto Number Start = 23
• Leading Zeros = 1
• Suffix = .Reel1
Inserting Silence
The Insert Silence command is a simple and con-
Strip Silence rectangles
venient way to insert silence on audio, MIDI, and
Strip Threshold Sets the amplitude threshold Instrument tracks. This command lets you make a
(from –96 dB to 0 dB) for Strip Silence. Audio selection on a track (or tracks) and insert precisely
falling below this threshold is considered silence that amount of silence.
and removed. Audio above the threshold is re-
tained and defined as new clips. The Insert Silence command also affects
markers in any selected Conductor Rulers
Minimum Strip Duration Sets the minimum dura- (such as the Tempo or Meter rulers).
tion (from 0 to 4,000 ms) that the material above
the threshold must last to be considered silence. In Shuffle mode, all data on the track is shuffled
Use this control to avoid countless small clips that later in the track by an amount equal to the
may occur within a selection. selection.
Clip Start Pad Specifies a time value to be added In Grid mode, the Insert Silence command works
to the beginning of each new clip created with just like the Clear command.
Strip Silence. This is useful for preserving musical
material that falls below the threshold, such as the Shuffle Mode When inserting silence on multiple
breath before a vocal phrase, or the finger slide be- tracks in Shuffle mode, the following conditions
fore a guitar chord. apply:
If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data,
Clip End Pad Specifies a time value to be ap-
the selected duration of silence is inserted into the
pended to the end of each new clip created with
audio or MIDI data and all underlying automation
Strip Silence, thereby preserving the nuances in
data on all selected tracks. All subsequent clips are
the decay of the material.
shuffled by the amount of silence inserted. On
Strip Clears the detected silence, but leaves the MIDI tracks, only notes that are selected from the
clips containing audio on the track. beginning are affected, so if you have selected the
tail of a note and you Insert Silence, the note will
Extract Clears the audio and leaves the silent por- remain unchanged.
tions of the track (in other words, an “inverse” strip
silence feature that is ideal for generating room If all selected tracks are displayed as automa-
tone or ambience to use elsewhere). tion data, the selected range is cleared of automa-
tion data only of the type visible on each track.
Clips are not shuffled. Instead, a blank gap appears
equal to the length of the selection.
tion data, press the Control (Mac) or Start key Duplicating Clips
(Windows) while choosing the Insert Silence com- The Duplicate command copies a selection and
mand to inserts silence on all automation playlists places it immediately after the end of the selection.
for all selected tracks. Clips are not shuffled. Though this is similar to using Copy and Paste,
Duplicate is more convenient and faster, particu-
Slip Mode When inserting silence on multiple
tracks in Slip mode, the following conditions ap- larly when working with data on multiple tracks.
ply: To make more than one copy of a selection, use the
If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data, Repeat command (see “Repeating Clips” on
the selected range is cleared of audio or MIDI data page 915). You can also loop clips (see “Clip
and all underlying automation data on all selected Looping” on page 917).
tracks.
As with the Copy and Paste commands, certain
If all selected tracks are displayed as automa- rules apply when duplicating material on multiple
tion data, silence is inserted only into the automa- tracks (see “Editing Across Multiple Tracks” on
tion type visible on each track. page 600).
If all selected tracks are displayed as automa-
To duplicate a selection or clip:
tion data, press the Control (Mac) or Start key
(Windows) while choosing the Insert Silence com- 1 If working with material that is bar- and beat-
mand to insert silence on all automation playlists based, such as loops, set the Main Time Scale to
for all selected tracks. Bars|Beats.
2 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
To insert silence into a track: rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The length
3 Make an Edit selection.
of the selection determines the duration of the
silence inserted. 4 Choose Edit > Duplicate. The material is placed
immediately after the selection’s end point.
2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence.
Press Command+D (Mac) or Control+D
In Shuffle mode, Pro Tools inserts the selected
(Windows) to Duplicate any selected clips.
amount of silence. In the process, it splits the clips
at the beginning of the insertion point, and moves In Shuffle mode, the duplicated data is placed di-
the new clips later in the track by an amount equal rectly after the end of the selection. Clips occurring
to the length of the selection. after it slide to accommodate the duplicated mate-
rial. In Slip mode, the duplicated material overlaps
any adjacent data.
Pro Tools lets you loop clips or a group of clips Looped clips (all iterations) display a Loop icon in
(called a clip group). the lower, right corner or each loop iteration.
Looped clip
Clip Ungroup functions on loops the same as Manually warping any part of a looped clip
using the Unloop command and choosing in Warp view separates only that iteration
Flatten. from the looped clip.
To unloop and ungroup a selection down to its To select a looped clip as a group (all loop
individual clips: iterations), do one of the following:
1 Select a looped clip that contains one or more With the Grabber tool or Smart Tool, single-
clip groups. click the looped clip.
2 Choose Clip > Ungroup All. With the Selector tool, double-click the looped
clip.
Unlooping and Flattening Looped Clips with
Separate Clips Menu Commands The source clip and all its loop iterations are
selected.
The Separate Clips commands (At Selection, On
Grid, and At Transients) automatically unloop and
flatten looped clips before separating.
Tabbing to Transients and Clip Boundaries 2 Choose Edit > Trim Clip and one of the Trim Clip
commands (To Selection, To Fill Selection, Start
With Tab to Transients enabled you can tab both to to Fill Selection, or End to Fill Selection).
transients and clip boundaries in a looped clip.
Normal Tab (Tab to Transients disabled) tabs to
the start and end boundaries of the entire looped Automation and Looped Clips
clip. For more information, see “Tabbing to Tran- Looping an audio clip does not loop any automa-
sients” on page 642. tion associated with the source clip. This lets you
apply automation across an entire looped clip. For
Trimming Looped Clips example, you may want to have a long volume fade
across part or all of a looped clip that is indepen-
Trimming looped clips can be done using the Trim dent of any one single loop iteration.
tool, the Loop Trim tool, or one of the Trim Clip
commands. The Loop Trim tool trims the entire You can also repeat automation on each loop iter-
looped clip. The Trim tool trims only the individ- ation. For looped audio clips, use the Copy Special
ual loop iteration while increasing or decreasing and Paste Special Repeat to Fill Selection com-
the number of loop iterations to fill the total length mands to copy and paste any or all automation data
of the looped clip. from the source clip to some or all of its loop iter-
ations.
For information on trimming looped clips us-
ing the Loop Trim tool, see “Loop Trim
Tool” on page 619.
The size of the selection determines the size of the Clip groups are created in the same timebase for-
clip group. The selection can start and end on any mat (samples or ticks) as the tracks on which they
clip boundary, empty space, or even in the middle are created. Multitrack clip groups can include
of a clip. Selections starting or ending within a clip both sample-based and tick-based tracks.
will separate the clip at the selection boundary
when you create a clip group. Clip groups created
from object-based selections include all selected
and unselected clips between the first and last se-
lected clip on the track.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Clip > Group. Audio Clip Group icon on an audio track
• Right-click the Edit selection and choose Group.
If a MIDI clip within a clip group is modified in For more information, see “Tabbing to Tran-
any way, a new clip copy is created and placed sients” on page 642.
over the clip group. For example, if you record,
draw in a new note, edit MIDI controller data, or
quantize a Timeline selection, a new clip is created
over the clip group.
Recording
Clip groups that contain clips with fades are
When recording audio or MIDI, new clips are cre-
not allowed on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
ated over (in front) of clip groups instead of being
included in the clip group. To record into a clip
group, first ungroup the clip group, then record, When changing tempo with clip groups on
and then regroup the clip group. The clip group tick-based tracks, you may need to Ungroup,
will be recreated intact with the newly recorded redo or create new fades, and then Regroup
material. in order to maintain the fades.
AudioSuite Menu
AudioSuite plug-ins are accessed through the Au-
dioSuite menu. Plug-ins can be organized in the
AudioSuite menu in Pro Tools by Flat List (with
plug-ins in alphabetical order), Category, Manu- AudioSuite window, EQ III 1-Band shown
facturer, or Category and Manufacturer.
From this menu you can select any AudioSuite Clips List Applies AudioSuite processing only to
plug-in installed in your Plug-Ins folder. Plug-Ins selected clips in the Clips List. Processing is not be
are listed in the Plug-In selector pop-up menu ac- applied to clips on the Timeline (playlists on audio
cording to the Organize Plug-Ins Menu By setting tracks).
in the Display Preferences page.
If the Use In Playlist option is enabled in ad-
dition to Clips List being selected in the Se-
lection Reference pop-up menu, the process-
ing will be applied to the selected clip in both
the playlist and the Clips List.
4 Click OK.
Rendering Handle
File Mode Whole File Fades Clip Gain Metadata
Mode Behavior
Some plug-ins that rely on the Edit selection for processing (including plug-ins that require an anal-
ysis pass) may not work as expected when using handles. In this case, it is recommended that the han-
dle length be set to zero.
Destructive recording and Destructive Punch recording are not supported with AudioSuite rendered
clips with handles.
Clip Gain Fader Icon Right-Click Menu Show/Hide Clip Gain Line
You can Right-click the Clip Gain Fader icon for Select Show/Hide Clip Gain Line in the Right-click
any individual clip to access relevant clip gain menu to show or hide the Clip Gain Line for all
commands for that clip. clips.
Clip Gain Lines after applying a crossfade Clip Gain fader, adjusting all breakpoint clip gain
values
Editing Clip Gain
Press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
Pro Tools lets you adjust the gain settings for a clip
while adjusting the Clip Gain fader for fine
using the Clip Gain Fader for quick and easy ad-
control.
justments, or using breakpoint editing on the Clip
Gain Line for detailed clip gain control.
Using the Pencil tool (Free Hand) to draw clip gain 2 Make an Edit selection that includes the clip
settings bound by the Edit selection gain settings that you want to adjust.
To add clip gain breakpoints with the Pencil tool: 3 Select the Trim tool.
1 Ensure that the Clip Gain Line option is enabled. 4 Drag up or down over the Clip Gain Line within
2 Select the Pencil tool. the Edit selection.
Pro Tools lets you convert clip gain settings to Pro Tools lets you coalesce clip gain settings to
track-based volume automation, as well as letting track-based volume automation, as well as letting
you convert track-based volume automation to clip you coalesce track-based volume automation to
gain settings. clip gain settings.
When converting clip gain settings to volume au- When coalescing clip gain settings to volume auto-
tomation, the clip gain settings are cut from the clip mation, the clip gain settings are cut from the clip
and pasted to track-based volume automation at and coalesced with track-based volume automa-
the same timeline locations as the clip. tion at the same timeline locations as the clip.
When converting track-based volume automation When coalescing track-based volume automation
to clip gain, the volume automation is cut from the to clip gain, the volume automation is cut from the
track volume automation playlist and pasted to the track volume automation playlist and coalesced
clip. Once volume automation has been converted with the selected clip gain settings. Once volume
to clip gain, the clip gain settings stay with the clip automation has been coalesced to clip gain, vol-
when moved, cut, copied, or pasted. ume automation is set to 0 dB for the selection.
To convert clip gain settings to track-based To coalesce clip gain settings to track-based
volume automation: volume automation:
1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection. 1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection.
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Convert Clip Gain 2 Choose Edit > Automation > Coalesce Clip Gain
to Volume Automation. to Volume Automation.
Any clip gain settings above +12 dB are lost To coalesce track-based volume automation to
when converted to volume automation. Also, clip gain settings:
clip gain settings within crossfades are cross- 1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection.
faded as part of the volume automation.
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Coalesce Volume
To convert track-based volume automation to clip to Clip Gain.
gain:
1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection. Any clip gain settings above +12 dB are lost
when it is coalesced to volume automation.
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Convert Volume to Also, clip gain within crossfades is cross-
Clip Gain. faded as part of the volume automation.
Clip effects settings always stay with the clip, which means you can move, and Cut or Copy and Paste clips
along with their corresponding clip effects settings (clip effects settings are also maintained with other edit com-
mands, such as Duplicate or Loop). You can also Cut Special > Cut Clip Effects or Copy Special > Copy Clip
Effects, and Paste Clip Effects settings independently of the selected clip’s audio.
You can save and import clip effects settings as presets. You can also use your computer keyboard to quickly
store and recall presets just like you can with plug-in inserts and AudioSuite plug-ins.
Clip effects are fully supported with Pro Tools HD software. However, while Pro Tools software can open and
playback sessions and projects with clip effects as well as Bypass, Clear, and Render clip effects (if present),
it cannot create or edit clip effects. Clip effects use the host processor (Native processing) on all systems.
With Pro Tools HD, clip effects controls are dis- The header at the top of the Clip Effects display
played at the top of the Edit window below the provides controls for Presets, Compare, and By-
toolbar in the same space as the Universe display pass controls as well as displaying the name of the
(see Figure 1 on page 952). You can toggle be- selected, whole Clip.
tween Clip Effects display and Universe display,
but they cannot both be viewed at the same time. Clip Bypass
Clip Effects Settings menu
To show or hide the Clip Effects display, do one of
the following:
Clip Effects icon (upper right) and the Display Bypass Lets you bypass clip effects processing
Show/Hide icon (lower right) (see “Bypassing Clip Effects” on page 954).
Press Option+6 (Mac) or Alt+6 (Windows).
The behavior of this key command varies
slightly depending on the edit selection: if no
whole clip is selected, it shows or hides the Clip
Effects display while leaving the Edit window
focused; if one or more whole clips are selected,
it shows and focuses the Clip Effects display (if
the display is shown, but not focused, it be-
comes focused) or hides the display.
Clip effects are applied after elastic audio and before clip gain. The signal chain from an audio clip on a
track to the track fader is as follows:
Audio File > Elastic Audio > Clip Effects > Clip Gain > AudioSuite > Fades > Inserts > Fader
Rendering always leaves down-stream processing in place while rendering upstream elements. The follow-
ing examples show what is rendered in the signal chain depending on which commit or render command
is used.
What is rendered by process
Audio Elastic Clip Clip Audio
command Fades Inserts Fader
File Audio Effects Gain Suite
Select or deselect View > Clip > Clip Effects Sta- To paste clip effects:
tus.
1 Special Cut or Copy Clip Effects from one or
more whole clips.
Clip Effects Special Edit
Commands 2 Select one or more whole clips with or without
clip effects.
(Pro Tools HD Only)
3 Do one of the following:
Cut Clip Effects • Choose Edit > Paste Clip Effects.
Cutting clip effects copies the clip effects settings • Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip Ef-
to the clipboard and resets the settings for the se- fects > Paste Clip Effects.
lected whole clip (or clips) to <factory default>. • Press Command+V (Mac) or Control+V (Win-
dows).
To cut clip effects:
1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects. Clear Clip Effects
2 Do one of the following: Clearing clip effects resets the settings for the se-
lected whole clip (or clips) to <factory default>.
• Choose Edit > Cut Special > Cut Clip Effects.
• Press Command+Option+Control+X (Mac) or To clear clip effects:
Control+Alt+Start+X (Windows). 1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects.
Copy Clip Effects 2 Do one of the following:
Copying clip effects copies the clip effects settings • Choose Edit > Clear Special > Copy Clip Effects.
for selected whole clips to the clipboard while • Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip Ef-
leaving the settings for those clips intact. fects > Clear Clip Effects.
• Press Command+Option+Control+B (Mac) or
To copy clip effects:
Control+Alt+Start+B (Windows).
1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Copy Special > Copy Clip Effects.
• Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip Ef-
fects > Copy Clip Effects.
EQ controls
Frequency Graph
The Polarity Invert button at the top of the Input Control-Shift-click (Mac) or Start-Shift-click
section inverts the phase (polarity) of the input sig- (Windows) the control point for any frequency
nal, to help compensate for phase anomalies that band to solo that frequency band. Drag left or
can occur either in multi-microphone environ- right to change the frequency value.
ments or because of mis-wired balanced connec-
tions.
Gain
(y-axis)
Frequency
(x-axis)
Figure 2. Frequency Graph
Frequency Dragging a control point to the right in- Q Click within the curve of an EQ control point
creases the Frequency setting. Dragging a control and drag up or down to increase or decrease the Q
point to the left decreases the Frequency setting. setting. For the Low and High Frequency Bands,
the Q control is only available when the EQ Type
Press the Shift key while clicking and drag- is set to Peak. For Filter control points, drag it up or
ging an EQ control point up or down to adjust down to adjust the Q for that filter. The Q control is
the Gain setting without changing the Fre- only available when the Filter Type is set to Band
quency. Likewise, press the Shift key while Pass or Notch.
clicking and dragging an EQ control point left
or right to adjust the Frequency setting with- You can also Control-click (Mac) or Start-
out changing the Gain setting. click (Windows) and drag a control point up
or down to increase or decrease the Q setting.
Gain Dragging a control point up increases the
Gain setting. Dragging a control point down de-
creases the Gain setting.
Clip Effects let you view the gain scale on the Fre- Enable the HF button for the high frequency band
quency Graph display either in 3 dB increments of the EQ and the LF button for the low frequency
from –12 dB to +12 dB or in 6 dB increments from band. The both the high and low frequency band
–24 dB to +24 dB. can be set to be either a Peak or Low Shelf EQ.
Frequency Graph Gain Resolution toggle Q Sets the width of the EQ band. Higher Q values
represent narrower bandwidths. Lower Q values
To change the Frequency Graph Gain resolution:
represent wider bandwidths. The Q control is only
Click the Graph Resolution toggle. available when the EQ Type is set to Peak.
Enable/Disable EQ Bands and Filters High Mid and Low Mid Frequency EQ
Controls
Click the Enable/Disable button for an EQ fre-
quency band (HF, HMF, LMF, or LF) or a filter (1 or Enable the HMF button for the high mid–frequency
2) to enable or disable that frequency band or filter. band of the EQ and the LMF button for the low
Buttons are lit when enabled, and unlit when dis- mid–frequency band. Both bands are peak EQs.
abled.
Frequency Sets the center frequency for the fre-
quency band.
Dynamics controls
Dynamics Graph
Filter 1 and 2 controls
Type Lets you select from the following Filter The Dynamics Graph display shows a curve that
Type options: High Pass, Low Pass, Band Pass, represents the level of the input signal (on the hor-
and Notch. izontal x-axis) and the amount of gain reduction
applied (on the vertical y-axis). The display shows
Freq (Frequency) Sets the center frequency for the two vertical lines representing the Threshold set-
selected Filter Type (from 20 Hz to 21.0 kHz). ting for the Expander/Gate and the Compres-
sor/Limiter, respectively. Use this graph as a visual
Slope Sets the slope for the filter from the selected
guide to see how much dynamics processing you
Frequency to –INF (12 dB/O or 24 dB/O). The
are applying to the incoming audio signal.
Slope control is only available when the Filter
Type is set to Low Pass or High Pass. Expander/Gate Threshold
Compressor/Limiter Threshold
Q Sets the width of the filter around the center fre- Knee
quency band. Higher Q values represent narrower
bandwidths. Lower Q values represent wider band-
widths. The Q control is only available when the
Filter Type is set to Band Pass or Notch.
Output Signal
(y-axis)
Input Signal
(x-axis)
Dynamics Graph
• Expander/Gate Knee Attack Sets the attack time, or the rate at which
gain is reduced after the input signal crosses the
• Expander/Gate Threshold
threshold. Use this along with the Ratio setting to
• Gate Depth control how soft the Expander gain reduction
• Hysteresis curve is.
• Compressor/Limiter Ratio Ratio Sets the amount of expansion. For example,
• Compressor/Limiter Knee if this is set to 2:1, it will lower signals below the
threshold by one half. At higher ratio levels the Ex-
• Compressor/Limiter Threshold
pander/Gate functions like a gate by cutting off
• Limiter Depth signals that fall below the threshold. As you adjust
the ratio control, refer to the Dynamics Graph dis-
play to see how the shape of the expansion curve
changes.
The Detection options include Peak or Avg (Aver- To enable (or disable) Listen on the Side Chain:
age).
Click the Listen button (speaker icon) in the
Peak Applies side-chain processing according to Side Chain section so that it is highlighted.
the detected peak amplitude. Click it again so that it is not highlighted to dis-
able it.
Average Applies sidechain processing according
to the detected average amplitude.
Filter Frequency
Clip Effects Presets and
Settings Files
The Filter Frequency control lets you set the fre-
quency for the selected Filter Type. (Pro Tools HD Only)
Notch Applies a notch filter to the side-chain pro- 2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
cessing at the selected frequency. dows) the Preset button where you want to store
the current clip effects settings.
Band Pass Applies a band pass filter to the side-
chain processing at the selected frequency.
Elastic Audio provides track-based Real-Time and you like, drag it from the browser and drop it into
Rendered Time Compression and Expansion the session. The loop automatically conforms to
(TCE) and clip-based pitch shifting (transposi- the session tempo map and Bar|Beat grid. You can
tion). Pro Tools Elastic Audio uses exceptionally then further manipulate its timing and also trans-
high-quality transient detection algorithms, beat pose the clip to match the pitch of other loops in
and tempo analysis, and real-time TCE and pitch your session.
shifting processing algorithms. Elastic Audio lets
you quickly and easily transpose the pitch of audio Correcting Performances
clips and tempo conform (beat match) audio to the
Elastic Audio lets you quantize audio to tighten up
session’s Tempo map. It also provides an unprece-
a performance or even manually re-align that one
dented degree of control over transient detection
note that was played just a little late. Or, you might
and TCE processing on an event-by-event basis.
decide that the performance is excellent, but just a
With Elastic Audio, Pro Tools analyzes entire au- little under tempo. Tick-based Elastic Audio auto-
dio files for transient events. For example, an event matically warps audio to conform to tempo
can be a drum hit, a sung note, or chord played by changes. When you change your tracks to tick-
a guitar. These detected events can then serve as based and increase the session tempo, the audio au-
control points for warping the audio. Pro Tools can tomatically time compresses to match.
warp (TCE) audio events automatically, such as
Remixing
automatically conforming audio to the session
tempo or quantizing audio events, or you can warp Elastic Audio lets you quickly beat match an entire
audio manually using standard editing tools in song to the session tempo and Bar|Beat grid. You
Warp view. can also transpose clips to match pitch.
Elastic Audio is useful in several common work- Sound Design and Special Effects
flows: working with loops, correcting perfor-
mances, remixing, sound design and special ef- Use Elastic Audio to achieve special effects with
fects, and film scoring. extreme or widely variable TCE or pitch manipu-
lation. Use the Varispeed algorithm to achieve
Working with Loops tape-like effects for speed and pitch change.
If you work with loops, Elastic Audio lets you pre-
view your loops in Workspace browsers at their
native tempo (BPM) or at the session tempo
(BPM). You can even preview the loop while the
session is playing back. When you find the loop
If you are scoring a film scene, use Elastic Audio 1 Create a new Pro Tools session or project.
to fit the music to the required duration. You can 2 Set the session’s Main Timebase ruler to
even use tempo changes to achieve accelerandos Bars|Beats.
and ritardandos.
3 Be sure to display the Tempo and Meter rulers.
Remember, when using tempo adjustments
4 Use the default tempo of quarter-note equals
for sessions that include multiple cues, tempo
120 BPM.
changes may affect the timecode position of
other cues later on the Timeline. Locate and preview a loop in a Workspace browser
at the session tempo:
Elastic Audio is not recommended for pull up 1 Open the Workspace (Window > Workspace).
and pull down workflows. Use the Session
2 Navigate to the folder where you keep your
Setup window real time pull up or pull
drum loops. Double-click the folder name to
downs, or the presets included with Time
open a browser window showing just the
Shift or X-Form AudioSuite plug-ins.
folder’s contents.
3 Select the loop you want to preview.
Example Elastic Audio
Workflow Audition Paths for previewing are selected in
the I/O Setup window (Choose Setup > I/O
In this workflow, you will be introduced to some and click the Output tab).
common Elastic Audio tasks for working with
loops: 4 Click the Preview button to preview the loop at
its native tempo.
• Create and configure a new session for this
workflow.
Audio Files Conform
• Locate and preview a loop in a Workspace Preview button to Session Tempo button
browser at the session tempo.
• Import the loop at the session tempo on a tick-
based, Elastic Audio-enabled track.
• Change the session tempo to change the tempo
of the clip on tick-based, Elastic Audio-enabled
tracks.
• Quantize the audio to apply a Groove Template
to the rhythm.
• Transposition the clip to match the pitch of the Preview and Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
imported audio to other audio and MIDI in the buttons in a Workspace browser
session.
Dragging and dropping a tick-based audio file from a Workspace browser to the Tracks List
Warp indicators
The Polyphonic plug-in provides a single control The Decay Rate control determines how much of
for adjusting the analysis window size for TCE the decay from a transient is heard in the processed
processing. Experiment with adjusting the Win- audio when time stretching. When the Rhythmic
dow size for different types of material until you plug-in is selected, any gaps between transients re-
achieve the best results. The following table pro- sulting from time stretching are filled in with au-
vides some recommended Window sizes for dif- dio. The Decay Rate determines how much of this
ferent types of material. audio is heard by applying a fade out rate. Adjust
the Decay Rate up to 100% to hear the audio that is
If you frequently work with distinct types of filling the gaps created by the time stretching with
material, you may want to find the best Win- only a slight fade, or adjust down to 1.0% to com-
dow settings for each type of material and pletely fade out between the original transients.
save them as plug-in settings for quick and
easy recall.
Monophonic Plug-In
The Monophonic plug-in is best suited to mono-
Recommended
Type of Material
Window Size
phonic material where you want to keep the for-
mant relationships intact, such as with vocals. The
General purpose 30–40 ms Monophonic plug-in is also well suited to mono-
Percussive 20 ms or lower
phonic instrumental lines, such as a bass track. The
Monophonic plug-in provides no plug-in specific
Pads and other legato 60 ms or higher parameters.
material
Rhythmic Plug-In
The Rhythmic plug-in is best suited to material
with clear attack transients, such as drums. The
Rhythmic plug-in supports clip-based pitch shift-
ing.
Elastic Audio plug-in: Monophonic
Varispeed Plug-In
Elastic Audio plug-in: X-Form
Use the Varispeed plug-in to link time and pitch
changes for tape-like speed change effects, and Quality
post production workflows. The Varispeed plug-in Select either Maximum or Low (Faster) from the
provides no plug-in specific controls. Quality pop-up menu. Maximum is the slowest pro-
cessing algorithm, but provides the highest quality
results. Low (Faster) produces relatively good re-
sults and is much faster than the Maximum setting.
Formant
• With the Pencil tool, click anywhere in the clip 2 Do one of the following:
to add a Warp marker at that location. If you • With the Grabber tool, double-click a Warp
click on an Event marker, a Warp marker is cre- marker.
ated on top of the Event marker.
• With the Grabber or the Pencil tool, Option-click
• With the Grabber tool, Control-click (Mac) or (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a Warp marker.
Start-click (Windows) anywhere in the clip to
• With any Edit tool, Right-click a Warp marker
add a Warp marker at that location. If you click
and select Remove Warp Marker from the pop-
on an Event marker, a Warp marker is created on
up menu.
top of the Event marker.
• With the Grabber tool, if no Warp markers are To delete all Warp markers in a selection:
present in the clip, or if Warp markers are only 1 In Warp view, make an Edit selection that in-
present prior to the location where you want to cludes only the Warp markers you want to de-
add a new Warp marker, double-click an Event lete (and none of the Warp markers you want to
marker to add a Warp marker on top of the Event keep).
marker.
2 Do one of the following:
• With the Grabber tool, double-click anywhere in
the clip where an Event marker is not present to • Press Delete or Backspace on your computer
add a Warp marker at that location. keyboard.
• With the Grabber tool, single-click any Event • With any Edit tool, Right-click the Edit selection
marker prior to another existing Warp marker in and select Remove Warp Marker from the pop-
the clip to add a Warp marker on top of that up menu.
Event marker.
• With any Edit tool, Right-click anywhere in the
clip and select Add Warp Marker from the pop-
up menu to add a Warp marker at that location. If
there is an Edit selection, Warp markers are
added at the selection start and end.
Telescoping Warp
Telescoping Warp can be applied to any audio clip
before or after a Warp marker as long as no other
Warp marker precedes or follows it accordingly.
The audio can be on a sample- or tick-based track. Before and after warping, applying Telescoping Warp
Telescoping Warp is especially useful for adjust- with the clip start fixed
ing audio files to match the session tempo map and
Bar|Beat grid.
(Tick-Based Tracks Only) 1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the clip.
The Source Length property in the Elastic Proper- 2 Select the correct note value for the beat from
ties window displays the length of the clip based the Tempo Resolution pop-up menu. For exam-
on the source file in bars and beats. If the length of ple, if the source file is in 5/8, select 1/8 note.
the source file was analyzed incorrectly, you can 3 Do one of the following:
change it.
• Type the tempo in the Source Tempo field.
To change the Source Length of a clip: • If the tempo was incorrectly analyzed as being
1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the clip. half the tempo of the source file, click the x2 but-
ton.
2 Do one of the following:
• If the tempo was incorrectly analyzed as being
• Type the correct bar, beat, and tick values in the twice the tempo of the source file, click the 1/2
Source Length field. button.
• If the duration was incorrectly analyzed as being
half the duration of the source file, click the x2 Meter Field
button. (Tick-Based Only)
• If the duration was incorrectly analyzed as being
twice the duration of the source file, click the 1/2 Elastic Audio analysis does not calculate meter
button. and assumes all files are in 4/4. If you work with
meters other than 4/4, use the Meter property to
Changing the duration of a clip on an Elastic correctly identify the source meter.
Audio-enabled track using the TCE Trim tool
updates the Source Length in the Elastic To change Meter of a clip:
Properties window. 1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the clip.
2 Click in the Meter nominator field and type the
correct number of beats per measure. For exam-
ple, if the clip is in 3/4, type 3.
3 Click the Meter denominator field and type the
correct note value. For example, if the meter is
in 6/8, type 8.
Event Sensitivity Property When you change the Event Sensitivity prop-
The Event Sensitivity property in the Elastic Prop- erty, Pro Tools writes temporary filtered
erties window lets you filter Event markers based Elastic Audio analysis files (.aan) to the ses-
on the analysis confidence level. The confidence sion’s Rendered Files folder. Any unused
level for any detected transient event is based, in temporary filtered analysis files are purged
part, on the clarity of the transient. For example, if when you close the session.
the file is a drum loop, loud accented hits will be
analyzed with a higher degree of confidence than a Reset Button
soft, unaccented hit.
Click the Reset button in the Elastic Properties
The Event Sensitivity acts like a threshold for window to reset event analysis data for the clip to
showing only the transient events that were de- match the original file. The Event Sensitivity prop-
tected with a high degree of confidence. In Warp or erty is reset to 100%.
Analysis track views you will see the number of
Event markers decrease or increase as you lower or Input Gain Property
raise the Event Sensitivity.
It is possible to encounter clipping when time com-
Lowering the event sensitivity can help reduce the pressing audio. Real-Time Elastic Audio plug-ins
number of erroneously detected transients. In turn, provide a Clip indicator to let you know when clip-
this can result in better sounding Elastic Audio ping has occurred and the Elastic Audio plug-in
processing. Pro Tools preserves the detected tran- button turns red. Rendered Elastic Audio clips dis-
sients when applying TCE in order to avoid flam- play a Clip indicator on the clip when clipping has
ming and granulation of the transients. Conse- occurred (see “Clipping Indicator” on page 977).
quently, false transients are also preserved and the
If you encounter clipping when processing Elastic
resulting sound quality can be less than desirable.
Audio, use the Input Gain property in the Elastic
If you are working with audio material that does
Properties window to attenuate the gain of the au-
not have clearly defined transients, you may want
dio signal before it is processed.
to lower the Event Sensitivity in the Elastic Prop-
erties, or you may want to even edit the Event
markers in Analysis view.
(Polyphonic, Rhythmic, and X-Form Only) To transpose the pitch of an audio clip in the
Transpose window:
In addition to Pro Tools Elastic Audio time com-
pression and expansion capabilities, you can also 1 Make sure the clip, or clips, you want to Trans-
change the pitch of whole audio clips in semitones pose are on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks (using
and cents in the range of +/– 2 octaves. the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form algo-
rithm).
Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
2 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the au-
ported with the Monophonic algorithm.
dio clip you want to transpose. Only clips that
However, if you switch to the Monophonic
are completely selected will be affected.
plug-in after pitch shifting with another plug-
in, the pitch metadata for the clip is main- 3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
tained.
• Adjust the Transpose By settings by an amount 1 Select the clip for which you want to remove
in Semitones and Cents. warping.
• Adjust the Transpose From and To settings by 2 Do one of the following:
an amount in Semitones and Cents.
• Choose Clip > Remove Pitch Shift.
The Transpose All Notes To and the Trans- • With any Edit tool, Right-click the clip and se-
pose In Key settings can only be applied to lect Remove Pitch Shift.
MIDI notes. When only audio clips are se-
lected, these options are unavailable. Remove Pitch Shift can only be applied to
clips and cannot be applied to clip groups. To
5 Click Apply. remove pitch shifting from clip groups you
must first ungroup the clip, then apply Re-
Varispeed and Pitch Shifting move Pitch Shift to the underlying clips, and
then regroup those clips.
When using the Varispeed algorithm, pitch trans-
position and time compression/expansion are al-
ways linked. If you apply pitch transposition to an AudioSuite Processing and
audio clip using the Polyphonic or Rhythmic algo- Elastic Audio Clips
rithms, that transposition data is stored in the meta-
data for the clip. Consequently, if you then switch Real-Time Elastic Audio processing is non-de-
to Varispeed, change the TCE factor, and then structive. However, since AudioSuite plug-ins pro-
switch back to the original Elastic Audio algo- cess the entire clip and write a new audio file (or
rithm, the clip will revert to the original amount of actually apply destructive processing), when ap-
pitch shifting while maintaining the amount of plying AudioSuite processing to clips on Elastic
time compression/expansion applied by the Vari- Audio-enabled tracks, any Elastic Audio process-
speed algorithm. ing is rendered first, the rendered file is then pro-
cessed by AudioSuite, and the resulting new audio
file is analyzed for Elastic Audio processing.
Removing Clip Pitch Shifting
If you have applied any pitch shifting to a clip, you
can remove pitch shifting and revert the clip to its
original pitch. This can be useful if you are not sat-
isfied with the results and want to revert to the
pre–pitch shifted clip.
Real-time Elastic Rendered Elastic Render clip with destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio–enabled track Audio–enabled track
Real-time Elastic Audio track Render clip with source track’s Elastic Audio plug-in and
Audio–enabled track (no Elastic Audio) commit the clip to the destination track
Rendered Elastic Real-time Elastic Apply real-time Elastic Audio processing using the
Audio–enabled track Audio–enabled track destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio track Real-time Elastic Calculate Elastic Audio analysis and apply real-time
(no Elastic Audio) Audio–enabled track Elastic Audio processing using the destination track’s
Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio track Rendered Elastic Calculate Elastic Audio analysis and render the clip
(no Elastic Audio) Audio–enabled track using the destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Pitched Elastic Audio track Render clip pitch shift with source track’s Elastic Audio
Audio–enabled track (no Elastic Audio) plug-in and commit the clip to the destination track
Clips that are committed, either by disabling Elastic Audio on a track or by moving a clip to a track with-
out Elastic Audio enabled, are written to disk as new audio files (see “Committed Clips” on page 973.)
Elastic Audio Preferences The Elastic Properties window inherits the Default
Input Gain preference. To apply further clip-based
The Elastic Audio settings in the Processing Pref- Input Gain for Elastic Audio processing, select the
erences page determine which Elastic Audio plug- clip and adjust the Input Gain setting in the Elastic
in is used for preview and import, and whether or Properties window (see “Elastic Properties Win-
not new tracks are created with Elastic Audio en- dow” on page 990).
abled using the selected default plug-in.
Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks When se-
lected, new tracks are created with Elastic Audio
enabled. The selected default Elastic Audio plug-
in is used.
2 Configure the resulting Commit Tracks dialog The following source track data can optionally be
as desired (see “Commit Tracks Dialog” on rendered if selected in the Commit Tracks dialog:
page 998). • Pan automation
3 Click OK. • Volume automation
Select either Selected Tracks or Edit Selection to The Copy options determine whether or not sends
determine what is committed. or Group assignments are copied to committed
tracks.
Selected Tracks Commits all selected tracks from
the beginning of the first clip on the track to the end Sends Select to copy sends from the source track to
of the last clip on the track. If the Consolidate Clips the committed track.
option is disabled, all clip boundaries are main-
‘
Pro Tools lets you “freeze” audio, Auxiliary Input, Select one or more tracks and choose Track >
and Instrument tracks. When you freeze a track, Freeze (or Unfreeze).
the source material (audio and MIDI) on the track
Click the Track Freeze icon in the Track con-
is replaced with audio that has been processed by
trols so that it is highlighted (or unhighlighted).
all of the plug-ins on the track (or only up to a spec-
ified insert), including instrument plug-ins. This Right-click on the track name and select Freeze
process is reversible, so you can “unfreeze” frozen (or Unfreeze).
tracks.
Option-Shift-Click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-Click
Freezing tracks is useful for freeing up processing (Windows) to freeze all selected tracks. Op-
power in your session for other tracks and process- tion-Click (Mac) or Alt-Click (Windows) to
ing tasks. It is especially useful for exchanging ses- freeze all audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instru-
sions with other systems that may not have all of ment tracks.
the same plug-ins as your system. Rather than
committing tracks as final print tracks, you can When a track is frozen, any plug-ins on the track
freeze tracks that you want to share but might want are made inactive. On Instrument tracks, the wave-
to keep editing while that track is shared or out for form of the frozen audio is superimposed over the
review. MIDI data on the track as a visual cue.
1 Ensure that Inserts view is shown in either the • Editing clips or clip contents is disallowed.
Edit or Mix window. • Elastic Audio is disallowed.
2 Right-click on the insert up to which you want • Clip gain and clip effects are disallowed on fro-
to freeze the track and choose Freeze Up To zen tracks.
This Insert. • AudioSuite rendering is disallowed on frozen
tracks.
• Tempo changes, Song Start changes, and en-
abling or disabling the Conductor Track are not
allowed when there are frozen tracks in the ses-
sion.
• Insert and Cut Time operations are disallowed in
a session if there are frozen tracks.
• HEAT is unavailable for frozen Auxiliary Input
Freeze Up To This Insert (Freezing up to insert B)
and Instrument tracks.
When any plug-in processing on a track is frozen, • Instrument Tracks are removed from the MIDI
frozen inserts are italicized and grayed out. The Editor window while frozen and MIDI parame-
also display the Track Freeze icon. ters including Real Time Quantize settings can-
not be adjusted until the track is unfrozen.
• Clips used on a source playlist for a frozen track
cannot be removed from the session until the
Track Freeze icon
track is unfrozen.
Bounce Track
Pro Tools lets you bounce individual tracks from
your session or project. Track Bounce is useful for
Global Freeze Tracks, one or more tracks frozen
delivering audio files from tracks in the session
To globally freeze or unfreeze tracks, do one without having to re-route sub-master stems or in-
of the following: dividual tracks for bus recording. You can just se-
lect the desired source tracks and Bounce them to
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Global Freeze icon so that it is lit (frozen) or unlit disk.
(unfrozen). You can Bounce the following track types: audio,
Right-click the Global Freeze icon and choose Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument
Freeze All or Unfreeze All. tracks.
To freeze (or unfreeze) only certain track types: To bounce a track from your session or project:
1 Right-click the Global Freeze icon and select (or 1 Do one of the following:
deselect) which track types you want to include (or
exclude): • Select the track you want to bounce and then
• Include all Audio Tracks choose Track > Bounce.
• Include all Aux Tracks • Right-click the track you want to bounce and se-
• Include all Instrument Tracks lect Bounce.
• Press Command+Option+Shift+B (Mac) or
Control+Alt+Shift+B (Windows).
2 In the Track Bounce dialog, configure the op-
tions as desired.
Only Include Instrument Tracks selected in the Global
Freeze Right-click menu
3 Click Bounce.
Render Automation
Various events in Pro Tools (such as groups of The Event Operations window can be left open,
MIDI Notes, audio clip start times or sync points, This provides quick access to apply a command or
and whole clips) can be transformed with Event try out different options for a particular command.
Operations.
You can also apply quantize, duration,
delay, and transpose to MIDI nondestruc-
What to Quantize
The What to Quantize settings determine what as-
pects of any selected MIDI notes are quantized:
Note Ons (attacks), Note Offs (releases), or both.
You can also select whether to quantize audio clips
or Elastic Audio events. Depending on what type
of track material is selected, not all options will be
available. If only MIDI is selected, the Audio Clips
and Elastic Audio Events options are unavailable.
If only audio is selected, the Note On, Note Off, and
Before quantizing, followed by two examples showing
Preserve Note Duration options are not available. the results of different What To Quantize settings
Note On When selected, MIDI note start points are Audio Clips When selected in the What to Quan-
quantized. tize pop-up menu, Quantize is applied to clip start
times (or sync points if present) for selected audio
Note Off When selected, MIDI note end points are
clips. MIDI clips are not affected. Typically, you
quantized.
will only want to apply quantization to sliced audio
Preserve Note Duration When selected, MIDI clips or clip groups (such as imported REX files or
note durations are preserved. clips created using the Separate Clips at Transients
command or Beat Detective). Quantization can be
When deselected with the Note On option selected, applied to mixed selections of MIDI notes and au-
note end points are not moved. dio clips.
When deselected with the Note Off option selected, Elastic Audio Events When selected in the What
note start points are not moved. to Quantize pop-up menu, Quantize is applied to
detected transient events within the Edit selection
If the options for both Note On and Note Off are se-
on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks. Quantization can
lected, the Preserve Note Durations option is un-
be applied to mixed selections of MIDI notes and
available.
Elastic Audio events. Warp markers are created
The following figure shows how MIDI notes are automatically on top of Event markers nearest the
adjusted by the different What To Quantize op- quantize grid. Quantize then uses these Warp
tions. markers to apply quantization.
Show Comments The Comments field displays Beat Detective does not extract duration
any comments saved with the groove template information from audio performances. Di-
from Beat Detective. The Comments field cannot giGroove templates created using Beat De-
be edited in the Quantize page, but can be edited tective contain a fixed duration value that
when saving a groove template from the Groove is 50% of the selected template resolution
Quantize page. (see “Defining a Beat Detective Selection”
on page 722).
Pre-Quantize Enable to hard quantize the
selected MIDI notes to a sixteenth-note grid Velocity Enable to influence the velocities of the
before applying Groove Quantize. selected MIDI notes. The Velocity option does not
apply to audio selections. If the slider is set to 0%
Groove Quantize Options there is no change to the selected velocities, a set-
ting of 100% sets all velocities to match the current
Timing Enable to apply Groove Quantize to the se-
groove template. A velocity setting of 200% typi-
lected MIDI notes, Elastic Audio events, or audio
cally results in over-exaggerated velocities—loud
clips. Use the slider to change the amount of quan-
notes increasing and soft notes decreasing in vol-
tization applied to the selection. If the slider is set
ume.
to 0%, there is no change in timing. A setting of
100% moves notes to the underlying template lo- For example, if two adjacent notes have equal ve-
cations. If the slider is set to 200%, events move to locities of 80, and the two corresponding template
a tick location that is twice the difference between velocities are 70 and 90, setting the slider to 200%
the original event location and the position of the changes the velocities to 60 and 100.
referenced template event.
The default value for the Velocity slider is 100%.
For example, if an event was played at Bar 1|1|060
(a 16th note), and the corresponding template
Recalling Options Slider
event is at 1|1|073, a slider value of 100% results in Settings
the event being shifted to 1|1|073 (a slider value of
200% shifts the note to 1|1|086). To Save the groove template with the current
Options Slider Settings:
The default value for the Timing slider is 100%.
1 In the Quantize window, select Recall with Tem-
Duration Enable to influence the durations of the plate if you want to restore all Groove Quantize
selected MIDI notes. The Duration option does not Options to the settings that are saved with the
apply to audio selections. At a setting of 100%, du- current template.
rations are changed to match the current groove
2 Click the Save button.
A DigiGroove template (derived from the audio shown) applied to a series of sixteenth-notes with Timing and
Velocity both set to 100%
Pro Tools applies groove templates relative to the In cases where the Groove Templates and track se-
song start. For example, a two-bar groove template lections are based on different meters, the template
repeats starting at every odd-numbered bar in the will be repeated or truncated to match the number
session (bar 1, 3, 5, 7…). of beats in the selection.
If a selection starts on an even bar, only the appro- 4/4 1-bar selection
priate portion of the groove template will be used.
For example, if the selection is two bars long and
starts on an even bar, the template applies bar 2 be-
fore bar 1. 6/4 bar 1 (beats 3–6
not used)
4/4 1-bar selection
Applying a 1-bar groove template in 6/4 to a 1-bar
selection in 4/4
4/4 bar 1 (not used) 4/4 bar 2
Restore Performance can be used to remove quan- 1 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the
tization on input for MIDI notes. For example, if MIDI notes you want to flatten.
you recorded a performance with Input Quantize 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Flatten Per-
on, you can still restore the performance as it was formance to open the Flatten Performance page.
actually played.
3 Select the note attributes to flatten. (For descrip-
For information on Input Quantize, see tions of these attributes, see “Restore Perfor-
“Input Quantize Command” on mance Command” on page 1020).
page 1029.
4 Click Apply.
Original velocities
Change Smoothly Allows velocities to change For example, if a note with a velocity 64 is scaled
smoothly from one value to another over time. by 200%, the new velocity would be 127.
Attempting to scale or increase the velocity any
Change Smoothly by Percentage Allows veloci-
further yields no further change.
ties to change smoothly from one percentage value
to another over time.
The curve for this change can be adjusted (+/– 99) Change Duration
to affect how gradually the change occurs.
The Change Duration command in the Event Op-
Limit To When selected, restricts the Change erations window adjusts durations for selected
Velocity command to a minimum and maximum MIDI notes. Use it to affect the articulation of the
range after the selected Change Velocity option selected notes by making them more staccato or
has been applied (and also after any randomization legato.
has been applied).
You can also change note duration non-
Randomize When selected, the selected Change destructively in real-time using MIDI
Velocity option is randomized by the specified Real-Time Properties. See “MIDI Real-
percentage value after the selected Change Veloc- Time Properties” on page 779.
ity option has been applied. For example, with the
Remove Overlap
Add Adds to the durations by a specified number The Change Continuously option lets you change
of quarter notes and ticks. the duration of notes continuously in ticks or by
percentage. Adjust the Curve slider to modify the
Subtract Subtracts from the durations by a speci-
shape of the change.
fied number of quarter notes and ticks.
Change Continuously in Ticks Allows note
Scale by Shortens or lengthens durations based on
lengths to change smoothly from one duration to
a percentage value (1–400%).
another over time. Duration values are specified in
quarter notes and ticks.
3 Select the option for Scale By with a percentage The Transpose command can also be applied to
value of 50. whole clips on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks using
the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form plug-ins.
4 Click Apply. The durations for the selected notes
are reduced by 50%. For information on Transposing Elastic
Audio clips, see “Elastic Audio Clip-Based
With this option you may have to experiment with Pitch Shifting” on page 993.
the percentage value to achieve the desired effect.
To make notes more legato: Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited. ported with the Monophonic algorithm.
Transpose All Notes To Transposes all selected 1 Select the MIDI notes you want to transpose.
notes to the same pitch. Use the slider or the num- 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
ber entry box to enter the pitch to which to trans-
pose all selected notes. This option is not applica- 3 Select Transpose in Key.
ble to Elastic Audio clips. 4 Adjust the slider (or type a number) for the
Transpose In Key Transposes selected notes in number of scale steps (+ or –) by which you
key up or down by scale steps (based on the Key want to transpose the selection. For example, to
Signature ruler). This option is not applicable to transpose down a third, enter “–2.”
Elastic Audio clips. 5 Click Apply.
Step Input in the Event Operations window lets 1 Make certain your external MIDI device is
you use a MIDI controller to enter notes individu- properly connected and working with
ally, one step at a time. This gives you precise con- Pro Tools.
trol over note placement, duration, and velocity. 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Step Input.
With MIDI step input you can also create musical
passages that might be difficult to play accurately, 3 Select the Enable option.
or at a fast tempo.
When Step Input is enabled, each previously
record-enabled MIDI or Instrument track is
taken out of record enable, and if the
Default Thru Instrument preference is
defined, it is disabled.
Undo Step When the previous note has been re- If you use a continuous controller as a
leased from the MIDI keyboard, and the insertion trigger (such as Pitch Bend), you should
point has moved forward to the next note, Undo make certain to use an extreme controller
Step removes the entire last note. value to avoid erroneous data input.
When a note is being held on the MIDI keyboard, 5 Press Enter to confirm the MIDI trigger assign-
Undo Step changes to read “Decrement,” and re- ment.
moves the last Step Increment length that was
added to the held note.
Numeric Keypad Shortcuts for
Next Step (or Increment) When no note is being Step Input
held on the MIDI keyboard, Next Step moves the When Enable Numeric Keypad Shortcuts is se-
insertion point by the Step Increment value, essen- lected, you can apply many of the controls in the
tially inserting a musical rest. Step Input page, as well as several selection con-
When a note is being held on the MIDI keyboard, trols, using your computer’s numeric keypad.
:
While the note is being held, the Step Increment 1/2 note 2
value can be changed, allowing you to create notes 1/4 note 4
of any musical length.
1/8 note 5
Redo Step Reinserts the last note that was
removed by the Undo Step operation. 1/16 note 6
1/32 note 7
Triggering the Undo Step, Next
Step, or Redo Step Buttons
1/64 note 8
To set Undo Step, Next Step and Redo Step MIDI Undo step 0
triggers:
Nudge forward +
1 Place the Edit insertion on a track at the location
where you want to enter the first MIDI note. Nudge back –
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Step Input. Select Main Counter =
3 Locate the button you want to assign a MIDI Edit Selection indicators /
event to, and click in the field below the button.
HEAT (Harmonically Enhanced Algorithm Tech- To enable (or disable) HEAT in a session, do one of
nology) is a paid software option that adds “analog the following:
color” to Pro Tools | HD systems. HEAT is avail- Select (or deselect) Options > Activate HEAT.
able in both DSP and Native formats. To use
HEAT, iLok authorizations are required for both Select (or deselect) the HEAT On/Off button in
Pro Tools | HD Software and HEAT. the Mix window in HEAT view.
HEAT is applied to all active audio tracks in your You can also enable the Enable HEAT in New Ses-
session, emulating magnetic recording tape com- sions option in the Pro Tools Preferences to have
bined with harmonic coloration commonly experi- HEAT automatically enabled for all new sessions.
enced with analog mixing consoles. Use HEAT to
To enable (or disable) HEAT for new sessions:
open up your mixes with warm, analog-modeled
soft-saturated distortion. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
2 Click the Processing tab.
With HDX systems, HEAT uses DSP resources on About HEAT Processing
all active audio tracks. This is important to know
because as you increase (or decrease) the number HEAT provides global controls for Drive and
of audio tracks in the session, you also increase (or Tone. These affect all audio tracks where HEAT is
decrease) the amount of DSP resources required to not bypassed.
keep HEAT hot. Note that HEAT does not use
DSP resources on inactive audio tracks. Drive
With Pro Tools | HD Software on Native systems, The Drive control introduces non-linear processing
HEAT uses the host-processor. that emulates magnetic recording tape combined
with harmonic information commonly found in an-
alog gear.
HEAT Master Controls HEAT Master controls can be viewed in the Mix
window.
The HEAT Master controls let you adjust the
amount and color of HEAT processing for all au- To show (or hide) HEAT Master controls:
dio tracks. Take some time to experiment with dif-
Click the Show/Hide HEAT View button in the
ferent settings until you get the desired tone color
lower right corner of the Mix window.
for your mix.
Drive Adjusts the amount of Drive for HEAT, HEAT Track controls
which emulates the distortion you get when over-
Bypass (BYP) Bypasses HEAT processing for the
driving an analog channel strip on a console. At the
individual audio track. Note that bypassing HEAT
default 12 o’clock position, no HEAT processing
on individual tracks does not free up the DSP re-
is applied. Turn the knob counter-clockwise to add
sources used by HEAT for that track.
odd harmonics to the mix (a magnetic tape satura-
tion–like effect). Turn the knob clockwise to add Pre/Post Insert (PRE) Sets HEAT processing to be
even harmonics to the odd harmonic series for the Pre or Post inserts on the individual track. HEAT
effect of simulating a triode tube circuit. processing is Pre Inserts when the PRE button is
lit.
Select (or deselect) HEAT in the Mix Window HEAT Track and Master controls with bypassed track
View selector.
When the Master Bypass is enabled, it is bright or-
ange and any explicitly bypassed track BYP but-
tons also remain bright orange. For any implicitly
bypassed track, the BYP button changes to dark or-
ange.
Master Controls
Press the Soft Keys switch in the Channel Bar. To exit, press the Soft Keys switch again.
HEAT Master Controls are mapped to the encoder and encoder switches of channel strips 21–24, as shown
in Table 1 on page 1040.
When HEAT is enabled in a session, each channel strip provides HEAT Bypass and Pre/Post. You can ac-
cess these channel settings directly from C|24 channel strips. Channel HEAT controls follow Do To All
and Do to All Selected modifiers.
Rotate the channel encoder, or press the encoder switch, and choose Pre or Post.
Table 1. HEAT Master Controls on C|24
Encoder: 21 22 23 24
Master Fader track audio signal flow When a Master Fader track is inactive, its associ-
ated plug-ins, I/O assignments, and their resources
Master Faders do not consume any of your sys-
are made inactive.
tem’s audio processing power. Master Faders pro-
vide up to five post-fader inserts and no sends. When a Master Fader output assignment (path as-
Also, Master Fader tracks do not have Pan sliders, signment) is made inactive, the Master Fader no
or Mute and Solo buttons. longer controls the master gain of that path.
This ensures that even when a VCA Master track is • Automate a submix by automating its VCA
not visible, the true state of its slave tracks is accu- Master track
rately displayed.
VCA Master Track Controls
VCA Slave Track Controls and The controls on a VCA Master track affect the cor-
Group Behavior responding controls on the slave tracks in its as-
When a group is assigned to a VCA Master, the signed Mix group. VCA Master tracks have the
VCA-modifiable controls (Volume, Mute, Solo, following controls:
Record Enable and TrackInput) on its slave tracks,
Volume
by default, do not follow any grouped behavior
that may be set in the Attributes page of the Groups The VCA Volume fader controls the Volume fader
dialog. This lets you control the output levels of the on audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, Master
group’s member tracks while retaining the ability Fader, and other VCA Master tracks in a VCA-
to adjust individual member track levels. controlled group. (Volume faders on MIDI tracks
are not affected.) Volume faders on slave tracks
Slave tracks can be set to follow normal grouped
move to show the composite level, or the level on
behavior. See “Assigning Groups to VCA Mas-
each track resulting from the position of the VCA
ters” on page 1051.
Master Volume fader.
The VCA Mute button controls the mute state of The VCA TrackInput button toggles the input
audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, MIDI, and monitor status of only those audio tracks in a
other VCA Master tracks in a VCA-controlled VCA-controlled group that are record-enabled.
group. Muting a VCA-controlled group does not You can toggle input monitor status for those
change the underlying mute state of slave tracks. tracks using the VCA Master TrackInput button.
(Mute buttons on slave tracks that were previously
unmuted show an implicit mute.) To temporarily force all slave tracks to toggle their
input monitoring status:
Solo Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
The VCA Solo button controls the solo state of au- VCA Master TrackInput button on the VCA
dio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, MIDI, and other Master.
VCA Master tracks in a VCA-controlled group.
Level Meter
• Soloing a VCA Master will implicitly mute all
tracks except its slave tracks, thereby indirectly On VCA Master tracks, level meters indicate the
soloing the slave tracks. highest level occurring on any of its individual
tracks, not a summed level of all slave tracks.
• Soloing a VCA Master will clear any explicit so-
los on its slave tracks, leaving them indirectly The channel format of level meters on the VCA
soloed, and implicitly mute all other tracks. Master is set according to the channel formats of
• Explicitly soloing a slave track while its VCA its slave tracks, as follows:
Master track is soloed will override the VCA • If all slave tracks are the same channel format
Master solo. (mono, stereo or a multichannel format), the
number of level meters on the VCA Master track
Record Enable is identical to that of the slave tracks.
The VCA Record Enable button toggles the Re- • If the slave tracks are different formats, the num-
cord Enable status of only those audio, Instrument, ber of level meters on the VCA Master track is
and other VCA tracks that have already been re- set to one.
cord-enabled individually. You can then toggle re-
cord enable on and off for those tracks using the
VCA Master Record Enable.
The Surround Mixer requires slightly more For greater than stereo formats (such as 5.1),
DSP resources than the Stereo Mixer. Conse- all surround output panning is fixed at
quently, if you plan to regularly mix in stereo –3.0 dB. The variable pan depth options are
and use a Pan Depth of –2.5, you may want to only available for stereo outputs.
use the Stereo Mixer plug-in.
To set the stereo pan depth: Views in the Mix and Edit
1 Choose Setup > Session to open the Session Windows
Setup window. The Mix and Edit windows can be configured to
2 Select an option from the Pan Depth selector. show or hide various mixing controls, using menu
commands or view selectors.
HEAT View
EQ Insert indicator
Meters and Faders View (Mix window)
Track Compensation
indicator Input Path selectors determine the source input for
audio, Auxiliary Input, and (optionally) Instrument
Delay Compensation View tracks. Track inputs can be set from hardware in-
Delay values can be specified in either samples or puts or internal bus paths or subpaths. For detailed
milliseconds, as selected in the Operation Prefer- information on assigning track inputs, see “As-
ences page. For more information on Delay Com- signing Audio Inputs” on page 247.
pensation, see “Delay Compensation” on
Hardware input and bus paths can be configured in
page 1083.
the I/O Setup. For more information, see
Track Color View Shows track color in each track. Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”
For detailed information, see “Color Coding for
You can also define what physical ports are routed
Tracks, Clips, Markers, and Groups” on page 259.
to Pro Tools input ports in the Hardware Setup di-
Track Collaboration View (Projects Only) .Shows alog. For more information, see “Configuring
the collaboration controls for tracks. For more in- Pro Tools Software System Settings” on page 90.
formation about collaboration, see “Track Collab-
oration Track View in the Edit and Mix Windows” Output Audio Path
on page 383.
Track Output Path selectors route the post-fader
signals to the assigned output or bus paths. The
Output Path selector routes the main track output
to the chosen main or sub-path. Tracks can be
routed directly to hardware output or internal bus
paths and subpaths for submixing (main or sub-
paths).
Track Collaboration View (Edit window)
The track format (mono, stereo, or multichannel)
determines the available main and sub-path
choices for track output. For detailed information
on assigning track outputs, see “Assigning Audio
Outputs” on page 248.
Track Collaboration View (Mix window)
2 Click the Send selector on the track and choose • Adjust the Send Level fader.
a path from the pop-up menu. • Set the send level to unity gain (0 dB) by Op-
tion-clicking (Mac) or Alt-clicking (Windows)
the Send Level fader.
Click the Mute button for the send. To create a new track from a send:
1 On an existing track, click the Send selector and
To mute (or unmute) sends from the Track menu:
select New Track.
1 Select the tracks on which you want to mute
sends. Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Win- 2 In the resulting New Track dialog, select the
dows) to select all tracks shown in the session. Width, Type, and Time Base for the new track.
Multichannel Sends (Pro Tools HD Only) When To display sends in the Mix window:
you click the Sends button on a track, you can Select any of the following:
choose from a list of multichannel output or bus
• View > Mix Window > Sends A–E.
paths.
• View > Mix Window > Sends F–J.
To show (or hide) meters in Send Assignments, do Send level and mute can follow Mix groups, to ad-
one of the following: just multiple send controls from a single set of con-
trols.
Choose Setup > Preferences > Metering and se-
lect (or deselect) the Show Send Assignment
Level Meter option (see “Show Send Assign- Individual Send Views and
ment Level Meter” on page 123). Meters
Right-click on a track meter and select (or dese- When you display the controls for an individual
lect) the Show Send Assignment Level Meter send, you also have the option of displaying send
option. level meters.
To move a send:
Copying Track Settings to Sends
Drag the send name to a new position in the (Pro Tools HD Only)
original track or in a different track.
Sometimes you need send settings to match the
To copy a send: settings in the track itself—for example, to provide
a headphone mix based on the main mix. You can
Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) the
copy the current values or the entire automation
send to a new position.
playlist from selected tracks to any of their sends.
Moving or copying a send maintains all routing as-
For more information, see “Copying Track
signments, automation, level/pan/mute settings,
Automation to Sends” on page 1141.
and output format.
Pre-fader Post-fader
Inverse icon
Link icon
Path Meter
selector
4 Click OK.
Delay Compensation
Pro Tools provides automatic Delay Compensa- Delay Compensation indicator
tion for managing DSP and host-based delays from
plug-in inserts, and mixer routing (bussing and The Delay Compensation indicator in the
sends). With Delay Compensation enabled, Edit window turns red if you have any delays
Pro Tools maintains phase coherent time align- in the session that exceeds the maximum
ment between tracks that have plug-ins with differ- available delay compensation (see “Delay
ing delays, tracks with different mixing paths, that Exceeds the Compensation Limit” on
tracks that are split off and recombined within the page 1086).
mixer, and tracks with hardware inserts.
Red can also indicate that you have created a
When Delay Compensation is enabled, Pro Tools feedback loop that cannot be compensated
allocates 16,383 samples at 44.1/48 kHz, 32,767 for. For example, if the output of a track is
samples at 88.2/96 kHz, or 65,534 samples at routed to the input of the same track. Mouse
176.4/192 kHz of Delay Compensation for each over the Delay Compensation indicator in the
mixer channel. For sessions with plug-ins on mixer Edit window to see if the tooltip identifies this
channels that result in more the 4,000 samples of as a problem.
delay at 48 kHz, select this setting.
The Delay Compensation View for tracks can be
To maintain phase coherent time alignment, Delay displayed in the Mix Window (see “Delay Com-
Compensation should always be enabled during pensation View” on page 1084).
playback and mixing. Delay Compensation should
also be used in most recording situations.
1 In the Delay Compensation View, click in the Red Indicates that the track delay exceeds the
User Offset edit field. available amount of Delay Compensation and no
Delay Compensation is applied to the track (see
2 To set your delay value (in samples or millisec-
“Delay that Exceeds the Compensation Limit” on
onds depending on your current preferences),
page 1086).
do one of the following:
• Enter a positive number (with or without the “+” Gray Indicates that Delay Compensation for the
modifier) for a positive delay (later in time) or track is bypassed and no delay is applied to the
negative number (with the “–” modifier) for a track.
negative delay (earlier in time).
• Drag in the User Offset field to scroll to a new
value. For finer resolution, Command-drag
(Mac) Control-drag (Windows).
You can manually compensate for the delay (la- 6 Ensure that only the dry signal is being passed
tency) of any external hardware devices (such as through the device.
an effects unit) used in your session, you can set
7 Bus the output of track 1 to the input of track 2.
the amount of Hardware Insert Delay Compensa-
tion (in milliseconds) for each external device in 8 Record enable track 2 and press Record Enable
the I/O Setup. These times will be used by the De- and Play in the Transport window to play back
lay Compensation Engine to time-align input paths the audio in track 1 and record it to track 2.
when the hardware insert is in use and Delay Com-
9 After recording, zoom in and measure the dif-
pensation is enabled
ference between where the audio starts in track
1 and track 2. The difference is the value you
would enter as your hardware’s insert delay off-
set.
Chapter 48: Basic Mixing 1089
Dither on Export and Import When you export au-
Dither dio to a lower bit depth, or when you import an au-
Dither is used to minimize quantization artifacts dio file into a session that is at a lower bit depth
when reducing the bit depth of an audio signal, for than the file, a preset, noise-shaped dither is ap-
example, from 24-bit to 16-bit. Quantization arti- plied.
facts are most apparent when a signal is near the
For more information about the application
low end of its dynamic range, such as during a
of dither on export, see “Exporting Audio”
quiet passage or a fade-out.
on page 412.
Dither minimizes quantization artifacts by intro-
For more information about the application
ducing very low-level random noise to a signal,
of dither on import, see “Bit Depth Conver-
which smooths out the distortion that can result
sion and Dither” on page 401.
when the signal’s bit depth is reduced.
A Pro Tools insert routes the signal from the track Inserts on audio tracks and Auxiliary Inputs and
to an effect of your choice and automatically re- Instrument tracks are pre-fader. You can cause
turns it to the same track. Inserts do not alter the clipping if you boost their gain to extremes, espe-
original audio source files, but process audio in cially on tracks recorded at high amplitude. Watch
real time, during playback. You can permanently on-screen metering for indication of clipping. (In-
apply real-time effects to tracks by recording or serts on Master Faders are post-fader.)
bouncing the effect to disk (see Chapter 51, “Mix-
down” for more information).
Types of Inserts
h
Insert selector
An insert can be either a software DSP plug-in or a
Insert button hardware insert.
Plug-In Inserts
Plug-In inserts are software inserts that process au-
Insert button and selector on a track dio material on a track in real time. For example,
the EQ, compressor, and delay plug-ins supplied
Pro Tools provides up to ten unity-gain inserts on
with your Pro Tools system can be used as real-
each audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and In-
time plug-in inserts.
strument track. Audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instru-
ment track inserts are pre-fader, and Master Faders For more information about the plug-ins
inserts are post-fader. included with your Pro Tools system, see the
Audio Plug-Ins Guide.
When more than one plug-in or hardware insert is
used on a track, they are processed in series. Each Additional real-time plug-ins are available from
effect is added to that of any previous inserts Avid and from many third-party developers.
(flowing from top to bottom in the Mix window In-
serts View, and left to right in the Edit window In- For information about optional plug-ins,
serts View). visit www.avid.com.
HDX Systems
DSP and Native plug-ins can be used on audio, Sends (F–J) View
Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument
tracks.
I/O View
With HDX systems, Native plug-ins may
use additional voices and introduce extra inserts and Sends in the Mix window
latency based on the HW Buffer Size. See
“Inserting Native and DSP Plug-Ins on Select Inserts A–E or Inserts F–J from the Edit
Tracks” on page 1100. Window or Mix Window View selector.
The current controller focus, if any, is indicated To make an insert inactive, do one of the following:
with a color outline around its name:
Command-Control-click (Mac) or Control-
Start-click (Windows) the Insert button.
Right-click the Insert button and select Make In-
active.
Command-Control-Option-Shift-click (Mac) or
Control-Start-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) an In-
sert button in the position you want to toggle.
• Specific plug-ins located in the plug-in subfold- The Effects subfolder organizes special effects,
ers (such as EQ III in the EQ subfolder) are indi- multi-effect processors, and other plug-ins. All
cated in green text. plug-ins that specify their plug-in category as an
“Effects” type will be displayed within the Effects
Control surfaces with single-color displays (such subfolder.
as Command|8) do not indicate plug-in view
choices. They display contents of a plug-in folder If no plug-ins within a certain category are
as a single list of plug-ins. installed on your system, the subfolder
named for that category will not appear in
“Organize Plug-In Menus By” the menu.
Setting
Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manu-
Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in al- facturer, with individual plug-ins listed in the man-
phabetical order. ufacturer submenus. Plug-Ins that do not have a
Manufacturer defined will appear in the “Other”
Category Organizes plug-ins by process category
manufacturer folder.
(such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individ-
ual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. Plug- If no plug-ins by a certain manufacturer are
Ins that do not fit into a standard category (such as installed on your system, the subfolder
the Signal Generator), or third-party plug-ins that named for that manufacturer will not
have not had a category designated by their devel- appear in the menu.
opers, appear in the Other category. Plug-Ins can
appear in more than one category.
Default plug-in display in the Insert selector menu When selecting the plug-in favorite to change, you
can select the plug-in from the list of favorites at
the top of the plug-in menu, or in its plug-in cate-
gory (where the plug-in appears in bold).
To move an insert:
Moving a plug-in
To duplicate an insert:
Track selector
Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename, save, Link Enable buttons
Channel Selector Accesses a specific channel To close all currently open plug-in windows:
within a multichannel track for plug-in control ed-
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
iting. This menu appears only on multi-mono plug-
close box of any currently open plug-in win-
ins inserted on tracks with more than one channel.
dow.
Shift-clicking this selector opens a separate Plug-
In window for each channel of the multichannel
track on which the plug-in is
inserted. Using Plug-In Window
Controls
All plug-ins provide standard Pro Tools controls
Opening Plug-In Windows for track and insert selection, bypass, and other
controls, in addition to the EQ, dynamics, and
To open a plug-in window: other processor-specific controls.
Click the plug-in button in Inserts view in the
Mix or Edit window. To select a different plug-in on the same track:
Editing Plug-In Parameters 2 Change the value by doing one of the following.
Using a Mouse • To increase a value, press the Up Arrow on your
You can adjust rotary controls by dragging hori- keyboard.
zontally or vertically. Parameter values increase as • To decrease a value, press the Down Arrow on
you drag upward or to the right, and decrease as your keyboard.
you drag downward or to the left.
• Type the value.
Keyboard Shortcuts
In fields that support values in kilohertz, typ-
For finer adjustments, Command-drag (Mac) or ing “k” after a number value will multiply the
Control-drag (Windows) the control. value by 1,000. For example, type “8k” to en-
ter a value of 8,000.
To return a control to its default value, Option-
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the control.
Side-Chain Filters
Plug-In Automation and Safe Some plug-ins feature key high-pass and low-pass
Modes filters. These controls let you define a specific fre-
quency range in the side-chain signal with which
All real-time plug-ins can be fully automated, and
to trigger the plug-in effect. A common production
support all Pro Tools Automation modes (Write,
technique is to use these controls to filter a drum
Touch, and Latch, plus Trim).
track so that only specific high frequency sounds
The Auto button opens the Plug-In Automation di- (such as a hi-hat) or low frequency ones (such a
alog, where you can enable individual plug-in con- tom or a kick) trigger the effect.
trols for automation recording (see “Automating
Plug-Ins” on page 1141). Using a Key Input for External
Side-Chain Processing
The Safe button engages Automation Safe mode.
When enabled, existing plug-in automation is pro- To use a key input for external side-chain
tected from being overwritten (see “Record Safing processing:
Plug-In Automation” on page 1143). 1 Click the plug-in’s Key Input selector and select
the input or bus carrying the audio you want to
use to trigger the plug-in.
Side-Chain Input
The side-chain input is the split-off signal used by
a plug-in's detector to trigger dynamics processing,
and is generally drawn internally from the input
signal. However, some plug-ins let you switch be-
tween internal and external side-chain processing.
Set As User Default Defines the current preset as To select a destination folder:
the User Default for the selected plug-in. From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose
Settings Preferences > Save Plug-In Settings
Settings Preferences To, and select Session Folder or Root Settings
Folder.
The Settings Preferences submenu provides com-
mands for configuring preferences for saving and If you selected Root Settings Folder, Pro Tools
importing presets. They include: saves to the default Root Plug-In Settings folder
unless you have specified a different location for
Set Plug-In Default To Sets the default preset to ei-
the Root Settings folder.
ther Factory Default (the standard default setting
for that plug-in) or User Default (your custom set- To select a different Root Settings folder:
ting).
1 From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose Set-
Save Plug-In Settings To Selects the folder where tings Preferences > Set Root Settings Folder.
presets (plug-in settings files) are saved. If you se-
2 Select the folder you want to use as your Root
lect Session Folder, the settings are saved in a
folder and click Select.
folder named “Plug-In Settings” within the current
Session folder. If you select Root Settings Folder,
the settings are saved in the folder you specified Creating Subfolders for Settings
with the Set Root Settings Folder command. You To make it easier to find specific types of settings,
can change the location of the Root Settings Folder you can subdivide settings files by creating sub-
in the Operation Preferences (see “User Media and folders for them.
Settings Location” on page 110).
To create a settings subfolder:
To save plug-in settings to any location other
than the default Plug-In Settings folder, you 1 From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose Save
must first create a folder named “Plug-In Settings.
Settings” in the new location and then save to 2 Click the New Folder button and type a name for
that folder. the subfolder.
3 Name the preset and click Save. The plug-in
settings file is saved within the subfolder.
Use the Plug-In Settings menu to manage plug-in 1 Open the destination plug-in.
presets. 2 Choose Paste Settings from the Plug-In Set-
tings menu.
Unlinked multi-mono plug-ins have specific
rules for settings. See “Linking and Unlink- Press Command+Shift+V (Mac) or Con-
ing Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-Ins” on trol+Shift+V (Windows) to paste plug-in
page 1121. settings.
To save a preset: To create a custom User Default preset:
1 Choose Save Settings from the Plug-In Settings 1 Create and save a plug-in settings file.
menu.
2 Select Set As User Default from the Plug-In Set-
2 Type a name and click OK. The setting appears tings menu.
in the Plug-In Librarian menu.
To make a plug-in default to your custom preset:
Press Command+Shift+S (Mac) or Con-
trol+Shift+S (Windows) to save plug-in From the Plug-In Settings menu, select Settings
settings. Preferences > Set Plug-In Default To > User
Setting.
To load a plug-in preset:
Choose the name of the preset from the Plug-In Changing Presets with the Next
Librarian menu. (+) and Previous (–) Setting
Buttons
To import a preset:
These buttons let you select the next or previous
1 Choose Import Settings from the Plug-In Set- preset in the Plug-In Librarian menu.
tings menu.
To change plug-in presets using the +/– buttons:
2 Locate the settings file you want to import and
click Open. Pro Tools loads the setting and cop- Click the Plus (+) or Minus (–) buttons to select
ies it to the root destination folder. the next or previous preset. The next (or previ-
ous) preset is enabled, and the Plug-In Librarian
To copy plug-in settings: menu changes to show the name of the new pre-
set.
Choose Copy Settings from the Plug-In Settings
menu. You will lose the current plug-in settings if
they are not saved before you use the Next
Press Command+Shift+C (Mac) or Con-
and Previous Setting buttons. Always save
trol+Shift+C (Windows) to copy plug-in
your plug-in settings to the selected Root Set-
settings.
tings folder.
3 Click Done.
When you create a custom plug-in map, its param- Map Presets menu
eters are arranged in pages that correspond to the Learn button
controls on the control surface. The size of a page
depends on the type of control surface. Each cus-
Parameter menu
tom plug-in map allows up to 200 pages of mapped
Plug-In Map controls in the plug-in window
parameters.
Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename, save,
Plug-In mapping is stored according to the follow- delete, import, export, and set default plug-in
ing types of control surfaces: maps.
• 003
Map Presets Menu Lets you choose from avail-
• C|24 able custom Plug-In Maps for the plug-in.
• Command|8
Learn Button Puts the plug-in in Learn mode,
• D-Control where you can map plug-in parameters to a control
• D-Command surface.
• EUCON-compatible controllers Parameter Menu When in Learn mode, lets you
• M-Audio controllers select a parameter on the plug-in for mapping. If
you click a parameter in the plug-in window while
If you import a plug-in map that was created in Learn mode, this menu shows the name of the
on a different type of control surface, it will parameter.
appear as an inactive choice in the Map Pre-
sets menu. Plug-In Map controls can be shown or hidden.
When you first put a plug-in into Learn mode, a 4 On the control surface, do one of the following:
new plug-in map is created (with the default name • Turn the encoder or press the channel Select
“Custom Map”), and the plug-in is focused on the switch where you want to map the parameter.
control surface, but with a blank page of controls,
• If the control surface is in Flip mode, move the
ready for mapping.
fader or press the channel Select switch where
Only one plug-in can be in Learn mode at a time. you want to map the parameter.
5 Repeat steps 3-4 for each parameter you want to
To put a plug-in into Learn mode, do one of the
following:
map.
Click the Learn button in the plug-in window. 6 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose To change parameter mapping in a plug-in map:
New Map.
1 Open the plug-in whose custom map you want
to change.
To take a plug-in out of Learn mode, do one of the
following: 2 Choose the map you want to change from the
Click the active Learn button in the plug-in win- Map Preset pop-up menu.
dow. 3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is
Close the plug-in window. focused on the control surface.
Click the Learn button in a different plug-in 4 Do the following for each parameter mapping
window. you want to change:
• In the plug-in window, click the new plug-in pa-
Plug-Ins are automatically taken out of Learn
rameter you want to map. The parameter name
mode when moved to a different insert
appears in the Parameter menu.
position, made inactive, or converted
between DSP and Native formats. • On the control surface, page to the encoder or
switch where you want to change the mapping,
and turn the encoder or press the switch.
Saving Plug-In Maps 4 Enter a new name for the plug-in map.
You can save plug-in maps as presets for reuse on 5 Click OK.
the same Pro Tools system.
Deleting Plug-In Maps
Plug-In maps are saved as global preferences on a
Pro Tools system, so they are available to all ses- From the plug-in window, you can delete individ-
sions created on the system. ual plug-in maps.
When you create a map for a plug-in, that map be- You can also delete all custom plug-in maps on the
comes available to all other plug-ins of the same system, reverting all plug-ins to their Factory De-
type and channel format. fault plug-in maps.
If you want to map the same plug-in in On D-Control and D-Command systems,
different channel formats (such as mono, when you delete all plug-in maps, you are
stereo and 5.1 surround) you need to create also deleting all Custom Fader Plug-In
a separate plug-in map for each format. mappings.
You can also export plug-in maps for use on other To delete a custom plug-in map:
Pro Tools systems with a similar control surface 1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to delete.
(see “Exporting and Importing Plug-In Maps” on
page 1119. 2 Choose the map you want to delete from the
Map Presets pop-up menu.
Setting a Custom Plug-In Map as To set a custom plug-in map as the default plug-in
the Default Map map:
You can set a custom plug-in map as the default 1 Open the plug-in whose default plug-in map
map for a plug-in, instead of the Factory Default you want to change.
map. 2 Choose the map you want to use as the new
default from the Map Presets pop-up menu.
When you set a custom plug-in map as the default,
it applies across the entire session. All instances of 3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
that plug-in that were set to the Factory Default Set As Default.
map, or to another custom default map, change to
the new default. Hiding Default Plug-In Map
If you change parameter mapping in the custom Pages
plug-in map that has been set as the default, the When you create a custom plug-in map, its param-
changes will propagate to all instances of the plug- eters are arranged in pages that correspond to the
in using that default. groups of controls that appear on a control surface.
When you export a plug-in map, the default When you page through the controls for a plug-in
map setting for that plug-in is also exported. on a control surface, the pages for custom plug-in
When that map is imported, the default setting maps appear first, and the pages for the Factory
is also updated, and all instances of the plug- Default map appear after the custom pages.
in change to the new default.
You can hide the Factory Default pages of a plug-
in, so that only the custom pages appear on the
control surface. This applies to all instances of the
plug-in.
Deselect the Master Link button. 1 Choose Setup > I/O, then click the Insert tab.
2 Select an insert path, or click New Path to create
To access controls for a specific channel:
a new Insert path.
Select the channel from the Channel selector.
3 Double-click the Path Name to enter a custom
To link the controls of specific channels: path name for the insert.
1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al- 4 Make sure the insert path is set to the correct
ready deselected. format (mono, stereo, or other).
2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels 5 Map inserts in the Channel Grid as needed. In-
whose controls you want to link. sert and Output paths have special rules regard-
ing channel mapping (see “Valid Paths and
Requirements” on page 75).
Pro Tools can receive external clock from the Op- Pro Tools can receive external clock from the
tical input or S/PDIF input. S/PDIF input on these interfaces.
To select an external clock source for a Pro Tools To select an external clock source from Pro Tools
system with 003, 003 Rack+, or 003 Rack: with an Mbox Pro or Mbox (3rd generation):
• mono aftertouch
Automation Playlists with Audio
• program change and MIDI Clips
• sysex
Pro Tools handles audio clips and their automation
• controllers playlists differently from MIDI clips and their au-
• Audio Volume tomation playlists.
You can display and edit each of these automatable Trim Automation Playlists
playlists individually from Pro Tools, even during (Pro Tools HD Only)
playback. Separate Trim automation playlists are available
for Volume trim and Send Level trim. Volume trim
is available on all track types except MIDI tracks.
Send Level trim is available on audio tracks only.
Touch mode writes automation only while a fader See also “Writing Automation to the Start,
or switch is touched or clicked with the mouse. End, or All of a Track or Selection” on
When the fader is released, the writing of automa- page 1164.
tion stops and the fader returns to any previously
automated position, at a rate determined by the Au- AutoJoin with Latch Mode
toMatch and Touch Timeout settings. See “Auto- (Pro Tools HD Only)
mation Preferences” on page 1133.
Pro Tools provides two different methods to
In Touch mode, certain control surfaces start writ- resume writing automation on controls that were
ing automation as soon as you touch them. These active at the point where the transport stopped:
include touch-sensitive fader controllers, such as
D-Control, D-Command, C|24, 003, or Com- AutoJoin Lets you automatically resume writing
mand|8. automation in Latch mode.
With other control surfaces in Touch mode, writ- Join Lets you manually resume writing automa-
ing of automation does not begin until the fader tion in Latch mode. To Join, Command-click
hits the pass-through point, or the previously auto- (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the Auto Join
mated position. Once you reach the pass-through button in the Automation window (Window > Au-
point with the fader, or a non-touch sensitive rotary tomation). Join is also available with supported
control, writing of automation begins and contin- control surfaces.
ues until you stop moving the fader.
AutoJoin Enable button in the Automation window AutoJoin indicator in the Edit window
Trim Mode Trim Off turns off reading and writing of all auto-
(Pro Tools HD Only) mation (main and trim) for a track. All automation
moves are ignored during playback. Trim faders
Pro Tools HD can adjust (or trim) existing track
are temporarily set to zero when a track is set to
volume and send level automation data in real
Trim Off mode.
time. Pan, mute and plug-in automation cannot be
trimmed in this manner. Trim mode works in com- Depending on the Coalesce Trim Automation pref-
bination with the other Automation modes (Read, erence setting, changing a track to Trim Off can
Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch, and Write) and is use- coalesce Trim automation on that track. See “Co-
ful when you want to preserve all of your volume alescing Trim Automation” on page 1163.
automation moves, but need to make levels a bit
louder or softer to balance a mix. For more infor- Automation can be switched from Trim Off to an-
mation, see “Trim Automation Modes” on other Automation mode during playback or record.
page 1131.
In Read Trim mode, Volume and Send level Trim In Latch Trim mode, Volume and Send level Trim
faders are disengaged from the main automation faders are disengaged from the main automation
playlist and follow any existing Trim automation. playlist and follow any existing Trim automation.
You can move a Trim fader during playback to au- When a Trim fader is touched, writing of Trim au-
dition new trim values, but no automation is writ- tomation begins. Writing of Trim automation con-
ten. When the Trim fader is released, it returns to tinues until playback stops, or until you punch out
any previously written Trim automation values. of writing automation.
If a track does not contain Trim automation, you When this mode is enabled, non-trimmable con-
can move a Trim fader during playback to audition trols (all controls other than track volume and send
new trim values, but no automation is written. The level) behave as if they are in regular Latch
Trim fader retains its position until the track is re- mode—they follow the previously written automa-
moved from Trim mode, or if you manually co- tion until touched. When they are touched, their
alesce the Trim level. absolute positions are written until playback is
stopped.
When this mode is enabled, non-trimmable con-
trols (all controls other than track volume and send Touch/Latch Trim
level) behave as if they are in regular Read mode—
no automation data is written. In Touch/Latch Trim mode, Volume and Send
level faders are disengaged from the main automa-
Touch Trim tion playlist and follow any existing Trim automa-
tion. The main Volume Trim fader follows Touch
In Touch Trim mode, Volume and Send level Trim Trim behavior, and Send level Trim faders follow
faders are disengaged from the main automation Latch Trim behavior.
playlist and follow any existing Trim automation.
When a Trim fader is touched, writing of Trim au- Write Trim
tomation begins. When the fader is released, writ-
ing stops and the fader returns to any previously In Write Trim mode, as soon as playback begins,
written Trim automation values. writing of Trim automation begins for Volume and
Send levels, and continues until playback stops, or
The rate of the fader’s return to previous trim val- until you punch out of writing automation.
ues is determined by the AutoMatch Time speci-
fied in the Automation Preferences page. See “Au-
toMatch Time” on page 1134 for more
information.
AutoMatch Time
AutoMatch Time is the amount of time it takes for
Automation Follows Edit indicator in the Edit window
a fader to return (by ramping up or down) to the
level of automation still on the track as the automa- Automation Safe
tion pass ends. This time value is set in the Auto-
mation Preferences page (see “Automation Prefer- Outputs, sends, and plug-ins can be placed in Au-
ences” on page 1133). tomation Safe mode. In Automation Safe mode,
any automation associated with an Output window
AutoMatch is automatically applied to all Touch (such as track or send level, panning, or mute), or
mode passes, and can be applied to Latch or Write plug-in on that track, is protected from being over-
passes. written while automating other items on that track.
The AutoMatch Time also determines the rate at
which delta values written with the Trim will re-
turn to 0 dB (delta value of zero).
Track Views
You can view automation data by type by selecting
the corresponding Track View. Trim automation playlist
Show/Hide
Lanes button
Displaying a standard automation playlist
Remove Lane
Add Lane
Automation Type
selector
Revealing an Automation lane
To add a lane:
To remove lanes:
To reorder lanes:
To display the Trim automation playlist along with Display of Trim automation and the composite playlist
in a main Volume playlist
main automation playlist on tracks:
2 In the Mix or Edit window, set the Automation 2 Choose Edit > Automation > Copy to Send.
mode for each track containing sends you want
to automate. For each track, click the Automa-
tion Mode selector and set the Automation
mode. For the initial automation pass, choose
Write mode.
3 If sends are not currently visible on your tracks,
select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) >
Sends A–E (or Sends F–J).
AutoMatching Individual
Automation Types
AutoMatch button in the Automation window You can invoke AutoMatch on individual automa-
tion types across a session.
AutoMatching All Controls
To AutoMatch all controls of one automation type:
You can AutoMatch all currently writing controls
to their existing automation levels. In the Automation window, Command-click
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the button
To AutoMatch all currently writing controls: for the automation type (Volume, Pan, Mute,
1 Choose Window > Automation. Plug-In, Send level, Send pan, or Send mute).
You can take individual tracks or automation types Option-Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-
out of their Latch Prime state before or during an Control-Shift-click (Windows) the Automation
automation pass. Mode selector on a track.
When you take a track or automation type out of Alt-Shift-click (Windows) Option-Shift-click
Latch Prime before starting playback, it stays in (Mac) the AutoMatch button in the Automation
Latch mode but the corresponding controls are not window.
primed to write when playback starts.
To take an automation type out of Latch Prime on
When you take a track or automation type out of all tracks, do one of the following:
Latch Prime during an automation pass, the corre- In the Automation window, Command-click
sponding controls AutoMatch to their currently (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the button
written values. for the automation type (Volume, Pan, Mute,
If you AutoMatch a control that is in a Latch
Plug-In, Send level, Send pan, or Send mute).
Prime state, the control will no longer be primed.
Suspending automation from the Edit win- • To suspend the displayed Trim control on all
dow obeys Edit groups. To suppress grouped tracks, Command-Option-click (Mac) or Con-
behavior, hold Control (Mac) or Start (Win- trol-Alt-click (Windows) the control name in the
dows) while suspending a control. Track View selector.
Enabled
Not Enabled
To remove several breakpoints at once: 1 Select the track where you want to clear the
Trim automation.
Use the Selector tool to select a range that con-
tains the breakpoints, and press Delete (Mac) or 2 Do one of the following:
Backspace (Windows). • Choose Track > Clear Trim Automation.
To remove all automation data of the displayed • Right-click the track name and choose Clear
type: Trim Automation.
For more information on MIDI continuous MIDI Data drawn with resolution of 100 ms
controller data, see “Continuous Controller For better performance, consider selecting a
Events” on page 763. smaller value for MIDI controls that need higher
resolution (such as MIDI volume), and a larger
Resolution of MIDI Controller value for controls that may not require a high reso-
Data lution (such as Pan).
When using the Pencil tool to draw MIDI automa-
tion, the data is drawn as a series of discrete steps.
You can control the resolution (or density) of these Editing Automation
steps to help manage the amount of MIDI data sent
For all tracks in a session, Pro Tools provides sev-
for a given MIDI controller move.
eral ways to edit automation data—including Trim
To set the resolution for the Pencil tool:
automation if it has not been coalesced
(Pro Tools HD only). You can edit automation
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click MIDI. data graphically by adjusting breakpoints in any
2 Enter a value for Pencil Tool Resolution When automation playlist. You can also cut, copy, and
Drawing Controller Data. The value can range paste automation data in the same manner as audio
from 1 to 100 milliseconds. and MIDI data.
Automation breakpoint
Using the Grabber tool to create a new breakpoint
By dragging these breakpoints, you can modify the
Using the Pencil Tool
automation data directly in the Edit window and
MIDI Editor windows. When you drag an automa- The Pencil tool lets you create new breakpoints by
tion breakpoint up or down, the change in value is clicking once on the graph line. Option-click
numerically or textually indicated. (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) breakpoints with
the Pencil tool to remove them.
Dragging an automation breakpoint to the left or The Trim tools let you adjust all selected break-
right adjusts the timing of the automation event. points up or down by dragging anywhere within
that selection.
To view the breakpoint automation type on any
track, either select the corresponding Track View
or reveal the corresponding Automation or Con-
troller lane under the track.
Each automatable control has its own automation Drag the breakpoint down to mute a section. Drag
playlist, that can be displayed by choosing it from a breakpoint up to unmute the section. Drag a
the Track View selector. “Viewing Automation” breakpoint to the left or right to adjust the timing of
on page 1135. the mute.
When you use a Trim tool to edit a selection Hold Command+Option (Mac) or Control+Alt
containing breakpoints, new anchor break- (Windows) while writing a breakpoint (by
points are created before and after the se- clicking with any Grabber tool in a track’s auto-
lected area. To suppress creation of anchor mation playlist).
breakpoints while using a Trim tool, hold Op-
The Smart Tool cannot be used to write a
tion (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while trimming.
new breakpoint to the next or previous
To edit all breakpoint values in a clip: automation value.
• Edit automation and MIDI controller data only Pan Automation Copies only pan automation or
(without associated audio or MIDI notes). MIDI pan data whether it is shown or not.
• Edit automation and MIDI controller data with- Plug-In Automation Copies only the plug-in auto-
out having to change Track Views mation that is shown.
In addition, the Paste Special command lets you Paste Special
copy one data type to another (for example, Left
Pan data into the Right Pan playlist) The Paste Special commands let you paste auto-
mation data into another clip (without affecting as-
You cannot paste MIDI controller data to au- sociated audio or MIDI notes) in the following
tomation data nor automation to MIDI. ways:
Cut Special Merge Lets you add the pasted data to any existing
automation data of the same type in the destination
The Cut Special commands let you cut just auto-
selection. This can be useful for consolidating
mation data from the current selection (without as-
MIDI data from several tracks into a single MIDI
sociated audio or MIDI notes) and place it in mem-
track. For example, you like the pitch bend on the
ory to paste elsewhere, as follows:
synth trombones and want to apply it to the synth
All Automation Cuts all automation or MIDI con- guitar.
troller data whether it is shown or not.
Repeat to Fill Selection Pastes multiple iterations
Pan Automation Cuts only pan automation or of the automation data to the entire selection range.
MIDI pan data whether it is shown or not. If you select an area that is not an exact multiple of
the copied clip size, the remaining selection area is
Plug-In Automation Cuts only the plug-in automa- filled with a trimmed version of the original selec-
tion that is shown. tion. This lets you easily create drum loops and
other repetitive effects. Before the data is pasted,
Pro Tools prompts you to specify a crossfade to
smooth transitions between clips.
For MIDI automation, Glide To commands 4 In each track you want to automate, change the
only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and automation parameter to the value you want at
MIDI Mute. MIDI parameters cannot use the the end of the selection.
Write To commands. 5 Choose Edit > Automation > Glide to All En-
abled.
To apply a Glide Automation to the current
automation parameter type:
You can also press Option+Shift+Forward
1 In the Automation window, make sure the Slash (/) (Mac) or Alt+Shift+Forward Slash
automation type is write-enabled. (/) (Windows).
2 Click the Track View selector to choose the To apply a Glide Automation to pan only:
automation type you want to automate.
1 In the Automation window, make sure that Pan
3 Drag with the Selector tool in the track to automation is write-enabled.
select the area you want to write the glide to.
2 Click the Track View selector to choose Pan au-
4 Change the automation parameter to the value tomation.
you want at the end of the selection. For exam-
ple, to glide automation volume to –Infinity, 3 Drag with the Selector tool in the track to
move the Volume fader to –Infinity. select the area you want to write the glide to.
5 Choose Edit > Automation > Glide to Current. 4 Change the pan automation to the value you
want at the end of the selection.
You can also press Option+Forward Slash
5 Choose Edit > Automation > Glide Pan Only.
(/) (Mac) or Alt+Forward Slash (/) (Win-
dows). You can also press Control+Shift+Forward
Slash (/) (Mac) or Start+Shift+Forward
Slash (/) (Windows).
Manually Trim moves are stored separately in the 1 Select the track where you want to coalesce the
Trim automation playlist until they are coalesced. Trim automation.
With this setting, the only way to coalesce Trim
2 Do one of the following:
moves is with the Coalesce Trim
Automation command. You can repeat an automa- • Choose Track > Coalesce Trim Automation.
tion pass, edit Trim automation manually on any of • Right-click the track name and choose
the Trim playlists, or clear Trim automation before Coalesce Trim Automation.
coalescing with this method.
The Trim automation is applied to the main auto-
To set the method by which Trim Automation is mation playlist, Trim automation playlists are
coalesced: cleared, and Trim faders are returned to zero.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
The relative changes to the track volume and send The enabled Write on Stop arrow appears in blue.
levels at that point are written to the corresponding
To configure Write on Stop modes to remain
area of the track/selection. enabled after an automation pass:
1 Choose Window > Automation.
Writing Automation to the Start,
End or All of a Track or Selection 2 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) one
on Stop of the Write On Stop buttons (Start, All or End)
to enable the Write On Stop mode.
The Automation window provides options for
writing automation on any automation playlist (in- The enabled Write on Stop arrow appears in red.
cluding Trim playlists) after a valid automation
pass has been performed.
7 Stop Playback.
Write To Punch Point buttons in the Automation
The current values of all controls being written at window
that point are written up to the next breakpoint.
The current values of all write-enabled parameters
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint are written back to the point where the first control
remains enabled after a valid automation began writing automation.
pass. Unlike standard Write Automation
commands, it cannot be configured to
Write To Next Breakpoint or
disable after an automation pass. Punch Point and Trim Mode
To write current automation values back to the While in Trim mode, it is also possible to write
automation punch point: trim values for track volume and send levels to the
1 Choose Window > Automation. next written breakpoint or back to the automation
punch-in point.
2 Make sure the automation type is write
enabled. To write current trim values to the next breakpoint
or to the punch point:
3 Click in a track to define an insertion point.
1 Choose Window > Automation.
4 Start playback.
2 Make sure that the automation type (track vol-
ume or send level) is write-enabled.
Mute off event extended (up to automation pass end) Mute enable button in the Automation window
Extending a mute automation event 3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
tion Mode selector of the track where you want
Mute Overwrite/Extend is to overwrite the mute state, and set the Automa-
supported in Touch and Latch tion mode to Touch or Latch mode.
mode, as follows:
Touch Mode Writes the current state as long as the To overwrite mute states on multiple tracks,
Mute button is held. set all tracks to the same Automation mode.
Latch Mode Writes the current state until you stop 4 In each track you want to automate, click the
or AutoMatch out. Track View selector and select mute.
5 Place the cursor before the start of the mute
To overwrite a mute state on one or more tracks:
event you want to overwrite.
1 Choose Window > Automation.
2 Make sure Mute is write-enabled.
6 Start playback.
7 Press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
and the track Mute button before the start of the
Stopping automation pass after the end of a mute
event
mute event you want to extend.
9 When you have finished the automation pass, To extend mute states on multiple tracks,
stop playback. press Option+Command (Mac) or Alt+Con-
trol (Windows) and the Mute button on the
track.
When you move the playback cursor, the auto- To capture and apply automation:
mated controls in Pro Tools update to reflect the 1 In the Automation window, make sure that the
automation data that is already on the track. To automation parameters you want to edit are
keep the settings you have made for a snapshot, write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose
you can suspend automation parameters to prevent automation you want to preserve.
them from updating.
2 Click the Automation Mode selector and select
To write snapshot automation over existing data: Read mode for the tracks that have automation
1 In the Automation window, make sure that the you want to capture.
automation parameters you want to edit are 3 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit
write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose Selection is selected.
automation you want to preserve.
4 With the Selector tool, select the location where
2 Adjust the controls for the parameters you want you want to capture automation. All automated
to automate. controls update to reflect the automation at that
3 Click the Automation Mode selector and select location. (If you make a selection, the controls
Off mode for the tracks where you want to apply update to reflect the automation at the begin-
the automation. ning of the selection.)
4 With the Selector, select the range where you 5 In each track you want to apply the captured au-
want to apply the automation. tomation, click the track’s Automation Mode
selector and set the Automation mode to Off.
Snapshot Automation and When you put Pro Tools in Automation Preview
Trimming of Automation Data mode, you can preview values for automation-en-
abled controls on any track that is in a writable au-
Pro Tools lets you use trim values as snapshots and
tomation mode.
apply the relative changes (delta values) to the se-
lected automation by using the Trim Automation While in Automation Preview mode, when you
command. This works in much the same way as the touch or move a control, it isolates the control, dis-
Write Automation command, except that it writes engaging it from its automation playlist. The con-
delta values instead of absolute values to automa- trol stops reading or writing automation, allowing
tion data. you to freely audition changes.
You can use trim values in writing snapshot When you have found a level or state that you want
automation to any automatable parameter. to use, you can then commit or punch the pre-
viewed value to the automation playlist for the iso-
To create a snapshot of relative changes in lated controls.
automation data:
1 In the Automation window, make sure that the If you punch during playback, the automation
automation parameters you want to edit are mode is set to Latch and writing begins at the pre-
write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose view value.
automation you want to preserve. If you punch while the transport is stopped, the
2 Select the area of the track you want to edit. All automation mode is set to Latch and the control is
automated controls update to reflect the auto- primed at the preview value.
mation at the beginning of the selection. It is not necessary for the Allow Latch Prime
3 Move the controls for the parameter up or down in Stop preference to be enabled for Preview
by the amount you want to change the data. to put a control into Latch Prime.
Preview controls in the Automation window To isolate all currently write-enabled controls:
4 To isolate a control, touch or move an automa- Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
tion-enabled control.You can isolate controls Preview button.
during playback or while the transport is
stopped. To isolate all write-enabled controls on all selected
tracks:
You can capture the current automation values of 1 Move to a location where you want to apply the
actively writing controls. captured automation states. You can do this
during playback or while the transport is
To capture automation values: stopped.
1 Make sure all tracks whose automation values 2 Click the Punch Capture button in the Automa-
you want to capture are in a write-enabled state tion window to apply the captured automation
(Write, Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch or Latch). states. The captured states are applied to all au-
tomation types that are currently enabled in the
2 Make sure the automation types you want to
Automation window.
capture are enabled in the Automation window
(Volume, Pan, Mute, Send level, Send pan,
Send mute, or Plug-In). Capturing Automation Values for
All Controls
3 Start playback. When you reach a location
where you want to capture the current automa- You can capture the state of all automatable con-
tion states, click the Capture button in the Auto- trols (except on tracks with their Automation
mation window. Mode set to Off) in a session, regardless of whether
they are currently writing automation.
The Punch Capture button in the Automation win-
dow lights to indicate a captured value is available To capture the automation values of all controls:
to punch. When you reach a location where you want to
capture the current automation states, Option-
Punching Captured Automation click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the Capture
Values button.
After automation values are captured, they can be
To capture the automation values of all controls on
punched (written) to another location in the track. selected tracks only:
Any tracks set to Read or Off are unaffected.
When you reach a location where you want to
If you punch during playback, the automation capture the current automation states, Option-
mode of any track set to Touch is set to Latch and Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click (Windows)
writing begins at the captured value. the Capture button.
If you punch while the transport is stopped, the
automation mode of any track set to Touch is set to
Latch and the control is primed at the captured
value.
To punch the automation values of all controls: To capture an automation value and use it to
preview:
When you reach a location where you want to
1 Make sure the track where you want to preview
apply the captured automation states, Option-
the value is enabled for automation (Touch,
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the Punch
Latch, Touch/Latch or their corresponding
Capture button. Any track set to Read or Touch
Trim modes).
are set to Latch. Any tracks set to Off are unaf-
fected. 2 Make sure the automation type you want to pre-
view is enabled in the Automation window
To punch the automation values of all controls on (Volume, Pan, Mute, Send level, Send pan,
selected tracks only:
Send mute, or Plug-In).
When you reach a location where you want to
3 Capture an automation value that you want to
apply the captured automation states, Option-
preview in another location on a track. (See
Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click (Windows)
“Capturing Automation Values” on page 1177.)
the Punch Capture button. Any selected tracks
set to Read or Touch are set to Latch. Any se- 4 Go to a location where you want to preview the
lected tracks set to Off are unaffected. captured automation states, and click the Pre-
view button in the Automation window.
Capture and Trim Mode 5 Click the Punch Capture button.
The Capture and Punch Capture commands work The affected controls are isolated and updated to
with Trim automation in the same way as regular the captured values. The Punch Preview button in
automation. Pro Tools saves Trim status when the Automation window lights to indicate the pre-
capturing, so if you attempt to punch captured view value is available to punch.
Trim values while displaying a non-Trim automa-
tion playlist, Pro Tools will automatically apply 6 Start playback and adjust the isolated control to
the values to the corresponding Trim playlist. audition the changes.
7 When you are ready to punch the preview value
Punch Capture and “Write To” to the automation playlist, click the lit Punch
Commands Preview button.
After issuing a Punch Capture command, the af-
fected controls are writing automation (in Latch
mode), so any of the Write Automation To com-
mands can be used to extend the punched value in
the same manner as other automation.
• Volume trim (Pro Tools HD only) 2 Write-enable the slave track you want to ex-
clude for automation (Write mode).
• Mute
The slave track is removed from the VCA group, 3 Do one of the following:
and the composite Volume level and Mute state are • Hold Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) and
coalesced to the track. choose Track > Coalesce VCA Master Automa-
tion.
Duplicating a Slave Track • Hold Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) and
Right-click the VCA Master track name and
When you duplicate a slave track without duplicat-
choose Coalesce VCA Master Automation.
ing its group assignments, the VCA automation is
coalesced to the duplicate track. The coalesced du- The composite Volume level and Mute state are
plicate plays back exactly as if it were in the VCA committed to each of the slave tracks over the Edit
group. selection. The VCA Master Volume is set to zero,
the VCA Mute state is set to unmuted, and any au-
To coalesce automation from a VCA Master to a
tomation on the VCA Master is cleared for the se-
single slave track by duplicating the track:
lected area only.
1 Select the slave track whose automation you
want to coalesce.
Selection or Track Length If you make a selection Track Output Right-Click menu in the Mix window
in a track, the bounced mix will be the length of the
selection. If there is no selection in any track, the
bounce will be the length of the longest audible
track in the session.
Bounced Files Are Delay-Compensated Send Right-Click menu in the Mix window
Pro Tools compensates for any bus and plug-in de- To Bounce an Output or Send path to disk:
lays when bouncing to disk. This means that if a 1 Right-click the Output Path selector or the Send
bounced file is imported back into a session, and Path selector for the desired track Output or
placed directly in time against the source mix, it is Send.
time-aligned with the original source mix.
2 From the right-click menu, choose Bounce
Record-Enabled Tracks and TrackInput- <path>.
Enabled Tracks Cannot Be Bounced
3 The Bounce dialog opens with the Output or
Pro Tools does not include tracks that are either re- Send path selected as the Bounce Source.
cord-enabled or in Input Only monitoring mode in 4 Configure the other Bounce settings as desired
the bounce. and click Bounce.
To set the resolution of the bounced file: 44.1 kHz This is the standard sample rate for com-
pact discs (CD), and is supported by DA-88/98,
Select a bit depth from the Bit Depth selector. DAT, and ADAT decks.
1192 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Additional sample rate options include 8 kHz, To export your mix to your iTunes library:
11.025 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.050 kHz, and 32 kHz. 1 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.
Custom For a custom sample rate, click in the 2 In the Bounce to Disk dialog, select the Bounce
sample rate window and manually enter in a value Source and set the other options.
from 4,000 to 200,200 samples.
3 Enable the Add to iTunes Library option.
Pull Up and Pull Down Rates All available sam-
ple rates support pull up and pull down rates, or The Add to iTunes Library option is only
other specialized rates. available if the Bounce Source is set to a
mono or stereo path, and Format is set to
Mono (Summed) or Interleaved.
Enforce Avid Compatibility
Enable this option in the Bounce to Disk dialog to 4 Click Bounce.
create a bounced file with frame-accurate edits,
wrapped as OMFI (unless File Type is MXF), and Import After Bounce
with the sample rate options limited to 44.1 kHz or
The Import After Bounce option automatically im-
48 kHz. Dither without noise shaping will be ap-
ports the newly bounced files into the Clips List so
plied to files being exported from 24-bit to 16-bit.
you can place them in tracks. If your newly
bounced files are split stereo files (Multiple
Add to iTunes Library Mono), they are listed together in the Clips List.
Pro Tools lets you bounce your mix to your iTunes
The Import After Bounce option is only avail-
library using the Add to iTunes Library option in
able if the target file type and sample rate for
the Bounce to Disk dialog. When this option is se-
the bounce is the same as the file type and
lected, the bounced file is copied to your local
sample rate of the current session, and the
iTunes library. You can specify the location of
target resolution (bit rate) is the same or
your iTunes library using the new iTunes Library
lower than the resolution of the session. In
Folder setting in the Pro Tools Operation prefer-
addition, tracks bounced to a Stereo Inter-
ences.
leaved file cannot be automatically imported
If the Add to iTunes Library option is enabled when after a bounce.
bouncing to disk, the resultant audio file is auto-
matically imported into iTunes the next time you Bounce File Name
launch the iTunes application. If iTunes is not in- Pro Tools provides a File Name text entry field for
stalled on your computer, this option does not do Bounce to Disk. In the Bounce dialog, type the File
anything. Name you want for the bounced file. For multi-
source bounces, the entered file name is appended
with the name of the Bounce Source and a number
(incremented for each source): “<file
name>_<source name>_<n>.”
Click the Choose button to specify a different di- The speed of offline bounce can be affected by the
rectory for bounced files than the default location. following:
• CPU Usage—The speed of your CPU and how
Offline Bounce much CPU is in use by the system and other ap-
plications. You can monitor CPU usage in the
Pro Tools provides an Offline option for Bounce to
System Usage window.
Disk and Bounce to QuickTime. This lets you
bounce faster-than-real-time in most cases (de- • Disk Usage—For example, if the Disk meter in
pending on the session mixer size and DSP plug-in the System Usage window reads 50% when you
complement). are playing back the session, offline bounce will
max out at two times the speed of real-time sim-
To bounce audio to disk offline: ply because it is physically impossible to read
1 Make a Timeline selection to define the range to the disk data from the drive fast enough. If you
be bounced. can increase the Disk Playback Cache Size
(Setup > Playback Engine) to cache all audio on
2 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk. the timeline, this should not be an issue
3 In the Bounce dialog, enable the Offline option. (Pro Tools HD only).
• If there is an unbalanced use of your computer’s
4 Configure the Bounce options as desired.
core processors due to large mixers and Native
5 Click Bounce. plug-in usage, you can check to see if the indi-
vidual core CPU meters are unbalanced in the
Limitations of Offline Bounce CPU section of the System Usage window. Re-
moving or making Native plug-ins inactive on
When using the Offline Bounce option, the follow-
Auxiliary Input and Master Fader tracks may
ing are not included in the bounce:
help alleviate this problem.
• Hardware Inserts
• Some third-party plug-ins may slow down off-
• External MIDI driven audio (such as outboard line bounce due to their CPU requirements.
MIDI synthesizers or samplers).
Note that for some sessions that use very
• External audio sources monitored by Auxiliary
large mixer configurations with lots of DSP-
Input tracks.
based plug-ins and automation, it is possible
• DSP only plug-ins (Offline Bounce always uses that Offline Bounce may actually be slower
the Native version of DSP plug-ins, but only if than bouncing in real time.
they are available).
• Any audio source that is synchronized exter- Cancel
nally.
The Cancel button closes the Bounce to Disk dia-
On Pro Tools HD systems with HDX hard- log without initiating the bounce to disk conver-
ware, any HEAT processing in the bounce sion.
path is included with offline bounce.
You can also create a submix by recording to new Drag and drop the bounced files from a Work-
tracks. For details, see “Sample Rate Conversion space browser or the desktop.
and Bit Depth Reduction” on page 1185.
Pro Tools | HD Software lets you work with sur- In the following table, it is assumed that surround
round formats up to 7.1, and up to 7.1.2 with Dolby channels are assigned to outputs 1–6 of a Pro Tools
Atmos. audio interface. Use channels 7–8 to monitor a ste-
reo mix for a stereo version, or for cue mixes and
monitoring.
Surround Mixing in Pro Tools Track Layouts for 5.1 Formats
(Pro Tools | HD Software Only) Formats Track Layout
1 2 3 4 5 6
Pro Tools supports mixing in the following multi-
channel (greater than stereo) formats: LCR, Quad, Film L C R Ls Rs LFE
LCRS, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.1, 7.0, 7.0 SDDS (Sony Dy- (Pro Tools
default)
namic Digital Sound), 7.1, and 7.1 SDDS. With
Dolby Atmos, Pro Tools also supports 7.0.2 and SMPTE/ITU L R C LFE Ls Rs
7.1.2 formats. for Dolby
Digital (AC3)
For information on fundamental surround DTS L R Ls Rs C LFE
concepts, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround
C|24 L C R Ls Rs Lf
Concepts Guide.
The following table shows the X-MON mono track
routing for a 7.1 SDDS mix. A 5.1 mix should use
Pro Tools Audio Connections the same routing, excluding outputs 2 and 4 (Lc
for 5.1 Mixing and Rc).
While all 5.1 mixing formats provide the same Default Track Layout for 7.1 SDDS Format
speaker arrangement, there are three primary stan- Formats Track Layout
dards in use for the track layout of the individual
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
channels that comprise the 5.1-format multichan-
nel mix. X-MON L Lc C Rc R Ls Rs LFE
7.1 and 7.0 Format Default Track Layout for 7.1 SDDS Format
Track Layout
HD-DVD and Blu-Ray systems use the following
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
track layout for 7.1 and 7.0 surround formats:
L Lc C Rc R Ls Rs LFE
3 front channels Left (L), Center (C), Right (R)
You can customize and redefine existing paths in 1 Choose File > New Session.
the I/O Setup dialog. For more information, see 2 Select the Create Blank Session option.
“Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 1204.
3 Select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and
Importing Session Data Bit Depth.
C24 Mix L C R Ls Rs Lf
All available 5.1 format (and greater) I/O Settings I/O Setup, Bus page, default 5.1 (Film) Output Bus
(Film, SMPTE/ITU, DTS, C24 Mix, or ICON X- assignments
MON Mix) provide the following default output Default Input and Insert Paths with 5.1 Settings
and bus paths for the new session:
The 5.1 Mix settings files provide default stereo
main paths and mono sub-paths for inputs and in-
serts. If you need multichannel input paths or in-
serts, you can create them in the I/O Setup (see
“Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 1204).
3 Select LCRS from the Path Format selector. • Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and
create a mono sub-path for the Center channel.
4 Name the path LCRS.
• Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and
5 In the Channel Grid, click in the box below the create a mono sub-path for the Surround chan-
first (left-most) audio interface channel for the nel.
path. Pro Tools automatically fills up the adja-
cent units to the right. If you click in the LCRS
row under channel 1, the LCRS path will be as-
signed to channels 1–4.
Pro Tools internal (on-screen) metering of 5.1 for- Monitor Path Selects the monitor path for the main
mat paths always follows the Film track layout: mix output of your Pro Tools sessions.
L C R Ls Rs LFE
Audition Path Selects the monitoring path for pre-
Pro Tools track layout of 5.1 format audio tracks in viewing audio in the Clips List, Import Audio dia-
the Edit window also conforms to the Film layout logs, and a Workspace browser. Only outputs on
(arranged top to bottom). See “5.1 Track Layouts, your primary interface can be used as your Audi-
Routing, and Metering” on page 1207. tion path.
In the I/O Setup dialog, you can route these signals Object Fold Down Path Selects the Output path
out of your audio interfaces according to any track for monitoring Object audio when not connected to
layout (such as DTS or SMPTE/ITU). a Dolby Atmos Renderer.
Film
(Pro Tools Standard,
and C|24 Mix)
L C R Ls Rs LFE
L C R Ls Rs LFE
L C R Ls Rs LFE
same same
SMPTE/ITU
L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
(Control|24 Mix) (top to bottom)
L R C LFE Ls Rs (left to right)
L R C LFE Ls Rs
DTS
same same
L R Ls Rs C LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
L R Ls Rs C LFE
same same
ICON X-MON L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
(8-channel 7.1) (top to bottom) (left to right)
L x C x R Ls Rs LFE
L x C x R Ls Rs LFE
Surround sessions typically include a combination Multichannel audio tracks can be:
of mono, stereo, and multichannel audio, Auxiliary • Recorded directly into Pro Tools, using multiple
Input, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks, and in- microphones or microphone arrays, or routed to
serts and busses. appropriate multichannel Pro Tools Input paths
Multichannel surround mixing is supported • Imported from other Pro Tools sessions
with Pro Tools HD only. • Edited, processed, and mixed in combination
with mono and stereo tracks
Once the appropriate I/O Setup has been imported
or configured, audio, Auxiliary Input, Master
Fader, and Instrument tracks can be mixed in mul-
tichannel for surround using Pro Tools mixing fea-
tures.
To do so, the number of channels being dragged For discrete control of signals, multichannel tracks
must match the destination track format. For ex- can be converted into individual mono tracks. For
ample, you can only drag a stereo pair or two mono discrete level and phase adjustment, you can insert
clips onto a stereo audio track. Similarly, you can and unlink a multi-mono Trim plug-in. Both of
only place audio into an LCR track when you have these techniques are explained below.
selected three clips. With 5.1 tracks, you must se-
lect six mono files or clips. Once converted to mono, multichannel tracks
cannot be relinked into their original multi-
When dragged into a multichannel track, au- channel format. However, a multichannel
dio files are placed from top to bottom in the track can be reassembled by dragging the
exact order that they appear in the Clips List corresponding number of mono files (with the
or playlist from which they came (Top to Bot- appropriate file suffixes) into a multichannel
tom must be selected for in the Clips List track, although some automation data may
menu > Timeline Drop Order). For this rea- be lost. As an alternative, record the submix
son, you may want to rename audio files be- of the mono tracks to disk on a multichannel
fore dragging them, so that they are placed in track.
the preferred order. Rename them so that
sorting them By Clip Name in the Clips List To convert a multichannel track into discrete mono
tracks:
results in the preferred order. (For example,
with a 5.1-format track, you can rename the 1 Select the multichannel track.
audio tracks so that the arrangement of the 2 Choose Track > Split Into Mono.
tracks corresponds to L, C, R, Ls, Rs, and
LFE.) To have discrete control of gain on individual
channels of a multichannel track:
Mono meter
Multichannel tracks can be used to monitor and Multi-mono plugs-ins can also be inserted on ste-
route multichannel instrument plug-ins or multi- reo tracks, to apply unlinked plug-ins on the left
channel external MIDI instruments. and right channels.
Master Link button 1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al-
ready deselected.
2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels
whose controls you want to link.
Channel selector
Link Enable buttons
To help simplify large sessions, use sub-paths to route static (or, stationary) elements directly to the out-
put channel or channels.
For example, film dialog is often mixed to the center channel to anchor this essential sound element to the
picture. Instead of assigning a six-channel panner to dialog tracks and panning the tracks to the center
speaker only, you can route the dialog track’s main output to a mono (Center) sub-path.
Effect
bus routing
Outputs to
sub-paths
Stereo Sub-Path The forward stereo sub-path. Use Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions to
this type of sub-path routing to mix music stems Surround Mixing
and effects to the front left and right speakers. Stereo mixing sets the precedent for active and
Center Sub-Path The front center-channel sub- static panning, and surround mixing can benefit
path provides a discrete mono path for the center from the same basic principles.
channel. Panning a sound back-and-forth between the left
Ls/Rs Sub-Path The surround, rear left and right and right speakers is best used as a special effect.
stereo sub-path. Use this type of sub-path to mix In a typical music mix, the basic tracks are placed
surround effects. in the stereo sound field and remain there.
LFE Path The LFE sub-path provides a discrete Surround mixes can become incoherent if too
mono path for the LFE channel. many elements are continuously moving, For spe-
cial effects, some tracks can be panned dynami-
5.0 Sub-Path The 5.0 path is a 5-channel sub-path. cally, bouncing between speakers or sweeping
Use this type of sub-path routing to conserve mix- from one side to the other.
ing resources with tracks you want to keep out of
the LFE channel.
FX stem
Music stem
LFE Examples
LFE tracks and other audio can contribute to the
LFE output in two ways:
• Using the LFE fader in Output windows. This
LFE signal is post-fader.
• Using a custom sub-path to route channels dis-
cretely.
LFE fader
Show meters
Track selector Path selector Target icon
This section identifies all the controls and features found in Pro Tools multichannel panners.
LFE fader
Pan Location
cursor
Track Automation.
Solo, and Mute
X/Y Grid
Position
(knob panners)
Divergence
Center %
The Position controls let you set the positions of Front, Rear, and F/R Divergence Provide sepa-
the panner. rate, automatable divergence control over front
speakers, rear speakers, and between front/rear,
Front Displays and controls the current front X- respectively.
axis (left/right) position of the panner.
For examples of how divergence settings
Rear Displays and controls the current rear X-axis
affect output panning, see “Divergence and
(left/right) position of the panner. In default X/Y Center Percentage” on page 1231.
Panning mode, Rear is linked to Front position and
cannot be controlled independently.
LFE Fader
Rear Inverse
The LFE fader determines how much of the current Panning Modes
track’s signal will be routed to the LFE channel.
The Panning Mode button provides access to four
LFE faders in Track and Send windows can follow
panning modes: X/Y mode, Divergence Editing,
groups. The Pro Tools LFE channel is always full-
3-Knob mode, and AutoGlide mode. Panning con-
bandwidth. For more information on how to use
trols can be automated in all four modes.
the LFE fader, see “LFE Faders in Multichannel
Panners” on page 1233. Pro Tools provides the following Panning Modes:
It is not necessary to click exactly on the Pan 3-Knob mode lets you do the following:
Location cursor. Clicking anywhere in the • Pan in straight lines, moving the Pan Location
Grid will move the Pan Location cursor rela- cursor using the Position rotary knobs with full
tive to where you click or take over with a movement of front, rear, and front-rear position
hardware panner. Panning does not jump to • Pan discretely between pairs of speakers.
the click position.
For example, when panning front-left to rear-right
To snap the Pan Location cursor to a location in in 3-Knob mode, audio will be heard from just
the Grid:
those two speakers (assuming full divergence is in
Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Control-Shift- effect).
click (Windows) at the location in the X/Y Grid.
Snap Pan to Speaker Click one of the Snap Pan to 3-Knob mode
Speaker icons to force the panner to that speaker Panning and metering in 3-Knob mode
location.
By comparison, in X/Y mode a diagonal pan may
result in audio being heard in some or all channels.
1 Adjust the Front and Rear Position knobs to set To do an AutoGlide automation pass:
the trajectory line. 1 Click the Panning Mode button until the
2 Rotate the Front/Rear Position knob to pan AutoGlide mode icon is displayed.
along the trajectory. The Pan Location cursor is
constrained to the white trajectory line.
Drag either end point (Front or Rear) of the tra- Panner Mode button set to AutoGlide mode
jectory line.
The Panning Mode button displays a slanted dotted
Adjust the Front or Rear Position controls. line that ends with a filled in dot (representing a
cursor) at its top right corner.
To change the current trajectory position (left-to-
right) and retain its current angles: 2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
Drag the trajectory line (not its end points) to a tion Mode selector and select an Automation
new position. mode for the track you want to automate.
3 Press Play to begin playback.
Divergence
AutoGlide mode In the Panner Grid, the current divergence values
Panning Mode button (AutoGlide mode shown) are displayed using a purple outline.
Pan Location
cursor Panner Mode button set to Divergence Editing
Center % (Percentage)
In LCR, LCRS, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.1 7.0, 7.0 SDDS,
7.1, and 7.1 SDDS surround formats, the Center %
Front
Divergence controls whether there is a discrete center channel
for the track or a phantom center channel.
Adjust the Center Percentage knob. Adjust the Side Percentage knob.
As you reduce the Center Percentage value, the As you reduce the Side Percentage value, the
center speaker at the top of the Grid becomes less speakers at the sides of the Grid become less visi-
visible. At 0, the center speaker is completely in- ble. At 0, the side speakers are completely invisi-
visible, reflecting the setting for fully phantom ble, reflecting the setting for fully phantom center.
center.
LFE Enable
Some multichannel plug-ins, including the multi-
channel Dynamics III Compressor/Limiter, pro-
vide LFE Enable. This lets you enable or bypass
processing of the LFE channel if present.
[DigiLink] [MADI]
Pro Tools | HDX system
Figure 1. Example Pro Tools and Dolby Atmos hardware components and connections
Dolby also provides software-only solutions for 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 formats work in Pro Tools just like
rendering and mastering a Dolby Atmos mix, such any other multichannel surround format, but with
as the Dolby Atmos Renderer application that is the addition of two overhead channels. Because of
part of the Dolby Atmos Production Suite. the overhead channels, additional automatable
panning controls are provided (see “7.0.2, 7.1.2,
Contact Dolby for complete information and Object Panner” on page 1247).
about Dolby Atmos product solutions.
When mixing for Dolby Atmos, assign the output
of mono or stereo source tracks to a 7.1.2 (or 7.0.2)
7.0.2 and 7.1.2 Surround audio or Auxiliary Input track using a 7.1.2 (or
Formats in Pro Tools 7.0.2) bus to feed a bed mix. Use volume and pan
automation on the source tracks to mix them into
Pro Tools lets you create 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 surround
the final 7.1.2 (or 7.0.2) bed mix.
format input, output, insert, and bus paths in the
I/O Setup. Pro Tools can likewise create tracks
with 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 channel widths.
Configuring the Network
Once 7.0.2 or 7.1.2 paths have been created, they Connection for Pro Tools and
are available in any path input or output selector, a Dolby Atmos Renderer
such as track input and output assignments, sends,
The Atmos page in the Peripherals dialog lets you
and so on. configure the network connections required for send-
ing Dolby Atmos metadata between Pro Tools and
7.0.2 or 7.1.2 paths can also be used for internal
the Dolby Atmos Renderer. When properly config-
busses, monitoring, auditioning, and output meter-
ured, Pro Tools and the Renderer communicate with
ing. Dolby Atmos metadata over the network.
4 Specify the Renderer host in the RMU Host field Only Use a Supported Session Timecode Rate
by doing one of the following (if there is more For home theater workflows, the Dolby Atmos Ren-
than one Renderer on the network, make sure derer supports mixing and creating masters at the fol-
you specify the correct one for the Pro Tools lowing timecode rates: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 29.97
system): drop frame, and 30 frames per second (fps).
• Enter the IP Address for the RMU (or rendering
For cinema workflows, the Dolby Atmos Renderer
and mastering workstation) on the network that
supports creating masters at 24 fps only. If mixing
has a MADI connection to your Pro Tools sys-
with a 24 fps session, set Audio Rate Pull Up/Down
tem. and Video Rate Pull Up/Down to None.
• Click the RMU Host drop-down selector to see
a list of RMUs (or other Dolby Atmos render- Set the Hardware Buffer Size to 1,024 Samples
ing and mastering workstations) identified on (Recommended)
the network and select one that has a MADI
connection to your Pro Tools system. Sessions used to author Dolby Atmos mixes tend to
be very large and processor intensive. Using the
• If your Pro Tools machine is using a software
highest available Hardware Buffer Size setting is rec-
Renderer (such as the Dolby Atmos Renderer ommended for optimal performance and reliability
application that is part of the Dolby Atmos on your Pro Tools system.
Production Suite), type localhost or select it
from the drop-down selector.
The Connection Status indicator lights solid if the
connection is successful. It flashes on and off if the
connection is not successful. You can still work on
the session even if not connected to the Renderer, but
Enable must be selected.
5 Enable Link Object and Audio Rendering if de-
sired (see “Link Object and Audio Recording” on
page 142).
1 Configure the Dolby Atmos Renderer. 4 Create a new 7.1.2 audio track.
2 In Pro Tools, ensure that Dolby Atmos is en- 5 Assign the 7.1.2 track Output to the 7.1.2 Out-
abled (Setup > Peripherals > Atmos). put path (“Bed Monitor”).
3 Open the I/O Setup (Setup > I/O) and click the 6 Assign the 7.1.2 track Input to the 7.1.2 internal
Bus tab. bus (“Bed Mix”).
4 Delete any existing busses. 7 Create as many new tracks as needed for source
audio.
To map busses to Objects in the I/O Setup: Mono bus mapped to Object 11, and Mono sub-paths
of stereo bus mapped to Objects 12 and 13
1 Open the I/O Setup (Setup > I/O) and click the
Bus tab.
1 Open the I/O Setup (Setup > I/O) and click the Select (or deselect) View > Edit Window Views >
Output tab. Object.
2 In the Output page, ensure that there is an avail- From the Edit Window View selector, enable
able output path with the channel format that you (or disable) Object.
want. If not, create one.
3 From the Object Fold Down Path selector, output
path you want to use to monitor panned object au-
dio
Master Object assigned, Set by default if no other tracks are already assigned to this
sending metadata object, use this mode to control an object on the renderer.
Record Object assigned, Use this mode in a re-recording workflow to record pan
record mode automation sent from a Master panner on the network.
Off/bypass Object assigned, no Use this mode to mix multiple tracks of audio to the same
metadata being sent object output path. In this workflow, one track set as Master
controls the panning, while one or more other tracks with
the same object output path assignment but set to
Off/bypass feed audio to the object output path but without
sending pan metadata.
Figure 2. Output window in standard (2D) view for a mono track assigned to a 7.1.2 bus (left) and an Object (right)
Theater Mode
The Pro Tools Panning Mode selector provides the Theater option, which is only available with the 7.0.2, 7.1.2,
and Object panners. When this mode is selected, the panner displays a 3D/Theater view.
Height Mode
Sets the Height mode for the track. Choices include
FreeForm mode (manual height adjustment), and
Wedge, Sphere, and Ceiling modes (automatic height
modes). Height mode can be automated.
Zones
The Zones selector sets the speaker Zone (Zone
Mask). Choices include All, F/S (front and side), F/R
(front and rear), FC/R (front, center and rear), Front,
and Rear. Speaker icons surrounding the panner grid
appear as appropriate for the current Zone.
Size indicator in standard 2D view
Speaker Snap
You can toggle Dolby Atmos Speaker Snap on or
Zones selector off for tracks assigned to an Object.
To select the Zone:
To enable (or disable) Speaker Snap:
Right-click, or click and hold on the Zones selec-
tor and set the Zone. Click the Speaker Snap icon to toggle on/off.
Speaker Snap
Speaker Snap icon (shown disabled)
Across the top of the Output window are the Audio The Pan Dot control in Output windows, and in the
Output Path selector, the Object Output Path selec- graphic panner in I/O view on tracks in both the Edit
tor, and the Object Control button. and Mix windows changes color to show whether
track audio follows the selected output bus path
Object Control Mode button shown in the I/O view or the selected object output
path shown in the Object view as well whether the
Object Output Path selector
Track Automation mode is set to Read, any Write
mode, or is Off.
Pan Dot Color Indication
Pan Dot Automation
Object/Bus
Color Mode
Height mode and Height Enable
Bus Read
Available only on tracks assigned to an object output Green
path, these controls let you assign the track to a dif-
Object Read
ferent Object and configure its Object Control mode,
respectively. These controls are also available in Ob- Orange
ject view in the Edit and Mix windows. Any Any Write mode
Red
Object Output Path Selector
Any Off
Click the Object Output Path selector to assign the
Yellow
track to an Object (see “Object Path Selector” on
page 1245). Object, but
Gray off/bypassed
Toggling Object/Bus Assignment
About Object Bypass
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows)
the Object Output Path selector or the pan dot to tog- Bypass can be used to establish a workflow where
gle the track audio output between the selected Ob- multiple source tracks are assigned to the same object
ject path or selected track output (output bus). Tog- but only one of them is sending pan metadata to con-
gling between object output and bus output trol the panning on the Renderer. For more informa-
assignments can be automated (see “Bus/Object Tog- tion, see “Dolby Atmos PEC/DIR Recorder Work-
gle” on page 1245). flow Example” on page 1255.
Object Control
To import object tracks from another Pro Tools can import a .wav (ADM BWF) file cre-
session: ated by the Dolby Atmos Conversion Tool into a
1 Choose File > Import > Session Data. session with all audio and metadata converted to
pan automation.
2 Navigate to the session from which you want to
import object tracks, select it and click Open.
To import an ADM file into Pro Tools:
3 In the Tracks section of the Import Session Data
1 Create a new session.
dialog, identify the tracks you want to import
(Source) and specify the Destination for each 2 Choose File > Import > Session Data.
track (either create a new object track or replace 3 Navigate to and select the .wav (ADM BWF) file
an existing object track). you want to import.
4 In the Track Data to Import selector, ensure that 4 Click Open.
the Object Assignment and Toggle Setting op-
tion is enabled (this option is selected by default).
5 Configure the rest of the Import Session Data dia-
log as desired and click OK.
You can also import audio from .wav (ADM Configuring the Pro Tools
BWF) files using the Import Audio command
Recorder
or by dragging and dropping the file into a To configure the Pro Tools recorder system:
session. However, only the audio is imported.
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals, click to display the
Atmos tab, then do the following:
For more information about .wav (ADM • If necessary, establish communication with the
BWF) files, contact Dolby. Dolby Atmos Renderer (see “Configuring the
Network Connection for Pro Tools and a Dolby
Atmos Renderer” on page 1237).
• Disable Link Object and Audio Recording only
if you do not want to record object metadata
along with object audio.
When PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring is 5 When ready, punch in/out on the record tracks.
enabled, the Pro Tools Input Monitor switch
label lights green and shows P (for PEC,
playing back from disk), or is unlit and shows
D (for Direct, input monitoring). When this
setting is not enabled, the Input Monitor
switch label shows I (Input) either lit green
when Input mode is active, or unlit when
playing back from disk.
Pro Tools | HD software provides support for 1st-, 1st Order Ambisonics correspond to physical mi-
2nd-, and 3rd-Order Ambisonics channel formats crophone pickup patterns using an omni-direc-
(4-, 9-, and 16-channel formats respectively). Im- tional microphone in conjunction with figure-eight
port Ambisonics audio recordings, record Ambi- capsules oriented along three spatial axes. Miking
sonics audio in Pro Tools using Ambisonics for 1st Order Ambisonics is a three-dimensional
miking techniques, or use supported 3rd-party extension of common Mid/Side stereo (M/S)
AAX Ambisonics panning, and encoding and de- miking techniques that adds additional difference
coding plug-ins to create your own Ambisonics channels for height and depth. This results in
mixes from source audio tracks. B-format audio (WXYZ), or 1st Order Ambison-
ics, which consists of four discrete audio channels:
W for sound pressure (omni-directional—the M in
What is Ambisonics? M/S), X for the front-minus-back sound pressure
gradient, Y for left-minus-right (the S in M/S), and
Ambisonics is a “full-sphere” surround sound Z for up-minus-down.
technique that is capable of representing sound
sources that are stationary or in motion, and at vari- 1st Order Ambisonics is most commonly used for
able distances from above, below, and all around horizontal-only surround because of positional er-
the listener. More interestingly though, higher or- rors and shading effects that result from adding a
der Ambisonics can represent sound sources that fourth microphone. Higher-order Ambisonics pro-
seem to remain fixed in a sound field while the lis- vide greater positional resolution of sound sources
tener’s perspective changes with their head posi- in the sound field. Higher-order difference signals
tion (as opposed to “head-locked” stereo mixes). are derived from several spatially distributed (usu-
Ambisonics audio mixes are used for 3D audio in ally omni-directional) capsules using sophisticated
virtual reality and gaming applications, as well as digital signal processing. Higher-order Ambison-
360 video. However, the possibilities for Ambi- ics can also be rendered from channel-based audio
sonics are only just beginning to be explored com- recordings (such as mono and stereo) strictly using
mercially. Ambisonics plug-in processing in Pro Tools.
Selecting 1st Order Ambisonics as the format for a new bus path
4 Click Create.
5 Click OK to close the I/O Setup.
Figure 5. Ambisonics bus paths with standard channel orders in the I/O Setup
The individual channels of Ambisonics formats do not correspond to speaker signal mappings like other
surround formats (such as 5.1—L C R Ls Rs LFE). In most cases, use Ambisonics panning, encoder and
decoder plug-ins to accurately mix and monitor Ambisonics mixes over headphones. However, even
though Ambisonics formats do not directly map to common channel-based surround speaker configura-
tions, various alternate speaker configurations can be used for the playback of Ambisonics mixes.
Do not use multi-mono plug-ins following any Ambisonics plug-ins. Likewise, any plug-in processing
of source tracks should only be inserted before Ambisonics plug-ins.
Figure 6. Mono audio mixed in 2nd Order Ambisonics to stereo for headphone monitoring
Synchronization allows one system to output time- SMPTE Trigger Resolved with a
code and the other device to chase (follow) that SYNC HD
timecode. Pro Tools is synchronized to other de- (HDX and HD Native Systems Only)
vices using SMPTE/EBU timecode or MIDI Time-
code. You can use SYNC HD to resolve Pro Tools re-
cording and playback speed with any of the follow-
ing clock reference sources while slaving
Pro Tools to timecode:
Pro Tools Synchronization
Options • LTC
• Video source
There are several options for synchronizing
Pro Tools to an external source or using Pro Tools • House video reference (SD or HD)
as the master device. • VITC
• 1x Word Clock
SMPTE Trigger Only
• AES/EBU “null” clock
This solution is useful for short projects if both • Pilot Tone
systems are extremely close in speed, but even the
best systems will rarely stay perfectly synchro- • Bi-Phase
nized for longer than a couple of minutes. This enables long-term, high-fidelity synchroniza-
tion when all transports within the system are re-
solved to this common synchronization source, or
by resolving to any variations in incoming time-
code while slaving to timecode.
The Session Setup window is organized into three sections. The Format section is at the top of the window.
The SYNC Setup & Timecode Offsets section and the Timecode Settings section can be shown or hidden.
Format Section
SYNC Setup
& Timecode Offsets
section
External Timecode
SYNC Setup settings Offset settings
Timecode Reader
Timecode section offset
Freewheel settings
To show the Session Setup window: The controls in this section configure SYNC HD
From a Pro Tools session, choose Setup > settings. Settings are provided for Clock and Posi-
Session. tional Reference, Video Ref Format, Video In For-
mat, and Variable Speed Override.
Press Command+2 (Mac) or Control+2
(Windows) to open the Session Setup win- To show Timecode Settings section:
dow. Click the Timecode Settings expand/collapse
triangle.
To expand SYNC Setup & Session Offset section:
Click the SYNC Setup & Timecode Offsets ex- The controls in this section provide timecode gen-
pand/collapse triangle. eration and freewheel options, and separate pull up
and down selectors for audio and video rates.
The SYNC Setup and Timecode Offsets section of Video Ref Format
the Session Setup window includes displays and
menus for timecode-related settings on your sys- Sets the video reference format for the SYNC HD.
tem.
Video In Format
This menu lets you set the Pro Tools clock refer- Varispeed maximum sample rate limits
ence. Nominal Channel Maximum
sample rate Count Frequency
When using a SYNC HD, the Clock Reference
selector lists all supported clock types. 44.1/48 kHz 64 48.8 kHz
When using HDX or HD Native systems with- 44.1/48 kHz 56 55.6 kHz
out a SYNC HD, choices include any currently-en- 88.2/96 kHz 32 97.5 kHz
abled digital format or source available from your
Avid HD audio interface (such as AES, S/PDIF, or 88.2/96 kHz 28 111.5 kHz
1x Word arriving at the HD audio interface’s Word 176.4/192 kHz 16 194.9 kHz
Clock In port).
176.4/192 kHz 14 223.0 kHz
Freewheel
The choices in the Freewheel section let you con-
figure how Pro Tools will freewheel, or continue
playback if timecode is interrupted or corrupted.
Use these options to protect against errors that can
occur if your SMPTE timecode source has “drop
Redefine External Timecode Offset dialog outs” or temporary lost signals.
2 In the Redefine External Timecode Offset None No freewheel is applied.
dialog, enter the offset you want in the Desired
Timecode Position field. Frames Sets a number of frames to freewheel,
from 1 to 120 frames. This value defaults to 8
3 Click OK. frames, which is the recommended setting for most
applications.
Sample Offset (Sync Offset)
Jam Sync Lets Pro Tools trigger synchronization
This field creates an offset that lets you fine-tune to incoming timecode, and continue to play back
the point at which Pro Tools synchronizes relative even if timecode input is completely interrupted. It
to incoming timecode. Use this to compensate for can be useful if timecode is damaged, or has been
timing differences between various SMPTE-to- accidentally erased from your source tape.
MIDI Timecode converters or analog-to-digi-
tal/digital-to-analog converters. For example, a
value of –50 makes an event in Pro Tools occur 50 Pull Up/Down
samples before the same event in incoming LTC, When Pro Tools is used in conjunction with a
MTC, VITC, or Serial Timecode. However, this SYNC HD, this option lets you “pull up” or “pull
does not apply to synchronization for Satellite sys- down” the current sample rate.
tems.
For more information on applying pull factors in
The Sample Offset field allows a range of plus or Pro Tools, see “Pull Up and Pull Down” on
minus roughly one frame's length in samples. For page 1275.
instance, if the session is at 48 kHz and the Time-
code Rate is 24 FPS, the range is +/–2002 samples Pull up and pull down are applied differently
(1 frame). in different workflows. Make sure you check
each project’s specific workflow before you
begin your work.
Synchronization and MachineControl system set- If you are generating timecode, it is a good practice
tings are enabled in the Pro Tools Peripherals dia- to stripe your timecode beginning at 01:00:00:00
log (Setup > Peripherals). These settings are sys- (subtracting time for the head format, such as ini-
tem settings, and remain constant regardless of the tial black, bars and tone, or logos). This prevents
particular session you are working on. Configure problems that can occur with some synchronizers
these settings before opening a session. when the striped timecode crosses from
23:59:59:29 to 00:00:00:00 (commonly referred to
MachineControl is supported on HDX and as the “midnight” boundary).
HD Native systems only.
To set a SMPTE Start Time for your session:
Other settings are configured in the Session Setup
1 Choose Setup > Session.
window, such as the session Timecode rate, the
Feet+Frames rate, the session start frame, and time 2 Enter a SMPTE frame number in the Session
display format. These settings are session-specific Start field.
settings. These settings can only be configured
when a session is open. To capture an incoming SMPTE address as the
session start time:
Pro Tools displays timecode values in the cur- Press Command+2 (Mac) or Control+2
rently selected SMPTE frame rate. (Windows) to open the Session Setup
window.
Sub Counter and Sub Time Scale Display
2 From the Timecode Settings section of the Ses-
You can display a Sub Time Scale in the Sub sion Setup window, select a Pull Up/Down
Counter. For example, if the Main Time Scale is Rate.
set to Timecode, and you want to compare SMPTE
time to “wall clock,” when you are using 29.97
Non-Drop frame rate, click the Sub Counter selec-
tor and select Min:Secs as the Sub Time Scale.
Video Frame Rate Pull Up and With no video hardware, Pro Tools supports 0.1%
Down pull up and pull down at all project frame rates
when monitoring video in the Pro Tools Video
The Video Pull Up/Down setting lets you change
window.
the frame rate of video playback independently
from the audio pull up/down rate. Note that video However, when monitoring with video hardware,
pull rates are saved with the session. certain frame rates only support pull in certain di-
rections (as follows):
See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on
page 1276. • 23pNTSC can only pull up by 0.1%
• 24pNTSC can only pull down by 0.1%
The choices available for Video Rate Pull Up/Down
depend on the file format and frame rate of the • 24pPAL can only pull up by 4%
video, and whether or not you are using video • 25pPAL can only pull down by 4%
hardware.
* Suggested pull rates for any given project frame rates appear highlighted in the Video Rate Pull Up /Down
selector.
Plug-Ins and Pull Up and Pull Clicking the Online button in the Transport
Down
The Online button flashes while Pro Tools waits
For proper operation at larger (4%) pull rates, for a SMPTE frame to trigger playback. When
plug-ins must utilize sample clock instead of an timecode is received, playback begins and the On-
absolute time clock. All Pro Tools audio plug-ins line button becomes highlighted. The Edit Selec-
are based on sample clock. tion indicators in the Edit window, and the Incom-
ing Time field in the Session Setup window
display the incoming timecode.
To generate MIDI Timecode from Pro Tools: 5 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the 6 Choose Setup > Session, and choose the appro-
Synchronization tab. priate frame rate for the Timecode Rate setting.
2 From the MTC Generator Port setting, select the 7 In the SYNC Setup section of the Session Setup
MIDI output port on which you want to transmit window, choose a clock reference from the
MIDI Timecode (MTC). Clock Reference selector. Not all clock choices
are available at all sample rates. See “External
Clock Sources” on page 1268.)
8 From the Transport Window menu (or the Edit
Window menu), select Synchronization.
To slave Pro Tools to an external device using MIDI Pro Tools will now respond to MMC commands
Machine Control: from the external device.
1 Connect a MIDI In port on your Pro Tools MIDI
interface to an appropriate port on the master Operating MMC Devices with the
device. Pro Tools Transport
2 Connect a MIDI Out port on your Pro Tools You can use the Pro Tools Transport window as
MIDI Interface to the MTC in port on the mas- the remote controller for all your enabled devices
ter device. (such as a nonlinear video deck). To do so, set the
enabled devices to listen to the address you enter
3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session. for MMC. The Transport window will then drive
4 In the Timecode Settings section of the Session the Pro Tools transport and any slaved devices.
Setup window, select Using MTC.
5 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the Syn-
chronization tab.
Machine Chases Memory Location When se- To set up MIDI devices, see “Enabling MIDI
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session Machine Control in Pro Tools” on
with a Memory Location causes a connected trans- page 1282.
port to chase to that location. To set up machine devices, see the Machine-
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se- Control Guide.
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session
by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a
track causes a connected transport to chase to that Setting Minimum Sync Delay
location. Lock-up time delay is the initial amount of prime
time your system’s devices need to achieve syn-
chronization “lock.” This amount varies for each
device. Pro Tools lock up delay is set by entering a
value for Minimum Sync Delay in the Synchroniza-
tion preferences. The lowest value available is 15
frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time that
your equipment can operate at consistently, and set
1284 Pro Tools Reference Guide
this as the Minimum Sync Delay. On systems utiliz-
ing MachineControl, enabling the Use Serial Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming
Timecode setting in the Session Setup window will Profiles to configure your system, and choose
make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time- Window > Machine Track Arming to display
code requires both the SYNC HD and external de- the Machine Track Arming window.
vices to be locked to house video reference.)
Press Command+Option+Control+J (Mac)
To set a Minimum Sync Delay:
or Control+Alt+Start+J (Windows) to en-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the able (or disable Remote mode. If using a
Synchronization tab. D-Command or D-Control work surface,
press the 9-pin Remote button.
2 Enter a number of frames in the Minimum Sync
Delay field.
For information on remote track arming with
3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
MachineControl, see the MachineControl
Configuring Minimum Sync Delay for External Guide.
MMC Devices Locked to House Sync
Spot dialog
Select (or deselect) View > Clip > Original Time User Time Stamp dialog
Stamp. 3 Enter a new SMPTE time by doing one of the
following:
Creating a User Time Stamp • Enter the numbers manually (with the help of the
If you want to create a separate user-defined arrow keys).
SMPTE time stamp, you can use the Time Stamp • To capture the incoming timecode address, click
command in the Clips List menu. This command the Current Timecode button (or press the Equal
lets you select a clip (or clips) and redefine its key).
SMPTE time stamp. The Original Time Stamp and • To enter the start time of the current on-screen
the User-Time Stamp are then stored with your selection, click the Current Selection button.
session.
4 Click OK.
When audio is first recorded, the User Time Stamp
will match the Original Time Stamp, but you can This command can be used in “batch mode” to set
change the User Time Stamp at any time using the new time stamps for several clips at a time. To do
Time Stamp command. This feature is particularly this, select several clips and choose the Time
useful in post production situations where the Stamp command. One after another, a dialog will
SMPTE timecode on video “work prints” often open for each clip, allowing you to quickly enter
changes from one edit revision to another. new values.
To time stamp a clip (or clips) with a new SMPTE Once entered, the user time stamps can be dis-
frame number: played in all clips currently placed in tracks.
1 In a track, select the clip that you want to time To show (or hide) User Time Stamps in clips:
stamp.
Select (or deselect) View > Clip > User Time
2 From the Clips List menu, choose the Time Stamp.
Stamp command.
faster
25 fps
slower
NTSC PAL +0.1% then 45983 50050 91967 100100 n/a n/a
Video +4.1667%
PAL NTSC –4.0% then 42294 46034 84587 92068 n/a n/a
Video 0.1%
Sample Rate Conversion Using Destination Sample Rates at Pull Up and Pull Down Setting
NTSC PAL +0.1% then 42294 46034 84587 92068 n/a n/a
Video +4.1667%
PAL NTSC –4.0% then 45983 50050 91967 100100 n/a n/a
Video 0.1%
Pro Tools HD lets you import multichannel audio Digital Field Recorders
files and metadata recorded by field recorders.
A field recorder, also known as a hard disk loca-
(Field recorder workflows are not available with
tion audio recorder, is a device used by a produc-
Pro Tools Software.)
tion sound mixer during a film or video shoot to
make a multichannel recording of multiple micro-
phone inputs recorded simultaneously.
Field Recorder and
Production Workflow Depending on the capabilities and settings of a
Terminology field recorder, multichannel recordings can in-
clude one or more tracks (up to 32) and are saved
Before working with field recorders in
as monophonic or polyphonic audio files on a hard
Pro Tools HD, you may want to review a brief
drive, DVD-RAM, or Flash media.
glossary of common field recorder and production
terms. Multichannel recordings made by a field recorder
should be encoded with start and end time stamps
Field Recorder Terminology representing SMPTE timecode or linear timecode
(also known as LTC). Most field recorders also al-
The following terminology applies to field record- low manual entry of additional types of metadata,
ers in general: including Channel Name/Number, Scene, Take,
Circled Take, User Bits, and more.
Metadata
Pro Tools can import monophonic and polyphonic
Metadata is used to describe the following:
files and certain types of metadata entered on field
• Information embedded in a media file. This may recorders.
include scene, take, sample rate, bit depth, exter-
nal clip names, the name of the videotape from Production Sound Mix
which the media file was captured, and even
For each multichannel recording made by a field
timecode values.
recorder, the production sound mixer may desig-
• Information embedded in Pro Tools sessions or nate a production sound mix comprising either a
other sequences, including what files are used, representative channel or a mixdown of other se-
where they appear in a timeline, and automation. lected channels in the recording.
• For AAF or OMF sequences, information about
automation or clip-based gain.
BEXT and iXML Chunks SMPTE Timecode Also known as LTC or linear
timecode. The generating clock of this timecode
BEXT and iXML chunks are sets of metadata can be based on the time of day or can be set to as-
found within a Broadcast WAV file. cend beginning from a certain starting time of day.
Limitations Minutes:Seconds Timecode based on minutes and
seconds.
The following limitations apply to handling of im-
ported metadata from field recorders. Wild No timecode. Most consumer digital video
• The BEXT specification as described here adds recorders do not have the ability to generate time-
some features that conform to standards used by code.
Avid video editing applications and Pro Tools—
Production Sound Mixer
specifically, Description metadata is interpreted
differently. The production sound mixer uses a field recorder
• When you import multiple files in which the to record multichannel audio during a shoot, and
same metadata are populated with different val- later delivers those source files to one or more par-
ues, Pro Tools imports the value that is first pres- ties:
ent based on the following order: • Telecine operator (film workflow only)
• Avid OMF-wrapped media or MXF media • Avid video editor
• Any iXML chunk metadata in a BWF • Pro Tools editor
• Any BEXT chunk metadata in a BWF
• Raw Production source files representing multi- Production Source Audio in Timeline Auto-
channel recordings from a field recorder Synced to Edited Production Sound Mix The
production source audio in the Avid Bin has been
You will receive these files either separately (from auto-synced to the edited located sound mix, and
the Avid video editor and production sound mixer) all audio channels reside in the Avid Timeline.
or together as part of an AAF or OMF sequence ex-
port including raw production source audio (from When you import this type of sequence into
the Avid video editor). Pro Tools, the edited video, edited production
sound mix, and all production source audio will be
available to import directly into the Timeline.
Separate Deliveries of Source
Files Production Source Audio Auto-Synced and Re-
sides Only in the Avid Bin In an Avid video edit-
When you receive an AAF or OMF sequence from
ing application, the raw production source audio
the Avid editor and raw production source audio
has been auto-synced to the edited production
from the production sound mixer, you import the
sound mix, but all audio channels reside only in the
sequence, then either import the raw production
Avid Bin.
source audio, or instruct Pro Tools to search for
matching audio outside the session. In this case, the AAF or OMF sequence does
not contain or reference the production
Once the production audio is imported or
source audio when imported into Pro Tools.
located, Pro Tools will be able to match them
The Avid editor must deliver the production
together.
files to Pro Tools separately. The Avid editor
See “Importing an AAF or OMF Sequence may either deliver the production audio files
into Pro Tools” on page 1301 and “Import- from the Avid or OMFI Media Files folder, or
ing Raw Production Source Audio Directly they may deliver the raw production source
into Pro Tools” on page 1302. audio files, which have not passed through
Media Composer.
When you use Pro Tools to import raw production 2 Select the Processing tab.
source audio that was not exported from an Avid 3 In the Import section, find the Don’t Convert
video editing application—such as audio delivered Sample Rates on Import preference setting.
separately from an AAF or OMF sequence—that
audio may be offset with the audio in the AAF or 4 Enable that preference to activate real-time pull
OMF sequence by as much as half a frame. down for 48.048 kHz audio files.
2 Click Field Recorder Guide Track. • Same clip name prefix (such as Audio File or
Audio File_01)
3 Repeat for each field recorder track in the
• Consecutively-numbered clip name suffix, from
session.
A1 through A8
Each mono field recorder track must be
For example, the clips Audio File_01.A1 and Au-
designated to enable the special Pro Tools
dio File_01.A2 would be grouped as a multichan-
field recorder features for that track.
nel clip in the Clips List.
Name and Sort Tracks By The Reset button toggles all criteria to their
default values.
This option lets you set the method Pro Tools uses
to name and sort the audio files created by expand-
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
ing matching field recorder channels.
any item to select or deselect all criteria in
the dialog.
By default, Pro Tools searches for matching field • Click Save to close the Select Areas to Search
recorder files in the Audio Files folder for the cur- dialog and save the new search area settings.
rent session. Because field recorders often accu- • Click Save & Index to save the new search area
mulate large amounts of audio data, importing the settings and re-index the selected folders. For
necessary files into your Pro Tools session can be a more information, see “Re-Indexing” on
slow and complex task. page 1307.
5 The original source audio files and unedited 5 Drag the original unedited guide track audio file
guide track are also imported into the session. into the Candidates pane. If a dialog appears
stating that one or more files are shorter than the
6 The original unedited guide track is relinked to media file you are trying to relink, click Yes to
the session (see “Relinking the Original Uned- select it for relinking anyway.
ited Guide Track” on page 1311).
6 Check the box to the left of the file in the Can-
7 The Pro Tools editor Right-clicks the name of didates pane so that the Link icon appears.
the guide track and selects Expand Channels to
New Tracks > By Timecode Only. The original 7 Click Commit Links at the top of the Relink win-
source tracks expand to new tracks with edits dow and then close the Relink window.
and fades that match the guide track.
You can now Right-click the name of the guide
and select Expand To New Tracks > By Timecode
Only. All expanded tracks should be synchronous
with the guide track.
• Multichannel location audio 8 Insert a blank videotape into the VTR con-
nected to the telecine, and manually assign lin-
• Written shootlist and sound log
ear timecode (LTC) information to the
The telecine operator generates the dailies (a vid- videotape.
eotape containing the day’s shots) by transferring 9 Begin the telecine capture. During the telecine
the film and audio to a videotape. The shootlists capture, the following occurs:
will be used as a guide.
• The telecine begins capturing the synchronized
To use a telecine to create dailies: film and audio to the videotape, with linear time-
code (LTC) assigned to the videotape beginning
1 Load film and audio into the telecine.
from where you entered the start timecode.
2 Enter the Tape name or Sound Roll name • A FLEx file is created, where scene and take in-
(whichever was used during the production) formation is automatically written and associ-
character for character into the telecine. ated to the film keycode and telecine videotape
timecode relative to audio timecode.
To ensure that metadata are preserved for
the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the 10 When the telecine transfer is complete, deliver
Tape name or Sound Roll name character for the following to the Avid editor:
character. For example, if the metadata was
• Telecine videotape
T001 (with two zeroes), enter T001 with two
zeroes—not T01 with one zero or T0001 with • FLEx file
three zeroes. • Shootlist
In a film workflow, the Avid editor batch digitizes 7 When you are finished editing, export the edited
the telecine videotape to digital video and audio sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it
files in order to edit them. can be imported into Pro Tools.
The following describes an overview of the steps After loading the digital video storage into the
that are necessary in these workflows: camera, the camera operator gives it a unique
name. The production sound mixer must enter that
1 Set up before shooting.
exact name in the Tape BEXT or iXML metadata
2 Shoot. field inside the Broadcast WAV file.
3 Digitize video in Avid video editing application To ensure that metadata are preserved for
(video workflow only) or import digital video the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the
files directly into Avid video editing application Tape name character for character. For ex-
(fully non-linear workflow only). ample, if the metadata was T001 (with two
Following these steps ensures that timecode and zeroes), enter T001 with two zeroes—not T01
other metadata are preserved from the moment with one zero or T0001 with three zeroes.
shooting begins to the final delivery of source files
to the Pro Tools editor. Shooting (Video and Fuly Non-
Linear Workflows)
Shooting proceeds as follows:
Setting Up Before Shooting 1
In a video workflow, the Avid editor digitizes the To import video into the Avid video editing
videotape to digital video and audio files in order application:
to edit them. Before doing so, however, the Avid
1 In the Avid video editing application, create a
editor must name the tape.
Bin.
To digitize a videotape to digital source files: 2 Import the video files directly into the Bin.
1 Load the videotape into the Avid system. 3 When the Disk Label Import dialog appears, en-
2 When prompted to name the videotape, enter ter the exact Tape name used by the camera op-
the exact Tape name used by the camera opera- erator and the production sound mixer.
tor and the production sound mixer.
To ensure that metadata are preserved for
To ensure that metadata are preserved for the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the
the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the Tape name character for character. For ex-
Tape name character for character. For ex- ample, if the metadata was T001 (with two
ample, if the metadata was T001 (with two zeroes), enter T001 with two zeroes—not T01
zeroes), enter T001 with two zeroes—not T01 with one zero or T0001 with three zeroes.
with one zero or T0001 with three zeroes.
4 Use the Avid video editing application to edit
3 Digitize the videotape loaded into the Avid. audio and video.
4 When the digitize is complete, use the Avid 5 When you are finished editing, export the edited
video editing application to edit audio and sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it
video. can be imported into Pro Tools.
When working with someone who is preparing Separate Video-Only and Audio-Only Drives For
QuickTime movies for use with Pro Tools, ensure best results, always use separate video-only and
that you communicate the following: audio-only drives. For complete information on
hard drive requirements, visit www.avid.com.
Consolidated and Referenced Media QuickTime
DV movies can be either complete (consolidated)
QuickTime files (where media is copied into a
QuickTime file) or QuickTime reference files
(where just a small composition is in the Quick-
Time file which references the original media
files).
Video Tracks
Video tracks let you add or import video to the
New Video options in the Pro Tools Operation Timeline, as follows:
preferences • Pro Tools lets you add or import one video track
The Video section of the Pro Tools Operation per session, with a limit of one video playlist and
Preferences provides the following options: one Avid or QuickTime video file on that track.
• Pro Tools HD lets you add multiple video tracks
Enable GPU to the Timeline, with multiple video playlists
Pro Tools video processing is done on the GPU and multiple video files per track.
(Graphics Processing Unit) in order to free up the • Pro Tools HD lets you mix QuickTime and Avid
CPU for Pro Tools audio and MIDI. If you are us- video tracks in the Timeline (but not on the same
ing a slower GPU and encounter poor video play- video track).
back, you may want to disable this option and have
the video processing done on the CPU. To create a video track in Pro Tools, do one of the
following:
Prevent Tearing Use File > Import to import a video file.
When enabled, Pro Tools buffers video to prevent Drag a video file to the Timeline.
visual artifacts with horizontal movement in situa-
tions where video sync does not match the screen Use File > Import > Session Data to import a
refresh rate. This options is not available when the session or AAF sequence containing a video
Enable GPU option is disabled.
track.
Frames do not display properly if you change Video tracks displaying a QuickTime icon
zoom settings during playback. Blank frames are
You can add any supported video to an empty
drawn until playback is stopped. You should stop
video track.
playback before changing zoom settings if you
want to view frames.
Project Type
Video Quality
Output Settings
Project Type
While Pro Tools does not allow mixed frame rates,
Video Online button (offline (top) and online (bottom)
it does allow different resolutions. The Project
To switch a video track online or offline: Type selector lets you set the Project Type (resolu-
tion) to best match mixed resolutions for the ses-
Click the Video Online button of any track that
sion. In general, you will not need to change the
is offline (gray) to put it online (blue), making
Project Type.
that track the main video track.
Click the Video Online button of the main video For Avid MXF video, Project Type is set automat-
track to take it offline, and Pro Tools will not ically. However, when you are working with
output video. mixed resolutions, Pro Tools lets you set the clos-
est matching resolution for the session using the
With Pro Tools HD, press Shift+J to cycle Project Type setting.
through all shown video tracks to determine
which one is online.
Pro Tools provides an Output Settings window for In the Video Output Tool window, click the Op-
configuring your Avid or Avid-qualified third- tions tab to configure the options for video output
party video peripheral. The Output Settings are that are relevant to your video hardware and proj-
saved with the system. The Output Settings button ect type.
is unavailable when working with video without a
video peripheral.
The Sync Lock setting locks your video peripheral The options for HDMI Color Space are dynamic
to an external reference or an internal clock. depending on whether a Mojo DX or Nitris DX is
Pro Tools automatically detects the type of Avid connected, as well as other settings. The HDMI
video hardware you have and displays the appro- Color Space setting determines the color standard
priate options from the following: (either YCbCr or Convert to RGB) to use for your
• Mojo DX options: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
output. You must have HDMI-compatible Avid
• Internal
video hardware attached to your system.
• Reference
• Nitris DX options: HDMI Format
If a SYNC HD is installed and enabled, and Clock Output PSF or True Progressive
Reference is set to Video Reference in the Session
Setup window, suggested formats are highlighted When working with HD video, this setting lets you
in the Video Ref Format selector of the Session toggle the hardware between PSF and Progressive
Setup window for Avid DX and DNxIO hardware. output formats:
• PSF Output
• True Progressive
The Sub Pixel H Phase setting lets you adjust the Select the Best Performance option to process and
horizontal blanking interval used to synchronize play back the full image raster for the project using
the timing of two or more video signals. The Sub 1/16 of the image information. The Best Perfor-
Pixel H Phase setting is available on some systems mance option uses a bit depth of 8 bits. This option
for S Video, Component, or Composite output. subsamples 25% of the raster width. For interlaced
projects, this option uses 50% of the lines in one
field. For progressive projects, this option uses
Video Quality 25% of the scan lines. This option is only available
Use the Video Quality selector to set the video with Avid Mojo and Nitris DX.
quality for the track on playback. You can choose
from options that range from best performance
(lower video quality) to full quality.
Remove Existing Video Tracks When selected, all To bypass the Video Import Options dialog when
importing video into Pro Tools:
existing video tracks will be deleted before
Pro Tools imports video into the session. Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) one
or more video files from a Workspace browser,
Remove Existing Video Clips When selected, all
Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder into the Clips
existing video clips will be removed from the
List or the Timeline.
Timeline and the Clips List before Pro Tools im-
ports video into the session (but left on disk). This
option is useful if you want to import a video file
into the session with a video frame rate that does Importing Audio from a
not match the current video engine rate. QuickTime Video Clip
For QuickTime Video clips, Pro Tools lets you
See “Video Engine Rate” on page 1328 for
right-click on selected clips to import the audio
more information.
from the QuickTime movie clips even if you im-
Clear Main Video Track Playlist When selected, ported QuickTime video without its associated au-
all existing video clips in the currently-selected dio.
playlist on the main video track will be removed
To import audio from a QuickTime video clip:
from the track before Pro Tools imports video into
the session. No other playlists, video tracks, or 1 Right-click on a QuickTime video clip in a
video clips will be affected. (This option is only video track or in the Clips List.
enabled if the main video track is selected as the 2 Choose Import Audio From Movie.
Destination option.)
3 In the resulting dialog, specify the location
where you want to save the audio and click
Open.
The Clips List menu provides commands that let • Selecting within video frame boundaries (see
you show or hide video clips in the Clips List. “Selecting within Video Frame Boundaries” on
page 1336)
To show or hide video clips in the Clips List: • Selecting and editing across multiple tracks (see
1 In the Edit window, click the Clips List menu, “Selecting and Editing Across Multiple Audio
and choose Show. and Video Tracks” on page 1335)
2 Select the Video option to show or hide video • Link or unlink track and Edit selections
clips. • Auto-scroll video tracks
• Loop playback
• Video Universe window (see “Browsing Video
in the Video Universe Window” on page 1339)
• Nudging (quantized to frame boundaries) • Waveform Repair with the Pencil tool
Managing Clips
• Insert space (see “Using the Insert Silence Com-
mand to Insert Space in Video Tracks” on
page 1336)
• Compact Selected (nothing happens to the
video, and at least one audio track must be se-
lected)
• All naming and displaying of clip commands
Pro Tools does not let you select, play back, or edit To insert space into a video track:
a partial video frame. The following rules apply
1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The length
when selecting or editing video:
of the selection determines the duration of the
• When you make a selection in a video track, the space inserted.
selection boundaries follow the current Grid set-
2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence.
ting but round to the nearest video frame bound-
ary, as follows:
• If the selection includes more than half of a
video frame, the full video frame is included
Renaming Video Disk Files
within the selection. When renaming audio clips in either the Timeline
• If the selection includes less than half of a or the Clips List, you have the option of also re-
video frame, that video frame is not included naming the audio files on disk. However, this does
in a video selection. not apply to video files on disk.
• When you paste a selection containing video to a To rename video files on disk, you must rename
video track, the insertion point automatically them in a Workspace browser or in Windows Ex-
aligns with the closest video frame boundary. plorer or Mac Finder.
When you paste audio and video simultane- Changes made in the operating system will
ously, this video frame re-alignment may re- not automatically update the information
sult in the audio not being positioned displayed in the Workspace browser.
exactly where you placed it. A warning
dialog displays when this occurs.
Video Clip Groups
Using the Insert Silence (Pro Tools HD Only)
Command to Insert Space in
Video Tracks You can include video clips within clip groups for
the following operations:
The Insert Silence command lets you make a selec-
tion on a track (or tracks) and insert precisely that • Creating clip groups
amount of space. You can also select across video • Creating multitrack clip groups (including audio
and audio tracks, and use the Insert Silence com- tracks)
mand to insert audio silence and space simultane-
• Editing clip groups
ously.
• Creating fades and crossfades for audio files in
clip groups
• Importing and exporting clip group files
For information on enabling (or disabling) 3 With the Selector tool, click in the audio track
video scrubbing with video hardware, see where you want playback to begin. To shuttle on
“Enable Hardware During Scrub” on two tracks, Shift-click in a second audio track.
page 1319.
4 Press the Control (Mac) or Start key (Windows)
To scrub a video track: and a number on the numeric keypad: 0–9 (9 is
fastest, 5 is normal speed, and 0 stops shuttling).
1 Select the Scrubber tool.
Once Shuttle Lock mode is initiated, Fast Forward
2 Click in the video track and drag the Scrubber.
and Rewind become highlighted in the Transport
To scrub with finer precision, press the Com- window.
mand key while scrubbing. 5 Press additional keys to change the playback
speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch
the playback direction (plus for forward, minus
for backward).
To exit Shuttle Lock mode, do one of the following: To increase or decrease the size of video frames in
the Video Universe window:
Click Stop in the Transport.
Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click
Press the Spacebar. (Mac) anywhere in the Universe, and select In-
crease or Decrease.
1 Move the cursor over the top half of any video 1 Move the cursor over the bottom half of any
frame until it becomes a zoom tool. video frame until it becomes a selector tool.
2 Do one of the following: 2 Do one of the following:
• To move the beginning of a video clip to the far • To place the cursor at the beginning of a video
left of the Timeline while maintaining the cur- clip, click the video frame representing the video
rent zoom resolution in the Edit window, click clip.
the video frame representing the clip once. • To select an entire video clip from start to end,
• To zoom in on a video clip so that it fills the en- double-click the video frame representing that
tire Edit window, double-click the video frame clip.
representing the clip. • To select one or more entire clips from start to
• To zoom a range of selected clips so that they fill end, drag the video frames representing the
the Edit window, drag on the video frames that video clips.
represent the clips.
If the Edit window does not display the
selected video clips, it will automatically
Selecting Ranges in the Video scroll to show the beginning of the selection.
Universe
When you move the cursor over the bottom half of Selecting Zoom Resolutions and
a video frame in the Video Universe, it displays Ranges Simultaneously in the
and behaves as a selector tool. This tool lets you Video Universe
select ranges within one or more video clips in the
When you move the cursor over a video frame in
Edit window.
the Video Universe while pressing Option (Mac)
or Alt (Windows), the cursor appears as a selector
tool. This tool lets you zoom and select ranges si-
multaneously.
QuickTime Settings
Movie Settings dialog
Pro Tools lets you transcode video to QuickTime
5 Click OK.
using the QuickTime Settings options (the encoder
plug-in for QuickTime must be installed). When 6 In the QuickTime Bounce dialog, configure the
bouncing to QuickTime, if the video in the session other settings as desired.
is not a valid video resolution or codec for Quick-
7 Click Bounce.
Time, you are prompted to use the QuickTime Set-
tings to transcode the video to a valid QuickTime When bouncing to QuickTime from Pro Tools,
resolution and codec. the Sounds settings in the Movie Settings dia-
log are ignored.
Avid Satellite Link lets you link up to twelve On systems with a D-Control or D-Command con-
Pro Tools HD systems over an Ethernet network sole, Satellite Link can work in conjunction with
so that you can cue, play, and stop the transports, ICON Multi-mode. This lets you operate the trans-
make play selections, and solo tracks across any of port selectively for up to four networked
the systems from any linked workstation. Pro Tools HD systems from a single D-Control
console, or up to two Pro Tools HD systems from a
Alternatively, you can link up to eleven D-Command.
Pro Tools HD systems and one of the following:
• A Pro Tools Video Satellite system, which uses a
separate Pro Tools system for video playback. Satellite Link Requirements
• An Avid Video Satellite system, which uses an and Compatibility
Avid Media Composer or Avid Symphony sys-
tem for video playback, capture, and conversion. Satellite System Requirements
For more information, see Chapter 61, The following is required for each Pro Tools HD
“Pro Tools Video Satellite” and system on the network:
Chapter 62, “Avid Video Satellite.” • Avid-qualified computer
From each linked Pro Tools HD system, Satellite • Pro Tools | HD Software
Link lets you link and unlink networked systems • HDX or HD Native hardware
and see the link status of other connected systems.
• Pro Tools | SYNC HD
By setting Satellite Link preferences, you can con- • Ethernet connection to a Local Area Network
figure linked Pro Tools HD systems for single- or (LAN)
multi-operator workflows.
All Pro Tools systems in a Satellite Link
Satellite Link can be used simultaneously with network must be resolved to a common
Avid MachineControl, allowing one linked video reference, or “house sync,” using
Pro Tools HD system to go online and drive a SYNC HD.
9-pin capable device.
Other systems on the network are configured as 3 In the Video Satellite Settings window, select
satellite systems, and are added to the network Video Satellite Mode.
from the administrator system.
4 Click OK.
Configuring Satellite Systems To configure a non-HD Pro Tools System system
as a video satellite:
Do the following for each Pro Tools system you
want to configure as a Satellite Link satellite: 1 On the satellite Pro Tools system, choose Setup
> Peripherals and click Satellites.
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click Satellites.
2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for
2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for
the system.
the system.
3 Under Mode, choose Enable Satellite Mode.
3 Under Mode, choose Satellite.
4 Click OK.
4 Click OK.
Configuring a satellite in the Satellites page of the Configuring a Pro Tools Video Satellite system in the
Peripherals dialog Satellites page of the Peripherals dialog
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click Satellites. 2 Under Administrator, declare the systems you
want to use as satellites from the System 2-12
2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for pop-up menus.
the system.
3 Click OK.
3 Under Mode, choose Administrator.
The administrator and declared satellite systems
4 Under Administrator, choose the current system
appear in the Synchronization section of the Trans-
from the System 1 pop-up menu.
port. The display resizes to show all available sys-
5 Click OK. tems.
3 Make sure the systems are linked. AFL and PFL Modes With Solo Link, AFL and
PFL solos on a linked system have no effect on
Using Solo Link without Linking other systems.
Transport Controls
An AFL-soloed track on a linked system can be
If you are synchronizing multiple Pro Tools sys- muted by a Solo In Place on another system. To
tems to an external synchronizer, you can still take avoid this, use PFL instead of AFL.
advantage of the Solo Link feature.
Clearing Errors on Linked Systems If one or more satellite systems on the network en-
counters a problem and the network becomes un-
By default, linked systems continue to operate if stable, Pro Tools lets you reset all Satellites on the
one of the systems experiences an error and its network to get back up and running as quickly as
transport stops. The Satellite Link button for the possible.
remote system reporting the error highlights red on
all other systems in the network. Any error mes- To reset all satellite systems on a network, do one
sage on a linked system appears in the tool tip for of the following:
the corresponding Satellite Link button in the Command-Option-Control-Click (Mac) or
Transport. Control-Alt-Start-Click (Windows) the Satellite
Link button in the Transport of any Pro Tools
You can set each system independently to stop
Satellite system on the network.
playback when it encounters an error.
In the Satellite page of the Peripherals window
To clear an error dialog on a remote linked system: (Setup > Peripherals > Satellite), click the Re-
In the Transport on any other system in the net- set Network button, and then click OK.
work, Shift-click the Satellite Link button for
the affected system.
Using Satellite Link with
To set a linked system to stop the transport on all MachineControl
systems when an error occurs:
MachineControl Deck Control Mode can be used
Make sure the AAE Errors Stop All Linked Sys-
to operate a 9-pin synchronization device (such as
tems option is selected in the Synchronization
a Soundmaster ATOM or a CB Electronics 9-Pin
Preferences.
synchronizer), allowing Pro Tools to act as a “code
To set all systems to stop the transport when an er- only master” for systems controlled by the syn-
ror occurs, make sure this option is selected on all chronizer.
linked systems.
Satellite Link lets you use MachineControl on one
Playback and Modal Dialogs
linked Pro Tools system at a time.
When one linked Pro Tools system is already
Linked systems stop playback (or prevent play-
online and you go online with another linked
back from starting) if a modal dialog (such as the
Pro Tools system, Satellite Link will automatically
I/O Setup, Hardware Setup, or Playback Engine di-
take the first system offliine.
alog) is opened on any linked system.
Any linked Pro Tools systems set to
To avoid interrupting playback on another “Transport=Pro Tools” will follow Satellite Link
system when opening a modal dialog, transport commands.
unlink the system before opening the dialog.
Any linked Pro Tools systems set to
“Transport=Machine” cannot transmit Satellite
Link transport commands, but will follow Satellite
Link transport commands if they are offline.
To set up the Pro Tools Video Satellite system: The administrator Pro Tools system does not
See “Configuring Satellite Systems” on respond to playback commands from the
page 1351. Pro Tools Video Satellite system. Transport
commands must originate from the main
Pro Tools system.
Declaring the Pro Tools Video
Satellite System
Link Controls
When the Pro Tools Video Satellite system has
When a Pro Tools system has been declared as a
been configured as a satellite, it becomes available
satellite, the following controls appear in the
on the administrator system. The satellite system is
Transport window:
then declared by the Administrator.
Link Button Controls the link status of the local
To declare the satellite system on the
system.
administrator system:
See “Adding Satellites to the Network” on Satellite Link Buttons control the link status of the
page 1352. other satellite systems. On every system, one of
these buttons corresponds to that system’s main
The systems appear, in order, from left to right, in Link button.
the Synchronization section of the Transport win-
dow. Link buttons highlight to indicate linked status.
Linked systems will stop playback if a modal dia- 1 In Pro Tools, go to Setup > Session. The
log box (such as the I/O Setup, Hardware Setup, or Session Setup window appears.
Playback Engine dialog) is opened on any linked 2 In the Timecode Offsets section, compensate
system. The corresponding Satellite Link button for the offset between Pro Tools and a Pro Tools
for that system highlights red on all other systems. Video Satellite as follows:
.
A system cannot play back when a modal • If the start time of the video clip in video satellite
dialog box is open. falls before the start time of the administrator
Pro Tools session, type a positive timecode
Spotting Video to the Pro Tools value into the Satellite Offset field.
Timeline • If the start time of the video clip in video satellite
falls after the start time of the administrator
Once a session is created (or an existing session
Pro Tools session, type a negative timecode
opened) on the satellite Pro Tools system, and the
value into the Satellite Offset field.
video has been imported, the video must be set to
the correct start time so that it runs in sync with the
audio on the main Pro Tools system. Video can be Compensating for Monitor-
spotted to the desired start time by matching time- Induced Output Delay
code or feet+frames values. Many monitors add a delay to the video output of
one or more frames. You can compensate for this
Compensating for Different delay by advancing the video output by the neces-
Start Times in Pro Tools and a sary number of frames.
Pro Tools Video Satellite
To set the number of frames to offset video output:
In some cases, you may want the Pro Tools Video
Satellite system to be offset from the administrator 1 On the video satellite system, choose Setup >
system to accommodate for external deck offsets Video Sync Offset.
or differences in session start time. 2 In the Video Sync Offset field, type a positive
You can control the amount of offset by changing value that matches the amount of delay in the
the Timecode Offset parameters on the Pro Tools monitors. You may need to try a few different
Video Satellite system. settings.
When working with 24p and 23.976 projects, The Project Type is also established when
Media Composer defaults to displaying frames creating a new project in Media Composer.
mapped to 29.97 fps timecode. In order to keep the
3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session.
Pro Tools and Media Composer or Symphony
timecode displays in sync when working in 24p or 4 Select a timecode setting from the Timecode
23.976 projects, click the timecode display above Rate pop-up menu that is compatible to the
the Record monitor and choose Sequence > Time- Media Composer Project Type setting.
code > 24 > Mas.
5 Make sure that a compatible clock source is
To avoid sync problems during later stages of available and connected correctly.
post production, it is strongly recommended 6 Select the connected clock reference from the
in most cases to change the settings in Clock Reference pop-up menu.
Pro Tools to match those of the sequence
open in Media Composer. 7 Select a compatible video format from the
Video Ref Format pop-up menu.
The following table describes compatibility between Avid Project Format and Edit Play Rate, and
Pro Tools Timecode Rates, Audio Pull Up/Down Rate, Clock Reference, and Video Format.
Rate and Sync Ref Compatibility between Avid and Pro Tools
25 PAL 25 4% Up PAL
*Although Media Composer standalone supports locking the video peripheral to black burst or tri-level
sync at these HD rates, Video Satellite will only support locking the Media Composer video peripheral to
tri-level sync when using these HD rates.
In almost all cases, the first frame of video is You can compensate for any offsets that might oc-
located at the start of the Media Composer se- cur if the start times of an Avid sequence differ be-
quence. However, Pro Tools sessions often have tween Media Composer and Pro Tools.
silence at the head to create countoffs or silence.
To compensate for different sequence start times:
For example, a Media Composer sequence may
1 In Pro Tools, go to Setup > Session. The Ses-
start at 01:00:00:00 while the matching Pro Tools
sion Setup window will appear.
session starts at 00:59:55:00—allowing five sec-
onds of silence before the audio starts. 2 In the External Timecode Offset section, com-
pensate for the offset between Pro Tools and
In some cases, starting playback from Video Satellite as follows:
Media Composer at a point which is more
• If the start time of the video satellite sequence
than a minute earlier than the start of the
falls before the start time of the Pro Tools se-
Pro Tools session may fail. Change the
quence, type a positive timecode value into the
Pro Tools session start time to be earlier.
Satellite Offset field.
To set the default start time for new sequences in • If the start time of the video satellite sequence
Media Composer:
falls after the start time of the Pro Tools se-
1 In the Project window, click the Settings tab and quence, type a negative timecode value into the
then double-click the General setting. Satellite Offset field.
2 Type in the desired starting timecode in the De-
fault Starting TC field. Compensating for Monitor-
Induced Output Delay
To change the start time of an existing sequence in
Media Composer:
Many monitors add a delay to the video output of
one or more frames. You can compensate for this
1 In Media Composer, open the bin containing delay by advancing the video output by the neces-
the existing sequence. sary number of frames.
2 If needed, re-size the bin window so that you
can see the Start column of the bin window. To set the number of frames to offset video output:
1 In Media Composer, choose Settings > Video
3 In the Start column for the sequence for which
Satellite Settings.
you want to set a new start time, type the new
start time using semi-colons (for Drop Frame) 2 In the Video Satellite Offset field, type a posi-
or colons (for Non-Drop Frame), and press En- tive value that matches the amount of delay in
ter. the monitors. You may need to try a few differ-
ent settings.
4 Click OK to confirm.
Click the corresponding Satellite Link button in Video Satellite and EUCON Control and
the Transport window. Work Surfaces
Since video and audio are streamed in one signal 1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session, and en-
over FireWire, it is not necessary to connect any sure the following:
audio inputs. • Clock Source pop-up menu is set to SYNC.
If you are capturing video using FireWire, you • Clock Reference pop-up menu is set to Video
must capture both audio and video into Reference.
Media Composer, because a single FireWire cable • If Clock Reference pop-up menu is set to an-
provides both video and audio. This audio can then other source, like Word Clock, make sure that
be exported over to Pro Tools. the Ref Present LED is lit, and that the clock ref-
erence that the SYNC is locked to matches that
of the VTR.
Source Record
Track Track Record Enable Preview
button button
Index 1379
Artist Profile 360 Create Continuous File command 934
ASIO 8 Create Individual Files command 933
aspect ratios (Video window) 1337 Default Handle Length preferences 124
Assign Tags pop-up window 336 Entire Selection mode 934
Assignments View (Sends View option) 1064 File Mode selector 933
Attributes (Group List) command 280 Handle Length setting 937
attributes (groups) 284 multichannel processing 937
Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind option 108, 481 Overwrite File command 933
audio file formats 156, 1189 Playlist command 932
audio files 11 Preview 936
compacting 666 Preview Volume 936
default names 508 Render button 937
importing 400 Reverse button 937
mixed file types 168 Selection Reference selector 932
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo 316 Target button 935
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button 341 Use in Playlist button 933
Audio Files folder 157 using 938
audio format 448, 1269 Whole File button 937
Audio Media options 421 AudioSuite window 931
on export 448 Audition Paths selector 58
on import 433 auditioning
Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Mac) 94, 143 clips in the Clip List 58, 295
Audio Pull Up and Pull Down 1275, 1367 fades 671
Audio Pull Up/Down setting 1368 in browsers 339
Audio Pull-Up and Edit Play Rate 1368 MIDI notes 753
audio signal paths 50 pre/post-roll 486
Audio Track RecordLock option 111, 565 programs 775
audio tracks 10 selection start and end points 486
5.1 format 1199 takes 534
and Output format 1211 Auto Accept Adjust Bounds option 115
and surround sessions 1209 Auto Backup option 109
bouncing to disk 1186 Auto button (plug-ins) 1105
channel strips 215 Auto buttons
creating a tempo map for 865 upload, download, and download all shared
disabling Elastic Audio 973 tracks 383
enabling Elastic Audio 972 Auto Input Monitoring mode 516
loop recording 533 Auto Insert Default Plug-Ins preference 117
placing audio in multichannel tracks 1210 Auto Match Pull Factors 1276
punch recording 529 Auto Rename Clip List command 298
recording multiple 523 auto-created clips 584
signal flow 1044 hiding 300
track controls 219 renaming 297
Waveform View 585 AutoFades 680
Audio Zoom In button 606 AutoGlide mode 1230
Audio Zoom Out button 606 AutoGlide Time preference 119, 1230
AudioSuite menu 211 Auto-Height Overrides Height Automation option
AudioSuite plug-ins 931, 932, 938, 1097 1251
Bypass button 936 AutoJoin
Clip by Clip mode 934 command 1129
Clip List command 932 indicator 1130
Index 1381
Auto-Spot Clips command 1288 Collection Mode 739
Auxiliary Inputs 14, 213 conforming clips 734
channel strips 216 defining a selection 722
monitoring and mixing 1075 detecting transients 724
signal flow 1045 DigiGroove templates 731
track controls 219 edit smoothing 737
Avid Application Manager 47 extrapolation 732
Avid Artist Community 5 generating Bar|Beat Markers 730
Avid Audio Engine (AAE) 8 groove templates 731
Avid Audio Forums command 202 Scroll Next 729
Avid Master Account 152 separating clips 733
signing in 152 system requirements 720
signing out 152 templates 731
Avid Video Engine (AVE) 94, 1317 Trigger Pad 733
Avid Video Satellite 1363 window 721
with multiple tracks 734
B Bed Audio (or Bed Material) 1235
Back and Play command 482 Big Counter window 479
Back command 482 Bi-Phase/Tach
Back/Forward Amount 109, 482 pulses-per-frame setting 135
Back/Forward commands 482 Wiring setting 134
backing up sessions automatically 109, 158 bit depth 155, 448, 1268
Backup to Cloud 159, 182 Blocks View
bank select 771 audio track 238
Bar|Beat Markers video track 1321
and tempo events 866 Bounce
audio with varying tempos 867 track 1005
editing 867 Bounce to Disk command 1183, 1186, 1188, 1195
from Identify Beat command 865 bit depth options 1192
generated with Beat Detective 730 channel format options 1191
moving 866 Choose directory 1194
bars dither 1184
renumbering 875 File Type 1189
Bars|Beats Time Scale 839 Format 1191
Batch Clip Renaming dialog 301 Offline option 1194
Batch Rename Output Path selector, from the 1187
clips 299 recording a submix 1195
tracks 233 sample rate conversion options 1192
Batch Rename Clips 299 Send Path selector, from the 1187
Batch Rename Tracks 233 source path 1188
Batch Rename Tracks command 246 time stamps 1187
batch renaming 301 Bounce to QuickTime Movie command 1343
Batch Track Renaming dialog 301 breakpoints 1154
Beat Detective 719, 720, 721 Avid keyframes 1153
beat triggers clip gain 946
deleting 728 Bring to Front command 851
generating 724 browsers 310
inserting 728 display options 318
moving 728 opening 311
promoting 729 sorting 319
Index 1383
cutting 949 sorting 291
Default Handle Length preferences 124 Clip List Keyboard Focus 294
dynamic 943 Clip List menu 1289
editing 945 Auto Rename command 298
editing with the Grabber tool 946 Clear command 300
editing with the Pencil tool 947 Compact command 665
pasting 949 Export Clip Definitions command 414
rendering 951 Export Selected As Files command 445
static 943 Find command 292
static clip gain value display 943 Rename command 297
Clip Gain Fader 945 Select options 295
Clip Gain Fader icon 943 Selected Unused command 300
Clip Gain Info view 943 Show Auto-Created option 300
Clip Gain Line 944 Sort By options 291
Clip Gain Nudge Value setting 114 Time Stamp Selected command 903
clip group file format (.rgrp) 453, 928 Timeline Drop Order option 894
clip groups 585, 921 Clip List Selection Follows Edit Selection option
changing timebase format 925 113, 290, 634
creating 922 Clip Matching Options setting 114
editing 926 Clip menu 211
exporting to different hard drives 456 Bring to Front command 851
fades and crossfades 927 Capture command 653
importing 454 Identify Sync Point command 1290
importing and exporting 453 Lock command 909
mixed 923 Mute/Unmute command 910
multitrack 923 Quantize to Grid command 663
regrouping 923 Remove Sync Point command 907
separated 924 Send to Back command 851
tick-based 925 Ungroup All Clips command 923
timebase format 922 Ungroup Clips command 923
trimming 927 Unlock command 909
ungrouping 923 Unloop Clips command 919
video 1336 Clip Name
Clip Groups folder 157 Right-click menu 212, 301
Clip Hold options 123, 226 View option 593
Clip Info dialog 1371 Clip Time View option 593
Clip information 298 Clip Transparency view 897
Clip List 289 Clip Views
and MIDI clips 289 Transparency 897
auditioning clips 295 clip-based effects 952
displaying file info for audio clips 290 clip-based gain 436, 943
dragging from 893 clipping 498
Export Clips as Files command 412 clips 11, 237, 585
Find History 293 aligning to clip start points 896
finding clips 292 auto-created 584
Keyboard Focus 27 automation 589
pop-up menu 289 auto-naming options 298
previewing clips 295 auto-spotting 1288
repeating a previous search 292 bringing to front 851
selecting clips 293 capturing 653
Index 1385
Collection Mode (Beat Detective) 739 Continuous Scrolling During Playback option 484,
Color Coding 485
Apply to Channel Strip 262 continuous zoom 606
options 107, 259 control surfaces
Color Palette window 261 C|24 1091
Color setting (for window dub) 135 Command|8 1091
Column 200 D-Command 1090
Command|8 1091 D-Control 1090
Commands Keyboard Focus 27 controller events 763
Comments View 234, 1055 and MIDI clips 590
Commit Track 997 editing 764
Commit Tracks dialog 998 editing with Smart Tool 625
Commit Up To This Insert 1000 inserting 764
Committing Elastic Audio 973 Controller lanes 763, 1135
Compact command 665 in MIDI Editor windows 805
Compact Selected command 301 in the Edit window 1135
compacting audio files 666 Controllers folder (controller personalities) 1091
Compare button (plug-ins) 1104 Conversion Quality option 401, 1333
compatibility 3, 1369 Convert Clip Gain to Volume Automation command
compensating 950
for monitor delay 1362, 1372 Convert Plug-In selector 1105
for video satellite offsets 1362 Convert Volume to Clip Gain command 950
Compensation for Input Delays After Record Pass Convert WAV files to AES31/BroadcastWave
option 57 option 124, 410, 460
Compensation for Output Delays After Record Pass converting sessions 166
option 57 Copy Clip Gain command 949
compositing 694 Copy command 597
Conductor button 197 Copy From Source Media 448
Conductor Ruler Ownership control 395 Copy from Source Media (Video) 422, 434
Conductor Ruler Ownership control right-click Copy Settings command 1109
menu 395 Copy Source Audio Media 433
Conductor rulers 840 Copy Special commands 1159
including in selections 639 Copy to Send command 1141
configuring Copy/Move Indicators 594
MMC 1282, 1283 copying
SMPTE 1273 MIDI notes with the Split command 1027
Conform to Tempo command 851 plug-in settings 1111
connecting selections and clips 597
external audio devices 1122, 1123 track automation to sends 1141
Consolidate command track control settings to sends 1068
audio 665 Core Audio 8
MIDI notes 758 count off 501
Consolidate From Source Media 449 Countoff button 197
Consolidate Handle Length 434, 449 Create Catalog from Selection 316
Consolidate Handle Size 449 Create Click Track command 500
Consolidate Source Audio Media 434 Create Fades command 679, 680
consolidating media 353 Create tab 153
Constant command (Tempo Operations) 860 creating
Continuous Scroll with Playhead option 485 clip groups 922
clips 653
Index 1387
User Offset (+/–) field 1085 and system volume 515
viewing 230, 1058 Disk Space window 513
Delay Compensation Status indicator 190 Display (Group List) command 280
Delay Compensation Time Mode option 120, 1084 Display Events as Modified by Real-Time
Delay Compensation View 230, 1058, 1084 Properties option 127, 785
Delay Compensation View option 1084 Display Name 360
Delay for External Devices options 128 Display Preferences 105
Delay plug-ins 1095 Clip Hold options 123
Delay setting (Real-Time Properties) 783 Draw Grids in Edit Window option 603
Delete Active Groups (Group List) command 280, Language options 106
284 Peak Hold options 123
Delete Current Settings File command 1109 displaying
Delete Current Settings File command (fades) 677 all rulers 841
Delete Fades command 679 clip names 593
Delete Group command 280, 283 clip times 593
Delete Index for All Offline Volumes 316 file info for audio clips 290
Delete Track command 236, 246 Meter Ruler 868
delete version Original Time Stamps 1289
Revision History Tempo ruler 846
Delete version 175 User Time Stamps 1289
deleting dither
automation 1149, 1157 and Bounce to Disk 1184
groups 283 on Master Faders 1184
Memory Locations 889 resolution and Bounce to Disk 1192
MIDI Event List items 835 divergence
MIDI notes 761 drawing 1232
paths in I/O Setup 73 using 1231
playlists 693 Documentation and Settings setting 110
program changes 775 Dolby Atmos 1235
sysex events 776 Bed Audio (or Bed Material) 1235
tracks 235 Bus/Object toggle 1245
unused clips 300 Dolby Atmos Metadata 1235
Destination Audio Sample Rate 436, 448 Enable 1238
destination folder for plug-in settings 1110 mapping busses to Objects 1241
destructive editing 666 mixing bed material 1240
Destructive Record mode 506, 531 Network configuration 1237
destructive recording 531 Object Audio (or Objects) 1235
DestructivePunch 571 Object Control Mode 1246
crossfades 565 Object controls 1245
Prepare DPE Tracks command 573 object output path 1243
preparing for 573 Object Path selector 1245
DestructivePunch File Length preference 112, 573 PEC/DIR Recorder Workflow example 1255
DigiGroove templates 731 Renderer Connection Status indicator 1246
Digital Cut Tool (Media Composer) 1377 restrictions 1238
DigiTest 90 Theater mode 1247
Disable “Input” When Disarming Track (In “Stop”) Dolby Atmos Metadata 1235
option 111 Dolby Atmos Renderer default busses 1240
discrete signal control 1210 Don’t Limit Search Results 316
Disk Allocation 514 Double-Clicking a MIDI Clip Opens option 128
and cross-platform sessions 515 Download 246
Index 1389
Trim Automation to All Enabled command 1174 Edit Window View selector 1054
Trim Automation to Current command 1174 Edit Window Views
Trim Clip End to Fill Selection command 658 Track Collaboration 383
Trim Clip End to Insertion command 657 Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock 629
Trim Clip Start to Fill Selection command 658 editing
Trim Clip Start to Insertion command 657 across multiple tracks 600
Trim Clip to File commands 659 and Edit modes 601
Trim Clip to Fill Selection command 658 automation 1152
Trim Clip to Selection command 657 Bar|Beat Markers 867
Undo command 595 breakpoints 1154
Write Automation commands 1172, 1173 controller events 764
Edit mode buttons 189, 601 during playback 584
Edit modes 601 Edit modes 601
and placing clips 893 Grid mode 602, 604
Grid 602 Grid modes 904
Relative Grid 603 hidden tracks 245
Shuffle 601 Markers 888
Shuffle Lock 602 Memory Locations 888
Slip 602 meter events 869
Spot 602, 1285 MIDI clips 589
Edit Play Rate setting 1367, 1368 MIDI Event List 834
edit playlists 691 MIDI notes 752
Edit Selection Follows Clip List Selection option nondestructively 583
113, 634 nondestructively (audio) 588
Edit Selection indicators 638 nondestructively (MIDI) 592
Edit selections note attributes 760
auditioning with Playhead enabled 487 note durations 1023
copied from Timeline selection 644 note velocities 758, 1021
copied to Timeline selection 644 program changes 774
making with the Selector tool 622 Shuffle Lock mode 602
sliding in the Ruler 641 Shuffle mode 601
edit smoothing (Beat Detective) 737 Slip mode 602
Edit tools 605 Spot mode 602
Grabber 605, 635 tempo events 847
Pencil 605, 628 Track View 596
Scrubber 605, 625 waveforms 588
Selector 480, 605 Editing Preferences 113
Smart Tool 605 Auto-Name Memory Locations While Playing
Trim 605, 615 option 884
Zoomer 605 Auto-Name Separated Clips option 655
Edit window 187, 188 Clip List Selection Follows Edit Selection
All View option 1054 option 290, 634
half-screen 485 Conversion Quality option 401
None Views option 1054 Crossfade Preference for Pre/Post-Roll option
scrolling from the Ruler 645 114, 676
Universe view 647 Edit Selection Follows Clip List Selection
View options 188 option 634
Edit Window Default Length preference 105, 193 QuickPunch Crossfade Length preference 564
Edit Window Follows Bank Selection option 117 Separate Clip Operates On All Related Takes
Edit window View options 1054 option 655
Index 1391
Renumber Bars command 875 to clip boundaries 638
Tempo commands 859 to include adjacent clips 638
Time commands 870 to Markers and Memory Locations 638
Event Operations commands 1007 to next tempo event 856
Change Duration command 1023 external clock source 1123
Change Velocity command 1021 external MIDI instruments 558
Flatten Performance command 1021 external side-chain processing 1108
Input Quantize command 1029 External Timecode Offsets 1271
Quantize command 1008 extrapolation 732
Restore Performance command 1020
Select/Split Notes command 1028 F
Step Input command 1030 factory I/O settings 81
Transpose command 1025 Fade Files folder 157
Event Operations window 1007, 1008 Fade settings 676
Exit command (Windows) 183 Fade Settings menu 677
Expand Channels to New Playlists 709 Fade To End command 679
Expand to New Tracks command 247 Fade To Start command 679
Expanded Transport View 208, 526 fade-in shapes 673
Export fade-out shapes 672
Audio Media options 448 fades 677
OMF/AAF Options 446 adjusting with Smart Tool 624
Sample Rate Conversion options 447 AutoFades 680
Export Clip Definitions command 301, 414 creating 677
Export Clip Groups command 455 creating with Smart Tool 623
Export Clips as Files command 301, 412 equal gain 674
Export MIDI command 416 equal power 674
Export MIDI Settings dialog in batches 681
Apply Real-Time Properties option 417 moving 685
MIDI File Format pop-up menu 417 nudging 685
Export Selected As Files command 445 presets 676
Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF command Slope setting 674
440, 442 Fades command 671
Export Session Info as Text command 451 Fades dialog 671
Export Settings button (I/O Setup) 83 In Shape 673
exporting 399 Link option 675
AAF files 440, 448, 449 Out Shape 672
audio 412 Fast Forward 481
clip definitions 414 Fast Forward button 194
clip groups 455 FB360 Audio plug-ins 1261
markers 417 Feet+Frame Rate setting 1269
MIDI tracks 416 Feet+Frames
OMF files 448, 449 redefining position 1274
OMFI files 440 Feet+Frames Time Scale 840
Score to Sibelius 828 field recorder
sessions as text 451 expanding alternate channels to new playlists
Sibelius (.sib) files 828 709
stereo interleaved files 413 importing monophonic audio files 409
Ext. Clock Output 99, 1266 importing polyphonic audio files 409
extending selections 638, 856 file formats (audio)
to adjacent tracks 639, 640 AIFF 1189
1392 Pro Tools Reference Guide
BWF (.WAV) 1189 G
MP3 1189 Gain Reduction meter 228
MXF 1191 generating timecode 1280
QuickTime 1190 Glide Automation commands 1161
file management 457 global (system-wide) preferences 132
File menu 210 Global Freeze Tracks indicator 190
Bounce to Disk command 1186 Global MIDI Playback Offset preference 128, 777
Close Session command 179 Global Track Collaboration 381
Exit command (Windows) 183 Go to End button 194
Export MIDI command 416 Grabber tools 605, 622, 635, 754
Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF editing breakpoints with 855, 1153
command 440 editing clip gain breakpoints with 946
Export Session Info as Text command 451 Object Grabber tool 623, 635
Import Audio to Track command 405 selecting MIDI notes with 752
Import Clip Groups command 454 Separation Grabber tool 622, 655
Open Session command 162 Time Grabber tool 622
Revert to Saved command 165 Grid mode 602, 904
Save As command 166 Absolute 603, 904
Save command 165 Clips/Markers option 604
Save Copy In command 166, 464 configuring 604
final mixdown 1195 Draw Grids in Edit Window option 603
Find All Candidates command 349 Relative 603, 904
Find Clip List command 292 setting the Grid value 904
Find Clips suspending 904
By Name 292 with Slip, Shuffle, or Spot enabled 603
Include Subsequently Added Clips 292 Grid value 747, 903
Find History 293 setting for MIDI editing 747
Find Matching Tracks option 424 Grid Value selector 604
finding clips 292 Groove Quantize 1014
First Invite Shares All Tracks option 129 groove templates 731, 1014
First Selected MIDI Track option 128 applying 1016
Flatten Performance command 1007, 1021 mapping 1017
footswitch 98 Group Assignment selector 1048
Force Audio Media to Target Session Format 434 group chat
Force Upload command 386, 387 renaming 368
Forward and Play command 482 setting a topic 369
Forward command 482 group chats 368
frame rate Group ID indicator 280
and refresh rate 1364 Group List 279
pull up and pull down 1275 Keyboard Focus 27
Frames 1321 pop-up menu 280
Frames View (video tracks) 1321 Group Name 280
frame-tearing 1364 Group Track command 282
freewheeling timecode 1272 groups
Freeze Track 1002 attributes 284
Front Divergence 1231 automation editing 1156
Front/Rear Divergence 1231 control offsets 288
creating 282
deleting 283
Index 1393
duplicating 284 Help menu 25, 211
Edit Groups 282 HFS+ drives
enabling 287 and Windows systems 461
hidden tracks 245 hidden tracks
keyboard selection 287 and selections 633
linking Mix and Edit Groups 278 group edits 245
Mix Groups 282 groups 245
modifying 283 Hide All Floating Windows command 206
renaming 283 Hide and Make Inactive Track command 246
unlinking Mix and Edit Groups 278 Hide/Show Track command 246
Groups dialog 281 hiding
guitar tablature 880 auto-created clips 300
High-Definition video
H playback 1341, 1364
H/W Buffer Size 519 Horizontal Position setting 135
H/W Insert Delay 55 Horizontal Zoom In button 606
half-screen 485 Horizontal Zoom Out button 606
half-speed playback 488 Host Engine 92
half-speed recording 540
hard drives I
and Compacting Audio 665 I/O Settings 81
recording to system volume 515 I/O Setup 49
Round Robin Allocation 514 Bus page 54
Hardware Buffer Size 90, 92 controls 56
hardware I/O inserts 1096 customizing 62
delays 55 dialog 50
hardware I/O sends 1064 factory settings files 81
Hardware Insert Delay Compensation 55, 1089 H/W Insert Delay page 55
Hardware Setup I/O routing 63
Buffer Size 519 importing for surround 1204
Ext. Clock Output 99 Input page 53
HD I/O 101 Insert page 55
HD MADI 102 last used 83
HD OMNI 100 Low Latency Monitoring 60
Launch Setup App 96 Mic Preamps 55
MTRX 102 options 57
HD audio interfaces 40 Output page 54
HD I/O 44 paths 67
configuration 101 settings files 81
HD MADI 45 sub-paths 69
configuration 102 surround 1217
HD Native systems 39 surround formats 1202
HD OMNI 43 surround mix settings file 81
configuration 100 I/O View 223, 1056
HDX systems 38 Identify Beat command 865, 866
Heal Separation command 656 Identify Sync Point command 907, 1290
HEAT 47, 1033 Idle MTC Enabled option 134
import Master Settings 428 Ignore Changes command 387
Help 211 Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option 92
Tool Tips 105, 212 Ignore for Future Download 246
1394 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Ignore Track Arming option 130 inputs 250
illegal characters 163, 459 inserts 1098
Import 246 Master Faders and assignments 1046
Audio Media options 433 outputs 250
Sample Rate Conversion options 435 paths 74
Timecode Mapping options 434 paths, global 74
Import as Offline Satellite Media 422, 434 sends 1067
Import Audio dialog 405 track path assignments 250
Import Audio to Track command 405 tracks 259
Import Clip Groups command 454 Include Control Changes in Undo Queue option 119
Import HEAT Master Settings 428 Include Sends in Trim Mode option 119
Import Key Signature Map option 427 Incoming Time display 1269
Import Markers 427 in-place auditioning 296
Import Memory Locations 427 input connections 13, 498
Import MIDI 414 Input Devices command 542
Import project version data 174 Input Filter command 544
Import Rendered Audio Effects 436 MIDI Event List View Filter dialog 831
Import REX Files as Clip Groups option 125, 410 MIDI Input Filter dialog 544
Import Session Data command 418 input levels 498
Import Settings button (I/O Setup) 83 Input Only Monitoring mode 516
Import Settings command (plug-ins) 1109 Input Path selector 223, 247
Import Settings command fades) 677 Input Quantize command 1007, 1029
Import Video command 1330 Insert Position selector 1104
Import Volume Automation 436 Insert Silence command 913
Import Window Configurations 427 Insert Time command 870, 872
importing 399 inserting
audio 400 controller events 764
clip groups 454 events in MIDI Event List 832
copying during 420 meter events 868
copying imported files 420 MIDI notes 750
HEAT Master Settings 428 plug-ins on tracks 1099
key signature map 427 program changes 774
Markers 414, 427 tempo events 847
Memory Locations 427 Insertion Follows Playback option 491
MIDI tracks 414 inserts 1052, 1095
multichannel audio files from a field recorder duplicating 1103
409 hardware I/O 1096
multichannel I/O Settings 1204 hardware insert delays 55
offline items from Catalogs 354 labeling 1121
plug-in settings 1111 making inactive (and active) 1098
PRE settings 428 mono 1096
referencing imported files 420 mono-to-stereo 1096
session data 421 moving 1103
tempo and meter map 427 plug-ins 1095
tracks for other sessions 418 post-fader on Master Faders 1046, 1095
using drag and drop 402 send and return processing 1096
Window Configurations 427 shared within a submix 1079
importing audio from QuickTime movies 1332 single track processing 1096
importing video 1329 stereo 1096
inactive 17 Inserts View 1055
Index 1395
Inserts View options 1052 L
Instrument plug-ins 557 Language options 106
Instrument tracks 214 Last Used 83
channel strips 218 Latch automation mode 1129
Clips View 237 AutoJoin 1129
MIDI Input selector 255 Join 1129
MIDI Output selector 256 Latch option 257
monitoring and mixing 1076 Latch Record Enable Buttons option 110
Notes View 237 Latch Trim automation mode 1132
recording 546 Latching Behavior for Switch Controls in “Touch”
signal flow 1047 option 118
surround mixing 1213 latency 92
track controls 221 Launch Setup App button 96
Instruments View 1055 Layered Editing option 662, 898
Interchange Workflow LCRS path examples 1205
linked media 23 Level meters
Interchange workflow for audio tracks 225
embedded media 22 for Aux Input, Master Fader, and Instrument
interleaved audio file 156 tracks 225
interleaved option (sessions) 156, 1269 Levels of Undo preference 116, 596
Internal mode (Clock Source option) 1268 LFE
internal side-chain processing 1108 enable in plug-ins 1234
Inverse linked panning 1073 faders 1234
Invite Contacts to Collaborate 364 routing examples 1220
Items to Copy 169 Librarian menu 1104
Preserve Folder Hierarchy command 170 Limit Character Set option 169
Linear command (Tempo Operations) 860
J linear crossfades 675
Jam Sync 1272 Linear Sample Display 858
Join command 1129 Linear Tick Display 858
Joining Project Downloads All Shared Tracks Linearity Display Mode 858
option 129 Link controls
accessing mini-link buttons from a control
surface 1374
K linking systems to a control surface 1374
Keep Window on Top 316
link controls 1373
key input 1104, 1108
displaying 1374
Key Input selector 935, 1104
link button 1373
key signature map 427
Satellite Link buttons 1373
Keyboard Focus 26
Link Enable buttons 1106
Clip List 27, 294
in multi-mono plug-ins 1214
Commands 27
Link Record and Play Faders option 111, 518
Group List 27
Link Selection button 631, 633
keyboard shortcuts 1107
Link Timeline and Edit Selection option 631
global key commands 26
Link to Source Media (Video) 422, 434
numeric entry 638
Link Track and Edit Selection option 235, 633
recording 523
linked media 23
Knowledge Base 211
linking
inverse panning 1073
multi-mono plug-ins 1214
Index 1399
channel strips 217 Auto Input 516
Clips View 237, 238, 589 Input Only 516
default program change 772 Move Song Start command 870, 874
input 254 moving
loop recording 553 Bar|Beat Markers 866
note chasing 776 clips with fades 685
Notes View 237, 238, 591 fades 685
output 254 inserts 1103
punch recording 551, 552 Markers 889
recording 541, 546 MIDI notes 755
selecting a pitch range in 1028 program changes 774
Sysex View 775 sysex events 776
track controls 221 MP3 file format 1189
Velocity View 758 importing 401
MIDI Volume fader 224 MTC (MIDI Timecode) 1272
MIDI Zoom In button 606 MTC Generator Port setting 134
MIDI Zoom Out button 606 MTC Reader Port setting 134
mini-keyboard 591, 753 MTRX 45
Minimize Additional I/O Latency option 93 configuration 102
Minimum Sync Delay option 130, 1284 Multi-Cam Resolution files 431
Minutes:Seconds Time Scale 840 multichannel clips 585
Mirror MIDI Editing 747 multichannel plug-ins 1213
missing files 459 multichannel tracks 521
skipping 347 and automation 1156
mix busses 1064 dragging clips to 665
Mix Groups 282 names for 509
Mix window 186, 187 replacing clips in 905
All View option 186, 1054 splitting 664
EQ Curve view 1056 multilingual application support 473
None Views option 1054 multi-mono
track controls 186 plug-in Channel selector 1214
track width 230 plug-ins 1213
Mix Window Follows Bank Selection option 117 multi-mono audio files 156
Mix window View options 1054 multiple tracks
Mix Window View selector 1054 and Beat Detective 734
Mix Window Views audition takes 535, 707
Track Collaboration 384 editing across 600
mixed bit depths 168 extending selections to 639, 640
mixed file types 168 fitting audio clips to Edit selection 667
mixing down to stereo 1195 nudging clips in 660
Mixing Preferences 116 pasting to 600
MMC (see MIDI Machine Control) selecting 639
Modify Group command 280 separating clips on 655
Modify Groups command 280 shuffling clips on 901
Mojo DX 1317 Mute Audio Inputs in Auto Input option 578
Momentary Solo Latch option 257 Mute automation 1154
monitoring Mute button 258
during punch recording 530 Mute Overwrite/Extend 1169
MIDI recording with MIDI Thru 543 Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped option
monitoring modes 516 111, 578
Index 1403
selections 485 Category and Manufacturer 1102
Timeline selections with Playhead enabled 487 Channel selector for multi-mono 1214
tracks 477, 522 creating a default setting 1111
Playlist lanes 697 enabling for automation 1108, 1142, 1143
Playlist selector 12, 691 favorites 1102
playlists 12, 691 Flat List 1101
adding 692 for surround 1213
and groups 693 inserting on tracks 1099
and multichannel tracks 1156 Librarian menu 1104
and nondestructive MIDI editing 592 linking and unlinking 1121, 1214
assigning 692 Manufacturer 1101
automation playlists 691, 1126, 1135 mono-to-stereo 1096
auto-naming 691 multichannel 1096
changing timebase of 845 multi-mono 1096, 1213
deleting 693 Next Setting button 1104
duplicating 692 Organize Plug-In Menus By command 1101
edit playlists 691 Plug-In Settings menu 1104
Playlist selector 691 Plug-In Settings Select button 1104
recalling 692 presets 1109
recording to new 532 Previous Setting button 1104
renaming 693 removing from tracks 1099
setting pre/post-roll in 528 post crossfades 670, 680
Target 711 Post-Roll button 196
Playlists view 697 Power view 586
plug-in controls PRE 46
adjusting 1107 configuring 139
linking 1121 I/O Setup 55
Plug-In Controls Default to Auto-Enabled option 118 pre crossfades 670, 680
plug-in inserts 1095 Pre Fader Listen (PFL) mode 256
plug-in maps 1114 PRE settings 428
creating 1116 Pre/Post Fader button 1073
deleting 1117 Pre/Post Roll option 529
importing and exporting 1119 pre/post-fader inserts 1095
Learn mode 1114 pre/post-roll
managing 1117 and loop recording 533
setting default 1118 and punch recording 529
Plug-In selector auditioning 486
for AudioSuite plug-ins 932 setting 527
for real-time plug-ins 1104 Pre/Post-Roll Flags 529, 632
plug-in settings 1111 Pre-Fader Metering option 225
Plug-In Settings menu 1104, 1109 preferences
Plug-In Settings Select button 1104 Automatically Copy Files on Import option 420
plug-in windows changing 105
opening and closing 1106 DestructivePunch 565
plug-ins DestructivePunch File Length 573
and pull rates 1279 global 132
and surround mixing 1213 local 132
automating 1141 Mute Audio Inputs in Auto Input 578
bypassing from window 1119 Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped
Category 1101 578
Index 1405
restore from cloud 181 R
sharing 377 R (Record and Playback volumes) 312
taking offline 182 randomizing
Projects list 366 note durations 1025
pinning items 371 note locations 1011
unpinning items 371 Read automation mode 1128
Projects tab 154 Read Trim automation mode 1132
pull up and pull down 1275, 1279 real-time plug-ins 1095
pulses-per-frame Real-Time Properties
Bi-Phase/Tach 135 clearing 785
Punch Capture button 1177 clip-based 784
Punch In Frame Offset preference 131 Delay 783
Punch Out Frame Offset preference 131 Display Events as Modified by Real-Time
punch points 524 Properties option 127
Timeline Selection Markers 525 Duration 782
Punch Preview button 1176 enabling 781
punch recording in the Edit window 786
and monitoring 530 in the MIDI Event List 785
and pre/post-roll 529 on tracks and clips 784
audio 529 Quantize 781
MIDI 551 settings 781
MIDI tracks 552 track-based 784
Transpose 783
Q Velocity 783
Quantize View 779
audio clips 1010, 1019 viewing 779
Elastic Audio events 1010, 1018 writing to clips 785
quantizing clips to grid 663 writing to tracks 784
Real-Time Properties 781 Real-Time Properties View 779, 1057
Quantize Clips to Grid command 903 Real-Time Properties window 780
Quantize command 1007, 1008 Rear Divergence 1231
Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries option 446 Recalculate Waveform Overviews command 301
Quantize to Grid command 663 Recall Memory Location Selection at Original Track
Quantize window 1011 option 114
quantizing Recent tab 154
MIDI notes 1010, 1014 Record button (Transport) 195
MIDI on input 544, 1029 Record Enable button 510, 568
QuickPunch 507, 562, 566 record modes 505
clip/take numbering 564 and MIDI 507
crossfades 564 Destructive Record mode 506
Pro Tools HD systems 562 Loop Record mode 506
QuickPunch Crossfade Length preference 115, 564 Nondestructive Record mode 505
QuickTime file formats 1190 QuickPunch 507
QuickTime movies Record Online at Insertion/Selection option 112
importing audio from 1332 Record Online at Timecode (or ADAT) Lock option
optimizing for playback 1342 112
requirements 1318 Record Online option 1280
sync 1342 Record Safe mode 512
Quit command (Mac) 183 recording 521
a mono audio track 521
Index 1407
Ruler View options 841 chord symbols and diagrams 826
Bars|Beats Time Scale 839 editing in 821
Feet+Frames Time Scale 840 exporting a score 828
Minutes:Seconds Time Scale 840 opening 808
Samples Time Scale 840 page controls 816
Timecode Time Scale 840 printing 828
Ruler View selector 841 rests 824
rulers zoom controls 817
changing display order 841 Score Setup window 819
Conductor rulers 840 Scroll Into View command 235, 246
displaying all 841 Scroll to Track Banks Controllers option 117
pull up and pull down 1279 Scroll To Track command 646
scrolling in 645 scroll wheel
Timebase rulers 839 and MIDI track Note display 591, 614
zooming in 609 scrolling a Pro Tools window 645
zooming in the Edit window 614
S zooming in the Edit windows 614
safing automation 1134 scrolling
Sample Offset (Sync Offset) 1272 a track into view 235
Sample Rate Conversion options 423, 435, 447 in the ruler 645
Sample Rate Conversion Quality 125, 401, 411, MIDI Notes View 591
436, 448, 1333
Mix and Edit windows to tracks 646
Sample Rate Convert Audio 435 Notes View up or down 614
Sample Rate setting 1192 Pro Tools window vertically or horizontally 645
Hardware Setup dialog 97 Scrolling options 484
Playback Engine dialog 94 After Playback 484
sample-based timing 843, 886 Center Playhead 485
Samples Time Scale 840 Continuous Scrolling During Playback 484
Satellite Link None 484
option 140 Page 484, 793, 814
preferences 131 Scrub Trim tool 618
Satellites 140 Scrubber tool 605, 625
Save As command 166 in Shuttle mode 626
Save command 165 selecting with 641
Save Copy In command 166, 464 scrubbing 625
Save History 172 a single audio track 626
Save Track Preset dialog 264 and edit cursor 626
saving a copy of a session 166 on two audio tracks 626
saving Fades settings playback speed and direction 626
Save Settings As command 677 resolution 626
Save Settings command 677 video tracks 1338
saving plug-in settings 1111 with Scrub Trim tool 618
Save fade settings to command 677 with the Selector 626
Save Plug-In Settings To command 1110 S-Curve command (Tempo Operations) 862
Save Settings As command 1109 SDDS surround formats 1200
Save Settings command 1109 Search
saving sessions with a new name 166 tags 333
Scale command (Tempo Operations) 863 Secondary Timecode Ruler 840
scaling note velocities 759, 1022 Select All command 634
Score Editor Select Clip List options 295
Index 1409
On Grid 654 creating 1111
Separate Clip Operates On All Related Takes creating subfolders 1110
option 114, 655 pasting 1111
Separate MIDI notes 757 saving 1111
Separation Grabber tool 622, 655 Settings Preferences command 1110
session Setup menu 211
save as a project 175 Click/Countoff Options dialog 502
session data Disk Allocation 514
importing 418 I/O Setup 50
Session Data Online Status indicator 190 MIDI Studio 773
Session Data to Import menu 424 Preferences command 105
session file 157 Session Setup 1267
Session File Backups folder 158 Video Sync Offset command 1342
Session Length 1269 Share Track control 385
session parameters 168 Shared as Frozen option 387
Session Setup Shared track, unowned 388
Session Length 1269 Shared Tracks Conflict 174
Session Setup window 1267 Shift command 908
Session Start setting 1367 shortcuts for keyboard input 1107
sessions 9 Show All Tracks Group command 281
audio format 1269 Show Artist Chat button 381
backups 109, 158 Show Auto-Created option 300
bit depth 155, 1268 Show Offline Volumes 316
closing 179 Show Only Tracks in Group command 280
creating for surround mixing 1201 Show/Hide Clip List button 289
files 9 Show/Hide Track List/Group List View button 243,
frame rate 1269 279
interleaved 156, 1269 Show/Hide Tracks in Group command 280
interleaved multichannel audio files 156 Shuffle Lock mode 602
mixed audio formats 156, 168 Shuffle mode 601
mixed bit depths 168 and locked clips 909, 910
multi-mono audio files 156 and moving clips 900
opening 162 shuttle
opening from a Transfer volume 163 fixed mode option 627
sample rate 155, 1268 Shuttle Numeric Keypad mode 30, 109, 628
start frame 1269 Sibelius (.sib) file 828
templates 176 Side % (Percentage) 1231
Set As User Default command 1110 side-chain 1108
Set Plug-In Default To command 1110 filters 1108
Set Record Tracks to Auto Input command 517 processing 1104
Set Record Tracks to Auto Input option 516 signal flow
Set Record Tracks to Input Only command 517 audio tracks 1044
Set Record Tracks to Input Only option 516 Auxiliary Inputs 1045
Set Servo Lock Bit at Play option 130 Instrument tracks 1047
setting Master Faders 1046
punch/loop points 524 signal paths 50
satellite start time offset 1362 signal routing
settings and default path order 60
choosing a destination for 1110 basics for surround 1212
copying 1111 example 14
Index 1411
Strip Silence command 910, 911, 912 troubleshooting 1290, 1365, 1367
stuck notes 779 Synchronization Device settings 134
stutter 1364 synchronization peripherals 46
Sub Counter selectors 842 Synchronization Preferences 129
Sub Time Scale 842, 1275 Sysex View 775
subfolders, creating for settings 1110 System Exclusive data 775
subframes 1286 deleting 776
submixes moving 776
applying an insert to 1079 recording 556
bouncing to disk 1185 system resources 17
soloing tracks in 1082 system settings
sub-paths 50, 69 Cache Size 94
examples for surround 1216 Clock Source system setting 97
Suppress Automation “Write To” Warnings option Hardware Buffer Size 90, 92
118 Hardware Setup 97
surround Host Engine 92
5.1 format paths 1206 Number of Voices 93
and sends 1212 Playback Engine 91
basic signal routing 1212 Sample Rate 94
center percentage (%) 1232 System Usage window 102, 104
configuring Pro Tools 1201, 1209
discrete level, solo, mute 1210 T
importing I/O Settings 1204 T (Transfer volumes) 312
pan playlists and automation 1234 Tab to Transients button 483, 642
panning grids 1224 Tags
settings files 1202 adding 335
side center percentage (%) 1233 Assign Tags pop-up window 336
using paths 1215 editing 335
using sub-paths, examples 1216 excluding from search 334
Suspend All Groups (Group List) command 280 searching 333
suspending take over (surround pan) 1229
automation 1147, 1148 takes
writing automation 1147 auditioning 534
swing 1011, 1013 default names 508
Sync Offset 1272 matching alternates 534, 706
SYNC peripherals MIDI 555
generating timecode with 1280 multiple tracks 535, 707
resolving with 1265 numbering for QuickPunch 564
sync options 1266 recording additional 531
Sync Point View option 908 selecting an alternate take 535, 706
sync points 1290 Tandem Trimming option 621
for clips 907 tapping in the tempo 504
from Beat Detective 738 Target button (plug-ins) 1105
identifying 907, 1290 Target playlist 711
synchronization 133 Target Project Timecode Format 446
black burst 1290 Task 190
MIDI Beat Clock 493 Task Manager 355, 407
MMC 1281 Task Manager Status indicator 190
options 1265 tasks
resolving 1290 failed 357
1412 Pro Tools Reference Guide
grouped 358 Time Grabber tool 622, 636
paused 356 Time Operations commands 870
pausing during playback 358 Change Meter command 870
pending 357 Cut Time command 873
TC/E Plug-In preference 126, 617 Insert Time command 872
TCE Edit to Timeline command 666 Move Song Start command 874
TCE Trim tool 616, 617, 618 Time Operations window 868, 870
templates Time Scale 841
Beat Detective 731 Bars|Beats 839
DigiGroove 731 Feet+Frames 840
Pro Tools session 176 Main 842, 1275
tempo Minutes:Seconds 840
current 846 Samples 840
default 503 Sub 842, 1275
display 197 Timecode 840
effects on Markers and Memory Locations 886 Time Slots meter 103
Manual Tempo mode 504 Time Stamp command 301, 535, 707, 1289
tapping in 504 Time Stamp Selected command 903
Tempo Edit Density pop-up menu 854 time stamps 449, 1288
Tempo Editor 852 Bounce to Disk 1187
Tempo Event Warp markers 850 Timebase rulers 839
Tempo Event–generated Warp markers 983 and Timeline selections 643
tempo events 846 Edit Markers 632
and Bar|Beat Markers 866 Pre/Post-Roll Flags 632
editing 847 sliding Edit selections 641
extending selections to 856 sliding Timeline selections 644
inserting 847 Timecode 2 840
tempo map 427 Timeline Selection Markers 632
from Identify Beat command 865 timecode 1367
Tempo Operations commands and Jam Sync 1272
Constant command 860 and Pro Tools Drop Frame limitations 1371
Linear command 860 capturing 1287
Parabolic command 861 compensating for start time offsets 1362, 1372
Scale command 863 forcing a match on a satellite system 1371
S-Curve command 862 freewheeling 1272
Stretch command 864 generating 1280
Tempo Operations window 859 matching between Pro Tools/satellite 1372
Tempo Resolution selector 853 matching format for 1371
Tempo ruler redefining position 1274
displaying 846 Timecode 2 Rate setting 1269
extending an Edit selection to 848, 890 Timecode 2 ruler 840
Tempo Ruler Enable button 197 Timecode Format 1367
Theater mode 1247 Timecode Mapping options 423
Thin All Automation command 1151 on import 434
Thin Automation command 1151 Timecode Rate setting 1269, 1367
thinning automation 1134, 1150 Timecode Time Scale 840
tick-based timing 843, 886 Timeline and Edit selection, unlinked 631
Time Compression/Expansion plug-in 666 Timeline Data Online Status indicator 190
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool 126, 616 Timeline Drop Order option 894
trimming MIDI 762
Index 1413
Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows track level meters 225
Playback option 484, 491 Track List 243
Timeline Selection Markers 525, 632 hiding 243
and Edit selections 633 pop-up menu 243
selection length 637 showing 243
Timeline selections 643 Track List Right-click menu
Timeline selections 643 Download 246
auditioning with Playhead enabled 487 Ignore for Future Download 246
copied from Edit selection 644 Import 246
copied to Edit selection 644 Track menu 211
in Timebase rulers 643 Clear All Clip Indicators command 226, 1067
making with the Selector tool 622 Delete command 236
sliding in the Ruler 644 Duplicate command 236, 1128
start, end, and length fields 196 Group command 282
Timeline Selection Markers 643 Make Inactive command 259
Time-locking clips 910 New Track command 231
toggling Scroll to Track command 646
track height 241 Set Record Tracks to Auto Input 516, 517
Track View 240 Set Record Tracks to Input Only 516, 517
Tool Tips 105, 212 Split Into Mono command 664, 1210
Toolbar focus 28 Write MIDI Real-Time Properties command
Touch automation mode 1129 785
Touch Timeout option 117 Track Name commands 246
Touch Trim automation mode 1132 Track Name/Comments dialog 233
Touch/Latch automation mode 1131 Track Number command 234, 646
Track and Master Meter Types Linked option 120 Track Offset options 423, 435
Track Bounce 1005 track ownership
Track Bounce dialog 1006 rejecting a request for 391
Track Collaboration controls 385 rejecting request 391
Track Collaboration tools 380 relinquishing 389, 391
Track Color View 1058 requesting 389
Track Commit 997 rescinding 389
Track Compensation (cmp) indicator 1085 responding to a request 389, 390
track compositing 694 seizing 389
track controls Track Ownership control 388, 390
audio tracks 219 Track Ownership Request indicator 381, 390
Auxiliary Input tracks 219 Track Position Numbers Stay with Hidden Tracks
Edit window 219, 220, 221, 222 option 105
Elastic Audio 974 Track Presets 263
Instrument tracks 221 creating 263
Master Fader tracks 220 in Workspace browsers 273
MIDI tracks 221 saving 263
VCA Master tracks 220 Track Presets files (.ptxp) 268
video tracks 222 Track Record Enable indicator 195
track data 584 Track selector 1104
Track Freeze 1002 Track View 237
Track Height 241 Blocks 238
resizing 242 changing 240
track layout Clips 237, 238, 589
default path order 60 edit content 596
Index 1415
Trim Automation commands 1174 Upload All New Changes button 381
Trim to All Enabled 1174 Upload command 386
Trim to Current 1174 Upload Ruler Changes control 394
Trim Clip commands Upload Ruler Changes Right-click menu 394
End to Fill Selection 658 Upload Track Changes control 386
End to Insertion 657 Use Absolute Pan Linking option 116
Start to Fill Selection 658 Use F11 for Wait for Note option 127, 545
Start to Insertion 657 Use MIDI to Tap Tempo option 127
To File 659 Use Separate Play and Stop Keys option 109
To Fill Selection 658 Use Subframes option 1286
To Selection 657 User Default setting 1111
Trim Clip to File Boundaries command 659 User Offset (+/–) field 1085
Trim Clip to File End command 659 User Time Stamp 903, 1289
Trim Clip to File Start command 659 user-defined clips 297, 300, 584
Trim to All Enabled Automation command 1174
Trim to Current Automation command 1174 V
trim tool VCA Masters
tandem trimming 621 assigning groups 1051
Trim tools 605, 615 channel strips 217
Loop Trim tool 619 clearing 1180
Scrub Trim tool 618 controls 1049
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool 126, deleting 1180
616, 762 displaying automation 1179
trimming automation 856, 1153 mixing 1048
trimming clip gain 947 track controls 220
trimming track type 213, 1048
automation breakpoints 856, 1153, 1162 velocities (MIDI)
clip gain breakpoints 947 drawing with Pencil 759
clip start/end points 615 editing 758, 759, 1021
clips by Nudge value 659, 756 fading 1021
clips to Edit insertion point 657 Real-Time Properties 783
clips with Scrub Trim tool 618 scaling 759, 1022
crossfades 680 Velocity Trim tool 760
note start/end points 755 Velocity View 758
unwanted clip and track data 657 VENUE 141
Tweak Head setting (Conversion Quality) 1333 VENUE Link 47, 141
version conflicts 173
U Version List 172
unavailable resources 163 Vertical Position setting 135
Undo command 523, 595 video
Undo History window 595 importing 1329
Undo Queue 595 Pillarbox/Letterbox option 1338
Ungroup All Clips command 923 playback 1364
Ungroup Clips command 923 Stretch option 1337
Unique ID 433, 458 Video Clip Groups 1336
Universe view 647 video clips 1333
unlinked Timeline and Edit selection 631 Video Engine option 94
unlinking plug-in controls 1121, 1214 video engine rate 1328
Unlock Clip command 909 Video Engine Rate indicator 1329
Unloop Clips command 919 Video Format setting 1367
1416 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Video Import Options dialog 1331 Read Lines, defaults 134
Video Media options 422 VITC Insertion Enabled option 134
Video Online button 1320, 1322 Voice selector 253
Video Pull Up and Pull Down 1275 voices 562
Video Satellite and track priority 252
avoiding sync issues 1367 Voices meter 103
connecting 1365 volume
Media Composer 140, 1363 Performance 309
quitting Pro Tools 1366 Transfer 309
settings 1367 Volume automation 1154
troubleshooting satellite connections 1366 Volume fader 224
video satellite offset 1362 Volume indicator 223
video stutter 1364 Volume permissions 312
Video Sync Offset command 1342
video tracks 214, 1319 W
locking 1328 Wait for Note 197, 544
main video track 1320 Warp indicator 986
Output Settings 1324 Warp markers 981
Project Type 1322 adding 982
scrubbing 1338 deleting 982
settings 1322 relocating (without applying warping) 982
shuttling 1338 Warp view 974, 981
track controls 222 warped clips (Elastic Audio) 585
Video Quality 1327 warping audio (Elastic Audio) 983
viewing as blocks 1321 WAV file format 460, 1189
Video Universe window 1339 AES31/Broadcast compliant 460
Video window 1337 WaveCache 338
mixed aspect ratios 1337 WaveCache.wfm file 158, 309
Video Window command 1337 Waveform View 585
View Filter (Memory Locations window) 892 Waveform View options 586
View Filter (MIDI Event List) 830 Outlines 587
View menu 210 Peak 586
Clip Name View option 593 Power 586
Clip Sync Point View option 908 Rectified 586
Clip Time View options 593 waveforms 585
Edit window View options 188, 1054 and zero-crossing 588
Mix window View options 186, 1054 avoiding clicks and pops 588
Narrow Mix View option 230 guidelines for editing 588
Track Number command 234, 646 repairing with Pencil tool 628
Transport View options 196, 479, 526, 528 WaveCache 338
viewing blocks in the video track 1321 Workspace 337
views Whole File button (AudioSuite) 937
Delay Compensation 230 whole-file clips 584
I/O View 223 Wide Meters View 227
Inserts View 1055 Window Configuration List 207
Sends View 1055 Window Configurations 203
Wide Meters View 227 importing 427
VITC window dub
Generate Lines setting 134 horizontal position 135
Read Lines setting 134 setting color 135
Index 1417
size 135 Failed Tasks 357
vertical position 135 Find Links 350
Window menu 211 indexing 314
Automation Enable command 1138 Keep Window on Top 316
Big Counter command 479 Linking Options 350
Color Palette 261 links 344
Disk Space command 513 Loop Audition mode 342
Edit command 188 Manually Find and Relink 347
Machine Track Arming command 1285 Missing files 344, 346
Memory Locations command 887 moving database items 323
Mix command 186 navigating 311
System Usage command 104 Open in New Workspace 317
Task Manager command 407 Paused Tasks 356
Transport command 194 Performance Volume 309
Undo History command 595 preferences 358
Workspace command 515 previewing 339, 341, 343
windows Quick Search 325
arranging 206 Regenerate Missing Rendered Files 347
Cascade 206 Relink window 308, 348
closing 206 relinking 344
hiding all floating windows 206 Reveal in Finder/Explorer 317
Tile 206 Right-click menu 316
Tile Horizontal 206 saving a search as a Catalog 331
Tile Vertical 206 searching 325
Windows sessions searching with tags 333
compatibility with Mac 463 session 308
Word Clock 99, 1375 Show Offline Volumes 316
workflows 576 Skip All 347
Workspace 307 sorting columns 319
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo 316 Sound Libraries 307
auditioning 339 Spacebar Toggles File Preview 316
Automatically Find and Relink 347 Spot To Edit Insertion 317
Auto-Preview mode 343 suitable volumes (see Transfer files) 345
browser display options 318 Task Manager window 308
browser menu 315 Tasks 356
Calculate Waveform 338 Transfer files 344, 345
candidates for relinking 348 Transfer Volume 309
Catalogs 308, 352, 353 volume permissions 312
Comments 322 Volumes 308
Copy and Relink 346 WaveCache 309
copying database items 323 waveform display 337
Create Catalog from Selection 316 Workspace browsers 199, 307, 515
database 309 Track Presets 273
database items 320, 322 Workspace.wksp file 309
Delete Index for All Offline Volumes 316 Write 1173
deleting database items 323 Write Automation commands 1172, 1173
Don’t Limit Search Results 316 Write automation mode 1128
Elastic Audio analysis 338 Write Automation To commands 1176
Elastic Audio Plug-In selector 342 Write Automation to Next Breakpoint command
exclude tags from search 334 1166
X
XML (MIDI patch names) 772
X–OR (Cancels Previous Solos) Solo Latch option
257
Z
zero-crossing 588
Zoom buttons 605
Zoom Presets 611
Zoom Toggle 611
Zoom Toggle preferences 116, 611
Zoomer tool 605, 608
zooming 605
a track area 608, 809
around a track point 608, 808
continuously 606
horizontally for all tracks 606
in the ruler 609
in the Tempo Editor 852
on a selection 607
out to the entire session 607
recalling zoom levels 611
return to the previous zoom level 607
storing zoom levels 611
to make all clips visible 607
vertically 606, 607
with a scroll wheel 614
Zoom Toggle 611
Index 1419
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