Professional Documents
Culture Documents
version 2022.6
Legal Notices
© 2022 Avid Technology, Inc., (“Avid”), all rights reserved. This guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written
consent of Avid.
Bonjour, the Bonjour logo, and the Bonjour symbol are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Confidential unpublished works. Copyright 2022 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved.
Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories
Licensing Corporation.
Contents iii
Toolbar Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Numeric Keypad Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Pro Tools Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Contents v
Chapter 9. Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
MIDI Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Ethernet Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Mic Preamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
VENUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Dolby Atmos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Contents vii
Creating Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Track Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Setting Track Views in the Edit Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Track Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Tracks List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Track Name Right-Click Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Track Priority and Voice Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Assigning MIDI Inputs and Outputs to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Soloing and Muting Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Making Tracks Inactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Color Coding for Tracks, Clips, Markers, and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Contents ix
Chapter 19. Artist Chat and Avid Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Your Avid Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Find Talent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
Pro Tools Projects in the Artist Chat Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Project Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Artist Chat Project List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
Artist Chat Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
Pinning or Unpinning Items in the Pro Tools Projects and Messages Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
Contents xi
Transport Fade-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Playing Timeline and Edit Selections with the Playhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Playback Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512
MIDI Beat Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
MIDI Beat Clock Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Ableton Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
Part V Editing
Chapter 28. Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 611
Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 612
Audio Clips and Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 613
MIDI Clips and MIDI Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
Naming Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
Displaying Clip Names, Clip Times, and Other Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Multiple Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 622
Basic Editing Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624
Editing Across Multiple Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628
Contents xiii
Chapter 29. Edit Modes and Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Edit Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Shuffle Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Slip Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 630
Spot Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 630
Grid Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 630
Edit Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632
Zooming Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633
Zoom Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633
Zoomer Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 635
Zoom Preset Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 638
Zoom Toggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639
Zooming with a Scroll Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
Using the Trim Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
Trim Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642
Time Compression/ Expansion Trim Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 644
Scrub Trim Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 645
Loop Trim Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646
Tandem Trimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 648
Using the Selector Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649
Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650
Using the Smart Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650
Using the Scrubber Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653
Numeric Keypad Set to Shuttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655
Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656
Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657
Contents xv
Matching Alternate Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734
Matching Criteria Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
Selecting Alternate Takes on Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736
Automatically Create New Playlists when Loop Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Expanding Alternate Takes to New Playlists or Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738
Expanding Alternate Channels to New Playlists or Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739
Target Playlist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741
Track Compositing Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747
Part VI MIDI
Chapter 35. MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775
MIDI Editing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775
Setting the Grid Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777
Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 778
Inserting MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 780
Inserting a Series of Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 781
Manually Editing MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 782
Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 785
Contents xvii
Double Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840
Cursor Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840
Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 840
Score Editor Window Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
Score Editor Window Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
Tracks List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843
Page Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844
Score Editor Zoom Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844
Notation Display Track Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845
Score Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847
Editing Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
Score Editor Right-Click Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 851
Key Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 852
Meter Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853
Chord Symbols and Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 854
Exporting Scores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855
Printing Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 856
Contents xix
Replacing Audio Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 933
Sync Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 935
Shift Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 937
Space Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 937
Locking Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938
Muting/Unmuting Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940
Stripping Silence from Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940
Inserting Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943
Duplicating Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943
Repeating Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945
Contents xxi
Chapter 48. Event Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1041
Event Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1041
Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1042
Grid Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1044
Grid Quantize Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1046
Groove Quantize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1048
Quantizing Elastic Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1052
Quantizing Audio Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053
Quantizing Mixed Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053
Restore Performance Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1053
Flatten Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055
Change Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1057
Transpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059
Select/Split Notes Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1061
Input Quantize Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1063
Step Input Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1064
Part IX Mixing
Chapter 50. Basic Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1077
Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1077
Metering and Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1077
Signal Flow by Track Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1078
Audio Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1078
Auxiliary Input Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1079
Master Fader Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1080
Instrument Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1082
VCA Master Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1083
Contents xxiii
Plug-In Settings Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1147
Plug-In Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1150
Bypassing Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1155
Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1156
Using Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1157
Part X Surround
Chapter 55. Pro Tools Setup for Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1247
Surround Mixing in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1247
Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1247
7.1 and 7.0 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1248
7.1.2 and 7.0.2 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1248
Ambisonics Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1249
Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1249
Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1254
5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1255
Contents xxv
Chapter 57. Surround Panning and Mixing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1271
Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1271
Output Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1272
Standard Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1273
Surround Panner Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1274
Panning Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1276
Divergence and Center Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1279
LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1281
Pan Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1282
Contents xxvii
Using the Trim Tools in Spot Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1349
Time Stamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1349
Identifying a Synchronization Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1350
Troubleshooting Timecode Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1351
Speed Correction for Film, NTSC Video, and PAL Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1353
Contents xxix
Renaming Video Disk Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1432
Video Clip Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1433
Using the Video Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1433
Browsing Video in the Video Universe Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1435
Pro Tools Video Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1437
Tips for Optimizing Video Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1437
Compensating for Video Monitoring Delays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1438
Playing Video to an External Monitor Using a Video Peripheral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1438
Timecode Overlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1439
Bouncing the Video Track to a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1439
Bounce Mix to MOV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1442
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1477
Contents xxxi
xxxii Pro Tools Reference Guide
Part I: Introduction to
Pro Tools
Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools
Home Get informed and inspired with access to the Lounges Looking to meet others to get or give ad-
latest industry news, customer stories, blogs, and vice, help, or feedback? Hang out in the Lounges,
product info. You can filter your news feed by Au- which offer a variety of discussion topics for col-
dio, Video, Notation, Live Sound, and Broadcast, laboration seekers, areas of interest, tips and tricks,
and see the latest features for your products, dis- and more. Start or join a conversation, exchange
cover great tips and tricks, be among the first to ideas, and contribute to discussions about prod-
hear about new product announcements, and gain ucts, workflows, and the industry, all in real time,
workflow insight from creative pros. on your computer or mobile device.
Marketplace Expand your creative capabilities Profile Showcase your work and talent for others
further by shopping the Marketplace, conveniently to see and hear what you can do. Avid Link gives
accessible right within Avid Link. Whether you you a powerful platform to tell your story and pro-
need plugins, video effects, stock footage (coming mote your work. Get discovered and increase your
soon), a control surface, or other software or hard- creative opportunities by tagging your profile with
ware to use with Pro Tools, Media Composer®, your skills, specialties, and expertise, making it
Sibelius®, or a third-party audio or video tool. easier for others to find and connect with you.
Pro Tools Projects Lets you view your online Products Lets you view all of your registered Avid
Pro Tools Projects in the Artist Chat window. products, including the System ID, Activation ID,
When you are signed in, double-click any project when Support Expires, and Support Status if rele-
in the list to open it. vant. You can also add Notes for each product.
Before you begin to use Pro Tools, you may find it Nonlinear editing provides significant advantages
helpful to review Pro Tools concepts. These con- over dubbing (re-recording), and cutting and splic-
cepts are the foundation of Pro Tools operation ing magnetic tape. It gives you the greatest possi-
and functionality. ble flexibility for editing and arranging, and it is all
nondestructive and “undoable.” Additionally, with
nonlinear editing in Pro Tools, you will never in-
Hard Disk Audio Recording troduce any degradation of audio fidelity as you
would with tape.
Hard disk recording is a nonlinear (or random ac-
cess) medium—you can go immediately to any
spot in a recording without having to rewind or fast
Audio Engines
forward.
You can stream audio between Pro Tools software
This differs from tape-based recording, which is a and your audio hardware using the Avid Audio En-
linear medium—where you need to rewind or fast gine (Avid audio hardware only), Core Audio
forward to hear a particular spot in a recording. To (Mac), ASIO (Windows only with third-party au-
rearrange or repeat material in a linear system, you dio hardware), or WASAPI (built-in audio or
need to re-record it, or cut and splice it. third-party Windows Audio Devices for playback
Nonlinear systems have several advantages. You only).
can easily rearrange or repeat parts of a recording
Avid Audio Engine
by making the hard disk read parts of the recording
in a different order or multiple times. In addition, The Avid audio engine (AAE) is a real-time oper-
this re-arrangement is nondestructive, meaning ating system for digital audio recording, playback,
that the original recorded material is not altered. and processing with Pro Tools and Avid audio
hardware. When you install Pro Tools, AAE is au-
tomatically installed on your system. AAE pro-
Nonlinear Editing vides the foundation for much of the hard disk re-
cording, digital signal processing, and mix
Pro Tools is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
automation required by Pro Tools and other prod-
and nonlinear editing system that lets you arrange
ucts from Avid and its Development Partners.
and mix recorded material nondestructively. Non-
linear editing simply means that you can cut, copy,
paste, move, delete, trim, and otherwise arrange
any audio, MIDI, or video in the Pro Tools Edit
window.
Voices
MIDI track in the Edit window In Pro Tools, voices are unique, discrete audio
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
Video track in Frames view have effectively exceeded the available number of
audio paths. Voices are allocated dynamically.
Audio, MIDI, Instrument, and video track data can
be edited into clips or repeated in different loca- Typically, each audio channel for each track in
tions to create loops, re-arrange sections or entire your Pro Tools session uses a single voice. So, for
songs, or to assemble tracks using material from a mono audio track, a single voice is used; for a ste-
multiple takes. reo audio track, two voices are used; for a 5.1
track, six voices are used. When using Punch Re-
Auxiliary Input tracks can route internal audio bus-
cording, two voices are needed for every single au-
ses or physical inputs to internal busses or physical
dio channel (one for playback and one for record-
outputs. Auxiliary Inputs are typically used for au-
ing on punch in and out). In some situations, with
dio effects busses, audio throughput (monitoring),
Pro Tools | HDX systems, more than one voice
and submixing.
may be necessary for a single channel (such as
Master Fader tracks provide controls for physical when using host processing on a DSP bus).
audio output channels, including the volume level
On HDX systems, the number of available voices
of your mix, panning, and plug-in inserts.
is dependent on the amount of dedicated DSP pro-
VCA Master tracks provide control of tracks in a cessing in your system.
Mix Group that has been assigned to the VCA
See “Playback, Recording, and Voice Limits
Master.
with Pro Tools Ultimate Software” on page 42).
Folder tracks let you organize both track layout
and signal routing in your projects and sessions.
10 Pro Tools Reference Guide
On all other Pro Tools systems, the full number of
available voices for your system may be limited by
the host processing power of your computer (see
“Pro Tools Artist Capabilities with Different
Hardware Configurations” on page 38).
Clips
A clip is a segment of audio, MIDI, or video data.
A clip could be a drum loop, a guitar riff, a verse of
a song, a recording take, a sound effect, some dia-
Audio file icon log, or an entire sound file. Clips are especially
Audio files for each session are stored in a folder useful for arranging audio and MIDI. A clip can
named “Audio Files.” Audio files are listed in the also have associated automation data. In
Pro Tools Clips List and can appear in an audio Pro Tools, clips are created from audio files or
track. A section of an audio file can be defined as a MIDI data, and can be arranged in audio and MIDI
clip (see “Clips” on page 11). track playlists. Clips can also be grouped (a “clip
of clips”) and looped (repeated).
MIDI Files
Clip group (Mixed audio and MIDI multitrack clip Each audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, Master
group) Fader, and VCA track also has a single set of auto-
mation playlists. Automation playlists can include
Playlists volume, pan, mute, and each automation-enabled
control for the insert and send assignments on that
A playlist is a sequence of clips arranged on an au-
track.
dio, MIDI, or video track. Tracks have edit play-
lists and automation playlists. MIDI controller data on Instrument and MIDI
tracks is always included as part of the track play-
list.
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, Routing Folder, and Master Fader
Tracks Auxiliary Inputs and Routing Folder tracks
can be used as returns, submixers, and bus masters.
Inserts Master Fader tracks are used as bus and output
master level controls. Auxiliary Input, Routing
Folder tracks, and Master Fader tracks can have
plug-in and hardware inserts.
Sends
MIDI Tracks MIDI tracks are generally used for
Input from routing MIDI from internal or external sources to
Outputs to stereo external MIDI devices. MIDI data can also be
stereo bus bus path
path routed to plug-ins on Auxiliary Inputs or Instru-
ment tracks.
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 Studio and local storage, but you cannot open a project by
Ultimate only. navigating through the file system. You can only
access projects through the Pro Tools Dashboard.
Grouping and VCA Tracks Tracks can be grouped
Projects are differentiated from sessions by their
together for mixing so that their relative mix set-
file icon.
tings are maintained when changing a mix setting
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 Project icon (online, left; offline, right)
within the selected group.
You must be online and logged in to your Avid
Master Account the first time you create a project,
but after that you can work offline. Pro Tools and
Pro Tools Projects Avid Link will synchronize your local project with
Projects are similar to sessions, but projects are your account the next time you online. This pro-
cloud enabled. Projects are written to a local proj- cess runs in the background and can be monitored
ect cache that includes all project data and associ- in Pro Tools by checking the Task Manager (Win-
ated media as well as mirrored in your Avid Cloud dow > Task Manager).
Account. Offline projects store all media and proj-
If a project is downloaded on another system when
ect data in the local cache only. Online projects are
you log in to your Avid Master Account, all asso-
stored in your Avid Cloud Account and mirrored
ciated media is downloaded inside of the project
locally (though you can clear the local project
bundle. This does not affect the location of the me-
cache and have the project and its media stored
dia on the originating system. Each system main-
only in the cloud).
tains its own unique placement of media without
duplication.
Media Composer
Pro Tools
MXF file icon (AAF or OMF)
Pro Tools can import and play back MXF audio session sequence
and video files created in Media Composer. whole file clip master clip
OMF is both a media file and sequence format. plug-ins real-time audio effects
OMF media files can be audio or video, and volume automation gain Media Composer key-
Pro Tools can import and play back OMF audio, frame volume
but not OMF video. Pro Tools can also export
OMF audio, but not OMF video.
Whole audio files in the Clips List normally
Pro Tools can import and play back OMF audio appear in bold type. However, master clip au-
files created in Media Composer or other applica- dio files imported from AAF or OMF into
tions. Pro Tools will not appear in bold type (indi-
cating clips) in the Pro Tools Clips List even
An OMF sequence cannot reference or have MXF
though they are audio files.
media embedded within it.
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:
To access the full list of Pro Tools shortcuts in the • Assigning inputs, outputs, and sends
Pro Tools Shortcuts Guide: • Toggling volume/peak/delay display
Choose Help > Pro Tools Shortcuts. • Clearing meters
• Changing track heights
Mouse Shortcuts
Command Mac Windows
Right-Click Shortcuts
Apply action to all Option+ Alt+
Pro Tools provides Right-Click shortcuts for channel strips/tracks action action
choosing various Pro Tools commands and menus
with any Right-Click capable mouse. Apply action to Option+ Alt+Shift+
selected channel Shift+ action
strips/tracks action
Scroll-wheel Functions
Toggle item and set Control-click Command- Commands Keyboard Focus When selected in
all others to opposite item click item the Tracks pane in the Edit window or in the Notes
state pane of any MIDI Editor window, this provides a
wide range of single key shortcuts from the com-
Controls and Editing Tools puter keyboard for editing and playing. The front-
Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for moving most Edit or MIDI Editor window always receives
plug-in controls, faders and sliders, the Scrubber, Commands Keyboard Focus when it is en-
and automation data. abled.With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled,
you can still access any of its key shortcuts by
Command Mac Windows pressing Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) along
with the key. See the Shortcuts Guide for a com-
Fine adjustment Hold Command Hold Control
plete list of Commands Keyboard Focus shortcuts.
of sliders, while clicking while clicking
knobs, and the item the item
breakpoints
Pro Tools Custom Keyboard labeled with keyboard commands (Mac keyboard shown)
Clips List Keyboard Focus When selected, audio To set the Keyboard Focus, do one of the
clips, MIDI clips, and clip groups can be located following:
and selected in the Clips List by typing the first few Click the a–z button for the focus you want to
letters of the clip’s name. enable.
Groups List Keyboard Focus When selected, Mix While pressing Command+Option (Mac) or
and Edit Groups can be enabled or disabled by typ- Control+Alt (Windows), press one of the fol-
ing the Group ID letter (in either the Mix or Edit lowing keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Clips List), or 3
window). (Groups List).
Commands Keyboard Focus Clips List Although multiple plug-in windows can have a
(Edit window) Keyboard Focus
keyboard focus enabled, only the front-most
window receives any keyboard input.
Toolbar Focus
In the Edit window, the MIDI Editor pane can be
displayed in addition to the Tracks pane (View >
Groups List
Keyboard Focus Other Displays > MIDI Editor). When the MIDI Ed-
itor pane is displayed, there are two separate Tool-
bars and Timelines in the Edit window: one for the
Tracks pane and one for the MIDI Editor pane.
Keyboard Focus buttons Only one Toolbar and Timeline can be focused for
Menu and Toolbar commands (including the cor-
responding keyboard shortcuts) at a time. The fo-
cused Toolbar displays a yellow outline.
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
https://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
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There are five types of Pro Tools systems: Pro Tools | Carbon Hardware
Pro Tools Artist Software These systems include Pro Tools | Carbon™ hard-
ware with Pro Tools Ultimate or Pro Tools Studio
Pro Tools Artist software can be used with built-in software using Core Audio AVB (Mac). Carbon
computer audio, and using Avid or third-party au- provides on-board smart DSP for minimal latency
dio interfaces with supported Core Audio (Mac) or while recording and input monitoring.
ASIO (Windows) drivers.
For more information on Pro Tools | Carbon,
For a list of qualified audio interfaces and see the Pro Tools | Carbon Guide.
computers for all Pro Tools systems, visit
www.avid.com/compatibility. Pro Tools | HDX or HD Native Hardware
Pro Tools Studio Software Hardware accelerated Pro Tools | HD™ systems
include Pro Tools | HDX™ or HD Native (PCIe or
These systems include Pro Tools Studio software Thunderbolt) hardware with HD or MTRX audio
using either Avid or third-party audio interfaces interfaces running Pro Tools Ultimate software.
with supported Core Audio (Mac, including built- Hardware accelerated systems provide expanded
in audio on Mac computers), ASIO (Windows), or I/O capabilities and low-latency monitoring.
WASAPI (Windows Audio Session API).
HDX systems provide dedicated DSP for plug-in
Pro Tools Ultimate Software processing and large mixer configurations (HDX
Classic). HDX systems also let you use the HDX
These systems include Pro Tools Ultimate soft- Hybrid Engine to leverage host processing for
ware with any compatible non-HDX or non- maximum voice counts and smart DSP for mini-
HD Native Avid audio interfaces (such as Mbox), mal latency while recording and input monitoring.
or Core Audio (Mac), ASIO (Windows), or
WASAPI (Windows) hardware.
• Multichannel support for surround sound in- The total processing capacity of a Pro Tools Studio
cluding Dolby Atmos® and Ambisonics system depends on the processing power of your
• Audio processing with up to 10 real-time computer. Visit www.avid.com for the latest sys-
plug-ins per track, depending on your tem requirements and compatibility information.
computer’s capabilities
• Up to 10 hardware inserts per track
• Up to 10 sends per track
• AAF and OMF Import/Export
• HEAT
Pro Tools Ultimate software provides the follow- • Up to 10 sends per track
ing capabilities with Core Audio, ASIO, or • AAF and OMF Import/Export
WASAPI hardware:
• HEAT
• Up to 256 channels of I/O depending on your
• Clip FX
system configuration
• AAC audio support
• Up to a total of 2,048 voiceable audio tracks of
any channel width (unvoiced tracks are made in- • Import video
active) • Bounce Mix multi-stem support
• Up to a total of 2,048 voices at all sample rates • Support for up to 2 Satellite systems
• Up to 1,024 Auxiliary Input and Routing Folder • Timecode + Feet/Frames support
tracks
• AFL/PFL
• Up to 2,000 Basic Folder tracks
• Mic Pre support
• Up to 512 Master Fader tracks
• Batch Rename
• Up to 128 VCA Master tracks
• Advanced Metering
• Up to 1,024 MIDI tracks
For more information about the I/O capabili-
• Up to 512 Instrument tracks
ties of your audio interface with Pro Tools,
• Up to 64 video tracks per session see the documentation that came with your
• 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit floating point audio audio interface.
resolution, at sample rates up to 192 kHz
Pro Tools | Carbon • Mic Preamp control from Pro Tools tracks
Pro Tools | Carbon is a versatile multi-channel au- For more information, see the
dio interface for Pro Tools Ultimate and Pro Tools Pro Tools | Carbon Guide.
Studio software, or other AVB Core Audio–com-
patible software.
Pro Tools Ultimate with HDX hardware provides • Up to 10 sends per track
the following capabilities: • TrackPunch and DestructivePunch
• Up to 256 channels of I/O depending on your • AAF and OMF Import/Export
system configuration (up to 64 channels of I/O • HEAT
per HDX card)
• Clip FX
• Up to a total of 2,048 voiceable audio tracks of
any channel width (unvoiced tracks are made in- • AAC audio support
active): • Field Recorder support
• Up to 256 voices per HDX card (HDX Clas- • Import video and advanced video editing fea-
sic) tures
• Up to 2,048 voices with the HDX Hybrid En- • Bounce Mix multi-stem support
gine (HDX Hybrid Engine only)
• Support for up to 12 Satellite systems
• Up to 1,024 Auxiliary Input tracks or Routing
• Timecode + Feet|Frames support
Folder Tracks
• H.265 support
• Up to 2,000 Basic Folder tracks
• Up to 512 Master Fader tracks Audio Recording and Playback
• Up to 128 VCA Master tracks Capabilities
• Up to 1,024 MIDI tracks The number of simultaneous tracks for audio re-
cording or playback depends on your system con-
• Up to 512 Instrument tracks
figuration and system resources.
• Up to 64 video tracks per session
• 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit floating point audio Number of Voiced Audio Tracks
resolution, at sample rates up to 192 kHz Each channel in an audio track requires a single
• Multichannel support for surround sound in- voice for playback. For example, while a mono
cluding Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics track uses one voice and a stereo track uses two
voices, a 5.1 track uses six voices.
With HDX systems, voice limits are dependent on the session sample rate and the number of DSP chips
dedicated to the system’s Playback Engine. With the HDX Hybrid Engine, HD Native, Core Audio, and
ASIO systems, voice limits are dependent on host processing.
s
Pro Tools Ultimate audio playback, recording, and voice limits by hardware configuration
Sample Rate
Core System Type Maximum I/O Maximum Voices
(kHz)
88.2/96 128
176.4/192 64
88.2/96 256
176.4/192 128
88.2/96 384
176.4/192 192
176.4/192 2,048
Sample Rate
Core System Type Maximum I/O Maximum Voices
(kHz)
88.2/96 2,048
176.4/192 2,048
176.4/192 2,048
HD OMNI Audio Interface • 4 analog TRS line level back panel inputs
(Channels 1–4)
HD OMNI is a professional digital audio interface
designed for use with Pro Tools HD systems. HD OMNI provides multiple analog input con-
HD OMNI provides a compact preamp, monitor- nections, but only four channels of analog in-
ing, and I/O solution for music production and re- put for Pro Tools.
cording, and post production studios.
• Soft Clip and Curv limiting circuits to protect
HD OMNI Features against clipping on analog input
HD OMNI provides up to 8 discrete channels of • 8 channels of analog back panel output using a
Pro Tools input and output, with 4-segment LED DB-25 breakout cable (sold separately) with
meters for input or output (selectable). variable output gain
• 2 channels of analog back panel output using
Analog I/O TRS (Mirrors channels 1–2 or 7–8 on DB-25
• 24-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-an- connector)
alog (D/A) converters, with support for sample • Front panel stereo 1/4-inch headphone jack
rates up to 192 kHz
• 2 high-quality Mic/DI preamps (Channels 1–2) Digital I/O
• 2 combined XLR and 1/4-inch TRS front panel • 8 channels of AES/EBU output (up to 192 kHz
inputs for microphone and instrument level in- Single Wire) using a DB-25 breakout cable (sold
put separately)
• 2 XLR back panel microphone inputs • 2 channels of AES/EBU XLR input (up to
192 kHz Single Wire)
• 2 1/4-inch TRS Send and 2 1/4-inch TRS Return
back panel jacks for hardware inserts on chan- • 2 channels of S/PDIF RCA input and output (up
nels 1 and 2 to 192 kHz)
• 8 channels of ADAT™ TOSLINK input and out-
put
• Support for ADAT S/MUX Optical for sample 192 kHz
rates of 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, and
• Optional addition of I/O cards to expand analog • BNC Loop Sync I/O for synchronizing
or digital I/O HD MADI with additional Avid HD audio
interfaces and peripherals (such as HD I/O,
• Simultaneous use of multiple Avid HD audio in- HD OMNI, or Sync X)
terfaces to further expand system input and out-
put • Dedicated BNC Word Clock input and XLR
AES/EBU input (clock input only) for external
For more information, see the HD I/O Guide. MADI synchronization (when using SRC on
output)
• Clock support for the following formats: Inter-
nal, Loop Sync, Word Clock, AES/EBU, and
MADI
• Varispeed modes (supports both 64- and 56-
channel standards)
Pro Tools | MTRX is a multichannel digital audio • Sample rates of 44.1–384 kHz as well as
interface designed for use with Pro Tools | HDX DSD64/DSD 128 with high precision internal
and Pro Tools | HD Native systems. clock and PLL
• Sample rate can be adapted to the setting of an
Depending on installed analog expansion I/O external device
cards, MTRX features extremely high quality
24-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-ana- • Synchronization by Word Clock, AES11, Video,
log (D/A) converters, and supports sample rates of and all digital audio inputs
up to 192 kHz.
Remote Control
MTRX comes in three standard configurations: • Operation using DADman software—some set-
• 8 x 8 x 8 (8 analog in, 8 analog out, and 8 digital tings can be controlled on the front panel
in and out) • All settings are controlled over Ethernet
• 16 x 16 analog in and out
Pro Tools | MTRX I/O Expansion Options
• 16 x 16 digital in and out
• 2 to 48 analog channels depending on the in-
You can also add or remove analog and digital I/O stalled analog I/O cards (Mic/Line AD cards
expansion cards for custom configurations. with relay-based mic pre gain circuits):
• MTRX 8 Line Pristine AD Card
MTRX Features
• MTRX 2 Mic/Line Pristine AD Card
Pro Tools MTRX provides up to 64 discrete chan- • MTRX 8 Mic/Line Pristine AD Card
nels of audio for Pro Tools with two DigiLink Mini • MTRX Pristine 8 DA Card
ports (Primary and Primary/Expansion).
• Digital I/O Expansion Cards:
Digital I/O • MTRX 8 AES3 I/O Card
• Built-in 8 AES3 interfaces with 16 channels of • MTRX Dual SDI/HD/3G Card
I/O • MTRX Dante 128 Card
• Built-in MADI coax interface with 64 channels • MTRX 64-Channel IP Audio Dante Module
of I/O
• MTRX Dual MADI I/O Card
• Compliant with the Dante Controller and Dante
• MTRX DigiLink I/O Card
Virtual Sound Card
• MTRX SPQ Processing Card
• Ethernet IP audio interface for 64 I/O channels
using Dante® with configurable redundant net- For more information, see the MTRX In-
work stallation and the MTRX Operation guides.
• Digital router and format converter between all
analog and digital inputs and outputs
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 up or down 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 (greater-than-ste-
reo) can have any number of sub-paths. Input
Click the corresponding tab at the top of the I/O
channels can have overlapping input paths. Input
Setup.
names, channel widths, and physical input map-
Hold the Command key (Mac) or the Control pings are saved with the system and the session,
key (Windows) and use the Left or Right Arrow and can be 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 88. 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
2 In the Output page, ensure that there is an avail- 1 Choose Setup > I/O Setup.
able output path with the channel format that you
2 Select the Output tab.
want. If not, create one.
3 Select the Bed/Object Fold Down Path output 3 From the Output Meter Path selector, select the
path you want to use to monitor surround format desired output path for metering.
beds and panned object audio
Default Output Bus
You can specify the default output bus path
assignment for new tracks, in each available
format.
4 Click OK to save your changes and close the I/O The Default Output Bus can be set for
Setup. internal mix bus paths, as well as for
output bus paths.
Make sure that Pro Tools is not connected to a Ren-
derer, start playback and you will hear all object au- To specify a default output for new tracks in the
dio downmixed to the designated Bed/Object Fold I/O Setup:
Down Path.
Click the Default Output Bus pop-up menu and
Because the Bed/Object Fold Down Path acti- select a format and output bus path.
vates an invisible internal bus, it cannot be
metered on a Master Fader or the Edit Win- AFL/PFL Path
dow Output Meter Path display.
Tracks soloed in AFL (After Fader Listen) or PFL
(Pre Fader Listen) Solo mode are routed to the cur-
Output Meter Path
rent AFL/PFL Path, as set with the AFL/PFL Path
The Output Meter Path selector determines the selector.
which output or bus paths are monitored by the
Output Meters in the transport (see “Output Me- Pro Tools provides a combined AFL/PFL Path set-
ters” on page 1109). It also determines the path ting that can use any available Output path, regard-
less of channel width. For mismatched channel
widths, the AFL/PFL path is automatically down-
mixed or upmixed to the selected Output path.
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 Default Format selector lets you select the de- The Path Order selector lets you specify the de-
fault format (Mono, Stereo, and all multichannel fault channel order for all new paths created. The
formats) for new paths and for when you click the selected Path Order setting determines the channel
Default button. order for the following:
The Default Format selector is available in the • Channels added to newly created path (first
Input, Output, and Insert pages of I/O Setup. The paths) when hitting the Default button.
Default Format settings on each page are set inde- • Channels added to empty paths when penciling
pendently of one another. The Input and Insert in channel assignments.
pages only provide Mono and Stereo options. The • Channels added when creating a new path and
Output page provides all available formats. selecting the Add default channel assignments
Depending on which page of the I/O Setup is cur- option.
rently shown, the Default Format setting deter- The Path Order selector is available in the Input,
mines the width of the first output (or input or in- Output, and Insert pages of I/O Setup. Setting the
sert) when clicking the Default button. If mono or Path Order on any page of I/O Setup affects the
stereo is selected, all outputs (or inputs or inserts) other pages.
are created accordingly.
To choose a new default path order (track layout):
To choose a Default Format:
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
Select the desired channel format from the De-
fault Format pop-up menu. 2 Click the Output tab.
3 Use the Default Path Order setting to select the
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio let you filter
channel order you want for the corresponding
which multichannel formats appear in the De-
channel width.
fault Format selector. For more information,
see “Channel Width Filtering” on page 1259.
Output busses are automatically created and 3 Click the Input or Output selector for the first
mapped to outputs when new output paths are interface channel pair, located below the first
created. audio interface icon.
Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair The output name updates with a plus sign (“+”) be-
to Multiple Destinations fore it to indicate that multiple output ports are se-
lected. In the pop-up menu, each physical port pair
Pro Tools channel pairs can be routed to assigned to that Pro Tools output pair is indicated
multiple outputs on an audio interface through the by a check mark.
I/O Setup. For example, if you assign both Analog
1–2 and Analog 3–4 interface outputs to Pro Tools 6 Repeat the above steps to select additional
Output pair 1–2, when you send a signal to output destinations.
Pro Tools Outputs 1–2, that signal will be routed 7 Click OK to save changes and close the
simultaneously to both pairs of output ports on I/O Setup.
your audio interface.
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 69
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
Main
Sub-Paths Sub-Path Name
Path
Enable Add Default Channel Assignments option if Quad 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path
you want Pro Tools to automatically assign input, 4 Mono (one for name > .LR
each channel) Mono: <main path
output, and insert sub-paths to physical inputs and
name>.L, .R, .Ls, .Rs
outputs in the Grid (from the first available channel
to the maximum number of channels available). If 5.0 – 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path
the number of new sub-paths of a certain width ex- 6.0 – 5–7 Mono name >.LR
7.0 (one for each Mono: <main path
ceeds the number of available channels, Pro Tools
channel) name >.L, .C, .R,
wraps around and starts over the first physical in- .Ls, .Rs, and so on
put or output of your audio interface.
5.1 – 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path
6.1 – 6–8 Mono name >.LR
Create Default Sub-Paths Option 7.1 (one for each Mono: <main path
(Bus Sub-Paths Only) channel) name >.L, .C, .R,
.Ls, .Rs, and so on,
Pro Tools lets you create the default sub-paths for and LFE
busses in the New Sub-Path dialog when accessed
7.0.2 1 each: 7.0, 5.0, multichannel sub-
from the Bus page. Enable the Create Default Sub- (Dolby Quad, LCR, Ste- paths: <main path
Paths option to have Pro Tools automatically cre- Atmos reo, Overhead name >.<channel
ate the default set of sub-paths for the path format only) (LR); format>
(channel width) of the selected main bus path, as and 9 Mono Mono: <main path
shown in the following table. (one for each name >.L, .C, .R,
channel) .Lss, .Rss, .Lsr, .Rsr,
Default Sub-Paths .Lts, .Rts
To select all paths and sub-paths: 1 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
path name.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
path name that is unhighlighted. 2 Click Delete Path.
2 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O Tracks can also be made active or inactive. For in-
Setup. formation, see “Making Track Inputs and Outputs
Inactive from the Edit or Mix Window” on
Deleting Paths page 267.
Path definitions can be deleted from the current To globally activate or deactivate a path:
session to reflect changes to your hardware setup,
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
or to clean up track selector menus by removing
unwanted or unnecessary path definitions. After 2 Select a path type using the tabs at the top of the
deleting a path, any tracks or send assignments to window.
that path are reset to No Output.
3 Set the Active/Inactive control for the path.
Any tracks that were assigned to the now inactive Other channels for the path type, if any, fill to the
path will show that path's name in italics on the right. For example, when assigning a new stereo
track's I/O selectors. path, clicking in the path row under output channel
1 fills both channel 1 and 2 (left to 1, right to 2).
4 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
Setup. Path status is displayed as follows: To reassign channels in a path, see
“Reassiging Paths” on page 79.
Italics Indicates the path is inactive.
Non-Italics Indicates the path is active. 4 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
Setup.
With overlapping output paths of different
channel widths, if the widest path is made in- If there are any invalid settings, you will be re-
active, all other overlapped output paths will quired to correct them before the I/O Setup will
not pass audio from Pro Tools. close. For more information, see “Valid Paths and
Requirements” on page 79.
Where possible, Pro Tools can automatically re- Object paths are busses mapped (routed) to Object
map the session’s output busses to the output paths Input paths, as defined by the Dolby Atmos Ren-
of the system on which the session is being opened. derer (see “Mapping Object Busses to Renderer In-
put Paths” on page 1290).
See “Session or Project Interchange and I/O
Mapping” on page 87 for more information For more information about Pro Tools au-
exchanging sessions between systems, and on thoring to Dolby Atmos, see Chapter 58,
opening sessions in lower version of “Mixing to Dolby Atmos.”
Pro Tools. Output busses do not exist in
Pro Tools 8.0.x and lower. Creating and Mapping Busses to
Outputs
Output Busses
Any available bus can be mapped to any of the
Output busses are mapped (routed) to output paths, available output paths of the same channel width
as configured on the Output page of the I/O Setup. or greater. For example, a mono bus can be
Output paths are then assigned to the system’s mapped to a mono output path, a stereo bus can be
physical audio outputs in the I/O Setups Grid (see mapped to a stereo output path, and a 5.1 surround
“Assigning Paths to Hardware I/O” on page 78). bus can be mapped to a 5.1 surround output path.
When you create a new output path on the Output You can unmap busses from outputs at any time.
page of the I/O Setup, a new output bus of the same
width is automatically created and mapped to that To create a bus and map it to an output path:
output path. Output busses are also created and 1 On the Bus page of the I/O Setup, click New
mapped according to default settings when creat- Path.
ing a new session or restoring defaults (see “Re-
storing Default Paths and Path Names” on 2 In the New Paths dialog, specify the number of
page 75). new paths you want to create, the channel width
for each path, and the path name.
Physical outputs for output paths are configured on
the Outputs page of the I/O Setups (see “Assigning
Paths to Hardware I/O” on page 78).
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only) Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
mono bus indicator and select the channel from
You can map a mono bus to any channel of a sur-
the pop-up menu.
round output path. For example, route a dialogue
track to the center channel of 5.1 output path. (This To assign the same channel to all selected mono
capability is available for all output channel widths busses mapped to a multichannel output path, do
except Stereo and Quad outputs.) one of the following:
1 On the Bus page of the I/O Setup, click New Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
Path. dows) to select noncontiguous mono busses in
the Name column.
2 In the New Paths dialog, specify Mono channel
width for the bus path, type a path name, and Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click
click Create. (Windows) a mono bus indicator and select the
channel from the pop-up menu.
3 Enable Mapping To Output for the path.
To assign ascending (cascading) channels to all
4 Select a multichannel output path from the Map-
mono busses mapped to a multichannel output:
ping To Output selector. The mono bus indicator
changes to “C” (Center) by default, and a pop- Command-Option-click (Mac) or Control-Alt-
up menu becomes available. click (Windows) the mono bus indicator of the
top-most mono bus and select the first channel
from the pop-up menu.
• Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) Resetting busses to the default setting will re-
for each additional Output path you want to as- name all busses to their default name (Bus 1–
sign an Output bus to. 2, Bus 3–4, and so on).
• Command-Option-click (Mac) or Control-Alt-
5 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
click (Windows) to assign a bus to the selected
Setup.
Output path and all subsequent busses to the
next available Output path sequentially. Active Busses
Custom I/O Settings files can be created by chang- 4 In the Open dialog, navigate to and select the
ing I/O Setup settings (see “Customizing I/O Set- session or I/O settings file you want.
tings” on page 66), and then exporting the settings.
These I/O settings can then be restored by import- 5 Click Open.
ing them into a system. 6 Click OK to save your changes and close I/O
Setup.
This lets you save settings for different projects,
import settings to reconfigure the I/O Setup, and You can also import I/O paths and path
manage path definitions and signal routing setups. names, as well as other session data, from
a different session by using the Import Ses-
Importing I/O Settings sion Data command (File > Import > Ses-
sion Data). For information, see “Import-
Pro Tools lets you import I/O Settings from session
ing Session Data” on page 443.
files (.ptx) I/O settings files (.pio) before or after
you open a session. I/O Settings are only imported To import I/O Settings:
for the current page of the I/O Setup. For example,
1 Click the tab for the page of the I/O Setup for
if you are viewing the Output page and import I/O
which you want to import settings.
Settings, only the settings for the Output page are
imported. This helps to avoid overwriting your 2 Click Import Settings.
custom I/O Settings on other pages.
Enable the Apply to all tabs option or press
Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while click-
ing Import Settings to overwrite I/O Settings
in all pages with the settings imported from a
session file or I/O settings file.
• Click No to add the imported paths to the cur- 1 Open the I/O Setup (Setup > I/O).
rent I/O Setup configuration. 2 Select the tab for the page that you want to re-
store from the session.
If the import results in overlapping paths, the new
paths will appear in the I/O Setup as Inactive. See 3 Click Restore from Session.
“Making Paths Active or Inactive” on page 77.
Enable the Apply to all tabs option or press
After importing I/O Settings, you can then reassign Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while click-
path routing definitions in the I/O Setup by remap- ing Restore from Session to restore settings
ping, renaming, and deleting paths. See “Pro Tools for all I/O Setup pages from the session.
Software Signal Paths” on page 54.
4 Click OK to save your changes and close I/O
Setup.
Exporting I/O Settings
When you export I/O settings, all pages of the I/O
Setup are exported. Session or Project
Interchange and I/O Mapping
To export and save an I/O Setup configuration as a
custom I/O Settings file: I/O Setup mappings are saved both with the last
1 Configure the I/O Setup settings. used .pio file (Pro Tools I/O settings file) and the
session or project. When opening a session or proj-
2 Click Export Settings. ect on a system that has a different I/O Setup,
3 Name and save the settings file. The settings file Pro Tools follows these rules to ensure the best
is appended with “.pio” to distinguish it as an possible re-mapping of the session’s or project’s
I/O settings file. I/O Setup to the new system:
• Output busses are mapped to system Output
To start sessions with a blank or empty
paths by unique ID if possible.
I/O Setup, you can create and export an I/O
Settings file in which all definitions have been • Pro Tools always maps the Monitor Path of the
deleted. session or project to the Monitor path of the cur-
rent system. (If Monitor subpaths exist in the
session, Pro Tools uses the best matching format
for the system Monitor subpaths.)
When you change the Playback Engine (for exam- To specify the organization of Track I/O Menus:
ple, from HDX to Built-in) Pro Tools automati- 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
cally creates and recalls I/O Settings (.pio) files
based on the Playback Engine. The first time that 2 Select the Display tab.
you use a new Playback Engine, Pro Tools uses the 3 Select one of the following options from the Or-
stereo defaults for the selected Playback Engine ganize Track IO Menus By selector:
and corresponding hardware. Thus, even on the
same computer, Pro Tools treats different Play- Type Displays only the I/O Type (Interface or Bus)
back Engines as if they are different systems. This as I/O categories in Track I/O menus.
facilitates changing the Playback Engine without
To ensure that the components of your Pro Tools To quit Pro Tools, choose Pro Tools > Quit
system communicate properly with each other, you (Mac) or File > Exit (Windows).
need to start them in a particular order.
2 Turn off or lower the volume of all output
Start up your Pro Tools system in this order:
devices in your system.
1 Make sure all your equipment (including your 3 Turn off your computer.
computer) is off. 4 Do one of the following depending on your
2 Lower the volume of all output devices in your Pro Tools system:
system. • For HDX and HD Native systems, turn off
your Pro Tools audio interfaces.
3 For systems with an expansion chassis, turn on
the chassis. • For Pro Tools systems with hardware requir-
ing external power (like Pro Tools | Carbon),
4 Turn on any control surfaces (such as S1 or S6). turn off the hardware.
5 Turn on any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or 5 For systems with an expansion chassis, turn off
synchronization peripherals. the chassis.
6 Do one of the following, depending on your 6 Turn off any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or
Pro Tools system: synchronization peripherals.
• For HDX and HD Native systems, with the
7 Turn off any control surfaces (such as S1 or S6).
volume of all output devices lowered, turn on
your audio interfaces (such as HD OMNI).
Wait at least fifteen seconds for your system
hardware to initialize. Running DigiTest
• For Pro Tools systems with hardware requir- Before you use Pro Tools, you may want to run the
ing external power (like Pro Tools | Carbon), DigiTest™ diagnostic application to ensure that all
with the volume of all output devices low- HDX cards in the system are recognized, installed
ered, turn on the hardware. in the proper order, and have valid connections.
You can also use DigiTest to validate your
7 Turn on your computer.
HD Native PCIe card or Thunderbolt interface.
8 Launch Pro Tools. For more information, see the Avid DigiTest Guide.
On Mac systems using Core Audio, you can use On Windows systems, select the ASIO4ALL v2 op-
Pro Tools with the built-in audio inputs and out- tion to use the built-in WDM sound card (for re-
puts on your Mac by selecting any of the available cording and monitoring). The ASIO4ALL v2
built-in inputs and outputs, or by selecting the driver is installed automatically with Pro Tools.
Pro Tools Aggregate I/O option for using a combi- You can configure the ASIO4ALL settings in its
nation of built-in inputs and outputs simultane- Setup App (choose Settings > Hardware and click
ously (for recording and monitoring). Launch Setup App).
Many Intel®-based Macs provide a feature called You can use the Disk Cache and Memory
“Turbo Boost.” This accelerates processor and meters in the System Usage window to deter-
graphics performance for peak loads, automati- mine whether to assign more or less RAM to
cally allowing processor cores to run faster than the Disk Cache for the current session. See
the rated operating frequency. The downside is “System Usage” on page 106.
that this also increases CPU temperature, which To set the amount of RAM for use by the Disk
can cause Mac fans to have to run faster and thus Cache:
generate more noise.
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
Turbo Boost is enabled by default on macOS and 2 From the Disk Cache selector, select the amount
its setting applies to the entire Mac system (not just of RAM you want to allocate for Disk Cache.
Pro Tools).
3 Click OK.
When the Intel Turbo Boost option is disabled, Mac
fan noise should be greatly reduced. However, you
may notice a slight reduction in overall system per-
formance.
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.
HD OMNI Hardware Setup, Analog In page HD OMNI Hardware Setup, Mixer page
System Usage
Meters in the System Usage window indicate how
much of your system’s resources are being used System Usage window, individual CPU meters
when processing audio, and when writing and
playing back automation. Activity Meters
The Activity section of the System Usage window
As these meters approach their limits, host pro-
display meters for disk usage and memory usage.
cessing and recording or playback of automation
data can be affected. If CPU or PCI Activity are Disk Meter
high, a system error may occur. If Disk Activity is
high, Pro Tools may miss playback of some auto- As in previous versions of Pro Tools, the Disk me-
mation data during particularly dense periods of ter displays the amount of hard disk processing ac-
activity, such as while using the Bounce Mix com- tivity.
mand.
Voices
Time Slots
System Usage window, Disk Cache meter System Usage window (HDX shown)
The Disk Cache meter indicates the amount of al- Voices
located memory being used to cache audio in the
(Pro Tools Ultimate Only)
timeline (up to the amount of RAM selected for the
Disk Cache setting in the Playback Engine). An The Voices meter displays the total number of
additional peak-meter style indicator is included to voices available and the number of voices cur-
show how much of the allocated RAM is needed rently used. This includes all voices, including any
for caching the session. voices used for routing between DSP and host-
based processing.
Memory Meter
Time Slots
The Memory meter displays how much of the in-
(HDX Systems Only)
stalled physical RAM in the system is being used
by Pro Tools. This includes RAM used by the au- The Time Slots meter displays the total number of
dio engine, the video engine (if enabled), plug-ins, DSP Time Slots available and the number of DSP
and the disk cache. Other than Pro Tools, it does Time Slots currently used.
not show any other RAM usage by the system. If
the Memory meter approached 100%, install more
physical RAM or lower the Disk Cache setting in
the Playback Engine dialog.
Displays how many of the available Hybrid Input The DSP meters display how much of each DSP
and Output channels are being used for record and chip on each HDX card is currently being used for
input monitoring in DSP Mode. mixer configurations and DSP-based plug-ins.
Hybrid I/O
Channels
DSP Usage
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.
Use Separate Play and Stop Keys Click the Change button to set the Root directory
for caching all project media.
When enabled, this option lets you start playback
with the Enter key and stop playback with the 0 Sound Libraries
key on the numeric keypad. This is useful for
When Pro Tools is installed, any included audio
quickly starting and stopping playback when audi-
loops are stored in the Sound Libraries folder by de-
tioning loop transitions. The Use Separate Play
fault:
and Stop Keys option is only available in Trans-
port Numeric Keypad mode. Mac Macintosh HD/Users/<username>/
Documents/Pro Tools/Sound Libraries
When this option is enabled, it overrides
using the Enter key to add Memory Location Windows C:\Users\<username>\Documents\
markers. Instead, press Period (.) and then Pro Tools\Sound Libraries
Enter on the numeric keypad to add a
Click the Change button to direct Pro Tools to ref-
Memory Location marker.
erence another location for the Sound Libraries
folder and Loops content.
Auto Backup
Enable Session File Auto Backup When se- Show Sound Libraries in Workspace Locations
lected, Pro Tools automatically saves backups of Enable the Show Sound Libraries in Workspace/
your Pro Tools session file while you work. Back- Locations option to show Sound Libraries in the
ups are saved to in the Session File Backups folder Locations pane of Workspace browsers.
in your session folder.
New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase When Specifies a default length for crossfades created by
selected, all new tracks default to ticks. When QuickPunch™ or TrackPunch (Pro Tools Ultimate
deselected, audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, only) recordings. Crossfades occur before the
and VCA tracks default to samples. punch in and after the punch out.
Suppress Name Dialog When Creating New Preserve Fades when Editing This option pre-
Playlists Enable this option to automatically name serves fade-ins and fade outs, and converts sepa-
new playlists without opening the Name New rated crossfades into corresponding fade-ins and
Playlist dialog. This applies when creating both fade-outs.
new of duplicate playlists.
Auto Accept Adjust Bounds This option automat-
Show Target Playlist(s) After Sending Clip ically adjusts fade boundaries without presenting
Selection Enable this option to show Target play- the Invalid Fades dialog.
list(s) in the Main playlist after moving or copying
an Edit selection to that playlist. Smart Tool Fade Adjustment
Sends Default to Lets you enter a value from – This preference lets you choose any installed EQ
–144) to +12 dB for the initial fader level of plug-in as the default, which makes it available for
newly-created sends. The default setting is – (no quick assignment, both on-screen and on ICON
audible signal level). controllers (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only).
On-screen, the plug-in appears at the top of the In-
Send Pans Default to Follow Main Pan When se-
sert selector pop-up menu. On ICON controllers,
lected, newly created sends have Follow Main Pan
the plug-in appears first in the list of menu choices
turned on, so the Send Pan controls follow the pan
on the rotary encoders.
controls of the track. When not selected, newly
created sends have Follow Main Pan turned off. Insert Slot The specified Insert slot (none, or a–j)
is used (if it is available) when inserting the default
Use Absolute Pan Linking (Pro Tools Ultimate
EQ plug-in from a S6 or S4 control surface. If the
and Studio Only) This option affects behavior of
specified slot is not available, the next available
grouped pan controls.
plug-in slot is used. When None is selected, S6 or
• When selected, grouped pan controls do not S4 control surfaces insert the selected default plug-
maintain relative offsets when any of the in in the first available insert slot.
grouped pan controls is adjusted. All grouped
pan controls snap to the absolute value of the ad- Default Dynamics
justed control.
This preference lets you choose any installed Dy-
• When not selected, grouped pan controls main- namics plug-in as the default, which makes it
tain relative offsets when any of the linked con- available for quick assignment, both on-screen and
trols is adjusted. on ICON controllers (Pro Tools Ultimate and Stu-
Allow Sends to Persist During LLM (Core Audio, dio only). On-screen, the plug-in appears at the top
ASIO, and HD Native Systems Only) All plug-ins of the Insert selector pop-up menu. On ICON con-
and sends are bypassed by default when Low La- trollers, the plug-in appears first in the list of menu
tency Monitoring (LLM) is enabled (Options > choices on the rotary encoders.
Low Latency Monitoring). Enable the Allow Sends
Insert Slot The specified Insert slot (none, or a–j)
to Persist During LLM option to maintain sends au-
is used (if it is available) when inserting the default
dio signal output with Low Latency Monitoring.
Dynamics plug-in from a EUCON™ control sur-
When this setting is enabled, plug-ins and sends re- face. If the specified slot is not available, the next
main active. Audio signal that is routed to the main available plug-in slot is used. When None is se-
outputs bypass the plug-ins in the signal flow, but lected, EUCON control surfaces insert the selected
any sends still receive the plug-in affected audio default plug-in in the first available insert slot.
along with any additional incurred latency. This
option is most useful when using sends for delay Auto Insert Default Plug-Ins from EUCON
and reverb effects while monitoring track input Surfaces When selected, the default EQ and
signals in Low Latency mode for recording. default Dynamics plug-ins are automatically avail-
able when creating new tracks from EUCON
surfaces.
Allow Latch Prime in Stop (Pro Tools Ultimate • When selected, Send faders go into Trim mode
and Studio Only) When selected and any tracks along with the Main Volume fader.
are in Latch mode, any automation-enabled con- • When deselected, the Main Volume fader goes
trols on those tracks can be set to new values while into Trim mode, but the Send fader stays in the
the transport is stopped by touching or moving corresponding standard Automation mode.
controls, to prepare for the next automation pass.
Include Control Changes in Undo Queue This
Coalesce when Removing Members from VCA option determines whether certain mixer control
Group This option determines the behavior when changes, such as moving a fader or pan control, are
removing member tracks from a VCA-controlled entered into the Undo queue.
group.
• When selected, mixer control changes appear in
• When selected, any automation on the VCA the Undo queue, and are undone if any prior op-
Master is automatically coalesced (without con- eration is undone.
firmation) to its member tracks when the tracks
are removed from the group. • When deselected, mixer control changes will not
appear in the undo queue, allowing you to undo
• When not selected, a confirmation dialog lets other types of operations without losing the cur-
you choose whether or not to coalesce the VCA rent mixer settings.
Master automation to the member tracks.
Any set to default operations that affect mixer con-
trols will be entered into the Undo queue.
7.x to 5.x
The Advanced Meter Type settings let you adjust The Color Break High setting determines the high
the scale and ballistics of the selected Meter Type. point in dB where the color changes for metering.
These settings update automatically to match the Typically, this will be the ceiling level for the cur-
specifications of the selected Meter Type. In some rent Meter Type. When this level is exceeded clip-
system configurations you may want to make man- ping will occur. Levels registering on the meters
ual adjustments to these settings in order to ensure between the Color Break High setting and the Color
that Pro Tools metering matches the meter re- Break Low setting should be considered the “sweet
sponse your broadcast console (some broadcast spot” for the loudness of the program material.
consoles use variations from the standard Meter
Types that are provided in Pro Tools). However, in Color Break Low
most cases these settings should be left at the de- The Color Break Low setting determines the low
fault values. point in dB where the color changes for metering.
Typically, this will be the minimum level for the
Decay
current Meter Type. Use this setting to provide a
The Decay settings determine the decibel range visual indication in the meters for the lowest level
(dBs) that the meters fall at the specified rate in of the dynamic range of the program material for
seconds after peak level is registered. For some the intended delivery format (such as film, DVD,
Meter Types, these settings are not adjustable CD, MP3, or broadcast).
(such as VU).
Reset
0 dBFS
Click the Reset button to reset the Advanced Me-
The 0 dBFS setting determines the unity reference ter Type preferences to the default settings for the
level for the meter scale in decibels compared to selected Meter Type.
digital 0 dB. Exceeding this level should result in
clipping at the digital to analog converters or to the Peak/Clip
specified clipping level for broadcast. For some
Meter Types, this setting is not adjustable (such as Peak Hold Options
K-meters).
These options determine how long the peak indica-
Integration Time tors on track meters stay lit after a peak is detected.
The Integration Time setting determines the 3 Seconds When selected, track meters display
amount of time it takes, in milliseconds, to average the last peak level for three seconds.
the peak level as registered on the meter display. Infinite When selected, track meters display the
You can think of this as the attack time for regis- last peak level until you click them to clear them.
tering peak levels on the meters. For some Meter
Types, this setting is not adjustable (such as Peak). None When selected, track meters do not hold the
peak level.
Import
Convert Imported “WAV” Files To AES31/Broad-
castWave When selected, this option applies to all
newly imported WAV files, making them compli-
ant with the AES31/EBU Broadcast standard.
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- Name Dialog Opens the Name dialog for the MIDI
strument. You can select a predefined device from clip.
your available MIDI instruments, or select First
Selected MIDI Track to use the assigned MIDI out- MIDI Merge Release Mode
put of the first selected MIDI or Instrument track. MIDI Merge Release mode determines how
When multiple MIDI or Instrument tracks are se- Pro Tools writes MIDI CC data when recording
lected, the instrument in the selected track that is MIDI in MIDI Merge mode.
closest to the top of the Edit window (or closest to
the left edge of the Mix window) is used. Select Latch Continues writing the last value. Any exist-
None to only route MIDI Thru record enabled ing events are overwritten until you stop recording.
MIDI and Instrument tracks.
Latch Until Next Event Continues writing the last
Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing value until the next event even if you are still re-
Controller Data cording.
This option lets you set the default resolution for Touch Immediately stops writing any new values
MIDI controller data created with the Pencil tool. (only use this mode to add pedal-based control
Setting this to a lower resolution helps avoid creat- data, not to modify existing data).
ing controller data that is unnecessarily dense. The
value range is from 1 to 100 milliseconds. Note Display Options
Global MIDI Playback Offset These options set the reference for middle C as C3,
C4, or MIDI note number 60.
This option lets you set an offset in samples to
compensate for MIDI latency. Entering a value
here has the same effect as setting an offset with Delay Compensation for
the MIDI Track Offsets command. Offset values
External Devices Options
can be positive (later) or negative (earlier). These options only apply when a Delay Compen-
sation Engine is selected in the Playback Engine
Double-Clicking a MIDI Clip Opens and Delay Compensation is enabled in Pro Tools.
This option lets you specify what happens when These options are distinct from the hardware off-
you double-click MIDI clips with the Grabber tool. sets available for hardware inserts in the I/O Setup.
Docked MIDI Editor Opens the MIDI clip in a MIDI Timecode When selected, Pro Tools applies
Docked MIDI Editor window. 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 Notes and Controllers When selected, Joining Project Downloads All Shared
Pro Tools applies Delay Compensation to MIDI Tracks When enabled, all shared tracks in the proj-
notes and MIDI controller data. This is useful ect are automatically downloaded when you join a
when monitoring playback or when recording in- project.
put from external MIDI devices.
Enable “Track Notes” Dialog When enabled, the
Track Notes dialog is presented whenever opening
MIDI/Score Editor Display a project that reports information such as mis-
matched I/O Settings or missing plug-ins and so
Additional Empty Bars in the Score Editor
forth. When this option is disabled, the Track
This setting lets you specify the default number of Notes dialog is suppressed when opening a project
empty bars that appear in the Score Editor window even there are reportable discrepancies.
after the end of the last MIDI clip in the session.
Automatically Download New Shared
Tracks When enabled, any new remote shared
tracks are automatically downloaded.
Collaboration Preferences
Cloud Storage Services
Prevent Others from Overwriting Open Session
File Extension
File Extension
Pro Tools Track Collaboration The file extension for the temp file can be set to ei-
ther .tmp or .ptmp. It is recommended that you use
New Tracks Are Shared When enabled, new .tmp when working exclusively with NAS (Net-
tracks are automatically shared when they are cre- work Attached Storage) to ensure compatibility
ated. with any legacy Pro Tools systems (Pro Tools 10
Additionally, you can use the Local Waveform Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se-
Cache Versions setting in the Operation Prefer- lected, navigating to a specific location in a session
ences to reduce unnecessary synchronization oper- by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a
ations. When a value greater than zero is used, the track will cause a connected transport to chase to
session waveform cache is created and updated that location.
outside of the session folder. The waveform cache
When the connected device is a linear device (such
is then copied into the session folder when you
as a tape deck), select Linear Devices (jog) to set
close the session. This lets you have a single syn-
Pro Tools to send jog commands.
chronization operation instead of many while
Synchronization
The Synchronization page lets you configure
Pro Tools for use with MIDI Timecode and a syn-
chronization peripheral.
Bi-Phase/Tach Pulses/Frame (2–254) Size Sets the relative size of the window dub
(Small or Large).
There are several different standards for the num-
ber of pulses-per-frame output by Bi-Phase or Color Sets the color of the timecode numbers and
Tach devices. You can set the synchronization pe- background of the window dub. The choices in-
ripheral to operate from 2 to 254 pulses per frame clude White on Black Bkgnd, Black on White Bk-
from Pro Tools. The setting should match the PPF gnd, White on Video Bkgnd, or Black on Video
rate of the Bi-Phase/Tach encoder on the external Bkgnd. (Video Bkgnd means that the background
device. of the window dub is transparent, so that the time-
code numbers are displayed directly on top of the
Reset Bi-Phase video signal, without a contrasting background
box.) The default setting is White on Black Bkgnd.
This button lets you set the Bi-Phase/Tach start
frame from Pro Tools. Click the button to update Enable Relay-Based GPOs
the Timecode Display on the synchronization pe- (Pro Tools | Sync X Only)
ripheral to match the session timecode value.
When this option is selected, GPO Output triggers
Enable Dub Window 0–3 are enabled for the GPIO DB-25 port on the
(SYNC HD Only) back panel of Sync X. When disabled, there is no
audible click noise from the device during play-
When this option is selected, you can insert a time- back, record, or fader start. For more information,
code window into a video signal with the follow- see the Pro Tools | Sync X Guide.
ing Window dub appearance settings:
Displays
Vertical Position Sets the vertical position of the
(Pro Tools | Sync X Only)
window dub, relative to the bottom of the video
picture. The choices range from 10% From Bottom This setting lets you specify the behavior of the
to 50% From Bottom, in 10% increments. Sync X front panel displays when the unit is pow-
ered on and idle for a certain amount of time.
“10% from Bottom” vertical position is out-
side the standard “safe title” area, which Use Screensaver After 15 minutes of inactivity
means it may not be visible on some video the displays are dimmed. After 30 minutes the
monitors. screen saver appears. After 60 minutes the displays
are turned off. Pressing any front panel switch re-
turns displays to normal on state.
The Machine Control page lets you configure Select the MIDI Out Port to which the MMC device
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio for use with MIDI you want to control is connected.
Machine Control or 9-Pin Machine Control
(Pro Tools Ultimate only). MMC ID
For information about using MachineControl The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID
with Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio, see number for which MMC information will be sent.
Chapter 61, “Pro Tools | MachineControl.” MMC commands contain an ID number to identify
which machine should respond to the MMC com-
mand. There are 128 MMC ID numbers, from 0–
127. The default of ID #127 is a special setting that
transmits to all 128 MMC IDs. With a setting of
127, Pro Tools will transmit MMC commands to
all MMC IDs.
Preroll
Pro Tools provides the following for configuring After you select a port, Pro Tools automatically
MIDI Machine Control Remote settings. polls the port to see what kind of machine is con-
nected. If the machine is recognized, Pro Tools
Enable loads the corresponding Machine Type. This in-
cludes the corresponding track layout and auto-
When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is
matically enters the name of that machine into the
controlled by MMC commands it receives from
Machine Track Arming window. However, if the
the master device and sends MTC information
machine is not recognized, the “Generic 1” per-
back to that device.
sonality is automatically loaded.
MMC ID
Preroll
The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID
The Preroll setting lets you specify a variable
number for which MMC information will be re-
amount of machine preroll to account for the time
ceived.
it may take the machine to achieve servo lock.
Shorter preroll values are usually better for non-
9-Pin Machine Control (Deck linear machines. Longer preroll values are usually
Control) better for older tape transports. The Machine pre-
(HDX and HD Native Systems Only) roll value is added to any preroll specified in the
The 9-Pin Machine Control (Deck Control) settings Transport window.
let you configure a Machine Control device for Se-
rial Deck Control mode with Pro Tools Ultimate. 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation)
Serial Deck Control mode is available whenever (HDX and HD Native Systems Only)
Machine Control is connected using the Serial
Deck Control cable. When connected for Serial The 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) settings let
Deck Control mode, Machine Control enables all you configure Pro Tools Ultimate for 9-Pin Re-
Pro Tools track arming, synchronization, and mote (Deck Emulation) mode. This mode makes
Transport features, as available on your system. Pro Tools operate as a virtual deck, supporting
Serial Deck Control mode also supports 9-pin se- most standard Sony P2 9-pin commands. By de-
rial timecode. fault, Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75 model
video deck. You can also configure Pro Tools to
Enable emulate other machines.
The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machine Port
Control port. The available choices depend on
your platform and configuration The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machine-
Control port. The available choices depend on
your platform and configuration
The Machine Type setting lets you select the ma- The number of the row indicates the order of the
chine description for specific machine controllers selected controllers. The color corresponds to the
(such as the Soundmaster ATOM). By default, controller focus around Pro Tools track and plug-
Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75. in controls.
When Chase LTC is enabled, Pro Tools still re- The Type setting lets you select the MIDI control-
sponds to track arming and record commands. ler connected to your computer. Choose from any
However, Pro Tools will chase incoming LTC of the following types of MIDI controllers:
with the machine controller. By having Pro Tools • Command | 8 (Windows only)
follow the LTC source instead of having the ma-
chine chase Pro Tools timecode, you can avoid the • HUI
waiting (and tape wear) that occurs while a ma- • Surround Panner
chine transport locates and bumps tape to the cue • M-Audio Keyboard
point.
• Komplete Kontrol
Receive From
Send To
Ethernet Controller
Satellites
The Satellites page lets you configure synchroni-
zation between multiple Pro Tools systems (in-
cluding an Avid Video Satellite system) using Sat-
ellite Link.
Administrator
System Name
VENUE System
If Dolby Atmos is not enabled, the Connection Sta- Monitor Format displays the current monitoring
tus indicator is unlit. mode of the connected Dolby Atmos Renderer.
Renderer Host
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 > Show MIDI Studio.
you can customize your MIDI studio setup to dis-
play the names of your MIDI devices in Pro Tools.
The Instrument Name field shows the user-defin- The Output Port pop-up menu displays a list of
able instrument name for the currently selected in- available MIDI interface output ports. The port set
strument. and displayed here is the port through which MIDI
data is sent from your MIDI interface to the MIDI
Manufacturer device specified in the Instrument Name field.
The Manufacturer pop-up menu provides a list of If you set the output port to None, the defined
MIDI equipment manufacturers. This list is de- instrument will not appear as a choice in a
rived from the XML-based MIDI device files. MIDI Output Selector.
For more information, see “MIDI Patch Send Channels
Names” on page 802.
The Send Channels grid sets the send channels for
Model the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name
field.
The Model pop-up menu provides a list of MIDI
devices, filtered by the manufacturer name. This
Receive Channels
list is derived from the XML-based MIDI device
files provided with your Pro Tools installation. The Receive Channels grid sets the receive chan-
nels for the MIDI device specified in the Instru-
For more information, see “MIDI Patch ment Name field.
Names” on page 802.
Input Port
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 create
location. To sign out, click your Display Name and 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.
To show or hide the Dashboard on startup, do one 32-Bit Floating Point Using a 32-bit floating point
of the following: bit depth for audio files in Pro Tools sessions and
projects can help avoid clipping or unnecessary
In the Dashboard, enable (or disable) the Show
dithering with AudioSuite rendering. It can also
on startup option.
help avoid rounding errors in signal processing
In the Warnings & Dialogs section of the Dis- (which can occur during bit depth conversion for
play Preferences page (Setup > Preferences), file playback and real-time plug-in insert process-
select (to show) or deselect (to hide) the Show ing). However, 32-bit files take up a third more
Dashboard window when Pro Tools starts op- disk space and audio streaming bandwidth, which
tion. Click OK. can be problematic with higher track counts when
using slower hard drives.
You can change the bit depth for all newly re-
corded or imported (and converted) files in the ses-
sion or project by selecting a different Bit Depth
option in the Session Setup window.
You can change the audio file format for all newly
recorded or imported (and converted) files in a ses-
sion or project by selecting a different Audio For-
Session Setup window, selecting 32 Bit Float mat option in the Session Setup window.
Sample Rates To change the Audio Format for the Pro Tools
session or project:
44.1 kHz Is the sample rate used for CDs and is
used in most common music production environ- 1 Choose Setup > Session.
ments. 2 In the Session Setup window, select an audio
file format (AIF or WAV) from the Audio For-
48 kHz Is the standard sample rate for film and
mat selector.
video projects, and is commonly used in post-pro-
duction environments. It is the sample rate used for
DVDs.
Interleaved Multichannel and
88.2 kHz and 96 kHz Each of these sample rates Multi-Mono Audio Files
are twice the standard sample rates for CD audio
and DVD audio respectively. Audio files recorded For stereo and greater-than-stereo multichannel
at higher sample rates take up more drive space, audio, Pro Tools supports both interleaved
but provide higher resolution for time-based plug- multichannel audio files and multi-mono audio
in processing (which can help avoid aliasing). files.
These options are only available if you are running An interleaved audio file contains all channel in-
Pro Tools with audio hardware that supports these formation, stored in an alternating single audio
sample rates. “stream.” Interleaving distributes and “inter-
176.4 kHz and 192 kHz Each of these sample rates leaves” the consecutive bits of data. This helps
are four times the standard sample rates for CD au- protect against consecutive errors when the data is
dio and DVD audio respectively. Audio files re- read back.
corded at higher sample rates take up more drive
Multi-mono, or “split-mono” multi-channel audio
space, but provide higher resolution for time-based
files are separate mono audio files that are treated
plug-in processing (which can help avoid aliasing).
together as a multichannel group of audio files.
These options are only available if you are running
This lets you each channel (file) independently.
Pro Tools with audio hardware that supports these
For example, with stereo files, two separate files
sample rates.
are created, where one file contains the left chan-
nel, and the other file contains the right channel.
You can change the Interleaved setting for the cur- Audio Files Folder
rently open session or project in the Session Setup
window. When this option is enabled, all newly re- The Audio Files folder contains all audio recorded
corded or imported (and converted) stereo or or converted during the session.
greater-than-stereo multichannel files in the ses-
When you record a new audio track, the track is
sion will be interleaved audio files.
saved as a new audio file to the Audio Files folder.
You can also import other audio files into the ses-
To enable (or disable) interleaved audio files for
the Pro Tools session or project: sion, and work with them as well.
When the Backup to Cloud option is disabled for a Setting the Location of the Local
project, the project is offline and all associated me- Cache
dia is only stored in the local project cache.
All project data and media is stored both in your
Avid Cloud account and in a local cache. The local
project cache is stored on your system drive by de-
fault. However, for the best performance with
Project icon (offline project) Pro Tools, it is generally recommended that you do
not use your system drive for recoding audio, so
Project from a Template 7 If you want to change any of the session or proj-
ect parameters, do any of the following:
To create a new session or project from a template:
• Select the Audio File Type (WAV or AIF).
1 In the Dashboard, click the Create tab if it is not
• Select the Bit Depth (16 bit, 24 bit, or 32 bit
already shown, or press Command+1 (Mac) or
float).
Control+1 (Windows).
• Select the Sample Rate.
You can create your own custom categories. • To create interleaved multichannel audio files
For more information, see “Session Tem- in the session or project, enable Interleaved.
plates” on page 188.
• For sessions only, select either the Prompt for
2 For Type, select either Project (cloud) or Ses- location option or the Location option. If you
sion (local). select the Location option, you can specify the
default location for saving sessions by click-
3 Type a Name for the session or project. ing the Location button.
4 Enable the Create From Template option. • For projects only, select the Backup to Cloud
option to create an online project. Disable this
5 From the Template Group pop-up menu, select
option if you want to create an offline project.
the category of templates you want (for exam-
ple, Guitar or Songwriter).
6 Select the template you want to use from the list
(on the right).
3 Click Open.
2 In the Open dialog, locate the session you want The Unavailable Resources dialog provides an ini-
to open and click Open. tial report of the missing session components. To
save a text (.txt) file containing a more detailed
You can also open a session from a Work- Notes report, along with the resulting action, click
space browser by double-clicking it. Yes. The Notes report is named with the session
name, followed by Notes.txt. You can choose to
Opening a Session that Contains save this file in your Session folder, or in another
Fade Files location.
When opening a session created in a version of The following occurs when opening a session with
Pro Tools lower than 10.0, Pro Tools calculates unavailable items:
and plays back all fades in real time. The “Fade
Files” folder in the session folder is neither deleted With all Pro Tools Systems:
nor used. Any rendered fades created in legacy ses-
Inserts assigned to unavailable plug-ins are
sions are calculated and played back in real time.
made inactive.
Any new fades created in the session do not gener-
ate any new rendered fade files in the pre-existing Inputs, outputs, and sends that are assigned to
“Fade Files” folder. unavailable paths are made inactive.
To include all audio being used in the session Save Copy In Options
or project, select the All Audio Files option.
When saving a copy of a session or project, the
Using the Save Copy In command is the only way Save Copy In command provides the following
to change the sample rate of a session or project. options.
The sample rate of each of the session or project
copied audio files is converted to the selected sam- Format
ple rate. When saving a session copy to a different When saving a copy of a session or project with the
sample rate, Pro Tools uses the selected Sample Save Copy In command, you can save the session
Rate Conversion Quality option in the Import sec- or project copy in the following formats:
tion of the Processing Preferences page (Setup >
Preferences). • Project; lets you save a copy of the session as a
project.
When you save a copy of the session or project to • Latest; supports Pro Tools 10.x and later
a lower bit depth, Dither (and Noise Shaping) are sessions (.ptx)
applied automatically.
• Pro Tools 7.x -> 9.x Session (.ptf)
See the following table: • Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Session (.pts)
Dither and Noise Shaping with Save Copy In
Session Parameters
Noise
Bit Depth Dither
Shaping When saving a copy of a session or project with the
Save Copy In command, the following Session Pa-
32-bit float to 32-bit float No No rameters are available:
32-bit float to 24-bit Yes Yes
Audio File Type
32-bit float to 16-bit Yes Yes You can save the session or project to reference
BWF (.WAV) or AIFF audio files.
24-bit to 32-bit float No No
Using Mixed File Types
24-bit to 24-bit No No
Sessions and projects can use mixed audio file
24-bit to 16-bit Yes Yes
projects. If your original session or project has
16-bit to 32-bit float No No
mixed file projects, they are not converted to the
selected file project unless you specify that they be
16-bit to 24-bit No No converted by selecting the Convert to Specified
Format option in the Items To Copy section (see
16-bit to 16-bit No No “Items to Copy” on page 180).
You can save the session or project at a Bit Depth When saving a Pro Tools 7.x or higher session to a
of 16 Bit, 24 Bit, or 32 Bit Float. lower version, enable the Enforce Mac/PC Com-
patibility option to force Windows or Mac versions
Pro Tools 10.0 and later sessions can use audio of Pro Tools to create sessions and audio files that
files with different bit depths. If your original ses- are compatible on both platforms.
sion or project has mixed bit depths, they are not
converted to the selected bit depth unless you spec- Limit Character Set
ify that they be converted by selecting the Convert
to Specified Format option in the Items To Copy When saving a copy of a session or project to the
section (see “Items to Copy” on page 180). current session or project format, you can choose
to limit the character set to a single language by se-
When saving to a Session Format lower than 10.0, lecting the Limit Character Set option.
if your session or project is in a different bit depth,
audio files are converted to the new session bit When saving a copy of a session or project to a
depth, and copied to the specified location. Also, lower session format, the Limit Character Set op-
32 Bit Float is not available for session formats tion is automatically selected. Select a language
lower than 10.0. from the Limit Character Set pop-up menu.
For information on bouncing to disk and To choose the language encoding when saving a
dither, see “Using Dither” on page 1229. copy of a session or project:
1 Choose File > Save Copy In.
Sample Rate
2 Select the Limit Character Set option.
You can save the session or project at various sam-
ple rates depending on your system hardware. See 3 Choose the language you want to use from the
“Supported Hardware Configurations with Limit Character Set pop-up menu.
Pro Tools Artist Software” on page 38.
Items to Copy
If your session or project is at a different sample
When saving a copy of a session or project with the
rate, audio files are converted to the new session or
Save Copy In command, you can select which
project sample rate, and copied.
items are copied, as follows:
Fader Gain
Audio Files
When saving a Pro Tools 7.x or higher session to a
When this option is selected, all audio files are
lower version that supports +12 dB fader gain, you
copied to the new location. This setting is automat-
can save the new session with either a +6 dB or a
ically selected if you select a Session Format lower
+12 dB maximum fader gain. When saving a
than 10.0.
+12 dB session as a +6 dB session, any automation
over +6 dB will be lowered to +6 dB.
This option is automatically selected if you enable Session Plug-In Settings Folder
Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility. (Sessions Only)
Don’t Copy Elastic Audio Rendered Files When this option is selected, the session’s Plug-In
Settings folder is copied to the new location. The
When this option is selected, Elastic Audio Ren- references to these settings in the session are redi-
dered files are not copied to the new session’s Ren- rected to the copied settings files.
dered Files folder or project bundle.
Root Plug-In Settings Folder
When opening the new session or project, (Sessions Only)
Pro Tools opens the session or project with all
available media and any missing Rendered files When this option is selected, the contents of the
are regenerated automatically. root-level Plug-In Settings Folder are copied into a
folder named Place in Root Settings Folder, indi-
Main Playlist Only cating that these files will need to be moved to the
root level plug-in settings folder on the destination
When this option is selected, only the main play- system before you can use them. The references to
lists are included with the copy. Any alternate these settings files in the session are not redirected
playlists are not included with the copy. to point to the copied files.
When this option is not selected, all playlists are
Movie/Video Files
included with the copy.
When this option is selected, video files are cop-
Selected Tracks Only ied, and references are updated to point to the cop-
When this option is selected, only the selected ied video files.
tracks in the source session or project are saved
with the copy. This option is automatically enabled
when choosing File > Export > Selected Tracks As
New Session.
3 Configure the Import Session Data dialog as de- 1 In the Version List, select the version you want to
sired. delete.
5 Click OK. Add Category Select this option from the Cate-
gory pop-up menu to create a new subdirectory in
If you selected the Install Template In System op- the Session Templates folder.
tion, your session template will be available in the
Dashboard. Name
If you selected the Select Location For Template The Name setting is only available if the Install
option, you are prompted by the Save As Template Template In System option is enabled. This lets
dialog to save the file to another location on your you project a new name for the template file. From
system. the Name pop-up menu (to the right of the Name
field), you can select from a list of all of the tem-
When you are ready to use a template as the plates available in the currently selected Category.
basis for a new session, see “Creating a New Selecting one places that name in the Name field,
Session or Project from a Template” on letting you overwrite, or create a incremental ver-
page 172. sion of, an existing template.
The Save Template dialog provides the following Select this option to save the template file to any
options: directory location on your system. Note that the
saved session template will not appear in the Dash-
Install Template In System board unless it is in a subdirectory (Category) in
the Session Templates folder in the Pro Tools Root
Select this option to save the template file in the
Settings folder. You can change the location of the
system folder referenced by the Dashboard (the
Root Settings Folder in the Operation Preferences
Session Templates in the Pro Tools application
(see “User Media and Settings Location” on
folder).
page 116).
Include Media
Pro Tools only lets you work on just one session or 4 Choose Rename.
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-
ning. Pro Tools prompts you to save the session or 6 Click OK.
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.
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 200).
Mix Window Shows tracks as channel strips, like a
mixing board (see “Mix Window” on page 198). To toggle between the Mix and Edit windows,
press Control+Equals (=) (Windows), or
press Command+Equals (=) (Mac).
Edit window
Transport window
Plug-In window
In-App Web Browsers Let you access the Avid To display the Mix window:
Marketplace and Pro Tools Online (see “In-Appli- Choose Window > Mix.
cation Web Browser” on page 212).
To display all Mix window view options:
Instrument
Tracks List View
(page 258) (page 1089
Inserts View
(page 1089)
Sends View
(page 1090)
Solo/Mute
(page 272)
Volume
fader
(page 236)
Level meter
Voice selector (page 237)
(page 269)
AutoMatch
indicator Track Name
(page 1183) (page 247)
Universe view
Grid and
(page 676)
Nudge values
Zoom buttons (page 633) Collaboration (page 405) (page 202) Edit Window
Counters and Edit Toolbar and menu
Edit Mode Selection indicators
Edit tools (page 200)
buttons (page 674)
(page 629) (page 632)
Tracks List
(page 258)
Tracks
(page 225)
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.
Task Manager Status Lights and animates when The Grid and Nudge selectors let you set the Grid
the Task Manager is busy. When no tasks are in and Nudge values for editing in Pro Tools. For in-
progress, it is unlit. The indicator turns red if the formation on the Grid Value selector, see “Config-
Task Manager requires your attention. Click the uring the Grid” on page 631. For information on
Task Manager Status indicator to open or close the the Nudge Value selector, see “Defining the
Task Manager window. Nudge Value” on page 690.
MIDI Controls When selected, the MIDI controls Track Collaboration (Projects Only) When se-
are displayed in the window toolbar. lected, the Track Collaboration controls are dis-
played in the Edit window toolbar.
The Edit window also provides Zoom buttons in Pro Tools also provides Audio and MIDI Zoom In
the lower right and upper right corners of the tracks and Out buttons in the upper-right corner of the
pane. Edit window. These controls function exactly the
same as the Audio and MIDI Zoom controls in the
Vertical and Horizontal Zoom In and Out Toolbar, and let you zoom in and out vertically on
Buttons audio waveforms and MIDI notes respectively.
In addition to the Zoom controls in the Toolbar,
In the Edit window, MIDI Vertical Zoom only
Pro Tools provides horizontal and vertical zoom
affects tracks not in Clips view.
buttons in the lower-right corner of the Edit win-
dow.
Choose Window > Transport. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans-
port, you can rewind by pressing 1.
Basic Transport Controls and
Counters Rewind and Fast Forward Increments
Increment
Transport Window menu Main Time Scale Format
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
You can also begin playback by pressing the Right-clicking the Record button lets you select
Spacebar, or with the Numeric Keypad mode the record mode from a pop-up menu:
set to Transport, pressing 0. • Normal
You can press F11 to turn on Wait for Note, Tempo Ruler Enable (Conductor) When selected,
unless the MIDI preference for “Disable F11 Pro Tools uses the tempo map defined in the
for Wait for Note” is enabled. Tempo ruler. When deselected, Pro Tools switches
to Manual Tempo mode and ignores the Tempo
On Mac, the Desktop Keyboard Shortcut uses ruler.
the same key command that Pro Tools uses In Manual Tempo mode, you can enter a BPM
for Wait For Note (F11). To use F11 for Wait value in the tempo field, or tap in the tempo with
For Note in Pro Tools, be sure to disable the the T key on your alphanumeric keyboard.
Desktop Keyboard Shortcut in the Apple Sys-
tem Preferences. Current Meter Displays the session’s current me-
ter based on the play location. Double-click the
Metronome Click When selected, Pro Tools gen- Current Meter indicator to open the Change Meter
erates a metronome pulse that can be set to trigger window.
built-in sounds or MIDI instruments during play-
back and recording. Current Tempo Displays the session’s current
tempo based on the play location. In Manual
Tempo mode, you can enter a BPM value into this
field, or manually tap in a tempo with a computer
keyboard or an external MIDI keyboard.
Search Tools Let you search your system for files For detailed information about the Task win-
and folders by simple or advanced search criteria. dow, see “Task Manager Window” on
page 387.
Browser Menu Provides commands for file man-
agement.
Column Headers Display the type of metadata dis- Artist Chat Window
played in the Items List. Column Headers can be:
The Artist Chat window lets you chat with collab-
• Resized by dragging the column border, or rear- orators for your Pro Tools projects.
ranged by dragging the Column headers.
For detailed information about the Artist
• Dragged to either of two available panes, the
Chat window, see Chapter 19, “Artist Chat
Fixed or Scrolling panes.
and Avid Link.”
Soundbase Lets you tag audio files with descrip-
tive metadata that you can then use as search crite-
ria. In-Application Web Browser
Track Presets Lets you organize all of your Track Pro Tools provides easy access to web-based
Presets for easy access. Pro Tools Help, the Knowledge Base, and the
Avid Support Center using an in-application Web
Locations Pane Provides a view of Volumes (and browser.
folders and files), Catalogs, and the currently open
Session for your system. To launch the Pro Tools in-application Web
browser for online resources, choose one of the
Browser Pane Provides a view of items on your following from the Help menu:
system contained within the Volume (or folder),
Pro Tools Help
Catalog, or open session that is selected in the Lo-
cations pane. Alternatively, the Browser pane dis- Pro Tools Knowledge Base
plays search results.
Avid Audio Forums
For detailed information about Workspace Avid Support Center
browsers, see Chapter 18, “Workspace
Browsers.”.
Go Backward
Go Forward Locations Open in external browser
Refresh
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
the template when you start a new session, or include the Edit, Mix, Targeted MIDI Editor,
you can use Import Session Data to import Score Editor, and Transport window display
Window Configurations into your current settings.
session.
• Select a Window Display Settings option
from the pop-up menu (Edit Window, Mix
Creating New Window Window, MIDI Editor (Targeted), Score Editor
Configurations
Window, or Transport Window.
To create a new Window Configuration: • If there are any shown MIDI CC lanes that
1 Open the windows you want to include in the you want to save with the configuration, en-
Window Configuration and position them able Include 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 Con- Window Configuration. If the number you type
figuration. 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.
6 Type any comments for the new Window
Configuration.
7 Click OK to store the new Window Configura-
tion, or Cancel.
If a Window Configuration already exists On the numeric keypad, press Period (.), 0, and
at that numbered slot, the new Window then Asterisk (*).
Configuration overwrites it. If Auto-Update Active Configuration is enabled, un-
doing the Window Configuration reverts to the
Recalling Window previously stored Window Configuration without
Configurations automatically saving changes (see “Updating Win-
You can use the Window Configuration List to re- dow Configurations” on page 215).
call stored Window Configurations. You can also
use the Number Keypad on your computer key- Editing Window Configurations
board to recall a specific Window Configuration.
You can change which properties are stored with
To recall a Window Configuration, do one of the Window Configurations, as well as the number,
following: name, or comments.
Select the Window Configuration from Window
To edit a Window Configuration:
> Configurations.
1 In the Window Configuration List, select the
In the Window Configuration List, click the Window Configuration you want to edit.
Window Configuration to recall it.
2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up
On the numeric keypad, press Period (.), the menu, select Edit <Name>.
number of the Window Configuration (1–99),
and then Asterisk (*). 3 In the Edit Window Configuration dialog, edit
the configuration and click OK.
The Pro Tools session’s screen layout updates with
the stored Window Configuration.
Updating Window
Configurations
Undoing Window Configurations
After you recall a stored Window Configuration,
Pro Tools lets you revert to the previous Window you can make changes to the window layout and
Layout and Window Settings with a single level of window settings, and then update the stored Win-
undo. This is useful, for example, if you recall a dow Configuration with your changes. You can do
Window Configuration, but then decide you want this manually, or you can have Pro Tools automat-
to revert to the previous screen state. ically update the active configuration.
To have Pro Tools automatically update the active To delete a Window Configuration:
Window Configuration, do one of the following:
1 In the Window Configuration List, select the
Select Window > Configurations > Auto-Update Window Configuration you want to delete.
Active Configuration.
2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up
From the Window Configuration List pop-up menu, select Delete <Name>.
menu, select Auto-Update Active Configuration.
To delete all Window Configurations:
When Auto-Update Active Configuration is
From the Window Configuration List pop-up
selected, the active Window Configuration
menu, select Delete All.
updates with every change to the Window Layout
and Window Display Settings.
Importing Window
Window Configurations that do not include Win- Configurations
dow Layout and only store Window Display Set-
tings cannot be made active and thus won't auto- You can import Window Configurations from an-
matically update. If you want to update a Window other session using Import Session Data.
Configuration with changes to the Window Dis-
To import Window Configurations:
play Settings (such as the width of the Clips List in
the Edit window), use the Update command in the 1 Choose File > Import > Session Data.
Window Configuration List. 2 Select the Window Configurations option.
3 If you only want to import Window Configura-
Clearing Window Configurations
tions, click the Session Data to Import pop-up
Clearing a window configuration removes it and menu and select None.
its associated slot number while keeping the slot
4 Click OK.
numbers of other window configurations un-
changed. The Clear command is useful if you want
to insert another configuration in the same slot.
To show or hide Window Configurations in the Show Comments Lets you show or hide Com-
Window Configuration List, do one of the ments in the Window Configuration List.
following:
New Configuration Creates a new Window Con-
Click the View Filter icon to show or hide Win-
figuration. This command is also available from
dow Configurations that include that property
Window > Configurations.
(Window Layout, Edit Window Settings, Mix
Window Settings, Score Editor Window Set- Update <Name> Updates the selected Window
tings, MIDI Editor Window Settings, or Trans- Configuration with any changes to the layout and
port Window Settings). settings of windows depending on the Window
Select or deselect the View Filter item in the Configuration’s properties. This command is also
Window Configuration List pop-up menu. available from Window > Configurations.
3 Click OK.
UI Themes
Pro Tools lets you change the look and feel of the
User Interface (UI) between Classic and Dark UI Color Palette window, Dark UI Theme selected
Themes. Depending on the lighting environment
where you work, you may find that one UI Theme To customize UI themes:
is more desirable than the other. You can custom- 1 Choose Window > Color Palette.
ize UI Themes to best suite your needs and save
2 If necessary, click the UI Customization ex-
them as presets.
pand/collapse icon and then click the ex-
pand/collapse icon for any section to display its
settings.
3 Adjust settings as desired.
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, Folder, and video tracks. controlling submix levels). For more information,
see “Master Fader Tracks and Signal Flow” on
Video track features are described in page 1080.
Chapter 63, “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, Routing Folder,
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 are modi-
be used as effects sends, destinations for submixes, fied by the controls on the VCA Master. For more
as a bounce destination, as inputs to monitor or information, see “VCA Master Tracks” on
process audio (such as audio from external MIDI page 1083.
instruments), and for many other audio routing
tasks.
Folder tracks are a special type of track that essen- Stereo Tracks
tially function as containers for other tracks of any
type. A Folder track can be closed to hide all of the A stereo audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder,
tracks it contains, or opened to show all of the Master Fader, or Instrument track is a single chan-
tracks it contains (member tracks). There are two nel strip for two channels of audio as a stereo pair.
types of Folder tracks: Basic and Routing. Stereo audio tracks use two voices.
Basic Folder Tracks Basic Folder tracks let you Multichannel Tracks
organize tracks in your sessions, but without any of (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
the special routing capabilities that Routing Folder
A multichannel track is a single channel strip that
tracks provide.
plays multiple channels of audio (from 3 to 8 chan-
Routing Folder Tracks Routing Folder tracks let nels at a time). This lets Pro Tools support multi-
you organize tracks in your sessions, and also route channel mixing formats including LCRS, 5.1, 6.1,
audio through its input, apply plug-ins, use sends, and others. Audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing
assign track automation, and output audio simi- Folder, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can all
larly to an Auxiliary Input track. use any supported multichannel format.
Pan knobs
Pan indicators
Audio Input/Output Paths
Output Window button Solo/Mute buttons
Automation Mode selector
Group ID
Pan knob
Volume fader
Pan indicator
TrackInput Monitor button Level meters
Track Record Enable button
Solo/Mute buttons
Volume fader
Level meter Peak/Delay and Headroom indicators
Track Type indicator
Track Name button
Delay Compensation view
Track Comments
Group ID
Automation Mode selector
Volume
fader
Level meter
Volume fader
Level meters
Volume indicator
Track Type indicator
Solo/Mute buttons
Patch Select
Volume fader
MIDI Volume indicator
Track Type indicator Level meters
Track Name button
Track Comments
Patch Select
Peak/Delay and Headroom indicators
Track Color Coding
Track Type indicator
Track Name
MIDI channel strip
Delay Compensation view
Solo/Mute buttons
Level meters
Open/Close Folder track
Track Name button
Track Comments
Timebase selector
Playlist
selector Show/Hide Automation lanes
Timebase selector
Track View
selector
Track Name
For more information on Comments view,
Playlist selector see “Adding Comments to Tracks” on
page 249.
Online button
Track View selector
Mic Preamps View
The Mic Preamps view shows controls for tracks
with physical audio inputs routed through Avid
Video File Frame Rate indicator
PRE or Pro Tools | Carbon.
Edit window track controls for a video track (medium
track height) For more information, see the PRE Guide or
the Pro Tools | Carbon Guide.
Inserts View (A–E and F–J) Channel strips in the Mix window always dis-
play Input and Output selectors as well as
Inserts view provides up to ten inserts (software
volume and pan values, so there is no I/O
plug-ins and hardware I/O inserts for generating
view display option for the Mix window.
and processing audio) on each audio, Auxiliary In-
put, Routing Folder, Master Fader, and Instrument
track. For details on Input and Output selectors, see
“Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to
For more information on inserts, see Tracks” on page 263.
Chapter 51, “Plug-In and Hardware
Inserts.” Volume/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator
Peak Indicator Functions as a headroom indicator Send Pan controls can be linked to the Main
based on the last peak playback level. To reset the Pan controls of a track by enabling the
peak counter, click anywhere in the meter. Values Follow Main Pan button in Send window.
range from – (no signal) to 0 dB.
Volume Fader
Pan Indicator
The Volume fader controls the playback level of a
The Pan indicator displays the current pan setting track when it is playing back, and the monitor level
of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full left) to of the track when it is recording. You can link the
100> (full right). Pan controls are only available record and monitor levels by enabling the Link Re-
for stereo tracks or for mono tracks routed to a ste- cord and Play Faders option in the Operation pref-
reo output. erences.
In I/O view (Edit window), click the Pan indicator The maximum fader gain for a volume fader is
to display the Pan pop-up slider, which can be used +12 dB.
to adjust panning.
MIDI Volume Fader
Meter Type
Track Collaboration scale
(Projects Only) Clip indicator
Fader Gain
In the Edit window, Track Collaboration view pro- scale
vides access to the Track Collaboration controls Gain Reduction
for all track types except Basic Folder, VCA and meter
Video tracks. Routing Folder tracks are converted
to Auxiliary Input tracks when shared. Track Col-
laboration controls are only available in projects Track signal
meters
and never in sessions. For more information, see
“Track Collaboration Track View in the Edit and
Mix Windows” on page 410.
Track Level Meters Stereo audio track with Signal and Gain Reduction
On audio tracks, level meters indicate the level of meters in the Mix window
the signal being recorded or played back from the Fader Gain Scale
hard drive. When an audio track is record-enabled
or input monitoring–enabled, these meters indicate The Fade Gain scale indicates the amount of gain
record or input monitoring levels respectively. boost or attenuation of the signal by the Fader con-
trol.
On Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder, Master Fader,
and Instrument tracks, level meters indicate the Meter Type Scale Displays the meter scale for the
level of the signal being played through the chan- selected Meter Type (see “Advanced Metering” on
nel output. page 240).
To toggle track level metering between pre- fader To choose a Clip Indication setting:
and post-fader metering:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Select Options > Pre-Fader Metering. Metering tab.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the To clear all clip indicators, do one of the following:
Metering tab.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
2 Select a Peak Hold option. meter.
3 Click OK. Choose Track > Clear All Clip Indicators.
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, and Master Fader To toggle Wide Meters View on or off:
tracks showing clipping Command-Option-Control-click (Mac) or Con-
Master Fader Track Clip Indicators trol-Alt-Start-click (Windows) any track level
meter in the Mix or Edit window.
Master Fader track clip indicators display red
when the audio signal exceeds 0 dBFS, causing
clipping at the output converters on your audio in-
terface. This behavior is mirrored in the Output
Meters in the Transport.
Meter Type
scale
Peak VU
Different Meter Type scales
5 Click OK.
Peak VU K-20 To set the Track Meter Type in the Mix or Edit
windows:
Different Gain Meter locations to Meter Type scale
1 Right-click on any Track meter.
Setting the Meter Type
2 From the Meter Type menu, select the desired
You can set the Meter Type either in the Pro Tools option.
Metering preferences or using the Right-click Me-
ter menu. Depending on the Track and Master Me- If the Track and Master Meter Types Linked
ter Types Linked setting, you can set the Track (au- option is enabled in the Pro Tools Metering
dio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument tracks) or Preferences, Master meters are also set to the
Master (Master Fader tracks) Meter Type settings selected Meter Type
independently.
To set the Master Meter Type in the Mix or Edit
For details on the available Meter Types, see windows:
“Track and Master Meter Types” on 1 Right-click on any Master meter.
page 128.
2 From the Meter Type menu, select the desired
To set the Meter Type for Track and Master meters option.
in the Pro Tools Preferences:
If the Track and Master Meter Types Linked
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
option is enabled in the Pro Tools Metering
2 Click the Metering tab. Preferences, all Track meters are also set to
the selected Meter Type
3 Enable or disable the Track and Master Meter
Types Linked setting as desired.
To configure Gain Reduction Meter Type, do one of To reduce the width of tracks in the Mix window:
the following:
Select View > Narrow Mix.
Choose Setup > Preference > Metering and se-
lect the desired Gain Reduction Meter Type op- To display tracks at normal width:
tion. Deselect View > Narrow Mix.
Right-click on any Track meter and select the
You can toggle track width by pressing
desired option from the Gain Reduction sub-
Command+Option+M (Mac) or
menu in the Gain Reduction Meter Type menu.
Control+Alt+M (Windows).
When new tracks are created, they are given a name that can be changed at any time.
To insert new tracks next to a specific track in a session, select that track by clicking the track’s name
in the Mix or Edit window before opening the New Tracks dialog. The new tracks are added immediately
after the selected track.
To insert new tracks after the last tracks in a session, make sure that no track names are selected on-
screen before opening the New Tracks dialog.
You can also add tracks to your session by importing them from preexisting sessions. See “Importing
Session Data” on page 443.
Track Format
Track Type
Track Name
Add Tracks
Remove Tracks
Adding New Tracks by Double- To add a new audio track of the same channel
Clicking in the Edit or Mix width as the last new track, do one of the
Windows following:
Double-click in the empty area of the Mix win- Command-double-click (Mac) or Control-dou-
dow below or to the right of any current tracks. ble-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 audio track
is created by default.
Double-click in the empty area below any cur-
rent tracks in the Tracks List.
4 Click OK.
1 Select the tracks you want to rename. 4 Configure the Batch Track Rename dialog as
desired.
2 Right-click any selected track name in the
Tracks List, Edit window, Mix window, Score 5 Click OK.
Editor window, or a MIDI Editor window.
All selected tracks are renamed accordingly.
3 Choose Batch Rename.
For details on batch renaming tracks or
Press Option+Shift+R (Mac) or Alt+Shift+R clips, see “Batch Renaming” on page 333.
(Windows) to open the Batch Track Rename
dialog.
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 (or disable) Track Number view: dows) Track Name buttons that are unhigh-
Select (or deselect) View > Track Number. lighted to select them.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
Selecting Tracks dows) Track Name buttons that are highlighted
to deselect them.
Tracks need to be selected for operations such as
duplicating tracks or adding tracks to a group. One To select all tracks:
or more tracks can be selected at a time.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
To select a track: Track Name button that is unhighlighted.
Press Shift+T to toggle Link Track and Edit Control-Shift-click (Mac) or Start-Shift-click
Selection on and off. (Windows) the track name in the Edit window,
Mix window, or Track List.
Scrolling a Track into View
Changing Track Channel Widths
The Scroll To Track dialog lets you type the name
of the track you want to scroll to. As you type a You can change the channel width of any track to
track name, only those tracks whose names begin any other available channel width, while preserv-
with the letter you enter appear in the Scroll To ing plug-ins, sends, and routing. For example, you
Track list. You can also Right-click a track name in can convert a stereo Auxiliary Input into a 5.1
the Tracks List and choose Scroll Into View. Auxiliary Input track, or convert a 5.1 audio track
into a 7.1.2 audio track and maintain all plug-ins
To scroll to a track by name in the Edit or Mix and signal routing (plug-ins must support the des-
window: tination width). This can be especially useful for
1 Choose Track > Scroll To Track. modifying and updating Track Presets and session
templates.
Press Command+Option+F (Mac) or Con-
trol+Alt+F (windows) to open the Scroll to To change the channel width of a track:
Track dialog.
1 Be sure the track you want to change does not
2 In the Scroll To Track dialog, type the first few have any clips in the timeline.
letters of the track name you want to scroll to. 2 Do one of the following:
3 From the Scroll To Track list, select the track • Select the track and choose Track > Change
name you want to scroll to using the Up and Track Width.
Down Arrow keys. • Right-click a Track Name and choose
Change Track Width.
To delete a track:
1 Click the name of the track in its track channel
strip to select it.
4 If duplicating multiple tracks, do one of the fol- Routing Folder Tracks Can be set to Overview,
lowing: Volume, Volume Trim, Mute, Pan, Send controls,
• If you want all the newly created tracks to follow or any plug-in controls that are enabled for auto-
the last selected source track (to the far-right of mation.
the Mix window, and at the bottom of the Edit Audio Tracks Can be set to Blocks, Playlists, Anal-
window), select the Insert after Last Selected ysis, Warp, Waveform, Volume, Volume Trim,
Track option. Mute, Pan, Send controls, or any plug-in controls
• If you want each newly-created track to be in- that are enabled for automation. By default, audio
serted directly after its source track, deselect the tracks are set to Waveform view where track mate-
Insert after Last Selected Track option. rial is graphically drawn with amplitude wave-
forms (a time-domain representation of sound).
5 Click OK to duplicate tracks according to the
This Track View provides the necessary detail for
settings in the Duplicate Tracks dialog. Click
important clip edits.
Cancel to close the dialog and not create dupli-
cate tracks. Auxiliary Input Tracks Can be set to Volume, Vol-
ume Trim, Mute, Pan, Send controls, or any plug-in
Duplicating VCA Member Tracks controls that are enabled for automation.
Duplicating a VCA member track without dupli- Master Fader Tracks Can be set to Volume, Vol-
cating its group assignments will coalesce any au- ume Trim, or any plug-in controls that are enabled
tomation on the duplicate track. The coalesced du- for automation.
plicate plays back exactly as if it were in the VCA
VCA Master Tracks Can be set to Volume, Volume
group. For more information, see “VCA Master
Trim, or Mute.
Tracks” on page 1083.
MIDI Tracks Can be set to Blocks, Clips, Notes, Ve-
locity, Volume, Mute, Pan, Pitch Bend, Mono After
Touch, Program Change, Sysex, and any continu-
ous controller type. MIDI tracks are commonly set
to Notes or Clips, each of which displays notes in a
“piano roll” format. Use Clips view to edit and ar-
Track View set to Clips for MIDI track Setting Track Views in the
Edit Window
Notes View
To set the Track View:
(MIDI Only)
Click the Track View selector for the track and
With the Track View set to Notes, you can insert
select the view from the pop-up menu.
and edit MIDI notes on MIDI and Instrument
tracks. The track displays the new view. If the track is part
of an active Edit Group, all tracks in the group are
Automation and Controller set to the new view.
Views
When an audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder,
Master Fader, or Instrument track is displayed as
Volume, Pan, or another automated control, or
when a MIDI or Instrument track is set to one of
the continuous controller types (such as Volume or
Pitch Bend), the data for that track appears in the
form of a line graph with a series of editable break- Audio Track View selector
points. The breakpoints can be dragged to modify
the automation data, and new breakpoints can be
inserted with the Pencil tool or a Grabber tool.
MIDI and Instrument tracks also provide Velocity
view for editing MIDI velocities.
1 Click in the track you want to toggle. To toggle The Master view is based on the type of track, as
multiple tracks, Shift-click or drag with the Se- follows:
lector tool to select additional tracks. • Audio tracks: Waveform and Blocks
2 Do one of the following: • MIDI and Instrument tracks: Clips, Blocks, and
• Press Control+Minus (Mac) or Start+Minus Notes (when using the Selector tool)
(Windows) on the alphanumeric keyboard.
• With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled
(see “Keyboard Focus” on page 26), press Track Height
Minus on the alphanumeric keyboard. Tracks can be viewed in the Edit window at any of
eight heights: Micro, Mini, Small, Medium, Large,
To toggle Track Views for all tracks, press
Jumbo, Extreme and Fit To Window. Larger track
Option+Control+Minus (Mac) or
heights are particularly useful for precise editing,
Alt+Start+Minus (Windows) on the
especially for MIDI. Smaller track heights are use-
alphanumeric keyboard.
ful for conserving screen space in a large session.
Audio tracks are toggled between Waveform and Click the small arrow to the left of the Track
Volume view. MIDI and Instrument tracks are tog- name to get the Track Height pop-up menu.
gled between Notes and Clips view.
Click Edit window Vertical Zoom In or Out but- Hold Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
ton. while adjusting track height for continuous,
non-incremental adjustments.
Tracks List
The Tracks List (at the left of both the Mix and Tracks List
Edit windows) shows all tracks in the session. It al-
lows you to show or hide a track in the Mix, Edit, Show/Hide Tracks List and
MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows. Even Groups List
though a track is hidden, the material on the track
To show (or hide) the Tracks List (and Groups
will still play as part of the session. Inactive tracks List), do one of the following:
appear in italics in the Tracks List.
From the Edit window menu, select (or dese-
The Tracks List can also be used to create lect) Tracks List.
new tracks when importing media by drag
Click the Show/Hide Tracks List/Groups List
and drop from a Workspace browser. See
View button in the Mix or Edit window.
“Importing Files with Drag and Drop” on
page 426.
To hide all tracks: To restore previously shown tracks after using the
Show All Tracks, Show Only Selected Tracks, or
Click the Tracks List menu and choose Hide All Show Only Tracks by <Track Type> commands:
Tracks.
From the Tracks List menu, choose the Restore
You can also hide all tracks by Option-clicking Previously Shown Tracks option.
(Mac) or Alt-clicking (Windows) the
To show selected hidden tracks and hide all shown
Show/Hide icon of any track that is shown. tracks:
1 In the Tracks List, select the hidden tracks you
To reorder tracks on-screen, drag the track want to show.
names to new positions within the Tracks List
or in the Mix or Edit window. 2 Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click
(Windows) the Show/Hide icon for one of the
selected hidden tracks.
The Input Path selector lets you route any audio in-
put or any of the Pro Tools internal busses to a
Routing Folder, audio, Auxiliary Input, or Instru-
ment track. The choices available in this pop-up
Input/output assignments for three mono audio tracks
To make all selected tracks’ Inputs or Outputs Pro Tools systems let you play or record up to 256
assigned to the same path inactive (or active), do simultaneous stereo or mono tracks in any combi-
one of the following: nation. For details on system capabilities, see
In the Edit or Mix window, Option-Shift-Right- “Pro Tools Artist Capabilities with Different
click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-Right-click (Windows) Hardware Configurations” on page 38.
the Input selector or Output selector for a track,
and choose Make Inactive (or Make Active)
from the pop-up menu.
Command-Option-Control-Shift-click (Mac) or
Control-Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) the In-
put or Output selector in the Mix or Edit win-
dow.
With certain system configurations it is possible to You can also adjust the relative priority of tracks
have more voiceable tracks in a session than avail- by freeing up the voices of individual tracks, mak-
able voices. In this case, not all tracks in the ses- ing them available to other tracks in the session.
sion can play back simultaneously. When the num-
ber of tracks exceeds the number of available To free up the voice of a track, do one of the
voices, tracks with lower priority may not be following:
heard. For these situations, Pro Tools assigns pri- Click the Voice selector of the track and set it to
orities to tracks that compete for the available Off. See “Setting Voice Assignment” on
voices. Because there can be more tracks than page 269.
available voices, Pro Tools provides several ways
Deactivate the track by Command-Control-
of adjusting the playback priority of audio tracks.
clicking (Mac) or Control-Start-clicking (Win-
See “Changing a Track’s Playback Priority” on
dows) its track type icon in the Mix window.
page 269 and “Freeing up Voices on a Track” on
page 269. Make sure the track does not have an Output
Path or Send assignment.
Changing a Track’s Playback Priority
Tracks with higher positions (leftmost in the Mix Setting Voice Assignment
window or topmost in the Edit window) have pri-
A track’s voice assignment can be turned off or set
ority over tracks in lower positions in a session.
to be dynamically allocated. Use Dynamically Al-
located Voicing to automatically take care of voice
To increase a track’s priority, do any of the
following: management in the background.
In the Mix window, drag the Track Name button With Pro Tools Ultimate, QuickPunch,
to the left of other tracks in the session. Tracks TrackPunch, and DestructivePunch require
at the left of the Mix window have higher prior- additional voices. For more information, see
ity than those on the right. Chapter 27, “Punch Recording Modes.”
In the Edit window, drag the Track Name button
above other tracks in the session. Tracks at the With HDX systems, the initial insert of a Na-
top of the Edit window have higher priority than tive (host-based) plug-ins uses additional
those below. voices in certain situations. See “Inserting
Native and DSP Plug-Ins on Tracks” on
In the Tracks List, drag the Track Name to a
page 1134.
higher position in the list. Tracks at the top of
this list have higher priority than those below.
Tracks that are higher-numbered (lower priority) MIDI ports in your system can be named and con-
than these tracks do not play back and you cannot figured for use in Pro Tools (for Windows, see
record to them. For those tracks, the Dynamically “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup” and for Mac,
Allocated Voicing button turns blue to indicate they see “Configuring AMS”).
are unavailable for playback or recording.
Assigning MIDI Track Input
Pro Tools lets you assign specific MIDI ports and
channels to a MIDI track input. The default selec-
No free voice available for a lower priority audio track tion of All receives all incoming MIDI data from
all ports on all channels. Use the MIDI Input selec-
Tracks do not play back when they are inac- tor to specify a MIDI port and channel for input.
tive or their voice assignment is set to Off.
For information on assigning MIDI input to
When working with more than the maximum num- Instrument tracks, see “Assigning MIDI In-
ber of voiced audio tracks allowed by your system, put and Output for Instrument Tracks” on
you can only play back audio from higher-num- page 272.
bered (lower priority) tracks by changing the track
priority by doing any of the following:
• Make a lower-numbered track inactive (click the
Track Name and select Track > Make Inactive).
• Set the voice assignment in a lower-numbered
track to Off (click the Voice selector and select
Off).
Select View > Mix Window > Instruments. To assign an Instrument track MIDI output:
Select View > Edit Window > Instruments. Click the track’s MIDI Output selector and as-
sign a port and channel for MIDI output. Chan-
nels already assigned to another track appear in
MIDI Input selector
MIDI Output selector
bold.
Soloing a Folder track leaves all member tracks With AFL, the level you hear is dependent on the
unmuted (except for any member tracks that were fader level for that track. Additionally, there is a
explicitly muted separately) while all other tracks separate master level setting for AFL that affects
that are not also soloed are muted. the output of any or all tracks you solo in AFL
mode (see “AFL/PFL Path” on page 63). This
To un-solo tracks: level setting is independent of the PFL level
Click the Solo button on soloed tracks. setting.
AFL/PFL is optimized for Pro Tools systems using To temporarily latch solos:
a D-Control or D-Command control surface, 1 Choose Options > Solo Mode > Momentary.
where the XMON automatically switches its mon-
itor source between the main output and the 2 Press the Solo button on the first track that will
AFL/PFL output from Pro Tools. be soloed.
3 While holding the first Solo button, press addi-
For more information on using XMON and
tional Solo buttons. Solo buttons remain soloed
AFL/PFL, see your control surface guide.
as long as one Solo button is held.
Solo Latch Options As long as at least one Solo button is held, all
the solos will remain latched.
Solos can be latched (where pressing subsequent
buttons adds them to the soloed mix of tracks), un-
latched, or temporarily latched
(Pro Tools Ultimate only).
Pro Tools lets you solo safe a track. This prevents Click the Mute button on the track.
the track from being muted even if you solo other
To unmute a track:
tracks. This feature is useful for tracks such as
Auxiliary Inputs that are being used as a submix of Click the Mute button again.
audio tracks, or effects returns, allowing the audio
or effects track to remain in a mix even when other MIDI Mute
tracks are soloed. It is also useful to solo safe MIDI
The Mute button on a MIDI track mutes MIDI
tracks so that their playback is not affected when
data, not audio. Muting MIDI results in no MIDI
you solo audio tracks.
data being passed to the MIDI output. On Instru-
New Auxiliary Input tracks default to Solo ment tracks, the track’s Mute button mutes the au-
Safe mode when added to a session. However, dio signal and the MIDI Mute button is only avail-
when converting an Auxiliary Input track to a able in Instruments view.
Routing Folder track, the resulting Routing
Folder track will not be in Solo Safe mode.
Playlists for inactive tracks are dimmed and track Right-click the Track Name in the Tracks List,
controls are grayed out. or Mix or Edit windows and choose Make Inac-
tive/Active.
Color Bars
To change Color Coding options: Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each
track in the Mix or Edit window according to its
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
voice assignment or MIDI device assignment.
2 Click the Display tab.
Groups Assigns a color to each track according to
3 Select or deselect the Always Display Marker its Mix or Edit Group ID. If groups are suspended
Colors option. using the Suspend Groups command, the tracks
4 Select the MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity op- color bars are not shown.
tion. Track Type Assigns a color to each track according
5 Select or deselect the Apply Color Coding to to its type (audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader,
Track Channel Strip option. VCA Master, MIDI, Instrument, or video).
6 Select a Default Track Color Coding option. Default Clip Color Coding
7 Select a Default Clip Color Coding option. The Default Clip Color Coding options determine
8 Click OK. how colors are assigned to the display of tracks,
clips in the track playlist and Clips List, and
Always Display Marker Colors Marker Locations.
This option lets you view Marker colors in the None Turns off default color assignment for clips.
Markers ruler, regardless of the option you choose Clips are drawn as black waveforms or black MIDI
for the Default Clip Color Coding option. notes on a light gray background.
Track Color Assigns a clip color based on the color To apply a color from the Color Palette:
assigned to the track. (See “Color Palette” on 1 Choose Window > Color Palette.
page 278.)
2 Do one of the following:
Marker Locations Assigns a unique color to each
• In the Apply to Selected pop-up menu, select the
marker area in the Marker ruler, including the area
destination for color coding: Tracks, Marker,
preceding the first marker.
Group, Clips in Tracks, or Clips in Clips List.
Clips List Color Assigns a color to each clip based • Select a track, marker, group, track clip, or Clips
on its color in the Clips List. When this Default Clip List clip in the appropriate Pro Tools window.
Color Coding option is enabled, the assigned clip The Apply to Selected menu will display the
color is maintained even if the clip is placed in a type of item you have selected.
track set to a different color coding.
If selecting a marker does not display the
Enabling any Default Clip Color Coding op- Marker option in the Apply to Selected
tion other than Clips List Color will override pop-up menu, then the Always Display
Clips List Color and reassign the parent track Marker Colors option in the Display Prefer-
color to copies of the clip placed in tracks. ences page is deselected. See “Always Dis-
Copies of the clip in the Clips List will retain play Marker Colors” on page 277 for more
their unique color. information.
Pro Tools provides Folder tracks to help you orga- Routing Folder Tracks Let you organize and man-
nize both track layout and signal routing in your age tracks in your sessions, and they also provide
projects and sessions. Folder tracks essentially audio routing and processing. You can route audio
function as containers for other tracks of any type. from member tracks through its input, apply plug-
A Folder track can be closed to hide all of the ins, use sends, assign track automation, and output
tracks it contains, or opened to show all contained audio much like an Auxiliary Input track.
tracks (member tracks). Thus, Folder tracks are a
powerful tool for organizing tracks (by stems, in- Tracks do not need to be contained by a
struments, and so on) so that you can more easily Routing Folder track in order to route audio
navigate complex sessions from a high level over- through it. You can bus audio from any track
view. to the audio input of a Routing Folder track
as desired.
Folder tracks can hold other Folder tracks up to
nine layers deep. A Folder track that contains an-
other Folder track is a parent Folder, and the Folder Basic Folder Tracks
it contains is a child Folder. Folder tracks that are
Basic Folder tracks can contain multiple tracks of
in the same layer are sibling Folders.
any type (including other Folder tracks). Use Basic
There are two types of Folder tracks: Basic and Folder tracks to organize tracks in your session. In
Routing. the Edit window, Basic Folder tracks display an
Overview of clips on all member tracks. Any edits
Basic Folder Tracks Let you organize and manage you make on Folder tracks Overview apply to all
tracks in your sessions, but without any of the spe- member tracks (see “Editing Folder Tracks in
cial routing capabilities that Routing Folder tracks Overview” on page 292).
provide. A Basic Folder track is like a container for
other tracks (of any type). It is especially useful in
large sessions with many tracks. For example, if
you have sixteen drum tracks in a session, you can
add them to a Basic Folder track which you can
then close to free up screen space so you can view
other tracks in the Edit and Mix windows without
scrolling. The solo and mute buttons on Basic
Folder tracks affect all member tracks, but other-
wise Basic Folder tracks do not provide any audio
or MIDI routing for member tracks.
Basic Folder tracks provide Solo and Mute controls that apply to all member tracks. They also provide Au-
dio and MIDI signal indicators, which light when any member track is playing back audio or MIDI respec-
tively.
Mute button
Solo button
3 Select the desired channel width from the Track Format selector.
4 Select the desired Track Time Base.
5 Type a descriptive Name for the Folder track.
6 Click Create.
Routing Folder tracks provide the same controls and indicators as Basic Folder tracks as well as the same
controls as Auxiliary Input tracks. However, be sure to note the difference in Mute behavior between Basic
and Routing Folder tracks.
Audio Signal Indicator Lights green when any Track Freeze Button Lets you Freeze (or Un-
member track plays back audio (even if the track is freeze) the Routing Folder track. Only the audio
muted). If audio from any member track clips, the output of the Routing Folder track will be frozen
border of the indicator turns either amber or red. (or unfrozen); audio from member tracks that are
not routed through the Routing Folder track are not
MIDI Signal Indicator Lights amber when any
included.
member track plays back MIDI.
Open/Close Folder Click to open or close the
Mute When selected (lit), the output of the Routing
Folder track. When closed, all member tracks are
Folder track is muted. Unlike the Mute behavior
hidden. When open, all member tracks are shown.
with Basic Folder tracks, tracks contained by the
In the Edit window, member tracks are indented to
Routing Folder are not muted, so any tracks that
show that they are contained by the Folder track. In
are not routed to the input of the Routing Folder
the Mix window, member tracks are bracketed by
track are potentially still audible.
the Folder track’s track color.
Solo When selected (lit), all member tracks remain
Open/Close Automation Lanes Click to open or
unmuted (except for any member tracks that were
close Automation lanes for the Folder track. All
explicitly muted separately) while all other tracks
Routing Folder track automation applies only to
that are not also soloed are muted.
audio routed through the Routing Folder track.
Track View Selector Lets you select Overview or
Track Timebase Selector Lets you select the
Track Automation views.
Track Timebase (Samples or Ticks).
Automation Mode Selector Lets you select the
Automation mode for the Routing Folder track. To open or close any Folder tracks that
contain the Edit cursor or are included in
the Edit selection, press Shift+F.
Mix window, Routing Folder track open—output of contained audio tracks routed to input of Routing Folder track
A new Basic or Routing Folder track is created and the selected tracks are moved to the new Folder track.
If you created a new Routing Folder track, a new internal bus named after the new folder track is created
and assigned to its track input. If you selected the Route Tracks to New Folder option, the outputs of any
tracks you are moving to the new Routing Folder track are also assigned to that bus.
A new bus is always created for a new Routing Folder and assigned to its input. The outputs of new mem-
ber tracks are only automatically routed to that bus if the Route Tracks to New Folder option is enabled.
Pro Tools lets you create, save, overwrite, and re- To create and save a new Track Preset:
call Track Presets. A Track Preset captures the cur- 1 Create and configure one or more tracks for any
rent configuration of the selected track or tracks, of your common workflow scenarios (such as
and can include the track type, format, level, pan- “lead vocal input chain,” or “drums parallel
ning, plug-in and send configurations, and more. compression bus,” and so on).
You can recall Track Presets to create new pre-
configured tracks in your session. You can also re- 2 Do one of the following:
call Inserts or Sends configurations from Track • Select the track or tracks and choose Track >
Presets to tracks that are already in your session. Save Track Preset.
• Right-click the track name and choose Save
Track Presets are available for recall in the Track
Track Preset.
Type selector in the New Tracks dialog. Track Pre-
sets can also be recalled from a Workspace • Select the track or tracks and press Op-
browser to create new tracks. You can use Work- tion+Shift+P (Mac) or Alt+Shift+P (Win-
space browsers to organize, manage, and search dows).
your collection of Track Presets, so you always 3 Configure the Save Track Preset dialog as de-
have easy access to the perfect Track Presets for sired (see “Save Track Preset Dialog Settings”
any session or project. on page 295).
4 Click OK.
Creating and Saving Track
Presets Save Track Preset Dialog
Settings
You can save any selected track or tracks in your
session as a Track Preset. A Track Preset captures The Save Track Preset dialog lets you name the
the current configuration of the selected track or preset, assign it to a category, and include audio
tracks. and MIDI clips (all clips or only clips within the
current Edit selection). Add metadata tags to your
Track Presets to make searching for the perfect
Track Preset in a Workspace browser even easier.
You can rename and re-categorize Track Presets
later in any Workspace browser.
Category
Name
When saving a Folder track as a Track Preset, you Enable Auto-populate tags from Track Data to au-
can either save the Folder track as an empty folder tomatically create tags based on the following
or with all member tracks. To include all member Track Data: Plug-in Manufacturers, Plug-in
tracks with the Track Preset, enable the Include All Names, Plug-in Categories, Plug-in Preset (if un-
Member Tracks option in the Save Track Preset di- modified), Track Types, Track Names, and Track
alog. Folder track hierarchies are maintained when Width.
Track Presets are saved and recalled.
Press Command+T (Mac) or Control+T (Win-
Include Audio and MIDI Clips dows) to enable or disable the Auto-populate
Tags from Track Data option.
Enable Include Audio and MIDI Clips to include any
audio or MIDI clips on the track with the Track Tags Field
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+I (Mac) or Control+I (Win-
To add a tag to a Track Preset:
dows) to enable or disable the Include Audio
and Media Clips option. 1 Click in the Tags filed and type the tag you want
(for example, “Strings,” “Synth,” or “Pad”).
Clips in Edit Selection Only
2 Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to as-
Enable Clips in Edit Selection Only to include only sign each new tag that you type.
whole audio and MIDI clips, and any associated
automation data that is within the current Edit se-
lection. Use this option in conjunction with Track
Offset Options set in the Track Data To Recall di-
alog to place included media at any desired Time-
line location in any other session or project (see
“Track Data to Recall” on page 298).
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 449.
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 443.
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 to Recall settings, see “Track Data to Recall” on page 298.
Dragging to Inserts All Track Presets are recalled to create new tracks
in your session or project.
Drag and drop a Track Preset from a Workspace
browser to a track’s Inserts view in the Edit or Mix To recall a selection of Track Presets:
window to recall Inserts from the Track Preset. See
1 Locate the Track Presets you want to recall in a
also “Recalling Inserts from Track Presets” on
Workspace browser.
page 303.
2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
Dragging to Sends dows) the Track Presets you want to import.
Drag and drop a Track Preset from a Workspace 3 Right-click one of the selected Track Presets
browser to a track’s Sends view in the Edit or Mix and choose Import Track Preset.
window to recall Sends configurations from the
Track Preset. See also “Recalling Track Presets to All selected Track Presets are imported to create
Sends” on page 304. new tracks in your session or project.
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.
Mix Groups can be set to affect the following Grouping does not affect these parameters:
items: • Voice assignment
• Main Mute • Output assignment
• Solo
• Inserting plug-ins
• Send Level
• Elastic Audio plug-ins
• Send Mute
• Main Volume Selectable Group Attributes
• Main Pan
You can select which parameters, or attributes, are
• Main LFE Level (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio linked in groups by the following methods:
only)
• By making the group an Edit Group, a Mix
• Record Enable
Group, or both (Mix/Edit Group).
• Input Monitoring
• With Mix and Mix/Edit Groups, by selecting
• Automation Mode from a list of attributes for the group.
• Object Controls (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio
• With Mix Groups in Pro Tools Ultimate and Stu-
with Dolby
dio only, by choosing whether the selected attri-
Atmos only)
butes apply globally to all groups or to
• Send Pan individual groups.
• Send LFE Level (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio
only)
• Plug-In Controls
• Plug-In Bypass
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 316).
• 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 Ultimate and Studio
only)
Mix Attributes:
• Record Enable
• Input Monitoring Saving a Group preset
• Solos 2 In the Save Group Settings dialog, select one of
• Automation Mode the six preset locations from the Location pop-
up menu, and click Save.
• HEAT Pre/Post
• HEAT Bypass
• Object Controls (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio
with Dolby
Atmos 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 188).
Clips List
Click the Clips List menu (at the top of the Clips Displaying File Info for Audio
List) and choose Show. From the submenu, Clips
select or deselect the clip type you want to show
or hide. In addition to clip names, the Clips List can also
display information about the clip’s color coding,
Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) type (audio, MIDI, and clip group), timebase, Elas-
to select (or deselect) multiple items in the tic Audio processing, and parent file:
Show submenu without closing the menu.
Timebase Displays the timebase (samples or ticks)
Audio Shows or hides audio clips in the Clips List. for audio and MIDI clips, and clip groups.
MIDI Shows or hides MIDI clips in the Clips List. Color Displays Track Color Coding as assigned
with Default Clip Color Coding option in Display
Video Shows or hides video clips in the Clips List. Preferences page, or as assigned in the Color Pal-
Groups Shows or hides clip groups in the Clips ette.
List. Processing State Displays the Warp Indicator
Auto-Created Shows or hides automatically-cre- icon if Elastic Audio processing has been applied
ated clips (of all types) in the Clips List. These are to the clip.
clips that were created as a by-product of cutting, Guitar Settings (Eleven Rack Only) Displays the
pasting, and separating other clips. Since these Eleven Rack icon if guitar settings are embedded
auto-created clips can become numerous, hiding in the clip.
them (by deselecting the option) helps you to avoid
scrolling through an unnecessarily long Clips List. File Type Displays the File Type icon for audio
and MIDI clips, and clip groups.
Hiding Auto-Created clips can be useful
when importing clip groups (or REX files File Name Displays the parent file name.
as clip groups), because these file types can
Disk Name Displays the name of the hard drive on
contain so many separate clips that it be-
which referenced file resides.
comes difficult to read the Clips List.
Sort By Options
Clips with file information shown in the Clips List The Sort By options let you sort clips to help keep
track of large numbers of clips.
Pro Tools displays only the clip name in the Clips
List by default. Audio clips can be sorted by:
When editing, the Clips List can become • Clip Type
cluttered with auto-created clips. You can • Name
hide auto-created clips by choosing Show
• Length
in the Clips List menu, and deselecting
Auto-Created. • Original Time Stamp
• User Time Stamp
• Timebase
Sorting and Searching in the
Clips List • Start in Parent
Most sessions will contain many clips, which can • End in Parent
make it challenging to swiftly locate a particular • File Name
clip in the Clips List. Pro Tools lets you sort and • File Length
search clips in the Clips List to quickly locate any
clip you want. • File Creation Date
• File Modification Date
• Disk Name (audio and clip groups only)
• Track Format/Width
• By Channel Name
• By Scene and Take
• Guitar Settings
Finding Clips
Use the Find command to display all clips in a list
whose names contain a particular word or phrase. Found Clips in the Clips List
To find and display clips in the Clips List: Clips of any type whose name match the word or
phrase you searched are displayed in the Clips List.
1 Do one of the following:
The search string is displayed at the top of the
• Click the Clips List menu and choose Find. Clips List in brackets.
• Press Command+Shift+F (Mac) or
Text entered into the Find dialog is saved in
Control+Shift+F (Windows).
a Find History, letting you quickly
repeat previous searches with a minimum
of retyping.
3 Click OK.
1 Click the Clips List menu, and choose Find. In the Clips List, you can select clips so they can be
dragged to tracks, processed with AudioSuite
2 Click and hold the small arrow to the right of the plug-ins, or exported.
text field in the Find dialog and select the item
in the Found History list before which you want To select or deselect a clip in the Clips List, do the
to insert the new entry. following:
3 Type the name, or any portion of the name, for Click a clip name that is unhighlighted to
the clips you want to find. select it.
4 Click and hold the small arrow to the right of the Click a clip name that is highlighted to
text field in the Find dialog and choose deselect it.
Insert Entry from the pop-up menu.
To select a range of clips in the Clips List, do one
of the following:
Keyboard Selection of Clips From the Clips List menu, choose Select, and
then choose one of the Select options:
If Clips List Keyboard Focus is enabled, you can
type the first few letters of a clip’s name and All Selects all clips in the Clips List.
Pro Tools will automatically locate and select the
Unused Selects clips that have not been placed in a
clip in the Clips List.
track in the current session. Offline clips appear in
the Clips List italicized and dimmed.
The Preview Volume control in the Import 1 In the Clips List, make sure the stereo or multi-
Audio dialog also affects the preview channel clip is in expanded view (showing .L,
volume when auditioning clips in the .R, and other component channels).
Clips List.
2 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
clip for the channel you want to audition.
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
Stereo clips, expanded (top) and collapsed (bottom) that was auto-created during editing, the clip be-
comes a user-defined clip and is displayed in the
To expand or collapse all stereo and multichannel Clips List even when auto-created clips are hidden.
clips:
Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while If a clip resides in a track, you can easily rename it
clicking the expand/collapse triangle. by double-clicking it with one of the Grabber tools.
However, if the clip does not reside in a track, or if
you want to rename several clips, use the Rename
command in the Clips List.
If the Clips List Selection Follows Edit Selec- File Name Displays the file name of the parent file
tion option in the Editing Preferences page is for the clip.
enabled, you can highlight a clip in the Clips
List by selecting it in a track. Start Displays the start time of the selected clip ac-
cording to the main timebase.
3 Do one of the following:
Sync Displays the Sync point time of the selected
• From the Clips List menu, choose Rename. clip according to the main timebase.
• Right-click on any selected clip and select Re-
End Displays the end time of the selected clip ac-
name from the pop-up menu.
cording to the main timebase.
4 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
Duration Displays the duration of the selected clip
clip. If a whole-file audio clip was selected,
according to the main timebase.
specify whether to rename just the clip, or both
the clip and the disk file. Original Time Stamp Displays the original time
stamp of the selected clip according to the main
timebase.
Name dialog
You can specify the auto-naming options for a clip 4 Click OK.
when new clips are created from it in the course of
editing. Batch Clip Renaming
Auto-naming of clips does not affect the names of The Batch Rename command for clips is only
parent audio files. Instead, it stores pointers to the available in the Clips List.
clips within the parent source file.
Clip Groups and clips contained within are
To set auto-naming options for a clip: ignored by Batch Clip Renaming.
2 Choose Auto Rename from the Clips List menu. 1 In the Clips List, select the clips you want to re-
name.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Clips List menu.
• Right-click a selected Clip in the Clips List.
The Clear command cannot be undone. Use this “power delete mode” with caution.
Deletion of these files cannot be undone.
To find and remove unused clips in a session:
2 After all unused clips are selected, choose Clear Clear Removes selected clips from the session.
from the Clips List menu. The Clear Selected
Rename Renames selected clips.
dialog opens.
3 In the Clear Selected dialog, select the Automat- Batch Rename Lets you batch rename selected
ically select all unused clips option if you want clips.
to ensure that all unused clips, including whole Time Stamp Redefines the time stamp of selected
file clips, are selected for deletion or removal. clips.
Any selections previously made in the Clips
List are ignored. Spot to Edit Insertion Spots selected clips to the
Edit insertion point on tracks.
Recalculate Waveform Overviews Redraws Enable (or disable) the Replace option to replace
waveforms for selected clips. text in the names of clips or tracks.
Reveal in Workspace Lets you reveal the parent Press Command+R (Mac) or Control+R
file for any individual clip in a Workspace (Windows) to select (or deselect) Replace.
browser.
Pro Tools lets you rename selected tracks or clips Replace Type the text you want to use in the
in batches. This can be very useful for managing names of selected items instead.
auto-named tracks and clips, especially in a large Clear Existing Name Enable to completely clear
session. the existing names of selected items.
Batch Renaming Dialog Options Regular Expressions Enable to use advanced find
and Settings and replace operations using regular expressions.
The Batch Track Renaming and Batch Clip Re- For more information about using regular
naming dialogs provide controls for changing the expressions for batch renaming tasks, see
names of all selected items (tracks or clips) by Re- “Regular Expressions Workflow Examples”
placing text, Trimming characters, Adding charac- on page 336.
ters, and sequential Numbering. The Batch Clip
Renaming dialog also provides controls for setting
the order for numbering selected clips based on
Enable (or disable) the Trim option to remove the Enable (or disable) the Add option to add prefixes
specified number of characters from the beginning or suffixes to names. You can also insert text into
or end of names. the middle of names.
Batch Rename, Numbering options Clips List Sort Order Applies number according
to the current Clips List sort order for selected
Position Select whether you want numbers to be
clips.
added at the Beginning or End of names, or at the
specified character index (At Index) in names. If
Presets
you select At Index, also enter a number in the In-
dex field to specify after which character in names Pro Tools lets you store and recall common renam-
you want to insert the numbers. ing schemes best suited to your workflow in both
the Batch Track Renaming and Batch Clip Renam-
Starting Number Enter the number from which
ing dialogs. The Presets controls for Batch Renam-
you want to start.
ing work much like the Preset controls for Fades
Number of Places Enter the number of places you and Clip Effects.
want for numbering (for example, type 3 for three
places 000). Presets Buttons
Increment Enter the value by which you want the Both the Batch Track Renaming dialog and the
numbering to increment. Batch Clip Renaming dialog provide five preset
buttons that let you store and recall your most com-
Separate With Enable to separate added numbers monly used naming conventions. You can also
with a space or any other single character after (if save and import additional Batch Naming settings
placed at the beginning) or before (if placed at the using the Librarian menu.
end), or before and after the specified character in- \
Use the Librarian menu to save and recall Batch Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes
Naming Settings files (.ptpreset). These are usu- the current settings file (.ptpreset) from disk.
ally saved to and recalled from the Batch Track Lock (Unlock) Settings File Locks (or unlocks)
Rename folder or the Batch Clip Rename folder the selected Settings file so that it cannot (or can)
accordingly (/Documents/Pro Tools/Pro Tools be edited.
Presets/Batch Track Rename/). Of course you can
save to and import from any directory location on
your system. Batch Name preset files can be Regular Expressions Workflow
shared and used on any other Pro Tools system as Examples
well. Regular expressions are standardized text strings
that describe search patterns. Use regular expres-
The Librarian menu commands include:
sions when batch renaming tracks or clips to find
<factory default> Restores the default settings for and replace text based on more advanced criteria
Batch Naming. than simple find and replace text operations.
Save Settings Saves the current settings. This For more information about regular expres-
command overwrites any previous version of the sions, visit https://www.regex101.com.
preset.
\-\ 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 and organize Track Presets
files from Workspace browsers to your • Access all Catalogs
Pro Tools session, see “Importing Files with
• Search across multiple volumes and Catalogs
Drag and Drop” on page 426.
simultaneously
Workspace Browsers • Designate volumes for Record and Playback,
Playback Only, or Transfer
Workspace browsers provide an intuitive user in-
terface to databases with many convenient features • View, manage, audition, and import individual
for various file management tasks (such as search items in any catalog or mounted volume
and sort functions). • Update databases for entire volumes
Workspace browsers provide file management for Using Catalogs, you can:
local and network volumes. Volumes are formatted • Collect and organize files from any combination
partitions on a physical drive (hard drive). Any of volumes
changes made in the Workspace (such as copying,
• Create catalogs of complete volumes to view
or moving files and folders) is mirrored on the vol-
and search even if a volume is offline
umes themselves. Volumes include mounted hard
drives, network storage, and removable media • View, manage, audition, and import individual
(such as USB thumb drives). items in the catalog
• Update a database for contents of catalog
When Volumes are focused in the Locations pane
you can: For more information, see “Catalogs” on
• View, manage, audition, and import individual page 384.
items on the volume
• Update a database for contents of the volume
Task Manager Window
The Task Manager window is a utility for viewing
Session and managing all of the background tasks that you
initiate with Pro Tools. Use the Task Manager
Workspace browsers provide powerful search and
window to monitor, pause, or cancel background
management tools for the files referenced in your
tasks such as file copies, searches, and indexing.
current session, regardless of where they are
stored. For more information, see “Task Manager
When the currently open session is focused in the Window” on page 387.
Locations pane you can:
Relink Window
• Show all the media files associated with the cur-
rent session, including any missing files The Relink window provides tools and features for
relinking sessions and catalogs to media files. Use
• View, manage, audition, and spot individual
Relink tools to search and reacquire missing files
items
for use in the current session.
Track Presets
For more information, see “Relink Window”
Select Track Presets in the Locations pane to view on page 380.
all of your Track Presets. You can organize and
search Track Presets in the Workspace. Drag and
drop Track Presets from the Workspace to tracks in
your sessions.
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 > Browsers, and select an open To change a volume designator:
Workspace browser from the submenu. 1 Open a Workspace browser.
To cycle to the next or previous Workspace 2 In the Locations pane, select Volumes.
browser:
3 In the Browser pane, click and select the appro-
Press Command+Left/Right Arrow keys (Mac) priate permissions for any volume.
or Control+Left/Right Arrow keys (Windows).
Unmounting Volumes
Creating and Opening
Use the Finder (Mac) or Windows Explorer (Win- Workspace Browser Folders
dows) to mount and unmount volumes while
Workspace browsers let you create and manipulate
Pro Tools is running.
folders (file system sub-directories). All folders
have Expand/Collapse icons to show their con-
tents. Dragging items onto a folder icon is the same
Working with Items in as dragging into an open Workspace browser.
Workspace Browsers
To create a new folder in a volume, folder, or
Opening Sessions catalog:
1 Select the volume, folder, or catalog in which
To open a Pro Tools session listed in a
Workspace browser: you want to create a new folder.
With no Pro Tools session currently open, dou- 2 Right-click the item and choose New Folder.
ble-click a Pro Tools session file in the Browser 3 Type a name for the folder and click OK.
pane of any Workspace browser.
4 For volumes and folders, the folder is created on
disk. In Catalogs, the folder is created in the cat-
Opening AAF and OMF alog database only. The Items List updates as
Sequences new items are added.
AAF and OMF sequences can be opened from
Workspace browsers. To open a folder in the current Workspace
browser:
You can also drag and drop AAF and OMF se-
quences from Workspace browsers into the current Double-click the folder, or click the
session. Expand/Collapse icon for the item.
Indexing while Browsing saves time because it To update the index for an entire volume:
only fills the database for items on the level of the
volume that you are currently browsing. For exam- Right-click the volume to update in the Work-
ple, if you are browsing the root level of the vol- space browser and choose Update Index.
ume, it indexes only the folders and files on the
Last Indexed Date Display
root level. If you open a folder, Pro Tools indexes
just the items in that folder. As a result, a database The Date Indexed column shows the date that the
is only indexed for the parts of the volume that you index for that folder and all of its sub-folders was
have browsed. However, searches are faster and updated. Keep in mind that individual sub-folders
more complete when a volume is already com- may have been updated more recently.
pletely indexed.
Automatic Updating for Pro Tools Actions
The following actions engage indexing:
Whenever Pro Tools adds, deletes, or modifies a
• Navigating to a folder cause a re-indexing of just
file on a volume or in a session, the appropriate da-
the top level items in that folder and for only the
tabase is immediately updated to reflect the
items with changed modified dates.
change.
• Click Update Index on a folder to look recur-
sively through the folder for any changed modi- Changes that are made with Windows Ex-
fied dates and update the index. plorer or the Mac Finder (such as copying or
moving files) are not tracked by Pro Tools and
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) Up-
are only indexed if the necessary folder is
date Index to force a recursive re-index of a
browsed or if a manual index is performed.
folder for all files, regardless of changed to mod-
ified date.
Create Catalog from Selection Creates a fully in- Calculate Elastic Analysis Calculates Elastic Au-
dexed catalog of all items selected in either the Lo- dio analysis data for all selected audio files. Ana-
cations or the Browser pane. lyzed files are indicated by a blue clock for sam-
ple-based files and by a green metronome for tick-
Reveal in Finder/Explorer Opens the correspond-
based files. Analyzed files where a tempo has been
ing parent window in the Finder (Mac) or Explorer
detected are also updated as tick-based, display
(Windows) for the currently selected file.
their duration in Bars|Beats, and display their na-
Open in New Workspace Opens the selected item tive tempo in the Tempo column. You can view the
in a new browser. The selected item is highlighted progress of Elastic Audio analysis in the Task win-
in the new browser. dow.
Tags Opens the Assign Tags popover window for Clear Elastic Analysis Clears Elastic Audio analy-
audio files (WAV or AIFF only). For details on the sis data for all selected audio files. Files cleared of
Assign Tags popover window, see “Soundbase and Elastic Audio analysis data revert to sample time-
Tags” on page 364). base, display their duration in minutes and sec-
onds, and do not report a tempo.
Recently Used Tags Lets you assign any of the
last 10 used tags to the selected audio file (WAV or For more information, see “Elastic Audio
AIFF only). Files in the Workspace” on page 371.
You can show or hide individual columns in To show the default set of columns:
Workspace browsers to fit your workflow. The de-
Right-click a column header and choose
fault column display includes the items you would
DEFAULT from the popover menu.
use in most sessions.
Sorting Columns Bit Depth Displays an audio file’s bit depth. This
field cannot be edited.
Columns can be sorted in ascending or descending
order, and multiple sorts can be applied (up to four Capacity Displays the total capacity of a volume.
levels). This field cannot be edited.
Free Displays the unused space on volumes. This Plug-In Name Displays the name of the plug-in for
field cannot be edited. Plug-In Settings files (.tfx).
ISRC Displays the ISRC (International Standard Project Displays the project name data embedded
Recording Code), if any, for the selected file. Click in audio files.
the ISRC field to add or edit the ISRC for a file.
Shoot Date Displays origination date and time in- Tape ID Displays tape ID information embedded in
formation embedded in audio files. However, audio files. This field cannot be edited.
many field recorders do not populate the Shoot
TC Rate This column displays the frame rate of the
Date field, relying instead on the file’s Creation
Date to indicate date of production. When item if the item is an AAF sequence or an OMF se-
Pro Tools imports a field recorder file, it checks to quence or file: 24, 25, 29.97, 30, drop or non-drop.
see if the Shoot Date field is populated. If it is For sequences, the frame rate at the start of the se-
empty, Pro Tools copies the Creation Date of the quence is displayed.
original source file to the Shoot Date field of the Tempo Displays the tempo associated with clip
new imported files. This field cannot be edited. group, MIDI, tick-based Elastic Audio files, REX,
Size Displays the size of a file. This field cannot be
and ACID files, and session files. This field cannot
edited. be edited.
Comments Fields Click the icon for an item. When selected, the
item is highlighted. The contents of the selected
Comments about individual files can be stored in item (volume, folder, session, or catalog) are
the database, and embedded with the file’s meta- displayed in the Browser pane.
data wrapper. There are two types of comments
fields: File Comments and Database Comments. If there is already a selection in the Locations
or Browser pane, you can also type the first
File Comments letters of the item you want to select.
File Comments are stored with the metadata of the To select multiple items in the Browser pane:
file itself. Not all file types support File Com-
ments. Indexing stores File Comments in the data- Drag to select a group of items, or Shift-click
base, allowing them to be searched and viewed additional items. Command-click (Mac) or
even if the file is offline. File Comments can be ed- Control-click (Windows) to select multiple non-
ited in Workspace browsers, as long as the files or contiguous items.
their parent media are not defined as read-only.
To select all items listed:
You can also add and edit File Comments to
Press Command-A (Mac) or Control-A
Pro Tools Session files. File Comments cannot be
(Windows).
edited in Catalogs.
Database Comments
To select all Transfer files in the current
window:
(Sessions and Catalogs Only)
Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser
Database Comments, which can be up to 256 char- menu.
acters in length, are searchable, cross-platform,
and editable. To select all offline files:
Choose Select Offline Files from the Browser
Adding and Editing Comments
menu.
To add, view, or edit a comment:
To select all online files:
1 Click the Comments field. The field expands to
display the entire contents of the field if neces- Choose Select Online Files from the Browser
sary. menu.
You can drag items directly into the Time- 1 Select the current session in the Locations pane.
line or Clips List of the current session. 2 Select one or more items in the Browser pane.
See “Importing Files with Drag and
Drop” on page 426. 3 Choose Delete from the Right-click menu.
4 Do one of the following:
Copying Items
• Click Move to Trash (Mac) or Move to Recycle
To copy and move items: Bin (Windows) to remove the item from session.
• Click Delete to remove the items from your sys-
Select one or more items and Option-drag
tem.
(Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) them to a new lo-
cation. • Click Cancel to leave selected items unchanged.
The top of every Workspace browser provides a set Click the Advance Search button to open the Ad-
of search tools for finding files on your system vanced search toolbar (see “Advanced Search” on
quickly and easily. page 360).
Simple Search
Number of items
in the Browser List Tags button Pro Tools provides a simple text search with the
Search tools Browser Search Field that lets you quickly search
all volumes for items by file name as well as any
Number of Items other text field available in the Workspace browser
The Number of items listed in the Browser pane is (such as File Comment, Database Comment,
displayed to the left of the Browser Search field in Scene, Take, Plug-In Name, and so on).
the Workspace Toolbar. If a search returns more Initiating a search with no search criteria re-
than 1,000 items you are notified that 1,000+ items
turns all items on the system.
are returned from the search. You can click this to
show all items returned in the search. To initiate a simple search:
1 In the Locations pane, select the Volume, Cata-
Browser Search Field
log, Session, or Folder that you want to search.
Type the names of files, dates, durations, and so If you do not make a selection, the entire system
forth into the Browser Search field. As soon as you is searched (including shown offline volumes).
start typing, Pro Tools initiates the search for
2 Do one of the following:
matches to the text you type. Results are displayed
in the Browser pane. • Click the Simple Search button.
• Press Command+F (Mac) or Control+F
Simple Search Button (Windows).
Click the Search button to initiate a simple search 3 Type in the Browser Search field.
before typing any text into the Browser Search
4 Click in the Browser Search field and type text
field. The Simple Search button changes from a
for the search.
magnifying glass icon to an “X” and immediately
initiates a search. Click the Search button again to
end the search (or press the Esc key).
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
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) to select multiple criteria for an either/or search.
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.
On Mac, the WaveCache file is stored in • Preview the file with the Audio Files Conform to
/Users/Shared/Pro Tools. Session Tempo option enabled.
On Windows, the WaveCache file is stored in Analyzed files in which a regular tempo was de-
<Systemdrive>/Users/Public/Pro Tools. tected are updated as tick-based, display their du-
ration in Bars|Beats, and display their native tempo
in the Tempo column.
Elastic Audio Files in the Analyzed files in which no tempo was detected re-
Workspace main sample-based. These files typically contain
You can both calculate and clear Elastic Audio only a single transient (such as a snare hit) or they
analysis for selected audio files in Workspace are longer files without a readily identifiable regu-
browsers. Only AIFF and WAV files are supported lar tempo (such as entire songs).
for Elastic Audio analysis and processing. Any On Mac, if you do not see the Elastic Audio
other file format (such as MP3) must be converted Analysis icon or the duration does not
to AIFF or WAV for Elastic Audio analysis and change to tick-based during the preview pro-
processing. cess, check the permissions for the folder in
the Mac Finder. You must have write access
of the directory for this feature to work.
Multi-Mono Files
When selecting one of a pair of Split Stereo files, The Preview button starts and stops preview of au-
such as “Drums.L” and “Drums.R,” both files pre- dio files selected in Workspace browsers. You can
view together. To preview only the selected chan- also Right-click the Preview button to change the
nel of a split stereo pair, press the Shift key and Preview mode and set whether or not the Spacebar
start preview. toggles file preview.
3 Enable the Reserve Voices For Preview In • Files that reside on offline volumes must first
Context option. have their volumes mounted (brought online)
before they can be relinked.
4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Catalogs have unique linking characteristics.
See “Relinking and Aliases in Catalogs” on
Linking and Relinking Files page 383.
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.
Selecting volumes and folders in the Areas to In some situations, individual files must be
Search pane lets you focus the search for missing relinked one at a time in order to relink the session
files. This can speed the relinking process by lim- to the correct file. This is necessary if multiple cop-
iting the number of volumes or folders to search. In ies of a media file are online, or whenever you
addition, excluding folders from a search for miss- want the most control and flexibility over the
ing files also lets you redirect a session or Catalog relinking process.
to a more appropriate copy of an item.
To relink a missing file:
1 Configure the Areas to Search pane.
2 Select one item in the Files to Relink list.
3 Click Find All Candidates.
Linking options
1 Configure Areas to Search. (See “Selecting Ar- 6 To view a candidate for a missing file, select to
eas to Search” on page 381.) highlight the missing file. That file’s candidate
appears in the Candidates pane, where you can
2 Select one or more items in the Files to Relink view its information and waveform.
list. The Find Links button becomes available.
7 If you are not satisfied with the candidate for a
3 Click Find Links. particular missing file, you can click Find All
4 Configure criteria for relinking, if necessary, in Candidates for the selected file (see “Relinking
the Linking Options dialog: Individual Missing Files” on page 381).
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 377.
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.
In addition to using the standalone Avid Link To set up your Avid Profile:
application, you can access Avid Link within 1 If you are not already signed in to your Avid
Pro Tools using the Avid Link menu and the Artist Master Account in Pro Tools, choose File > Sign
Chat window. With Avid Link, you can create and In and sign in.
manage your Avid Community Profile, find col-
laborators using Find Talent, and engage the Avid 2 In Pro Tools, choose Avid Link > Profile.
creative community through Lounges. The Artist 3 To add or change your Profile Picture and Cover
Chat window lets you invite people from your list Photo, do the following:
of contacts to collaborate on a project and commu-
• Choose Edit Cover Photo from the gear icon
nicate with collaborators using Messages.
in the upper right corner of the window.
• Click Edit to browse for and add photos.
Your Avid Profile • Click Save Changes.
Set up and maintain your Avid Profile to promote 4 To add relevant information about you, such as
your work, and share your talents and skills with your Bio and Contact Information, do the fol-
the Avid Creative Community. Add tags for your lowing:
skills to helps people find you when they are • Click About Me.
searching for collaborators using Find Talent. • Click Add Bio.
• Select (or deselect) Make My Profile Public.
• Enter your personal information.
• Click Save when you are done.
5 To add (or remove) tags for your talents and
skills, do the following:
• Click About Me.
• Click Add Skill and select your skills in each
category (for example, select Instruments and
click Piano). Tags for each selected skill are
added to your Profile.
• For each added tag, set your Expertise.
• Click Save when you are done.
New Avid Profile
Find Talent 2 In Pro Tools, choose Avid Link > Find Talent.
Use Find Talent to search for other members of the 3 Click Filters.
Avid Creative Community to add to your contacts 4 Click a Category (such as Instruments).
for collaboration based on specific talents and
skills. You can also search for people by name. If 5 Click a skill in that Category (such as Cello).
you want to collaborate with someone who is not 6 To further refine your search, click Filters again
yet part of the Avid Creative Community, you can and select a Genre (such as Classical).
email them an invitation to join.
Show/Hide Collaboration
Transaction Logs
Invite Contacts
to Collaborate
Project Name Show/Hide Participants
Project Participants
Revoke an Invitation to
Collaborate
(Project Owner Only)
1 Click the Show/Hide Participants icon to show To add another project participant to your
project participants. contacts:
2 Click on the name of the participant you want to 1 Click the Show/Hide Participants icon to show
remove and choose Remove. project participants.
2 Click on the name of the participant you want to
The Remove command is not available if the
add to your contacts and choose Add to Con-
participant currently has the project open.
tacts.
s
To open a project:
Double-click the Project icon in the Project List.
Individual Chat
To chat with an individual contact:
1 Do one of the following:
• Start a new chat with one of your contacts.
• Continue an existing chat by clicking the
name of the Contact in the Messages list.
2 In the Write Message field, type your message
and then press Return (Mac) or Enter (Win-
Create New Message icon
dows), or click the Send icon.
• Create a new chat with multiple contacts. If you are invited to a group chat thread, you are
• Add one or more contacts to an existing chat. notified in the Artist Chat Messages window.
To add one or more contacts to an existing chat: To accept or decline an invitation to collaborate on
a project:
1 In the Messages list, select the chat you want to
1 In the Artist Chat Messages window, you will
add to.
see an invitation to join a group chat thread
2 Click the Add Contact to Message icon. from one of its participants.
2 Click Accept or Decline.
Anyone who has already join a group chat can re- Removing a participant from the group chat
voke the invitation to join for anyone else that has
not yet accepted the invitation. That participant is removed from the group chat
and it is no longer available to them.
To revoke an invitation to join a group chat:
Leave a Group Chat
1 Click the Show/Hide Participants icon to show
group chat participants. Any participant that has If you are participating in a group chat that you did
not yet accepted the invitation shows “Invited” not initiate, you can leave it at any time. When you
to the left of their name. leave a group chat, the other participants are noti-
2 Click on their name and choose Revoke Invita- fied and you are removed from their list of group
tion. chat participants. You now no longer have access
to that group chat, and it is removed from the Mes-
sages list in the Artist Chat window.
If there is a participant in a group chat with you To pin a project or chat thread:
who is not already in your contacts, you can add 1 Right-click the project or chat you want to pin
them. to the top of the list.
1 Click the Show/Hide Participants icon to show 3 The project or chat moves to the top of the list.
the group chat participants.
This item will also be pinned to the top of the list
2 Click on the name of the participant you want to for all participants the next time they go online
add to your contacts and choose Add to Con-
tacts. To unpin a project or chat thread:
1 Right-click the project or chat you want to un-
pin from the top of the list.
2 Choose Unpin.
3 The project or chat moves back to its original
Add a participant in a group chat to your contacts location on the list.
A contact request is sent to that participant. This item will also be unpinned to for all partici-
pants the next time they go online.
When you first get started with shared projects and Tracks and Rulers
collaboration, you may want to use an existing ses-
sion rather than create a new project from scratch. Tracks
In this case, open the session you want to work • Audio, MIDI, Instrument, and Master Fader
with and use the Save Copy In command to save it tracks
and its associated media (for more information, see
• Main Playlists
“Saving a Session as a Project” on page 187).
• Alternate Playlists
For in depth information about creating, • Clips Associated with Playlists
opening, and saving projects, among other
tasks, see “Pro Tools Projects” on page 170. • Clip Gain
• Clip Color
For information about using the Artist Chat • Elastic Audio Properties for Clips
window and Avid Link to invite and commu- • Media Associated with Clips
nicate with collaborators, see Chapter 19,
• Track Color
“Artist Chat and Avid Link.”
• Volume Automation Settings
• Pan Automation Settings
Chapter 20: Track Collaboration 405
• Mute Automation Settings to the collaborator’s system and they are notified
• Plug-In Assignments through the project notes when they first receive an
open the project. If this occurs, they may have to
• Plug-In Settings and Automation remap those busses manually.
• Sidechain Assignments
• HW Insert Assignments Items Shared Only when a
• Track Metadata
Project is First Downloaded
• Track I/O assignments Project Level
• Sample Rate
Routing Folder tracks can be shared, but they are
converted to Auxiliary Input tracks and all member • Bit Depth
tracks are moved to the top level. • File Format
Click the Show Artist Chat button to open the Art- Right-click the Upload All New Changes button
and choose Abandon Changes.
ist Chat window. The Show Artist Chat button
turns green when you receive a message from an-
other participant in the Project Chat for the open
project.
Upload All New Changes Click the lit Download All New Changes button
As soon as you have made any change on any track If other participants have made changes to tracks and
whose own Upload Track Changes control turns you decide that you do not want to receive these
green, the Upload All New Changes button also changes, you can choose Ignore Changes. The Up-
turns green. If you are busy working on the project load All New Changes light goes out and no changes
you probably won’t want to upload each change indi- are downloaded.
vidually, but rather wait until you feel ready to post
all of your changes at once. To ignore all changes other collaborators on the
project have made in the project since your last
complete download:
To post all the new changes you have made on
tracks in the project since the last complete Right-click the Download All New Changes but-
upload: ton and choose Ignore Changes
Click the lit Upload All New Changes button
Typically, the Download All Shared Tracks button The project owner sees the meter level rise or
turns green the first time you join a project with lower as more media is posted to or deleted from
tracks. As with all collaboration transaction activ- their Cloud Account. The tool tip informs you of
ity, you can monitor the progress of the download how much storage is being used (both as a percent-
in the Task Manger window (Window > Task Man- age and as a hard number) on your Cloud Account
ager). The Download All Tracks button turns and how much total storage you have allocated to
green again when any participant creates new your account.
tracks and shares them. Tracks that are unshared,
and then re-shared do not trigger the lighting of the
Download All Tracks button.
Enable the Share Track control to share a track There are three different states that the track can be
with other participants in the project. When a track in with sharing. The clearest is when a track is ei-
is shared, the Share Track icon is blue. When a ther shared or not shared. Anyone can click any
track is not shared, it is gray. Anyone can share or Share Track control to share it or unshare it just as
unshare any track in the project that has been long as they already have that track in their local
posted to the cloud and that they have downloaded copy of the project.
from the cloud. Any participant can create new
tracks and keep them private in their own local
copy of the project by not sharing them at all.
To share a track:
Track not Track
1 Create a new track (or use an existing one). shared shared
Upload Track Changes Right-Click Upload Track Uploading Track Track Shared
Menu as Frozen as Frozen as Frozen
Share Track as Frozen indicators
Download Track Changes Right-Click menu It is important to understand that the ownership of
shared tracks is not restrictive. Multiple partici-
The Download Track Changes control provides a pants can edit unowned tracks simultaneously, and
few additional options in its right-click menu as this can result in edit conflicts between the cloud
follows: copy of the project and collaborators’ local copies
(see “Conflicts Between Track Changes and the
Force Download
Cloud” on page 417).
The Force Download command is only available
Generally speaking, no collaborator should take
when the Download Track Changes control is not
lit. Choose Force Download to force download of ownership of any track for any longer than they
the entire track from the cloud, replacing the entire need to work on that track and upload their
local track. changes. This helps to avoid conflicting changes
between collaborators.
Accept Download
When any Upload Track Changes control or
The Accept Download command works just like Download Track Changes controls light yellow, it
clicking a green Download Track Changes control indicates that there are edit conflicts between vari-
and downloads all changes to the track from the ous participants’ local copies of the project and the
cloud copy of the project. cloud copy of the project. You can upload your
changes and overwrite the cloud copy for a track
Ignore Changes simply by clicking the Upload Track Changes con-
trol, even if it is yellow. Otherwise, you can click
Choosing the Ignore Changes command rejects
the Download Track Changes button, even if it is
any changes to that track in the cloud copy of the
yellow, and overwrite your local track with the
project and maintains your current version of the
version from the cloud.
track.
The you now own the track, and the Track Owner- The Track Ownership control on the track for
ship control displays your name and turns solid which ownership is being requested also highlights
green (or orange for every one else). and displays the text “Ownership Requested.”
To relinquish ownership of a track, do one of the The Track Ownership Request indicator turns or-
following: ange when you have ownership of a track and an-
If you took ownership of the track automati- other participant wants to take ownership of the
cally, click the Track Ownership control. track.
Showing only the requested track Track changes conflict with cloud copy
Click the Track Ownership Request indicator Likewise, you can click the Download Track
again to show all previously shown tracks in the Changes control, even if it is yellow, and overwrite
project. The Track Ownership Request indica- your local track with the version from the cloud.
tor again turns orange.
If you make changes to a track while another par-
To relinquish ownership or reject a request, ticipant uploads their changes to the cloud copy,
Right-click the Track Ownership control and when you are notified that changes are available
choose one of the following options: for download, the Download Track Changes con-
Relinquish If you have no track changes that have trol turns yellow indicating that your local track
not yet been uploaded, choose Relinquish to sur- changes will be overwritten by changes on the
render track ownership to the collaborator making cloud.
the request.
The Download Track Changes control turns red To download a track from the cloud, do one of the
when a download for that track is currently in following:
progress and the cloud copy is in conflict with the In the Tracks List, click the gray Cloud icon to
local track changes. Once the transfer is complete the left of the track name to download and im-
it changes to yellow. You can then choose to ig- port all track data.
nore those changes and keep your version of the
In the Tracks List, right-click the gray Cloud
track, or download those changes and overwrite
icon to the left of the track name and select on of
your version of the track.
the following options:
Download from cloud in progress that conflicts with Ignore for Future Download Does not download
local track changes or import the track data.
Force Upload
The Upload command works just like clicking a The Force Download command is only available
green Upload Ruler Changes control and posts all when the Download Ruler Changes control is not
of your changes on the ruler to the cloud copy of lit. Choose Force Download to force download of
the project. the entire ruler from the cloud, replacing the entire
local ruler.
Abandon Changes
Accept Download
Choosing the Abandon Changes command clears
the upload and resets all of your changes to how The Accept Download command works just like
the Conductor ruler was prior to you working on clicking the green Download Ruler Changes con-
the it. trol and downloads all changes on that ruler from
the cloud copy of the project.
Download Conductor Ruler
Ignore Changes
Changes
When another participant makes a “share-able” Choosing the Ignore Changes command clears the
change to a Conductor ruler and they then upload download and keeps your Conductor ruler as is re-
their changes to the cloud copy of the project, the gardless of any changes in the cloud copy of the
corresponding Download Ruler Changes control project.
turns green for all other participants. They can
click the Download Ruler Changes control to Conductor Ruler Ownership
download the changes to the Conductor ruler from
The Conductor Ruler Ownership control lets you
the cloud copy of the project to their local copy.
take ownership of a Conductor ruler, release own-
To download Conductor ruler changes, do one of
ership of a Conductor ruler, request ownership of a
the following: Conductor ruler, and show you if another partici-
pant currently owns that Conductor ruler.
Click the Download Ruler Changes control.
Right-click the Download Ruler Changes con- Ruler Ownership Right-Click Menu
trol and choose Accept Download.
The Conductor Ruler Ownership control right-
click menu provides different commands depend-
Download Ruler Changes Right-Click
ing on whether or not the ruler is unowned, owned
Menu
by you, or owned by another, and whether or not
The Download Ruler Changes control provides a changes are pending upload or download.
right-click menu that offers similar controls to the
Download Track Changes control right-click
menu.
When no one owns a Conductor ruler, anyone is If any other participant wants to take ownership of
free to work on it and the Conductor Ruler Owner- that Conductor ruler, they must request ownership
ship control is gray. either by making a “share-able” change to that
Conductor ruler or by clicking the Conductor
Ruler Ownership control for that ruler in their local
copy of the project.
Unowned Conductor ruler
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
Session or project data, audio files, and clips can
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio, you have the op-
be imported to existing tracks, new tracks, the
tion of importing any combination of track attri-
Tracks List, or the Clips List in a Pro Tools session
butes from another session, such as a track’s audio
or project.
or MIDI playlists, signal routing, plug-ins, or auto-
mation (see “Importing Session Data” on Exporting
page 443).
Pro Tools lets you export audio, video, MIDI, clip
When you are working with video, you can import groups, and session data by:
and export video files from a session (see
• Using the Export to Sibelius or Send to Sibelius
Chapter 63, “Working with Video in Pro Tools”).
command (MIDI only)
• Using the File menu Export commands:
Importing and Exporting • Selected Tracks as New AAF/OMF
Data to and from a Session or • Selected Tracks as New Session
Project • MIDI
Importing • Sibelius
• Session Info As Text
Pro Tools lets you import audio, video, MIDI, clip
groups, or session files into the current Pro Tools • Using the Tracks Right-click menu:
session or project by: • Send To Sibelius command (Score Editor
• Dragging and dropping from: only)
• A Workspace browser • Export MIDI command
• Mac Finder or Windows Explorer
Chapter 21: Importing and Exporting Session Data 423
• Using the Clips List menu: Files That Can Be Added to a Session or Project
Without Conversion
• Export Clip Definitions command
• Export Clips as Files command Any audio file of a supported file format (WAV
• Export Clip Groups command 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
Audio Conversion on Import added to the session or project without conversion,
Depending on the properties of the audio files you but will playback at a different pitch and speed
are importing, you can add, copy, or convert the from files that match the session or project sample
files: rate.
When files are added to a Pro Tools session, You can enable the Automatically Copy Files
they remain at their current hard drive location and on Import option in the Processing Prefer-
are not moved or copied. The session references ences page to be sure to always copy files to
the original files wherever they are on your system. the session’s Audio Files folder when import-
Additionally, the files referenced by the session re- ing audio by drag and drop.
tain their original file format, sample rate, and bit
depth. Files That Must Be Converted on Import
When files are copied into the session, the orig- Audio files formats other than WAV and AIFF
inal files remain wherever they are on your system must be converted on import. Pro Tools automati-
and are copied to the session’s Audio Files folder cally converts these files to the current session or
and are then added to the session. The session ref- project audio file format on import. Also, if the
erences the copied files, not the original files. Ad- session or project is not enabled for Interleaved
ditionally, the copied files referenced by the files, Pro Tools splits interleaved audio files into
session retain their original file format, sample multiple mono files on import.
rate, and bit depth.
If clip definitions are present in an audio file, you
When files are converted into the session, the can convert and import the audio for a clip without
original files remain wherever they are on your importing the entire parent audio file using the Im-
system, converted to the session file format, sam- port Audio command.
ple rate, and bit depth, and are written to the ses-
sion’s Audio Files folder. The session references Pro Tools 7.x and later does not support au-
the converted files, not the original files. dio file names that contain certain ASCII
characters (see “Opening a Session that
Contains Audio File Names with Illegal
Characters” on page 485).
Audio files of the following types can be imported • Sound Resource (AIDL – Mac Only)
into Pro Tools sessions and projects without con- • .sd2
version: • Legacy Pro Tools audio file format (Mac
• .wav Only)
• PCM (uncompressed) audio
Pro Tools 11 through Pro Tools 2020.5
• Wave Extensible, RF64, BW64, OMF cannot import SD I or SD II files or convert
• .aif/.aiff/.aifc them to the session format on import. To
convert SD II files on import, use Pro Tools
• PCM (uncompressed), AIFF-C audio
10 or lower, or Pro Tools 2020.9 or later
• .mxf (macOS only). Otherwise, use an audio file
• PCM (uncompressed) audio format conversion utility to convert the SD I
• OP-Atom (single audio channel per file) or SD II files to AIFF or WAV for use with
the latest version of Pro Tools.
Audio files of the following types can be imported
into Pro Tools sessions and projects, but will be
Pro Tools cannot import protected AAC or
converted to the current session or project file for-
MP4 files with the .M4p file extension. These
mat on import:
files are protected under the rules of digital
• .m4a/.m4v/.aac rights management.
• AAC audio
• Apple Lossless ALAC Sample Rate Conversion Quality
• .mp3 The Sample Rate Conversion Quality setting deter-
• MP3 audio mines the quality of sample rate conversion used
when converting and importing audio into a ses-
• .mov
sion. It can also applied when exporting files at dif-
• PCM (uncompressed), AAC, and MP3 audio ferent sample rate and when bouncing to disk.
• .mp4 There are five possible settings, ranging from Low
(fastest, but lowest quality) to Tweak Head (high-
• PCM (uncompressed), and AAC audio
est quality, but slowest). The higher the quality of
• .mxf sample rate conversion you choose, the longer
• PCM (uncompressed) audio Pro Tools will take to process the audio file.
• OP1a (audio from a combined audio/video
The Sample Rate Conversion Quality options are
MXF)
available in the Import Audio and the Import Ses-
• .wav sion Data dialogs. In each case, the Sample Rate
• ACID files Conversion Quality setting is local to that specific
dialog. The Sample Rate Conversion Quality pref-
• .rx/.rx2
erence only applies to conversion on import by
• Recycle (Rex 1 and 2) drag and drop.
To snap to tail and copy the file to the session Importing Elastic Audio from
Audio Files folder: Workspace to the Clips List
Command-Option-Control-drag (Mac) or Con- With the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
trol-Alt-Start-drag (Windows) a file onto a option enabled, dragging and dropping tick-based
track. audio from Workspace browsers to the Clips List
(or to the Tracks List), creates two separate clips in
Elastic Audio on Import the Clips List. The first is a sample-based whole
file clip and the second is a tick-based copy of the
When importing any audio file by drag and drop to
same clip.
an Elastic Audio-enabled track, the audio file is
imported and analyzed (if not already analyzed). If
the imported audio file is tick-based, it is con- Importing Tempo from
formed to tempo using the track’s Elastic Audio Tick-Based Audio
plug-in. If it is a sample-based audio file, such as a If there are no tracks in the session, and you import
single drum hit or short sound effect, it maintains a tick-based audio file to the Clips List, Tracks
its original duration. Longer audio files with no de- List, or empty space in the Edit window, you are
tectable tempo also remain sample-based. prompted to either import the tempo from the file
or use the default session tempo. To keep the de-
You can also import audio by drag and drop to cre-
fault session tempo, and have the loop conform to
ate new tick-based Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
the session tempo, click Don’t Import.
When importing tick-based audio by drag and drop
If the session already contains at least one track
from Workspace browsers to the Tracks List or
(regardless of track type), you are not prompted to
empty space in the Edit window, Pro Tools creates
import the tempo from the file and the file is con-
a new tick-based, Elastic Audio-enabled track us-
formed to the session tempo.
ing the default Elastic Audio plug-in selected in
the Processing Preferences page (see “Elastic Au-
dio Options” on page 436).
To import entire tracks from other sessions, File and Clip icons in the Import Audio dialog
see “Importing Session Data” on page 443.
On Mac, Sound Resource files must have the
For a complete list of key commands for “.SFIL” extension to be imported by
use in the Import Audio dialog, refer to the Pro Tools.
Pro Tools Shortcuts Guide.pdf.
3 To preview a selected file or clip before you im-
To import audio files or clips into a session or port it, click the Play and Stop buttons in the Im-
project using the Import Audio command: port Audio dialog.
1 Choose File > Import > Audio. Adjust the preview volume with the vertical slider.
2 In the Import Audio dialog, locate and select an To navigate to a particular location in the file, use
audio file to display its properties and associ- the horizontal slider under the Play and Stop but-
ated clips. tons.
You can choose to display only a certain file type The Preview Volume control in the Import
(such as WAV) by selecting the type from the Audio dialog also affects the preview volume
Show pop-up menu. To display all supported file when auditioning clips in the Clips List.
types, select All Documents from the Show pop-up
menu. The audition output path defaults to channels 1–2.
For Pro Tools systems with more than 2 channels
of output, the audition path can be changed in the
I/O Setup (see “Audition Path” on page 62).
Because the transfer is made in the digital domain, 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro-
cessing tab.
there is no signal loss.
2 Disable the Import REX Files as Clip Groups op-
The sample rate for audio CDs is 44.1 kHz. There-
tion.
fore, if your session’s sample rate is set to 48 kHz
or higher, Pro Tools will convert the sample rate 3 Select No Files as the Drag and Drop from
for the imported audio. Before importing CD au- Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo prefer-
dio, set the Sample Rate Conversion Quality pref- ence.
erence accordingly. For more information, see
4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
“Sample Rate Conversion Quality” on page 425.
5 When importing by drag and drop from Work-
space browsers, make sure that the Audio Files
Conform to Session Tempo option is disabled.
3 To apply real-time crossfades to the files, enable 6 In the REX Auto-Crossfades dialog, select the
the Automatically Create Fades option (see shapes you want for crossfades, and click OK.
“Automatic Fades for Imported REX Files” on 7 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
page 433).
Depending on your edits or tempo changes
4 Select REX and ACID Files Only or All Files as
after importing REX files, fades can be
the Drag and Drop from Desktop Conforms to
deleted and you will have to recreate them
Session Tempo preference.
manually.
5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Warped clips (Elastic Audio) will be exported 24-bit to 16-bit Yes Yes
unwarped at their original duration.
16-bit to 32-bit float No No
2 From the Clips List menu, choose Export Clips
as Files. 16-bit to 24-bit No No
16-bit to 16-bit No No
To export clips as a stereo or multichannel To export clip definitions for an audio file:
interleaved file:
1 In the Clips List, select any clips or clip groups
1 Select the stereo or multichannel audio clip in for which you want to export definitions. You
the Clips List or in the track playlist. If the clips do not have to select the parent file audio clip.
appear on mono tracks in the session, select the
2 Choose Export Clip Definitions from the Clips
two mono clips.
List menu.
2 From the Clips List menu, choose Export Clips
3 Click Export.
as Files.
1 Choose File > Import > MIDI and select the file Destination
you want to import.
The Destination options determine whether new
2 Configure the MIDI Import Options dialog as tracks are created for imported MIDI or if MIDI is
desired (see “MIDI Import Options Dialog” on imported just to the Clips List.
page 439).
New Track(s)
3 Click OK.
The New Track(s) option creates new tracks for
The MIDI file will be imported according to the
imported MIDI
settings in the Import MIDI Settings dialog.
Instrument Track Select this option to create new
If the Standard MIDI File contains markers, Instrument tracks for imported MIDI.
they are only imported if the current session
does not contain any markers. MIDI Track Select this option to create new MIDI
tracks for imported MIDI.
To export a session’s MIDI tracks for use in an- 4 If the Song Start time is different from the
other MIDI application, or for playback with an Session Start time, select Session Start or
external (hardware) MIDI sequencer, you can ex- Song Start from the Location Reference pop-up
port Pro Tools MIDI and Instrument tracks as a menu.
Standard MIDI File. 5 Enable or disable the Apply Real-Time
Properties option.
MIDI can be exported from Pro Tools as a merged,
single, multichannel track (Type 0), or as multiple 6 Click OK.
tracks (Type 1).
7 Specify a folder destination and name for the
If your Pro Tools session uses key signatures and MIDI file.
meters, they are exported with the MIDI file.
Pro Tools automatically adds the “.mid”
To export all MIDI and Instrument tracks in the extension when exporting MIDI files.
current session:
8 Click Save.
1 Make sure to unmute any MIDI tracks in the
session that you want included in the exported Pro Tools exports all unmuted MIDI and Instru-
MIDI file. (Or, conversely, mute any MIDI ment tracks in the current session to a Standard
tracks you do not want included in the exported MIDI File and writes it to your hard drive. Ex-
MIDI file.) For Instrument tracks, enable or dis- ported MIDI information includes notes, controller
able the MIDI mute button (Instruments view). events, program changes, and System Exclusive
data, as well as events for tempo, meter, and mark-
ers.
6 In the Save dialog, type a name for the MIDI 2 Do one of the following:
file, specify where you want to save it, and click • Choose File > Import > Session Data, select the
Save. session to import data from, and click Open.
Option-Shift-Right-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift- • Drag the session file whose tracks or attributes
Right-click (Windows) to export all selected you want to import from a Workspace browser,
tracks as a single MIDI file. Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder into empty
space in the Edit window or to the Tracks List.
3 If the Fader Gain setting of the session is differ-
Exporting Sibelius Files ent, you will be prompted to keep or change the
Pro Tools can export the score of your session or Fader Gain before the Session Data dialog
project as a Sibelius file (.sib). You can choose to opens.
export the score as a Sibelius file for later use or 4 In the Source section, select tracks to import by
score transfer, or to open the score in Sibelius im- clicking the pop-up menu to the right of each
mediately (if Sibelius) is installed on your com- track name and selecting New Track.
puter. Sibelius uses the Pro Tools transcription of
MIDI in your session as seen in the Pro Tools To select multiple tracks, Opt-click
Score Editor window (for more information, see (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) on any
“Exporting Scores” on page 855). track pop-up menu and select Import As
New Track.
Sibelius 5.x or higher is required to open .sib
files exported from Pro Tools.
If the destination Pro Tools system does not
support surround mixing, surround tracks
Importing Session Data are not displayed in the Source Tracks List.
You can import data and copy media from other 5 For each track you select, you can choose to im-
Pro Tools sessions into the current Pro Tools ses- port it as a new track, or choose a destination
sion or project using the Import Session Data com- track from the corresponding pop-up menu.
mand (or drag and drop). You can also import data Click Match Tracks to automatically match
into sessions from versions of projects by means of source and destination tracks with the same
the Revision History window. The Import Session names.
Data dialog lets you import tracks and select spe-
6 Select any additional track data you want to im-
cific session data (such as automation and routing)
port from the Track Data to Import pop-up
to import. You can also import main playlist op-
menu.
tions—either replacing existing options or over-
laying elements onto existing tracks. 7 Select from among the Main Playlist Options to
choose how you want to import the source
tracks.
15 With Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio, select the Tracks imported as new tracks are inserted after
Import Mic Pre Settings option to import any the last selected track. Note that if the last selected
Mic Pre settings from the source session. track is an open Folder track, selected tracks are
16 Click OK when you are finished. imported into that Folder track.
• 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 446).
them as missing files the next time the session or
project is opened.
Text Encoding
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 425).
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.
Clips and Media Recalls all of the audio files or Send Mute Automation and Setting Recalls the
clips in the source track, and places them in the Mute setting and any Mute automation data on the
Clips List. source track. The Mute setting and any Mute auto-
mation data in the destination track are replaced.
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 Ultimate
and Studio Only) Recalls any ICON Custom
track’s Elastic Audio track state. Any Elastic Au-
Fader Groups from the source session.
dio settings in the destination track are replaced.
ICON Automation Snapshots (Pro Tools Ultimate
HW Insert Assignments Recalls the source track’s
and Studio Only) Recalls any ICON Automation
hardware Insert assignments. Any Insert assign-
Snapshots from the source session.
ments in the destination track are replaced.
HEAT Switch Settings Recalls any stored HEAT
Voice Assignments Recalls the source track’s
switch settings from the source session.
voice assignment from the source session. Any
voice assignments in the destination track are re- Bed/Object Assignment and Toggle Setting
placed. (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio with Dolby Atmos
Only) Imports the mapping of busses to Bed Inputs to
Input Assignments Recalls the source track’s the Renderer, and Object Output Path assignments
channel input assignment. The Input assignment in and Bus/Object toggle settings for any tracks se-
the destination track is replaced. lected for import.
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 Window Configurations Imports the Win- Do Not Import Does not import the main playlist
dow Configurations from the source session. from the source track. No audio is imported; only
the attributes selected in the Track Data to Import
Import Mic Pre Settings Imports any Pro Tools
list are imported to the selected tracks. When se-
Mic Pre settings from the source session. Any Mic
lected, importing all of the source track’s input,
Pre settings in the destination session or project are
output, send, insert and plug-in attributes is equiv-
replaced.
alent to importing a channel strip.
Import HEAT Master Settings Imports any HEAT
Master settings from the source session, including
Bypass, Drive, and Tone settings. The HEAT Mas- Importing AAF and OMF
ter settings in the destination session or project are Sequences
replaced.
Pro Tools lets you open AAF and OMF sequences
as new Pro Tools sessions or projects, or you can
Main Playlist Options import AAF and OMF sequences into existing
In the Import Session Data dialog, you can select Pro Tools sessions and projects. Pro Tools can
from the following options to control how the main import AAF and OMF sequences exported from
playlist from each source track is imported to the other Pro Tools sessions or projects, from Avid
destination track in the current session or project. Media Composer, or from third-party applications
(such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Audio, Adobe Pre-
Import – Replace Existing Playlists Imports the miere Pro, and Nuendo—consult your third-party
main playlist from the source track. When you im- application’s documentation for information on
port the playlist into an existing track, the main how they handle OMF and AAF export).
playlist in the destination track is deleted and re-
placed with the imported playlist. When importing AAF sequences generated from
an Avid video editing application, Pro Tools can
If you select this option and import all of the import mono, stereo, and 5.1 and 7.1 surround au-
source track’s attributes, this is equivalent to im- dio tracks. Mono tracks with 5.1 or 7.1 surround
porting the entire track.
You can also open an AAF or OMF sequence If there are any errors or clip name truncations,
by dragging it from any location on your com- a dialog will appear asking you if you want a
puter or the Workspace browser to the detailed report of the changes. Click Yes and
Pro Tools Timeline. choose where you want to save the log.
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 later only) provides optimal compatibility Pro Tools session points to the BWF (WAV) or
and interchange with other applications that utilize AIF files from the source project.
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.
Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right To import Markers based on marker color:
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 importing an AAF into Pro Tools, use the Main Playlist Options
Track Data to Import dialog to specify whether or When importing AAF or OMF tracks into
not to import the plug-ins and plug-in settings. Pro Tools, you can choose how the main playlist
from each source track is imported to the destina-
To import (or ignore) plug-in settings when tion track in the current session. See “Main Playlist
importing AAF tracks or sequences:
Options” on page 453.
1 For Track Data to Import, click Choose.
2 Enable (or disable) the Plug-in Settings and Au-
tomation option. Import Sequence from Media
Production
3 Configure the rest of Track Data to Import dia-
(Pro Tools Ultimate Only)
log as desired.
4 Click OK. Pro Tools Ultimate lets you import sequences from
Avid MediaCentral | Production Management.
You can also enable (or disable) Main Mute Auto-
mation and Setting to import (or ignore) static To import a sequence from Production
track mute settings in an AAF created from Avid Management:
Media Composer 2020.9 and higher. 1 Create a new session or use an existing session.
To import (or ignore) static track mute settings 2 Choose File > Import > Sequence from Produc-
when importing AAF tracks or sequences: tion Management.
1 For Track Data to Import, click Choose. For more information, see the Pro Tools
2 Enable (or disable) the Main Mute Automation Production Management Guide.
and Setting option.
Parsing Errors
Sound Designer II Audio File
Format Example
Support for AAF Sequences Referencing SD II A1<01:00:00:00–01:00:04:20>error reading
Audio Files
component “Assertion in OMF_Objects2x.cpp”,
Pro Tools 11.x and later do not support Sound De- line 2871;substituting fill.
signer II (SD II) audio files. Open any AAF se-
This error indicates a problem that may have orig-
quence that references SD II files in Pro Tools 10.x
inated in Pro Tools or the application that pro-
and lower, or Pro Tools 2020.9 or later (macOS
duced the AAF or OMF file. In the translated com-
only). Any referenced Sound Designer II files are
position, there will be silence or video black at the
given interval.
Example 1 A1<00:00:28:29-00:00:31:17>incomplete
rendering for effect Audio MultiBand EQ;using
A1<01:00:02:00–01:00:07:01> no rendering for bypass clip.
effect:EFF_AUDIO_EQMB;using bypass clip.
This indicates that an effect was not rendered com-
This indicates the presence of an effect for which pletely at a fade boundary in an Avid system. On
there is no rendering. The “bypass clip” is the (un- import, Pro Tools bypassed the incomplete render-
processed) source material for the effect. ing and imported the audio without the effect. If
you need the effect, re-render the effect and fade
Example 2
on the Avid system, and export again.Miscella-
V1<01:00:48:25–01:00:49:26>no rendering for neous Errors (Misc Errors)
effect: omfi:effect: VideoRepeat;substituting
silence/video black. Example
A1<01:00:00:00–01:00:16:06>“Jag film to
For some effects, the length of the output is differ-
Whirl.01.Sub.06.new.01”; insufficient source
ent than the length of the input. In this case, substi-
material for clip;shortening clip by 1 sample.
tuting a bypass when a rendering is missing doesn't
make sense, because it won't sync properly. This Translation Note is primarily informational,
Pro Tools substitutes silence or video black. informing you that Pro Tools was not able to trans-
late the AAF or OMF sequence exactly, and has
Ignored Effects had to make an adjustment so Pro Tools can under-
A1<01:00:02:00–01:00:07:01>ignoring render- stand it.
ing for effect: EFF_AUDIO_EQMB;using bypass
This error occurs because applications do not al-
clip.
ways calculate the number of samples in a frame in
This indicates that the user has selected “Ignore the same way. In some cases, there may be one too
Rendered Audio Effects” in Pro Tools. This note is few samples of media to support a given clip from
a convenience so that if something is odd in the the Pro Tools standpoint. In this situation, there
translated sequence, the user can determine if an can potentially be an audio “pop.”
effect that was ignored is actually required.
1 In Pro Tools, select the tracks you want to ex- For more information, see “Export Options
port. Choose either mixed or unmixed files. when Exporting to AAF or OMF Sequences” on
page 472.
Shift-click to select multiple tracks; or
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) 10 Click OK.
to select all tracks. 11 In the Publishing Options dialog, type the
Pro Tools Comment and Sequence Name.
2 Choose File > Export > Selected Tracks as
OMF/AAF.
The clip gain of Pro Tools clips with static volume Importing MXF Files
between -inf dB and +12 dB will translate directly MXF (Material Exchange Format) files are com-
to clip-based gain upon export. Dynamic clip gain monly used with a NLE (Non-Linear Editor), such
and values above 12 dB will be rendered for each as Avid Media Composer. There are several types
clip in the resulting media, to optimize compatibil- of MXF files with varying file complexities. The
ity with Avid video editing applications. different types are referred to by their operational
Clip-based gain is not exported when
patterns. Pro Tools supports two different opera-
exporting to OMF format.
tional patterns within MXF files: OP-Atom and
OP1a.
Exporting Volume Automation to AAF or OMF
Pro Tools does export volume automation to AAF OP-Atom MXF Files
and OMF, but only if the Enforce Avid Compatibil- OP-Atom MXF files contain either one channel of
ity and Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries op- audio or one track of video per file. These files
tions are disabled. cannot contain both audio and video, nor more
than one channel of either. OP-Atom files are opti-
mized for post-production and editorial because
they are easy to decode and play. However, since
the audio and video channels are not self-con-
tained, they are not a especially useful as a final de-
livery format.
Pro Tools can import and playback MXF OP1a An OMF sequence cannot reference MXF
video natively. Pro Tools can also import MXF media files. When using the Export Selected
OP1a audio, but it it is converted to the native ses- Tracks as OMF/AAF dialog, choose AAF in the
sion file format. Audio and video can be imported Export As pop-up menu to enable MXF in the
together using Import Video or drag and drop, or Audio Format menu.
audio can be imported using Import Audio.
4 Select Enforce Avid Compatibility.
10 Click OK.
OMF/AAF Options
When exporting tracks to AAF or OMF, Pro Tools
provides the following OMF/AAF Options:
For example, your session or project contains au- Choose whether you want the resulting AAF or
dio media at 29.97 fps (NTSC video) at 48 kHz, OMF file to refer to BWF (.WAV), AIFF, MXF
while the film composer to whom you are export- (AAF only), or embedded files. The audio files
ing your session or project requires audio media at will be converted accordingly.
24 fps (film speed) at 48 kHz. To convert all the
audio files and edits to play back at 24 fps (film If you create AIFF or BWF (.WAV) audio, the
speed) at 48 kHz, you would set the Source Sam- audio files have extra OMF data attached to
ple Rate setting to 48,048 (a pull up rate of 0.1%) them. Though most applications will not have
and the Destination Sample Rate to 48,000. These problems reading these audio files, they may
settings tell Pro Tools that you want to fit 48,048 not be compatible with all applications.
of the original video speed samples into 48,000 of
the new film speed samples. With these settings, MXF is only available if you have selected
you sample-rate convert the video material to film the Enforce Media Composer Compatibility
speed. option.
If you are exporting a clip, the time stamp will be If you import a file from an Avid AAF or OMF se-
the start point of the clip, relative to the point quence, the media file's source tape time stamp be-
where the file originally started to record. For ex- comes the original time stamp of the new
ample, if you record a file from 1:00 to 1:30, then Pro Tools file. The User Timestamp maintains the
trim it to start at 1:15, the time stamp for the ex- original time stamp.
ported clip would be 1:15. This is true even if the
clip is slipped elsewhere in the Timeline. Workspace provides columns for specific
Avid OMF metadata, including Clip Name,
Exporting a Clip as Part of a Sequence Tape, FPS, Original Timestamp, and User
Timestamp.
When you export a clip as part of a sequence, the
clip’s original time stamp reflects the clip’s posi-
tion in the Timeline of the sequence.
Track EDLs are exported as tab-delimited text, SESSION NAME: Ripleys II-092700
with tabs between each column heading, and tabs
SAMPLE RATE: 48000.000000
between each event parameter. You can use this
data in a program for reading EDLs, or you can BIT DEPTH: 24-bit
format the EDL data into tables using a word pro-
TIMECODE FORMAT: 30 Frame
cessor or spreadsheet application.
# OF AUDIO TRACKS: 19
To export session information as text:
# OF AUDIO CLIPS: 203
1 Choose File > Export > Session Info as Text.
# OF AUDIO FILES: 54
2 Select whether to include the File List, Clips
List, and track EDLs. File List and Clips List
The final item, if exported, is the list of track Select this option to export a list of the session or
EDLs. A track EDL lists the track name, and all ed- project audio clips. The Clips List provides a list of
its, including the event number, the clip name, clip all of the audio clips in the session or project, as
start and end time, and clip duration. The clip time- well as the source audio file for each clip.
stamp is also exported, if you select this option.
Subframes are shown in each time field if you se- Include Markers
lect this option.
Select this option to export a list of all markers in-
cluded in the session or project.
To export a clip group: Generally, if you are exporting clip groups to an-
other hard drive, you should copy any referenced
1 Select one or more clip groups in the Clips List.
audio files. This way you can move clip groups not
2 From the Clips List menu, choose Export Clip only from one session to another, but from one sys-
Groups. tem to another.
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 540).
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 SSD, SAS, SATA, IDE/ATA, FireWire,
you can designate the System drive as a
USB, or 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 344).
Blank Session or Project” on page 173).
Pro Tools tags each audio file in a session with a Pro Tools classifies storage volumes according to
unique identifier that allows it to distinguish a par- their suitability for performance (recording or
ticular file even if its name or location has playback) or transfer (storage or copying) of audio
changed. This Unique ID is 8-bit and is used by and other media files. Audio files must be stored
versions of Pro Tools lower than 12.8. on suitable Performance volumes and be properly
linked in order to be playable in a Pro Tools
session.
SMPTE IDs
Pro Tools (version 12.8 and later) creates and When you open a session, if Pro Tools determines
reads 32-bit SMPTE IDs. SMPTE ID provides op- that audio files are not located on a Performance
timal compatibility and interchange with other ap- volume, or if it is unable to locate audio files con-
plications that utilize SMPTE IDs in media files tained in the session, you can locate or copy the
and AAF sequences (such as Avid Media Com- files in order to play back the session. This process
poser), and ensures truly unique IDs for all AIFF is called relinking.
and WAV files. When linking to WAV files, the For more information on storage volume
SMPTE ID is prioritized over any Unique ID. classifications, see “Performance and
ID linking priority is as follows: Transfer Volumes” on page 341.
1 SMPTE ID: Both Pro Tools and Media Com- Transfer Files
poser generate these.
Transfer files reside on volumes unsuitable for
2 Unique ID: Stored in the UMID Chunk. This is playback, such as CD or DVD discs, or network
the legacy Pro Tools ID. drives.
3 Unique ID: Stored in the OMF Chunk - This is
To open a session containing Transfer files:
the ID that you see in Wave files included with
an AAF from Media Composer. They are shown Open the Pro Tools session. If any files are on a
in the Unique ID field if there is no UMID volume unsuitable for playback, Pro Tools
Chunk ID, and they are only be used for linking prompts you to do one of the following:
if there is no SMPTE ID or UMID Chunk ID. • Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink
window.
• Click No to open the session with all
Transfer files offline.
RF64
Pro Tools supports the RF64 audio file format. Sharing Sessions Created on
RF64 is an extension to the WAV audio file format Different Computer Platforms
that addresses the 4 gigabyte size limitation of
other WAV audio file formats. RF64 audio files Working with Mac-Based HFS+
are identified in Workspace browsers with the des- Drives on Windows Computers
ignation “MBWF” in the Attributes field.
You can use the MacDrive Utility from Mediafour
Earlier versions of Pro Tools cannot read to mount HFS+ drives on an NTFS system for use
RF64 files. These files have to be manually ed- with Pro Tools.
ited and consolidated so that they are no
larger than 4 GB in order to be available to Moving Sessions on Windows
systems running earlier versions of Pro Tools. Systems to Mac-Based HFS+
Drives
BW64 (From Window-Based NTFS Drives Only)
Pro Tools lets you convert BW64 files on import, There are specific steps for transferring session
as well as link to and play back BW64 files. BW64 files from Windows-based NTFS drives to Mac-
audio files are extensions to the WAV audio file based HFS+ drives.
format that address the 4 gigabyte size limitation
of other WAV audio file formats.
For details on transferring sessions between Windows and Mac systems, see “Sharing Sessions Created
on Different Computer Platforms” on page 487.
Video tracks 64 64 1 0
Pro Tools 2021.10 to 2021.12 and Pro Tools • Routing Folder tracks are converted to Auxiliary
2021.7 sessions are cross-compatible. However, Input tracks, all member tracks are retained, and
the following caveat applies: all track settings, including input and output
routing, are maintained.
• With Pro Tools Ultimate, unsupported routing
assignments are removed (multichannel output
and send assignments made to paths of mis- Sharing Sessions Between
matched channel widths).
Pro Tools 2019.x and Pro Tools
2018.x
Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools 2019.1 and Pro Tools 2018.x sessions
Pro Tools 2021.6 and Pro Tools are cross-compatible. However, the following ca-
2021.3 veats apply:
Pro Tools 2021.6 and Pro Tools 2021.3 sessions • Voices beyond the available maximum are made
are cross-compatible. However, the following ca- inactive.
veat applies: • MIDI tracks beyond 512 are deleted.
• With Pro Tools, any tracks beyond 128 are lost.
• With Pro Tools Ultimate, any tracks beyond Sharing Sessions Between
1,024 are lost.
Pro Tools 2018.x and Pro Tools
12.x
Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools 2018.x and Pro Tools 12.x sessions are
Pro Tools 2020.11 to 2021.3, and cross-compatible. However, the following caveats
Pro Tools 2020.9 apply:
Pro Tools 2020.11 to 2021.3 sessions, and • Track Presets are not available in Pro Tools 12.x
Pro Tools 2020.9 sessions are cross-compatible. and lower.
However, the following caveat applies: • EQ Curve view is not available in Pro Tools 12.x
• Any Master Fader tracks beyond 64 are lost. and lower.
• Group behavior of Solos, LFEs, Mutes, Send When saving a Pro Tools 12.x–10.x session to
Levels, Send Mutes is not preserved. Pro Tools 5.0 format, the following occurs:
• Solo Mode and Solo Latch settings are dropped. • All that occurs when saving a Pro Tools 12.x–
Video 10.x session to Pro Tools 5.0 format.
• Only the main video track is displayed. • Multichannel surround tracks are removed from
the session.
• Only the first QuickTime movie in the session is
displayed or played back. • Inactive tracks are removed from the session.
• If the session contains QuickTime movies in the • Tracks assigned to “No Output” are routed to
Clips List but no video track, the session opens busses 31 and 32.
with a new QuickTime Movie track containing • Tracks or sends assigned to busses 33–64 are
the first QuickTime movie from the Clips List. routed to busses 31 and 32.
• The Timeline displays and plays back only the • Tracks assigned to multichannel paths or sub-
video playlist that was last active. Alternate paths of multichannel paths are routed to busses
video playlists are not available. 31 and 32.
• Video clips and video clip groups are not shown • Sends assigned to multichannel paths or sub-
or saved. paths of multichannel paths are dropped.
Language Compatibility • Tracks or sends assigned to stereo paths refer-
• The Limit Character Set option must be enabled ring to even/odd channels (such as 2–3) are
and you must select a single language and char- routed to busses 31 and 32.
acter set. • Multi-mono plug-in instances are dropped.
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 controlled by another
deck, press stop on the master deck (see “Putting
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport
Pro Tools Online” on page 1340).
or Shuttle, press 0 on the numeric keypad.
• If the Numeric Keypad mode is set to Transport,
and the Use Separate Play and Stop Keys option
Playing Back Audio
is enabled, press Enter on the numeric keypad. To play back audio:
• If you have a worksurface or MIDI control sur- 1 Import or record audio to a track.
face connected and configured, press the Play
switch. 2 Assign the track’s Output selector to your main
monitoring path.
• If Pro Tools is online and controlled by another
deck, press play on the master deck (see “Putting 3 To have playback start from the beginning of
Pro Tools Online” on page 1340). 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 206. Bars|Beats Moves to the beginning of the previ-
ous or next bar.
No Scrolling The Edit window does not scroll To make the track display and the edit cursor
during or after playback. The playback cursor follow playback:
moves across the Edit window, indicating the play- Enable the Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker
back location. Follows Playback button in the Edit window.
After Playback The playback cursor moves across
the Edit window, indicating the playback location.
When playback has stopped, the Edit window
scrolls to the final playback location.
Center Playhead Scrolling option Half-screen for Center Playhead Scrolling option
Moving the Playhead with these methods does not To play a selection:
update the Timeline selection. However,
1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit
updating the Timeline selection automatically
Selection.
moves the Playhead to the Timeline insertion
point. 2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a
track selection.
With the Playhead enabled, you can jump to and
play an Edit or Timeline selection. For details, see 3 If you want to use pre-roll or post-roll, enable
“Playing Timeline and Edit Selections with the and set the pre-roll and post-roll amounts. For
Playhead” on page 511. details, see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on
page 555.
4 Click Play in the Transport window, or press the
Spacebar.
Press Command+Right Arrow (Mac) or To audition a selection start point with pre-roll:
Control+Right Arrow (Windows).
Press Command+Option+Left Arrow (Mac) or
Control+Alt+Left Arrow (Windows).
Auditioning Start and End Points
for Selections To audition a selection end point:
There may be times when you want to audition the Press Option+Right Arrow (Mac) or Alt+Right
start or end of an audio selection without hearing Arrow (Windows).
the entire selection. This allows you to check, for
instance, whether the beginning or end of a selec- When auditioning the end of a selection, playback
tion includes any unwanted clicks or pops. begins before the end point by the pre-roll amount.
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.
When the Link Timeline and Edit Selection To have the Playhead always snap to the Timeline
option is disabled, Option-drag (Mac) or Selection In Point when changed during playback:
Alt-drag (Windows) the Timeline selection 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
to snap the Edit selection to the Timeline se-
lection and move both in tandem. 2 Click the Operation tab.
3 Select Dynamic Transport Follows Timeline Se-
Play Start Marker Follows Timeline Selection
lection During Playback.
When enabled, the Play Start Marker snaps to the 4 Click OK.
Timeline Selection In Point when you move the
Timeline Selection, draw a new Timeline Selec- With this option is enabled and you make a new
tion, or adjust the Timeline Selection Start. When timeline selection during Loop Playback in Dy-
disabled, the Play Start Marker does not move with namic Transport mode, the Playhead jumps to the
the Timeline Selection. beginning of the new timeline selection instantly
without waiting for playback of the current loop to
To have the Play Start Marker always snap to the complete, and it begins to loop within the boundar-
Timeline Selection In Point:
ies of the new selection.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
When this option is disabled and you make a new
2 Click the Operation tab. timeline selection during Loop Playback in Dy-
3 Select Play Start Marker Follows Timeline namic Transport mode, the Playhead is behaves as
Selection. follows:
• If a new Timeline Selection is made during play-
4 Click OK.
back that is later than the current location of the
Playhead, the Playhead continues uninterrupted
without jumping to the start of new selection.
• If the Playhead enters the new selection, it loops
playback between the loop points of the selec-
tion.
Press Control+N (Mac) or Start+N (Windows) 4 Reposition the Play Start Marker before the
to toggle Insertion Follows Playback on and off. Timeline Selection Out Point.
5 Start playback.
When enabled, the Use Separate Play and Stop Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
Keys option lets you start playback with the Enter the Right Arrow.
key and stop playback with the 0 key on the nu-
To move the Play Start Marker to the Edit Selection
meric keypad. This is useful for quickly starting Start:
and stopping playback when auditioning loop tran-
sitions. Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
the Down Arrow.
To use separate play and stop keys on the numeric
keypad: To move the Play Start Marker to location of the
Playhead:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
2 Click the Operation tab. the Up Arrow.
3 Select Transport for Numeric Keypad.
To nudge the Play Start Marker backward (rewind):
4 Select Use Separate Play and Stop Keys.
Press 1 on the numeric keypad.
This option overrides using the Enter key to
add Memory Location markers. Press Pe- To nudge the Play Start Marker forward (fast
forward):
riod (.) and then Enter on the numeric key-
pad to add a Memory Location marker. Press 2 on the numeric keypad.
The Enter key starts playback. The Zero key stops With Bars|Beats selected as the Main Timebase
playback. Pressing Zero twice locates the Play ruler, do the following on the numeric keypad:
Start Marker to the Timeline Selection start. • Press Asterisk (*).
• Type the bar number.
Keyboard Shortcuts for • Press Enter.
Relocating the Play Start Marker
In Dynamic Transport mode, you can use key- Recording in Dynamic Transport
board shortcuts to quickly relocate the Play Start Mode
Marker either during playback or when the Trans-
port is stopped. Recording in Dynamic Transport mode lets you
start playback independently of the Timeline se-
To move the Play Start Marker to the Timeline lection. Use the Play Start marker as a manual pre-
Selection Start: roll before the Timeline selection. Recording
Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then punches in and out based on the Timeline
the Left Arrow. selection.
Transmitting Beat Clock To transmit MIDI Beat Clock on the IAC bus:
To transmit MIDI Beat Clock: 1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.
1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock. 2 In the MIDI Devices window of Audio MIDI
Setup, double-click the IAC Driver icon.
2 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the
Enable MIDI Beat Clock option. 3 Configure the IAC Driver ports and confirm
that it is online.
3 Select the devices you want to receive MIDI
Beat Clock. If your MIDI interface does not 4 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock.
support transmitting MIDI Beat Clock to sepa-
5 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the
rate ports, only the interface appears as a desti-
Enable MIDI Beat Clock option.
nation.
6 Select the IAC Driver ports you want to enable
for sending MIDI Beat Clock.
7 Click OK.
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.
Ableton Link
Pro Tools supports Ableton Link, a synchronization technology from Ableton that keeps Link-enabled ap-
plications in time over a local network (LAN or WLAN). Link synchronizes musical beat, tempo, phase
and start/stop commands across multiple applications running on the same or different devices. Applica-
tions on devices connected to a local network discover each other automatically and form a musical session
in which each participant can perform independently:
• Anyone can start or stop while still staying in time.
• Anyone can change the tempo and the others follow.
• Anyone can join or leave without disrupting the session.
For more information about Ableton Link, To show (or hide) Ableton Link controls in the Edit
visit www.ableton.com. window toolbar:
1 Do one of the following:
To enable Ableton Link:
• Click the Edit Window Toolbar menu (in the
1 Ensure that your Pro Tools system is connected upper-right corner of the window).
to a local network (LAN or WLAN).
• Right-click in the Toolbar.
2 Ensure that any other devices running Link-en-
2 From the menu, select (or deselect) Ableton
abled applications (peers) are connected to the
Link.
same local network.
3 In Pro Tools, show the Ableton Link controls in
the Edit window toolbar or the Transport win-
dow.
4 Click the Link button so that it turns blue.
5 Enable Start/Stop if desired.
6 Select the desired Quantize value.
7 Start playback.
Start/Stop Sync
Click Start/Stop to toggle Pro Tools transport Launch Quantize determines the bar/beat cycle for
start/stop synchronization on and off. Start/Stop synchronizing playback with other peer applica-
lights green when enabled. When enabled, starting tions on the network. The selected Quantize value
and stopping the Pro Tools transport sends and re- determines at what point in the bar/beat cycle
sponds to start and stop messages to and from any Pro Tools playback starts when joining an active
other linked applications. Note that not all Link-en- multi-peer session. This ensures that Pro Tools
abled applications send or respond to start and stop synchronizes with other peers on the network in a
messages. For those that do, you may need to en- musically meaningful way.
able Start/Stop sync within the application itself.
If Pro Tools is the first peer on the network to start
Number of Connected Peers Display playback, playback starts immediately regardless
of the selected Quantize value and tick-based
The number of connected peers is displayed to the tracks follow the session tempo.
right of Start/Stop. Peers are other Link-enabled
applications connected over the network or run- If playback has already been started by another
ning on the host computer. For example, in addi- peer on the network, Pro Tools starts playback at
tion to your Pro Tools system, if there is a laptop the beginning of the next bar/beat cycle specified
on the network running Ableton Live and an iPad by the selected Quantize value, and tick-based
running two Link-enabled applications (such as a tracks follow the network tempo set by any peer on
synth app and a drum machine app), the number of the network. For example, with Quantize set to 1
peers displayed will be 3. Bar and you start playback after the downbeat
played by other peers on the network, Pro Tools
Note that peers can be on the same computer as waits to start playback until the next downbeat.
well as on other computers on the network.
Link Button
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 540
While some of the information here is relevant to • “Recording with a Click” on page 528
preparing to record MIDI, there are more specific • “Setting the Session Meter and Tempo” on
setup details for MIDI recording in Chapter 26, page 530
“MIDI Recording.”
• Setting a Record Mode. See “Record Modes”
For information on recording audio, see on page 533
Chapter 25, “Audio Recording.”
Track Setup for Recording
For information on digitizing (recording) • Configuring one or more tracks for recording:
video in Pro Tools, see Chapter 63, “Work-
• “Configuring Default Names for Audio Files
ing with Video in Pro Tools” or the Avid
and Clips” on page 536
Video Peripherals Guide.
• “Assigning Hardware I/O on a Track” on
page 537
Record Setup Overview • “Record Enabling Tracks” on page 538
Record setup includes the following: • “Recording with Multiple Hard Drives” on
page 541
Hardware Setup for Recording
Monitoring Setup for Recording
• “Configuring Pro Tools Hardware I/O for Re-
cording” on page 526 • “Selecting a Record Input Monitoring Mode” on
page 543
• “Connecting a Sound Source” on page 528
• “Setting Monitor Levels for Record and Play-
back” on page 545
• “Reducing Monitoring Latency” on page 545
• “Recording with Delay Compensation” on
page 546
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).
If you intend to work with MIDI or Instrument To hear the click during playback and recording,
tracks in your session, or if the audio you’re work- configure the Click Options (see “Click Options”
ing with is bar and beat-oriented, you can record on page 530) and ensure that Click is enabled (see
your tracks while listening to a click. This ensures “Enabling the Click” on page 529).
that recorded material, both MIDI and audio,
aligns with the session’s bar and beat boundaries. To create a click track using MIDI:
• Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Hearing the countoff before recording helps musi-
dows) the Expand/Collapse “+” button in the cians to start playing at the right time and in tempo.
Transport window to display the MIDI controls. The Count Off button in the Transport window dis-
plays the number of bars counted before the trans-
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the port starts.
Expand/Collapse “+” button in the Transport
window to display the MIDI controls and the The countoff is ignored when Pro Tools is on-
Counters. line and synchronized to Timecode.
d
• 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 Click II 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 597.
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:
LCRS L, C, R, S
5.0 L, C, R, Ls, Rs
Edit window
Mix window
To record enable MIDI and Instrument tracks using Latch Record Enable Buttons
the Up/Down Arrows: Preference
While pressing Command (Mac) or Control When the Latch Record Enable Buttons option is
(Windows), press the Up/Down Arrows to re- selected in the Operation Preferences, you can re-
cord enable the previous or next MIDI or Instru- cord enable additional audio tracks by clicking
ment track. The previous (or next) record track their Record Enable buttons. Previously record-en-
is no longer record-enabled. abled tracks remain enabled. The Latch
Record Enable Buttons option affects audio tracks
To keep the previous track record-enabled
only.
while enabling new tracks, press
Command+Shift+Up/Down (Mac) or When the Latch Record Enable Buttons option is
Control+Shift+Up/Down (Windows). deselected, record enabling a subsequent audio
track disables the previously record-enabled audio
To record enable (or disable) all audio, MIDI, and
Instrument tracks: track.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any To enable the Latch Record Enable Buttons
Record Enable button to toggle record enable preference:
on or off for all audio, Instrument, and MIDI 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
tracks. Operation tab.
Command-Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Con- Disk Usage window, selecting Text Only view
trol-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) the Record En-
able button on any of the selected tracks to
toggle them in and out of Record Safe mode.
To enable recording, bring the volume online, For Pro Tools, the Input Monitor Enabled Status
change its volume designation to R (Play and Re- indicator (in the Transport window) lights green
cord), or change the allocation of the affected when Input Only mode is enabled.
tracks to a valid record volume.
To toggle between Auto Input and Input TrackInput Monitor button Off (Auto Input), in the Edit
Window
Only monitoring, press Option+K (Mac) or
Alt+K (Windows). To toggle the monitoring mode of audio tracks, do
one of the following:
Selecting Record Monitor Modes To toggle individual tracks, click the TrackInput
with TrackInput Monitoring Monitor button for each track you want to tog-
TrackInput monitoring lets you toggle individual gle.
audio tracks between Auto Input and Input Only To toggle all tracks in the session, Option-click
monitoring modes at any time, during playback, (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a TrackInput
recording, while stopped, and even when a track is Monitor button.
not record-enabled. TrackInput monitoring pro-
vides the necessary monitoring flexibility for over- To toggle all selected tracks in the session,
dubbing and mixing, and is similar to input switch- Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click
ing on analog multitrack recorders and similar (Windows) a selected track’s TrackInput Moni-
machines. tor button.
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.
7 Click Record in the Transport window to arm Undo or Cancel Audio Recording
Pro Tools for recording. The Record button Once you have recorded an audio track and the
flashes red to indicate that Pro Tools is ready to transport is stopped, you can undo the record take.
record.
To undo an audio recording:
8 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected
(see “Record Modes” on page 533). Once the Transport has been stopped, choose
Edit > Undo Record Audio.
9 When you are ready to start recording, click
Play or press the Spacebar.
• 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
• When using QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or tracks simultaneously, you may want to des-
DestructivePunch mode, all punches from the ignate the System drive as a Transfer only
last recording pass are discarded. drive for optimal performance.
Press Command+Period (.) (Mac) or • Press 3 on the numeric keypad (when the Nu-
Control+Period (.) (Windows) before the meric Keypad mode is set to Transport) to start
Transport is stopped. recording.
1 Click Record in the Transport. The Record but- 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
ton flashes. rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
2 Do one of the following: 2 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
tion.
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) Play
in the Transport to put Pro Tools in Prime for 3 Do one of the following:
Record mode.
• With the Selector tool, select the record range in
• Right-click the Play button and select Prime for a track’s playlist.
Record.
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.
Setting Punch and Loop You can also enter a start and end point
Points during playback. Press the Down Arrow to
set the start point, and press the Up Arrow to
The start and end points of a record range for
set the end points. Note that when in Grid
punch and loop recording can be set by the follow-
mode, start and end point when entered in
ing methods:
this manner do not snap to the grid.
• Select a range in a track’s playlist (with
Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection
enabled).
Timeline selection
Memory Locations
You can store Edit selections as Memory Loca-
tions, which can also include current pre- and post-
roll values.
The start and end times and pre- and post-roll set-
tings stored with the Memory Location are re- Pre-roll enabled for 2 beats; Post-roll disabled
called.
5 To enable either pre- or post-roll, click the ap-
propriate button so it is highlighted.
Setting Pre- and Post-Roll Use the Period (.) or Left/Right Arrow keys to
Pre- and post-roll times appear as flags in the ruler move through the different time fields for pre
that represents the Main Time Scale. When pre- and post-roll. Use the Up/Down Arrow keys
and post-roll are enabled, the flags are green, oth- to increase or decrease the numerical values.
erwise they are gray.
To set and enable the pre- and post-roll by clicking To enable both pre/post-roll from the Options
in a playlist: menu:
1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec- Select Options > Pre/Post-Roll.
tion.
2 With the Selector tool, select the record range in Dragging Pre- and Post-Roll
the track’s playlist. Flags in the Timebase Ruler
3 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or The Pre- and Post-Roll Flags can be moved in the
Alt-click (Windows) in the track’s playlist be- Main Timebase ruler, either separately or at the
fore the selection to enable the pre-roll at that same time, to set their location.
location.
To set the pre- and post-roll amounts by dragging
4 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or in the Main Timebase ruler:
Alt-click (Windows) in the track’s playlist after 1 If you want the Pre- and Post-Roll flags to snap
the selection to enable the post-roll at that to the current Grid value, set the Edit mode to
location. Grid.
To disable the pre- and post-roll by clicking in a 2 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to a new location in the
playlist: ruler.
1 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or
Alt-click (Windows) in the Edit selection near
the start to disable the pre-roll.
2 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or
Alt-click (Windows) in the Edit selection near Dragging a Pre-Roll Flag in a Timebase ruler
the end to disable the post-roll.
3 Drag the Post-Roll Flag to a new location in the
In the Timeline, you can reset the pre- and Timebase ruler.
post-roll to zero. First, drag the Pre-Roll
To set pre- and post-roll values to the same
Flag to the Timeline Selection In Point, then
amount, Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag
drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline Se-
(Windows) either the Pre- or the Post-Roll
lection Out Point.
Flag in the ruler. The deselected flag will im-
3 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to the Timeline mediately reset to the same value, and will
Selection In Point. adjust accordingly as you drag the
selected flag.
4 Drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline
Selection Out Point.
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 HUI).
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 570.
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 1342. 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 1063.
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).
Latch Until Next Event Continues writing the last MIDI track Input selector
value until the next event even if you are still re-
cording.
• Make the necessary selections for program and You are now ready to record MIDI data to the re-
bank select. cord-enabled MIDI and Instrument tracks.
• Click Done.
To monitor audio from an external MIDI in-
Default program changes are sent whenever strument, select the corresponding audio In-
the track is played. For more information, put Path for your MIDI instrument on the In-
see “Patch Select (Program and Bank strument track (or use an Auxiliary Input
Changes)” on page 801. track). See “Signal Routing for Monitoring
and Submixing” on page 1110.
7 If recording to multiple MIDI or Instrument
tracks, repeat the preceding steps for each track,
then continue to the next step. Recording MIDI and
Instrument Tracks
8 To use a click, enable and configure the click,
and set a default tempo and meter for the ses- In Pro Tools, you can record one or more MIDI
sion (see “Recording with a Click” on and Instrument tracks (up to 32 in any combination
page 528). simultaneously). Recording simultaneously to
multiple tracks lets you:
9 Enable either Wait for Note or Countoff in the
Transport window. • Record from multiple MIDI devices at the same
time, such as when recording several perform-
10 To replace existing track material, disable MIDI ers.
Merge in the Transport window (see “MIDI
• Record multiple channels from the same device,
Merge/Replace” on page 573).
such as recording from a split keyboard.
11 To automatically quantize material as it is
• Transfer MIDI tracks from an external MIDI se-
recorded, enable Input Quantize (Event > Event
quencer.
Operations > Input Quantize). See “Input Quan-
tize” on page 572.
12 To start recording from the beginning of the ses-
sion, click Return to Zero in the Transport.
1. Start recording
2. Recording
3. Recorded
Recorded MIDI clip fits to nearest whole bars based on first and last recorded MIDI events
The recorded MIDI data plays back through each MIDI Input Display
track’s assigned Output device (port) and channel. The MIDI Input display in the Edit window toolbar
shows chord names as they are received by MIDI
To monitor audio from an external MIDI in-
and Instrument tracks.You can use this display to
strument, select the corresponding audio In-
ensure that you are playing the right chords for
put Path for your MIDI instrument on the In-
your music when recording MIDI.
strument track (or use an Auxiliary Input
track). See “Signal Routing for Monitoring The MIDI Input Display can also be shown in
and Submixing” on page 1110. MIDI Editor windows, see “MIDI Input Dis-
play” on page 821.
Editor Window toolbar, MIDI Input Display shows that 5 With the Selector tool, select the punch range in
a G augmented chord is received at an Instrument or the track’s playlist.
MIDI track input
For other methods of setting the record
range, see “Setting Punch and Loop Points”
MIDI Punch Recording Over a on page 552.
Specified Range
6 To hear existing track material up to the start
You can set Pro Tools to automatically punch re- point, or after the end point, enable and set pre-
cord over a specific range in a MIDI or Instrument and post-roll times (see “Setting Pre- and Post-
track. The range’s start (punch in) and end (punch Roll” on page 555).
out) points must be specified before recording. Re-
cording starts at the punch-in point and continues 7 Record enable the track containing the previous
until the punch-out point is reached. take.
8 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
If pre-roll is enabled, the track material leading up
for recording. The Record button flashes.
to the punch-in point plays. You can start playing
during the pre-roll to get the “feel.” However, 9 Click Play to start recording.
MIDI is not recorded until the punch-in point is
reached. Only when that point is reached does 10 When you have finished recording, click Stop in
Pro Tools begin recording. Additionally, for any the Transport. The newly recorded MIDI data
note that is played before the punch-in point, but is appears in the track.
released after that point, it is recorded and the start
of the note is quantized to the punch-in point.
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 574).
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 552.
Instrument track record-enabled, Transport not record-enabled, MIDI performance sounds during playback
Press Option+Shift+Z (Mac) or Alt+Shift+Z (Windows) to write your MIDI performance to the
record-enabled MIDI or Instrument track.
MIDI performance written to record enabled track using Retrospective Record command
Punch recording is used in many areas of audio TrackPunch (Pro Tools Ultimate Only) A nonde-
production for film, video, and music. structive Record mode that lets individual tracks
be punched in, punched out, and taken out of re-
cord enable without interrupting online recording
Introduction to Punch and playback.
Recording Modes DestructivePunch (Pro Tools Ultimate Only) A
Once basic track material has been recorded, it is destructive Record mode that maintains a single
often necessary to replace some, but not all, of the continuous audio file per punch track, and lets in-
audio that makes up each track. Punch recording dividual tracks be punched in, punched out, and
lets you manually punch one or more audio tracks taken out of record enable without interrupting
in and out of recording without stopping the Trans- online recording and playback.
port.
To automatically punch in and out on
You do not need to use QuickPunch or any record-enabled audio tracks over a specific
other audio punch recording mode to punch range, see “Audio Punch Recording Over a
record with MIDI tracks. MIDI tracks can be Specified Range” on page 557.
punched while in Normal (Nondestructive)
Record mode, and in Destructive Record
mode. Guidelines for Punch
Recording
Pro Tools Punch Recording This topic lists the basic settings and guidelines for
Modes Pro Tools punch recording, including the follow-
Pro Tools provides three different manual punch ing:
recording modes: • “Voice Requirements for Punch Recording” on
page 592.
QuickPunch A nondestructive Record mode that
lets record-enabled tracks be punched in and • “Delay Compensation and DestructivePunch
punched out during playback by clicking the Re- Mode” on page 593.
cord button in the Transport. QuickPunch mode is • “Audio Files, Clips and Takes” on page 593.
available on all systems.
• “Preferences for Punch Recording” on page 594
(for crossfades, as well as transport and monitor
configuration settings).
Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming 3 Click the track Record Enable button to record
Profiles to configure your system, and choose enable each track on which you want to punch
Window > Machine Track Arming to display in.
the Machine Track Arming window.
If you cannot record enable tracks due to
voice limitations, see “Voice Requirements
For information on remote track arming for Punch Recording” on page 592.
with MachineControl, see Chapter 57,
“MachineControl.” 4 Prepare to record by cueing Pro Tools to an ap-
propriate location. To use pre-roll, enable a pre-
roll value in the Transport window.
QuickPunch Audio Recording 5 Start playback by clicking Play in the Transport
QuickPunch is available on all systems and lets window.
you instantaneously punch in and out all record- 6 Do one of the following:
enabled audio tracks during playback by clicking
• When you reach the punch-in point, click Re-
the Record button in the Transport.
cord in the Transport.
Many Pro Tools systems also let you use a • For Pro Tools systems that support using a con-
footswitch to punch in and out. See the guide nected footswitch, step on the footswitch at the
that came with your Pro Tools audio inter- punch-in point.
face or control surface.
The Record button stops flashing and stays lit
Recording with QuickPunch during recording.
7 To punch out, click Record again (or step on the
To punch record with QuickPunch:
footswitch).
1 Do one of the following:
As Pro Tools continues playing, you can perform
• Select Options > QuickPunch.
additional punches (up to 200). When recording
• Right-click the Record button in the Transport multiple punches during a single pass, a single au-
and select QuickPunch. dio file is recorded from which Pro Tools creates
the appropriate clips.
When QuickPunch is enabled, a “P” appears in the
Record button in the Transport. After a QuickPunch recording pass, the punched
track’s playlist in the Edit window displays the
clips created by punching. You can use any of the
Trim tools after punch recording to open up the
head or tail of QuickPunch recorded clips, or to re-
veal the parent audio file that was recorded in the
background. This lets you compensate for any late
QuickPunch enabled or missed punches.
Option-Control-Shift-click (Mac) or
When TrackPunch mode is enabled: Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) a track’s
A “T” appears in the Record button in the Record Enable button.
Transport.
When TrackPunch enabled, Track record enable
If at least one track is TrackPunch-enabled, the buttons light solid blue.
Record button lights solid blue.
Create track groups for each stem or set of
tracks on which you plan to punch, then use
the Groups List to quickly select all tracks in
the group.
TrackPunch mode, with at least one TrackPunch- Track Record Status Display
enabled track
Each track’s Record Enable button indicates its
When TrackPunch mode is enabled and the
transport is armed for recording: TrackPunch and record enable status as follows:
If no tracks are TrackPunch-enabled, the Re- • When a track is TrackPunch-enabled but not re-
cord button in the Transport flashes gray and red. cord-enabled, its Record Enable button lights
solid blue.
If at least one track is TrackPunch-enabled, the
Record button flashes blue and red.
If at least one TrackPunch-enabled track is also
To TrackPunch enable one audio track: • When a track is both TrackPunch-enabled and
Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) record-enabled, its Record enable button flashes
the track’s Record Enable button. blue and red.
• When a track is record-enabled only, its Record
To TrackPunch enable or disable all audio tracks: Enable button flashes red.
Option-Control-click (Mac) or Alt-Start-click • While a track is recording (in any mode), its Re-
(Windows) a track’s Record Enable button. cord Enable button lights solid red.
Red (not flashing) indicates recording (all modes) 3 Click Record in the Transport to enter the
TrackPunch Record Ready mode. The Record
Monitoring and Levels button flashes blue and red.
To complete the setup for TrackPunch: 4 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback.
1 Configure monitoring for record-enabled tracks 5 During playback, punch in and out on individ-
by selecting a mode from the Track menu, or us- ual TrackPunch-enabled tracks by clicking their
ing the TrackInput button, as appropriate. respective Record Enable buttons.
Choices include: 6 While continuing local or remote playback, do
• Set Record Tracks to Auto Input any of the following:
• Set Record Tracks to Input Only • Punch in on other TrackPunch enabled tracks
individually.
Selecting either monitoring mode only affects
tracks that are record-enabled. • After punching out, take tracks out of record
enable then record enable different Track-
2 Start playback and compare levels of the input Punch enabled tracks.
source with audio on disk. Click the TrackInput • Repeat as needed to punch other stems,
button to toggle the track source. When lit tracks, or takes.
(green), the track is monitoring input. When un-
lit (gray), the track is monitoring from disk (see 7 Stop playback. When you are finished with the
“Selecting Record Monitor Modes with Track- record pass, track Record Enable status and
Input Monitoring” on page 544). transport Record Arm status follow the current
Audio Track RecordLock and Transport Record-
3 When you are satisfied with your levels, you are Lock preference settings.
ready to start punch recording.
After a TrackPunch recording pass, the punched
track’s playlist in the Edit window displays the
Using TrackPunch clips created by punching. You can use any of the
Trim tools after punch recording to open up the
After you have configured Pro Tools, tracks, and head or tail of TrackPunch recorded clips, or to re-
levels, you can record with TrackPunch in several veal the parent audio file that was recorded in the
ways. background. This lets you compensate for any late
or missed punches.
Punching In on Individual Tracks
For information on file and clip naming, see “Au-
To punch in on individual tracks: dio Files, Clips and Takes” on page 593.
1 Make sure Pro Tools is in TrackPunch mode.
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 601).
• 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 603).
“DestructivePunch File Length” on page 602).
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 602.)
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 603.)
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
This method lets you use the Prepare DPE Tracks Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a
command to consolidate files for Destructive- track’s Record Enable button. All tracks’ Re-
Punch recording. cord Enable buttons flash blue and red.
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 31, tools work destructively (can permanently change
“Editing Clips and Selections.” Also, see audio files on your hard disk), as noted in other
Chapter 41, “Arranging Clips.” topics.
Editing Fades and Crossfades See Chapter 32, 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 45, “Elastic important MIDI tracks and clips safe when per-
Audio.” forming edits (see “Nondestructive MIDI Editing”
on page 620).
Editing MIDI See Chapter 35, “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 328.
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 709 for details.
Whenever possible, begin a clip precisely
before a volume peak, and end it immediately be- With Pro Tools Ultimate, use the AutoFade fea-
fore another volume peak. ture to apply real-time fade-ins/outs to all clip
boundaries that do not touch or overlap other clips.
Whenever possible, make sure a clip starts and See “Using AutoFades” on page 710 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 671.) and splicing analog tape. Instead, Pro Tools cre-
• Editing to a Grid (see “Grid Mode” on page 630) ates a map of the audio file on your hard disk,
• Beat Detective (see Chapter 34, “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 53, “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 36,
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 252. 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 35, “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 782. page 782.
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 328.
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 721). 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 777). 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
Undo History Window
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 256), edits affect not only audio and MIDI for
enabled.
the selected tracks, but all automation and control-
ler data as well.
Pro Tools provides four Edit modes and various then “shuffle” their order, but you cannot separate
Edit tools to help you successfully edit material. them from each other and you cannot make them
overlap as in Slip mode. However, if there is si-
lence between existing clips, and the clips are shuf-
Edit Modes fled, the silence is maintained, and not removed.
Pro Tools has four Edit modes: Shuffle, Spot, Slip, In Shuffle mode, adding another clip to the begin-
and Grid. Grid mode provides two modes of oper- ning of a track moves all subsequent clips to the
ation, Relative and Absolute, explained below. right (later in time) by the length of the added clip.
The Edit mode is selected by clicking the corre-
When using any of the Trim tools in Shuffle mode,
sponding button in the upper left of the Edit win-
changing a clip’s start or end point automatically
dow.
moves any subsequent clips as necessary. The
placement and insertion of MIDI notes is not af-
fected by Shuffle mode.
Shuffle Mode
In Shuffle mode, you can move, trim, delete, cut,
or paste clips freely within a track or to other Shuffle Lock enabled
tracks, but their movement is constrained by other
clips. That is, if you place several clips in a track,
they automatically snap to each other. You can
Spot Mode
Use Spot mode to place clips at precise locations.
In Spot mode you can specify a frame location (or
a location based on any of the other time formats),
capture an incoming Timecode address, or use a
clip’s time stamps as reference points for spotting.
This can be particularly useful when performing
Turning on Grid lines from a Timebase ruler
post production tasks around Timecode frame lo-
cations.
Edit Tools
Grid Value indicator and pop-up menu Pro Tools provides the following Edit tools: the
Zoomer, Trim, Selector, Grabber, Scrubber, and
The current Grid value is also used for the Pencil tools, and the multifunctional Smart Tool.
Quantize to Grid command (see “Quantizing
Clips to Grid” on page 693) and Separated Zoomer Scrubber
Zoom buttons Smart Tool Pencil
Clip At Grid command (see “Separate Com-
mands” on page 684).
Selector Tool Use the Selector to make selections The Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, and the
on tracks. Score Editor window also provide Zoom buttons
above and below the right vertical scroll bar (see
Grabber Tools Use the Grabber tools to select, “Edit Window Zoom Buttons” on page 205,
separate, or move clips on tracks. “MIDI Editor Zoom Controls” on page 825, and
“Score Editor Zoom Controls” on page 844.)
Smart Tool Use the Smart tool to Trim, Select, or
Grab clips, or apply or adjust fades in tracks.
Horizontal Zoom In and Out
Scrubber Tool Use the Scrubber tool to scrub Buttons
through track material.
The Horizontal Zoom In and Out buttons let you
zoom in and out horizontally on track data.
Click the Horizontal Zoom In button. Click the Audio Zoom In button.
Drag on the Horizontal Zoom In button to zoom Drag on the Audio Zoom In button to zoom
in continuously. continuously.
Press Command+] (Mac) or Control+] (Win- Press Command+Option+] (Mac) or Con-
dows). trol+Alt+] (Windows).
To zoom out horizontally for all tracks, do one of To zoom out vertically for all audio tracks, do one
the following: of the following:
Click the Horizontal Zoom Out button. Click the Audio Zoom Out button.
Drag on the Horizontal Zoom Out button to Click the Audio Vertical Zoom buttons.
zoom out continuously.
Press Command+Option+[ or Command+Op-
Press Command+[ (Mac) or Control+[ (Win- tion+] (Mac) or Control+Alt+[ or Con-
dows). trol+Alt+] (Windows).
(Windows).
To return to the previous zoom level, do one of the Press Command+Control+[ (Mac) or Con-
following:
trol+Start+[ (Windows).
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
of the Horizontal, Audio, or MIDI Zoom but- To set horizontal zoom to “overview scale” (256
tons. samples per pixel):
Zoomer tool
• Right-click on any track and select Tools > Zooming horizontally with Zoomer tool
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom. The zoomed area fills the entire Edit window.
2 Click once with the Zoomer tool at a location
within the track. All tracks are zoomed in by Single Zoom Mode
one level and the Edit window is centered
around the zoomed location. Single Zoom mode returns you to the previously
selected tool after a zoom has been performed.
3 To zoom back to the previous level, Option-
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) with the For example, when using the Smart Tool you can
Zoomer tool. click the Single Zoomer tool, and once the Zoom
operation has been performed, Pro Tools automat-
To zoom into a particular track area: ically switches back to the Smart Tool.
1 Do one of the following:
To use Single Zoom mode, do one of the following:
• Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
Normal Zoom mode.
Single Zoom mode.
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom. Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Zoomer Tools > Single Zoom.
2 Do one of the following:
Press the F5 key to toggle to Single Zoom
• To zoom horizontally only, drag with the
mode.
Zoomer tool in the track’s playlist.
• To zoom horizontally and vertically, press Com-
mand (Mac) or Control (Windows) while drag-
ging in the track’s playlist.
• Click once to zoom in one level around a certain Drag up or down on the Audio Zoom In or Out
point. button.
• Drag to zoom in around a particular ruler range.
To vertically zoom in or out of all MIDI and
Instrument tracks that are set to Notes view using
continuous zoom:
To set all audio track waveform heights to match Zoom Preset pop-up menu
the waveform height of the topmost audio track in
To recall a saved Zoom preset, do one of the
the Edit window:
following:
Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Control-Shift-
Click the appropriate Zoom Preset button (1–5).
click (Windows) the Audio Zoom button. All
waveform height offsets will be lost. Click and hold the Zoom Preset button and
choose Recall Zoom Preset from the Zoom Pre-
To set all MIDI and Instrument track note heights to set pop-up menu.
match the note height of the topmost MIDI or
Instrument track in the Edit window: If the 1–5 Number Keys Control Editing
Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Control-Shift- Preference is set to Zoom Presets, press
click (Windows) the MIDI Zoom button. All Control+1–5 (Mac) or Start+1–5 (Windows)
note height offsets will be lost. to recall the corresponding Zoom preset.
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in When this option is selected, the Grid setting
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection to stored with Zoom toggle is recalled when zoom
the last used Track Height. toggling in. When this option is deselected, the
same (current) grid setting is used whether zoom
Medium When selected, zoom toggling in changes
toggling in or out.
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Me-
dium Track Height. Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection
Large When selected, zoom toggling in changes When selected, this option ensures that zoom tog-
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Large gle automatically follows the current Edit selec-
Track Height. tion. When disabled, changing the Edit selection
Jumbo When selected, zoom toggling in changes
has no affect on the currently toggled-in track.
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the
Jumbo Track Height. Using Zoom Toggle
Extreme When selected, zoom toggling in changes Depending on the Zoom Toggle preference set-
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Ex- tings, the Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window
treme Track Height. lets you define a zoom state and toggle between it
and the current zoom state, or it zooms to the set-
Fit To Window When selected, zoom toggling in tings in the Zoom Toggle preferences. When
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection to Zoom Toggle is enabled, the Edit window displays
the Fit To Window Track Height. the stored zoom state. Additionally, any changes
made to the view while Zoom Toggle is enabled
Track View
are also stored in the zoom state.
Waveform/Notes When selected, zoom toggling in
When Zoom Toggle is disabled, the Edit window
changes the Track View for audio tracks to Wave-
reverts to the last zoom state.
form view, and changes the Track View for Instru-
ment and MIDI tracks to Notes view. To store a zoom state using Zoom Toggle:
Warp/Notes When selected, zoom toggling in 1 Set the Zoom Toggle preferences.
changes the Track View for audio tracks to Warp
2 Make an Edit selection.
view, and changes the Track View for Instrument
and MIDI tracks to Notes view. 3 Click the Zoom Toggle button. It lights to indi-
cate that Zoom Toggle is enabled and Pro Tools
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in
zoom toggles in based on the settings of the
changes the Track View to the last used Track
Zoom Toggle preferences.
View that was stored with Zoom Toggle.
Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window To use Zoom Toggle without changing playlist
views:
If Last Used is selected for any of the following,
you can adjust the corresponding zoom, height, or 1 Make a selection on one or more tracks.
view in the Edit window to update the stored zoom
2 Do one of the following:
state:
• Press Option+Control+E (Mac) or Alt+Start+E
• Vertical Zoom
(Windows).
• Horizontal Zoom
• With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled (see
• Track Height “Keyboard Focus” on page 26), press Option+E
• Track View (Mac) or Alt+E (Windows).
1 Make sure the Zoom Toggle button is lit (en- Using the Zoom Toggle
abled).
2 Adjust the Track Height, Vertical Zoom, Track
View, or the Grid depending on which prefer-
ences are set to Last Used. Changes are stored
as the new Zoom Toggle state.
1 Select the Trim tool. The standard Trim tool trims the edges of all selected
clips (not just the one you click and trim).
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
Standard.
Trim tool
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool over a clip To set the AudioSuite plug-in for use with the TCE
Trim tool:
The TCE Trim tool unloops and consolidates 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
looped clips.
2 Click the Processing tab.
3 From the TC/E Plug-In pop-up menu, select the
You can match an Edit selection to the length
AudioSuite plug-in to be used with the Time
of a Timeline selection by selecting Edit > TCE
Compression/Expansion Trim tool.
Edit to Timeline Selection command (see
“TCE (Time Compression and Expansion)
Edit To Timeline Selection” on page 696.
• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select 1 Set the Edit mode to Spot.
TCE. 2 Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
TCE.
3 Click the clip near its start or end point. The
Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale, enter
a new start or end time (or duration) for the clip,
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool
then click OK.
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Trim Tools > TCE.
• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select 2 Position the cursor over the top half of an un-
Scrub. looped audio or MIDI clip, or clip group. The
cursor changes to indicate that you can loop
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
trim the clip. (Positioning the cursor over the
Trim Tools > Scrub.
bottom half of the clip results in the Standard
The tool changes to a speaker with a bracket. Trim cursor.)
• Click at the end of the clip, and drag left or right 1 Select the Loop Trim tool.
to the point you want the loop to stop.
2 Move the cursor over the top half of the looped
• Click at the beginning of the clip, and drag left or clip (not over a Loop icon). The cursor indicates
right to the point you want the loop to start. the Loop Trim tool.
Loop Trim tool
Loop icon
Tandem trimming
Trimming a looped clip
When in Slip mode, Grid mode can be tempo-
The number of trimmed loop iterations increases
rarily enabled by holding the Command key
or decreases to fill the original length of the entire
after releasing the Control key (Mac) or by
looped clip.
holding the Control key after releasing the
Start key.
Using the Scrubber Tool The distance and speed with which you drag (with
either the mouse, or the scrub wheel on a control
The Scrubber tool lets you “scrub” up to two tracks
surface) determine the length and speed of the
of audio in the Edit Window. Scrubbing is a tech-
scrubbed audio. Audio from the scrubbed track is
nique that originated in tape editing, where the tape
routed to its output, along with any effects as-
was rocked back and forth past the playhead at
signed to the track.
slower than normal speeds to find a particular loca-
tion (usually for cutting and splicing).
To scrub multiple audio tracks, do one of the The distance and speed dragged determine the
following: speed for the scrubbed audio.
With the Scrubber selected, drag between two
adjacent tracks. Shuttle Lock Mode
Shuttle Lock mode lets you use the numeric key-
pad to shuttle up to two tracks forward or back-
wards at specific speeds: 5 is normal speed, num-
bers from 6 up to 9 provide increasingly faster fast-
forward speeds, and numbers from 4 down to 1
provide progressively faster rewind speeds (4 is
the slowest rewind Shuttle Lock speed, 1 is the
fastest). If multiple tracks are selected, only the
first two tracks are shuttled.
Scrubbing between two audio tracks
To play one or two tracks with the shuttle lock:
Scrub within a selection that contains multiple
1 With Pro Tools Ultimate, make sure the Opera-
tracks.
tion preference for Numeric Keypad mode is
When scrubbing multiple tracks, only the first two not set to Shuttle (see “Operation Preferences”
tracks are heard. on page 114).
2 With the Selector tool, click in the track where
The maximum number of channels scrubbed
you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two
in Pro Tools is eight, which lets you scrub a
tracks, Shift-click in a second track.
7.1 track, two stereo tracks (four channels),
but not two 5.1 surround tracks (12 chan- 3 Press the Control (Mac) or Start key (Windows)
nels). and a number on the numeric keypad: 0–9 (9 is
fastest, 5 is normal speed, and 0 stops shuttling).
Scrub/Shuttle Mode
Once Shuttle Lock mode is initiated, Fast Forward
When scrubbing normally, you can scrub at nor- and Rewind become highlighted in the Transport
mal playback speeds or slower. Scrub/Shuttle window.
mode, however, lets you scrub at several times nor-
mal speed, which is helpful in playing through 4 Press additional keys to change the playback
large ranges and locating material. speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch
the playback direction (plus for forward, minus
for backward).
To configure Custom Shuttle Lock Speed: To shuttle with the Numeric Keypad mode set to
Shuttle:
1 In Pro Tools, select Setup > Preferences and
click the Operation tab. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
2 Be sure that the Numeric Keypad mode is set to
Transport or Classic (see “Operation Prefer- 2 Set the Numeric Keypad mode to Shuttle and
ences” on page 114). click OK.
3 Enter a percentage for the Custom Shuttle Lock 3 With the Selector tool, click in the track where
Speed setting. The range for this setting is 50– you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two
800%. You can use the Up and Down Arrow tracks, Shift-click in a second track.
keys to increase or decrease the setting. 4 Hold any of the following keys (or key combi-
4 Click OK. nations) on the numeric keypad to trigger play-
back.
The Custom Shuttle Lock Speed setting is saved
with your Pro Tools system preferences (not with Shuttle Speed Rewind Key Forward Key
the session).
1 X Speed 4 6
• Audio waveforms (see “Waveform Repair with The Pencil tool is a destructive editing tool
the Pencil Tool” on page 656) that permanently modifies the audio file on
• MIDI data (see “Using the Pencil Tool” on disk and should be used with caution.
page 778)
• Tempo changes (see “Editing Tempo Events in For information about the AudioSuite Du-
the Tempo Editor” on page 881) plicate plug-in, see the Audio Plug-Ins
• Automation (see “Drawing Automation” on Guide.
page 1197). To destructively edit an audio waveform with the
Pencil tool:
When editing automation or MIDI control
data with the Pencil tool, you can switch be- 1 Locate the area you want to edit.
tween the current Pencil Tool shape (such as 2 Using the Zoomer tool or the Zoom buttons,
Line) and Free Hand pencil editing using the zoom down to the sample level so the waveform
Command key (Mac) or the Control key (Win- appears as a continuous thin line. Adjust the
dows). When editing with the selected Pencil Track Height, as necessary, to edit the wave-
shape, the Pencil cursor angles to the left. form with greater precision. You can also use
When editing in Free Hand with the key mod- vertical zoom for greater visual resolution.
ifier, the Pencil cursor angles to the right.
You can recall zoom levels with the Zoom
Waveform Repair with the Pencil Preset buttons (see “Zooming Options” on
Tool page 633), or with Memory Locations (see
“Recalling Memory Locations” on
On audio tracks, the Pencil tool lets you destruc-
page 915). The default setting for Zoom Pre-
tively “redraw” waveform data. This tool is most
set 5 is at the sample level for Pencil editing.
commonly used to repair a pop or click in an audio
file. A pop or click appears as a sudden sharp spike 3 Select the Pencil tool.
in a waveform. This tool only becomes active
when the Edit window is zoomed in to the sample
level.
Pencil tool
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 659 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 690.
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.
To extend the selection to include an adjacent clip: Doubling or Halving the Edit
1 Select the first clip with the Time Grabber tool. Selection
2 Do one of the following: Pro Tools lets you double or halve the current Edit
selection. This can be especially useful for music
• With Tab to Transients disabled, press Con-
production when working with audio loops and
trol+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Start+Shift+Tab (Win-
MIDI in Grid mode.
dows) to extend the selection to the next clip
boundary. To double the Edit selection, do one of the
• Press Option+Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con- following:
trol+Start+Shift+Tab (Windows) to extend the Choose Edit > Selection > Double Selection.
selection to include the previous clip boundary.
Press Command+Option+Control+Shift+’
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+’
(Windows).
Moving the Edit Selection in 3 Type in the start point for the selection and press
Time the Forward Slash key (/) to enter the value and
automatically move to the end field.
Pro Tools lets you move the Edit selection earlier
or later by the selection amount. You can also 4 Type in the end point for the selection and press
move the Edit selection to the next track above or Enter to accept the value.
below the current Edit selection.
Numeric Entry Shortcuts for Selection
To move the Edit selection earlier by the selection Indicators
amount, do one of the following:
You can use the following shortcuts for entering
Choose Edit > Selection > Move Edit Left. values in the Edit Selection indicators:
Press Command+Option+Control+L (Mac) or • Press the Forward Slash (/) key to cycle through
Control+Alt+Start+L (Windows). the three Edit Selection indicators.
• Use Period (.) or the Left and Right Arrow keys
To move the Edit selection later by the selection
amount, do one of the following:
to move through the different time fields in each
Edit Selection indicator.
Choose Edit > Selection > Move Edit Right.
• Press the Up or Down Arrow keys to increase or
Press Command+Option+Control+’ (Mac) or decrease numerical values.
Control+Alt+Start+’ (Windows).
• Move the mouse scroll wheel up or down to in-
crease or decrease numerical values.
These shortcuts can also be used to enter start To extend a selection to another track:
and end values in the Transport window.
1 Using the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make
Calculator Entry Mode a selection in the first track or tracks.
You can perform calculator-style editing of values 2 Shift-click in additional tracks with the Selector
in the Edit Selection indicators. tool. An identical range is selected for each ad-
ditional track.
To subtract time values:
To shorten or lengthen the selection across each of
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the the tracks, press Shift while dragging to change the
time field you want to change. range of the selection.
2 Press Minus (–) on the numeric keypad.
To select across all tracks, do one of the following:
3 Type the amount you want to subtract from the
Enable the All Edit Group and make a selection
current time value, then press Enter.
in any track.
4 Press Enter again to apply the change.
Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
To add time values:
ruler (make sure the Timeline and Edit Selec-
tions are linked).
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the
time field you want to change. These selections include all tracks in the Edit win-
dow, but do not include the Conductor tracks (for
2 Press Plus (+) on the numeric keypad.
Tempo, Meter, and Markers).
3 Type the amount you want to add to the current
time value, then press Enter. To select across all tracks, including the
Conductor tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers):
4 Press Enter again to apply the change.
Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) with
the Selector tool in any Timebase ruler.
Extending (or Contracting) the Choose Edit > Selection > Remove Edit From
Edit Selection Over Multiple Bottom.
Tracks
Press Option+Control+; (Mac) or Alt+Start+;
To extend the Edit selection to the next track above (Windows).
the current selection, do one of the following:
Shift-click with the Selector tool (within the Moving and Extending
same time as the current Edit selection) on the Selections Between Tracks with
track just above the current Edit selection. Commands Keyboard Focus
Choose Edit > Selection > Extend Edit Up. With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled, Edit
selections can be moved or extended to adjacent
Press Control+Shift+P (Mac) or Start+Shift+P
tracks.
(Windows).
To move a selection to an adjacent track:
To extend the Edit selection to the next track below
the current selection, do one of the following: 1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key-
board Focus” on page 26).
Shift-click with the Selector tool (within the
same time as the current Edit selection) on the
track just below the current Edit selection.
Choose Edit > Selection > Extend Edit Down.
Press Control+Shift+; (Mac) or Start+Shift+;
(Windows).
1 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a Command-Right-click (Mac) or Control-Right-
selection. click (Windows) the object and choose a com-
mand from the pop-up menu.
2 While pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows),
move the cursor over either of the Timeline Se-
lection Markers in the ruler (the Time Grabber Tabbing to Transients
appears).
With the Tab to Transients button enabled, you can
automatically navigate to transients in audio wave-
forms in Waveform view, placing the cursor just
before the detected transient peak. This lets you
define selections and play ranges, as well as start
and end points for new clips, without having to
zoom in on the waveform.
Sliding an Edit selection in the Main Timebase ruler
5 Press Shift+Tab until the cursor locates to the With Pro Tools Ultimate or Studio, when the
end of the material you want to select. Scrolling option is set to Center Playhead, it deter-
mines where playback begins (see “Playing Time-
To move the selection end point to the previous line and Edit Selections with the Playhead” on
transient, press Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con- page 511).
trol+Shift+Tab (Windows).
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur- 1 If necessary, resize the Transport window to Ex-
rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. panded view so the start and end times are dis-
played (View > Transport > Expanded).
2 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
ruler. 2 Do one of the following:
• In the Transport window, click in the start field.
• Press Option+Forward Slash (/) (Mac) or
Alt+Forward Slash (/) (Windows) on the nu-
meric keypad to select the start field in the
Transport window.
Making a Timeline selection with the Selector tool
3 Type in the new start location and press For-
The Timeline selection is indicated in the Main ward Slash (/) to enter the value and automati-
Timebase ruler by the blue Timeline Selection cally move to the end field.
Markers (or if a track is record-enabled, the Time-
4 Type in the new end location and press Enter to
line Selection Markers are red). The start, end, and
accept the value.
length for the Timeline selection is displayed in the
corresponding fields in the Transport window. Shortcuts for entering start and end values in
the Transport window are listed in “Numeric
To select all tracks, including Conductor
Entry Shortcuts for Selection Indicators” on
tracks, press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows)
page 667.
while dragging in a Timebase ruler with the
Selector tool.
Sliding a Timeline Selection
To set the Timeline selection by dragging the
Timeline Selection Markers:
Like Edit selections, Timeline selections can be
slid in the Main Timebase ruler.
1 If you want to constrain movement to the cur-
rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. To move a Timeline selection in the Main Timebase
ruler:
2 With the Time Grabber, drag the first Timeline
Selection Marker (down arrow) to set the start 1 While pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows),
point. move the cursor over either of the Timeline Se-
lection Markers (the Time Grabber appears).
3 Drag the other Timeline Selection Marker (up
arrow) to set the end point. 2 Drag left or right to move the Timeline selection
back or forward in time, while preserving its
length.
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.
2 Click anywhere in the Universe view to move Scrolling the Universe View
the framed area and the Edit window updates
accordingly. If you have more tracks in the session than are vis-
ible in the Universe view, you can scroll up or
down to show the other tracks.
1 With the Selector or the Grabber tool, make an Press Command+Option+Tab (Mac) or Con-
Edit selection. trol+Alt+Tab (Windows).
Press F7 for the Selector tool or F8 for the To navigate and extend selections forward with
Grabber tool. Tab to Transients:
To zoom to an Edit selection using Zoom Toggle: To navigate and extend selections backward with
Tab to Transients:
1 With the Selector or the Grabber tool, make an
Edit selection. • Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win-
dows) to move the Edit cursor to the previous
Press F7 for the Selector tool or F8 for the transient.
Grabber tool.
• Press Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con-
2 Press Control+E (Mac) or Start+E (Windows) trol+Shift+Tab (Windows) to extend the selec-
to enable Zoom Toggle. tion to the previous transient.
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+Option+Control+Shift+L
Pro Tools provides several keyboard shortcuts for
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+L
moving and extending or decreasing the range of
(Windows).
an Edit (or Timeline) selection.
To go to and select the previous clip, do one of the
To move the selection down to the next track:
following:
Press Control+; (semicolon) (Mac) or Start+;
Press Option+Control+Tab (Mac) or
(semicolon) (Windows).
Alt+Start+Tab (Windows).
To extend the Edit selection down across Press Command+Control+L (Mac) or
tracks, Press Control+Shift+; (semicolon) Control+Start+L (Windows).
(Mac) or Start+Shift+; (semicolon) (Win-
dows).
Press the Up Arrow. To change Track views for all tracks together:
Press Command+Option+Control+Left or
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 35, “MIDI Editing.” For edit-
ing procedures specific to video, see “Video Clips”
on page 1429.
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 787). 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 931). 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 735). 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 690).
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 665). In addition, Shift+Alt+Minus (–) (Windows)
clips can be trimmed by the Nudge value (see
“Trimming with Nudge” on page 689).
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 690).
• 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.
Layered Editing button (enabled) Figure 1. Editing with Layered Editing enabled
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 712. 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 712
<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 706). 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 642 and “Trimming with Nudge” on
you want the crossfade to begin in the first clip page 689.
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 Ultimate can automatically apply real-
Selections time fade-ins and fade-outs to all clip boundaries
in the session on playback. Specify the duration (0
By making a selection that begins or ends precisely
to 10 ms) for automatic real-time fades with the
on the border of two clips, you can create “pre” or
Auto Clip Fade In/Out Length preference in the Op-
“post” crossfades. Use the Tab key to place the in-
eration Preferences page). These fade-ins and
sertion point at the exact beginning or end of a clip.
fade-outs are performed during playback and do
To create a pre- or post-crossfade:
not appear 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 642 and “Trimming
shape of the curve by pressing Option (Mac)
with Nudge” on page 689.
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.
Playlist selector
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
the Tracks List and choose Delete.
Playlists and Edit Groups
Creating new playlists with grouped tracks auto-
When deleting a track from a session, you
matically increments the suffixes of the playlist
have the option of deleting or keeping its
names for each track of the active edit group. This
playlists, so they can be used on other tracks.
lets you revert back to an earlier take by switching
the playlist takes by group.
Show Next and Previous Playlist
Pro Tools lets you quickly and easily cycle through Using this method, you can add new tracks to the
playlists on any track containing the Edit cursor us- existing group and the suffixes for their playlist
ing keyboard shortcuts. names are synchronized with the original tracks.
7 If you want to hear the .01 take on the first 1 Open an existing Pro Tools session or create a
group of tracks, you can switch any playlist in new one.
the group back to playlist .01.
2 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
All tracks in the group have playlists numbered Operation tab.
with .01 suffixes (even those tracks that were 3 On the Operation page, in the Record section,
added to the original group after the earlier takes). select the Automatically Create New Playlists
Empty playlists are automatically created on these When Loop Recording option.
newly-added members so that playlist numbers
match across all members of the group. 4 Click OK.
7 With the Selector tool, select the loop range on Playlists view showing multiple alternate playlists
the track.
8 Record enable the audio track by clicking its If the Automatically Create New Playlists
Record Enable button. When Loop Recording option was disabled
before you started loop recording, Right-
9 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools click the clip in the main playlist and choose
for recording. Matches > Expand Alternates to New Play-
10 Click Play to start recording. lists.
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
Selecting a preset size for a Playlist lane Tracks List showing Playlist lanes for “Audio 1” track
• 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 735).
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.
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).
After you have designated Target playlists for 1 In Playlists view, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-
tracks you can work quickly when comping from click (Windows) the Target button for the play-
different playlists using key commands. Key mod- list you want to target.
ifiers can also be used to target the same playlist in 2 Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows), click on
all tracks of the same type or in all selected tracks the Playlist Selector menu, then click the Target
of the same type (audio, MIDI, Instrument, or Playlist sub-menu and click on the playlist you
Video). want to target.
To show the Target playlist as the Main Playlist: To target the same playlist in all selected tracks:
Press Shift+Right Arrow. 1 In Playlists view, Option-Shift-click (Mac) or
Alt-Shift-click (Windows) the Target button for
To toggle between the two most recently viewed the playlist you want to target.
Main playlists:
2 Hold Option-Shift (Mac) or Alt-Shift (Win-
Press Shift+Left Arrow.
dows), click on the Playlist Selector menu, then
To copy the current Edit selection to the Target
click the Target Playlist sub-menu and click on
playlist, do one of the following: the playlist you want to target.
Choose Edit > Copy To > Target Playlist. To focus the first playlist:
Right-click and choose Copy To > Target Play- Press Shift+Home (full-sized keyboard).
list.
Press fn+Shift+Left arrow (laptop).
Press Option+Shift+Up Arrow (Mac) or
Alt+Shift+Up Arrow (Windows). To focus the last playlist:
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 Shift+Up Arrow/Shift+Down Shift+Up Arrow/Shift+Down
main playlist for tracks that contain the Edit Arrow Arrow
cursor
To designate the Target playlist for the Command+Shift+Right Arrow Control+Shift+Right Arrow
playlist containing the Edit insertion
To show the Target playlist as the Main Shift+Right Arrow Shift+Right Arrow
Playlist
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
Focus the first playlist Shift+Home (full-sized key- Shift+Home (full-sized key-
(with Edit selection in the Main playlist) board) board)
fn+Shift+Left Arrow (laptop) fn+Shift+Left Arrow (laptop)
Focus the last playlist Shift+End (full-sized keyboard) Shift+End (full-sized keyboard)
(with Edit selection in the Main playlist) fn+Shift+Right Arrow (laptop) fn+Shift+Right Arrow (laptop)
Move ahead five playlists Shift+Page Down (full-sized Shift+Page Down (full-sized
(with Edit selection in the Main playlist) keyboard) keyboard)
fn+Shift+Down Arrow (laptop) fn+Shift+Down Arrow (laptop)
Move back five playlists Shift+Page Up (full-sized key- Shift+Page Up (full-sized key-
(with Edit selection in the Main playlist) board) board)
fn+Shift+Up Arrow (laptop) fn+Shift+Up Arrow (laptop)
Target the same playlist in all audio tracks Shift-click the Target button for Shift-click the Target button for
the playlist you want to target the playlist you want to target
To target the same playlist in all tracks of Shift-click the playlist you want Shift-click the playlist you want
the same type (audio, MIDI, Instrument, or to target in the Playlist selector to target in the Playlist selector
Video) menu menu
Target the same playlist in all selected In Playlists view, Option-Shift- In Playlists view, Alt-Shift-click
audio tracks click the Target button for the the Target button for the play-
playlist you want to target list you want to target
Target the same playlist in all selected Option-Shift-click the playlist Alt-Shift-click the playlist you
tracks of the same type (audio, MIDI, you want to target in the Play- want to target in the Playlist
Instrument, or Video) list selector menu selector menu
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 770.
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 767).
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.
• To make the selected Grid value a triplet, click Parabolic and S-Curve Pencil shapes are
the Grid Value selector again and select Triplet. used for drawing tempo events only in the
Tempo Editor. See “Drawing Tempo Events”
4 Verify the default session meter and tempo (see
on page 881.
“Setting the Session Meter” on page 530 and
“Setting the Session Tempo” on page 531). To select the Pencil tool shape:
For more information on Grid mode, see 1 Click the Pencil tool icon in the Toolbar for the
“Grid Mode” on page 630. Pencil tool shape pop-up menu.
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.
Use the mini-keyboard on MIDI and Instrument With any Edit tool selected, click a key and drag
tracks to select and play notes on that track. You up or down on the mini-keyboard.
can click on the mini-keyboard with any Edit tool.
With any Edit tool selected, click a key on the You can also Shift-click on the mini-keyboard
mini-keyboard. to extend or contract the range of notes.
The placement of MIDI notes can also be ad- Changing note end times with the Trim tool
justed with Shift (see “Shift Command” on
If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged start or
page 937) or Nudge (see “Nudging Clips” on
end point snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If the
page 689).
Edit mode is set to Spot, the Spot dialog opens,
where you can enter the new location for the note’s
Trimming Note Start and End start or end point.
Times
Like clips, start and end points for MIDI notes can When in Grid mode, use the Command key
be adjusted with the Trim tool. If several notes are (Mac) or Control key (Windows) to temporar-
selected when performing the trim, each note is ily disable Grid mode.
changed.
Notes can also be trimmed with the Trim Clip to Se-
The Trim tool can also be used on MIDI clips. lection command (see “Trim to Selection Com-
For more informations, see “Time Compres- mand” on page 687) and the Trim To Insertion
sion/Expansion Trim Tool Functionality on command (see “Trimming with Nudge” on
MIDI Clips” on page 791. page 689).
4 Move the cursor near the beginning of any of 2 With the Time Grabber tool, select the MIDI
the highlighted notes, so the Trim tool appears. notes you want to trim.
Drag right to shorten the notes, or drag left to
lengthen them.
With the Grabber or Pencil tool, Control-Shift- 1 Select the MIDI notes you want to consolidate.
click (Mac) or Start-Shift-click (Windows) on
2 Do one of the following:
the MIDI note at the location where you want
the separation. • Choose Edit > Consolidate.
• Right-click the selected notes and choose Con-
solidate.
To consolidate MIDI notes with the Consolidate To mute one or more MIDI notes:
tool:
1 Select the MIDI notes you want to mute.
With the Grabber or Pencil tool, Control-Shift-
click (Mac) or Start-Shift-click (Windows) be- 2 Do one of the following:
tween the separated MIDI notes. • Choose Edit > Mute Notes.
• Right-click the selected MIDI notes and choose
Mute Notes.
You can also use the Trim tool to scale the veloci-
ties for all selected notes. This is useful if you like
the velocity relationship between the notes, but
Revealing the Velocity Lane
want them all to be louder or softer.
2 Select any Grabber tool.
When in Velocity view, the Trim tool can be
3 Drag the top (diamond) of the velocity stalk up used to trim note durations in addition to
or down. changing velocities.
Pitch
Velocity Trim Tool Attack Velocity
To trim the velocity of one or more selected MIDI Release Velocity
notes:
A new value in the Start field moves the first note With the Pencil tool selected, Option-click
in the selection to that location, with all other notes (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the note. The
moving with it. Pencil tool changes to an Eraser when Option
(Mac) or Alt (Windows) is pressed.
Values entered in the pitch and velocity fields add Program change events and Sysex events can
to or subtract from the values for all selected notes. also be deleted by Option-clicking (Mac) or
For example, to transpose all selected notes down Alt-clicking (Windows) them with the Pencil
an octave, enter a value of –12 for pitch. tool.
Before trimming a MIDI clip with the Time 1 Set the Edit mode to Slip.
Compression/Expansion Trim tool
2 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Clips view.
3 Select the TCE Trim tool.
4 With the TCE Trim tool, drag the MIDI clip’s
start or end point to compress or expand the clip
freely A new MIDI clip is automatically cre-
After trimming a MIDI clip with the Time Compression/ ated, and appears both in the playlist and in the
Expansion Trim tool
Clips List.
Using the Time Compression/
Expansion Trim Tool in Grid Using the Time Compression/
Mode Expansion Trim Tool in Spot
Mode
The Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool
(TCE Trim tool) can be used in Grid mode to In Spot mode, clicking with the TCE Trim tool in a
match a clip to the tempo of a session or a section clip opens the Spot dialog. You can specify the lo-
of a session, or to create “double time” or “half cation where you want the clip to start or end, or
time” performances. the duration of the clip, and the clip is automati-
cally compressed or expanded as specified.
To compress or expand MIDI clips in Grid mode:
To compress or expand MIDI clips in Spot mode:
1 Set the Edit mode to Grid.
1 Set the Edit mode to Spot.
2 If necessary, set the MIDI or Instrument track to
Clips view. 2 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Clips view.
3 Select the TCE Trim tool. 3 Select the TCE Trim tool.
4 With the TCE Trim tool, drag the MIDI clip’s 4 Click the MIDI clip near its start or end point.
start or end point to compress or expand the clip The Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale,
to the Grid (for example, by quarter notes). A enter a new start or end time (or duration) for
new MIDI clip is automatically created, and ap- the clip, and then click OK. A new MIDI clip is
pears both in the playlist and in the Clips List. automatically created, and appears both in the
playlist and in the Clips List.
New controller events can be drawn in with the 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, then click the
Pencil tool to replace existing events. Events can MIDI tab.
be drawn with the Pencil tool (set to Free Hand, 2 Type a value (1 to 100 milliseconds) for Pencil
Line, Triangle, Square, or Random). Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller Data.
Controller events can be cut or copied and 3 Click OK.
pasted, as well as nudged or shifted.
Navigating Notes
To increase or decrease the velocities of selected If you do not know what bank select command
notes in increments of 5: your instrument uses, you can record MIDI to
Press Command+Up/Down Arrow (Mac) or Pro Tools while making a bank change from
Control+Up/Down Arrow (Windows). the instrument. Then review the bank select
information your instrument has recorded
To increase or decrease the velocities of selected into Pro Tools in the MIDI Event List.
notes in increments of 15:
Press Command+Shift+Up/Down Arrow (Mac) Some older MIDI devices (such as the Kurz-
or Control+Shift+Up/Down Arrow (Windows). weil K1000) use a program change instead of
a Bank Select message to switch banks. For
these devices you may find it necessary to send
two program change messages to access a
particular program, where the first sets the
bank and the second sets the program.
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 937) or Nudge (see “Nudging Clips” 5 Select the Increment Patch option.
on page 689).
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
To audition patches: While the contents of recorded System Exclusive
1 If you want to audition patches for a MIDI track events cannot be directly edited in Pro Tools, the
or Instrument during playback, click Play in the events can be moved or nudged, copied and pasted,
Transport. or deleted.
2 Open the Patch Select dialog by clicking the
Patch Select button, or by inserting or editing a
program change event in a MIDI or Instrument
track.
Enabled Real-Time Properties are heard on play- Selecting a Grid Quantize value or a Groove Template
back and play through for the selected tracks and
clips. Swing Value Enter the amount of swing as a per-
centage between 0 and 300%.
Duration can be used to increase or decrease the If the Ticks/Notes pop-up menu is set to ticks, en-
duration of MIDI notes by a fixed amount or by a ter a duration as a number of quarter notes plus a
percentage. This is useful for creating legato or number of ticks, such as 4|000. If the Ticks/Notes
staccato passages. pop-up menu is set to a note size, enter a number to
by which to multiply that note size, such as seven
Duration cannot be applied as a Real-Time 16th notes.
Property to MIDI Input and Thru.
Ticks/Notes Pop-Up Menu
Duration Mode Pop-Up Menu
The Ticks/Notes pop-up menu lets you select ei-
Select one of the following options from the Dura- ther Ticks or a note size for Note Durations. There
tion Mode pop-up menu: Set, Add, Subtract, is also a Ticks/Notes pop-up menu for the Mini-
Scale, Legato/Gap, or Legato/Overlap. mum and Maximum Durations options.
Set Select to set notes to the specified duration. Minimum and Maximum Durations
Add Select to add the specified duration to the cur- Enable either or both minimum and maximum du-
rent duration of each note. rations and enter a value in quarter notes plus ticks
or as a multiple of a note size. The Minimum (Min)
Subtract Select to subtract the specified duration
and Maximum (Max) Durations options are only
from the current duration of each note.
available in the expanded Real-Time Properties
Scale Select to scale the current duration of each window.
note by a percentage from 1 to 400%.
Velocity
Real-Time Properties on
Velocity lets you change MIDI velocity by a per- Tracks and Clips
centage or by constant value. Enter a percentage
value in the Dynamics field to scale velocity Real-Time Properties can be configured to apply to
around the median velocity of 64. You can also en- an entire track (all clips on that track), or on a clip-
ter an offset by adding (+) or subtracting (–) values by-clip basis. Track-level properties also provide
between 1 and 127. You can also enter Minimum real-time MIDI input processing of velocity and
and Maximum Velocity value limits. The Mini- transposition.
mum (Min) and Maximum (Max) Velocity options
The presence of track-based Real-Time Properties
are only available in the expanded Real-Time
are indicated by a “T” displayed in the upper right-
Properties window.
hand corner of MIDI clips. Clip-based Real-Time
Velocity can be applied as a Real-Time Prop- Properties are indicated by an “R” displayed in the
erty to MIDI Input and Thru on record-en- upper right-hand corner of the clip. Clips boundar-
abled MIDI and Instrument tracks. ies including the “T” and the “R” displays are indi-
cated in Notes view and in MIDI Editor windows,
Transpose but not in the Score Editor window.
3 Click OK.
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
Notation View
In a MIDI editor window, the Record-enable, Solo,
and Mute buttons affect tracks in all windows. The Notation view button lets you view MIDI
They let you either audition the tracks shown in the notes in the MIDI Editor window as music nota-
current MIDI Editor window without the rest of tion. In Notation view, MIDI and Instrument tracks
the mix, or let you hear just the mix without the are not superimposed, but are shown as staves just
tracks shown in the MIDI Editor window. Addi- like in the Score Editor window.
tionally, these buttons provide a quick visual indi-
cation as to whether or not any MIDI or Instrument
tracks are record-enabled, soloed, or muted.
Record-Enable
Notation view enabled in a MIDI Editor window
The Record-enable button lets you record-enable
(or record-disable) all the tracks currently dis- You can access the Notation Display Track
played in the MIDI Editor window. Settings in a MIDI Editor window when in
Notation view. Select the Notation Display
Solo Track Settings option from the Tracks List
menu or Right-click in the Notes pane and se-
The Solo button lets you solo all the tracks cur-
lect the Notation Display Track Settings op-
rently displayed in the MIDI Editor window.
tion from the Right-click menu. For more in-
formation, see “Notation Display Track
Settings” on page 845.
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 Commands Keyboard window toolbar.
Focus 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 MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input 1 In the Tracks List, select the MIDI, Instrument,
tracks in a MIDI Editor window: and Auxiliary Input tracks you want to hide.
Enable the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks 2 From the Tracks List menu, select Hide Se-
List for tracks you want to show in the MIDI lected Tracks.
Editor window.
To show all MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input Sorting Tracks in the Tracks List
tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
You can sort tracks in the Tracks List by the fol-
From the Tracks List menu, select Show All lowing criteria:
Tracks.
Name Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks List
To show only selected MIDI, Instrument, and by Track Name.
Auxiliary Input tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
Type Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks List by
1 In the Tracks List, select the MIDI, Instrument, Track Type.
and Auxiliary Input tracks you want to show in
the MIDI Editor window. Edit Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks
List by Edit Groups.
2 From the Tracks List menu, select Show Only
Selected Tracks. Mix Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks
List by Mix Groups.
To show all tracks of a single type (MIDI or
Instrument) in a MIDI Editor window: Voice Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks List by
Voice allocations.
From the Tracks List menu, choose Show Only,
and select the track type you want.
Tracks List Right-Click Menu
To hide MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input
tracks in a MIDI Editor window:
In addition to common track management com-
mands, the Tracks List Right-click menu shares
Disable the Track Show/Hide icon for tracks commands with both the Tracks List menu and the
you want to hide in the MIDI Editor window. Notes Pane Right-click menu.
To hide all (but one) MIDI, Instrument, and To access the MIDI Editor Tracks List Right-click
Auxiliary Input tracks in a MIDI Editor window: menu:
From the Tracks List menu, select Hide All Right-click on any Track Name in the Tracks
Tracks. List.
You can also view and edit MIDI notes in Notation view in the Notes pane (see “Notation View”
on page 832).
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.
No Color Coding
When neither Color Coding by Track nor Color Coding by Velocity are enabled, notes are drawn in the
MIDI Editor in as the same color they are in the Edit window—using the color coding options as set in the
Track Color Coding settings in the Display Preferences.
The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools Merge
relevant to the Score Editor.
The Merge command pastes the clipboard to the
Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool. current Edit selection or at the current Edit cursor
location and merges the pasted data with any MIDI
Trim Selects the Trim tool.
notes already present at the same location.
Selector Selects the Selector tool.
Clear
Grabber Selects the Grabber tool.
The Clear command clears (deletes) the current
Scrubber Selects the Scrubber tool. Edit selection.
Pencil Selects the Pencil tool. Separate
Smart Selects the Smart tool. The Separate command lets you separate MIDI
Zoomer Tools Lets you select Normal Zoom or notes at the Edit cursor location.
Single Zoom.
Consolidate
Pencil Tools Lets you select any of the Pencil
The Consolidate command lets you consolidate se-
tools.
lected multiple consecutive MIDI notes of the
Insert same pitch.
The Insert submenu lets you insert key changes, Mute Notes
meter changes, and chord symbols at the location
The Mute Notes (or Unmute Notes) command lets
of the Edit cursor.
you mute (or unmute) selected MIDI notes.
Key Inserts a key change.
MIDI Real-Time Properties
Meter Inserts a meter change.
Selecting the MIDI Real-Time Properties option
Chord Inserts a chord symbol. opens the MIDI Real-Time Properties window.
The Event Operations submenu lets you select any Selecting the Display Notation option changes the
of the Event Operations windows (such as Quan- MIDI Editor to Notation view. Deselecting this op-
tize or Change Velocity). tion reverts the MIDI Editor to Notes view.
Right-click in the Notes pane and select Notation View Right-Click Menu
Notation View.
When in Notation view, the Notes Pane Right-
Editing in Notation view in a MIDI Editor window click menu provides slightly different options than
works the same way as in the Score Editor win- when in Superimposed Notes view.
dow, but with the advantage of having access to
Velocity, Controller, and Automation lanes. In both views, the following options are available:
• Tools
In Notation view, the Trim tool functions as
• Insert
the Grabber tool when over a note and as the
Note Selector tool when not over a note. • Cut
• Copy
In Notation view, the Edit mode is • Paste
automatically set to Grid and cannot be
• Clear
changed.
• Separate
Double Bar in Notation View • Consolidate
The Double Bar button is only available in Nota- • Mute
tion view. When enabled, the Double Bar option • MIDI Real-Time Properties
shows the final double bar line in the MIDI Editor
• Event Operations
window. The double bar line is located at the end
of the last MIDI clip or event in the session. • Open In New MIDI Editor
• Open In Score Editor
• Open In MIDI Event List.
• Display Notation
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 839).
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 840).
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 839).
Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Velocity”
on page 839). The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 840).
The minimum duration of the note is determined
by the selected Default Note Duration (see “De- Random
fault Note Duration” on page 839).
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 839).
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
The duration is determined by the selected Default page 839).
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
The start time for each note is determined by the
page 839).
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 840).
The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 840).
If you want dotted note values, also select the Dot- Link Timeline and Edit Selection enabled in the Score
ted option. Editor window
Play MIDI Notes When Select the Mirrored MIDI Editing button in the
Editing Edit window, MIDI Editor window, or Score
Editor window.
When enabled, the Play MIDI Notes When Editing
option causes MIDI notes to sound when you in-
sert them with the Pencil tool or drag them with the
Grabber tool.
Double Bar
Cursor Location indicator in the Score Editor window
When enabled, the Double Bar option shows the fi-
nal double bar line in the Score Editor window.
The double bar line is located at the end of the last Grid
MIDI clip or event in the session. Enable the Dou-
The Grid selector lets you define the Grid value for
ble Bar option when you are ready to print the
MIDI notes inserted and displayed in the Score Ed-
score.
itor window.
When the Double Bar option is disabled, there will
To set the Grid value for the Score Editor window:
be a number of empty bars at the end of the last
MIDI clip in the session. The number of empty From the Grid Value pop-up menu, select a note
bars is determined by the Additional Empty Bars In value.
The Score Editor setting in the Pro Tools MIDI
Preferences (Setup > Preferences). Disable the If you want dotted note values, also select the
Double Bar option to manually enter notes in the Dotted option.
Score Editor after the last MIDI clip. If you want triplet note values, also select the
Triplet option.
Selection Display
Inserting notes on the Grid
When selected, the Selection Display option shows
If the selected Grid value is shorter than the De- the Edit Selection Display in the MIDI Editor win-
fault Note Duration, the Grid value determines dow toolbar.
both the Note On location and note duration for
notes inserted with the Pencil tool. For example, if
the Default Note Duration is set to quarter notes
and the Grid is set to eighth notes, drawing with the
Line Pencil tool creates a sequence of eighth notes. Selection display
Tracks List
Score Editor Window Target When selected, the Tracks List option displays the
When the Target is enabled for the Score Editor Tracks List in the Score Editor window.
window, navigating the Edit window automati-
cally navigates the Score Editor window as well. Scrolling
For example, if in the Edit window you navigate to
bar 32, beat 3 in a MIDI track, when you view the The Scrolling submenu lets you select the scrolling
Score Editor window it too will show the same lo- options for the Score Editor window inde-
cation. pendently of the Edit window and any MIDI Editor
windows. The scrolling options include:
When the Target is disabled, the Score Editor does
not update to show the current Edit window selec- No Scrolling The Score Editor window does not
tion or Edit cursor location. scroll during or after playback. The playback cur-
sor moves across the Edit window, indicating the
playback location.
Page The playback cursor moves across the Score Customizable Toolbar
Editor window, indicating the playback location. You can customize the toolbar in the Score Editor
When the right edge of the current page shown in window by re-arranging, and showing or hiding
the Score Editor window is reached, it scrolls to the the available controls and displays just like in the
next page and the playback cursor continues mov- Edit window or MIDI Editor windows.
ing from the left edge of the window.
Changing Toolbar Display Options
Follow Edit Window When selected, the Score Ed-
itor window follows the scrolling option selected To change the toolbar display options in the Score
for the Edit window (Options > Edit Editor window toolbar:
Window Scrolling).
1 Do one of the following:
For Pro Tools HD systems, the Continuous • Click the Score Editor Window Toolbar
and Center Playhead scrolling options are menu.
not available in the Score Editor window. If • Right-click in the Toolbar.
the Score Editor window is set to the Follow
Edit Window scrolling option and the Edit 2 From the pop-up menu, select or deselect any of
window is set to either the Continuous or the following:
Center Playhead scrolling options, the Score • Selection Display
Editor window scrolls by page. • Expanded Edit Tools
The Tracks List lets you show and hide MIDI and From the Tracks List menu, select Show All
Instrument tracks in the Score Editor. It also pro- Tracks.
vides access to the Notation Display Track Set-
tings and Score Setup (see “Notation Display To show only selected MIDI and Instrument tracks
in the Score Editor:
Track Settings” on page 845 and “Score Setup” on
page 847). 1 In the Tracks List, select the MIDI and Instru-
ment tracks you want to show in the score.
To show or hide the Tracks List in the Score Editor
window: 2 From the Tracks List menu, select Show Only
Selected Tracks.
From the Score Editor Window menu, select or
deselect Tracks List. To hide MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
Editor:
Showing and Hiding Tracks Disable the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks
List for tracks you want to hide in the score.
Use the Tracks List to show and hide MIDI and In-
strument tracks as staves in the score.
To hide all MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
Editor:
To show MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
Editor: From the Tracks List menu, select Hide All
Tracks.
Enable the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks
List for tracks you want to show in the score.
To hide selected MIDI and Instrument tracks in the
Score Editor:
1 In the Tracks List, select the MIDI and Instru-
ment tracks you want to hide in the score.
2 From the Tracks List menu, select Hide Se-
lected Tracks.
To display the previous page of the score: To zoom out one level:
Click the Page Back button. Click the Zoom Out button.
Clef
Globals
Score Setup
The Score Setup window lets you set up the page
layout and staff spacing. You can enter the Title
and Composer for the score. You can also select
what elements of the score to display. Changes to Score Setup window
the Score Setup update instantly in the Score Edi-
Information
tor.
Title Enter the Title for the score. This appears at
To open the Score Setup, do one of the following: the top of the first page.
Choose File > Score Setup.
Composer Enter the Composer for the score. This
From the Tracks List menu in the Score Editor appears in the upper right-hand corner of the first
window, select Score Setup. page.
Right-click in the Score Editor window and se-
lect Score Setup.
The Display options determine which score ele- Between Staves Enter the spacing you want
ments you want displayed in the score. Deselect between staves.
the elements you do not want displayed in the
Between Systems Enter the spacing you want be-
score.
tween systems.
Title and Composer Select to display the Title and
Composer on the score. On pages where the music is vertically justi-
fied, the distance between staves and systems
Page Numbers Select to display Page Numbers at will be larger than the numbers specified.
the bottom of each page.
Below Title and Composer Enter the spacing you
Bar Numbers Select to display Bar Numbers at the want between the Title and Composer and the first
beginning of each system above the top staff. staff of the score.
Track Names Select to display Track Names for Below Chord Symbols and Diagrams Enter the
each staff at the beginning of the score. spacing you want between Chord Symbols and Di-
agrams and the top stave of each system.
Chord Symbols Select to display chord symbols in
the score.
Layout
Chord Diagrams Select to display Chord Dia-
Page Size Select the page size (Letter, Legal, Tab-
grams (guitar tablature) in the score (see “Chord loid, or A4).
Symbols and Diagrams” on page 854).
Portrait Select to set the page orientation to Por-
Disable the Chord Diagrams option when trait.
printing charts and lead sheets where you just
want to see chord symbols. Landscape Select to set the page orientation to
Landscape.
MIDI note editing in the Edit window, MIDI Edi- 1 Click the Grabber tool.
tor windows, and the Score Editor window all af- 2 Drag in the score to highlight the notes you
fect the same MIDI data. When editing in one win- want to select.
dow, your edits are reflected in all other windows.
You can use either the Note Selector tool or the 1 Click the Grabber tool.
Grabber tool to select notes on one or more staves. 2 Drag the note you want to transpose up or down.
Entering a single longer note with the Pencil tool Score Editor Right-Click
To manually insert multiple notes of the same
Menu
pitch: The Score Editor Right-click menu provides sev-
1 Select the Default Note Duration setting (see eral useful commands for editing, exporting, and
“Default Note Duration” on page 839). formatting the score and MIDI data.
2 Select the Grid setting (see “Grid” on To access the Score Editor Right-click menu:
page 840).
Right-click anywhere on the score.
3 Select the Default Note On Velocity (see “De-
fault Note On Velocity” on page 839).
Score Editor Right-Click Menu
4 Click the Pencil tool and select any of the fol- Items
lowing shapes:
Tools
• Line
The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools
• Triangle
relevant to the Score Editor.
• Square
Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool.
• Random
Note Selector Selects the Note Selector tool.
5 Click at the time location and pitch and drag to
the right. Repeated notes of the selected Default Grabber Selects the Grabber tool.
Note Duration are entered on the selected Grid.
The Note On velocities for each note are deter- Pencil Selects the Pencil tool.
mined in part by the Default Note On Velocity
Insert
setting and the selected Pencil tool shape (see
“Pencil” on page 838). The Insert submenu lets you insert key changes,
meter changes, and chord symbols into the score at
the location of the Edit cursor.
The Cut command cuts the current Edit selection. Choosing the Notation Display Track Settings op-
tion opens the Notation Display Track Settings di-
Copy alog (see “Notation Display Track Settings” on
page 845).
The Copy command copies the current Edit selec-
tion.
Score Setup
Clear
To delete a Key Signature: 3 If you want the inserted meter event to fall
cleanly on the first beat of the nearest measure,
With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or
select the Snap To Bar option.
Alt-click (Windows) the Key Signature you
want to delete. 4 Select a note value for the number of clicks to
sound in each measure. For a dotted-note click
value, select the dot (.) option in addition to the
Meter Changes note value.
You can add, edit, and delete Meters in your score. For some meters, it may be desirable to use a
Meter changes affect the number of bars in the dotted value for the click. For instance, if us-
score (and in your session). When changing meter, ing a meter of 6/8, a dotted quarter note click
notes are not moved, but the barlines will be re- (yielding two clicks per measure) is generally
drawn. more suitable than a straight eighth note click
(six clicks per measure).
You can also add and delete Meters in the
Meter ruler in the Edit window and in MIDI 5 Click OK to insert the new meter.
Editor windows.
To edit a Meter change:
To add a Meter change:
1 With the Grabber tool, double-click the Meter
1 Do one of the following: event you want to edit.
• Choose Event > Time Operations > Change 2 Enter values in the Meter Change dialog and
Meter. click OK.
• With the Note Selector, Grabber, or Pencil
tool, Right-click at the location in the score To delete a Meter change:
where you want to change meter and select With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or
Insert > Meter Change. Alt-click (Windows) the Meter event you want
2 In the Meter Change dialog, enter the Location to delete.
and Meter for the meter change.
Chord symbol and diagram in the score To export a score from Pro Tools:
To edit a chord symbol: 1 Configure the score for your session in Score
Editor window.
1 With the Grabber tool, double-click the chord
symbol you want to edit. 2 Choose File > Export > To Sibelius.
2 Make changes in the Chord Change dialog, and 3 Select a destination and click Save.
click OK.
To send the score from your Pro Tools session to
To move a chord symbol: Sibelius, do one of the following:
With the Grabber tool, drag the chord symbol to 1 Configure the score for your session in the
a new location. Score Editor window.
2 Do one of the following:
To delete a chord symbol:
• Choose File > Send to Sibelius.
With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or
• Right-click in the Score Editor and choose
Alt-click (Windows) the chord symbol you
Send to Sibelius.
want to delete.
Pro Tools exports all Instrument and MIDI tracks
To display or hide chord symbols in the score: shown in the Score Editor to Sibelius as a .sib file
In the Score Settings dialog (File > Score and launches Sibelius if it is installed on your com-
Setup), enable or disable the Chord Symbols puter. You can then further edit the notation in Si-
option. belius and print the score or parts from Sibelius.
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
The number of MIDI events on the selected track
MIDI Event List are displayed at the top of the MIDI Event List.
Columns in the MIDI Event List View Filter for MIDI Event List
Information for the events in the MIDI Event List You can use the View Filter to specify which event
is displayed in the following three columns: types are displayed in the MIDI Event List. This
Start Column Displays the start location, using the can help you zero in on only the events you want to
Main Time Scale, for each event. Locations can affect; it also protects MIDI events from being ed-
also be displayed in the Sub Time Scale when the ited or deleted. Events not displayed in the MIDI
Show Sub Counter option is selected in the Op- Event List still play back.
tions pop-up menu.
The View Filter can be set to display “all” mes-
The playback cursor appears as a blue arrow (red, sages, “only” the specified messages, or “all ex-
when tracks are record-enabled) in the Start col- cept” the specified messages.
umn.
When inserting an event type that has been
When several events reside at the same location, filtered from the MIDI Event List, that event
the location is only indicated for the top event, with type will no longer be filtered.
the others dimmed. The dimmed locations can be
Example: To filter the display of aftertouch and
edited by double-clicking them. System Exclusive Messages in the MIDI Event
List:
• Double-click to edit a value. 3 If using Timecode, you can select the Use Sub-
• Press Tab or the Down Arrow to move to the frames option.
next event (with or without the edit field se- 4 Enter the location you want to go to, then click
lected). OK.
Any or all of the following Conductor rulers can be Drag a ruler’s name up or down to a new
displayed: location.
Displaying Rulers
To display all rulers:
The Main Time Scale determines the time format Main Counter selector (in the Edit window)
used for: If a Timebase ruler is displayed, click its name
• The Main Counter in the Transport so it becomes highlighted.
• The Main Counter at the top of the Edit window Setting the Main Time Scale to the timebase
or MIDI Editor window currently displayed in the Sub Counter
• Start, End, and Length values switches the two Time Scales, setting the Sub
• Pre- and post-roll amounts Time Scale to the previous timebase of the
Main Time Scale.
• Grid and Nudge values
From the Transport Window menu, ensure that When the Main Time Scale is set to
the Counters and Expanded Transport options Bars|Beats, and you are using tempo
are enabled. changes, set the Linearity Display Mode to
Linear Tick Display (see “Changing the
To set the Time Scale for the Sub Counter: Linearity Display Mode” on page 886).
This will keep the Bars|Beats ruler fixed (at
Click the Sub Counter selector and select a
the selected zoom level) and sample-based
Time Scale.
rulers such as Minutes:Seconds will scale
to fit any tempo changes while bar lengths
remain constant.
Pro Tools is a sample-based program with an inter- 1/4 note 960 1440 640
nal MIDI resolution of 960,000 pulses per quarter 1/8 note 480 720 320
note (ppq). However, when the Time Scale is set to
Bars|Beats, the display resolution in Pro Tools is 1/16 note 240 360 160
960 ppq and the Timebase is tick-based. 1/32 note 120 180 80
Groups
When you change the timebase for an audio track
Timebase selector (samples)
that is part of an active Edit group, all the tracks in
.
You can use Beat Detective to generate 2 Click the Add Tempo Change button at the left
Bar|Beat markers (tempo map). For more in- of the Tempo ruler.
formation, see “Generating Bar|Beat Mark-
ers with Beat Detective” on page 760.
As tempo events are encountered during playback, 4 To place the inserted tempo event cleanly on the
the session’s current tempo is displayed in the first beat of the nearest measure, select the Snap
To Bar option.
Transport window.
5 To base the BPM value on something other than
the default quarter note, select a different note
value.
In the Tempo ruler, drag the triangle for the 3 Click in the Tempo ruler at the point where you
tempo event left or right. want to paste the tempo events.
4 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip-
board are pasted from the insertion point, re-
placing any existing tempo events.
Tempo at 92 bpm
1 Select the clip you want to conform to the ses- Displaying the Tempo Editor
sion tempo.
The Tempo Editor is an expansion of the Tempo
2 Do one of the following: ruler, opening in the rulers section of the Edit Win-
• Choose Clip > Conform to Tempo. dow.
• Right-click the clip you wan to conform to
tempo and select Conform to Tempo. Tempo Editor expand/collapse triangle
Tempo Resolution
Pro Tools analyzes the clip’s entire file for Elastic Tempo Density
Audio events and tempo. If a tempo is detected, Add Tempo Change
Tempo events
and a duration in bars and beats is determined, the
clip conforms automatically to the session tempo.
If a tempo and duration is not detected (such as
with a clip that is a single drum hit or with a long
clip with no clear tempo), the clip is not conformed
to the session tempo.
Click the Tempo Editor Zoom In button (“+”). New tempo events can be drawn in with the
Pencil tool to replace existing ones.
To zoom out vertically in the Tempo Editor:
Tempo events can be copied and pasted,
Click the Tempo Editor Zoom Out button (“–”). nudged, and shifted.
All the new tempo events under the curve will To adjust the location of the tempo change:
change as you move the Tempo Curve Adjust-
With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event to the
ment Handles. To adjust the curve shape
left or right.
without the track data adjusting immediately,
press Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) To remove a tempo event:
while adjusting the curve. Tempo events will
change to fit the new curve when you release With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or
the mouse button. Alt-click (Windows) the tempo event.
Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, 1 With the Selector tool, select a range of tempo
double-click between two tempo events. The events.
first event is selected.
2 Do one of the following:
• 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.
Tempo Edit Density and Linear Lets you create tempos that change evenly
Linearity Display Mode over a selected range of time.
When the Tempo Edit Density setting (in the Parabolic Lets you create tempos that accelerate or
Tempo Editor) and the Linearity Display Mode decelerate following a tempo curve that changes
setting are both set to either a Bars|Beats Time the tempo more rapidly or less rapidly over the se-
Scale or to an absolute Time Scale, Tempo edits lection time.
appear evenly spaced. When the Tempo Edit Den-
sity setting and the Linearity Display Mode setting S-Curve Lets you create tempos that accelerate or
are set so that one is set to an absolute Time Scale decelerate following a tempo curve with a defin-
and the other is set to a Bars|Beats Time Scale, the able breakpoint that determines mid-curve times
number of Tempo edits appear to increase or de- and tempo values.
crease over time (against absolute time). Scale Lets you scale tempos within the selection
by a percentage amount.
To define tempo events over a range of time: Advanced When this option is selected, the
selection range changes to the Main Time Scale
1 Make a selection in the Timebase or in a track.
format, and additional and modified options be-
2 Choose Event > Tempo Operations > Tempo come available.
Operations Window.
Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates either
3 Select a Tempo Operation page from the pop-up the tempo, or the selection end time.
menu at the top of the Tempo Operation win-
dow. Selection Start and End Specifies the start and
end point for the tempo change in Bars|Beats.
4 Change the settings for the page you have cho- When an Edit selection is made, the Start and End
sen, as necessary. fields will display the selection boundaries.
5 Do one of the following:
End Time (Advanced Option) Displays the selec-
• Click Apply. tion end time. When the Main Time Scale is set to
• Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to Bars|Beats, the end time is displayed in the Sub
automatically apply the values and close the Time Scale. When the Main Time Scale is set to
window. any absolute timebase, the end time is calculated
and displayed in Bars|Beats. Changing the end
time value causes the tempo to change.
Advanced When this option is selected, the Selecting “Follow Metronome Click” will set
selection range changes to the Main Time Scale the tempo BPM note value to mirror the click
format, and additional and modified options be- value set in the meter markers.
come available.
Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the
Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates the se- density of the tempo change events written to the
lection end time, the start tempo, the end tempo, or Tempo ruler.
the curvature of the tempo change.
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the
Selection Start and End Displays the start and end previous tempo setting that was in effect at the se-
points for the tempo change in the currently se- lection end point is preserved after the selection. If
lected Main timebase. When an Edit selection is unselected, the last tempo event created by the
made, the Start and End fields will display the se- tempo operation continues to the end of the ses-
lection boundaries. Changing start or end values sion, or until the next tempo event beyond the se-
changes the selection range. lected range.
2 Select either Tempo Events or Bar|Beat 5 If necessary, specify a time signature for the
Markers from the pop-up menu. start and end range.
6 Click OK to automatically calculate the new
tempo and insert the necessary Bar|Beat Mark-
ers and meter events. Any existing tempo and
meter events residing within the selection are
Tempo ruler pop-up menu deleted.
Identifying Beats
Identifying the beat of a one-bar drum loop and
creating Bar|Beat Markers for it:
3 Select the audio clip with the Time Grabber tool When working with a selection, the Identify Beat
and choose Event > Identify Beat. command only calculates a single tempo for the se-
lected range. If the tempo varies from measure to
measure, or beat to beat, you’ll need to use the
Identify Beat command for each tempo variance
(making sure to accurately define a precise selec-
tion range or beat location for the tempo change).
With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or To display the Meter ruler:
Alt-click (Windows) the Bar|Beat Marker. Select View > Rulers > Meter.
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur- If the Time Operations window is already
rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. open, you can select any Time Operation
from the pop-up menu at the top of the win-
2 Drag in the Meter ruler to select the meter
dow.
events you want to remove.
3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected meter
events.
Start, End, and Length Sets the start and end If your Main Time Scale is sample-based,
points for the selection, and the selection length. Realign Meter Ruler Only is not available.
Set Meter If your Main Time Scale is Bars|Beats, Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, Tick-Based
Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based Markers
Set Meter lets you specify a new meter for the in-
and Tracks Lets you insert time into the Meter,
serted time. The selection is quantized to the near-
Tempo, Key, and Chord rulers, and all tick-based
est bars, and the previous meter is inserted after the
markers and tracks. Events after the start point of
selection. If your Main Time Scale is sample-
the selection are shifted past the end point by the
based, Set Meter is not available.
length of time inserted.
Move
Move Song Start Example Song Start Only Moves the Song Start Marker
only.
To move the Song Start Marker to 15 seconds on
the Timeline: Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, all Tick-
1 Choose Event > Time Operations > Move Song Based Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based
Markers and Tracks Moves the Song Start
Start.
Marker, events in the Meter, Tempo, Key, and
2 Select Minutes:Seconds from the Timebase Chord rulers, all tick-based markers and tracks,
pop-up menu. and your choice of all or no sample-based markers
and tracks.
3 In the Move Song Start To field, enter
“0:15:000” to move the song start forward by 15
seconds.
Pitched Tracks
Pitched tracks are MIDI or Instrument tracks that
can be affected by transpositions due to key
changes (including constrain to key). MIDI and In-
strument tracks are “pitched” by default. However,
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.
Click the track’s Playlist selector and select (or Import Session Data
deselect) the Pitched option.
The Import Session Data dialog includes the Im-
port Key Signature/Chord Map option. When se-
lected, key signatures (if present) and chord mark-
ers (if present) are imported into the current
session with the imported session data.
Chord Diagrams
Chord Change dialog
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 begin-
Creating Memory Locations ning of a clip, select the clip with the Time
Memory Locations can be created in different Grabber tool. Click the Add Marker/Memory
ways, based on the type of Memory Location: Location button (or press Enter on the nu-
meric keypad).
Marker Memory Location Refers to a specific
point in the timeline.
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.
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 922).
track depends on whether the Edit mode is set to
Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid (see “Edit Modes” on If dragging a stereo audio clip, it must be placed in
page 629). a stereo track or in two mono tracks.
To place the sync point of a clip at the Edit Option-Control-click (Mac) or Alt-Start-click
insertion point: (Windows) and drag to align a copy of the clip
1 With the Selector tool, click in the track at the rather than moving the clip.
time location where you want to place the sync
To align the end point of a clip to the Edit insertion
point of the clip. point:
2 Do one of the following: 1 Place the Edit insertion point where you want.
• While pressing Control+Shift (Mac) or
2 Do one of the following:
Start+Shift (Windows), drag the clip from the
Clips List, or from another track, to the desti- • Command-Control-drag (Mac) or Control-
nation track. Start-drag (Windows) a clip from the Clips
List to another track.
• If the clip is already in the track, Shift-Con-
trol-click (Mac) or Shift-Start-click (Win- • If the clip is already in the track, Command-
dows) the clip with the Time Grabber tool. Control-click (Mac) or Control-Start-click
(Windows) the clip you want to move with
the Time Grabber tool (or with the Smart tool
positioned over the middle, lower-third of the
clip).
Layered Editing 3
Pro Tools provides the option to enable layered edit-
ing so that you don’t lose partially overlapped clips
while editing. This is true for both audio and MIDI.
4
To enable (or disable) layered editing, do one
of the following:
Figure 1. Editing with Layered Editing enabled
Select (or deselect) Options > Layered Editing.
Click the Layered Editing button in the Edit Win-
Press Command+Delete (Mac) or Control+
dow toolbar so that it is lit (or unlit).
Delete (Windows) to clear all track data
within the edit selection regardless of whether
or not Layered Editing is enabled.
A clip—or an Edit selection including one or more To snap to the next clip on a track:
clips on the same track or on multiple tracks—can 1 Do one of the following:
snap to the end of the preceding clip or to the be-
• With the Time Grabber, select a clip.
ginning of the following clip. This is useful for
“butt splicing” adjacent clips on a track. • With the Selector, select an area in a track that
contains whole clips. The clips do not need to
To snap to the preceding clip on a track: be adjacent.
1 Do one of the following:
• With the Time Grabber, select a clip.
• With the Selector, select an area in a track that
contains whole clips. The clips do not need to
be adjacent.
To shuffle clips:
1 Enable Shuffle mode (see “Edit Modes” on
page 629).
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.
Snapping a clip to the next clip in a track 5 Experiment more with Shuffle mode by drag-
ging additional clips to the track and rearrang-
You can also use the Snap To commands with ing them.
an Edit selection that includes multiple clips Locked clips (see “Locking Clips” on page 938),
on one or more tracks. and all clips occurring after the locked clip, are not
displaced when other neighboring clips are moved
in Shuffle mode. If there is not enough room to
place or duplicate a clip in front of a locked clip,
the insertion area is disabled.
Spotting Clips
Spot mode is useful for sessions in which you want
to spot clips to precise locations based on any of
the Time Scales. This is useful when performing
post production tasks. In Spot mode you can spot a
clip by specifying a Timecode frame or bar and
beat location, by capturing an incoming timecode
address, or by using the clip’s time stamps.
Shuffling a clip results in cutting the channel For even quicker spotting, if you are using
VITC, use the Auto-Spot Clips command to spot
a clip to the current Timecode frame location
with the Time Grabber tool. For more informa-
tion, see “Auto-Spotting Clips” on page 1348.
4 If the Time Scale is set to Timecode, select the 2 Command-Right-click (Mac) or Control-Right-
Use Subframes option to display subframes in click (Windows) the clip and choose any of the
the fields for improved accuracy. following from the pop-up menu:
• Move Clip Start to Selection Start
• Move Clip Sync to Selection Start
• Move Clip End to Selection Start
Replace Clip and Multichannel Replace: Original Clip Only Replaces only the se-
Tracks lected clip with the replacement clip dragged from
the Clips List.
The Replace Clip command supports dragging
multichannel clips from the Clips List to multi-
channel tracks, provided they are the same channel
format. For example, you can replace a selected
stereo clip in a stereo audio track with another ste-
reo clip from the Clips List. However, you cannot
replace it with two mono audio clips. Additionally,
you cannot replace clips in multiple mono tracks
with multichannel clips.
Shift dialog
Locking Clips
In many cases you may want to “lock” clips or clip
Space Clips dialog, selecting TImebase
groups to a specific time location to keep them
4 If desired, select Follow Main Time Scale to from being moved or otherwise edited inadver-
have the Space Clips dialog open with the Main tently. Pro Tools provides two different commands
Time Scale of the session selected by default. for locking clips: Edit locking and Time locking.
5 Enter a value for the amount of time to set the
Gap Between Clips. Edit Locking Clips
If you have a clip or group of clips that you want to
Press Left/Right Arrow keys to move the cur-
protect from being inadvertently edited, you can
sor to the previous or next time division (for
Edit lock them. Clips that are Edit-locked cannot
example, press the Right Arrow key to move
be edited (such as cutting, deleting, separating,
from minutes to seconds to milliseconds).
trimming, or adjusting clip gain) or moved to a dif-
ferent time location. Copied edit-locked clips can
be pasted to any other track or time location, but
the copy will also be Edit-locked at the new time
location.
If there are any spaces between selected clips To Edit lock (or unlock) a clip:
and you set the Gap Between Clips to 0 in any
1 With the Time Grabber, select the clip or clips to
Timebase, all selected clips move so that they
Edit lock (or unlock). The clips can reside on
are abutted.
multiple tracks.
2 Choose Clip > Edit Lock/Unlock.
Strip Silence analyzes audio selections—across Zeros Specifies the number of zeroes that occur
multiple tracks—and removes (or extracts) any ar- before the appended auto numbers.
eas of silence, dividing the selection into smaller Suffix Specifies text appended to the end of the
clips and removing the silent areas. name, after the auto numbering.
You can use Strip Silence to strip (remove) silence For example, if you set these naming options to:
from a clip, or instead, extract the audio and keep
the silence. Getting rid of silent areas is useful • Name = SFX
when preparing to compact audio (see “Compact- • Auto Number Start = 23
ing an Audio File” on page 695). Strip Silence au- • Leading Zeros = 1
tomatically separates the selection into separate
clips, which is useful if you want to quantize audio • Suffix = .Reel1
to musical values, or locate sound effects to Time- The names generated for clips created by Strip Si-
code locations. lence would be:
• SFX023.Reel1
• SFX024.Reel1
• SFX025.Reel1
• SFX026.Reel1
In Shuffle mode, all data on the track is shuffled If all selected tracks are displayed as automa-
later in the track by an amount equal to the tion data, press the Control (Mac) or Start key
selection. (Windows) while choosing the Insert Silence com-
mand to insert silence on all automation playlists
In Grid mode, the Insert Silence command works for all selected tracks.
just like the Clear command.
To insert silence into a track:
Shuffle Mode When inserting silence on multiple
1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The length
tracks in Shuffle mode, the following conditions
of the selection determines the duration of the
apply:
silence inserted.
If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data,
2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence.
the selected duration of silence is inserted into the
audio or MIDI data and all underlying automation In Shuffle mode, Pro Tools inserts the selected
data on all selected tracks. All subsequent clips are amount of silence. In the process, it splits the clips
shuffled by the amount of silence inserted. On at the beginning of the insertion point, and moves
MIDI tracks, only notes that are selected from the the new clips later in the track by an amount equal
beginning are affected, so if you have selected the to the length of the selection.
tail of a note and you Insert Silence, the note will
remain unchanged.
If all selected tracks are displayed as automa- Duplicating Clips
tion data, the selected range is cleared of automa-
The Duplicate command copies a selection and
tion data only of the type visible on each track.
places it immediately after the end of the selection.
Clips are not shuffled. Instead, a blank gap appears
Though this is similar to using Copy and Paste,
equal to the length of the selection.
Duplicate is more convenient and faster, particu-
If all selected tracks are displayed as automa- larly when working with data on multiple tracks.
tion data, press the Control (Mac) or Start key
(Windows) while choosing the Insert Silence com- To make more than one copy of a selection, use the
mand to inserts silence on all automation playlists Repeat command (see “Repeating Clips” on
for all selected tracks. Clips are not shuffled. page 945). You can also loop clips (see “Clip
Looping” on page 947).
3 Make an Edit selection. If, on the other hand, you want to Duplicate (or Re-
peat) audio that is not bar- and beat-based, set the
4 Choose Edit > Duplicate. The material is placed
Time Scale to any format except Bars|Beats. This
immediately after the selection’s end point.
ensures that the duplicated audio material has the
Press Command+D (Mac) or Control+D correct number of samples and is accurately
(Windows) to Duplicate any selected clips. placed.
In Shuffle mode, the duplicated data is placed di- Duplicate and Extend Selection
rectly after the end of the selection. Clips occurring
after it slide to accommodate the duplicated mate- When working on music using audio loops and
rial. In Slip mode, the duplicated material overlaps MIDI sequences, you may want to duplicate the
any adjacent data. track content of an Edit selection and include both
the original and the duplicate in a new selection.
When using Duplicate (or Repeat) with MIDI This can be especially useful when working with
notes that were selected with the Time Grabber repeating material in Grid mode with the Main
tool, material is always duplicated one measure Timebase ruler set to Bars|Beats. For example, you
later, and is merged with existing track material might have a 2 bar audio loop or MIDI sequence
(instead of replacing it). that you want to extend to 4 and then 8 bars, and
then copy and paste to another location.
Repeat dialog
Pro Tools lets you loop clips and group clips Looped clips (all iterations) display a Loop icon in
(called a clip group). the lower, right corner or each loop iteration.
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
The Separate Clips commands (At Selection, On selected.
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 671. 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 646.
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.
The Group and Ungroup Clip menu MIDI Clip Group icon on a MIDI track
commands apply to any Edit selection
regardless of the current Track View.
Clip groups can be created from empty
selections. This can be useful when working
in Shuffle mode to preserve the gaps between
clips.
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 671.
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.
The Handle Length field lets you set the Handle Undo is not available when a plug-in is
Length for rendering from 0.00 to 60.00 seconds. configured for destructive editing since
This means that you trim clips out past the ren- the process has already overwritten the
dered selection after processing up to the set Han- source audio file.
dle Length. For more information, see “Audio-
Suite Handles” on page 969. Automatic File Naming of AudioSuite-
Processed Audio
Render Button When new audio files are created as a result of Au-
dioSuite processing, Pro Tools will auto-name
Clicking the Render button in the AudioSuite win- these files according to the type of plug-in used.
dow begins AudioSuite processing of the selected The name of the clip determines the prefix, while
audio. Processing can occur during playback the type of AudioSuite plug-in determines the suf-
(though it may take slightly longer). Processed fix.
files are auto-named with the clip or audio file’s
name and include an acronym for the chosen Au-
dioSuite process.
To compensate for this, place the clip in a track and Handle Length field in the AudioSuite plug-in window
select the audio plus an amount of blank space at
• Select the Whole File option to render the
the end of the clip equal to the amount of delay or
whole file. Note that only the current edit se-
reverb decay that you have added in the plug-in.
lection will appear in the Timeline.
The plug-in will then have space at the end of the
clip in which to write the final delay or decay. If
you select more time than needed, you can trim it
after applying AudioSuite processing.
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.
To add clip gain breakpoints with the Pencil tool: Using the Trim tool to boost or attenuate clip gain
breakpoints
1 Ensure that the Clip Gain Line option is enabled.
To trim the selected clip gain settings up or down:
2 Select the Pencil tool.
1 Ensure that the Clip Gain Line option is enabled.
3 Do one of the following:
2 Make an Edit selection that includes the clip
• Click once on the Clip Gain Line to add a single gain settings that you want to adjust.
breakpoint.
3 Select the Trim tool.
• Drag on the Clip Gain Line to draw breakpoints.
4 Drag up or down over the Clip Gain Line within
To delete a clip gain breakpoint with the Pencil the Edit selection.
tool:
1 Ensure that the Clip Gain Line option is enabled. Nudging Clip Gain
2 Select the Pencil tool. Pro Tools lets you nudge the selected clip gain set-
tings up or down by the Nudge Clip Gain By
3 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
amount specified in the Pro Tools Editing Prefer-
breakpoint you want to delete.
ences. You can also nudge the selected clip gain
settings back or forward in the clip by the specified
nudge amount.
To nudge the selected clip gain up: To clear clip gain, do one of the following:
Press Control+Shift+Up Arrow (Mac) or Right-click a clip or Edit selection and choose
Start+Shift+Up Arrow (Windows). Clip Gain > Clear Clip Gain.
To nudge the selected clip gain backward, do one Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Clip Gain
of the following:
Pro Tools lets you cut, copy, and paste clip gain
Press Control+Shift+“–” (Minus) (Mac) or
settings, so that you can apply the clip gain settings
Start+Shift+“–” (Minus) (Windows).
from one clip to any other. Clip gain settings can-
Press Control+Shift+M (Mac) or not be cut, copied, or pasted across clip boundar-
Start+Shift+M (Windows). ies.
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 Volume
to Volume Automation. to Clip Gain.
Any clip gain settings above +12 dB are lost Any clip gain settings above +12 dB are lost
when converted to volume automation. Also, when it is coalesced to volume automation.
clip gain settings within crossfades are cross- Also, clip gain within crossfades is cross-
faded as part of the volume automation. faded as part of the volume automation.
When coalescing track-based volume automation The clip gain settings for any whole clips within
to clip gain, the volume automation is cut from the the Edit selection are bypassed (or unbypassed).
track volume automation playlist and coalesced
with the selected clip gain settings. Once volume Rendering Clip Gain
automation has been coalesced to clip gain, vol-
ume automation is set to 0 dB for the selection. Pro Tools lets you render the current clip gain set-
tings for any selected whole clip. Rendering clip
To coalesce clip gain settings to track-based gain applies the current clip gain settings to a new
volume automation: clip and sets the clip gain settings for the new clip
1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection. to 0 dB.
To show or hide the Clip Effects display, do one of Clip Effects icon (upper right) and the Display
the following: Show/Hide icon (lower right)
Select or deselect View > Other Displays > Clip Press Option+6 (Mac) or Alt+6 (Windows).
Effects. The behavior of this key command varies
slightly depending on the edit selection: if no
Select or deselect Clip Effects from the Edit
whole clip is selected, it shows or hides the Clip
Window Toolbar menu.
Effects display while leaving the Edit window
Click the Show/Hide icon for the Clip Ef- focused; if one or more whole clips are selected,
fects/Universe displays. If the Universe display it shows and focuses the Clip Effects display (if
is showing, click the Clip Effects icon in the up- the display is shown, but not focused, it be-
per-right corner of the display. comes focused) or hides the display.
Pro Tools lets you render the current clip effects Clip effects are applied after elastic audio and be-
settings for selected whole clips. Rendering clip fore clip gain. The signal chain from an audio clip
effects applies the current clip effects settings to a on a track to the track fader is as follows:
new whole-file clip and clears the clip effects set- Audio File > Elastic Audio > Clip Effects > Clip
tings. Gain > AudioSuite > Fades > Inserts > Fader
To render clip effects for a clip: Rendering always leaves down-stream processing
1 Select one or more whole clips. in place while rendering upstream elements. The
following examples show what is rendered in the
2 Adjust the Clip Effects settings as desired signal chain depending on which commit or render
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only). command is used.
3 Do one of the following:
• Choose Clip > Clip Effects > Render Clip Ef-
fects.
• Right-click and choose Clip Effects > Render
Clip Effects.
By default the signal chain order for clip effects is You can independently enable or disable EQ, Fil-
EQ > Filters > Dynamics. However, you can reor- ter, and Dynamics processing in the Clip Effects
der this signal chain however you like. For exam- display. For example, you may want to apply Dy-
ple, maybe you want your dynamics processing namics processing, but not EQ or filtering; or, you
before the EQ and Filters. may want to apply only EQ.
Copying clip effects copies the clip effects settings To clear clip effects:
for selected whole clips to the clipboard while
1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects.
leaving the settings for those clips intact.
2 Do one of the following:
To copy clip effects:
• Choose Edit > Clear Special > Copy Clip Ef-
1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects. fects.
2 Do one of the following: • Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip
Effects > Clear Clip Effects.
• Choose Edit > Copy Special > Copy Clip Ef-
fects. • Press Command+Option+Control+B (Mac)
or Control+Alt+Start+B (Windows).
• Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip
Effects > Copy Clip Effects.
• Press Command+Option+Control+C (Mac)
or Control+Alt+Start+C (Windows).
EQ controls
Frequency Graph
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- (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
quency for the selected Filter Type.
In addition to the stored settings named in the Clip
Filter Type Effects Settings menu, clip effects provides five
preset buttons so that you can easily store and re-
Four Filter Type options are available for side-
call your most commonly used settings. You can
chain processing:
also save and import Clip Effects settings using the
Low Pass Applies a low pass filter to the side- commands in the Clip Effects Settings menu.
chain processing at the selected frequency.
To store a Clip Effects preset:
High Pass Applies a high pass filter to the side- 1 Configure the clip effects settings as you like.
chain processing at the selected frequency.
2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
Notch Applies a notch filter to the side-chain pro- dows) the Preset button where you want to store
cessing at the selected frequency. 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.
• Transpose the clip to match the pitch of the im- Preview and Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
ported audio to other audio and MIDI in the ses- buttons in a Workspace browser
sion.
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 2 Do one of the following:
clip to add a Warp marker at that location. If • With the Grabber tool, double-click a Warp
you click on an Event marker, a Warp marker marker.
is created on top of the Event marker.
• With the Grabber or the Pencil tool, Option-
• With the Grabber tool, Control-click (Mac) or click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a Warp
Start-click (Windows) anywhere in the clip to marker.
add a Warp marker at that location. If you
• With any Edit tool, Right-click a Warp
click on an Event marker, a Warp marker is
marker and select Remove Warp Marker from
created on top of the Event marker.
the pop-up menu.
• With the Grabber tool, if no Warp markers are
present in the clip, or if Warp markers are To delete all Warp markers in a selection:
only present prior to the location where you 1 In Warp view, make an Edit selection that in-
want to add a new Warp marker, double-click cludes only the Warp markers you want to de-
an Event marker to add a Warp marker on top lete (and none of the Warp markers you want to
of the Event marker. keep).
• With the Grabber tool, double-click any-
2 Do one of the following:
where in the clip where an Event marker is
not present to add a Warp marker at that loca- • Press Delete or Backspace on your computer
tion. keyboard.
• With the Grabber tool, single-click any Event • With any Edit tool, Right-click the Edit selec-
marker prior to another existing Warp marker tion and select Remove Warp Marker from
in the clip to add a Warp marker on top of that the pop-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 lo-
cation. 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.
Telescoping Warp is especially useful for adjust-
ing audio files to match the session tempo map and Before and after warping, applying Telescoping Warp
with the clip start fixed
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 be-
1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the clip. ing half the tempo of the source file, click the
x2 button.
2 Do one of the following:
• If the tempo was incorrectly analyzed as be-
• Type the correct bar, beat, and tick values in ing twice the tempo of the source file, click
the Source Length field. the 1/2 button.
• If the duration was incorrectly analyzed as
being half the duration of the source file, click Meter Field
the x2 button. (Tick-Based Only)
• If the duration was incorrectly analyzed as
being twice the duration of the source file, Elastic Audio analysis does not calculate meter
click the 1/2 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 1007).
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. How-
dio clip you want to transpose. Only clips that
ever, if you switch to the Monophonic plug-in
are completely selected will be affected.
after pitch shifting with another plug-in, the
pitch metadata for the clip is maintained. 3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
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– Audio track Render clip pitch shift with source track’s Elastic 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 1003.)
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 1020).
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.
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 Sends Select to copy sends from the source track
end of the last clip on the track. If the Consolidate to the committed track.
Clips option is disabled, all clip boundaries are
‘
Consolidate Clips Select the Insert After Last Selected Track option
to have new committed tracks placed after the last
Select to consolidate all clips on a track (or all clips selected track. When disabled, each committed
in the edit selection) into a single new complete track is placed immediately following the source
file clip. track.
If Pan automation is not rendered, and the source Follow Session Settings
track is assigned to multiple output paths, the track When this option is selected, new audio files cre-
output assignments are copied to a single commit- ated using Track Commit command are the same
ted track. bit depth as the session. If you select the Follow
Session Settings option, it is possible the commit-
ted audio may clip (since you are truncating from
32-bit floating point to 24- or 16-bit). However,
you may want to select this option if you need to
have all audio generated by the session follow a
particular bit-depth.
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.
The Global Freeze Tracks icon lights when one or 1 Right-click the Global Freeze icon and select (or
more tracks in the session are frozen. You can use the deselect) which track types you want to include
Global Freeze Tracks icon to freeze (or unfreeze) all (or exclude):
audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument tracks in the • Include all Audio Tracks
session or project. You can also specify which track • Include all Aux Tracks
types you want (or don’t want) to freeze. • Include all Instrument Tracks
Bounce Track
Pro Tools lets you bounce individual tracks from
your session or project. Track Bounce is useful for
delivering audio files from tracks in the session
without having to re-route sub-master stems or in-
dividual tracks for bus recording. You can just se-
lect the desired source tracks and Bounce them to
disk.
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 nondestructively us-
ing MIDI Real-Time Properties. See “MIDI
Event Operations Window Real-Time Properties” on page 810.
The Event Operations window provides com-
To open a specific Event Operations window page:
mands to transform groups of MIDI notes to affect
pitch, timing, and phrasing. The Quantize and Re- Choose Event > Event Operations, followed by
store Performance Event Operations can also be one of the Event Operations (such as Quantize).
applied to audio clip start times (or sync points)
and Elastic Audio events. The Transpose Event
Operation can also be applied to whole clips on
Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
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.
Tuplet Select the Tuplet option to quantize accord- 0% Swing Every other Grid
(480 ticks) point shifted by swing
ing to irregular note groupings, such as quintuplets
(5 in the time of 4). The Quantize Grid for tuplets
is calculated from the note size selection and the
Tuplet value. For example, if an sixteenth note
equals 240 ticks, quintuplet sixteenth notes with 5
in time of 4 would yield a Grid size of 192 ticks or 100% Swing
(240 ticks/5)*4. (640 ticks)
100% Swing, eighth note Grid
Offset Grid By Offsets the Quantize Grid forward
or back in time by a specified number of ticks. Use Include Within When selected, MIDI Note Ons
this option to achieve a pushed feel (by using neg- and MIDI Note Offs, Elastic Audio events, and au-
ative values) or a laid back feel (by using positive dio clips are only quantized if located within the
values). specified percentage of the Quantize Grid. Use this
option to clean up downbeats without affecting
To Quantize just the backbeats, set the Quan- notes that are “swung” or wildly off the beat.
tize Grid to half-notes with an Offset of 960
ticks. The following figure shows the Quantize Grid set
to quarter notes with the Include Within option set
Randomize When selected, MIDI notes, Elastic to 50%. In this example, only the MIDI Note Ons
Audio events, and audio clips are moved randomly and MIDI Note Offs falling within the shaded area
forward or back in time (after the Quantize oc- (equivalent to an eighth note area around each
curs). For example, with the Quantize Grid set to beat) are quantized.
eighth notes and Randomize set to 50%, notes and
events are placed up to a 32nd note before or after
the beat boundary. The Randomize setting also af-
fects note durations (if Releases is selected).
Show Comments The Comments field displays Beat Detective does not extract duration infor-
any comments saved with the groove template mation from audio performances. DigiGroove
from Beat Detective. The Comments field cannot templates created using Beat Detective contain
be edited in the Quantize page, but can be edited a fixed duration value that is 50% of the se-
when saving a groove template from the Groove lected template resolution (see “Defining a
Quantize page. Beat Detective Selection” on page 752).
Pre-Quantize Enable to hard quantize the Velocity Enable to influence the velocities of the
selected MIDI notes to a sixteenth-note grid selected MIDI notes. The Velocity option does not
before applying Groove Quantize. apply to audio selections. If the slider is set to 0%
there is no change to the selected velocities, a set-
Groove Quantize Options ting of 100% sets all velocities to match the current
groove template. A velocity setting of 200% typi-
Timing Enable to apply Groove Quantize to the se-
cally results in over-exaggerated velocities—loud
lected MIDI notes, Elastic Audio events, or audio
notes increasing and soft notes decreasing in vol-
clips. Use the slider to change the amount of quan-
ume.
tization applied to the selection. If the slider is set
to 0%, there is no change in timing. A setting of For example, if two adjacent notes have equal ve-
100% moves notes to the underlying template lo- locities of 80, and the two corresponding template
cations. If the slider is set to 200%, events move to velocities are 70 and 90, setting the slider to 200%
a tick location that is twice the difference between changes the velocities to 60 and 100.
the original event location and the position of the
referenced template event. The default value for the Velocity slider is 100%.
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
Fading Velocities
Event Operations window, Flatten Performance page To change velocities smoothly over time:
1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited.
The Flatten Performance command can be
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Change
undone.
Velocity.
To flatten the performance:
3 Select the Change Smoothly option with the
1 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the range set from 127 to 0.
MIDI notes you want to flatten.
4 Click Apply.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Flatten Per-
formance to open the Flatten Performance page.
Preserving Existing Velocity
3 Select the note attributes to flatten. (For descrip- Relationships
tions of these attributes, see “Restore Perfor- To partially preserve the existing velocity relation-
mance Command” on page 1053). ships and still achieve velocity fades, use the op-
4 Click Apply. tion for Change Smoothly by Percentage. The fol-
lowing figures illustrates the difference between
the two Change Smoothly options
Original velocities
Scaling Velocities
Many times existing note velocities already have
the relationship between them that you want, but
are either too soft or too loud overall. In these in-
Event Operations window, Change Velocity page
stances, use the Scale By option.
For example, to make velocities 20% louder: Velocity values usually affect the loudness of
1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited. MIDI notes. Depending on how velocity is
mapped with any MIDI instrument, velocities
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Change may also affect other aspects of an
Velocity. instrument’s sound (such as filter cutoff,
3 Select the Scale By option with the percentage envelopes, and modulations).
value set to 120.
4 Click Apply. The settings in the Change Velocity window
are saved with each session. To store your fa-
vorite settings as the default for use in future
sessions, save them as part of a session tem-
plate (see “Session Templates” on page 188).
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 810.
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 1023.
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.
The Transpose All Notes To and the Trans- Event Operations window, Select/Split Notes
pose In Key settings can only be applied to
MIDI notes. When only audio clips are se-
Select/Split Notes Settings
lected, these options are unavailable. Pitch Criteria
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Select/Split 1 Choose Event > Event Operations > Input Quan-
Notes. tize.
3 Select the Bottom option and leave the number 2 In the Input Quantize page, select Enable Input
of notes set to 1. Quantize.
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.
The controls in the Step Increment section let you Enable Numeric Keypad Shortcuts When se-
set the spacing and duration of MIDI events en- lected, Step Input options can be selected from the
tered using the Step Input operation. You can se- numeric keypad. See “Numeric Keypad Shortcuts
lect any size from whole notes to sixty-fourth notes for Step Input” on page 1066.
(including dotted values).
Undo Step, Next Step, and Redo Step
Tuplet Lets you input irregular note groupings
(such as triplets or quintuplets). The tuplet length Use the Undo Step and Next Step buttons to do the
is calculated from the note spacing selection and following:
the Tuplet values. For example, an eighth note • Move the step insertion point, by either remov-
equals 480 ticks, so tuplet eighth notes with 3 in ing the previous note or by advancing the inser-
time of 2 would yield a note spacing of 320 ticks tion point by the Step Increment value.
(480 ticks / 3 * 2). • Lengthen and shorten notes that are being held
Note Length Lets you select the note length as a on the MIDI controller, by adding or removing
percentage of the spacing value. For example, an Step Increment values. The Step Increment
eighth note equals 480 ticks, so an eighth note with value can be changed mid-note to create a note
an 80% duration would be 384 ticks long. with a hybrid note length.
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 1/64 note 8
Step, or Redo Step Buttons
Dotted note . (decimal key)
The Undo Step, Next Step, and Redo Step buttons
can be set to be triggered by an external MIDI Toggle Tuplet on/off 3
synth, drum pad, or other controller.
Next step Enter
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 To enable (or disable) HEAT in a session, do one of
Technology) is a software option that adds “analog the following:
color” to Pro Tools Ultimate or Studio software. Select (or deselect) Options > Activate HEAT.
HEAT is available in both DSP and Native for-
mats. To use HEAT, iLok authorizations are re- Select (or deselect) the HEAT On/Off button in
quired for both HEAT and Pro Tools Ultimate or the Mix window in HEAT view.
Studio. You can also enable the Enable HEAT in New Ses-
HEAT is applied to all active audio tracks in your sions option in the Pro Tools Preferences to have
session, emulating magnetic recording tape com- HEAT automatically enabled for all new sessions.
bined with harmonic coloration commonly experi-
To enable (or disable) HEAT for new sessions:
enced with analog mixing consoles. Use HEAT to
open up your mixes with warm, analog-modeled 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
soft-saturated distortion. 2 Click the Processing tab.
3 In the DSP Management section, select (or de-
Enabling HEAT select) the Enable HEAT in New Sessions op-
tion.
When enabled, HEAT is applied to all active audio
4 Click OK.
tracks in your session, emulating the effect of an
analog mixing console. HEAT is supported with
all mono, stereo, and surround formats.
About HEAT Processing
With HDX systems, HEAT uses DSP resources on
all active audio tracks. This is important to know HEAT provides global controls for Drive and
because as you increase (or decrease) the number Tone. These affect all audio tracks where HEAT is
of audio tracks in the session, you also increase (or not bypassed.
decrease) the amount of DSP resources required to
keep HEAT hot. Note that HEAT does not use Drive
DSP resources on inactive audio tracks.
The Drive control introduces non-linear processing
With Pro Tools Ultimate Software on Native sys- that emulates magnetic recording tape combined
tems or Pro Tools Studio software, HEAT uses the with harmonic information commonly found in an-
host-processor. 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 1074.
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
• MIDI
HEAT option, pre-insert
• Instrument
• VCA Master
Inserts
(plug-ins or
Audio, Auxiliary Input (and Routing Folder), Mas- hardware
inserts)
ter Fader, and Instrument tracks can route audio.
MIDI and Instrument tracks can route MIDI data.
VCA Master tracks do not pass audio or MIDI HEAT option, post-insert
data, but do affect controls on other tracks. See
“VCA Master Tracks” on page 1083.
Sends, pre-fader
Tracks can be identified in the Mix window by
their Track Type icon.
Input Record
Track Type icons Solo Mute
Volume
Mono and stereo audio tracks are available on all Audio track audio signal flow
Pro Tools systems.
Routing Folder tracks provide the same signal Common Uses for Auxiliary
routing options as Auxiliary Input tracks. Inputs
Auxiliary Inputs can be used to:
Input • Apply real-time plug-ins or an external proces-
Source: bus or
hardware input path sor to a submix, using the Auxiliary Input as an
effects return (such as reverb or bus line com-
Inserts pression)
(plug-ins or
hardware
inserts) Sends, pre-fader • Input audio from external MIDI instruments and
other audio sources into the mix, to monitor or
route to audio tracks for recording to disk (such
as from the audio outputs of a MIDI synthesizer)
Solo Mute
• Consolidate volume control of any submix un-
der a single fader
Volume
• Mix multiple outputs from an instrument
plug-in.
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.
• Monitor and meter an output (such as a bus or 1 Create a stereo Master Fader track.
hardware output) to guard against clipping 2 Set the outputs of all audio tracks in the session
• Control submix levels to the main output path (for example, outputs 1–
2 of your primary audio interface) and set the
• Control effects sends levels
panning for each track.
• Control submaster (bussed tracks) levels
3 Set the output of the Master Fader to the main
• Apply dither or other inserts to an entire mix output path.
• Control the monitoring path with a EUCON
control surface To use a Master Fader to trim the input to a submix:
1 Create an Auxiliary Input track.
Use Master Faders to control submix levels, send
level masters, and other outputs. Master Faders can 2 Bus the signal from audio tracks in your session
control either output or internal busses. You can to the input of the Auxiliary Input track.
use a Master Fader track assigned to an Output
3 Create a stereo Master Fader track and assign
path as a master volume control. You can also use
the Output to the bus path that feeds the Auxil-
a Master Fader track assigned to a bus to trim the
iary Input track.
inputs to Auxiliary Input tracks for submixes to
avoid clipping.
Record Enable
VCA Master Track Controls
The controls on a VCA Master track affect the cor- The VCA Record Enable button toggles the Re-
responding controls on the member tracks in its as- cord Enable status of only those audio, Instrument,
signed Mix group. VCA Master tracks have the and other VCA tracks that have already been re-
following controls: cord-enabled individually. You can then toggle re-
cord enable on and off for those tracks using the
Volume VCA Master Record Enable.
The VCA Volume fader controls the Volume fader To temporarily force all member tracks to toggle
on audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, Master their record enable status:
Fader, and other VCA Master tracks in a VCA- Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
controlled group. (Volume faders on MIDI tracks Record Enable button on the VCA Master.
are not affected.) Volume faders on member tracks
move to show the composite level, or the level on TrackInput
each track resulting from the position of the VCA
Master Volume fader. The VCA TrackInput button toggles the input
monitor status of only those audio tracks in a
Mute VCA-controlled group that are record-enabled.
You can toggle input monitor status for those
The VCA Mute button controls the mute state of tracks using the VCA Master TrackInput button.
audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, MIDI, and
other VCA Master tracks in a VCA-controlled To temporarily force all member tracks to toggle
group. Muting a VCA-controlled group does not their input monitoring status:
change the underlying mute state of member Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
tracks. (Mute buttons on member tracks that were VCA Master TrackInput button on the VCA
previously unmuted show an implicit mute.) Master.
On VCA Master tracks, level meters indicate the It is possible for a single member track to be a
highest level occurring on any of its individual member of more than one VCA-controlled group.
tracks, not a summed level of all member tracks. In this case, the contribution of all VCA Master
Volume faders is summed on the member track.
The channel format of level meters on the VCA Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and TrackInput follow
Master is set according to the channel formats of the same rules for enabling or disabling member
its member tracks, as follows: tracks.
• If all member tracks are the same channel format
(mono, stereo or a multichannel format), the Allowing Grouped Behavior of
number of level meters on the VCA Master track VCA Member Track Controls
is identical to that of the member tracks.
When a track is a VCA member track, its Volume,
• If the member tracks are different formats, the
Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and TrackInput con-
number of level meters on the VCA Master track
trols follow VCA functions, and normally do not
is set to one.
follow Mix group behavior.
Assigning Groups to VCA However, these member track controls can be set
Masters to allow Mix group behavior in addition to their
VCA functions.
An existing Mix group can be assigned to a VCA
Master, or a new Mix group can be assigned to a To allow grouped behavior of VCA-related controls
VCA Master while it is being created. Only one on member tracks:
group can be assigned to a VCA Master at a time. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
A VCA Master cannot control a group that in-
cludes itself. 2 In the Automation section, deselect the
Standard VCA Logic for Group Attributes
To assign an existing group to a VCA Master: option.
Click the Group Assignment selector on the 3 Click OK.
VCA Master track and choose an available
group from the pop-up menu. Volume, Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and TrackIn-
put are made available as Mix group attributes in
the Group dialog.
Displaying Views
To display all views in the Mix or Edit window, do
one of the following:
HEAT View
I/O View (Edit Window Only) Shows Input and Object view (Edit window)
Output selectors, and Volume and Pan indicators
Real-Time Properties View (Edit Window
in each track.
Only) Shows controls for Real-Time Properties for
MIDI and Instrument tracks. For more information
on Real-Time Properties, see “MIDI Real-Time
Properties” on page 810.
Output windows provide the essential track mixing • Click anywhere outside the Output selector
controls (such as track panning and volume), as an menu.
alternative to Mix and Edit window views. Multi-
Option-Control-click (Mac) or Alt-Start-click
channel Output and Send windows also provide
(Windows) to add the assignment to all tracks,
expanded Panner views, and other surround-spe-
or Option-Shift-Control-click (Mac) or Alt-
cific controls. See Chapter 57, “Surround Panning
Shift-Start-click (Windows) to add the assign-
and Mixing.”
ment to all selected tracks.
Output windows are useful in large sessions to
leave important tracks in an anchored location, un-
affected by Mix and Edit window (or control sur-
face) banking. See “Output Windows for Tracks
and Sends” on page 1106.
Sends
Pro Tools lets you insert up to ten sends (A–E and
F–J) on each audio track, Auxiliary Input, Routing
Folder, or Instrument track.
3 Set the output level of the send in the Send win- 1 Click the path selector for the send you want to
dow by doing one of the following: assign and do one of the following:
• Adjust the Send Level fader. • Type the first character of the path name you
• Set the send level to unity gain (0 dB) by Op- want.
tion-clicking (Mac) or Alt-clicking (Win- • Click Search.
dows) the Send Level fader. • Press Tab.
When you create a new send, its initial output level
depends on the setting of the Sends Default to –INF
preference.
Key Commands for Muting Sends The name entered is used for both the new track
and the new mix bus. (For example, if you entered
Pro Tools provides key commands for muting
the name “Drum Sub,” Pro Tools creates a new
sends on tracks in the Mix window:
Auxiliary Input track named “Drum Sub” and also
Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) a creates an internal mix bus named “Drum Sub.”)
Send Assignment button in the Mix or Edit win-
4 Select (or deselect) whether you want the new
dow to Mute it and all sends below it on a track.
track to be created next to the current track
Control-Option-click (Mac) or Start+Alt-click (with the send).
(Windows) a Send Assignment button in the Mix
5 Click OK.
or Edit window to Mute it and all sends below it on
all tracks. This lets you mute all sends in your ses- Pro Tools creates a new track with the output of the
sion with a single click. originating send automatically routed to the input
of the new track using an available internal mix
Press Shift+Q to mute (or unmute) all sends on
bus.
selected tracks.
Press Shift+4 to mute (or unmute) sends A–E on
selected tracks.
Press Shift+5 to mute (or unmute) sends F–J on
selected tracks.
Send Formats
New Auxiliary Input track with audio track send Mono and Stereo Sends When you click the
automatically assigned to Bus 1–2 Sends button on a track, you can choose from a list
of mono or stereo output or bus paths.
Assigning an Existing Track
from a Send Multichannel Sends (Pro Tools Ultimate and Stu-
dio Only) When you click the Sends button on a
Pro Tools lets you assign a send directly to an ac- track, you can choose from a list of multichannel
tive Auxiliary Input, Audio, or Instrument track output or bus paths.
using an available internal mix bus. Note that the
destination track must be set to either an internal
mix bus or to No Input in order to be available for Send Path Selector Choices
assignment. The choices available in track Send selectors in-
clude bus and output paths.
To assign a send to an available input on an
existing track: The names, format, and channel mapping of
1 On an existing track, click the Send selector and busses and output paths can be customized in
select Track. the I/O Setup dialog. See “Output Busses” on
page 80.
2 From the Track submenu, select the destination
track you want.
Pro Tools lets you expand any combination of in- Choose View > Expanded Sends > All.
dividual send assignments views. Expanded Send
Command-Option-click (Mac) or Control-Alt-
Views provide send level, pan, and mute controls
click (Windows) a send selector to expand or
for a single send across all tracks. Send controls
collapse all sends within the send group
can be adjusted directly from these Send Views.
(Sends A–E or Sends F–J).
Sends can also be opened for control or metering in
Send windows. See “Output Windows for Tracks To collapse all sends:
and Sends” on page 1106.
Choose View > Expanded Sends > None.
To move a send:
To toggle sends in the same position (A–J) and Send Format and Track Compatibility
assigned to the same path on all tracks active or
inactive: Sends can only be copied to other tracks with a
compatible send output format (mono, stereo, or
Command-Control-Option click (Mac) or Con-
other). In addition, the following conditions apply
trol-Start-Alt click (Windows) a send button in
when moving or copying sends among tracks:
the position you want to toggle.
• When copying a stereo send from a mono track
to a stereo track, Send pan automation (if any)
will be dropped without warning.
Inverse icon
Link icon
Path Meter
selector
4 Click OK.
Send and Return Submixing for 8 Set the effect to “100% wet,” and set any other
Effects Processing controls.
When you are submixing for reverb, delay, and 9 From the Auxiliary Input track’s Output Path
similar effects processing, use sends to achieve tra- selector, select an output path (main outputs).
ditional send/return bussing. You can use a real-
Adjust the individual track faders to balance the
time plug-in or a hardware insert as a shared re-
dry (unprocessed) tracks. With the send set to pre-
source for all tracks included in a submix. The
fader, the amount of effect is controlled by the
wet/dry balance in the mix can be controlled using
level of the Send Level fader or the Auxiliary Input
the track faders (dry level) and Auxiliary Input
Volume fader. If the send is post-fader, the Send
fader (effect return, or wet, level).
Level fader follows volume level.
See Chapter 51, “Plug-In and Hardware
Inserts” for more information.
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 1121).
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. Edit window to see if the tooltip identifies this
as a problem.
To maintain phase coherent time alignment, Delay
Compensation should always be enabled during The Delay Compensation View for tracks can be
playback and mixing. Delay Compensation should displayed in the Mix Window (see “Delay Com-
also be used in most recording situations. pensation View” on page 1119).
Red Indicates that the track delay exceeds the However, you can manually compensate for delay
available amount of Delay Compensation and no on tracks that exceed the Delay Compensation
Delay Compensation is applied to the track (see limit.
“Delay that Exceeds the Compensation Limit” on
page 1121). To compensate for delay that exceeds the
compensation limit:
Gray Indicates that Delay Compensation for the 1 Bypass the reported delay for the track by doing
track is bypassed and no delay is applied to the one of the following:
track.
• Command-Control-click (Mac) or Control-
Start-click (Windows) the Delay indicator.
Delay Compensation for • Right-click the Delay indicator and select
Side-Chains
Disable Plug-In Delay.
Pro Tools lets you automatically compensate for
signal delays in side-chain processing. In some The track information is grayed out once it is by-
cases, you may want to disable automatic delay passed.
compensation for side-chains (such as for sessions 2 Manually nudge any audio data on the track ear-
created on previous versions of Pro Tools where lier by the amount of delay reported in the
you have manually compensated for side-chain de- track’s Delay indicator.
lays).
Use the Time Adjuster plug-ins to manually
To enable (or disable) automatic delay offset tracks in real-time. For more informa-
compensation for side-chains: tion, see the Audio Plug-ins Guide.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
2 Click the Operation tab.
EUCON
Noise Shaping
Pro Tools supports Avid control surfaces using
Noise shaping can further improve audio perfor-
EUCON (Extended User Control) control (see the
mance and reduce perceived noise inherent in dith-
Pro Tools EUCON Guide). EUCON is an innova-
ered audio. Noise shaping uses filtering to shift
tive high-speed Ethernet protocol developed by
noise away from frequencies in the middle of the
Avid to allow hardware control surfaces to directly
audio spectrum (around 4 kHz), where the human
communicate with software applications (such as
ear is most sensitive.
Pro Tools).
Noise Shaping is available in the Dither and
Avid Control
POW-r Dither plug-ins.
The Avid Control app lets you control Pro Tools
For more information on using Noise Shaping,
over a wireless network from an Apple iPad using
see the Audio Plug-Ins Guide.
EuControl. When combined with S1, S6, or
Pro Tools | Dock, Avid Control provides addi-
tional touch workflows for recording and mixing.
Using an Ethernet Control
Surface with Pro Tools For more information about Avid Control,
Avid offers several Ethernet-based control surface visit www.avid.com/products/avid-control.
options for Pro Tools.
Enabling an Ethernet Control
Pro Tools | S6 Surface in Pro Tools
Pro Tools | S6 is a modular, ergonomically de- To enable an Ethernet control surface in Pro Tools:
signed control surface for Pro Tools and EUCON- 1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the Ether-
compatible digital audio workstations (DAWs). S6 net Controllers tab.
uses the EUCON Ethernet protocol to provide fast,
reliable data transmission. S6 is flexible and scal- 2 Select Enable.
able. Modules can be arranged in many ways, and 3 If your Ethernet control surface consists of
can be added to address new workflows or increase more than one unit, select the units in numerical
the number of strips. order as you want them arranged left to right.
1126 Pro Tools Reference Guide
4 Click OK. Other MIDI Control Surfaces
For more information, see the documentation Pro Tools supports some MIDI control surfaces
that came with your Ethernet control surface. that use HUI controller personalities.
For more information about using Pro Tools Connecting a MIDI Control
with EUCON, see the Pro Tools EUCON Surface
Guide.
If your Pro Tools hardware includes MIDI ports,
you can connect a MIDI control surface directly to
your system. If it does not include MIDI ports, you
Using a MIDI Control Surface will need to use a MIDI Interface. USB MIDI con-
with Pro Tools trol surfaces (such as the Command|8) and Fire-
MIDI Control Surfaces add hands-on control to Wire control surfaces (such as the 003) do not re-
many Pro Tools functions, allowing you to adjust quire an additional MIDI connection to your
faders and knobs, activate transport controls, or computer.
edit plug-in parameters.
To connect a (non-USB or FireWire) MIDI control
Command|8 surface:
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 54, “Mix-
down” for more information).
Types of Inserts
h
Insert selector
An insert can be either a software DSP plug-in or a
hardware insert.
Insert button
Plug-In Inserts
Plug-In inserts are software inserts that process au-
dio material on a track in real time. For example,
Insert button and selector on a track the EQ, compressor, and delay plug-ins supplied
with your Pro Tools system can be used as real-
Pro Tools provides up to ten unity-gain inserts on
time plug-in inserts.
each audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder, Mas-
ter Fader, and Instrument track. Audio, Auxiliary For more information about the plug-ins
Input, and Instrument track inserts are pre-fader, included with your Pro Tools system, see the
and Master Faders inserts are post-fader. Audio Plug-Ins Guide.
When more than one plug-in or hardware insert is Additional real-time plug-ins are available from
used on a track, they are processed in series. Each Avid and from many third-party developers.
effect is added to that of any previous inserts
(flowing from top to bottom in the Mix window In- For information about optional plug-ins,
serts View, and left to right in the Edit window In- choose Avid Link > Marketplace.
serts View).
There are three plug-in formats supported by With Pro Tools | Carbon and HDX systems using
Pro Tools (DSP, Native, and AudioSuite), two of the HDX Hybrid Engine, Native plug-ins can be
which can be used as real-time inserts, as follows: used on audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and
Instrument tracks. Native plug-ins are automati-
DSP Plug-Ins Provide real-time plug-in process- cally converted to DSP on tracks in DSP Mode.
ing using DSP-based processing with HDX sys-
tems only. For more information plug-ins in DSP
Mode, see Chapter 52, “DSP Mode.”
Native Plug-Ins Provide real-time plug-in process-
ing using host-based processing.
HDX Systems
HDX systems with the Playback Engine set to Inserts (A–E) View
HDX Classic let you use both DSP and Native
plug-ins on audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing
Folder, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks.
Inserts (F–J) View
With HDX systems, Native plug-ins may
use additional voices and introduce extra
latency based on the HW Buffer Size. See
Sends (A–E) View
“Inserting Native and DSP Plug-Ins on
Tracks” on page 1134.
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 in-
as a single list of plug-ins. stalled on your system, the subfolder named
for that category will not appear in the menu.
“Organize Plug-In Menus By” Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manu-
Setting
facturer, with individual plug-ins listed in the man-
Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in al- ufacturer submenus. Plug-Ins that do not have a
phabetical order. Manufacturer defined will appear in the “Other”
manufacturer folder.
Category Organizes plug-ins by process category
(such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individ- If no plug-ins by a certain manufacturer are in-
ual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. Plug- stalled on your system, the subfolder named for
Ins that do not fit into a standard category (such as that manufacturer will not appear in the menu.
the Signal Generator), or third-party plug-ins that
have not had a category designated by their devel-
opers, appear in the Other category. Plug-Ins can
appear in more than one category.
The Organize Plug-In Menus By setting is saved 3 Select the desired plug-in with the mouse, or
with Pro Tools preferences (it is not saved with the use the Up and Down arrow keys to select the
Pro Tools session file). plug-in name.
Favorite
plug-ins
Plug-In
categories
Default plug-in display in the Insert selector menu
To move an insert:
Insert selector
Moving a plug-in
Insert button
To duplicate an insert:
Insert button and selector on a track
Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) the
insert to a new insert location. Duplicated plug- Track Preset Plug-In Mapping
in inserts retain their original settings and auto- controls controls controls
mation. Auto button Effect
Bypass
Track selector
Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename, save, Multi-Mono Controls in the
delete, import, export, and set default plug-in
Plug-In Window
maps.
Link Enable buttons
Map Presets Menu Lets you choose from avail-
able custom Plug-In Maps for the plug-in.
Master Link button
Learn Button Puts the plug-in in Learn mode, Channel Selector
where you can map plug-in parameters to a
control surface. Plug-In window (multi-mono 1-Band EQ shown)
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:
For finer adjustments, Command-drag (Mac) or In fields that support values in kilohertz, typ-
Control-drag (Windows) the control. ing “k” after a number value will multiply the
value by 1,000. For example, type “8k” to en-
To return a control to its default value, Option- ter a value of 8,000.
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the control.
2 Select the folder you want to use as your Root To import a preset:
folder and click Select. 1 Choose Import Settings from the Plug-In Set-
tings menu.
Creating Subfolders for Settings 2 Locate the settings file you want to import and
To make it easier to find specific types of settings, click Open. Pro Tools loads the setting and cop-
you can subdivide settings files by creating sub- ies it to the root destination folder.
folders for them.
To copy plug-in settings:
To create a settings subfolder: Choose Copy Settings from the Plug-In Settings
1 From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose Save menu.
Settings.
Press Command+Shift+C (Mac) or Con-
2 Click the New Folder button and type a name for trol+Shift+C (Windows) to copy plug-in
the subfolder. settings.
3 Name the preset and click Save. The plug-in
To paste plug-in settings:
settings file is saved within the subfolder.
1 Open the destination plug-in.
Managing Presets 2 Choose Paste Settings from the Plug-In Set-
tings menu.
Use the Plug-In Settings menu to manage plug-in
presets.
Click the Plus (+) or Minus (–) buttons to select Plug-In Settings dialog
the next or previous preset. The next (or previ-
ous) preset is enabled, and the Plug-In Librarian The Plug-In Settings dialog includes the follow-
menu changes to show the name of the new pre- ing:
set. Folder This pop-up menu lets you switch between
You will lose the current plug-in settings if presets located in root or session folders (and any
they are not saved before you use the Next available subfolders).
and Previous Setting buttons. Always save Patch Field This field displays the name of the ac-
your plug-in settings to the selected Root Set- tive (highlighted) preset.
tings folder.
Increment Patch Every X Sec This option lets you
Editing Settings on Unlinked audition plug-in presets in series by automatically
Multi-Mono Plug-Ins scrolling through them for a specified number of
seconds.
When a multi-mono plug-in is unlinked, import-
ing, copying, pasting, or bypassing settings affects To change plug-in presets using the Plug-In
only the currently selected channel. Settings dialog:
Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename, save, When you first put a plug-in into Learn mode, a
delete, import, export, and set default plug-in new plug-in map is created (with the default name
maps. “Custom Map”), and the plug-in is focused on the
control surface, but with a blank page of controls,
Map Presets Menu Lets you choose from avail- ready for mapping.
able custom Plug-In Maps for the plug-in.
Only one plug-in can be in Learn mode at a time.
Learn Button Puts the plug-in in Learn mode,
where you can map plug-in parameters to a control To put a plug-in into Learn mode, do one of the
surface. following:
Select (or deselect) View > Plug-In > Map Close the plug-in window.
Controls. Click the Learn button in a different plug-in
window.
2 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is 3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is
focused on the control surface, but with a blank focused on the control surface.
page of controls, ready for mapping. 4 Do the following for each parameter mapping
3 In the plug-in window, click the plug-in param- you want to remove:
eter you want to map. The parameter name ap- • Make sure the Parameter menu displays No
pears in the Parameter menu. Control.
4 On the control surface, do one of the following: • On the control surface, page to the encoder or
switch where you want to remove the map-
• Turn the encoder or press the channel Select
ping, and turn the encoder or press the switch.
switch where you want to map the parameter.
• If the control surface is in Flip mode, move 5 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
the fader or press the channel Select switch
where you want to map the parameter. Saving Plug-In Maps
5 Repeat steps 3-4 for each parameter you want to You can save plug-in maps as presets for reuse on
map. the same Pro Tools system.
6 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode. Plug-In maps are saved as global preferences on a
Pro Tools system, so they are available to all ses-
To change parameter mapping in a plug-in map:
sions created on the system.
1 Open the plug-in whose custom map you want
to change. When you create a map for a plug-in, that map be-
comes available to all other plug-ins of the same
2 Choose the map you want to change from the type and channel format.
Map Preset pop-up menu.
If you want to map the same plug-in in
3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is
different channel formats (such as mono,
focused on the control surface.
stereo and 5.1 surround) you need to create
4 Do the following for each parameter mapping a separate plug-in map for each format.
you want to change:
You can also export plug-in maps for use on other
• In the plug-in window, click the new plug-in
Pro Tools systems with a similar control surface
parameter you want to map. The parameter
(see “Exporting and Importing Plug-In Maps” on
name appears in the Parameter menu.
page 1154.
• On the control surface, page to the encoder or
switch where you want to change the map-
ping, and turn the encoder or press the switch.
5 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
1152 Pro Tools Reference Guide
To save a copy of a custom plug-in map: 3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to copy. Delete Current Map.
2 Choose the map you want to copy from the Map 4 Click Delete.
Presets pop-up menu.
To delete all plug-in maps from the system:
3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
1 Open any plug-in in the session.
Save Map As.
2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
4 Enter a name for the plug-in map.
Delete All Maps.
5 Click OK. The new copy becomes the active
3 Click Delete.
plug-in map.
Default map settings are stored as global (system- 1 Open the plug-in whose default plug-in map
wide) Pro Tools preferences, so they are applied to pages you want to hide.
all sessions that you subsequently open or create 2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
on that system. Hide Factory Default Pages.
2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose bypassed (blue) not bypassed
Export All Plug-In Maps.
3 Locate the plug-in map (.pim) file you want to 1 Select the tracks on which you want to bypass
import. inserts. Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Win-
dows) to select all tracks shown in the session.
4 Click Open.
2 Choose Track > Bypass Insert.
3 Select (or deselect) one of the following:
Bypassing Plug-Ins
All Bypasses all Inserts on all selected tracks in the
Plug-Ins can be bypassed from their Plug-In win- session.
dow, or from the Mix and Edit window Inserts
View. Inserts A–E Bypasses Inserts A–E on all selected
tracks in the session.
To bypass a plug-in, do one of the following:
Inserts F–J Bypasses Inserts A–E on all selected
Click the Plug-In window’s Effect Bypass but- tracks in the session.
ton.
EQ Bypasses all EQ plug-ins on all selected tracks
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- in the session. For those plug-ins that are available
dows) the plug-in’s Insert button in the Mix or in multiple categories (such as Channel Strip),
Edit window. only the EQ portion of the plug-in is bypassed.
Press Shift+A to bypass (or un-bypass) all in- To unlink controls on a multi-mono plug-in:
serts on selected tracks. Deselect the Master Link button.
Press Shift+2 to bypass (or un-bypass) inserts
A–E on selected tracks. To access controls for a specific channel:
Press Shift+3 to bypass (or un-bypass) inserts Select the channel from the Channel selector.
F–J on selected tracks.
To link the controls of specific channels:
Press Shift+E to bypass (or un-bypass) all EQ 1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al-
plug-ins on selected tracks. ready deselected.
Press Shift+C to bypass (or un-bypass) all Dy- 2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels
namics plug-ins on selected tracks. whose controls you want to link.
Press Shift+V to bypass (or un-bypass) all Re-
verb plug-ins on selected tracks.
Press Shift+D to bypass (or un-bypass) all De-
lay plug-ins on selected tracks. All channels linked except the LFE
Press Shift+W to bypass (or un-bypass) all
Modulation plug-ins on selected tracks.
HDX and HD Native systems can receive external If you set the Optical Format to S/PDIF,
clock through any of the digital inputs on any Avid Pro Tools will watch the Optical port for
HD audio interface (including AES/EBU, S/PDIF, external clock, and ignore any clock input
and Optical). on the S/PDIF RCA jacks.
For details on audio interface connections, Pro Tools Systems with Eleven Rack
see the guide for your audio interface.
Pro Tools can receive external clock from the
To select an external clock source for HDX or AES/EBU input or S/PDIF input.
HD Native systems:
To select an external clock source for Eleven
1 Choose Setup > Hardware. Rack:
2 Select the appropriate audio interface in order to 1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
display its settings in the Main page.
2 Set the Clock Master to match the type of
3 If necessary, enable the appropriate Digital For- input.
mat (if you have not already done so, according
to the instructions in your User Guide or I/O Pro Tools Systems with Mbox Pro or Mbox (3rd
Guide). generation)
4 Set the Clock Master to match the type of Pro Tools can receive external clock from the
input. S/PDIF input on these interfaces.
5 Configure input routing of the digital source, To select an external clock source from Pro Tools
using the Input and Output pop-up menus, if with an Mbox Pro or Mbox (3rd generation):
necessary.
1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
6 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog.
2 Select SPDIF/RCA (Mac) or SPDIF (Windows)
from the Clock Master pop-up menu.
Pro Tools Systems with 003, 003 Rack+, or
003 Rack 3 Click OK.
Pro Tools can receive external clock from the Op- Your digital input device must be connected
tical input or S/PDIF input. and powered on for Pro Tools to synchronize to
it. If your input device is not powered on, leave
the Clock Master set to Internal.
DSP-compatible badge
This example session is made up of the following tracks (see the graphic on the next page):
• 3 mono audio tracks for vocals, guitar, and bass. Each track has EQ and dynamics plug-ins, and the vocal
track also has a slap-back delay.
• 2 stereo audio tracks, one for electric piano and another for drum loops. Each track has EQ and dynamics
plug-ins.
• 1 stereo Auxiliary Input track for reverb processing.
• 2 Master Fader tracks, one for control room monitoring and the other for the singer’s headphones. Each
has a limiter on it.
• 1 mono Auxiliary Input track for the built-in talkback mic.
The following diagram shows the physical studio connections for this workflow example. While this work-
flow example only reviews recording vocals in DSP Mode with a dedicated headphone mix, you can just
as easily have independent headphone mixes for the rest of the band.
Figure 2. Physical studio connections (HDX Hybrid Engine with MTRX Studio shown)
Figure 5. Session configured for recording vocals, but with Auxiliary Input track in DSP Mode Safe for Native
reverb processing
Use input and output gain controls on Native-only plug-in inserts to make up for any undesirable
changes in signal level when switching between Native Mode and DSP Mode.
Since DSP Mode does not reduce latency for tracks that are not part of a live signal path, avoid enabling
DSP Mode on tracks that are not part of the signal chain for recording and input monitoring. However,
note that DSP Mode can be used to offload plug-in processing from the CPU when mixing without con-
sequence.
To avoid unnecessarily enabling DSP Mode automatically on tracks that are fed by other channels of a
multi-channel bus, use dedicated mono bus paths instead of mono sub-paths of stereo busses when rout-
ing mono audio signals with tracks in DSP Mode. You will need to specifically create mono bus paths
in I/O Setup since the default bus paths will always be stereo with mono sub-paths.
Avoid routing unrelated signals to the channels of a multichannel bus. For example, avoid routing a gui-
tar signal to the left channel and a bass signal to the right channel of the same stereo bus.
Routing Folder tracks let you view and edit On MIDI tracks, these parameters include:
track automation, such as Volume and Pan, • MIDI Volume
either in the corresponding track view or in • MIDI Pan
Automation lanes. Routing Folder track auto-
mation is independent of any automation on • MIDI Mute
member tracks, and editing Routing Folder • pitch bend
track automation does not affect the automa- • mono aftertouch
tion on member tracks.
• program change
• Sysex
• controllers
• 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.
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 1210.
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 Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
mation Preferences” on page 1179.
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 Ultimate and Studio Software Only) mation (main and trim) for a track. All automation
moves are ignored during playback. Trim faders
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio can adjust (or trim)
are temporarily set to zero when a track is set to
existing track volume and send level automation
Trim Off mode.
data in real time. Pan, mute and plug-in automation
cannot be trimmed in this manner. Trim mode Depending on the Coalesce Trim Automation pref-
works in combination with the other Automation erence setting, changing a track to Trim Off can
modes (Read, Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch, and coalesce Trim automation on that track. See “Co-
Write) and is useful when you want to preserve all alescing Trim Automation” on page 1209.
of your volume automation moves, but need to
make levels a bit louder or softer to balance a mix. Automation can be switched from Trim Off to an-
For more information, see “Trim Automation other Automation mode during playback or record.
Modes” on page 1177.
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 1180 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 1179). 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:
After the first automation pass, you can write addi- In this initial state, only a single automation break-
tional automation to the track without completely point appears at the beginning of each automation
erasing the previous pass by choosing Touch mode playlist. If you move the control without writing
or Latch mode. These modes add new automation automation, this breakpoint will move to the new
only when you actually move a control. (See “Au- value.
tomation Modes” on page 1174.)
You can permanently store the initial position of
To write additional automation to a previous pass: an automatable control by doing any of the follow-
ing:
1 Enable Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
tion. • Place the track in Write mode and press Play to
write a few seconds of automation data to the
2 In the Edit window, make a selection or place
track
the cursor in the location where you want to
start writing automation. • Manually place a breakpoint on the automation
playlist somewhere after the initial breakpoint.
3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa- (See “Graphical Editing of Automation Data” on
tion Mode selector on each of the tracks you page 1199 for more information.)
want to automate, and set the Automation mode
to Touch or Latch mode.
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).
To prime controls for writing automation in Latch 8 Stop playback to finish the automation pass. All
mode while the transport is stopped: tracks are taken out of their Latch Prime state.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing. You can use the Write to Punch command at
2 Under Automation, select Allow Latch Prime in the end of your automation pass to write the
Stop. current value back to the start of the pass.
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.
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.
• Right-click the track name and choose Clear
To remove all automation data of the displayed
type: Trim Automation.
1 In the Edit window, click the Track View selec- Triangle Draws a sawtooth pattern that repeats at a
tor to display an automation type you want to rate based on the current Grid value. In audio
thin, or reveal the corresponding Automation tracks, the pattern has a single breakpoint at each
lane. extreme. In MIDI tracks, the controller value
changes in steps according to the resolution setting
2 With the Selector tool, highlight the automation
in the MIDI Preferences page. Amplitude is con-
data you want to thin. To thin automation for the
trolled by vertical movement of the Pencil tool.
entire track, click in the track with the Selector
tool and choose Edit > Select All. Square Draws a square pattern that repeats at a
rate based on the current Grid value. Amplitude is
controlled by vertical movement of the Pencil tool.
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 793. 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 Ultimate and Studio only). You can
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click MIDI. edit automation data graphically by adjusting
2 Enter a value for Pencil Tool Resolution When breakpoints in any automation playlist. You can
Drawing Controller Data. The value can range also cut, copy, and paste automation data in the
from 1 to 100 milliseconds. same manner as audio 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 1181. 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
To cut all automation, press Option+Shift+X of the automation data to the entire selection range.
(Mac) or Alt+Shift+X (Windows). If you select an area that is not an exact multiple of
the copied clip size, the remaining selection area is
Pan Automation Cuts only pan automation or filled with a trimmed version of the original selec-
MIDI pan data whether it is shown or not. tion. This lets you easily create drum loops and
other repetitive effects. Before the data is pasted,
Plug-In Automation Cuts only the plug-in automa-
Pro Tools prompts you to specify a crossfade to
tion that is shown.
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).
After Every Pass Trim moves are automatically 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
applied when the transport is stopped at the end of 2 Under Coalesce Trim Automation, select On
an automation pass. Trim automation playlists are Exiting Trim Mode.
cleared, and Trim faders are returned to zero.
3 Click OK to close the Preferences window.
On Exiting Trim Mode Trim moves are stored sep-
arately in the Trim automation playlist until they 4 Make sure the Pro Tools transport is stopped.
are coalesced. Trim automation is automatically 5 On the track where you want to coalesce Trim
coalesced on a track only when you take the track automation, click the Automation Mode selec-
out of Trim mode. You can repeat an automation tor and deselect Trim.
pass, edit Trim automation manually on any of the
Trim playlists, or clear Trim automation before co- The Trim automation is applied to the main auto-
alescing with this method. mation playlist, Trim automation playlists are
cleared, and Trim faders are returned to zero.
Even when automation is set to coalesce on
exiting Trim mode, you can use the If transport is playing and you are writing
Coalesce Trim Automation command to com- automation, you cannot directly enter or exit
mit Trim moves at any time. Trim mode. You must AutoMatch before exit-
ing Trim mode. This prevents any abrupt
Manually Trim moves are stored separately in the jumps in automation values.
Trim automation playlist until they are coalesced.
With this setting, the only way to coalesce Trim To manually coalesce Trim automation on a track:
moves is with the Coalesce Trim 1 Select the track where you want to coalesce the
Automation command. You can repeat an automa- Trim automation.
tion pass, edit Trim automation manually on any of
the Trim playlists, or clear Trim automation before 2 Do one of the following:
coalescing with this method. • Choose Track > Coalesce Trim Automation.
• Right-click the track name and choose
Coalesce Trim Automation.
Pro Tools lets you write current automation values Requirements for Standard
from any insertion point forward (or backward) to Write Automation Commands
the end (or beginning) of a track or Edit selection For automation data to be written for a specific pa-
in a track, or to an entire track or Edit selection, rameter, the associated track must be in one of the
while performing an automation pass. following Automation modes and meet the follow-
ing conditions:
Write Automation to Start, End, and All buttons in the 2 Make sure that the automation type is write-
Automation window enabled.
The standard Write Automation to Start, All, or End 3 Do one of the following:
commands do not operate when the Pro Tools • Click in a track at an insertion point.
transport is stopped. It only affects automation for
• Drag with the Selector tool to select a portion
those parameters that are currently write-enabled
of the track.
and currently writing automation data.
4 Start playback.
5 Make sure you are actively writing on the
appropriate track if you are in Latch or Touch
mode.
Write Automation to Punch Point lets you fill 1 Choose Window > Automation.
back an automation value within a track after find- 2 Make sure that the automation type is write-en-
ing the right level or setting during an automation abled.
pass, without having to go back and repeat the
pass. 3 Click in a track to define an insertion point.
4 Start playback.
5 Make sure you are actively writing on the ap-
propriate track if you are in Touch, Latch, or
Touch/Latch mode.
7 Stop Playback.
A mute event can be overwritten when the automa- Original mute automation
tion pass begins before the first mute event and (mute off, mute on, mute off)
Original mute automation Mute off event extended (up to automation pass end)
(mute off, mute on, mute off)
Extending a mute automation event
Mute Overwrite/Extend is
Supported in Touch and Latch
Mode, as follows:
Touch Mode Writes the current state as long as the
Mute button is held.
Mute on event overwritten Latch Mode Writes the current state until you stop
Overwriting a mute automation event or AutoMatch out.
3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa- Stopping automation pass after the end of a mute
tion Mode selector of the track where you want event
to overwrite the mute state, and set the Automa-
9 When you have finished the automation pass,
tion mode to Touch or Latch mode.
stop playback.
To overwrite mute states on multiple tracks,
set all tracks to the same Automation mode.
Creating Snapshot
Automation
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
2 In the Edit window, click the Track View selec- If you do not want the Write Automation command
tor to show the automation you want to edit. to write the selected automation value to the entire
playlist, you can:
3 Write a breakpoint in the playlist if none cur-
rently exists, as follows: • Anchor the automation data by placing the cur-
sor at the end of the session (or any other end
• Place the cursor in the playlist (or make an
point) and choosing Write to Current.
Edit selection), then press Command+For-
ward Slash (/) (Mac) or Control+Forward • Click with any Grabber tool on each side of the
Slash (/) (Windows). selection.
• Select the Grabber tool and click anywhere in This lets the Write Automation command write
the playlist. only to the selected area.
4 Do one of the following:
• Select an area in the track’s playlist (or within Writing Snapshot Automation
multiple tracks) where you want to apply the over Existing Automation Data
automation. When you move the playback cursor, the auto-
• Place the cursor at an Edit insertion point. mated controls in Pro Tools update to reflect the
automation data that is already on the track. To
5 Adjust the controls you want to automate. You
keep the settings you have made for a snapshot,
can also change a plug-in preset.
you can suspend automation parameters to prevent
6 Choose Edit > Automation and do one of the them from updating.
following:
To write snapshot automation over existing data:
• To write the current value to only the
currently displayed automation parameter, 1 In the Automation window, make sure that the
choose Write to Current. automation parameters you want to edit are
• To write the current settings for all automa- write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose
tion parameters enabled in the Automation automation you want to preserve.
window, choose Write to All Enabled. 2 Adjust the controls for the parameters you want
to automate.
Adding Snapshot Automation to 3 Click the Automation Mode selector and select
Empty Automation Playlists Off mode for the tracks where you want to apply
When you use a Write Automation command on an the automation.
automation playlist with no previously written au-
4 With the Selector, select the range where you
tomation data, the selected value is written to the
want to apply the automation.
entire playlist and not just the selected area.
you want to capture automation. All automated 1 In the Automation window, make sure that the
controls update to reflect the automation at that automation parameters you want to edit are
location. (If you make a selection, the controls write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose
update to reflect the automation at the begin- automation you want to preserve.
ning of the selection.)
2 Select the area of the track you want to edit. All
5 In each track you want to apply the captured au- automated controls update to reflect the auto-
tomation, click the track’s Automation Mode mation at the beginning of the selection.
selector and set the Automation mode to Off.
3 Move the controls for the parameter up or down
by the amount you want to change the data.
When you reach a location where you want to Punch Capture and “Write To”
capture the current automation states, Option- Commands
Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click (Windows) After issuing a Punch Capture command, the af-
the Capture button. fected controls are writing automation (in Latch
mode), so any of the Write Automation To com-
Punching Automation Values for mands can be used to extend the punched value in
All Controls the same manner as other automation.
3 Capture an automation value that you want to The Punch Capture button in the Automation win-
preview in another location on a track. (See dow lights to indicate a captured value is available
“Capturing Automation Values” on page 1223.) to punch.
6 Stop playback.
When a track is a VCA member, you can display a
composite automation playlist that shows the con- Automation is written on the excluded member
tribution of the VCA Master to the Volume or track such that the fader moves on the VCA Master
Mute automation data on the member track. This track are canceled out, and the fader on the ex-
composite playlist reflects the actual position of cluded member track does not move on subsequent
the Volume fader on the member track.The com- playback.
posite playlist display cannot be directly edited.
When you are writing automation on a VCA Mas- There are several ways to commit, or coalesce, the
ter track, the corresponding moves will appear on contribution of a selected VCA Master track’s
the composite automation playlist of each of its Volume and Mute automation to the automation
member tracks. If you want to exclude a member playlists of its member tracks.
track from an automation pass, write-enable the
member track for automation. Clearing a VCA Master
To exclude a member track from VCA Master track You can use a VCA Master to write grouped auto-
automation pass: mation, coalesce the VCA automation to all of the
member tracks, and clear the automation on the
1 Write-enable the VCA Master track for automa-
VCA Master. The coalesced tracks will play back
tion (Write, Touch or Latch mode).
exactly as they did when they were in the VCA
2 Write-enable the member track you want to ex- group.
clude for automation (Write mode).
3 Make sure other member tracks that you want
to include in the pass are not write-enabled for
automation.
1 Select the member track whose automation you 1 Select the VCA Master track whose automation
want to coalesce. you want to coalesce.
2 Choose Track > Duplicate. 2 Make an Edit selection in the VCA Master track
that includes the range of automation you want
3 In the Duplicate Track dialog, deselect Group
to coalesce.
Assignments.
3 Do one of the following:
4 Click OK.
• Hold Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) and
The composite Volume level and Mute state are choose Track > Coalesce VCA Master Auto-
coalesced to the duplicate track. The original mation.
member track is preserved, and the VCA group is • Hold Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) and
unchanged. Right-click the VCA Master track name and
choose Coalesce VCA Master Automation.
Pro Tools lets you mix down by recording a mix to Printing effects to disk is the technique of perma-
new audio tracks or by bouncing a mix to disk. nently adding real-time effects, such as EQ or re-
verb, to an audio track by bussing and recording it
Recording to Tracks This is the process of sub-
to new tracks with the effects added. The original
mixing and recording the submix to new audio audio is preserved, so you can return to the source
tracks, as you would any other track input signals. track at any time. This can be useful when you
This method requires available tracks, voices, and have a limited number of tracks or effects devices.
bus paths to accommodate the submix and the new
tracks. While recording to tracks, you can manu- AudioSuite plug-ins provide another option
ally adjust mixer or other controls. for writing (or “printing”) a plug-in effect to
disk. For more information, see Chapter 43,
Record to new tracks if you want to adjust mixer
“AudioSuite Processing.”
controls during the mixdown.
You can use the Bounce Mix command to write au- Inserts and Sends All active inserts, including
dio loops, sub-mixes, stems, or any other session real-time plug-ins and hardware inserts, are ap-
audio to disk as a new audio file in any of several plied to the bounced mix.
audio file formats. You can use it to create final
Selection or Track Length If you make a selection
mono, stereo, and multichannel master files.
in a track, the bounced mix will be the length of the
Bounce Mix also provides conversion options for
selection. If there is no selection in any track, the
sample rate, bit resolution, and format. It even lets
bounce will be the length of the longest audible
you automatically import bounced files after the
track in the session.
bounce is complete. Use Bounce Mix presets to
store and recall your most commonly used Bounce Time Stamp Information Bounced material is au-
settings. tomatically time stamped so that you can drag it
into a track and place it at the same location as the
To Bounce Mix (basic instructions): original material. For more information about time
1 Make a Timeline selection to define the range to stamping, see “Time Stamping” on page 1349.
be bounced.
Bounced Files Are Delay-Compensated
2 Choose File > Bounce Mix.
Pro Tools compensates for any bus and plug-in de-
3 Configure the Bounce options (see “Bounce
lays when bouncing to disk. This means that if a
Options” on page 1233).
bounced file is imported back into a session, and
4 Click Bounce. placed directly in time against the source mix, it is
time-aligned with the original source mix.
Pro Tools does not include tracks that are either re-
cord-enabled or in Input Only monitoring mode in
the bounce.
Click the Preset button that contains the settings Saves the current settings. This command over-
you want to recall. writes any previous version of the preset.
Pro Tools provides a File Name text entry field for The MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) compression format
Bounce Mix. Type the File Name you want for the is used for streaming and downloading audio over
bounced file. For multi-source bounces, the en- the Internet, and for playback on portable devices.
tered file name is appended with the name of the
Mix Source and a number (incremented for each
source): “<file name>_<source name>_<n>.”
File Type
The File Type selector lets you select the file type
for bounced files.
Output The bounced file includes only audio 7 Configure all other Bounce options as desired.
routed to the selected output bus path.
8 Click Bounce.
Physical Output The bounced file includes only
audio from all output paths mapped to the selected Compression Type
physical output. This is useful when working with
overlapping output paths. The Compression Type setting typically defaults
to PCM (Uncompressed) for most File Types and
Bouncing Multiple Sources cannot be changed. If MP3 is selected as the File
Simultaneously Type, it updates to MP3 and cannot be changed.
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
Add MP3
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio let you bounce up
to 24 sources of up to 10 channels each in standard The Add MP3 option in the Bounce Mix dialog lets
surround formats (up to 7.1.2), or up to 16 channels you simultaneously create an MP3 version of each
for ambisonics (3rd order), each simultaneously. Mix Source in addition to the selected File Type
(such as WAV).
To bounce multiple sources to disk:
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 1230.
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio software both let In the following table, it is assumed that surround
you work with surround formats up to 7.1, and up channels are assigned to outputs 1–6 of a Pro Tools
to 7.1.2 with Dolby 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 Ultimate and Studio 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
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 1252.
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 1252).
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 1255. 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, Routing Folder, Master Fader, and Instru- microphones or microphone arrays, or routed to
ment tracks, and inserts and busses. appropriate multichannel Pro Tools Input paths
Multichannel surround mixing is supported • Imported from other Pro Tools sessions
with Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio software • Edited, processed, and mixed in combination
only. with mono and stereo tracks
Once the appropriate I/O Setup has been imported
or configured, audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing
Folder, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can be
mixed in multichannel for surround using
Pro Tools mixing features.
5.1 format multichannel audio track
Multichannel I/O and signal routing is determined
by the paths defined in the I/O Setup dialog. 5.1 format audio files and tracks conform to the
Film track layout standard. Regardless of path as-
signments in the I/O Setup dialog, all 5.1 format
Multichannel Audio Tracks audio tracks and meters follow the Film standard
track layout:
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
L C R Ls Rs LFE
Multichannel audio tracks contain an individual
channel for each signal in the track (for example, a Multichannel audio tracks are not required to mix
5.1 track would have six channels for left, center, in multichannel formats. Mono, stereo, and all sup-
right, left surround, right surround, and LFE). ported track formats can be mixed using Pro Tools
track outputs and sends (see “Multichannel Signal
Routing” on page 1260).
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
Multi-mono plugs-ins can also be inserted on ste- Channel selector and Link controls
reo tracks, to apply unlinked plug-ins on the left
and right channels. Channel Selector Accesses a specific channel
within a multichannel track for plug-in parameter
Multichannel Plug-Ins Are designed for use on editing. This menu appears only on multi-mono
stereo and multichannel tracks that require cor- plug-ins inserted on tracks with more than two
related processing, including stereo and multi- channels.
channel limiting, compression, and similar effects.
Master Link Button When enabled, links the con-
trols on all channels of a multi-mono plug-in so
that they can be adjusted in tandem.
To access controls for a specific channel: Once you have identified these elements in your
session, you can use a combination of main and
Select the channel from the Channel selector.
sub-path assignments, and multichannel panning.
To open a plug-in window for all channels of a
multi-mono plug-in: Mixing with Paths and Sub-Paths
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the It is rare that every track needs to be “flown” (ac-
Channel selector. tively panned in between more than a pair of
speakers). In most situations, certain elements are
To link the controls of specific channels:
placed in certain speakers and remain there, pro-
1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al- viding the foundation for a mix.
ready deselected.
The following figure illustrates an example of how
2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels panning and signal routing can be combined in a
whose controls you want to link. multichannel mix.
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 1279.
Panning mode, Rear is linked to Front position and
cannot be controlled independently.
Rear Inverse
LFE Fader
Stereo multichannel panner controls showing default
The LFE fader is only available in “.1” surround linking
formats (5.1, 6.1, and 7.1).
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 1281. 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.
For complete information on installing, configuring, and using Dolby Atmos products, please refer
to the appropriate documentation for your specific Dolby Atmos products published by Dolby.
Control Surface
such as Avid S6 (optional)
Dolby Atmos metadata {Ethernet}
[Ethernet]
[DigiLink] [MADI]
Pro Tools | HDX system
Figure 1. Example Pro Tools and Dolby Atmos hardware components and connections
I/O Setup, Bed/Object Fold Down Path selector Object Track view, Edit window
4 Click OK to save your changes and close the I/O To show (or hide) the Object controls in the Mix
window, do one of the following:
Setup.
Select (or deselect) View > Mix Window Views >
Because the Bed/Object Fold Down Path Object.
activates an invisible internal bus, it cannot
be metered on a Master Fader or the Edit From the Mix Window View selector, enable
Window Output Meter Path display. (or disable) Object.
Bus/Object toggle
Object controls
Bus/Object toggle can be automated (see “Object/Bus Toggle Automation” on page 1304).
Object pan metadata for a track is only included in an exported BWF ADM file if Object Control Mode
is set to Master for that track.
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 provides a 3D room view that can be Indication of Height, Proximity, and
rotated. Location in 3D/Theater Mode
To rotate the room view in Theater mode: Height Adjusting the Height value raises or lowers
the Height plane. See 1 in Figure 4.
Move the cursor over the room view and use the
scroll-wheel to rotate the room up or down. Proximity The size of the pan dot indicates prox-
Scroll all the way down for top-down view. imity (whether the element is closer or further
away relative to the current view). The pan dot ap-
pears smallest when panned furthest away and
largest when panned nearest (see 2 in Figure 4).
You can toggle Dolby Atmos Speaker Snap on or Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
off for tracks assigned to an Object. dows) the Object Output Path selector or the pan
dot to toggle the track audio output between the se-
To enable (or disable) Speaker Snap: lected Object path or selected track output (output
Click the Speaker Snap icon to toggle on/off. bus). Toggling between object output and bus out-
put assignments can be automated (see “Bus/Ob-
ject Toggle” on page 1299).
Object Control
Speaker Snap
Click the Object Control mode button to cycle
Speaker Snap icon (shown disabled)
through and select the Object Control mode (see
“Object Control Mode” on page 1299).
Do not confuse Dolby Atmos Speaker Snap with
the Pro Tools panner ability to click a speaker
icon to “jump” the pan dot to a location.
Bus Read
Green
Object Read
Orange
Any Off
Yellow
Object, but
Gray off/bypassed
Object/Bus toggle (shown disabled) in the Automation
window.
About Object Bypass
When using the Auto-Height Overrides Height 1 Select the object track (or tracks) with the
Automation option to automatically generate Dolby Atmos panner plug-in automation you
Height automation, you can commit that automa- want to duplicate.
tion using the Coalesce Pan Guide Automation 2 Choose Edit > Automation > Duplicate Dolby At-
command. Committed Height automation is calcu- mos Plug-in automation to track pan automa-
lated by interpolating Front, Rear, and Front/Rear tion.
pan automation, and the selected Auto-Height
mode. All Dolby Atmos and Dolby Atmos Music panner
plug-in automation is duplicated as track pan auto-
To automatically generate Height automation from mation. Both copies of the automation remain the
Front, Rear, and Front/Rear pan automation, and same until you change the automation of one or the
the selected Auto-Height mode for one or more other. If you remove the Dolby Atmos panner
tracks:
plug-in from an object track, its automation is lost.
1 Select the tracks for which you want to generate
Height automation. When opening a Pro Tools 12.8 (or later) session
that uses pan automation to generate Dolby Atmos
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Coalesce Pan metadata in a lower version of Pro Tools (such as
Guide Automation. Pro Tools 12.7.1), the pan automation is lost. Du-
plicate the pan automation for object tracks to
Dolby Atmos panner plug-in automation to ensure
Duplicating Object Track Pan that these tracks playback as objects when opened
Automation and Dolby Atmos in the lower version of Pro Tools.
Panner Plug-in Automation
To duplicate track pan automation to Dolby Atmos
When exchanging sessions between Pro Tools panner plug-in automation:
12.8 or later and earlier versions of Pro Tools (such
1 Select the object track (or tracks) with pan auto-
as Pro Tools 12.7.1), you probably want to ensure
mation you want to duplicate.
that object tracks have duplicate automation for
track panning (Pro Tools 12.8) and Dolby Atmos 2 Ensure that the Dolby Atmos panner plug-in is
panner or the Dolby Atmos Music Panner (version inserted on the track,.
1.2 or later and Pro Tools 2022.4 or later) plug-in
3 Choose Edit > Automation > Duplicate track pan
automation.
automation to Dolby Atmos Plug-in automation.
When opening an older session in Pro Tools 12.8
All track pan automation is duplicated as Dolby
or later, you may prefer to use pan automation for
Atmos panner plug-in automation. Both copies of
object tracks rather than Dolby Atmos panner
the automation remain and remain the same until
plug-in automation.
you change the automation of one or the other. If
you remove the Dolby Atmos panner plug-in from
the track, its automation is lost.
Importing
You can import ADM files and map busses to beds
and object busses, and make group assignments,
without being connected to a Renderer, as long as
your physical I/O supports the required number of
outputs. The I/O Setup maintains the input config-
uration and group assignments that were used to
create the ADM file.
Interleaved
Composite Beds
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
2 Create a mono audio track with audio you want 9 Automate panning of mono source to 2nd Order
to mix to 2nd Order Ambisonics. Ambisonics with the FB360 Spatialiser plug-in.
Depending on the Ambisonics panning plug- 10 Playback and monitor Ambisonics mix over
in you are using, source audio tracks can be headphones.
mono or stereo, or even surround formats
(such as 5.0 or 7.0) or Ambisonics formats Ambisonics panning, encoding and decoding
(such as B-format). plug-ins typically change the track channel
width (such as mono to 2nd Order Ambison-
3 Assign the Output of the track to the 2nd Order ics). It is important to know that for some Am-
Ambisonics bus path. bisonics plug-ins that change track channel
widths you must first create the track with the
4 Insert the FB360 Spatialiser plug-in on the track
appropriate channel format (such as mono
(if you want to process the audio with other
source or 2nd Order Ambisonics input) and
plug-ins on the track, they must precede the
then assign the appropriate track output (such
Ambisonics plug-in).
as mono to 2nd Order Ambisonics) before you
Repeat steps 3–5 to create additional source can insert the appropriate Ambisonics plug-in.
tracks for the Ambisonics mix.
Clip effects editing is not supported for clips
5 Create a 2nd Order Ambisonics Auxiliary Input
on Ambisonics tracks. When a timeline selec-
track.
tion is made that includes clips from both Am-
6 Assign the 2nd Order Ambisonics bus path to bisonics and non-Ambisonics tracks, only
the Input of the Auxiliary Input track. clips on non-Ambisonics tracks are processed
by clip effects. If clip effects are applied to one
7 Insert the FB360 Control plug-in on the Auxil-
or more clips on a non-Ambisonics track and
iary Input track.
then dragged-and-dropped to an Ambisonics
track, clip effects processing of those clips
play back, but clip effects for these clips can-
not be edited until they are moved back to a
non-Ambisonics track.
pand/collapse triangle.
Pro Tools can be used as the master device in your
This section lets you configure either Sync X or
synchronization setup, where all other devices then
SYNC HD settings if one is connected.
follow Pro Tools Word Clock output.
To show (or hide) the Timecode Settings section:
To set Ext. Clock Output:
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Hardware. Click the Timecode Settings expand/collapse
triangle.
2 Click the Ext. Clock Output pop-up menu and
select an available signal. The controls in this section provide freewheel op-
tions, and separate Pull Up and Pull Down selec-
3 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog. tors for audio and video rates.
Sync X Setup
& External Offsets
section
External Timecode
Offset settings
Timecode Settings
section
Pull Up/Pull Down
settings
Freewheel settings
Format section
Timecode Settings
section
Pull Up/Pull Down
settings
Freewheel settings
Timecode Settings
section
Pull Up/Pull Down
settings
Freewheel settings
Session Start
For more information on external clock
sources with a synchronization peripheral, Use this field to specify a Timecode start time for
see the Pro Tools | Sync X Guide or the your session. For more information, see “Setting a
SYNC HD Guide. Session Start Time (Start Frame)” on page 1334.
Timecode Rate
The Timecode Rate setting lets you set the Time-
code Rate in frames per second for the session.
Feet+Frames Rate
The Feet+Frame Rate setting lets you set the
Feet+Frame rates for sessions. Set this rate to
match the rate of the film projector, or the video if
the film projector speed is taken into account. For
example, doing a Telecine transfer from a 24 fps
film projector to NTSC video would necessitate
the projector running at 23.976 fps. This is regard- Sync X Setup
less of whether the session is using pull down au-
dio or not. For complete information on configuring
Sync X using the Session Setup window, see
the Pro Tools | Sync X Guide.
Timecode 2 Rate
The Timecode 2 Rate setting lets you set a second- Clock Ref (Sample Rate Lock)
ary frame rate that can be displayed in the ruler
alongside the main Timecode ruler. This lets you Select the Clock Reference Source for Sample
reference frame rates in the Timeline that are dif- Rate Lock, both for Pro Tools and any connected
ferent from the session timecode rate (also see external devices. Depending on the selected
“Timebase Rulers” on page 867). source, Sync X will either generate clock signal (if
Internal is selected), or it will lock to the incoming
clock signal from the selected external device
(such as if Word Clock is selected).
Positional Reference
SYNC Setup in the Session
Setup Window Sets the timecode source for Pro Tools to use for
positional reference.
(HDX and HD Native Systems with a SYNC HD
Only)
Video Ref Format
The controls in the SYNC Setup section of the Ses-
sion Setup window let you configure SYNC HD Sets the video reference format for the SYNC HD.
settings, including clock reference, positional ref-
erence, video reference format, video input format, Video In Format
and Variable Speed Override (VSO).
Indicates the expected format at the Video In con-
nector on the SYNC HD (SD format only).
When using VSO with Sync X or SYNC HD, and • MMC (MIDI Machine Control)
HD MADI, it is possible to exceed the available • 9-PIN (Deck Control with a synchronization pe-
MADI stream bandwidth. When VSO exceeds the ripheral only)
maximum frequency for the current nominal sam-
• LTC (Sync X Only) or Sync (SYNC HD or other
ple rate, audio drops out. The maximum frequency
MTC peripherals only).
for VSO at each nominal sample rate is listed in the
• Satellite (Satellite Link)
following table.
Varispeed maximum sample rate limits with HD MADI Unique values can be defined for each of these
types of offsets, or you can link all to adjust in uni-
Nominal Channel Maximum
sample rate Count Frequency son.
44.1/48 kHz 64 48.8 kHz Positive and negative offset values can be entered
to offset Pro Tools timecode display later or ear-
44.1/48 kHz 56 55.6 kHz
lier, respectively.
88.2/96 kHz 32 97.5 kHz
Additional options for External Offsets are avail-
88.2/96 kHz 28 111.5 kHz able when using MachineControl with
Pro Tools Ultimate software (see Chapter 61,
176.4/192 kHz 16 194.9 kHz
“Pro Tools | MachineControl”).
176.4/192 kHz 14 223.0 kHz
To redefine the External Timecode offsets:
3 Enter the Timecode Freewheel Frames (if any) 4 Press Enter to accept the value. You can then
in the designated box (see “Freewheel” on edit the captured address. The session uses the
page 1333). frame number you enter as its Timecode start
frame when online.
Setting a Session Start Time • If there are existing clips on the tracks and
(Start Frame) you are changing the original Timecode start
frame to a later time (from 00:00:00:00 to
The Session Setup window lets you set a Session
01:00:00:00, for example), all existing clips
Start frame for your session. Video work tapes are
on tracks will remain in their relative posi-
rarely striped beginning at a Timecode frame ad-
tions, but will start later by the time value
dress of 00:00:00:00. You can quickly enter a start
added to the start frame.
time for your session based on an appropriate
frame number from your project tape. The • If you are changing the session start time in
Pro Tools Timecode-related functions (such as an open session in which tracks already exist,
Spot mode) will then use this value as their refer- a warning dialog appears when you press En-
ence for the session’s start point. ter. Choose from one of two options:
Pro Tools displays timecode values in the cur- Press Command+2 (Mac) or Control+2
rently selected Timecode 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-
sion Setup window, select a Pull Up/Down
You can display a Sub Time Scale in the Sub Rate.
Counter. For example, if the Main Time Scale is
set to Timecode, and you want to compare Time-
code 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.
Session Setup window
The Auto Match Pull Factors option is available For example, if audio was already being pulled –
from the session Timecode Rate menu in the Ses- 0.1% when you changed the session Frame Rate
sion Setup window. When Auto Match Pull Factors from 29.97 to 24 fps, then the Audio Rate Pull
is enabled, Pro Tools adjusts audio and video play- Up/Down menu would switch to None.
back rates as needed to match any changes to the
current session Timecode Rate. Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and
Auto Match Pull is applied relative to the current
Down
pull up setting. While enabled, if the session frame The Audio Rate Pull Up/Down setting applies pull
rate is changed in such a way that the video would up or down factors to session audio record and
have to be pulled by an unsupported amount, the playback. All pull rates are available, regardless of
video remains unaffected. session frame rate.
This setting is latching, is not enabled by default, See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on
and its state is stored with the session. page 1337.
The choices available for Video Rate Pull Up/Down depend on the file format and frame rate of the video,
and whether or not you are using video hardware.
With no video hardware, Pro Tools supports 0.1% pull up and pull down at all project frame rates when
monitoring video in the Pro Tools Video window.
Project rates and supported pull up and pull down with or without hardware
* Suggested pull rates for any given project frame rates appear highlighted in the Video Rate Pull Up /Down
selector.
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the 5 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 6 In the Sync X or Sync Setup section of the Ses-
MIDI output port on which you want to transmit sion Setup window, choose a clock reference
MIDI Timecode (MTC). from the Clock Reference selector. Not all clock
choices are available at all sample rates. See
“External Clock Sources” on page 1329.)
6 Deselect the Enable SYNC HD option if it is se- Selecting the Transport Master
lected.
• When the Transport Master is set to
7 From the MTC Generator Port pop-up menu, se- Pro Tools, the playback position is governed
lect the MIDI Out port to which the master de- by the on-screen cursor in Pro Tools.
vice is connected (this the destination of MTC • When the Transport Master is set to MMC, the
information from Pro Tools). playback position is governed by the external
device’s play position.
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se- Setting Minimum Sync Delay
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session
by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a Lock-up time delay is the initial amount of prime
track causes a connected transport to chase to that time your system’s devices need to achieve syn-
location. 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-
Taking a Device Offline tion preferences. The lowest value available is 0
Use the Transport Online Right-click menu to take frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time that
a MIDI (or Machine) device offline. your equipment can operate at consistently, and set
this as the Minimum Sync Delay. On systems utiliz-
To take a device offline: ing MachineControl, enabling the Use Serial
1 Click the Transport Master selector. Timecode setting in the Session Setup window will
make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time-
2 In the Transport, click on the Online pop-up code requires both the synchronization peripheral
menu and deselect the device (Machine or and external devices to be locked to house video
MIDI). Device choices depend on the current reference.)
Transport Master and which devices have been
set up in Pro Tools. To set a Minimum Sync Delay:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
Synchronization tab.
To increase or decrease Timecode values in When Timecode is selected for the Time Scale,
the Spot dialog by a specific number of pressing the Equal key captures the incoming time-
frames, press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the code. When Bars|Beats is selected for the Time
numeric keypad, enter a number, and press Scale, pressing the Equal key will capture to the
the Enter key. nearest measure.
4 With the Time Grabber tool, click a clip in a You can also use MachineControl’s serial time-
track, or in the Clips List, and drag it into a code ability to auto-spot by enabling MachineCon-
track. The Spot dialog appears. trol and enabling serial timecode in the peripheral.
5 Enter the Timecode frame location by doing one To Auto-Spot a clip:
of the following:
1 Choose Options > Auto-Spot Clips.
• If you are using VITC, you can press the
Equal (=) key on the numeric keypad, or click 2 If you are using VITC, identify the Timecode
Current Timecode to enter a paused VTR’s frame location where you want to trigger play-
current Timecode location. back of your clip by pausing your video deck on
• If you are using LTC, when Timecode is se- that frame.
lected for the Time Scale, press the Equal (=) 3 Click the clip with the Time Grabber tool. The
key on the numeric keypad to capture the in- clip will be automatically spotted to the current
coming timecode. When Bars|Beats is se- timecode location (or machine location).
lected for the Time Scale, press the Equal key
to capture the nearest measure. Clicking a clip with any of the Trim tools will
allow you to trim the clip to the current time-
code location.
By the time you get the tape, you may have no idea
what’s actually on it. Feeding 29.97 Non-Drop to
Pro Tools when it is set for 30 fps Non-Drop will
result in timing errors of about 1.8 frames per min-
ute, causing audio playback to trigger out of sync.
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 | MachineControl™ provides serial com- Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation
munication between Pro Tools and Sony® 9-pin Requirements
compatible synchronizers, and video or audio ma-
A synchronization peripheral is required when
chines.
running MachineControl 9-Pin Remote Deck Em-
ulation mode, as it provides frame-accurate LTC.
MachineControl requires the following cables and For computers that do not have serial ports, a
adapters (sold separately), depending on your supported USB serial adapter (not provided)
computer platform: is required to make the MachineControl
connection. For a list of qualified USB serial
Mac Systems
adapters, visit www.avid.com/compatibility.
Remote Deck Emulation Mode Cable Male 8-pin
Pro Tools HDX and HD Native Systems
mini-DIN to female 9-pin cable, required for
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation. For Pro Tools HD and HDX or HD Native systems
with a synchronization peripheral, you can use a
Serial Deck Control Cable Male 8-pin mini-DIN
Serial to 9-pin connection or a 9-pin to 9-pin con-
to male 9-pin cable, for Deck Control.
nection for Serial Deck Control mode.
USB Serial Adapter A supported USB serial
adapter, such as the Colin Broad 422 USB serial
adapter, is required for serial to USB connections
on the Mac.
1356 Pro Tools Reference Guide
CPU to Deck Connection This type of connection On Windows systems, Remote 9-pin Deck Em-
yields the best performance, especially with linear ulation mode uses an RS-232 to RS-422 cable and
decks. Use the included Serial Deck Control cable a Turnaround adapter connected to an available se-
for this type of connection. rial or COM port on the computer. If no COM port
is available, a supported serial adapter connected
Synchronization Peripheral to Deck
to a USB port on the computer is required.
Connection This type of connection is suitable for
non-linear decks. If you are using a SYNC HD, as
many as two machines can be connected to the two
9-pin Out ports. You can control one machine at a Connecting Machines
time, and switch between them from within This section describes how to connect machines
Pro Tools. Pro Tools | Sync X provides a single for Serial Control Mode or Remote 9-Pin Deck
9-pin Out port. These ports support all Machine- Emulation Mode. All cables and adapters are sold
Control modes except Remote 9-Pin Deck Emula- separately.
tion mode. For Remote Deck Emulation mode on
Mac systems or Windows computers without a Connecting Machines for
COM port, a supported USB serial adapter is re- Serial Control Mode
quired.
For Best Serial Deck Control
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation For best serial deck control, connect your deck as
Mode follows depending on whether you are using a Mac
This mode enables a form of deck emulation in or a Windows computer.
Pro Tools. When the Remote 9-Pin Deck Emula-
To connect a deck to a Mac computer:
tion Mode cable is used on a supported system,
Pro Tools can respond to record-arming, transport, 1 Connect a supported USB serial adapter, such
and other standard 9-pin commands from an exter- as the Colin Broad 422 USB serial adapter, to a
nal machine. USB port on the computer.
While in Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode, 2 Connect a male mini DIN-8 serial to male 9-pin
Pro Tools always generates timecode, and can be D-sub Deck Control cable to the end of the
either the timecode master or follow external time- adapter.
code. 3 Connect the other end of the cable to the ma-
On Mac systems, use the Remote 9-Pin Emula- chine.
tion Mode cable. This mode requires a supported
To connect a deck to a Windows computer, do one
serial adapter connected to a computer USB port,
of the following:
and a properly wired configuration. See “Remote
9-Pin Deck Emulation Mode” on page 1376 for Connect the computer’s COM port to the ma-
details. chine, using a 9-pin RS-322 to RS-422 cable.
For computers that do not have a COM port, use
a supported USB serial adapter, such as the
Colin Broad 422 USB serial adapter, with the
cable to connect the machine to a USB port on
the computer.
Chapter 61: Pro Tools | MachineControl 1357
For Limited Serial Deck Control (Non-Linear Using a Rosetta Stone Adapter
Decks Only) with MachineControl
• Connect a standard 9-pin cable from the 9-pin (Windows Only)
Out port on Sync X, or one of the 9-pin Out ports
Using the Rosetta Stone adapter (sold separately)
on SYNC HD, to the 9-pin input of the machine.
with MachineControl on Windows lets you in-
Due to performance limitations, this configura-
crease reliability for long cable runs for Serial
tion should be used primarily with non-linear
Deck Control mode or Remote mode.
decks.
A Rosetta Stone RS-232 to RS-422 adapter
Connecting Machines for Remote 9-Pin (model 2/8 or 2/9) and additional RS-232 and
Deck Emulation Mode
RS-422 cables are required.
To connect a machine for Remote 9-Pin Deck
To increase reliability in long cable runs in Serial
Emulation mode (Mac Systems):
Deck Control mode:
1 Connect a supported USB serial adapter to a 1 Connect the RS-232 cable from your com-
USB port on the computer. puter’s COM port into the RS-232 side of the
2 Connect a male mini DIN-8 serial to female Rosetta Stone adapter. If no COM port is avail-
9-pin Deck Emulation cable to the end of the able, use a supported USB serial adapter con-
adapter. nected to a USB port on your computer.
3 Connect the end of the cable to the machine. 2 Connect the RS-422 cable from the RS-422 side
of the Rosetta Stone to the deck or 9-pin patch
To connect a machine for Remote 9-Pin Deck bay. If a longer run is needed, add more 9-pin
Emulation mode (Windows Systems), do one of cable on the RS-422 end.
the following:
Transport = Machine
For details on Auto-Spotting, see “Auto- Several display elements of the Edit and Transport
Spotting Clips” on page 1348. windows provide machine status information
during MachineControl use, as follows:
When the transport is offline, the Pro Tools Trans-
• When Pro Tools is online, the Transport Online
port window controls the machine only.
button flashes. “Waiting for Sync” will be dis-
played in the status box in the lower left corner
Toggling the Transport while Online
of the Edit window.
When the Transport window is online, toggling the • The Transport Online button continues to flash
Transport Master between Pro Tools and your ma- until you click Play and timecode lock occurs
chine will also toggle between controller and con- (all devices locked and responding in sync).
trolled.
• The Timecode display in the Edit window shows
Toggling the Online Status of a Device the Machine Time when the machine is Master.
• Upon lockup, the Timecode display switches to
Use the Online pop-up menu in the Transport Mas-
show the session time.
ter selector to toggle the online status of a Machine
device. • When set to 9-pin Deck mode, the Online button
icon updates to show a 9-pin icon.
To put a device online (or offline):
To put Pro Tools in Remote mode: 1 Open an existing session or create a new one.
1 Choose View > Transport > Synchronization. 2 Set up a MachineControl device. (See “Config-
uring a MachineControl Device for Deck Con-
2 Click the Remote button in the Transport
trol” on page 1364.)
window.
3 Configure Pro Tools Machine Control prefer-
ences and Online Options in the Preferences di-
alog. (See“Preferences for Serial Deck Control
Mode” on page 1365.)
4 Configure Pro Tools session settings in the Ses-
sion Setup window. (See“Session Setup Win-
Remote button in the Transport window
dow and MachineControl” on page 1367.)
For more information on Remote mode in
5 In the Pro Tools Transport window, select
Pro Tools, see “Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation
Pro Tools or Machine as the Transport Master.
Mode” on page 1376.
(See “Selecting Pro Tools or the Machine as the
Transport Master” on page 1369.)
Serial Deck Control Mode 6 Use the Transport window to play back mate-
rial. (See “Playback in Serial Deck Control
Serial Deck Control mode is available whenever Mode” on page 1370.)
MachineControl is connected using the Serial
Deck Control cable. For more information about
connecting Pro Tools for Serial Deck Control
mode, see “Cables and Connections” on
page 1356.
To select a machine for Serial Deck Control mode: 2 Choose Serial Timecode from the Positional
Reference pop-up menu.
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Peripherals and
click the Machine Control tab. 3 In the Transport window, click the GEN LTC
button.
2 In the 9-pin Machine Control (Deck Control)
section select Enable.
3 Choose Sync X 9-Pin Out, SYNC 9-Pin Out 1 or
SYNC 9-Pin Out 2, or an available serial port
from the Port pop-up menu.
4 Choose the appropriate machine profile from GEN LTC button in Transport window
the Machine Type pop-up menu.
5 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
Preferences for Serial Deck
Control Mode
Using Serial Timecode for
Positional Reference Configure preferences for MachineControl play-
back and recording in Pro Tools.
If you are using a synchronization peripheral and
your machine has 9-pin serial timecode capability,
you can use serial timecode for positional refer- Playback Options
ence. This improves lockup times. To set Machine Control and Synchronization
options:
To use serial timecode for positional reference, a
Video Reference signal must be present, as indi- 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the Syn-
cated by the Status indicator in the Session Setup chronization tab.
and Edit windows. Both the synchronization pe- 2 Select the desired Machine Control options.
ripheral and the external machine should be locked
to the same video reference signal. 3 Set Synchronization options as desired.
When using Serial Timecode for positional refer- 4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
ence, you can regenerate LTC.
Machine Chases Memory Location When se- Minimum Sync Delay Sets the amount of time (in
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session frames) for devices to achieve synchronization
with a Memory Location causes a connected trans- “lock.” This amount varies for each device. For
port to chase to that location. more information, see “Setting Minimum Sync
Delay” on page 1345.
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se-
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session Delay Before Locking to Longitudinal
by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a Timecode Sets the amount of time (in frames) for
track will cause a connected transport to chase to Pro Tools to lock to incoming LTC. Use this op-
that location. tion when locking Pro Tools to a stable timecode
source (such as a non-linear machine or LTC gen-
When the connected device is a linear device erator) and not a linear tape machine.
(such as a tape deck), select Linear Devices (jog) to
set Pro Tools to send jog commands. Delay Before Locking to Serial Timecode Sets
the amount of time (in frames) for Pro Tools to
When the connected device is a non-linear de-
wait before attempting to lock to machines that is-
vice (such as a random-access video recorder or
sue servo lock messages. This setting allows time
another Pro Tools system), select Non-Linear De-
for the servo mechanisms to achieve stable lock.
vices (cue) to set Pro Tools to send cue commands.
Format section
Sync X Setup
& External Offsets
section
External Timecode
Offset settings
Timecode Settings
section
Pull Up/Pull Down
settings
Freewheel settings
When the Online button is highlighted, toggling If the Transport Master selector will not stay set to
the Transport Master between Pro Tools and Ma- Machine, or if it switches to Pro Tools from Ma-
chine also toggles between generating/following chine, check your machine’s Local/Remote set-
timecode. ting. It should be set to Remote to receive com-
mands from the Pro Tools Transport.
To spot clips to the machine’s current location, use Even if your machine is not directly supported, the
Pro Tools Spot mode or Auto-Spot Clips. Track Arming window lets you arm tracks, set the
Record Protocol and configure the Record mode
for the machine.
Remote Track Arming You can also define, save, and load customized de-
Pro Tools with MachineControl provides the abil- vice profiles. (See “Creating a Track Arming Pro-
ity to record-arm audio, video, or timecode tracks file” on page 1372.)
on external decks, and rehearse an edit.
Not all machines support independent arming
On MachineControl-equipped systems, the Ma- of their audio tracks locally or remotely, and
chine Track Arming command is available in the some machines require a separate utility
Pro Tools Window menu. The Machine Track menu selection. Pro Tools remote track arm-
Arming window lets you configure track arming ing cannot operate in these situations.
during sessions using the settings appropriate for
the current Track Arming Profile (see “Identifying
Your Machine” on page 1372).
When you configure Pro Tools for MachineCon- Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming Profiles.
trol, it automatically loads the track arming profile
for the identified machines.
If you are using a generic machine profile, be When you create a new Track Arming Profile,
sure to double-check record behavior using a Stop command is sent to any connected ma-
non-essential tapes before using Machine- chine to protect elements on tape.
Control’s remote track arming functions.
Choosing a Machine ID
For maximum flexibility, use Track Arming Pro-
files to create, customize, and manage multiple To recognize your machine:
machine descriptions (see “Creating a Track Arm-
In the Create Machine Track Arming Profile di-
ing Profile” on page 1372).
alog, click Identify Machine.
Use Assemble mode when you want to: • If you make a selection in Pro Tools that crosses
the “midnight” boundary (00:00:00:00), make
• Begin recording program onto a completely
sure your deck can handle this situation. Exper-
blank tape (unformatted)
iment with a dispensable tape to familiarize
• Append program to the remainder of a tape yourself with the crossover capabilities of your
which already has program you want to keep deck.
While in Edit Preview mode, the Transport Record Arming Tracks Remotely for
button flashes yellow when armed and lights solid Layback
yellow when rehearsing. Armed tracks are indi-
To arm tracks remotely for layback, you need to
cated by yellow track buttons in the Track Arming
first configure Track Arming for your machine.
window.
To configure Track Arming:
To rehearse a layback:
1 Make sure your machine is properly connected
1 In Pro Tools, select the audio you want to re-
and configured to following Pro Tools.
hearse for layback, or place the playback cursor
at a start point. 2 Open the Track Arming window.
2 Choose Window > Machine Track Arming. 3 Select a Record Protocol (Auto Edit or Punch
In/Out).
3 In the Track Arming window, select Edit Pre-
view. 4 Select a Record mode (Insert or Assemble).
4 In the Track Arming window, arm the tracks Once the Track Arming options are config-
you want to rehearse by clicking the corre- ured, you can change the Track Arming win-
sponding buttons. The buttons light yellow to dow to “small view” and still see the track
indicate armed status. arm buttons.
5 Right-click the Online button in the Pro Tools
To perform a layback:
Transport and select Transport > Machine.
1 In Pro Tools, select the audio to lay back, or
6 In the Pro Tools Transport window, click the place the playback cursor at a start point.
Online button to put Pro Tools online.
2 In the Remote Track Arming window, arm the
7 In the Pro Tools Transport window, click Re- appropriate tracks on the machine.
cord. The button flashes yellow to indicate Edit
Preview (Rehearse) mode. 3 Right-click the Online button in the Pro Tools
Transport and select Transport > Machine.
4 Make sure the Pro Tools Transport is online.
5 Click Record in the Transport window to arm
recording.
6 Click Play in the Transport window.
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode makes 5 Select the 9-pin MachineControl port from the
Pro Tools operate as a virtual tape deck, support- Port pop-up menu.
ing most standard Sony P2 9-pin commands. For a
6 Choose the appropriate machine profile from
list of supported commands, see “9-Pin Com-
the Machine Type pop-up menu.
mands” on page 1380.
7 If you want Pro Tools to ignore transport com-
By default, Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75
mands and just chase LTC, enable Chase LTC.
model video deck. You can also configure
Pro Tools to emulate other machines. For more in- 8 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
formation, see “Alternate Machine Types” on
9 In the Transport window, click the Remote but-
page 1378.
ton to put Pro Tools in Remote mode.
For instructions on connecting Pro Tools for
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode, see
“Cables and Connections” on page 1356.
By default, MachineControl lets Pro Tools emu- Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode En-
late a Sony BVW-75. If you use a machine that fol- ables a supported third-party paddle device to issue
lows a different 9-pin command set, you can con- the following Pro Tools track commands while in
figure Pro Tools for that machine’s description. Local mode:
• Input monitoring
To configure Pro Tools for an alternate machine:
• Record Enable
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals, and click the
Machine Control tab. • Record Safe
For more information, see “Selecting Full For more information, see “Preferences for
Remote Mode or Remote/LTC Chase Mode” Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation Mode” on
on page 1377. page 1355.
• Perform Auto Edit Record 1 Connect the supported third-party paddle de-
vice to your system.
• Perform Punch-In/Punch-Out Record
(requires QuickPunch mode and voices) 2 Make sure the Allow Track Arm Commands in
• Return Status-Online, State, Tracks Armed Local Mode preference is enabled.
See “Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation Mode” 5 Select the 9-pin MachineControl port from the
on page 1376 for detailed information on Port pop-up menu.
connecting a machine to Pro Tools.
6 Choose the appropriate machine profile from
the Machine Type pop-up menu.
Allow Track Arm Commands See “Serial Deck Control Mode” on page 1363
in Local Mode Preference for detailed information about configuring and
The Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode using Serial Deck Control mode.
preference must be enabled in order to control
7 In the 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) section,
Pro Tools with a paddle device in Local mode.
select Enable.
To enable the Allow Track Arm Commands in Local
Mode preference:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
Synchronization tab. Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode settings
2 Select Allow Track Arm Commands in Local 8 Select the 9-pin MachineControl port from the
Mode. Port pop-up menu.
Cue to Selection Out Point Minus Preroll Option+Right Arrow Alt+Right Arrow
The first 0x signifies hex value. The next four 0xF019 AJ-D350 (D3)
numbers signify the machine ID. The name of the 0x3011 DVR-2100
associated machine follows.
0x3000 DVR-1000
Machines, by ID number
0x0010 BVH-2000
ID number Machine
0x0011 BVH-2000
0x0000 Generic 1
0x0110 BVH-2000 PS
0x0001 Generic 2
0x0111 BVH-2000 PS
0x1000 BVU-800
0x0018 BVH-2180
0x101C BVU-950
0x0020 BVH-2500
0x1019 BVU-920
0x0120 BVH-2500 PS
0x1080 BVU-900
0x0030 BVH-2700
0x104C VO-9850
0x0040 BVH-2800
0x1048 VO-9800
0x0048 BVH-2830
0x102C SVO-9600
0x0050 BVH-3000
0x2000 BVW-10
0x0060 BVH-3100
0x2001 BVW-40
0x0150 BVH-3000 PS
0x2002 BVW-11
0x0160 BVH-3100 PS
0x2003 BVW-15
0x2041 PVW-2800
0x2010 BVW-35
0x1211 ASC Virtual Recorder
0x2020 BVW-60
0x1011 Fostex D-10
0x2021 BVW-65
0xF027 Otari R-DAT
0x2022 BVW-95
0x7001 PCM-7030
0x2023 BVW-96
0x7001 TASCAM DA-88
0x2024 BVW-70
0x7003 PCM-800
0x2025 BVW-75
0x7000 PCM-7000
0x1021 SVP-5600
0x2124 BCB-70
0x2101 BVW-40P
0x8017 DSR-1500A
0x6007 3348HR
0x6005 3348HRV
0x6003 3324
0x20E0 HDW-500
0x20A0 SRW-5000
Shielding
The outside shielding of the D-Sub 9-pin (female) should be wired to the outside shielding of the Mini DIN
8-pin (male).
Pro Tools Ultimate lets you import multichannel Digital Field Recorders
audio files and metadata recorded by field record-
A field recorder, also known as a hard disk loca-
ers.
tion audio recorder, is a device used by a produc-
tion sound mixer during a film or video shoot to
make a multichannel recording of multiple micro-
Field Recorder and phone inputs recorded simultaneously.
Production Workflow
Terminology Depending on the capabilities and settings of a
(Pro Tools Ultimate Software Only) 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 Ultimate, you may want to review a drive, DVD-RAM, or Flash media.
brief glossary of common field recorder and pro-
duction terms. Multichannel recordings made by a field recorder
should be encoded with start and end time stamps
representing SMPTE timecode or linear timecode
Field Recorder Terminology
(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 1395 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 1396. 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.
This option lets you set the method Pro Tools uses The Reset button toggles all criteria to their
to name and sort the audio files created by expand- default values.
ing matching field recorder channels.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
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
recorder files in the Audio Files folder for the cur- Search dialog and save the new search area
rent session. Because field recorders often accu- settings.
mulate large amounts of audio data, importing the • Click Save & Index to save the new search
necessary files into your Pro Tools session can be a area settings and re-index the selected fold-
slow and complex task. ers. For more information, see “Re-Indexing”
on page 1401.
The Select Areas to Search option lets you specify
additional locations (such as alternate folders or Re-Indexing
hard drives) for Pro Tools to search for matches.
When new audio is added to one of the designated
To select areas to search for matching field search areas, Pro Tools must index the contents of
recorder tracks: that folder before the new audio can be accessed.
1 Right-click the name of a field recorder track.
To re-index all alternate search areas:
2 Click Select Areas to Search. 1 In the Field Recorder Channels Match dialog,
click Select Areas to Search.
2 Click Save & Index to save the current settings
and re-index all search areas in the list.
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 1405).
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.
Following these steps ensures that timecode meta- • The camera assistant keeps a written record
data are preserved from the moment shooting be- (called a shootlist) documenting each scene
gins to the final delivery of source files to the and take with a corresponding keycode posi-
Pro Tools editor. tion.
• The production sound mixer also keeps a
written record (also called a sound log) docu-
Setting Up Before Shooting
(Film Workflow) menting each scene and take with a corre-
sponding timecode position.
Before each day’s shooting begins, the production
sound mixer should decide on a unique name— 4 The slate operator claps the slate to indicate the
preferably ascending by day—and enter that exact beginning of the take. The field recorder records
name in the Tape BEXT or iXML metadata field the audio of the clap, and the film camera cap-
inside the Broadcast WAV file. tures the following images:
• Scene and take number (written on the slate)
For example, the production sound mixer might
• Exact moment the slate closes
use T001 for the first day’s shooting, T002 for the
second day’s shooting, and so forth. • Timecode position of the slate closing
5 Shooting ends and the take is complete.
• 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 synchro-
To use a telecine to create dailies: nized film and audio to the videotape, with
linear timecode (LTC) assigned to the video-
1 Load film and audio into the telecine.
tape beginning from where you entered the
2 Enter the Tape name or Sound Roll name start timecode.
(whichever was used during the production) • A FLEx file is created, where scene and take
character for character into the telecine. information is automatically written and as-
sociated to the film keycode and telecine vid-
To ensure that metadata are preserved for
eotape timecode relative to audio timecode.
the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the
Tape name or Sound Roll name character for 10 When the telecine transfer is complete, deliver
character. For example, if the metadata was the following to the Avid editor:
T001 (with two zeroes), enter T001 with two • Telecine videotape
zeroes—not T01 with one zero or T0001 with
• FLEx file
three zeroes.
• Shootlist
3 Using the camera assistant’s shootlist, locate the • Sound log
film frame representing the first keycode posi-
• Location audio media
tion of the film in the shootlist (which should be
just before the slate is clapped).
4 Locate the film to the first frame where the slate
clap occurs, and note the timecode position dis-
played on the slate.
5 Locate the audio to the exact timecode position
listed on the slate in the film frame (which lines
up the audio with the film).
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.
When you are finished editing, export the edited 4 Use the Avid video editing application to edit
sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it audio and video.
can be imported into Pro Tools.
5 When you are finished editing, export the edited
sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it
can be imported into Pro Tools.
For more information, see Chapter 33, Click the Video Online button of any track that
“Playlists.” is offline (gray) to put it online (blue), making
that track the main video track.
Multiple Codecs on an Individual
Video Track
(Pro Tools Ultimate Only)
On the video track, select Frames or Blocks Video track in Blocks View
from the View Options pop-up menu.
Timecode Overlay Button
Frames View The Timecode Overlay button lets you toggle
In Frames View, video data is displayed as pictures Timecode Overlay on (blue) and off (gray) for the
in the video track. These pictures are computed Video window (see “Timecode Overlay” on
based on the video image, and scale according to page 1439).
your track zoom and height settings. They allow
you to easily find a scene or sequence in the video Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
track. (Windows) the Timecode Overlay button to
open the Timecode Overlay Settings dialog.
Video Online button (offline (top) and online (bottom) Dropped Frames indicator red
Previous playback report in tooltip
To switch a video track online or offline:
Click the Video Online button of any track that Dropped Frames indicator states
is offline (gray) to put it online (blue), making Playback
Indicator Issue
that track the main video track. Status
Click the Video Online button of the main video Not lit Stopped No dropped frames
detected in last playback
track to take it offline, and Pro Tools will not pass or indicator reset
output video.
Not lit Playing No dropped frames
With Pro Tools Ultimate, press Shift+J to cy- back detected
cle through all shown video tracks to deter-
Red Playing Dropped frames detected
mine which one is online. back
Disk may be too slow reported if the hard drive Frame Rate
could not keep up with the video media during Raster Size
Video Quality
playback. Possible solutions include:
Color Space
• Use a faster drive that can handle the band-
width of the media. Video Track Output controls
• Use a local drive if the media resides on net-
work storage. Engine Rate and Raster Settings
• Use Bounce Mix to create a lower bandwidth The engine Frame Rate and Raster Size selectors
MOV file to use in the session. determine how a video file is processed and output
• Split audio and video media onto separate by the video engine. In most cases, the engine set-
drives to remove bandwidth contention. tings should match the attributes of the video file
for optimal playback performance. In some cases,
Audio and video engines do not have a common however, there can be mixed file raster sizes, or the
clock Reported if video hardware is connected, but
video may be a non-standard frame rate or raster
there is no common clock between the audio and
size, in which case real time frame rate or raster
video interfaces. The video engine will drop or du-
size conversion must be done to match the file to
plicate frames to stay in sync with the audio en-
the selected engine settings.
gine. In some cases this is unavoidable because the
hardware does not support video reference. To Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
avoid this, use Pro Tools Ultimate software with a (Windows) to override Pro Tools and select
Pro Tools | Sync X or SYNC HD a common video the desired Frame Rate or Raster Size.
reference to the video hardware.
Default Engine Settings for Imported
File may be encoded in a way that is not optimized Video
for use with the Avid Video Engine Reported if
some files are encoded in a way that is not optimal The video engine Frame Rate and Raster Size set-
for playback in Pro Tools. For a list of qualified co- tings are set slightly differently when importing an
decs, visit the Avid Knowledge Base. AAF containing a sequence versus an individual
video file (such as a QuickTime file).
CPU/GPU may be underpowered Reported if
there is not enough CPU or GPU processing
power.
When importing an AAF, the engine settings are Pro Tools can accept almost any Raster Size as
determined by the Project Type set in the AAF long as the dimension of each side of the video file
(which is defined in Media Composer). For AAFs is a multiple of 2. Video plays back at its native
that come from other applications, Pro Tools uses size and aspect ratio in the Pro Tools Video win-
the Single File logic, and the engine settings are dow. Hardware display is limited only by the capa-
based on the first file on the timeline. bilities of the hardware.
Single File While Pro Tools does not allow mixed frame rates,
it does allow different resolutions. If two or more
When importing a single video file, QuickTime or files with different resolutions are imported, the
MXF, Pro Tools picks the optimal video engine options in the Raster Size selector increase to
Frame Rate and Raster Size based on the file attri- match the attributes of the files in the session.
butes. If the file attributes perfectly fit in a standard
Frame Rate and Raster Size, that Frame Rate and If a file is imported that does not match a standard
Raster Size are used. Raster Size, Pro Tools plays back the file at the na-
tive Raster Size. Note that you can select any other
Frame Rate standard Raster Size.
While Pro Tools does not allow mixed frame rates, QuickTime Media
it does allow different resolutions. The Frame Rate
selector lets you set the Frame Rate to best match When importing a QuickTime movie, the follow-
mixed resolutions for the session. In general, you ing conditions may apply:
will not need to change the Frame Rate. • Pro Tools automatically sets the Frame Rate and
For Avid MXF video, Frame Rate is set automati- Raster Size on import based on the QuickTime
cally. However, when you are working with mixed movie’s frame rate and resolution.
resolutions, Pro Tools lets you set the closest • If multiple Frame Rates and Raster Sizes are
matching resolution for the session using the possible, Pro Tools lets you select from the best
Frame Rate setting. possible matches available.
If a file is imported that does not match any stan- • If the frame rate is close to a whole value,
dard Frame Rate, Pro Tools uses the closest possi- Pro Tools rounds to the nearest frame rate (for
ble Frame Rate. Note that you can select any other example, 29.972 is rounded to 29.97)
standard Frame Rate, in which case Frame Rate • For imported QuickTime media with unknown
conversion is unavoidable, so be sure to select the Frame Rates and Raster Sizes (such as stills or
Frame Rate that works best for your project. screen captures), change the settings to best
match other video files in the session.
Synchronizing a
single system with
Pro Tools Ultimate a video peripheral.
Synchronizing a
single system with
Clock Source: a video peripheral.
Sync X
Pro Tools Ultimate
Sync HD Synchronizing one
Pro Tools and the Pro Tools HD
video engine will or more systems
Hardware
Clock Reference: with analog gear
use same top-of-
External Digital and a video periph-
Clock Source: frame to begin Sync HD
Clock (e.g., Word eral.
Video Reference playback in sync.
Clock or AES)
Video peripheral
Synchronizing mul-
Playback will not capable of
Video Reference: tiple systems that
drift. external video
Connected and interchange digital
reference
matching Video Ref audio with each
Format other, as well as a
video
peripheral.
Audio or video
Pro Tools and the
peripheral is not
video engine will
capable of exter-
begin playback
nal reference. This
within +/–1 frame
includes using the
of each other. The
built-in computer
offset will vary
audio.
within this range
by a different
If one peripheral
amount with the
does not/cannot
start of each play-
have an external
back pass.
clock source,
Clock Source: there is no benefit
Playback will drift
Audio Interface to applying an
Clock Source: over time because
Video peripheral external clock
Internal the engines are
Clock Reference: source to the other
not resolved to the
Internal peripheral, in
same clock. The
regards to A/V
video engine will
sync. However, it
detect if the clock
may be beneficial
has drifted by a 1/2
to apply external
a frame more. If
clock reference to
this is the case, it
one peripheral for
will drop or
other reasons,
duplicate a frame,
such as the inter-
depending on the
change of digital
direction of the
audio signal with
drift, to keep up
another audio
(slewing).
interface.
When Pro Tools uses a frame rate that is non-na- The following options are available:
tive to the media, and the Frame Rate automati-
cally selected by Pro Tools is not what you want, Full Quality
you can select the best matching Frame Rate from
Select the Full Quality option to process and play
the Frame Rate selector. Any options not sup-
back the full image raster for the project. Full Qual-
ported by the hardware are listed as hardware n/a
ity uses a bit depth of 8 bits. This option provides
and are inactive in the list.
the highest video playback quality by processing
Once Shuttle Lock mode is initiated, Fast Forward Increasing or Decreasing the
and Rewind become highlighted in the Transport Size of Video Frames
window.
To increase or decrease the size of video frames in
5 Press additional keys to change the playback the Video Universe window:
speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch
Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click
the playback direction (plus for forward, minus
(Mac) anywhere in the Universe, and select In-
for backward).
crease or Decrease.
Video frame with zoom tool Video frame with selector tool
To use the Video Universe window to zoom video To use the Video Universe window to select ranges
clips in the Edit window: in video clips in the Edit window:
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 • To place the cursor at the beginning of a video
far left of the Timeline while maintaining the clip, click the video frame representing the
current zoom resolution in the Edit window, video clip.
click the video frame representing the clip • To select an entire video clip from start to
once. end, double-click the video frame represent-
• To zoom in on a video clip so that it fills the ing that clip.
entire Edit window, double-click the video • To select one or more entire clips from start to
frame representing the clip. end, drag the video frames representing the
• To zoom a range of selected clips so that they video clips.
fill the Edit window, drag on the video frames
that represent the clips. If the Edit window does not display the
selected video clips, it will automatically
scroll to show the beginning of the selection.
1 Choose Setup > Video Sync Offset. To access the control panel for your video
hardware:
2 In the Set Video Sync Offset dialog, enter a
value in the QuickTime Video Offset field or Choose Setup > Video Hardware Control Panel.
Windows Media Video Offset field that is ap-
propriate to compensate for the delay caused by External Display Color Space
your video monitor chain.
When using video hardware, picture is sent to the
video hardware using the selected session color
space. Use the Video Hardware Control Panel to
make adjustments to the display color for your
video hardware if necessary.
Video Reference
Video Sync Offset dialog Video output can be locked to external video refer-
ence, including Black Burst and Tri-Level Sync.
Once this value is set, it should not need to be up-
dated unless you change components in your video Pro Tools Ultimate should be locked to a suit-
monitoring chain (such as projectors or plasma able clock reference, such as a SYNC HD. If no
screens). external audio clock is referenced, audio will
not be frame-edge aligned and may drift.
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.
VBR typically takes longer than CBR en- AAC export supports 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz,
coding, but it is preferred for most non-web and 96 kHz sample rates, and a single stem of au-
content delivery. dio.
Include Timecode Overlay PCM audio supports all sample rates, bit depths,
and channel widths.
Enable the Include Timecode Overlay option to
burn in timecode to the bounced .mov file. When
enabled, this option uses the Timecode Overlay
Settings as configured for the session (Setup >
Timecode Overlay Settings).
Avid Satellite Link lets you link multiple systems • Pro Tools Satellite
over an Ethernet network so that you can cue, play, • Designed to be an extension of the Satellite
and stop the transports, make play selections, and Administrator for audio playback and record-
solo tracks across any of the systems from any ing.
linked workstation. Each satellite network consists
• Can issue and receive transport commands.
of one satellite administrator and between 1 and 11
satellite members, for up to a total of 12 systems • Can send and receive solo information.
depending on your configuration. Each satellite • Requires Pro Tools Ultimate software,
can have different functionality depending on the Pro Tools | HD hardware, and a synchroniza-
software, software license, and attached hardware. tion peripheral for near sample accurate play-
These functionality differences are referred to by back.
roles, designed to serve specific workflow needs. • Pro Tools Video Satellite
• Satellite Administrator: • Designed to offload video playback to a dif-
• Requires a Pro Tools Ultimate software li- ferent system.
cense: • Can receive transport commands but cannot
• Responsible for claiming the satellite mem- issue them.
bers in the satellite network. • Pro Tools Ultimate may also be used as a
• There can be only one administrator per sat- Video Satellite. It is possible to add HD hard-
ellite network. ware and a synchronization peripheral for
• Can issue and receive transport commands. better playback accuracy.
• Can send and receive solo information. • A single Pro Tools Studio system may be
added to the satellite network.
• Can claim one additional Video Satellite
when HD hardware is not connected. Since a This system may only receive transport com-
synchronization peripheral cannot be used, mands. It cannot send transport commands,
synchronization will be near frame accurate. and it cannot send or receive solo information.
• Can claim up to 11 additional Satellites when
HD hardware is in use. A synchronization pe-
ripheral is required for near sample accurate
playback.
3 Click OK. Do the following for each Pro Tools system you
want to configure as a Satellite Link satellite:
TCP/UDP Port 1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click Satellites.
Systems in a Satellite Link network need to use the 2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for
same TCP/UDP port to communicate. Available the system.
satellite systems will only appear on other satellite
systems using the same port. 3 Under Mode, choose Satellite.
4 Click OK.
By default, Satellite Link uses TCP/UDP port
28282. However, if the default port is already in
use, or if you want to set up separate Satellite Link
networks, you can select a different TCP/UDP port
for Satellite Link communication.
3 Click OK.
The Link button controls the link status of the local You can link or unlink a system while it or any
system. When linked, the button is highlighted. other linked system is playing back (“join in
play”), and the transports will play in sync. In
Satellite Link Buttons cases where both systems are playing back, the
newly linked system will cue to the location of the
Satellite Link buttons control the link status of the
system on which the link was initiated.
other satellite systems on the network. On every
other system, one of these buttons corresponds to
that system’s main Link button. Linking Pro Tools Systems in a
Satellite Network
Link buttons highlight to indicate linked status of
the remote system. A Satellite Link button high- To link (or unlink) the local Pro Tools system:
lights red if that system stops playback due to an Click the Link button in the Transport so that is
error or the opening of a modal dialog. highlighted (or unhighlighted).
The Transmit Play Selections and Receive Play To link (or unlink) remote satellite systems:
Selections buttons in the Transport mirror the
Click the corresponding Satellite Link button
Transmit Play Selections and Receive Play Selec-
for the remote system in the Transport so that it
tions options in the Satellites section of the Syn-
is highlighted (or unhighlighted).
chronization preferences (Setup > Preferences >
Synchronization). The button highlights when the
To link (or unlink) all declared satellite systems:
option is enabled.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Transmit Play Selections When enabled, causes a Link button or a Satellite Link button in the
linked Pro Tools system to send the Edit window Transport so that they are all highlighted (or un-
selection to all other linked Pro Tools systems. On highlighted).
other linked systems that are set to receive play se-
lections, the selection is mirrored in the Edit win-
dow.
Solo in Place With Solo Link, when using Solo In Make sure the AAE Errors Stop All Linked Sys-
Place, the mode of solo operation is determined by tems option is selected in the Synchronization
the system transmitting the solo. Preferences.
If a linked system is in Solo Latch mode, solo- To set all systems to stop the transport when an er-
ing a track on that system adds to the number of ror occurs, make sure this option is selected on all
tracks in solo, regardless of the solo mode of other linked systems.
systems set to receive solos.
Playback and Modal Dialogs
If a linked system is in Solo X-OR mode, solo-
ing a track on that system cancels all other sys- Linked systems stop playback (or prevent play-
tem’s solos regardless of the solo mode of other back from starting) if a modal dialog (such as the
systems set to receive solos. I/O Setup, Hardware Setup, or Playback Engine di-
alog) is opened on any linked system.
AFL and PFL Modes With Solo Link, AFL and
PFL solos on a linked system have no effect on To avoid interrupting playback on another
other systems. system when opening a modal dialog,
unlink the system before opening the dialog.
An AFL-soloed track on a linked system can be
muted by a Solo In Place on another system. To
avoid this, use PFL instead of AFL.
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 1449. 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 1451. 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 sat-
dialog box is open. ellite falls before the start time of the admin-
istrator Pro Tools session, type a positive
timecode value into the Satellite Offset field.
Spotting Video to the Pro Tools
Timeline • If the start time of the video clip in video sat-
ellite falls after the start time of the adminis-
Once a session is created (or an existing session
trator Pro Tools session, type a negative
opened) on the satellite Pro Tools system, and the
timecode 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
value that matches the amount of delay in the
You can control the amount of offset by changing
monitors. You may need to try a few different
the Timecode Offset parameters on the Pro Tools
settings.
Video Satellite system.
Media Composer software with the Video Satellite In more complex clocking scenarios, it is pos-
option can output and capture video with any sup- sible to apply both video reference and Word
port Avid or third-party video peripheral. Clock or AES to the SYNC HD, as long as it is
derived from the same Clock Source.
Media Composer Video Satellite It is possible for both systems to play together
Requirements without a common clock source, but the start of
Media Composer Video Satellite requires the fol- play will not be as accurate, and playback may drift
lowing system components: over long playback passes.
• Certain dialogs are open in either Pro Tools When working with 24p and 23.976 projects,
or Media Composer. Media Composer defaults to displaying frames
• Media Composer is not the active applica- mapped to 29.97 fps timecode. In order to keep the
tion. Pro Tools and Media Composer timecode displays
in sync when working in 24p or 23.976 projects,
• Pro Tools does not have an open session, or
click the timecode display above the Record mon-
Media Composer does not have an open se-
itor and choose Sequence > Timecode > 24 > Mas.
quence.
• If you experiencing any irregularities, choose To avoid sync problems during later stages of
Setup > Peripherals > Satellites in Pro Tools post production, it is strongly recommended
on the Satellite Administrator and click Reset in most cases to change the settings in
Network. Pro Tools to match those of the sequence
open in Media Composer.
3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session. 1 In the Settings tab of the Project window, open
the Film and 24P setting.
4 Select a timecode setting from the Timecode
Rate pop-up menu that is compatible to the 2 Select an Edit Play Rate matching your config-
Media Composer Project Type setting. uration according to the following table.
5 Make sure that a compatible clock source is 24p projects (PAL and NTSC) use a default
available and connected correctly. Edit Play Rate that does not match the project
rate. 24p PAL defaults to 25 fps and 24p
6 Select the connected clock reference from the
NTSC defaults to 23.976 fps.
Clock Reference pop-up menu.
7 Select a compatible video format from the To change audio pull up/down settings in
Pro Tools:
Video Ref Format pop-up menu.
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session.
Video Ref Format cannot be changed for
2 From the Timecode Settings section of the Ses-
most HD frame rates.
sion Setup window, select a rate from the Audio
Rate Pull Up/Down pop-up menu.
3 Click OK to apply the new pull up/down rate to
the session.
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
Edit PT SYNC HD
Avid Project Video Peripheral PT Audio Rate
Play Timecode Video Ref
Format Video Ref Pull Up/Down
Rate Rate Format
25 PAL 25 4% Up PAL
2k, 4k, and UHD settings and reference should mirror 1080p for the relative frame rate.
100/119.88/120 fps are supported with Media Composer Video Satellite configurations, but video
hardware will be disabled.
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
Pro Tools session start time to be earlier.
the 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
then double-click the General setting. the Satellite Offset field.
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
reference that the SYNC is locked to matches
that of the VTR.
Source Record
Track Track Record Enable Preview
button button
Index 1477
Allow Sends to persist during LLM option 123, 547 Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button 374
Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode option Audio Files folder 169
139, 140, 1381 audio format 474, 1329
alternate matching takes 562, 736 Audio Media options 447
Alternate Takes pop-up menu 563, 737 on export 474
Always Display Marker Colors option 113 on import 458
Always Fill Channel Strips When Banking option Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Mac) 99, 155
124 Audio Pull Up and Pull Down 1336, 1464
Always Show EUCON Assignable Knob Highlight Audio Pull Up/Down setting 1465
option 124 Audio Pull-Up and Edit Play Rate 1465
Ambisonics 1317 audio signal paths 54
B-format 1317 audio to MIDI 1027
configuring I/O Setup 1318 drag and drop 1028
creating mixes 1320 Audio to MIDI Plug-in preference 134, 1027
discrete channel orderings 1319 Audio to MIDI Properties dialog 1028, 1029
FB360 Audio plug-ins 1321 Audio Track RecordLock option 117, 595
folding down 1322 audio tracks 9
Higher-order 1317 5.1 format 1247
Ambisonics formats 1249 and Output format 1259
Analysis view 1004, 1018 and surround sessions 1257
anonymous usage reporting 120 bouncing to disk 1232
Apple Lossless 425 channel strips 227
Apply Real-Time Properties option 441 creating a tempo map for 893
archiving sessions (with Compact command) 695 disabling Elastic Audio 1003
arming enabling Elastic Audio 1002
safe (ignore) 1380 loop recording 560
Artist Chat placing audio in multichannel tracks 1258
Messages 399 punch recording 557
Pro Tools Projects list 399 recording multiple 551
Artist Chat window 391 signal flow 1078
Pro Tools Projects 394 track controls 231
ASIO 8 Waveform View 613
ASIO4ALL 94 Audio Zoom In button 634
aspect ratios (Video window) 1433 Audio Zoom Out button 634
Assemble mode 1374 AudioSuite menu 221
Assign Tags popover window 369 AudioSuite plug-ins 961, 962, 968, 1131
Assignments View (Sends View option) 1100 Bypass button 966
Atmos ADM BWF files 1309 Clip by Clip mode 964
Attributes (Groups List) command 312 Clips List command 962
attributes (groups) 316 Create Continuous File command 964
audio Create Individual Files command 963
convert to MIDI 1027 Default Handle Length preferences 132
Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind option 114, 505 Entire Selection mode 964
audio file formats 168, 425, 1235 File Mode selector 963
audio files 11 Handle Length setting 967
compacting 696 multichannel processing 967
default names 536 Overwrite File command 963
importing 424 Playlist command 962
mixed file types 179 Preview 966
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo 348 Preview Volume 966
Index 1479
writing to next breakpoint 1212 Avid Account 3
writing to selection, selection start or end 1210 creating 3
Automation Enable window 1184 Avid Artist Series video peripherals 1438
Automation Follows Edit option 1180 Avid Audio Engine (AAE) 7
Automation lanes 1181 Avid Link 5, 391
in MIDI Editor windows 834 Profile 391
in the Edit window 1181 Avid Link menu 221
Automation Mode selector 1174 Avid Master Account 3, 164
automation modes signing in 164
Latch 1175 signing out 164
Latch Trim 1178 Avid Profile 391
Off 1174 Avid Video Engine (AVE) 8, 96, 1411
Read 1174
Read Trim 1178 B
Touch 1175 Back and Play command 506
Touch Trim 1178 Back command 506
Touch/Latch 1177 Back/Forward Amount 115, 506
Touch/Latch Trim 1178 Back/Forward commands 506
Trim Off 1177 backing up sessions automatically 116, 170
Write 1174 Backup to Cloud 171, 194
Write Trim 1178 bank select 801
Automation preferences Bar|Beat Markers
AutoMatch Time preference 1180 and tempo events 895
Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option 1197 audio with varying tempos 896
Automation Preview mode 1221 editing 895
Punch Preview button 1222 from Identify Beat command 894
suspending 1222 generated with Beat Detective 760
Write Automation To commands 1222 moving 895
Auto-Name Memory Locations While Playing option bars
121, 912
renumbering 904
Auto-Name Separated Clips option 120, 685 Bars|Beats Time Scale 867
auto-naming Basic Folder tracks 226, 281
and Strip Silence 940 channel strips 230
audio files and clips 536 track controls 233
playlists 721 Batch Clip Renaming dialog 333
QuickPunch clips 593 Batch Rename
separated clips 685 clips 330
takes 536 Right-click track command 262
Auto-Spot 1362, 1369 tracks 248
Auto-Spot Clips 1371 Tracks List command 332
Auto-Spot Clips command 1348 Batch Rename Clips 330
Auxiliary Input track Batch Rename Tracks 248
convert to Routing Folder track 289 batch renaming 333
Auxiliary Inputs 14, 225 Batch Track Renaming dialog 333
channel strips 227 Beat Detective 749, 750, 751
monitoring and mixing 1110 beat triggers
signal flow 1079 deleting 758
track controls 231 generating 754
AVB 37 inserting 758
AVE 8 moving 758
1480 Pro Tools Reference Guide
promoting 759 recording a submix 1242
Collection Mode 769 sample rate conversion options 1239
conforming clips 764 source path 1237
defining a selection 752 time stamps 1232
detecting transients 754 Bounce settings files 1233
DigiGroove templates 761 Bounce settings files (.ptpreset) 1234
edit smoothing 767 Bounce Settings menu 1234
extrapolation 762 Bounce settings presets 1233
generating Bar|Beat Markers 760 Bounce to MOV 1442
groove templates 761 audio settings 1443
Scroll Next 759 Include Timecode Overlay 1444
separating clips 763 video settings 1443
system requirements 750 Bounce to QuickTime Movie command 1439
templates 761 Bounced Files folder 169
Trigger Pad 763 breakpoints 1200
window 751 Avid keyframes 1199
with multiple tracks 764 clip gain 976
Bed Audio (or Bed Material) 1283 Bring to Front command 880
Bed/Object Assignment and Toggle Setting 1309 browsers 342
Bed/Object Fold Down Path 1296, 1297 display options 350
Bed/Object Fold Down Path selector 62 opening 343
B-format 1317 sorting 352
Big Counter window 503 Buffer Size (Hardware) 546
Bi-Phase/Tach bus interrogation 1105
pulses-per-frame setting 145 bussing
Wiring setting 145 multichannel sends 1261
bit depth 167, 475, 1328 sends 1095
Blocks View signal paths 53
audio track 253 submixing and effects processing 1110
video track 1415 surround examples 1265
Bounce 1233 BW64 425
Right-click track command 262 BW64 audio file format 487
track 1039 BWF (.WAV) file format 1235
Bounce Mix 1233 Bypass button (plug-ins) 1140
Add MP3 1237 Bypass Clip Effects command 983
bounce multiple stems to separate files 1238 Bypass Clip Effects settings 983
bounce multiple stems to single file 1238 Bypass Clip Gain setting 980
Delivery Format 1238
Dolby Atmos ADM BWF 1311 C
Location 1240 cables
presets 1233 included cables 1355
to MXF (OP-Atom) 1236 wiring diagrams 1386, 1387
Bounce Mix command 1229, 1232, 1233, 1242 Cache Size 98
bit depth options 1239 Calculator Entry mode (for numeric entry) 668
channel format options 1237 Calibration Mode command 527
dither 1229 canceling record takes 551, 578
File Type 1235 Capture Clip command 683
Format 1237 capturing automation values 1223
Offline option 1241 capturing timecode 1347
Output Path selector, from the 1233 Carbon 37, 41
Index 1481
Catalogs (Workspace) 345 Clear
Celemony 1027 Tracks List command 332
Center % (Percentage) 1279 Clear All Clip Indicators command 238, 1102
Center % in Output window 1280 Clear Clip Gain command 978
Center Playhead Scrolling option 509 Clear command (Clips List) 332
centered crossfade 699 Clear command (Edit menu) 627
Change Duration command 1041, 1057 Clear Special commands (automation) 1206
Change Edit to Match Timeline command 674 Clear Trim Automation
Change Meter command 853, 896, 897, 898, 899 Right-click track command 262
Change Tempo command 875 Clear Trim Automation Track command 1196
Change Timeline to Match Edit command 674 click 528, 529, 530
Change Track Channel Width 250 Click II plug-in 528
Change Track Width command 250, 262 click track 528
Change Velocity command 1041, 1055 clicks and pops, avoiding 616
channel mapping Clip Auto Fade In/Out Length preference 711
default path order 65 clip boundaries
editing 78 extending selections to 666
re-mapping 79 moving edit cursor to 670
Channel selector 1141 moving Playhead to 512
for multi-mono plug-ins 1262 clip definitions 438
Channel Show/Hide dialog 1259 clip effects 981
channel strips 13 applying 983
audio tracks 227 bypassing 983
Auxiliary Inputs 227 rendering 984
Basic Folder tracks 230 Clip Effects display 982
Instrument tracks 229 Clip Effects Status 622
Master Fader tracks 228 clip gain 973
MIDI tracks 229 adjusting with the Clip Gain Fader 975
Routing Folder tracks 230 breakpoint editing 976
VCA Master tracks 228 bypassing 980
channel width filtering 1259 clearing 978
channel widths Clip Gain Info view 973
filtering 1259 Clip Gain Line 974
channels 13 clip groups 958
Chase LTC mode 1377 coalescing clip gain to volume automation 980
chasing coalescing volume automation to clip gain 980
MIDI controller events 807 converting clip gain to volume automation 980
MIDI notes 806 converting volume automation to clip gain 980
MIDI program changes 807 copying 979
Chat cutting 978
individual chat 400 Default Handle Length preferences 132
projects 398 dynamic 973
start new 400 editing 975
Chord Change dialog 908 editing with the Grabber tool 976
chord diagrams 908 editing with the Pencil tool 976
chord symbols 854, 908 pasting 979
Chord Symbols ruler 907 rendering 980
chords 907 static 973
Classic Numeric Keypad mode 28, 115 static clip gain value display 973
Index 1483
removing pitch shift (Elastic Audio) 1024 selecting clips 325
removing silence from 941 sorting 323
removing unused 332 Spot to Edit Insertion command 923
removing warp (Elastic Audio) 1017 Clips List Keyboard Focus 326
renaming in the Clips List 329 Clips List menu 1349
renaming on a track 620 Auto Rename command 330
repeating 945 Clear command 332
replacing 933 Compact command 695
search by name 30 Export Clip Definitions command 438
Select options 326 Export Selected As Files command 472
selecting 649, 662 Find command 324
selecting all in a track 662 Rename command 329
sending to back 880 Select options 326
separating 684 Selected Unused command 332
separating with Beat Detective 763 Show Auto-Created option 331
separating with Separation Grabber 685 Sort By options 323
shifting 937 Time Stamp Selected command 931
shuffling 928, 929 Timeline Drop Order option 922
slipping 929 Clips List Selection Follows Edit Selection option
snapping to 927 120, 322, 662
snapping to next 927 Clips View 252, 254, 617
sorting 323 Clock Master 101, 1328
spotting 930, 1348 Clock Reference setting 1464
stripping silence from 940 Clock Reference Source setting 1330
sync points 935, 1350 Clock Source 1159
time stamping 1349 Close Session command 191
Time-locking 939 closing plug-in windows 1141
trimming by Nudge value 689, 786, 787 Cloud Storage Usage Meter 410
trimming start/end points 643 Coalesce Clip Gain to Volume Automation
trimming to Edit insertion point 687 command 980
trimming unwanted data from 687 Coalesce Pan Guide Automation command 1306
unlocking 938 Coalesce Trim Automation
User Time Stamp 931 Right-click track command 262
user-defined 328, 331, 612 Coalesce Trim Automation options 126
video 1429 Coalesce VCA Master Automation
warped (Elastic Audio) 613, 1016 Right-click track command 262
whole-file 612 Coalesce Volume to Clip Gain command 980
Clips List 321 Coalesce when Removing Members from VCA
and MIDI clips 321 Group option 125
auditioning clips 327 coalescing
displaying file info for audio clips 322 Trim automation 1209
dragging from 921 VCA automation 1226
Export Clips as Files command 437 Collaboration
Find History 325 undownloaded shared tracks 418
finding clips 324 collaboration
Keyboard Focus 27 inviting contacts to collaborate 395
menu 321 responding to an invitation 396
previewing clips 327 Collaboration Preferences 137
repeating a previous search 324 collaboration transaction logs 397
Index 1485
Copy Settings command 1145 Current Timecode Position command 1335
Copy Source Audio Media 458 Custom FF/REW Speed preference 115
Copy Special commands 1205 Custom Note Duration
Copy to Send command 1187 Follow Grid 776
Copy/Move Indicators 622 custom session templates 188
copying Custom Shuttle Lock Speed preference 115, 655
MIDI notes with the Split command 1061 Cut Clip Gain command 978
plug-in settings 1146 Cut command 625
selections and clips 625 Cut Special commands 1205
track automation to sends 1187 All Automation 1205
track control settings to sends 1104 Pan Automation 1205
Core Audio 8 Plug-In Automation 1205
count off 529 Cut Time command 898, 902
Countoff button 209 cutting
CPU peak indicator 106 automation 1203
CPU Total meter 106 MIDI notes with the Split command 1061
Create Catalog from Selection 349 selections and clips 625
Create Click Track command 528
Create Fades command 709, 710 D
Create Machine Track Arming Profile 1372 Dark UI Theme option 112
Create tab 165 Dashboard
creating Accept or Reject collaboration invitations 194
clip groups 952 Backup to Cloud 194
clips 683 Open Revision History 193
crossfades 709 Show on startup option 167
fade-ins/outs 707 Dashboard window 164, 165
Markers and Memory Locations 911 DAT recorder, recording from 566
settings subfolders 1146 D-Command 1126
Crossfade Preference for Pre/Post-Roll option 121, D-Control 1126
706
Deck Emulation settings 147
crossfades default
creating with Smart Tool 651 audition path 62
DestructivePunch 594 meter 530
equal gain 705 output path 63
equal power 705 path order 65
Fades dialog 701 paths 75
in batches 711 program change 802
linear 705 start time for Media Composer sequences
overlap 705 1469
Overlapping Waveforms view 700 tempo 531
pre/post 710 Default (Paths) 75
removing 709 Default Automatic Naming to English option 112
TrackPunch 594 Default Clip Color Coding options 113
trimming 710 Default Dynamics preference 123, 1137
cueing Default EQ preference 123, 1137
hi-speed mode 1371 Default Fade Settings 121
search mode 1370 Default Format
Current Feet+Frames command 1335 channel width filtering 1259
Current Meter indicator 209, 896 Default Format selector 65
current tempo 209, 875 Default Handle Length options 132
1486 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Default Input Gain preference 134 delete version
Default Note Duration 776 Revision History
Default Note On Velocity setting 776 Delete version 186
Default Plug-In preference 134 deleting
Default Settings, for TC/E plug-in 134 automation 1195, 1203
Default Thru Instrument 571 groups 315
Default Thru Instrument preference 136 Memory Locations 917
Default Track Color Coding options 113 MIDI Event List items 863
Degree of Thinning preference 124 MIDI notes 791
delay 1460, 1469 paths in I/O Setup 77
MIDI Track Offsets 808 playlists 723
Delay (dly) indicator 1120 program changes 805
Delay After Play Command option 1379 sysex events 806
Delay After Play Command preference 140 tracks 251
Delay Before Locking to LTC option 139, 1366 unused clips 332
Delay Before Locking to Timecode option 139, 1366 Delivery Format selector
Delay Compensation 1118 Bounce Mix 1238
applying to automatically bypassed tracks 593, Destination Audio Sample Rate 461, 474
1122 destination folder for plug-in settings 1146
bypassing 1120 destructive editing 696
changing track delay 1120 Destructive Record mode 534, 559
Compensate Side-Chains 126 destructive recording 559
Delay (dly) indicator 1120 DestructivePunch 600
enabling 1118 crossfades 594
exceeding compensation limit 1121 Prepare DPE Tracks command 602
H/W Insert 59 preparing for 602
hardware insert delays 59, 1124 DestructivePunch File Length preference 118, 602
meters follow delay compensation values 1119 diagnostics 120
MIDI Beat Clock 137 DigiGroove templates 761
MIDI Timecode 136 Digital Cut Tool (Media Composer) 1474
mode 1119 DigiTest 91
side-chains 1121 Disable “Input” When Disarming Track (In “Stop”)
Time Mode option 126 option 117
User Offset (+/–) field 1120 Disable DSP Mode when Disabling Record/Input
viewing 243, 1091 option 118
Delay Compensation Status indicator 202 discrete signal control 1258
Delay Compensation Time Mode option 126, 1119 Disk Allocation 541
Delay Compensation View 243, 1091, 1119 and cross-platform sessions 542
Delay Compensation View option 1119 and system volume 543
Delay for External Devices options 136 Disk Cache meter 107
Delay plug-ins 1129 Disk meter 106
Delay setting (Real-Time Properties) 813 Disk Space window 540
Delete Active Groups (Groups List) command 312, Display (Groups List) command 312
316 Display Events as Modified by Real-Time
Delete Current Settings File command 1145 Properties option 135, 816
Delete Current Settings File command (fades) 707 Display Preferences 111
Delete Fades command 709 Clip Hold options 131
Delete Group command 312, 315 Draw Grids in Edit Window option 630
Delete Index for All Offline Volumes 348 Language options 112
Delete Track command 251, 262 Peak Hold options 130
Index 1487
displaying Download All New Changes button 409
all rulers 869 Download All Shared Tracks button 410
clip names 621 Download command 414
clip times 621 Download Ruler Changes control 420
file info for audio clips 322 Download Ruler Changes Right-click menu 420
Meter Ruler 896 Download Track Changes control 413
Original Time Stamps 1349 Download Track Changes Right-click menu 414
Tempo ruler 875 drag and drop
User Time Stamps 1350 from the Clips List to tracks 922, 923
dither importing audio files 426
and Bounce Mix 1229 importing MIDI files 440
on Master Faders 1230 Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Session
resolution and Bounce to Disk 1239 Tempo options 133, 435
divergence Draw Grids in Edit Window option 630
drawing 1280 Dropped Frames indicator 1416
using 1279 DSP
Documentation and Settings setting 116 active and inactive items 17
Dolby Atmos 1283 and inactive inputs and outputs 267
ADM import 1309 and inactive outputs 1094
Bed Audio (or Bed Material) 1283 and inactive sends 1103
Bed/Object Fold Down Path 62 and no output 1095
Bus/Object toggle 1299 and overall resources 17
defining Object outputs 1290 and Send meters 1102
Dolby Atmos Metadata 1283 DSP Mode 1161
Enable 1285 enabling 1162
mapping busses to renderer inputs 1290 tips 1170
mixing bed material 1294 ultra-low latency monitoring 1161
Network configuration 1285 workflow example 1166
Object Audio (or Objects) 1283 DSP Mode auto-enabled 1161
Object Control Mode 1299 DSP Mode Safe 1163
Object controls 1298 DSP usage meters 108
object output path 1295 dubber emulation 117, 595
Object Path selector 1298 Duplicate
PEC/DIR Recorder Workflow example 1307 Right-click track command 262
Renderer Connection Status indicator 1299 Duplicate and Extend command 944
Renderer Input Configuration 1290 Duplicate and Extend Edit selections 944
re-renders 1314 Duplicate and Extend Selection command 667
restrictions 1284 Duplicate command 943
Theater mode 1301 Duplicate Dolby Atmos Plug-in automation to track
Dolby Atmos ADM BWF files 1311 pan automation 1306
Dolby Atmos Binaural Settings plug-in 1290 Duplicate Group command 312
Dolby Atmos Metadata 1283 Duplicate Track command 251, 1174
Dolby Atmos Production Suite 1287 Duplicate track pan automation to Dolby Atmos
configuring with Core Audio 1287 Plug-in automation 1306
Dolby Atmos Renderer default busses 1289 duplicating
Don’t Limit Search Results 348 inserts 1138
Double Selection command 666 MIDI note selections 944
Double-Clicking a MIDI Clip Opens option 136 playlists 722
Download selections and clips 944
Right-click track command 261 sends 1103
Index 1491
Export to Markers and Memory Locations 666
ADM file 1311 to next tempo event 884
Audio Media options 474 external clock source 1159
OMF/AAF Options 472 external MIDI instruments 587
Sample Rate Conversion options 474 external side-chain processing 1143
Selected Tracks to Sequence in Production External Timecode Offsets 1332
Management 477 Extract Chords from Selection 909
export Extract MIDI to New Track
MOV 1442 Right-click track command 262
Export Clip Definitions Extract MIDI to New Track command 1027
Tracks List command 333 extrapolation 762
Export Clip Definitions command 438
Export Clip Groups command 482 F
Export Clips as Files factory I/O settings 84
Tracks List command 333 Fade Files folder 169
Export Clips as Files command 437 Fade settings 706
Export MIDI Fade Settings menu 707
Right-click track command 262 Fade To End command 709
Export MIDI command 441 Fade To Start command 709
Export MIDI Settings dialog fade-in shapes 703
Apply Real-Time Properties option 441 fade-out shapes 702
MIDI File Format pop-up menu 441 fades 707
Export Selected As Files command 472 adjusting with Smart Tool 651
Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF command AutoFades 710
466, 469
creating 707
Export Selected Tracks to Sequence in Production creating with Smart Tool 651
Management 477 equal gain 704
Export Session Info as Text command 478 equal power 704
Export Settings button (I/O Setup) 87 in batches 711
exporting 423 moving 715
AAF files 466, 475 nudging 715
audio 436, 437 presets 706
clip definitions 438 Slope setting 704
clip groups 482 Fades command 701
markers 441 Fades dialog 701
MIDI tracks 441 In Shape 703
OMF files 475 Link option 705
OMFI files 466 Out Shape 702
Score to Sibelius 855 Fast Forward 505
sessions as text 478 Fast Forward button 206
Sibelius (.sib) files 855 FB360 Audio plug-ins 1321
stereo interleaved files 438 Feet+Frame Rate setting 1330
Ext. Clock Output 103, 1326 Feet+Frames
Extend Edit Down command 669 redefining position 1335
Extend Edit Up command 669 Feet+Frames Time Scale 868
extending selections 666, 884 field recorder
to adjacent tracks 668, 670 expanding alternate channels to new playlists
to clip boundaries 666 739
to include adjacent clips 666 importing monophonic audio files 434
importing polyphonic audio files 434
1492 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Field Recorder Guide Track channel strip 230
Right-click track command 262 track controls 234
file formats (audio) save as Track Preset 297
AIFF 1235 soloing 273
BWF (.WAV) 1235 Tracks List 261
MP3 1235 Force Audio Media to Target Session Format 459
file management 483 Force Upload command 413, 414
File menu 221 Forward and Play command 506
Bounce Mix command 1232 Forward command 506
Close Session command 191 frame rate
Exit command (Windows) 195 and refresh rate 1462
Export MIDI command 441 pull up and pull down 1336
Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF Frames 1415
command 466 Frames View (video tracks) 1415
Export Session Info as Text command 478 frame-tearing 1462
Import Audio to Track command 430 freewheeling timecode 1333
Import Clip Groups command 481 Freeze
Open Session command 175 Right-click track command 262
Revert to Saved command 177 Freeze Track 1036
Save As command 178 Front Divergence 1279
Save command 177 Front/Rear Divergence 1279
Save Copy In command 178
final mixdown 1242 G
Find All Candidates command 381 Gain Reduction meter 241
Find Clips generating timecode 1341
By Name 324 Getting Started tab 167
Include Subsequently Added Clips 324 Glide Automation commands 1207
Find Clips List command 324 global (system-wide) preferences 140
Find History 325 Global Freeze Tracks indicator 202
Find Matching Tracks option 449 Global MIDI Playback Offset preference 136, 808
Find Talent 392 Global Track Collaboration 408
finding clips 324 Go to End button 207
First Invite Shares All Tracks option 137 Grabber tools 632, 650, 663, 785
First Selected MIDI Track option 136 editing breakpoints with 883, 1199
Flatten Performance command 1041, 1055 editing clip gain breakpoints with 976
Fold Down coefficients 127 Object Grabber tool 650, 663
Folder tracks 226, 281 selecting MIDI notes with 782
add tracks to existing 291 Separation Grabber tool 650, 685
adding tracks to 290 Time Grabber tool 650
Basic 226, 281 Grid mode 630, 932
channel strip 230 Absolute 631, 932
track controls 233 Clips/Markers option 632
drag and drop 291 configuring 631
editing 292 Draw Grids in Edit Window option 630
importing 444 Relative 631, 932
muting 275 setting the Grid value 931
opening and closing 288 suspending 932
Overview 253, 292 with Slip, Shuffle, or Spot enabled 631
removing tracks from 291 Grid value 777, 931
Routing 281, 285 setting for MIDI editing 777
Index 1493
Grid Value selector 631 Hardware Buffer Size 92, 96
Groove Quantize 1048 hardware I/O inserts 1130
groove templates 761, 1048 delays 59
applying 1050 hardware I/O sends 1100
mapping 1051 Hardware Insert Delay Compensation 59, 1124
Group Assignment selector 1083 Hardware Settings
group chat Launch Control Panel 99
renaming 403 Hardware Setup
group chats 401 Buffer Size 546
Chat Ext. Clock Output 103
group chats 401 HD I/O 105
Group ID indicator 312 HD MADI 105
Group Name 312 HD OMNI 103
Group Track command 314 Launch Setup App 100
groups MTRX 106
attributes 316 HD audio interfaces 44
automation editing 1202 HD I/O 48
control offsets 320 configuration 105
creating 314 HD MADI 49
deleting 315 configuration 105
duplicating 316 VSO limits 1332
Edit Groups 314 HD Native systems 43
enabling 319 HD OMNI 47
hidden tracks 261 configuration 103
keyboard selection 319 HDX
Mix Groups 314 capabilities 42
modifying 315 DSP usage meters 108
renaming 315 number of voices 43
Groups dialog 313 HDX Classic 93
Groups List 311 HDX Hybrid Engine 95
Keyboard Focus 27 DSP Mode 1161
menu 312 voices 43
guitar tablature 908 HDX systems 42
Heal Separation command 686
H HEAT 1067
H.264 import Master Settings 453
exporting 1444 Help 222
H.265 Tool Tips 111, 223
exporting 1444 Help menu 25, 222
H/W Buffer Size 546 HFS+ drives
H/W Insert Delay 59 and Windows systems 487
half-screen 509 hidden tracks
half-speed playback 512 and selections 661
half-speed recording 567 group edits 261
Halve Selection command 666 groups 261
hard drives Hide All Floating Windows command 217
and Compacting Audio 695 Hide and Make Inactive
recording to system volume 543 Right-click track command 261
Round Robin Allocation 542 Hide/Show
Right-click track command 261
Index 1495
inactive 17 send and return processing 1130
inputs 267 shared within a submix 1114
inserts 1132 single track processing 1130
Master Faders and assignments 1080 stereo 1130
outputs 267 Inserts View 1089
paths 77 Inserts View options 1086
paths, global 77 Instrument plug-ins 586
sends 1103 Instrument tracks 226
track path assignments 267 channel strips 229
tracks 275 Clips View 253
Include All Member Tracks option 297 MIDI Input selector 272
Include Control Changes in Undo Queue option 125 MIDI Output selector 272
Include Instrument/MIDI output option 452 monitoring and mixing 1111
Include Sends in Trim Mode option 125 Notes View 253
Include Timecode Overlay option 1444 recording 574
individual chat 400 signal flow 1082
in-place auditioning 327 surround mixing 1261
input connections 13, 526 track controls 233
Input Devices command 570 Instruments View 1089
Input Filter command 572 Intel Turbo Boost option 98
MIDI Event List View Filter dialog 859 Interchange Workflow
MIDI Input Filter dialog 572 linked media 23
input levels 526 Interchange workflow
Input Only Monitoring mode 543, 544 embedded media 22
Input Path selector 235, 263 interleaved audio file 168
Input Quantize command 1041, 1063 interleaved option (sessions) 169, 1329
Insert mode 1374 Internal mode (Clock Source option) 1329
Insert Position selector 1139 internal side-chain processing 1143
Insert Silence command 943 Inverse linked panning 1108
Insert Time command 898, 900 Invite Contacts to Collaborate 395
inserting Items to Copy 180
controller events 794 Preserve Folder Hierarchy command 182
events in MIDI Event List 860
meter events 896 J
MIDI notes 780 Jam Sync 1333
plug-ins on tracks 1133 Join command 1175
program changes 804 Joining Project Downloads All Shared Tracks
tempo events 875 option 137
Insertion Follows Playback option 516
inserts 1086, 1129
duplicating 1138 K
hardware I/O 1130 Keep Unused Folders on Session Close option 138
hardware insert delays 59 Keep Window on Top 348
labeling 1157 key input 1139, 1143
making inactive (and active) 1132 Key Input selector 965, 1139
mono 1130 key signature map 453
mono-to-stereo 1130 Keyboard Focus 25
moving 1138 Clips List 27, 326
plug-ins 1129 Commands 26
post-fader on Master Faders 1080, 1129 Groups List 27
Index 1497
playback 513 moving 917
selections 513 sorting 919
loops tick-based and sample-based 914
creating with the Loop Trim tool 646 viewing options 918
Loop Trim tool 646 Markers ruler 869, 914
recording with reverb or delay 1231 Master Fader
Low Latency Monitoring EUCON Monitor path control 263
Bounce Mix 547 Master Faders 1080
Low Latency Monitoring option 546 as a stereo master volume control 1081
Low Latency Monitoring path 64 as master send level control 1117
LTC Output Level setting 144 channel strips 228
LTC Sample Offset (Sync X) 1333 inactive 1080
inserts 1129
M meters pre/post fader 1080
machine multichannel 1261
pre-roll 1364 post-fader inserts 1080
profiles 1372, 1383 signal flow 1080
Transport Master 1362, 1369 track controls 231
Machine Chases Memory Location option 138, trimming the input to a submix 1081
1345, 1366 Master Link button 1141
Machine Control (Peripherals dialog) 146 in multi-mono plug-ins 1262
Machine Cues Intelligently option 139, 1366 Master View for tracks 256, 1204
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub option 138, mastering 1243
1345, 1366
Matches 736
machine IDs 1383 Matches (alternate takes) 562, 736
Machine Track Arming window 1346 Matching Criteria window 563, 735
MachineControl 51, 1355 Media Composer
Deck Control settings 147 Edit Play Rate 1464
Deck Emulation 147 linking and unlinking from 1471
Main Counter linking to Pro Tools 1470
display Timecode 1336 Project Type 1464
Main Counters 870 Starting TC Timecode setting 1464
main paths 54 Timecode Format 1464
Main Time Scale 870, 1336 troubleshooting satellite connections 1463
Main Timebase ruler 870 Video Satellite 150, 1461
Make (Track) Inactive Media Composer Video Satellite 1448, 1461
Right-click track command 261 media data 19
Make (Track) Inactive command 276 MediaCentral | Production Management
managing clips 328 export to 477
Manual Ownership 415 import sequence from 463
Manual Tempo mode 209, 532 Melodyne 1027
Manually Find and Relink 485 Memory Locations 911, 914
mapping paths in I/O Setup 78 creating 911, 912
Markers 462, 913 deleting 917
creating 911, 912 editing 916
deleting 917 extending selections to 666
editing 916 importing 453
exporting 441 Markers 913
extending selections to 666 recalling 915
importing 439, 453 recalling Edit selections 555
Index 1499
MIDI Editor view (in the Edit window) 211 MIDI Preferences 134
MIDI Editor windows 817 Global MIDI Playback Offset preference 808
MIDI Event List 857 Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing
deleting events 863 Controller Data option 136, 794, 1198
editing events 862 MIDI Preferences page 134
inserting events 860 MIDI program changes
navigating in 859 chasing 807
Options menu 864 MIDI Quantize command 810
selecting events 862 MIDI Real-Time Properties 810
View Filter 858 on tracks and clips 814
MIDI File Format pop-up menu 441 Right-click track command 262
MIDI files 11 settings 812
MIDI files (see Standard MIDI Files) MIDI recording 569
MIDI Input Display 821 canceling takes 578
MIDI Input selector 235, 271 enabling input devices 570
Instrument track 272 Input Filter 572
MIDI Keyboard window 584 Merge/Replace mode 573
MIDI Machine Control 1343 monitoring with MIDI Thru 571
MIDI Machine Control (MMC) 1342 quantizing on input 572, 1063
configuring in Pro Tools 1343, 1344 System Exclusive data 584
controlling external devices with 1342 undoing a take 578
Master settings 146 Wait for Note 572
Remote settings 147 MIDI Replace mode 209, 535, 573
MIDI Merge mode 209, 535, 573 MIDI Setup commands
MIDI Merge Release mode 136, 573 Input Devices command 570
MIDI meter 237 Input Filter command 572
MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity option 113 MIDI Beat Clock command 518
MIDI Note Display options 136 MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) (Windows) 99, 157, 803
MIDI notes 783 MIDI Thru command 571
attributes 790 MIDI Timecode (MTC)
chasing 806 Idle MTC Output 144
deleting 791 MIDI Track Offsets command 808
duplicating selected 944 MIDI tracks
editing 782 and MIDI offsets 807
durations 1057 assigning to multiple channels 575
pitch 785 channel strips 229
velocities 789, 1055 Clips View 252, 254, 617
inserting 780 default program change 802
lengths in ticks 871 input 270
mini-keyboard 783 loop recording 581
moving 785 note chasing 807
quantizing 1048 Notes View 253, 254, 619
scrolling 619 output 271
selecting 782 punch recording 579, 580
splitting 1061 recording 569, 574
transposing 785, 1059 selecting a pitch range in 1062
trimming start/end points 786 Sysex View 805
MIDI Operations window 1041 track controls 232
MIDI Output selector 235, 271 Velocity View 789
Instrument track 272 MIDI Volume fader 236
Index 1501
Mute/Unmute Clip command 940 Nudge value 690
muted clips and AudioSuite processing 968 trimming clips by 689
muting trimming MIDI notes by 786, 787
clips 940 nudging 689
MIDI notes 788 by next Nudge value 691
sends 1098 clip contents 691
tracks 275 clips with fades 715
MXF fades 715
importing 468 multiple clips 690
MXF (Material Exchange Format) files 468 selection range 665
MXF (OP-Atom) 1236 selection start/end points 665
selections and clips 690
N setting the Nudge value 690
Narrow Mix View option 242 Number of Voices setting 95
navigating Workspace browsers 343 numeric entry
New shortcuts 667
Right-click track command 262 Numeric Keypad modes 28, 115
New Group (Groups List) command 312 Classic 28, 115
New Memory Location dialog 554 Shuttle 29, 116, 655
New Paths dialog 72 Transport 29, 115
New Paths format 1259 Use Separate Play and Stop Keys 116
New Session command 87
New Subpath dialog 73 O
New Track command 243 Object Audio (or Objects) 1283
New Track Default Output selector 63 Object controls 1298
New Tracks Are Shared option 137 Object Grabber tool 650, 663, 664
New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase option 121, object output path 1295
436 Object Output paths 1290
Next Setting button (plug-ins) 1139 Object panner 1300
No Output option 1095 Object Path selector 1298
no scrolling during playback 508 Object Select in Edit Window
noncontiguous selections 663 Tracks List command 333
nondestructive editing (audio) 616 Object selections 663
nondestructive editing (MIDI) 620 Object View 1091
Nondestructive Record mode 533 Object/Bus Toggle 1304
nondestructive recording 558 offline
recording to a new playlist 559 clips 613
with QuickPunch 593 files, selecting in Workspace 350
Non-Linear Transport Error Suppression option Offline (faster-than-real-time) Bounce 1241
139, 1366 offline projects 171
non-real-time plug-ins 961 offset
Normal Zoom mode 636, 836 setting for video satellite start time 1460
Notation Display Track Settings OMF 466
Right-click track command 263 embedded media 22
Notation Display Track settings 845 exporting 472
Notation view 832 import translation settings 461
Note Chasing option 806 importing 453
Note Selector tool 783 linked media 23
notes (see MIDI notes) media data 19
Notes View 253, 254, 619 metadata 20, 1389
1502 Pro Tools Reference Guide
opening in Pro Tools 454 Options menu 221
publishing options 475 Auto-Spot Clips command 1348
Online (Transport window) 1361 Delay Compensation option 1118
Online button 206 Destructive Record mode 559
online help 1462 Link Track and Edit Selection option 250, 661
Online options 118, 1366 Loop Playback option 513
online project 171 Loop Record mode 561
online recording 1341 MIDI Thru command 571
Only Include Clips on Timeline option 461 Mirror MIDI Editing command 777
On-Screen Selections 1374 Pre/Post Roll option 556
on-the-fly punch recording Pre-Fader Metering option 238
QuickPunch 535, 596 Scrolling options 508
OP1a MXF files 425, 469 Solo Latch options 274
OP-Atom MXF files 425, 468, 1236 Transport Online command 1340
Open in MIDI Event List Organize Plug-In Menus By option 112, 1135
Right-click track command 262 Organize Track I/O Menus By options 112
Open in New MIDI Editor Original Time Stamp 931, 1349
Right-click track command 262 Other Playlists menu 722
Open in New Workspace 349 Output Meter Path selector 63
Open in Score Editor Output Options
Right-click track command 262 Sample Rate 1239
Open Revision History 193 Output Path selector 235, 264
Open Session command 175 Output Window button 1273
Open Unresourced DSP Plug-Ins as Native Output windows 1093
preference 134 outputs
Opening an AAF sequence in Pro Tools 454 assigning multiple outputs 1093
Opening an OMF sequence in Pro Tools 454 default 5.1 paths and sub-paths 1251
opening plug-in windows 1141 format and tracks 1259
Operation Preferences 114 to multichannel paths 1261
Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind option 505 overlap crossfades 705
Clip Auto Fade In/Out Length preference 711 Overlap Shadows 621
Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle option 653 overlapping paths 79
Link Record and Play Faders option 545 Overview
Machine Chases Memory Location option Folder tracks 253
1345 Overview track view 292
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub option Overwrite Indicator 622
1345
Record Online option 1341 P
Use F11 for Wait for Note 573 P (Playback Only volumes) 344
Operation/Destination Track pop-up menus 449 Pad to Frame Boundary 1240
Operations menu paddle device 1381
Calibration Mode command 527 configuring ports for 1381
Link Timeline and Edit Selection option 659 connecting to a Pro Tools system 1381
Link Track and Edit Selection 250, 661 Page Scrolling option 508, 823, 842
Low Latency Monitoring option 546 Pan automation 1200
Optimizations settings Pan Depth 1087, 1329
Playback Engine 96 Pan indicator 236
Optimize Performance at Low Buffer Sizes option Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right 462
97
Pan slider 236
Index 1503
panning overlapping 79
3-knob 1277 reordering 77
automation and groups 1202 selecting 76
fine-adjust mode 1277 sub-path surround examples 1266
grids 1272 sub-paths 54
guidelines 1265, 1266 PCM (uncompressed) audio 425
Height 1302 Peak Hold options 130, 238
Height mode 1302 Peak indicator 236
linked stereo 1107, 1276 Peak view 614
multichannel automation playlists 1282 PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring option 118
Size 1303 Pencil tool 632, 656, 778
Speaker Snap 1303 as Eraser 791
take over in grid 1277 drawing automation 1197
Theater mode 1301 editing breakpoints 1199
trajectory 1278 editing clip gain 976
Use Absolute Pan Linking option 123 editing Tempo 881
X/Y mode 1277 Free Hand 778
Zones 1302 inserting MIDI notes 780
Parabolic command (Tempo Operations) 890 Line 779, 881
Parallel Task Optimization preference 135 Random 779
Participant menu 403 repairing waveforms with 656
pass-through point 1175 resolution for inserted controller events 794
Paste command 626 selecting the Pencil tool shape 778
Paste Settings command 1145 shapes 778, 1197
Paste Special commands (automation) 1205 Square 779
pasting Triangle 779
automation 1206 Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller
multiple data types 628 Data option 136, 794, 1198
plug-in settings 1146 pending tasks 389
selections and clips 626 Performance Volume 341
to multiple tracks 628 Peripherals
with Repeat to Fill Selection command 627 Dolby Atmos 152, 1285
Patch Select button 802 Enable SYNC HD 144
Path Order selector 65 Ethernet controllers 149
paths 54 Machine Control 146
active and inactive 77 MIDI Controllers 148
audition 62 PRE 150
creating 71 Satellites 150
creating multichannel 1252 SYNC HD settings 144
customizing 75 Sync X Enabled 144
default mono and stereo 75 Sync X settings 144
default order 65 Synchronization 143
default output 63 VENUE 152
deleting 77 Peripherals dialog 143, 569
editing 75 Peripherals list 101, 102
for surround 1263 personalities 1127
last used 87 PFL (Pre Fader Listen) 273
main 54 pitch (MIDI notes)
mapping 78 transposing 785
multichannel example 78 Pitch Memory Enabled option 144
Index 1505
linking and unlinking 1156, 1262 Preferences dialog 111
Manufacturer 1135 Prepare DPE Tracks command 602
mono-to-stereo 1130 Pre-Process using Standard Conform 767
moving to a track of a different channel width pre-roll
1138 compensating 1364
multichannel 1130 machine 1364
multi-mono 1130, 1262 setting for machine from Pro Tools 1364
Next Setting button 1139 Pre-Roll button 208
Organize Plug-In Menus By command 1135 Preserve Fades when Editing option 121
Plug-In Settings menu 1139 Preserve Folder Hierarchy command 182
Plug-In Settings Select button 1139 Presets
presets 1144 Bounce Mix 1233
Previous Setting button 1139 presets
removing from tracks 1133 plug-in maps 1150
post crossfades 700, 710 plug-ins 1144
Post-Roll button 208 Prevent Others from Overwriting Open Session File
Power view 614 Extension option 137
PRE 51 Prevent Tearing option 119
configuring 150 preview
I/O Setup 59 AudioSuite processing 966
pre crossfades 700, 710 in context 376
Pre Fader Listen (PFL) mode 273 reserving voices 376
PRE settings 453 voice requirements 376
Pre/Post Fader button 1108 Preview Volume
Pre/Post Roll option 556 AudioSuite 966
pre/post-fader inserts 1129 previewing
pre/post-roll audio in browsers 372
and loop recording 560 clips in the Clips List 327
and punch recording 557 Previous Setting button (plug-ins) 1139
auditioning 510 Prime for Playback mode (Play Pause) 512
setting 555 Prime for Record mode (Record Pause) 552
Pre/Post-Roll Flags 556, 660 Print Score 856
Pre-Fader Metering option 238 Pro Tools
preferences Audio Pull Up and Pull Down 1464
Automatically Copy Files on Import option 445 Clock Reference setting 1464
changing 111 configuring for Dolby Atmos Production Suite
DestructivePunch 595 with Core Audio 1287
DestructivePunch File Length 602 Drop Frame setting 1464
global 140 file management 483
local 141 Help 222
Mute Audio Inputs in Auto Input 607 Knowledge Base 222
Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped link controls 1470
607 displaying 1471
Pause during Playback 390 linking and unlinking systems 1471
Project Media Cache setting 116 main menus 221
Remote mode 1378 Non-Drop Frame setting 1464
Tool Tips Display 223 session file 169
TrackInput 545 session file icon 9
TrackPunch 595 Session Start setting 1464
Zoom Toggle 122 systems 37
Index 1507
Q viewing 810
Quantize writing to clips 815
audio clips 1044, 1053 writing to tracks 815
Elastic Audio events 1044, 1052 Real-Time Properties View 810, 1091
quantizing clips to grid 693 Real-Time Properties window 811
Real-Time Properties 812 Rear Divergence 1279
Quantize Clips to Grid command 931 Recalculate Waveform Overviews
Quantize command 1041, 1042 Tracks List command 333
Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries option 473 Recall Memory Location Selection at Original Track
Quantize to Grid command 693 option 121
Quantize window 1045 Recall Track Preset
quantizing Right-click track command 262
MIDI notes 1044, 1048 Recent tab 166
MIDI on input 572, 1063 Record button (Transport) 207
QuickPunch 535, 592, 596 Record Enable button 538, 598
clip/take numbering 593 Record Enable Buttons
crossfades 594 Cancel Previous on All Tracks preference 117
Pro Tools HD systems 592 Cancel Previous on Audio Tracks preference
QuickPunch Crossfade Length preference 121, 594 117
QuickTime movies Latch Audio Tracks preference 116
optimizing for playback 1437 record modes 533, 1374
sync 1438 and MIDI 535
Quit command (Mac) 195 Destructive Record mode 534
Loop Record mode 534
Nondestructive Record mode 533
R QuickPunch 535
R (Record and Playback volumes) 344
Record Online at Insertion/Selection option 118,
randomizing
1366
note durations 1059
Record Online at Timecode (or ADAT) Lock option
note locations 1045
118, 1366
Read automation mode 1174
Record Online option 1341
Read Trim automation mode 1178
record protocol 1373
real-time plug-ins 1129
Auto Edit 1373
Real-Time Properties
Punch In/Out 1374
clearing 815
Record Safe mode 540
clip-based 815
recording 549
Delay 813
a mono audio track 549
Display Events as Modified by Real-Time
a stereo audio track 549
Properties option 135
a submix to disk 1231
Duration 813
additional takes 558
enabling 811
at half-speed 567
in the Edit window 816
bouncing to disk 1232
in the MIDI Event List 816
canceling takes 551
on tracks and clips 814
destructively 559
Quantize 812
from a digital source 565
settings 812
from Record Pause mode 552
track-based 815
Instrument tracks 574
Transpose 814
keyboard shortcuts 551
Velocity 814
Loop Record 561
View 810
MIDI clips 577
Index 1509
Reveal in Finder/Explorer 349 sample-based timing 871, 914
Reveal in Workspace Samples Time Scale 868
Tracks List command 333 Satellite Administrator 1447
Revert to Saved command 177 Satellite Link 1447
Revision History 183 administrator 1447
Restore 185 option 150
Version List 183 preferences 140
Rewind 505 Satellites 150
Rewind button 206 Save As command 178
REX files Save command 177
importing 432 Save Copy In command 178
RF64 425 Save History 184
RF64 audio file format 487 Save Logs 119
Root Settings folder 707, 1145, 1146 Save Track Preset
Round Robin Allocation 542 Right-click track command 262
Route Tracks to New Folder option 290 Save Track Preset dialog 295
Routing Coefficients saving a copy of a session 178
Current Session settings 127 saving Fades settings
New Session defaults 127 Save Settings As command 707
Routing Coefficients preferences 127 Save Settings command 707
Routing Folder tracks 281, 285 saving plug-in settings 1146
channel strips 230 Save fade settings to command 707
track controls 234 Save Plug-In Settings To command 1145
Ruler View options 869 Save Settings As command 1145
Bars|Beats Time Scale 867 Save Settings command 1145
Feet+Frames Time Scale 868 saving sessions with a new name 177
Minutes:Seconds Time Scale 868 Scale command (Tempo Operations) 892
Samples Time Scale 868 scaling note velocities 789, 1056
Timecode Time Scale 868 Scan Audio File(s) for Irregularities 350
Ruler View selector 869 Score Editor
rulers chord symbols and diagrams 854
changing display order 869 editing in 849
Conductor rulers 869 exporting a score 855
displaying all 869 opening 836
pull up and pull down 1340 page controls 844
scrolling in 674 printing 856
Timebase rulers 867 rests 851
zooming in 637 zoom controls 844
Score Setup window 847
S Scroll Into View
S6 1126 Right-click track command 262
safing automation 1180 Scroll Into View command 250
Sample Offset (Sync Offset) 1333 Scroll to Track Banks Controllers option 124
Sample Rate Conversion options 448, 460, 474 Scroll To Track dialog 250
Sample Rate Conversion Quality 133, 425, 435, scroll wheel
461, 474, 1429
and MIDI track Note display 619, 642
Sample Rate Convert Audio 460 scrolling a Pro Tools window 675
Sample Rate setting 1239 zooming in the Edit window 642
Hardware Setup dialog 100 zooming in the Edit windows 642
Playback Engine dialog 96
1510 Pro Tools Reference Guide
scrolling Select Unused Clips command 332
a track into view 250 Select/Split Notes command 1041, 1061, 1062
in the ruler 674 Split notes action 1062
MIDI Notes View 619 selecting
Mix and Edit windows to tracks 675 a pitch range of notes 1062
Notes View up or down 642 across all tracks 668
Pro Tools window vertically or horizontally 675 across multiple tracks 668
Scrolling options 508 clips 662
After Playback 508 during playback 663
Center Playhead 509 in MIDI Event List 862
Continuous Scrolling During Playback 509 items in browsers 355
No Scrolling 508 MIDI notes 782, 783
Page 508, 823, 842 noncontiguous clips 663
Scrub Trim tool 645 notes in a chord 1063
Scrubber tool 632, 653 track material 661
in Shuttle mode 654 with Edit Selection indicators 667
selecting with 670 with Scrubber 670
scrubbing 653 selecting tracks for AudioSuite processing 969
a single audio track 653 Selection Changes Alternate Playlists option 873
and edit cursor 653 Selection commands
on two audio tracks 654 Play Edit Selection 510
playback speed and direction 653 Play Timeline 510
resolution 654 Selection Memory Location 914
video tracks 1434 moving stored selection 916
with Scrub Trim tool 646 selections
with the Selector 654 across multiple tracks 662, 668
S-Curve command (Tempo Operations) 891 and Bounce Mix 1232
SD II files and Edit Groups 661
convert on import 434 and hidden tracks 661
SDDS surround formats 1248 and Timeline Selection Markers 661
Search auditioning start and end points 510
and assign multiple Send paths 1097 changing length 665
AudioSuite plug-ins by name 30 clearing 627
clips by name 30 consolidating 695
commands 30 copying 625
Memory Locations 30 cutting 625
Plug-in Insert menu 1136 duplicating 944
Send selector 1096 during playback 663
tags 366 extending 666, 884
Track Groups by name 30 extending to the Meter Ruler 898
Track Input selector 266 extending to the Tempo ruler 876, 918
Track Output and assign multiple paths 267 including Conductor rulers 668
Track Output selector 266 looping 513
tracks by name 30 moving to adjacent tracks 669
search mode 1370 moving to the next/previous clip 670
Secondary Timecode Ruler 868 non-contiguous 663
Select All command 662 nudging 665, 690
Select Clips List options 326 nudging start/end points 665
Select Parent in Workspace option 325 Object 663
Select Tracks in Group command 312 pasting 626
Index 1511
playing 509 On Grid 684
repeating 945 Separate Clip Operates On All Related Takes
shifting 937 option 120, 685
storing with Memory Locations 914 Separate MIDI notes 787
Selector tool 504, 632, 649 Separation Grabber tool 650, 685
making a Timeline selection 650 Serial Deck Control mode 1359, 1363
making an Edit selection 649 serial timecode 1365
placing the edit cursor 649 servo lock 1364
scrubbing with 654 session
selecting an entire clip 649 save as a project 187
selecting an entire track 649 session data
selecting MIDI notes with 782 importing 443
Send Anonymous Pro Tools Usage Data to Avid Session Data Online Status indicator 202
option 120 Session Data to Import menu 449
Send fully overlapped clips to playlist while editing session file 169
option 120 Session File Backups folder 170
Send fully overlapped clips to playlist while Session Length 1329
recording option 120 session parameters 179
Send level 1095 Session Setup
Send mute 1095 Session Length 1329
Send pan 1095 Session Setup window 1326
Send Pans Default to Follow Main Pan option 123 Audio Format 1329
Send to Back command (Clip menu) 880 Bite Depth 1328
Send To Sibelius command 855 Clock Master 1328
Sends External Timecode Offsets 1332
Pre/Post-fader indicators 1104 Feet+Frames Rate 1330
searching paths 1096 Format section 1328
sends 1095 Freewheel settings 1333
adding 1095 Interleaved 1329
and multichannel mixing 1261 LTC Sample Offset 1333
Assignments View 1100 Pan Depth 1329
automating 1186 Pull Up/Down 1336
changing default setting 1096 Sample Offset 1333
copying track automation to 1187 Sample Rate 1328
default level 1096 Session Start 1329, 1334
displaying controls for 1102 SYNC Setup section 1331
for hardware I/O 1100 Sync X Setup 1330
for mix busses 1100 System Delay 1329
labeling 1157 Timecode 2 Rate 1330
mono or stereo 1099 Timecode display 1330
multichannel 1261 Timecode Rate 1330
removing 1096 Session Start setting 1334, 1464
view options 1100 sessions 9
Sends Default to -INF option 123 audio format 1329
Sends View 1090 backups 116, 170
Separate Clip commands 684 bit depth 167, 1328
and multiple tracks 685 closing 191
and related takes 685 creating for surround mixing 1249
At Selection 684 files 9
At Transients 684 frame rate 1330
Index 1513
Snap Pan to Speaker icons 1276 Spot clip to Edit insertion point from Clips List 923
Snap To Bar option 897 Spot dialog 930, 1347
Snap To commands 927 Use Subframes option 1347
Snap To Grid 631 User Time Stamp button 1349
snapping to the following or preceding clip 927 Spot mode 630, 1346
snapshot automation 1218 and moving clips 929
adding to empty automation playlists 1219 trimming clips in 1349
and trim values 1220 Spot To Edit Insertion 349
writing over existing automation 1219 Spot to Edit Insertion
Solo button 273 Tracks List command 332
Solo in Place (SIP) mode 273 spotting
Solo Latch options 274 auto-spotting 1348
Solo modes 273, 274 clips 930, 1346, 1348
Solo Safe mode 275 SRC (Sample Rate Conversion) options 448
soloing Standard MIDI Files 439
tracks 273 exporting 441
tracks in a submix 1117 importing 438
Song Start Marker 874 Standard VCA Logic for Group Attributes option 125
editing tempo 874 start frame (sessions) 1329
moving 874 start time 1367
Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) 1248 start time for Media Composer sequences 1469
Sort By options 323 Start To Insertion command 687
sorting Start, End, and Length display 553
clips 323 Starting TC Timecode setting
data in browsers 352 matching to Session Start setting 1464
Markers 919 Steep Breakpoint Smoothing Time preference 126
Sound Designer II Step Input command 1041, 1064
convert on import 434 stepped control automation 1200
Sound Libraries 339 stereo interleaved files, exporting 438
adding 365 stereo tracks
removing 365 dragging clips to 695
Sound Resource (AIDL – Mac Only) 425 names for 537
Soundbase replacing clips in 934
Assign Tags popover window 369 splitting 694
excluding tags from search 367 Stop at Shuttle Speed Zero option 139, 1366
searching tags 366 Stop button 207
Sound Libraries 339 Stretch command (Tempo Operations) 893
Source Audio Sample Rate 460, 474 Strip Silence command 940, 941, 942
source media 458, 475 stuck notes 809
Source Path 1237 stutter 1462
Space Clips command 937 Sub Counter selectors 871
Spacebar Toggles File Preview 348 Sub Time Scale 871, 1336
Special Paste 1206 subfolders, creating for settings 1146
split (MIDI) 1061 subframes 1347
Split Into Mono submixes
Right-click track command 262 applying an insert to 1114
Split Into Mono Track command 694, 1258 bouncing to disk 1231
split mono audio files 168 soloing tracks in 1117
Split notes action 1062 sub-paths 54, 73
splitting stereo and multichannel tracks 694 examples for surround 1264
Index 1515
T Tempo Event Warp markers 879
T (Transfer volumes) 344 Tempo Event–generated Warp markers 1013
Tab to Transients button 507, 671 tempo events 875
Tags and Bar|Beat Markers 895
adding 368 editing 876
Assign Tags popover window 369 extending selections to 884
editing 368 inserting 875
excluding from search 367 tempo map 452
searching 366 from Identify Beat command 893
take over (surround pan) 1277 Tempo Operations commands
takes Constant command 888
auditioning 562 Linear command 889
default names 536 Parabolic command 890
matching alternates 562, 736 Scale command 892
MIDI 583 S-Curve command 891
multiple tracks 563, 737 Stretch command 893
numbering for QuickPunch 593 Tempo Operations window 887
recording additional 558 Tempo Resolution selector 882
selecting an alternate take 562, 736 Tempo ruler
Tandem Trimming option 648 displaying 875
tapping in the tempo 532 extending an Edit selection to 876, 918
Target button (plug-ins) 1140 Tempo Ruler Enable button 209
Target playlist 741 Theater mode 1301
Target Project Timecode Format 472 Thin All Automation command 1197
Task 202 Thin Automation command 1197
Task Manager 387, 432 thinning automation 1180, 1196
Task Manager Status indicator 202 tick-based timing 871, 914
tasks Time Compression/Expansion plug-in 696
failed 389 Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool 134, 644
grouped 390 trimming MIDI 791
paused 388 Time Grabber tool 650, 664
pausing during playback 390 Time Operations commands 898
pending 389 Change Meter command 899
TC/E Plug-In preference 134, 644 Cut Time command 902
TCE Edit to Timeline command 696 Insert Time command 900
TCE Trim tool 644, 645 Move Song Start command 903
templates Time Operations window 896, 898
Beat Detective 761 Time Scale 870
DigiGroove 761 Bars|Beats 867
Pro Tools session 188 Feet+Frames 868
tempo Main 870, 1336
current 875 Minutes:Seconds 868
default 531 Samples 868
display 209 Sub 871, 1336
effects on Markers and Memory Locations 914 Timecode 868
Manual Tempo mode 532 Time Slots meter 107
tapping in 532 Time Stamp
Tempo Edit Density pop-up menu 882 Tracks List command 332
Tempo Editor 881 Time Stamp command 563, 737, 1349
Time Stamp Selected command 931
Index 1517
track data 612 edit content 624
Track Format Master View 1204
channel width filtering 1259 Notes 253, 254, 619
Track Freeze 1036 Overview 253
Track Groups 309 Playlists 727
Track Height 256 Sysex 805
resizing 257 toggling 256
track layout Velocity 789
default path order 65 Waveform 613
track level meters 237 Track View selector 254
Track menu 221 Track View Toggle 256
Clear All Clip Indicators command 238, 1102 track width 242
Delete command 251 TrackInput Monitor button 544
Duplicate command 251, 1174 TrackInput Monitor indicator 208
Group command 314 TrackPunch
Make Inactive command 276 crossfades 594
New Track command 243 preferences 595
Set Record Tracks to Auto Input 544, 545 tracks 9
Set Record Tracks to Input Only 544, 545 5.1 format track layout 1257
Split Into Mono command 694, 1258 adding comments 249
Write MIDI Real-Time Properties command adding to selection 668, 670
815 appending new material to end of 559
Track Name commands 261 Color Coding options 276
Track Name/Comments dialog 247 commit 1031
Track Number command 249 conflicts between track and cloud copies 417
Track Offset options 448, 460 converting multichannel tracks into mono
track ownership tracks 1258
rejecting a request for 417 creating a click track 528
rejecting request 417 creating new Elastic Audio tracks 1003
relinquishing 416, 417 deleting 251
requesting 415 duplicating 251, 1174
rescinding 416 Elastic Audio 1002
responding to a request 416 formats 226
seizing 416 freeze 1036
Track Ownership control 414, 416 grouping 309
Track Ownership Request indicator 409, 416 hiding 259, 260
Track Position Numbers Stay with Hidden Tracks locating with Fast Forward/Rewind 505
option 111 making inactive/active 276
Track Presets 295 Master View 256, 1204
creating 295 metering 238
in Workspace browsers 305 moving selections between 669
saving 295 muting 275
saving Folder tracks 297 names 243, 247
Track Presets files (.ptxp) 300 placing clips in 921
Track Record Enable indicator 208 playback priority 269
Track selector 1139 playing 501, 550
Track View 252 record enabling 538
Blocks 253 remapping 1373
changing 255 scrolling shortcut 675
Clips 252, 254, 617 search by name 30
Index 1519
clip start/end points 643 displaying automation 1225
clips by Nudge value 689, 786, 787 mixing 1083
clips to Edit insertion point 687 track controls 232
clips with Scrub Trim tool 646 track type 225, 1083
crossfades 710 velocities (MIDI)
note start/end points 786 drawing with Pencil 789
unwanted clip and track data 687 editing 789, 1055
Tweak Head setting (Conversion Quality) 1429 fading 1055
Real-Time Properties 814
U scaling 789, 1056
UI Customization 223 Velocity Trim tool 790
UI Theme setting 112 Velocity View 789
UI Themes 223 VENUE 152
unavailable resources 175 VENUE Link 51, 152
Undo command 550, 623 version conflicts 185
Undo History window 623 Version List 183
Undo Queue 623 Vertical Position setting 145
Ungroup All Clips command 953 Video
Ungroup Clips command 953 Dropped Frames indicator 1416
Unicode language support 498 video
Unique ID 458, 484 Bounce to Mov 1442
Universe view 676 color space 1423
unlinked Timeline and Edit selection 659 export 1442
unlinking plug-in controls 1156, 1262 importing 1426
Unlock Clip command 938 Pillarbox/Letterbox option 1434
Unloop Clips command 949 playback 1462
Upload All New Changes button 409 Stretch option 1434
Upload command 413 timecode overlay 1439
Upload Ruler Changes control 419 Video Clip Groups 1433
Upload Ruler Changes Right-click menu 419 video clips 1429
Upload Track Changes control 412 importing audio from 1429
Use Absolute Pan Linking option 123 Video Engine option 96
Use F11 for Wait for Note option 135, 573 video engine rate 1424
Use MIDI to Tap Tempo option 135 Video File Rate indicator 1425
Use Separate Play and Stop Keys option 116 video files 11
Use Subframes option 1347 Video Files folder 170
User Default setting 1147 Video Format setting 1464
User Offset (+/–) field 1120 Video Hardware Control Panel 1438
User Time Stamp 931, 1350 Video Import Options dialog 1427
user-defined clips 328, 331, 612 Video Media options 447
Video Online button 1414, 1416
Video Pull Up and Pull Down 1336
V Video Reference Source setting 1331
variable speed override 1331 Video Satellite 1457
VCA Masters avoiding sync issues 1464
assigning groups 1085 connecting 1463
channel strips 228 Media Composer 150, 1461
clearing 1226 quitting Pro Tools 1463
controls 1084 settings 1464
deleting 1227 troubleshooting satellite connections 1463
Index 1521
window dub Elastic Audio Plug-In selector 374
horizontal position 145 exclude tags from search 367
setting color 145 Failed Tasks 389
size 145 Find Links 382
vertical position 145 indexing 346
Window menu 221 Keep Window on Top 348
Automation Enable command 1184 Linking Options 382
Big Counter command 503 links 377
Color Palette 278 Loop Audition mode 375
Disk Space command 540 Manually Find and Relink 379
Edit command 200 Missing files 377, 378
Machine Track Arming command 1346 moving database items 356
Memory Locations command 915 navigating 343
Mix command 198 Open in New Workspace 349
System Usage command 109 Paused Tasks 388
Task Manager command 432 Performance Volume 341
Transport command 206 preferences 390
Undo History command 623 previewing 372, 373, 376
Workspace command 542 Quick Search 357
windows Regenerate Missing Rendered Files 379
arranging 217 Relink window 340, 380
Cascade 217 relinking 377
closing 217 Reveal in Finder/Explorer 349
hiding all floating windows 217 Right-click menu 349
Tile 217 saving a search as a Catalog 364
Tile Horizontal 217 searching 357
Tile Vertical 217 searching with tags 366
Windows Audio Device (WASAPI) 94 session 340
Word Clock 102, 1472 Show Offline Volumes 348
workflows 605 Skip All 379
Workspace 339 sorting columns 352
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo 348 Sound Libraries 339
auditioning 372 Spacebar Toggles File Preview 348
Automatically Find and Relink 379 Spot To Edit Insertion 349
Auto-Preview mode 375 suitable volumes (see Transfer files) 378
browser display options 350 Task Manager window 340
browser menu 348 Tasks 388
Calculate Waveform 371 Track Presets 340
candidates for relinking 380 Transfer files 377, 378
Catalogs 340, 384, 385 Transfer Volume 341
Comments 355 volume permissions 344
Copy and Relink 378 Volumes 340
copying database items 356 WaveCache 341
Create Catalog from Selection 349 waveform display 370
database 341 Workspace browsers 211, 339, 542, 543
database items 352, 354 Track Presets 305
Delete Index for All Offline Volumes 348 Workspace.wksp file 341
deleting database items 356 Write 1220
Don’t Limit Search Results 348 Write Automation commands 1219, 1220
Elastic Audio analysis 371 Write automation mode 1174
X
XML (MIDI patch names) 802
X–OR (Cancels Previous Solos) Solo Latch option
274
Z
zero-crossing 616
Zoom buttons 633
Zoom Presets 638
Zoom Toggle 639
Zoom Toggle preferences 122, 639
Zoomer tool 632, 633, 635
zooming 633
a track area 636, 837
around a track point 636, 836
continuously 634
horizontally for all tracks 634
in the ruler 637
in the Tempo Editor 881
on a selection 635
out to the entire session 635
recalling zoom levels 638
return to the previous zoom level 635
storing zoom levels 638
to make all clips visible 635
vertically 634
with a scroll wheel 642
Zoom Toggle 639
Index 1523
1524 Pro Tools Reference Guide
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