Professional Documents
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Version 12.8
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Contents
Contents iii
Chapter 4. Using Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Accessing Guides in Pro Tools Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Accessing the Help System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Help Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using the Contents and Index Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using the Search Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Search Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Copying from a Help Topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Printing Help Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Contents v
Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
VENUE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Atmos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Contents vii
Assigning MIDI Inputs and Outputs to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Soloing and Muting Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Making Tracks Inactive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Color Coding for Tracks, Clips, Markers, and Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Contents ix
Track Collaboration Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Track Cloud Synchronization Indicator in the Tracks List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Ruler Collaboration Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Contents xi
Audio Punch Recording Over a Specified Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Recording Additional Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
Loop Recording Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
Alternate Takes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
Recording from a Digital Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Half-Speed Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
Contents xiii
Numeric Keypad Set to Shuttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 590
Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
Contents xv
Part VI MIDI
Chapter 33. MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
MIDI Editing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701
Setting the Grid Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703
Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 704
Inserting MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706
Inserting a Series of Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 707
Manually Editing MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708
Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710
Time Compression/Expansion Trim Tool Functionality on MIDI Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717
Continuous Controller Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 719
Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722
System Exclusive Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 726
Note and Controller Chasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 727
Offsetting MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 728
Stuck Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
Remove Duplicate Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
MIDI Real-Time Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 730
Real-Time Properties Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 732
Real-Time Properties on Tracks and Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734
Writing Real-Time Properties to Tracks or Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
Real-Time Properties In the MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736
Display of Real-Time Properties Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736
Contents xvii
Part VII Arranging
Chapter 37. Time, Tempo, Meter, Key, and Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Timebase Rulers and Conductor Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 787
Main Time Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 789
The Sub Counter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790
Tick-Based Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791
Tick- and Sample-Based Timebases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791
Song Start Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793
Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 794
Graphic Tempo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800
Editing Tempo Events in the Tempo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801
Changing the Linearity Display Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 806
Tempo Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 807
Identify Beat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813
Meter Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816
Time Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818
Change Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818
Insert Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820
Cut Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 821
Move Song Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 822
Renumbering Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823
Key Signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 823
Chord Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827
Contents xix
Fades and Crossfades on Clip Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 873
Clip Groups and Clip Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 874
Importing and Exporting Clip Group Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 874
Contents xxi
Part IX Mixing
Chapter 47. Basic Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 989
Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 989
Metering and Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 989
Signal Flow by Track Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990
Audio Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990
Auxiliary Input Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991
Master Fader Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 992
Instrument Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993
VCA Master Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 994
Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998
Configuring Inserts View in the Mix and Edit Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998
HEAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 998
Stereo Pan Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 999
Views in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 999
Audio Input and Output Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1003
Sends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005
Configuring Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1009
Sends View Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1009
Editing Sends in the Mix and Edit Windows (Individual Send Views) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1011
Bus Interrogation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1014
Output Windows for Tracks and Sends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1015
Output Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1019
Signal Routing for Monitoring and Submixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1020
Delay Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1027
Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1034
Using an Ethernet Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1035
Using a MIDI Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1036
Contents xxiii
Previewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1118
Capturing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1120
VCA Master Track Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1122
Coalescing VCA Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1123
Part X Surround
Chapter 51. Pro Tools Setup for Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1143
Surround Mixing in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1143
Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1143
7.1 and 7.0 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1144
7.1.2 and 7.0.2 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1144
Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1145
Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1149
5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1150
Contents xxv
Pull Up and Pull Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1211
Effect of Using Pull Up or Pull Down. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1215
Generating Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1216
Using MIDI Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1217
Enabling MIDI Machine Control in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1218
MMC Transport Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1220
Setting Minimum Sync Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1220
Remote Track Arming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1221
Spotting Clips to SMPTE Frame Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1221
The Spot Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1222
Capturing Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1223
Auto-Spotting Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1224
Using the Trim Tools in Spot Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1224
Time Stamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1224
Identifying a Synchronization Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1226
Troubleshooting SMPTE Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1226
Speed Correction for Film, NTSC Video, and PAL Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1228
Contents xxvii
Chapter 59. Pro Tools Video Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1295
Video Output Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1295
Connecting a Pro Tools Video Satellite System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1295
Linking the Pro Tools Video Satellite System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1296
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1315
Your Avid Master Account Products and Developers Learn about Avid prod-
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Your Avid Master Account provides a single point Development Partners and their plug-ins, applica-
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Convention Action
The MIDI protocol provides 16 channels of MIDI Surround sound simply means having one or more
per port. A single MIDI cable can transmit a sepa- speakers with discrete audio signals (channels)
rate set of messages for each of the 16 channels. placed behind the listener in addition to the typical
These 16 channels can correspond to separate stereo pair.
MIDI devices or to multiple channels within a sin-
There are multiple types of surround formats in use
gle device (if the device is multitimbral). Each
(from three-channel LCR to 7.1, which has eight
channel can control a different instrument sound.
channels).
Pro Tools provides powerful MIDI sequencing ca-
The most common surround format is 5.1, which
pabilities. You can record, enter, edit, and play
refers to having 5 speakers and a sub-woofer (the
back MIDI data on Pro Tools Instrument and
“.1”). 5.1 is used in movie theaters and home enter-
MIDI tracks. These actions can be done in the Edit
tainment systems. Additionally, most DVDs are
window, the MIDI Editor window, the Score Edi-
mixed to 5.1. The standard speaker placement for
tor window, and the MIDI Event List.
5.1 for surround monitoring is stereo left and right
MIDI data in Pro Tools can be anything from speakers, and an additional center speaker in front,
MIDI note data (note number, on/off, velocity) to two more stereo left and right speakers in the rear,
System Exclusive (Sysex) messages. MIDI data and the sub-woofer on the side.
can be recorded or played back from both external
Pro Tools | HD Software supports mixing in sur-
MIDI devices with a MIDI interface and other
round formats. In Pro Tools, each surround format
MIDI software (such as instrument plug-ins and
is considered to be a greater-than-stereo multi-
ReWire client applications).
channel format.
Synchronization
Pro Tools Sessions
When you are working with multiple time-based
When you start a session in Pro Tools, you create a
systems, such as Pro Tools and an external deck,
session.
you want the systems to be synchronized. Syn-
chronization is where one system outputs clock
source (such as timecode or MIDI Beat Clock) and Session Files
another device synchronizes to or follows that A session file is the document that Pro Tools cre-
clock source so that they work together. Pro Tools ates when you choose File > New Session and con-
can be synchronized to other devices (or other de- figure a new session. Pro Tools can open only one
vices can be synchronized to Pro Tools) using session file at a time. The session file is named
SMPTE/EBU timecode or MIDI Timecode. with a .ptx (Pro Tools file) extension. Session files
contain maps of all elements associated with a
project, including audio files, MIDI data, and all
your edit and mix information. It is important to re-
alize that a Pro Tools session file does not contain
Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, video, VCA Master tracks provide control of tracks in a
and automation data are recorded and edited. Mix Group that has been assigned to the VCA
Pro Tools tracks also provide audio channels for Master.
routing internal busses, and physical inputs and
Video tracks support QuickTime movies (all
outputs for audio and MIDI.
Pro Tools systems) and VC-1 video files (Win-
Pro Tools provides multiple types of tracks: dows only). Additionally, Pro Tools supports Avid
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA video using a the Avid Video Engine (AVE) either
Master, MIDI, Instrument, and Video. natively or with a supported Avid video peripheral.
An individual video track can play back only one
type of video at a time.
Voices
In Pro Tools, voices are unique, discrete audio
MIDI track in the Edit window streams that can be routed to and from Pro Tools
audio tracks, and physical audio outputs and inputs
on your Pro Tools audio interfaces. The audio
paths to and from Pro Tools software routed to
Pro Tools hardware use voices. If you exceed the
number of available voices in your system, you
have effectively exceeded the available number of
Video track in Frames view audio paths. Voices are allocated dynamically.
Video Files
For more information about voicing in
Pro Tools, see “Track Priority and Voice When you record or import video into a Pro Tools
Assignment” on page 245. session, all video data is stored as the correspond-
ing video file type (such as QuickTime). Video
Media Files files can be created in (or copied to) the Video
Pro Tools sessions create, import, export, and ref- Files folder in the session folder. However, in most
erence media files. Media files are audio, MIDI, cases, Pro Tools references video files that have
and video files. Audio and video media files are been captured by another application, such as Avid
stored separately from the Pro Tools session file. Media Composer® | Software.
MIDI data is stored in the session file.
Clips
Audio Files
A clip is a segment of audio, MIDI, or video data.
When you record audio into a Pro Tools session, A clip could be a drum loop, a guitar riff, a verse of
audio files are created. a song, a recording take, a sound effect, some dia-
log, or an entire sound file. Clips are especially
useful for arranging audio and MIDI. A clip can
also have associated automation data. In
Audio clip
Channels
The term channel is used to describe several re-
lated components of a Pro Tools system.
Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and Signal routing options include the following:
signal routing controls for audio and MIDI. These
Track Input and Output (I/O) Controls The most
controls are located in the Mix window. Some of
these controls can also be accessed from the Edit basic type of signal routing is track input and out-
window. put. A track needs to have an assigned input path to
record audio, and an assigned mapped output path
A common audio signal routing task is to submix in order to be audible through a hardware output.
multiple tracks to a single channel strip (such as an Signals can also be routed to or from other tracks in
Auxiliary Input) for shared processing and level Pro Tools (or hardware inputs and outputs) using
control. The following example shows two audio internal busses.
tracks submixed to a stereo Auxiliary Input.
Auxiliary Input and Master Fader Tracks Auxil-
iary Inputs can be used as returns, submixers, and
bus masters. Master Fader tracks are used as bus
Inserts and output master level controls. Both Auxiliary
Input and Master Fader tracks can have plug-in and
hardware inserts.
Paths Paths are any routing option in Pro Tools, You can only collaborate with projects, never with
including internal or external inputs, outputs, bus- sessions. Otherwise, projects work just like ses-
ses, and inserts. Pro Tools lets you name these sions. Projects have all of the same recording, ed-
paths, and these path names appear in the Audio iting, mixing, and processing capabilities as do
Input and Output Path selectors and other menus. sessions (you can save a copy of a session as a
For more information, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.” project or a project as a session using the Save
Copy In command). Throughout this Reference
Mixing Formats Sessions can include combina-
Guide, “sessions” refers to session and projects un-
tions of mono, stereo, and greater-than-stereo mul-
less otherwise noted.
tichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, outputs,
and inserts. Greater-than-stereo multichannel for- Project data and media are bundled and cached on
mats are supported with Pro Tools HD only. local storage, but you cannot open a project by
navigating through the file system. You can only
Grouping and VCA Tracks Tracks can be grouped
access projects through the Pro Tools Dashboard.
together for mixing so that their relative mix set-
Projects are differentiated from sessions by their
tings are maintained when changing a mix setting
file icon.
for any track in the group. For example, changing
the volume of one track affects the volume of all
the other tracks in the group. VCA Master tracks
control the relative mix settings for all tracks
within the selected group. Project icon (online, left; offline, right)
session sequence
MXF file icon
whole file clip master clip
Pro Tools can import and play back MXF audio
and video files created in Media Composer or clip subclip
other Avid applications.
plug-ins real-time audio effects
Embedded Media
Exporting to AAF or OMF with embedded media results in one large AAF or OMF file containing both the
metadata and all associated media files.
The main benefit to this approach is that fewer copies of media files may need to be made, so the
export and import process can be much faster. Using this approach, it is less likely that you will
encounter any file size limitations since the data is broken up into many smaller files.
The main disadvantage to this approach is that there are potentially many files (for example, one AAF or
OMF file and hundreds of media files) that must be transported between systems.
Linked to:
Apply action to Option+ Alt+Shift+ For extra-fine Hold Command Hold Control
selected channel Shift+ action adjustment of +Shift while +Shift while
strips/tracks action breakpoints in adjusting auto- adjusting
Grid mode mation break- automation
Vertically con- points breakpoints
strained, fine adjust-
ment for automation
and control break-
points
With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled, you While pressing Command+Option (Mac) or
can still access any of its key shortcuts by pressing Control+Alt (Windows), press one of the fol-
the Start key Control (Mac) or (Windows) along lowing keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Clips List), or 3
with the key. See the Shortcuts Guide for a com- (Groups List).
plete list of Commands Keyboard Focus shortcuts.
Although multiple plug-in windows can have a
Clips List Keyboard Focus When selected, audio keyboard focus enabled, only the front-most
clips, MIDI clips, and clip groups can be located window receives any keyboard input.
and selected in the Clips List by typing the first few
letters of the clip’s name.
To enable Toolbar focus for the Tracks pane, do 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
one of the following: Operation tab.
Click the Toolbar at the top of the Edit window. 2 In the Transport section, select a Numeric Key-
Press Command+Option+4 (Mac) or pad mode (Classic, Transport, or Shuttle).
Control+Alt+4 (Windows). 3 Click OK.
There are two Shuttle Lock modes (Classic and This mode lets you set a number of record and play
Transport). Both modes let you use the numeric functions, and also operate the Transport from the
keypad to shuttle forward or backwards at specific numeric keypad.
speeds.
Function Key
• 5 is normal speed.
• 6–9 provide increasingly greater fast-forward Click on/off 7
speeds. Countoff on/off 8
• 1–4 provide progressively greater rewind speeds MIDI Merge/Replace mode 9
(4 is the slowest, 1 is the fastest).
Loop Playback mode on/off 4
• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the num-
ber to resume Shuttle Lock speed. Loop Record mode on/off 5
• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock QuickPunch mode on/off 6
mode.
Rewind 1
Custom Shuttle Lock Speed Fast Forward 2
(Pro Tools HD Only)
Record enable 3
The highest fast-forward Shuttle Lock speed
(key 9) can be customized. Play/Stop 0
For more information, see “Custom Shuttle With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport,
Lock Speed” on page 589. you can also:
• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock
Classic Mode
mode. Press the Control key (Mac) or the Start
This mode emulates the way Pro Tools worked in key (Windows), followed by 1–9 for different
versions lower than 5.0. With the Numeric Keypad play speeds.
mode set to Classic, you can: • Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.
• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock • Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the num-
mode. Press the Control key (Mac) or the Start ber to resume Shuttle Lock speed.
key (Windows), followed by 1–9 for different
• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock
play speeds.
mode.
• Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.
• Recall Memory Locations by typing Period (.),
• Press 0 to stop Shuttle Lock, then press the num- the Memory Location number, and Period (.)
ber to resume Shuttle Lock speed. again.
• Press Escape or Spacebar to exit Shuttle Lock
mode.
• Recall Memory Locations by typing the Mem-
ory Location, followed by a Period (.).
1x Forward 6
1x Rewind 4
4x Forward 9
4x Rewind 7
1/4x Forward 3
1/4x Rewind 1
2x Forward 8+9
2x Rewind 8+7
The Pro Tools Help menu provides quick access to Guides Accessible in Pro Tools
installed PDF documentation and online Help. The
The following guides are available from the
Help system is HTML-based and launches in the
Pro Tools Help menu:
Pro Tools in-application browser. It also runs on
most common web browsers. Audio Plug-Ins Guide Describes the plug-ins in-
cluded free with Pro Tools, as well as additional
The Pro Tools Help menu also provides direct ac-
plug-ins available for purchase separately.
cess to the online Pro Tools Knowledge Base,
Avid Audio Forums, and the Avid Support Center Pro Tools Reference Guide Explains Pro Tools
using the in-application browser (an internet con- systems and software in detail.
nection is required).
Pro Tools Shortcuts Lists keyboard and
The Pro Tools in-application Web browser Right-click shortcuts for Pro Tools, including
is not available outside Pro Tools. To use those shown in Pro Tools menus.
Pro Tools Help while Pro Tools is not
running, use the default Web browser for
your operating system. Accessing the Help System
There are several ways to access the Help system.
Accessing Guides in • Open Help at its Welcome page from the Help
Pro Tools Software menu in Pro Tools
PDF (Portable Document Format) versions of the • Open Help at its Welcome page from within a
main Pro Tools guides are accessible from the Help browser in Pro Tools
Pro Tools Help menu. Adobe Reader is recom- • Open Help at its Welcome page outside of
mended for PDF documentation. Pro Tools
Using Help 29
To open Help within Pro Tools, do one of the
following: Using the Contents and Index
Choose Help > Pro Tools Help.
Tabs
The left pane of the Help browser is the display
From the Pro Tools Online browser window,
area for most of the Help system’s main navigation
choose Help.
tools, including the Contents and Index tabs.
To open Help outside of Pro Tools (or to select a
different version or language of Help): Contents Tab
1 Open your favorite online browser (such as
The Contents tab displays a complete hierarchical
Safari or Explorer).
list of all topics in the Help system. This lets you
2 Visit the Pro Tools Help launch page quickly see the overall organization of the Help
(http://apps.avid.com/ProToolsHelp/). system.
3 Follow the on-screen instructions to open a You can expand and collapse the contents to view
version of Help. the logical organization of the Help system, and
you can move to any topic by clicking its entry in
To close the Help system: the Contents.
Click the Help viewer’s Close button.
When you move to a new topic, the contents ex-
pands to the level of that topic and highlights the
topic. This feature, like the hierarchy links at the
Help Display top of each topic, lets you see exactly where the
The Help system includes the following display el- current topic is positioned within the logical orga-
ements: nization of the Help system.
Topics Help topics open in the right pane of the To display a topic from the contents:
Help viewer. Click the Contents tab, and then click a topic’s
Navigation Tools Contents, Index, and Search tabs entry in the contents.
open in the left pane of the Help viewer.
To expand or close a section in the contents:
Hierarchy Links Use these links to verify the
Click the Contents tab, and then click a book
location of the currently displayed topic within its
icon to the left of a link.
chapter and to jump to relevant higher-level topics,
including the Main Topic.
The Index provides an alphabetized list of entries 1 Click the Search tab.
similar to the index of a printed book. 2 In the Search pop-up menu (located below the
Search text box), click whether you want to
If Java is enabled in your browser, the Index dis-
search in “All Available Books” or a specific
plays as a dynamic index where the listing scrolls
book (such as Pro Tools Shortcuts).
as you type a word in the text box. If you do not
have Java enabled in your browser, or if your 3 In the Search text box, type the word or words
browser does not support Java implementations, a that you want to find.
JavaScript version of the index displays, which lets
4 Click Go.
you scroll manually through the entries.
A list of topics and ranking numbers appears.
To find topics by using the Index tab:
Additional Search Information
1 Click the Index tab.
The Search feature provides the best combination
2 Click the first character of the topic in the
of usefulness and speed:
Numerics, Letters, Symbols list.
• The Search feature uses a database of valid
To view the topic associated with an index entry: words. This database includes all words that are
Click the index entry. significant for identifying topics and excludes
all other words. When you type words in the
search text box, the system ignores any invalid
words that you have typed and searches for valid
Using the Search Tab words.
The Search tab lets you search the entire text of the • The Search feature cannot search for words in a
Help system for one or more words and then lists certain order. For example, if you type “TIFF
the topics that include those words. The list of re- graphics import” as a search entry, Search dis-
sults is ranked, placing the topics that the Search plays all topics that contains these three words
feature considers most likely to be relevant at the regardless of their location in the topic. The re-
top of the list. sults include topics where the three words ap-
pear together as a phrase, and also topics where
When you search for text, the text string automati-
the three words are scattered throughout the
cally highlights by default. You can turn these
topic.
highlights off. You can also stop displaying high-
lights after a search by using the Back and Forward • The Search feature cannot distinguish between
buttons to go to a different topic. When you come words that are similar but not identical. For ex-
back to your searched topic, the highlights no lon- ample, if you type “capture” as a search entry,
ger display. Search displays topics that include that word,
but it does not find topics that include related
For more guidelines on using the Search feature ef- words such as “captures” or “capturing.” If a
fectively, see “Search Guidelines” on page 32. search for a word fails to produce useful results,
you might be more successful if you search
again using one of the related words.
Using Help 31
Search Guidelines Printing Help Topics
Use the following rules for formulating search You can print Help topics if you need to refer to
queries: them during a complicated procedure or to use for
• Searches are not case-sensitive, so you can type reference later.
your search in uppercase or lowercase charac- See your browser documentation for more infor-
ters. mation on print options.
• You can search for any combination of letters
(a–z) and numbers (0–9). To print a Help topic:
• Punctuation marks (such as the period, colon, 1 Click the topic pane within the browser window
semicolon, comma, and hyphen) are ignored that you want to print.
during a search, unless they are part of the topic 2 Do one of the following:
(such as .WAV).
• Click the Print button in the Topic pane.
• You can search for a literal phrase by using quo-
tation marks. You cannot search for quotation • Right-click in the Topic pane and select Print.
marks. • Select File > Print.
3 Select the print options.
You can copy information from a Help topic for Topics that you print from Help have limited
use in another document (such a text file). page layout and formatting features. If you
want to print a higher quality version of Help
To copy information from a Help topic to another information, Avid recommends that you print
document: all or part of the PDF version of the appro-
1 Open or click the topic to make it active. priate guide.
There are three types of Pro Tools systems: Pro Tools HD Software with Avid or Third-Party
Hardware
Pro Tools Software with Avid or Third-Party
Hardware These systems include Pro Tools HD software
with any compatible non-HDX or non-HD Native
These systems include Pro Tools software with Avid audio interfaces (such as Mbox Pro), or Core
Avid audio hardware (such as Pro Tools | Quartet, Audio (Mac), ASIO (Windows), or WASAPI
Pro Tools | Duet, Pro Tools | Fast Track family, hardware.
Pro Tools | Mbox® family (third generation),
Pro Tools | Eleven® Rack, or Avid 003™ family
audio interfaces). These systems also include Pro Tools Software
Pro Tools software using third-party audio inter-
faces with supported Core Audio (Mac, including Pro Tools software provides the following
the built-in audio on Mac computers), ASIO (Win- capabilities, depending on your hardware
dows), or WASAPI (Windows). configuration:
• Up to 32 channels of I/O depending on your sys-
For a list of qualified audio interfaces and
tem and audio hardware
computers for all Pro Tools systems, visit
www.avid.com/compatibility. • Up to a total of 128 mono or stereo audio tracks
per session:
Pro Tools HD Software with HDX or HD Native
• Playback of up to 128 tracks, or a combina-
Hardware
tion of playing back and recording up to 128
Hardware accelerated Pro Tools HD systems in- tracks, mono or stereo, at 44.1 kHz and
clude Pro Tools HD software with HDX or 48 kHz
HD Native (PCIe or Thunderbolt) hardware. Hard- • Playback of up to 64 tracks, or a combination
ware accelerated systems provide expanded I/O of playing back and recording up to 64 tracks,
capabilities and low latency monitoring. HDX sys- mono tracks or stereo, at 88.2 kHz and
tems also provide dedicated DSP for plug-in pro- 96 kHz
cessing and for large mixer configurations. • Playback of up to 32 tracks, or a combination
of playing back and recording up to 32 tracks,
mono or stereo, at 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz
• Up to 128 Auxiliary Input tracks
• Up to 64 Master Fader tracks
• Up to 512 MIDI tracks
The total processing capacity of a Pro Tools sys- Pro Tools HD with HDX hardware provides the
tem depends on the processing power of your com- following capabilities:
puter. Contact your dealer or visit www.avid.com • Up to 256 channels of I/O depending on your
for the latest system requirements and compatibil- system
ity information. • Up to a total of 768 voiced audio tracks
• Up to 512 Auxiliary Input tracks
• Up to 64 Master Fader tracks
With HDX hardware accelerated systems, voice limits are dependent on the session sample rate and the
number of DSP chips dedicated to the system’s Playback Engine. Pro Tools HD can open sessions with up
to 768 audio tracks, but any audio tracks beyond that system’s voiceable track limit will be automatically
set to Voice Off.
s
Pro Tools HD audio playback, recording and voice limits by hardware configuration
Playback and
Recording
Voices Total
Sample
Core System Type Maximum I/O (Mono Tracks of Voiceable
Rate (kHz)
Simultaneous Tracks
Playback and
Recording)
176.4/192 64 768
176.4/192 64 768
Playback and
Recording
Voices Total
Sample
Core System Type Maximum I/O (Mono Tracks of Voiceable
Rate (kHz)
Simultaneous Tracks
Playback and
Recording)
176.4/192 64 768
HD OMNI is a professional digital audio interface • 8 channels of AES/EBU output (up to 192 kHz
designed for use with Pro Tools HD systems. Single Wire) using a DB-25 breakout cable (sold
HD OMNI provides a compact preamp, monitor- separately)
ing, and I/O solution for music production and re- • 2 channels of AES/EBU XLR input (up to
cording, and post production studios. 192 kHz Single Wire)
• 2 channels of S/PDIF RCA input and output (up
HD OMNI Features
to 192 kHz)
HD OMNI provides up to 8 discrete channels of • 8 channels of ADAT TOSLINK input and output
Pro Tools input and output, with 4-segment LED
• Support for ADAT S/MUX Optical for sample
meters for input or output (selectable).
rates of 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, and
Analog I/O
192 kHz
• 24-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-an- • Support for two channels of S/PDIF Optical
alog (D/A) converters, with support for sample with sample rates of up to 96 kHz
rates up to 192 kHz • Real-time sample rate conversion (SRC) on Dig-
• 2 high-quality Mic/DI preamps (Channels 1–2) ital Inputs 1–2 of either AES/EBU, S/PDIF, or
Optical (S/PDIF)
• 2 combined XLR and 1/4-inch TRS front panel
inputs for microphone and instrument level in- SRC is not supported with ADAT S/MUX.
put
Monitoring
• 2 XLR back panel microphone inputs
• An additional stereo “CUE” output path in
• 2 1/4-inch TRS Send and 2 1/4-inch TRS Return
Pro Tools for headphone monitoring from the
back panel jacks for hardware inserts on chan-
front panel headphone jack
nels 1 and 2
• Front panel Control Room (MAIN/ALT) and
• 4 analog TRS line level back panel inputs
Headphone monitoring volume control
(Channels 1–4)
• Flexible monitoring with fold-down from all ste-
HD OMNI provides multiple analog input con- reo and surround formats (up to 7.1 surround)
nections, but only provides up to four channels
• Input mixer for low latency direct monitoring of
of simultaneous analog input for Pro Tools.
a variety of incoming signals (configured in the
• Soft Clip and Curv limiting circuits to protect Pro Tools Hardware Setup)
against clipping on analog input
Synchronization
• 8 channels of analog back panel output using a • Loop Sync input and output for connecting
DB-25 breakout cable (sold separately) with additional HD peripherals
variable output gain
• External Clock input and output for synchroniz-
• 2 channels of analog back panel output using ing HD OMNI with external Word Clock de-
TRS (Mirrors channels 1–2 or 7–8 on DB-25 vices
connector)
• Front panel stereo 1/4-inch headphone jack For more information, see the HD OMNI Guide.
HD I/O is a multichannel digital audio interface • Up to sixteen channels of 24-bit digital I/O, us-
designed for use with Pro Tools HD systems. ing AES/EBU, TDIF DB-25, or Optical at sam-
HD I/O features extremely high quality 24-bit an- ple rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and
alog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) 192 kHz with a Digital HD I/O card
converters, and supports sample rates of up to • Real-time sample rate conversion on digital in-
192 kHz. puts with a Digital I/O card (up to sixteen chan-
nels of AES/EBU, Optical, or TDIF)
HD I/O comes in three standard configurations:
• Support for S/MUX Optical for sample rates of
• 8 x 8 x 8 (8 analog in, 8 analog out, and 8 digital 88.2 kHz and higher
in and out)
• Support for 2 channels of S/PDIF Optical
• 16 x 16 analog in and out (enclosed) with sample rates of up to 96 kHz
• 16 x 16 digital in and out • 2 channels of AES/EBU I/O (enclosed) with
You can also add or remove HD I/O Analog Ex- support for sample rates up to 192 kHz
pansion cards (ADC and DAC) and HD I/O Digi- • 2 channels of 24-bit-capable S/PDIF I/O
tal Expansion cards for custom configurations. (enclosed) with support for sample rates up to
192 kHz
HD I/O Features
Synchronization
HD I/O provides up to 16 discrete channels of
• Loop Sync input and output for connecting addi-
Pro Tools input and output, with 4-segment LED
tional Avid HD audio interfaces and peripherals
meters for input and output.
• External Clock input and output for synchroniz-
Analog I/O ing HD I/O with external Word Clock devices
• Up to sixteen channels of 24-bit D/A and A/D
Expandability
converters for superior analog input and output
at sample rates of 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, • Optional addition of I/O cards to expand analog
96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, and 192 kHz with Analog In or digital I/O
and Analog Out HD I/O cards • Simultaneous use of multiple Avid HD audio in-
• Soft Clip and Curv limiting circuits to protect terfaces to further expand system input and out-
against clipping on analog input put
The I/O Setup provides tools to label, format, and assign Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus audio sig-
nal paths both for individual sessions as well as for your specific Pro Tools system. I/O Setup also provides
controls for PRE (Mic Preamp) signal paths, and Delay Compensation settings for hardware inserts.
The I/O Setup displays a graphical representation (cross-point matrix) of the signal routing for physical in-
put and output paths for each connected audio interface. Like a virtual patchbay, I/O Setup controls let you
route physical inputs and outputs on audio interfaces to Pro Tools input and output channels. For HDX and
HD Native systems, some of these controls mirror the routing controls found in the Hardware Setup—
changes made to physical routing in one is always reflected in the other. The I/O Setup also includes con-
trols for creating internal mix busses and for creating and mapping output busses.
Active/Inactive
Status
Channel Grid
Import/Export Settings
To close the I/O Setup without saving changes: A sub-path represents a signal path within a main
path. For example, a default stereo output bus path
Click Cancel.
consists of two mono sub-paths, left and right.
Mono tracks and sends can be routed to either
Navigating in the I/O Setup mono sub-path of the stereo output bus path.
To scroll left or right in the I/O Setup:
Opening an I/O Setup Page Configure input signal path names, formats, and
source channel (analog or digital) on the Input
To open an I/O Setup page: page. Multichannel input paths (stereo or greater)
can have any number of sub-paths. Input channels
Click the corresponding tab at the top of the I/O
can have overlapping input paths. Input names,
Setup.
channel widths, and physical input mappings are
Hold the Command key (Mac) or the Control saved with the system and the session, and can be
key (Windows) and use the Left or Right Arrow recalled from either.
keys to cycle through the different pages of the
I/O Setup.
Expand/Collapse
triangle Channel Grid
Active/Inactive
Status box
I/O Setup, Signal Path buttons (Output page shown)
I/O Setup, Signal Path controls (Input page shown)
New Path Button Lets you create a new path on
Input and Output Selectors Let you select the
signal path pages for Input, Output, Insert, Bus, or
physical ports on your audio interface to route to
Mic Preamp.
Pro Tools inputs and outputs. Ports are selectable
in channel pairs. Available ports for each dis- New Sub-Path Button Lets you create a new sub-
played interface are based on Hardware Setup set- path on signal path pages for Input, Output, Insert,
tings; for example, if the AES/EBU inputs and out- or Bus.
puts of an interface are enabled in Hardware Setup,
they are available for routing in I/O Setup. The Delete Path Button Lets you delete any selected
functionality provided with the Input and Output path or sub-path on signal path pages for Input,
selector is the same as that provided on the Main Output, Insert, or Bus.
page of the Hardware Setup. Default Button Resets a path type to its default
Path Name Column Shows paths that are available path configuration, depending on the physical
for selection, including the name of each defined hardware I/O you are using and how your hard-
path. Path names can be renamed. ware is configured.
Expand/Collapse Triangle Shows or hides the sub- Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
paths associated with a main path (Input and Bus the Default button to restore defaults to paths
paths only). in all pages of the I/O Setup.
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 82. The Compensation for Input Delays After Record
Pass option is only available in the Input page of
Cancel Button Closes the I/O Setup without
the I/O Setup.
saving changes.
OK Button Closes the I/O Setup and saves any Compensation for Output Delays After
changes. Record Pass
Selecting None as the AFL/PFL Path disables To configure Low Latency Monitoring in the I/O
AFL and PFL Solo modes. When None is Setup:
selected, AFL and PFL cannot be used. 1 Open the I/O Setup dialog (Setup > I/O).
Setting AFL or PFL Path Levels 2 Click the Output tab.
You can set a separate master AFL/PFL Path level 3 Enable the Low Latency Monitoring option.
for all AFL solos and all PFL solos.
4 From the Low Latency Monitoring pop-up menu,
Tracks do not need to be soloed to have the select the Output path you want to use for Low
master AFL/PFL Path level adjusted. Latency Monitoring.
5 Click OK to save your changes and close the I/O
To set the AFL/PFL Path level for AFL or PFL
solos:
Setup.
The Path Order selector is available in the Input, 4 Create an audio track, and set its input to the
Output, and Insert pages of I/O Setup. Setting the corresponding input on your audio interface.
Path Order on any page of I/O Setup affects the
other pages. 5 Record enable the track.
6 Record your part.
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 63
Signal Path Routing for Audio Output
The following example shows the signal path from the output of an audio track through an output bus
mapped to an output path that is routed to a physical output on an HD I/O audio interface:
Output signal path from an audio track to a physical output as mapped in I/O Setup
(1) Track Output Audio is played back from disk and routed from the Track Output to Output Bus “B 1–2.”
(2) Output Bus Path The Output Bus is defined on the Bus page of the I/O Setup. On the Bus page of the
I/O Setup, the Output Bus “B 1–2” is mapped to Output “B 1–2,” which is defined on the Output page of
the I/O Setup.
(3) Output Path On the Output page of the I/O Setup, the Grid is used to route the output path (to which the
output bus is mapped) to physical outputs.
Path Name Enter the path name. If you are creat- Mono N/A N/A
ing more than one path, the number of each new
Stereo 2 mono <main path
path will be appended to the path name (for exam- name > followed by
ple, Bus 1, Bus 2, Bus 3, and so on). channel designation
.L and .R
Add/Remove Rows Click the Add Row button to
add more paths, or click Click the Remove Row LCR 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path
button to remove paths. 3 Mono (one for name >.LR
each channel) Mono: <main path
Move Row Icon Drag a Move Row icon up or name >.L, .C, .R
down to reorder paths. LCRS 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path
4 Mono (one for name > .LR
each channel) Mono: <main path
name>.L, .C, .R, .S
7.0.2 1 each: 7.0, 5.0, multichannel sub- 4 Configure the New Sub-Paths dialog as desired
(Dolby Quad, LCR, Ste- paths: <main path and click Create.
Atmos reo, Overhead name >.<channel
only) (LR); format> 5 Click in the Grid to assign the new sub-path
and 9 Mono Mono: <main path channels to available main path channels.
(one for each name >.L, .C, .R,
channel) .Lss, .Rss, .Lsr, .Rsr,
.Lts, .Rts New Sub-Path Dialog
7.1.2 1 each: 7.1, 7.0, Stereo: <main path The New Sub-Path dialog lets you create new sub-
(Dolby 5.1, 5.0, Quad, name >.LR paths for main paths on the Input, Output, Bus, and
Atmos LCR, Stereo, Mono: <main path Insert pages of the I/O Setup.
only) Overhead (LR); name >.L, .C, .R,
and10 Mono .Lss, .Rss, .Lsr, .Rsr,
Number of new sub-paths Add/Remove Row
(one for each .LFE, .Lts, .Rts
channel) Sub-Path Format Sub-Path Name
Renaming Paths
Path names can be customized in the I/O Setup.
Individual and multiple paths can be selected in the Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
I/O Setup Path Name column. Selected paths and path name that is highlighted.
sub-paths can be reordered higher or lower in the
Path Name column to change their menu order in Reordering Paths
track Input, Output, Insert, and Bus selectors.
Selected paths and sub-paths can be reordered
Paths can also be deleted. Sub-paths follow their
higher or lower in the Path Name column to
main paths when they are moved in the I/O Setup.
change their menu order in track Input, Output,
To select a main path or sub-path: Insert, and Bus selectors.
Click the path name. To reorder paths in the I/O Setup and Track
selectors:
Deleting Paths
Selecting paths in the I/O Setup Path definitions can be deleted from the current
session to reflect changes to your hardware setup,
To select a range of paths:
or to clean up track selector menus by removing
1 Click the path name. unwanted or unnecessary path definitions. After
2 Shift-click an additional path name. deleting a path, any tracks or send assignments to
that path are reset to No Output.
All paths between the first selected path name and
the additional path name will also be To delete a main path or sub-path:
selected. 1 In the I/O Setup, select the path you want to
delete.
To select or deselect noncontiguous paths, do one
of the following: 2 Click Delete Path.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click 3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
(Windows) path names that are unhighlighted to Setup.
select them.
To delete all paths:
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
(Windows) path names that are highlighted to 1 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
deselect them. path name.
2 Click Delete Path.
To select all paths and sub-paths:
3 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
Setup.
path name that is unhighlighted.
Any tracks that were assigned to the now inactive Assigning channels
path will show that path's name in italics on the
Other channels for the path type, if any, fill to the
track's I/O selectors.
right. For example, when assigning a new stereo
path, clicking in the path row under output channel
1 fills both channel 1 and 2 (left to 1, right to 2).
Assigning Paths with the Surround Mixer Changing a path’s format erases any cur-
(Pro Tools HD Only) rent channel assignment.
When assigning multichannel paths, the left chan- Sub-Paths Follow Main Paths
nel (L) is assigned first to the clicked Grid box, and
When a main path is reassigned, its sub-paths (if
remaining channels fill immediately to the right
any) are reassigned automatically to maintain con-
according to the default path order.
sistent routing. For example, reassigning a stereo
Because some multichannel mixing formats use path to different hardware outputs results in any of
unique track layouts, Pro Tools lets you set the de- its sub-paths moving with it.
fault format in the I/O Setup (see “I/O Setup Op-
tions” on page 55).
Valid Paths and
Requirements
While configuring the I/O Setup, certain rules ap-
ply for path definition and channel assignment. All
Default Format and Path Order settings paths must be valid before the I/O Setup configu-
ration can be applied.
Reassiging Paths
Though it is possible to set up invalid assignments
You can move the individual assignments to dif- in the Channel Grid, Pro Tools will not accept an
ferent channels, to reorder the path’s definition I/O Setup configuration unless all paths meet the
(for example, changing a multichannel path to path definition and channel assignment require-
L-R-C-LFE-Ls-Rs). ments, as follows:
To reassign channels in a path: Minimum Path Definitions All paths must have a
name, be of a specific format, and have a valid I/O
Drag the channel to the new location in the
assignment.
Grid. Other channel assignments move (shuffle)
to accommodate dragged channels. Valid Paths Channel assignment follows certain
rules regarding overlapping paths.
• There can be no partial overlaps between any
two output paths.
Output Busses
Output busses are mapped (routed) to output paths,
Valid (complete) output path as configured on the Output page of the I/O Setup.
Output paths are then assigned to the system’s
physical audio outputs in the I/O Setups Grid (see
“Assigning Paths to Hardware I/O” on page 72).
Busses appear on the Bus page of the IO Setup. Physical outputs for output paths are configured on
Pro Tools provides two types of busses: the Outputs page of the I/O Setups (see “Assigning
• Output busses Paths to Hardware I/O” on page 72).
For more information about Pro Tools au- 4 Enable Mapping To Output for the path.
thoring to Dolby Atmos, see Chapter 54,
“Mixing to Dolby Atmos.” 5 Select an output path from the Mapping To Out-
put selector.
1 On the Bus page of the I/O Setup, click New To map all output busses of the same format to an
Path. output path:
2 In the New Paths dialog, specify the number of Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
new paths you want to create, the channel width Mapping To Output selector and select an out-
for each path, and the path name. put path (mono or stereo).
Pro Tools lets you use keyboard modifiers when To revert to the default bus configuration for your
system:
enabling or assigning Output busses. These key-
board modifiers behave in the same way as when 1 Open the I/O Setup.
assigning track inputs, and track and send outputs.
2 Click the Bus tab in the upper left.
Being able to assign a single output bus to multiple
physical outputs is useful in cases where you want 3 From the pop-up menu to the right of the Default
to route a single source signal to two or more out- button, select one of the following:
puts. Rather than assigning multiple outputs on a • All Busses
track-by-track basis, you can do it once in the
I/O Setup. • Output Busses
• Internal Busses
4 Click Default.
The Bus page of the I/O Setup displays the number Factory I/O Settings
of active internal mix busses. If the number of ac-
tive busses exceeds the number of available bus- Pro Tools provides factory I/O settings for stereo
ses, the display turns red. Delete or deactivate any and surround mixing, and are automatically in-
active busses in excess of the available number of stalled with Pro Tools. These settings provide new
busses to be able close the I/O Setup and save your sessions with generic path and sub-paths for either
settings. mixing format.
Last Used settings are available in the I/O Settings 3 Click Import Settings.
pop-up menu in the Dashboard, or when importing
Enable the Apply to all tabs option or press
I/O Settings in the I/O Setup.
Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while click-
ing Import Settings to overwrite I/O Settings
Custom I/O Settings in all pages with the settings imported from a
Custom I/O Settings files can be created by chang- session file.
ing I/O Setup settings (see “Customizing I/O Set-
4 In the Open dialog, navigate to and select the
tings” on page 60), and then exporting the settings.
session or I/O settings file you want.
These I/O settings can then be restored by import-
ing them into a system. 5 Click Open.
This lets you save settings for different projects, 6 Click OK to save your changes and close I/O
import settings to reconfigure the I/O Setup, and Setup.
manage path definitions and signal routing setups.
You can also import I/O paths and path
names, as well as other session data, from
Importing I/O Settings a different session by using the Import Ses-
Pro Tools lets you import I/O Settings from session sion Data command (File > Import > Ses-
files (.ptx) I/O settings files (.pio) before or after sion Data). For information, see “Import-
you open a session. I/O Settings are only imported ing Session Data” on page 384.
for the current page of the I/O Setup. For example,
To import I/O Settings:
if you are viewing the Output page and import I/O
Settings, only the settings for the Output page are 1 Click the tab for the page of the I/O Setup for
imported. This helps to avoid overwriting your which you want to import settings.
custom I/O Settings on other pages. 2 Click Import Settings.
When you import I/O Settings, you can choose to Enable the Apply to all tabs option or press
delete any unused path definitions before import- Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while click-
ing the new paths, or leave unused path definitions ing Import Settings to overwrite I/O Settings
intact and add the new paths to the current I/O in all pages with the settings imported from a
Setup configuration. session file or I/O settings file.
After importing I/O Settings, you can then reassign 4 Click OK to save your changes and close I/O
path routing definitions in the I/O Setup by remap- Setup.
ping, renaming, and deleting paths. See “Pro Tools
Software Signal Paths” on page 48.
Session or Project
Exporting I/O Settings Interchange and I/O Mapping
When you export I/O settings, all pages of the I/O I/O Setup mappings are saved both with the last
Setup are exported. used .pio file (Pro Tools I/O settings file) and the
session or project. When opening a session or proj-
To export and save an I/O Setup configuration as a ect on a system that has a different I/O Setup,
custom I/O Settings file: Pro Tools follows these rules to ensure the best
1 Configure the I/O Setup settings. possible re-mapping of the session’s or project’s
I/O Setup to the new system:
2 Click Export Settings.
• Output busses are mapped to system Output
3 Name and save the settings file. The settings file paths by unique ID if possible.
is appended with “.pio” to distinguish it as an • Pro Tools always maps the Monitor Path of the
I/O settings file. session or project to the Monitor path of the cur-
To start sessions with a blank or empty
rent system. (If Monitor subpaths exist in the
I/O Setup, you can create and export an I/O
session, Pro Tools uses the best matching format
Settings file in which all definitions have been
for the system Monitor subpaths.)
deleted. • Otherwise, Output busses that are mapped to
system Output paths by name and format if there
Restore from Session is an exact match.
Pro Tools provides a Restore from Session button If there is no match between Output busses and
that only affects the currently viewed page in I/O system Output paths, you can manually remap
Setup. For example, if you are viewing the Output Output busses. Pro Tools uses the manually re-
page, only the Output settings are overwritten by mapped unique ID the next time the session is
the settings saved with the session. opened on that system.
When viewing the I/O Setup last saved with Organize Track I/O Menus By
the session, the OK option is not available for Preference
saving and closing I/O Setup. Pro Tools lets you organize track I/O Menus by
Type, Width, or both Type and Width.
To show the current I/O settings:
1 If not already open, open the I/O Setup (Setup >
I/O).
You can review and update the setup of your sys- 7 Do one of the following, depending on your
tem to ensure it is configured for your needs. Pro Tools system:
• For HDX and HD Native systems, with the vol-
ume of all output devices lowered, turn on your
Starting Up or Shutting Down audio interfaces (such as HD OMNI). Wait at
Your System least fifteen seconds for your system hardware
to initialize.
To ensure that the components of your Pro Tools
system communicate properly with each other, you • For Pro Tools systems that use hardware requir-
need to start them in a particular order. ing external power (such as 003), with the vol-
ume of all output devices lowered, turn on the
Start up your Pro Tools system in this order: hardware.
1 Make sure all your equipment (including your 8 Turn on your computer.
computer) is off.
9 Launch Pro Tools or any third-party audio or
2 Lower the volume of all output devices in your MIDI applications.
system.
Shut down your Pro Tools system in this order:
3 For systems with an expansion chassis, turn on
the chassis. 1 Quit Pro Tools and any other running applica-
tions.
4 Turn on any external hard drives. Wait approxi-
mately ten seconds for them to spin up to speed. To quit Pro Tools, choose Pro Tools >
5 Turn on any control surfaces (such as Quit (Mac) or File > Exit (Windows).
D-Command® or Avid Artist Control).
2 Turn off or lower the volume of all output
6 Turn on any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or devices in your system.
synchronization peripherals.
3 Turn off your computer.
• For third-party audio interfaces with compatible You can configure the Input and Output options
Core Audio (Mac) or ASIO (Windows), select for Pro Tools Aggregate I/O in the Mac Audio
the name of the corresponding Core Audio Setup, which can be accessed from the Pro Tools
(Mac) or ASIO (Windows) compatible audio in- Hardware Setup.
terface.
If you need simultaneous input (recording)
• On Mac systems, if you are using built-in audio, and output (playback and monitoring) with
select any of the available built-in options for Pro Tools using the built-in audio options on
playback or select Pro Tools Aggregate I/O for Mac, use the Pro Tools Aggregate I/O option.
simultaneous input and output with the built-in If you only need to play back audio for editing
I/O hardware options. and mixing, select the appropriate built-in
3 Click OK. audio output option.
2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate 3 Click OK.
pop-up menu.
Your digital input device must be
3 Click OK. connected and powered on for Pro Tools to
synchronize to it. If your input device is not
powered on, leave the Clock Source set to
Internal.
6 Repeat the above steps for each additional audio 2 From the Peripherals list, select the audio
interface in your setup. interface connected to the first card in your
system. This will be the interface at the top of
the list.
Configuring Avid HD Audio
Interfaces 3 Click the Main tab.
HD OMNI supports up to eight channels of simul- Press Command+Left or Right Arrow keys
taneous I/O and multiple I/O formats (such as ana- (Mac) or Control+Left or Right Arrow keys
log, AES/EBU, ADAT Optical, and S/PDIF). (Windows) to move though the different
pages of the Hardware Setup.
HD I/O audio interfaces support sixteen channels
of simultaneous I/O and multiple I/O formats (such 4 From the Clock Source pop-up menu, select the
as analog, AES/EBU, ADAT Optical, S/PDIF, and appropriate clock source for the interface.
TDIF). HD MADI supports up to 64 channels of
MADI I/O. In many cases, you will use Internal. The other
choices are for resolving Pro Tools to external
The Main page of the Hardware Setup is where clock sources. Depending on your audio interface,
you define which physical inputs and outputs on Clock Source options can include: AES/EBU
your audio interface are routed to available inputs [Encl], S/PDIF, Optical [Encl], AES/EBU 1–8, TDIF,
and outputs in Pro Tools. You can think of this ADAT, and Word Clock (optional Word Clock rates
window as a patchbay that allows you to route any are available when operating at higher sample
of the inputs or outputs on your audio interfaces to rates).
channel assignments in the Pro Tools mixer.
5 If you want to send clock output to other de-
vices attached to the audio interface, select the
appropriate output from the Ext. Clock Output
pop-up menu.
6 Select which digital I/O port on your audio in-
terface enclosure is active by selecting the cor-
responding option under Digital Format.
Depending on the type of interfaces in your
system, choices include AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and
Optical (S/PDIF). Selecting Optical (S/PDIF) re-
Hardware Setup for HD I/O, Main page
sets the Optical I/O port (which is, by default,
eight channels of ADAT Optical I/O) to two
channels of S/PDIF Optical I/O.
Inputs and outputs of similar format are differenti- 3 Click the Monitor tab and configure the options.
ated in the input and output channel pop-up menus. When working with HD OMNI, you should al-
For example, the AES/EBU inputs and outputs in ways configure the Monitor page first.
the HD I/O enclosure are listed as AES/EBU [Encl],
while the AES/EBU inputs and outputs on the fac-
tory-installed Digital I/O card are listed (in pairs)
as AES/EBU 1–2, AES/EBU 3–4, AES/EBU 5–6,
and AES/EBU 7–8. For HD I/Os equipped with a
second Digital I/O Card, the additional AES/EBU
I/O ports on the optional card are listed as
AES/EBU 9–10, AES/EBU 11–12, AES/EBU
13–14, and AES/EBU 15–16.
9 Configure any specific controls for your audio HD OMNI Hardware Setup, Monitor page
interface:
4 Click the Main tab and configure the options.
• “Configuring HD OMNI Controls” on page 96.
• “Configuring HD I/O Controls” on page 97.
• “Configuring HD MADI Controls” on page 98.
10 For additional audio interfaces, select them in
the Peripherals list, and repeat the above steps.
Activity Meters The Memory meter displays how much of the in-
stalled physical RAM in the system is being used
The Activity section of the System Usage window
by Pro Tools. This includes RAM used by the au-
display meters for disk usage and memory usage.
dio engine, the video engine (if enabled), plug-ins,
and the disk cache. Other than Pro Tools, it does
Disk Meter
not show any other RAM usage by the system. If
As in previous versions of Pro Tools, the Disk me- the Memory meter approached 100%, install more
ter displays the amount of hard disk processing ac- physical RAM or lower the Disk Cache setting in
tivity. the Playback Engine dialog.
Pro Tools HD provides a meter in the System Us- HDX systems provide additional meters below the
age window for monitoring the Disk Cache. This Activity meter:
meter is only present if a fixed Cache Size is se-
lected in the Playback Engine dialog. Voices
Time Slots
These options determine how plug-in menus are These options determine how track I/O menus are
organized in the Insert selector or Plug-In selector. organized in the Track Input selector, and Send
and Track Output selectors.
Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in
alphabetical order. Type Displays only the I/O Type (Interface or Bus)
as I/O categories in Track I/O menus.
Category Organizes plug-ins by process category
(such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individ- Width Displays only the I/O Channel Width (such
ual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. Plug- as stereo or 5.1) as I/O categories in Track I/O
Ins that do not fit into a standard category (such as menus.
the Signal Generator), or third-party plug-ins that
Type and Width Displays both Type and Width as
have not had a category designated by their devel-
opers, appear in the Other category. Plug-Ins can I/O categories in Track I/O menus.
appear in more than one category.
Language Options
Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manu-
You must have Administrator privileges for the
facturer (such as Bomb Factory, Focusrite, or TL
Pro Tools application Properties to change these
Labs), with individual plug-ins listed in the manu-
options.
facturer submenus. Plug-Ins that do not have a
Manufacturer defined will appear in the “Other” Language Sets the language to use in the
manufacturer folder. Pro Tools application, independently of what lan-
guage is used by your OS.
Category and Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins in
two levels of menus. The top menus display plug- Default Automatic Naming to English Causes au-
ins by process category (such as EQ, Dynamics, tomatically named session elements in a session to
and Delay), with individual plug-ins listed in the be named in English even when working with the
category submenus. The bottom menus display Pro Tools application set to another language.
plug-ins by manufacturer (such as Bomb Factory,
Focusrite, or TL Labs), with individual plug-ins Auto-Switch Input Language
listed in the manufacturer submenus.
When the Auto-Switch Input Language option is
enabled, the input language is switched automati-
cally from English to the current OS input lan-
guage when entering text. It automatically
switches back to English for using Keyboard com-
mands in Pro Tools. When disabled, English is
used when entering text regardless of the current
OS input language.
Always Display Marker Colors Lets you choose to None Turns off color assignment for clips. Clips
view Marker colors in the Markers ruler, regard- are drawn with black waveform or MIDI notes on
less of the settings you choose for Default Clip a light gray background.
Color Coding.
Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to each
MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity When enabled, clip in the Edit window according to its voice or
MIDI notes display varying shades of the assigned MIDI channel assignment.
track color in MIDI notes view in the Edit window
Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each
and in MIDI Editor windows. Notes with high ve-
clip in the Edit window according to its voice as-
locities are darker and notes with lower velocities
signment or MIDI device assignment.
are lighter.
Groups Assigns a color to each clip according to
Default Track Color Coding Options the Group ID of its track. If groups are suspended
using the Suspend Groups command, all clips dis-
These color coding options determine the default
play black waveforms or MIDI notes on a light
color coding assignment for tracks in the Edit and
gray background.
Mix windows. The options are:
Track Color Assigns a clip color based on the color
None Turns off color assignment for tracks.
assigned to the track.
Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to each
Marker Locations Assigns a unique color to each
track in the Mix or Edit window according to its
marker area in the Marker ruler, including the area
voice or MIDI channel assignment.
preceding the first marker.
Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to each
Clips List Color Assigns a color to each clip based
track in the Mix or Edit window according to its
on its color in the Clips List.
voice assignment or MIDI device assignment.
Project Media Cache When selected, the Enable Hardware During Scrub
option lets you monitor video using video hard-
Click the Change button to set the Root directory ware (such as Avid Mojo DX or Nitris DX video
for caching all project media. peripherals) while scrubbing. When this option is
disabled, you can only monitor video in the
Sound Libraries
Pro Tools Video window while scrubbing. If you
When Pro Tools is installed, any included audio experience performance issues when scrubbing
loops are stored in the Sound Libraries folder by de- video while monitoring video using video hard-
fault: ware, disable this option.
Mac Macintosh HD/Users/<username>/
Play Start Latency
Documents/Pro Tools/Sound Libraries
If you are working on a slower computer, set the
Windows C:\Users\<username>\Documents\
Play Start Latency setting to a higher value. The
Pro Tools\Sound Libraries
range is from 1-Shortest to 5-Longest.
Click the Change button to direct Pro Tools to ref-
erence another location for the Sound Libraries Record Section
folder and Loops content.
Latch Record Enable Buttons When selected,
Show Sound Libraries in Workspace Locations multiple audio tracks can be record-enabled. When
not selected, multiple audio tracks cannot be re-
Enable the Show Sound Libraries in Workspace/ cord-enabled. Record-enabling an audio track
Locations option to show Sound Libraries in the takes all other audio tracks out of record-enabled
Locations pane of Workspace browsers. mode.
REX Selects the default envelope shape for fades Levels of Undo
and crossfades between clips (“slices”) in im-
This preference sets the maximum number of ac-
ported REX files.
tions that can be undone with the multiple undo
feature. Setting this to a lower number can speed
up the performance of slower computers.
Pro Tools supports up to 64 levels of Undo.
Default EQ
Include Sends in Trim Mode (Pro Tools HD Touch Switches to Touch mode after an automa-
Only) This option determines the Trim status of tion pass in Write (or Write Trim) mode.
Send faders when a track is put in Trim mode.
Latch Switches to Latch mode after an automation
• When selected, Send faders go into Trim mode pass in Write (or Write Trim) mode.
along with the Main Volume fader.
No Change Stays in Write mode after an automa-
• When deselected, the Main Volume fader goes
tion pass in Write (or Write Trim) mode.
into Trim mode, but the Send fader stays in the
corresponding standard Automation mode. After an automation pass in Write Trim mode,
Include Control Changes in Undo Queue This
tracks automatically switch to the Trim version of
option determines whether certain mixer control the specified setting.
changes, such as moving a fader or pan control, are
entered into the Undo queue.
K-14 Use K-14 for mastering when working in a The Decay settings determine the decibel range
calibrated mastering suite. (dBs) that the meters fall at the specified rate in
seconds after peak level is registered. For some
K-20 Using K-20 during mix encourages a clean- Meter Types, these settings are not adjustable
sounding mix that is advantageous to the mastering (such as VU).
engineer. At that point, the producer and mastering
engineer should discuss whether the program 0 dBFS
should be converted to K-14, or remain at K-20. If
mixing to analog tape, work at K-20, and realize The 0 dBFS setting determines the unity reference
that the peak levels off tape will not exceed about level for the meter scale in decibels compared to
+14. digital 0 dB. Exceeding this level should result in
clipping at the digital to analog converters or to the
K-scale meters are RMS based scales with an specified clipping level for broadcast. For some
integrated sample peak meter as a secondary Meter Types, this setting is not adjustable (such as
value. For more information about K-scale K-meters).
metering, see the paper “An Integrated Ap-
proach to Metering, Monitoring, and Leveling Integration Time
Practices” by Bob Katz, Digital Domain, Inc. The Integration Time setting determines the
amount of time it takes, in milliseconds, to average
VENUE Peak Provides the same ballistics as Sam-
the peak level as registered on the meter display.
ple Peak, but with VENUE meter scaling to
You can think of this as the attack time for regis-
+20 dB.
tering peak levels on the meters. For some Meter
VENUE RMS Provides the same ballistics as RMS, Types, this setting is not adjustable (such as Peak).
but with VENUE meter scaling to +20 dB.
The Color Break High setting determines the high These options determine how long the clip indica-
point in dB where the color changes for metering. tors on plug-in, send, and track meters stay lit after
Typically, this will be the ceiling level for the cur- a clip is detected.
rent Meter Type. When this level is exceeded clip-
3 Seconds When selected, meters display the last
ping will occur. Levels registering on the meters
between the Color Break High setting and the Color clip indication for three seconds.
Break Low setting should be considered the “sweet Infinite When selected, meters display the last clip
spot” for the loudness of the program material. indications until you click them to clear them.
Color Break Low None When selected, meters do not hold the clip
indication.
The Color Break Low setting determines the low
point in dB where the color changes for metering.
Typically, this will be the minimum level for the Display Section
current Meter Type. Use this setting to provide a The Display section of the Metering preferences
visual indication in the meters for the lowest level provides options for configuring the display of the
of the dynamic range of the program material for new Gain Reduction meters on tracks and in sends.
the intended delivery format (such as film, DVD,
CD, MP3, or broadcast). Show Send Assignment Level Meter
Processing Preferences
Gain Reduction Meter Type
Convert Copied Files to Session Format When The Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to
selected, files that have different file formats from Session Tempo options determine whether or not
the current session file format are copied and con- REX, ACID, and audio files are imported as tick-
verted to the current session audio file format on based Elastic Audio and conformed to the session
import. For example, if the session file format is tempo.
WAV and you import an AIF, the files is copied No Files When enabled, REX and ACID files, and
and converted to WAV on import. When this op- all other audio files are not conformed to the ses-
tion is not selected, copied files retain their original sion tempo when imported by drag and drop from
format (unless that file format is incompatible with Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder. They are
Pro Tools, in which case it must be converted). imported as sample-based files and converted to
Do Not Convert Sample Rate on Import When se- the sessions audio file format.
lected, files with different sample rates than the REX and ACID Files Only When enabled, only
session sample rate are not automatically con- REX and ACID files are conformed to the session
verted when imported into the session. This means tempo when imported by drag and drop from Win-
that files with mis-matched sample rates playback dows Explorer or the Mac Finder. REX files are
at a different speed (and pitch transpositions than imported either as tick-based Elastic Audio or, if
when they were originally recorded (or converted). the Import REX Files as Clip Groups option is en-
abled, as tick-based clip groups.
Use MIDI to Tap Tempo When enabled, you can Global MIDI Playback Offset
tap a MIDI keyboard to enter a new tempo value
into a tempo field. This option lets you set an offset in samples to
compensate for MIDI latency. Entering a value
Display Events as Modified by Real-Time Proper- here has the same effect as setting an offset with
ties When enabled, Pro Tools displays the effects the MIDI Track Offsets command. Offset values
of Real-Time Properties in the Edit, MIDI Editor, can be positive (later) or negative (earlier).
and Score Editor windows, and the MIDI Event
List. Double-Clicking a MIDI Clip Opens
Use F11 Key for Wait for Note When enabled, This option lets you specify what happens when
pressing the F11 Function key puts MIDI record- you double-click MIDI clips with the Grabber tool.
ing in Wait for Note mode.
MIDI Editor Opens the MIDI clip in a MIDI Editor
Automatically Create Click Track in New window.
Sessions When enabled, Pro Tools automatically
creates a new click track in new sessions. Score Editor Opens the MIDI clip in the Score Ed-
itor window.
Default Thru Instrument
MIDI Event List Opens the MIDI clip in the MIDI
This option lets you set the default MIDI Thru in- Event List.
strument. You can select a predefined device from
your available MIDI instruments, or select First Name Dialog Opens the Name dialog for the MIDI
Selected MIDI Track to use the assigned MIDI out- clip.
put of the first selected MIDI or Instrument track.
When multiple MIDI or Instrument tracks are se- Note Display Options
lected, the instrument in the selected track that is
These options set the reference for middle C as C3,
closest to the top of the Edit window (or closest to
C4, or MIDI note number 60.
the left edge of the Mix window) is used. Select
None to only route MIDI Thru record enabled
MIDI and Instrument tracks.
Additional Empty Bars in the Score Editor First Invite Shares All Tracks When enabled, all
tracks are automatically shared when you invite
This setting lets you specify the default number of anyone to join your project.
empty bars that appear in the Score Editor window
after the end of the last MIDI clip in the session. Joining Project Downloads All Shared
Tracks When enabled, all shared tracks in the proj-
ect are automatically downloaded when you join a
project.
Delay Before Locking to Serial Timecode (HDX Delay After Play Command Sets the amount of
and HD Native Systems Only) Sets the amount of time (in frames) for Pro Tools to wait after receiv-
time (in frames) for Pro Tools to wait before at- ing a Play command before starting the audio en-
tempting to lock to machines that issue servo lock gine. This can prevent false starts when locking to
messages. This setting allows time for the servo synchronizers that are not fully supported by
mechanisms to achieve stable lock. Pro Tools.
Ignore Track Arming Sets Pro Tools to ignore in- Satellite Link lets you link up to 12 Pro Tools HD
coming track arming (record enable) commands. systems, or 11 Pro Tools HD systems and an Avid
This is useful if you are using a master controller to Video Satellite (Media Composer or Avid Sym-
arm tracks on other machines, but you do not want phony Nitris DX) or a Pro Tools Video Satellite
to arm tracks in Pro Tools. system, over an Ethernet network so that you can
cue, play, and stop the transport, make play selec-
Set Servo Lock Bit at Play Enable this option tions, and solo tracks across any of the systems
when using a synchronizer to control Pro Tools in from any linked workstation.
Remote mode to minimize lock-up times during
recording. Transmit Solos Causes a linked Pro Tools system
to send the solo status of its tracks to all other
Allow 9-Pin Track Arm Commands in Local linked Pro Tools systems. On other linked systems
Mode Sets Pro Tools to respond to incoming track
that are set to receive solos, tracks follow solo be-
arming (record enable) commands even when the
havior as if the solo were on the local system.
system is not in Remote mode. This is useful if you
are using a paddle device to control Pro Tools Receive Solos Causes a linked Pro Tools system
track arming or punching. to receive solos from all other linked Pro Tools
systems that are set to transmit solo status of their
Allow 9-Pin Transport Commands in Local
tracks. Tracks on the receiving system follows solo
Mode Sets Pro Tools to respond to incoming trans-
behavior as if the solos were on the local system.
port commands even when the system is not in Re-
mote mode. This is useful when using Satellite Solo Independent of Linked State Causes a
Link in conjunction with a 9-pin controller. You Pro Tools system to send the solo status of its
can receive the transport controls from the 9-pin tracks to other satellite systems even when it is un-
controller, but not experience the lag-time associ- linked. This allows control of solo status across
ated with a 9-pin device. systems even when transport control is not en-
abled.
When this option is selected, VITC is inserted into This setting lets you select from the following op-
the outgoing video signal—assuming that a video tions for Bi-Phase or Tach wiring:
signal is present at a synchronization peripheral • Bi-Phase: FWD = A leads B
video input, and that the synchronization periph-
eral is in a valid mode for inserting VITC. • Bi-Phase: FWD = B leads A
• Tach:FWD = B is Low
Pitch Memory Enabled
• Tach: FWD = B is High
When this option is selected, the synchronization
peripheral will remain at a pitch (sample rate) that
corresponds to the last known incoming timecode
speed. When deselected, the Synchronization pe-
This button lets you set the Bi-Phase/Tach start Machine Control
frame from Pro Tools. Click the button to update
the Timecode Display on the synchronization pe- The Machine Control page lets you configure
ripheral to match the session timecode value. Pro Tools for use with MIDI Machine Control or
9-Pin Machine Control.
Enable Dub Window
For information about the MachineControl
When this option is selected, you can insert a time- Software Option for Pro Tools, see the
code window into a video signal with the follow- MachineControl Guide.
ing Window dub appearance settings:
Enable Enable
When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is
the Master and it sends MMC commands to the the slave and it receives MMC commands from the
slave device and receives MTC information back master device and sends MTC information back to
from the slave device. the slave device.
The MIDI Out Port pop-up menu lets you select the The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID
MIDI Out port to which the slave device is con- number for which MMC information will be re-
nected. ceived.
MMC ID
9-Pin Machine Control (Deck
The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID Control)
number for which MMC information will be sent. (HDX and HD Native Systems with
MMC commands contain an ID number to identify MachineControl Only)
which machine should respond to the MMC com- The 9-Pin Machine Control (Deck Control) settings
mand. There are 128 MMC ID numbers, from let you configure a Machine Control device for Se-
0–127. The default of ID #127 is a special setting rial Deck Control mode with Pro Tools. Serial
that transmits to all 128 MMC IDs. With a setting Deck Control mode is available whenever Ma-
of 127, Pro Tools will transmit MMC commands chine Control is connected using the Serial Deck
to all MMC IDs. Control cable. When connected for Serial Deck
Control mode, Machine Control enables all
Preroll
Pro Tools track arming, synchronization, and
The Preroll setting lets you specify a pre-roll time Transport features, as available on your system.
in frames for your MMC slave device. Pre-roll is Serial Deck Control mode also supports 9-pin se-
needed to provide the device with sufficient time rial timecode.
to lock to the timecode transmitted by Pro Tools.
This value will vary depending on the external de- Enable
vice. If the pre-roll time is insufficient, the device When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is in
may not be ready to lock until after the current Serial Deck Control mode.
timecode position has passed.
The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machine The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machine-
Control port. The available choices depend on Control port. The available choices depend on
your platform and configuration your platform and configuration
After you select a port, Pro Tools automatically The Machine Type setting lets you select the ma-
polls the port to see what kind of machine is con- chine description for specific machine controllers
nected. If the machine is recognized, Pro Tools (such as the Soundmaster ATOM). By default,
loads the corresponding Machine Type. This in- Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75.
cludes the corresponding track layout and auto-
matically enters the name of that machine into the Chase LTC
Machine Track Arming window. However, if the
When Chase LTC is enabled, Pro Tools still re-
machine is not recognized, the “Generic 1” per-
sponds to track arming and record commands.
sonality is automatically loaded.
However, Pro Tools will chase incoming LTC in-
stead of behaving as a master or slave device with
Preroll
the machine controller. By slaving Pro Tools to the
The Preroll setting lets you specify a variable LTC source instead of slaving the machine to
amount of machine preroll to account for the time Pro Tools timecode, you can avoid the waiting
it may take the machine to achieve servo lock. (and tape wear) that occurs while a machine trans-
Shorter preroll values are usually better for non- port locates and bumps tape to the cue point.
linear machines. Longer preroll values are usually
better for older tape transports. The Machine pre-
roll value is added to any preroll specified in the MIDI Controllers
Transport window.
The MIDI Controllers page lets you configure up
to four different MIDI controllers for Pro Tools.
9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation)
(HDX and HD Native Systems with
MachineControl Only)
Enable
Type
Receive From
Ethernet Controller
Click the Name button to enter a name for the se- The Type setting lets you select none or PRE.
lected Ethernet controller. Select the PRE option to declare any connected
PRE.
Enable EUCON (Extended User Control)
Receive From
When selected, Pro Tools is enabled for control by
one or more EUCON-compatible controllers. EU- The Receive From setting lets you specify the
CON is an innovative high-speed Ethernet proto- MIDI In port to which the PRE is connected.
col developed by Avid to allow hardware control
surface to directly communicate with a software Send To
application.
The Send To setting lets you specify the MIDI Out
For more information about using Pro Tools port to which the PRE is connected.
with EUCON, see the documentation
Defaults
included with your controller.
Click the Reset button reset the corresponding
PRE to its default settings.
Mic Preamps
Retain Current Settings
The Mic Preamps page lets you configure up to
nine different Mic Preamps (PRE) for Pro Tools. Select the Retain Current Settings option to retain
PRE channel settings when an existing session
For information about the PRE, see the with different settings is loaded. New sessions will
PRE Guide. automatically retain the current settings.
Satellite Link lets you link up to 12 HDX or The Mode settings let you configure the satellite
HD Native systems (or any combinations of 11 behavior of the local system.
HDX or HD Native systems and an Avid Video
Administrator When enabled, the Administrator
Satellite system or a Pro Tools Video Satellite sys-
tem) over an Ethernet network so that you can cue, option sets the local system to be the administrator
play, and stop the transport, make play selections, system for any satellite systems on the network.
and solo tracks across any of the systems from any Satellite systems can be declared from the admin-
linked workstation. istrator system.
Monitor Format
Enable
Connection Status
If you are using external MIDI devices with 2 If the MIDI Studio window is not showing,
Pro Tools (such as controllers or sound modules), choose Window > MIDI Studio.
you can customize your MIDI studio setup to dis-
play the names of your MIDI devices in Pro Tools.
Making MIDI input and output connections For Manufacturer and Model names, AMS
refers to one or more files with the suffix
6 Click the arrow for the appropriate input port of “.middev” in the directory Root/Library/
the device and drag a cable to the output arrow Audio/MIDI Devices. Pro Tools installs a file
of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface. that contains information for many commer-
cially available MIDI devices, named
To remove a connection, select the cable and
“Digidesign Device List.middev.” If the
press Delete.
Manufacturer or Model names for any of
7 Repeat steps 3–6 for each MIDI device in your your external MIDI devices is not available in
MIDI setup. the AMS Manufacturer and Model pop-up
menus, you can add them by editing the
To customize an external MIDI device in AMS: .middev file in any text editor (such as
TextEdit).
1 Select the external device icon and click Show
Info (or double-click the new device icon).
For more information, see “MIDI Patch
Names” on page 723.
Interface Controls
MSS also supports XML-based patch file names
for storing and importing patch names for your ex- Create Adds a new instrument to the Instrument
ternal MIDI devices. Name list.
Entire MIDI Studio Setup configurations created Delete Deletes the instrument or instruments
within MSS can be imported and exported. selected in the Instrument Name list.
To configure your MIDI studio with MSS: Import Imports an existing MIDI Studio Setup file.
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Export Exports the current MIDI Studio Setup file.
Studio.
Show Duplicate Emulated Ports When this option
2 Configure the MIDI Studio Setup windows. is selected and you are using a MIDI interface that
3 When you are finished configuring the MIDI supports time-stamping, the MIDI Studio setup
Studio Setup, close the MIDI Studio Setup window shows both the DirectMusic time-stamped
window. output ports, and non-stamped duplicate emulated
output ports.
MIDI Studio Setup Window Some MIDI Interfaces will not properly load
The MIDI Studio Setup window is organized into or unload their drivers unless you quit and
three sections. Interface controls are at the top of re-launch Pro Tools. Refer to the documenta-
the window. All the currently defined instruments tion that came with your MIDI interface for
are displayed in the Instrument Name list on the more information.
left side of the window. A detailed view of MIDI Instrument List
parameters is shown in the Properties section on
the right. The Instrument list contains all the currently de-
fined instruments. Selecting an instrument in the
list displays that instrument’s properties in the
Properties section of the window.
The Properties section lets you edit information for The Instrument Name field shows the user-defin-
new instruments, or instrument currently selected able instrument name for the currently selected in-
in the Instrument list. strument.
6 From the Output pop-up menu, choose the out- If you set the input port to None, the defined
put port on your MIDI interface that is con- instrument will not appear as a choice in a
nected to the MIDI In of your instrument. MIDI Input Selector.
Send Channels
Receive Channels
Pro Tools presents the Dashboard window on Choose File > New or press Command+N (Mac)
launch. The Dashboard lets you quickly and easily or Control+N (Windows).
create a new session or project, or open an existing
Choose File > Open Project or press Com-
one. You can choose to show or hide the Dash-
mand+Option+N (Mac) or Control+Alt+N
board on launch in the Pro Tools Display Prefer-
(Windows).
ences (Settings > Preferences > Display).
You can change the audio file format for all newly
Session Setup window, selecting 32 Bit Float recorded or imported (and converted) files in a ses-
sion or project by selecting a different Audio For-
Sample Rates mat option in the Session Setup window.
44.1 kHz Is the sample rate used for CDs and is To change the Audio Format for the Pro Tools
used in most common music production environ- session or project:
ments.
1 Choose Setup > Session.
48 kHz Is the standard sample rate for film and 2 In the Session Setup window, select an audio
video projects, and is commonly used in post-pro- file format (AIF or WAV) from the Audio For-
duction environments. It is the sample rate used for mat selector.
DVDs.
To enable (or disable) interleaved audio files for When you record a new audio track, the track is
the Pro Tools session or project: saved as a new audio file to the Audio Files folder.
You can also import other audio files into the ses-
1 Choose Setup > Session.
sion, and work with them as well.
2 In the Session Setup window, select (or dese-
lect) the Interleaved option. For details on allocating audio tracks to
different hard drive locations, including
shared media volumes, see “Recording with
Multiple Hard Drives” on page 479.
The Clip Groups folder is the default directory for For more information, see “Renamed Audio
any clip groups that you export from your Files” on page 425.
Pro Tools session.
Online Projects
Dashboard, project
Opening a Session
When you open a session, Pro Tools looks in the
session folder for audio and fade files linked to the
session.
made inactive.
When opening a session from a Transfer volume
Inputs, outputs, and sends that are assigned to
(such as a CD or DVD), Pro Tools prompts you to
unavailable paths are made inactive.
save the session on a Performance volume, and
copy and convert any referenced media files. For
With HDX Systems Only:
more information, see “Locating Audio Files” on
page 424. Any tracks beyond the maximum number of
available voices on the current system are made in-
active.
Before the session opens, you are prompted to save 1 In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session.
a detailed report of the renamed files and their 2 In the Open Session dialog, locate and select the
original file names to a Notes text file. Follow the session you want.
on-screen instructions. By default, the Notes text
file is saved to the Session folder. 3 Shift-click Open.
How the Save Copy In Command 32-bit float to 16-bit Yes Yes
Works
32-bit float to 8-bit Yes No
Unlike the Save As command, Save Copy In does
not close the original session, so subsequent edits 24-bit to 32-bit float No No
are made to the original session. Session copies
can be used to archive important sessions, for ver- 24-bit to 24-bit No No
sioning, or as a means to prepare sessions for trans-
fer to another Pro Tools system. 24-bit to 16-bit Yes Yes
Save Copy In can save only the audio being used in 24-bit to 8-bit Yes No
the session. Any audio that was recorded or im-
16-bit to 32-bit float No No
ported and then later removed from the session, but
not deleted from disk, is not included in the new 16-bit to 24-bit No No
session or project copy.
16-bit to 16-bit No No
To include all audio being used in the session
or project, select the All Audio Files option. 16-bit to 8-bit Yes No
When saving a copy of a session or project, the You can save the session or project at a Bit Depth
Save Copy In command provides the following of 16 Bit, 24 Bit, or 32 Bit Float.
options.
Pro Tools 10.0 and higher sessions can use audio
Format files with different bit depths. If your original ses-
sion or project has mixed bit depths, they are not
When saving a copy of a session or project with the converted to the selected bit depth unless you spec-
Save Copy In command, you can save the session ify that they be converted by selecting the Convert
or project copy in the following formats: to Specified Format option in the Items To Copy
• Project; lets you save a copy of the session as a section (see “Items to Copy” on page 164).
project.
When saving to a Session Format lower than 10.0,
• Latest; supports Pro Tools 10.x and higher if your session or project is in a different bit depth,
sessions (.ptx) audio files are converted to the new session bit
• Pro Tools 7.x -> 9.x Session (.ptf) depth, and copied to the specified location. Also,
32 Bit Float is not available for session formats
• Pro Tools 5.1 -> 6.9 Session (.pts)
lower than 10.0.
Session Parameters
For information on bouncing to disk and
When saving a copy of a session or project with the dither, see “Using Dither” on page 1128.
Save Copy In command, the following Session Pa-
Sample Rate
rameters are available:
You can save the session or project at various sam-
Audio File Type
ple rates depending on your system hardware. See
You can save the session or project to reference “Supported Hardware Configurations with
BWF (.WAV) or AIFF audio files. Pro Tools Software” on page 36.
When saving a Pro Tools 7.x or higher session to a When the Convert To Specified Format option is
lower version, enable the Enforce Mac/PC Com- selected, all copied audio files are converted to the
patibility option to force Windows or Mac versions specified audio file format settings in the Session
of Pro Tools to create sessions and audio files that Parameters section. When this option is not se-
are compatible on both platforms. lected, any copied audio files retain their original
audio file format settings (including sample rate
For more information, see “Saving Copies and bit depth), and are exactly copied, bit-by-bit.
of Mac Sessions to be Compatible with Win-
dows” on page 429. Note that copying formats bit-by-bit is much
faster than converting files.
Limit Character Set
This option is automatically selected if you do any
When saving a copy of a session or project to the
of the following:
current session or project format, you can choose
to limit the character set to a single language by se- • Save to a session format lower than 10.0.
lecting the Limit Character Set option. • Enable Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility.
When saving a copy of a session or project to a Don’t Copy Elastic Audio Rendered Files
lower session format, the Limit Character Set op-
tion is automatically selected. Select a language When this option is selected, Elastic Audio Ren-
from the Limit Character Set pop-up menu. dered files are not copied to the new session’s Ren-
dered Files folder or project bundle.
To choose the language encoding when saving a
copy of a session or project: When opening the new session or project,
Pro Tools opens the session or project with all
1 Choose File > Save Copy In.
available media and any missing Rendered files
2 Select the Limit Character Set option. are regenerated automatically.
3 Choose the language you want to use from the Main Playlist Only
Limit Character Set pop-up menu.
When this option is selected, only the main play-
Items to Copy lists are included with the copy. Any alternate
playlists are not included with the copy.
When saving a copy of a session or project with the
Save Copy In command, you can select which When this option is not selected, all playlists are
items are copied, as follows: included with the copy.
Audio Files
You can save different versions of Pro Tools projects Enter a unique title for the new version of the
using the Save As New Version command (similar project. No project can contain two separate
to using the Save As command for sessions). versions with the same name nor can one ver-
Pro Tools lets you review and restore any version of sion overwrite another.
a project from the Project Revision History window.
If you selected the Install Template In System op- The Name setting is only available if the Install
tion, your session template will be available in the Template In System option is enabled. This lets
Dashboard. you project a new name for the template file. From
the Name pop-up menu (to the right of the Name
If you selected the Select Location For Template field), you can select from a list of all of the tem-
option, you are prompted by the Save As Template plates available in the currently selected Category.
dialog to save the file to another location on your Selecting one places that name in the Name field,
system. letting you overwrite, or create a incremental ver-
sion of, an existing template.
When you are ready to use a template as the
basis for a new session, see “Creating a New
Select Location For Template
Session or Project from a Template” on
page 155. Select this option to save the template file to any
directory location on your system. Note that the
Save Session Template Dialog saved session template will not appear in the Dash-
board unless it is in a subdirectory (Category) in
The Save Template dialog provides the following
the Session Templates folder in the Pro Tools Root
options:
Settings folder. You can change the location of the
Root Settings Folder in the Operation Preferences
Install Template In System
(see “User Media and Settings Location” on
Select this option to save the template file in the page 106).
system folder referenced by the Dashboard (the
Session Templates in the Pro Tools application Include Media
folder).
Select this option to include any audio, MIDI, or
video media in the session with the template.
To rename a project:
3 Choose Rename.
4 In the resulting dialog, project the new name for
the project.
5 Click OK.
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 In the Dashboard window, select the Projects
only collaborating on, you simple remove yourself
tab to view your current projects; or if Pro Tools
as a collaborator for that project. The project re-
is already running, choose File > Open Proj-
mains available to the owner and other collabora-
ect—Command+Option+O (Mac) or Con-
tors. However, once you delete a project that you
trol+Alt+O (Windows)—to access Projects tab
own, it is permanently deleted and is unrecover-
in the Dashboard window.
able.
2 To the right of the project list, click the pop-up
menu for the project whose local cache you To delete a project:
want to clear. 1 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 2 To the right of the Project list, click the pop-up
menu for the project you want to delete.
3 Choose Remove Local Cache.
4 When prompted, click Delete.
3 Choose Delete.
Using the Backup to Cloud option in the Projects 1 Choose File > Open Project, or press Com-
tab in the Dashboard, you can take existing online mand+Option+O (Mac) or Control+Alt+O
projects offline or put offline projects online at any (Windows) to open the Dashboard showing the
time. Since shared projects cannot be taken offline, Projects tab.
the Backup to Cloud option is grayed out and un- 2 In the list of projects list, deselect (or select)
available. Backup to Cloud from the pop-up menu to the
For projects you are taking offline, all project data right of the project you want to take offline (or
and associated media is deleted from your Avid put online).
Cloud Storage Account and the Project icon turns
gray.
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 182).
Mix Window Shows tracks as channel strips, like a
mixing board (see “Mix Window” on page 180). To toggle between the Mix and Edit windows,
press Control+Equals (=) (Windows), or
press Command+Equals (=) (Mac).
Plug-In window
Mix window
Edit window
Transport window
Workspace browser
Instrument
Tracks List View
(page 236) (page 1001
Inserts View
(page 1001)
Sends View
(page 1001)
Solo/Mute
(page 249)
Volume
fader
(page 218)
Level meter
Voice selector (page 219)
(page 246)
AutoMatch
indicator Track Name
(page 1081) (page 227)
Universe view
Grid and
(page 609)
Nudge values
Zoom buttons (page 567) Collaboration (page 349) (page 184) Edit Window
Counters and Edit Toolbar and menu
Edit Mode Selection indicators
Edit tools (page 182)
buttons (page 606)
(page 563) (page 566)
Tracks List
(page 236)
Tracks
(page 207)
Edit
Groups
List
At the top of the Edit window is the Edit Window The Counters and Edit selection indicators provide
Toolbar and menu. This Toolbar provides access information where selections are in the Timeline.
to the editing modes, tools, options, indicators, and
displays for Pro Tools. You can customize the MIDI Selection
Toolbar in the Edit, MIDI Editor, or Score Editor Edit Selection
windows by re-arranging, showing, and hiding the Main and Sub Counters
available controls and displays.
Delay Compensation Status Indicator Is dis- If the Track Solo indicator is lit, you can click it to
played when Delay Compensation is enabled (Op- clear all soloed tracks in the session.
tions > Delay Compensation). When Delay Com-
Track Mute Indicator Lights orange when any
pensation is disabled, this indicator is not
track in the session is muted. When no tracks in the
displayed.
session are muted, the Track Mute indicator ap-
Task Manager Status Lights and animates when pears dim green. (Note that because Mute is an au-
the Task Manager is busy. When no tasks are in tomatable mixing function, the Track Mute indica-
progress, it is unlit. The indicator turns red if the tor does not function to clear all mutes when
Task Manager requires your attention. Click the clicked.)
Task Manager Status indicator to open or close the
Task Manager window. Grid and Nudge
Global Freeze Tracks Indicator lights when one or The Grid and Nudge selectors let you set the Grid
more tracks in the session are frozen. When it is and Nudge values for editing in Pro Tools. For in-
unlit, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) formation on the Grid Value selector, see “Config-
the Global Freeze Tracks button to freeze all audio, uring the Grid” on page 566. For information on
Auxiliary Input, and Instrument tracks in the ses- the Nudge Value selector, see “Defining the
sion. When it is lit, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click Nudge Value” on page 622.
(Windows) it to unfreeze all tracks in the session.
You can also Right-click the Global Freeze Tracks
Grid Value selector
button to specify which track types you want (or Nudge Value selector
don’t want) to freeze.
Tracks cannot be frozen while hidden or Grid and Nudge value selectors
inactive.
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. You can Right-click the Return to Zero but-
ton to access the Write to Start and Write to
All automation commands.
Min:Sec 1 second
• Prime for Playback
• Loop
Timecode 1 frame
• Dynamic Transport
Bars|Beats 1 bar
To initiate playback at half-speed, you can
Feet+Frames 1 foot
also press Shift+Spacebar (Windows or
Sample 1 second Mac) or Shift-click (Mac) the Play button.
Fast Forward Fast forwards from the Timeline in- With the Transport stopped, Control-click Play
sertion point. You can also click repeatedly to fast (Mac) or Start-click Play (Windows) to toggle
forward incrementally (by an amount based on the Loop Playback mode. When enabled, a loop sym-
Main Time Scale). bol appears in the Play button and Pro Tools plays
continuously from the beginning of the selection to
With Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans- the end.
port, you can fast forward by pressing 2.
For more information on loop playback and
Go to End Locates to the end of the session. Dynamic Transport mode, see “Loop Play-
back Mode” on page 455.
You can press Option+Return (Mac) or Con-
trol+Enter (Windows) on the alphanumeric Record Arms Pro Tools for recording (the button
keyboard to locate to the end of the session. flashes). Clicking Play then starts recording on re-
cord-enabled tracks only.
You can Right-click the Go to End button to
You can also begin recording immediately by
access automation commands Write to End
pressing F12, pressing Command+Spacebar
and Write to All.
(Mac) or Control+Spacebar (Windows), or
Stop Stops playback or recording. with the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans-
port, pressing 3.
You can also stop the transport by pressing
the Spacebar, or with the Numeric Keypad Right-clicking the Record button lets you select
mode set to Transport, pressing 0. the record mode from a pop-up menu:
• Normal
Play Starts playback or (if the Record button was
clicked first) recording from the Timeline insertion • Loop
point or the Play Start Marker location if Dynamic • Destructive
Transport mode is enabled.
• QuickPunch
You can also begin playback by pressing the • TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD only)
Spacebar, or with the Numeric Keypad mode • Destructive Punch (Pro Tools HD only)
set to Transport, pressing 0.
The Record button changes to indicate the cur- Start Specifies the beginning of the play or record
rently selected mode: blank for Nondestructive, range. You can set the start point by entering a lo-
“D” for Destructive, a loop symbol for Loop Re- cation in this field, or by dragging the correspond-
cord, “P” for QuickPunch, “T” for TrackPunch, ing Timeline Selection or Play Start Marker in the
and “DP” for DestructivePunch. Main Timebase ruler. For more information, see
“Timeline Selection Markers” on page 491.
To initiate recording at half-speed, you can
press Command+Shift+Spacebar (Mac) or End Specifies the end of the play or record range.
Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows). You can set the end point by entering a location in
this field, or by dragging the corresponding Time-
Track Record Enable Indicator When lit (red), in- line Selection Marker in the Main Timebase ruler.
dicates that at least one audio track is currently re- For more information, see “Timeline Selection
cord-enabled. When off (gray), no tracks are cur- Markers” on page 491.
rently record-enabled.
Length Specifies the length for the play or record
TrackInput Monitor Indicator When lit (green), in- range. You can set the length by entering a location
dicates that at least one audio track is currently set in this field, or by selecting a range in any Time-
to Input Only monitoring (regardless of record en- base ruler.
able status). When off (gray), all tracks are in Auto
Input monitoring. When the Timeline and Edit selections are
linked, you can make an Edit selection in a
Transport Window Menu Lets you select what op- track’s playlist to set the play and record
tions to show in the Transport window: Counters, range. See “Linking or Unlinking Timeline
MIDI Controls, Synchronization, Minimal, All, and and Edit Selections” on page 593.
Expanded Transport.
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.
Go Backward
Go Forward Locations Open in external browser
Refresh
Click Help and choose one of the following: The Avid Support Center command provides ac-
cess to the online Avid Support Center using the
• Pro Tools Help Pro Tools in-application web browser. The Avid
• Pro Tools Knowledge Base Support Center provides support instructions for
• Avid Audio Forums your Avid products.
Window Configurations
Pro Tools provides a powerful means of managing
the configuration of windows in your session, as
well as the internal configurations of the Edit, Mix,
MIDI Editor, Score Editor, and Transport win-
dows. Use the Window Configuration List to cre-
ate (or delete) and manage stored Window Config-
urations. Pro Tools lets you store up to 99 Window
Configurations. Window Configurations are saved New Window Configuration dialog
with the session.
3 In the New Window Configuration dialog, do
Create a session template with your favorite one of the following:
Window Configurations. You can then use the • Select Window Layout and whether or not to in-
template when you start a new session, or you clude the Edit, Mix, Targeted MIDI Editor,
can use Import Session Data to Score Editor, and Transport window display set-
import Window Configurations into your cur- tings.
rent session.
• Select a Window Display Settings option from
the pop-up menu (Edit Window, Mix Window,
Creating New Window MIDI Editor (Targeted), Score Editor Window, or
Configurations
Transport Window.
To create a new Window Configuration: 4 Name the Window Configuration.
1 Open the windows you want to include in the
5 You can type a different number for the new
Window Configuration and position them
Window Configuration. If the number you type
where you want on the screen.
is already used by another Window Configura-
2 Do one of the following: tion, you are prompted to replace it or Cancel.
• Choose Window > Configurations > New Config- Otherwise, Pro Tools automatically fills in the
uration. first available number (1–99) for the Window
Configuration.
• If the Window Configuration List is open,
choose New Configuration from the Window
Configuration List pop-up menu.
Choose Window > Configurations > Update Ac- 2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up
tive Configuration. The active Window Config- menu, select Clear <Name>.
uration updates to include any changes to its
included properties (Window Layout and Win- Deleting Window Configurations
dow Display Settings).
Deleting a Window Configuration removes it and
From the Window Configuration List pop-up its slot number, and renumbers any subsequent
menu, choose Update <Name>. The selected Window Configurations.
Window Configuration updates with any
changes to its included properties. To delete a Window Configuration:
1 In the Window Configuration List, select the
To have Pro Tools automatically update the active Window Configuration you want to delete.
Window Configuration, do one of the following:
2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up
Select Window > Configurations > Auto-Update
menu, select Delete <Name>.
Active Configuration.
From the Window Configuration List pop-up To delete all Window Configurations:
menu, select Auto-Update Active Configuration. From the Window Configuration List pop-up
When Auto-Update Active Configuration is menu, select Delete All.
selected, the active Window Configuration
updates with every change to the Window Layout Importing Window
and Window Display Settings. Configurations
Window Configurations that do not include Win- You can import Window Configurations from an-
dow Layout and only store Window Display Set- other session using Import Session Data.
tings cannot be made active and thus won't auto-
To import Window Configurations:
matically update. If you want to update a Window
Configuration with changes to the Window Dis- 1 Choose File > Import > Session Data.
play Settings (such as the width of the Clips List in
2 Select the Window Configurations option.
the Edit window), use the Update command in the
Window Configuration List.
• All floating windows listed in the Window Select Window > Configurations > Window
menu: Configuration List.
• Task Manager window
Press Command+Option+J (Mac) or
• Transport window Control+Alt+J (Windows) to show or hide
• Big Counter window the Window Configuration List.
• Automation window
• Memory Locations window
Window Configuration
Properties
• Machine Track Arming window
Window Configurations can be stored and
• Video Universe window
recalled with the layout of windows in your
• Video window Pro Tools session, as well as with the settings for
• Color Palette window the Edit, Mix, and Transport windows. You can
• Undo History window specify which of these properties are stored for
each Window Configuration either in the New
• Disk Space window
Window Configuration dialog or the Edit Window
• System Usage window Configuration dialog.
The location and size of the Window Con-
figuration List is not stored with Window
Configurations.
Pro Tools Main Menus The Help menu also provides access to the Avid
Support Center and to the Check For Updates
Pro Tools includes the following main menus: command.
File Provides commands that are used to create and
maintain Pro Tools sessions.
Tracks List Menu Provides commands to show Track Name Right-Click Menu Right-clicking a
and hide tracks in the Mix, Edit, MIDI Editor, and track name in the Edit window, Mix window, or
Score Editor windows. The Tracks List pop-up the Tracks List provides access to various track
menu also lets you sort the contents of the Tracks commands (such as show/hide, make active/inac-
List. tive, rename, duplicate, and delete tracks).
For more information, see “Tracks List” on For more information, see “Track Name
page 236. Right-Click Menu” on page 239.
Groups List Menu (Edit Groups and Mix Clip Name Right-Click Menu (Edit Window Only)
Groups) Provides commands to create, display,
suspend, and delete Mix and Edit Groups. Right-clicking a clip name in the Clips List pro-
vides commands to clear, rename, time stamp, or
For more information, see “The Groups replace clips (Pro Tools HD software only). The
List” on page 259 pop-up menu also lets you export clip definitions
or selected clips as files, recalculate waveform
Clips List Menu (Edit Window Only) Provides overviews, select the parent file of selected clips in
commands to find, select, sort, clear, rename, time a Workspace Browser, or select a clip as an object
stamp, compact, export, and recalculate waveform in the Edit window.
overviews of items in the Clips List. The pop-up
menu also lets you set the drop order for clips For more information, see Chapter 15,
dragged from the Clips List and dropped in the “The Clips List.”
Timeline.
Group Name and Track Group ID
For more information, see Chapter 15, Indicator Pop-Up Menus
“The Clips List.”
When you click and hold on a group name in the
Groups List, or click on a Group ID indicator in a
track, a pop-up menu provides access to various
group commands (such as selecting tracks in a
group).
3 Click OK.
Pro Tools provides different types of tracks for Master Fader Tracks Master Fader tracks control
working with audio, MIDI, and video in Pro Tools the overall level of audio paths that are routed to
sessions. physical output paths. For example, you could
have 24 tracks in a session with channels 1–8
routed to Analog Output 1–2, channels 9–16 to
Track Types Analog Output 3–4, and channels 17–24 to Analog
Output 5–6. You could then create three master
In a Pro Tools session, you can have several differ- faders, one to control each of these output pairs.
ent types of tracks. These can include audio, Aux-
iliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, In- Master Fader tracks have additional uses (such as
strument, and video tracks. controlling submix levels). For more information,
see “Master Fader Tracks and Signal Flow” on
Video track features are described in page 992.
Chapter 57, “Working with Video in
Pro Tools” VCA Master Tracks VCA Master tracks (or VCA
Masters) emulate the operation of voltage-con-
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA trolled amplifier channels on analog consoles,
Master Tracks where a VCA channel fader would be used to con-
trol, group, or offset the signal levels of other chan-
Pro Tools provides mono, stereo, and multichan-
nels on the console.
nel format audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader,
and VCA Master tracks. VCA Master tracks do not pass audio, so they do
not have inputs, outputs, inserts, or sends. A Mix
Audio Tracks Audio tracks let you record to disk
Group is assigned to a VCA Master track, which
and play back from disk recorded or imported au-
appears in the VCA track’s Assignment selector.
dio files.
Auxiliary Input Tracks Auxiliary Input tracks can The controls of the tracks in that Group, called the
be used as effects sends, destinations for submixes, slave tracks, are modified by the controls on the
as a bounce destination, as inputs to monitor or VCA Master. For more information, see “VCA
process audio (such as audio from external MIDI Master Tracks” on page 994.
instruments), and for many other audio routing
tasks.
Volume fader
Level meter
Voice selector
Peak/Delay and Headroom indicators
Track Type indicator
Track Name button
Delay Compensation view
Track Comments
Group ID Group ID
Pan knobs
Pan indicators
Solo/Mute buttons
Volume fader
Volume fader
Level meters
Level meters
Solo/Mute buttons
Record
TrackInput Enable MIDI Volume fader
Solo Mute
MIDI Velocity meter
Volume
fader
Level meter Patch Select
MIDI Volume indicator
Track Type indicator
Track Name button
Volume indicator
Track Type indicator Track Comments
Pan knobs
Pan indicators
Record Enable
Solo/Mute buttons
Volume fader
Level meters
Patch Select
Peak/Delay and Headroom indicators
Track Type indicator
Track Name
Delay Compensation view
Track Comments
Timebase selector
Playlist
selector Show/Hide Automation lanes
Timebase selector
Playlist
Playlist selector selector
Track View
selector
Track View selector
Instruments View
Edit window track controls for a video track (medium
track height) Instruments view provides MIDI controls for In-
strument tracks: MIDI Input selector, MIDI Output
selector, MIDI Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI
Edit Window Views Mute.
In addition to track controls and playlists (of clips For more information, see “Assigning MIDI
of events on the Timeline), the Edit window pro- Input and Output for Instrument Tracks” on
vides the following views that correspond to chan- page 249.
nel strip controls in the Mix window:
• Comments Inserts View (A–E and F–J)
• Mic Preamps Inserts view provides up to ten inserts (software
• Instruments plug-ins and hardware I/O inserts for generating
and processing audio) on each audio, Auxiliary In-
• Inserts (A–E and F–J)
put, Master Fader, and Instrument track.
• Sends (A–E and F–J)
• I/O For more information on inserts, see
Chapter 48, “Plug-In and Hardware
• Object (Pro Tools HD with Dolby Atmos only)
Inserts.”
• Real-Time Properties
• Track Color Sends View (A–E and F–J)
• Track Collaboration (projects only) Sends view shows send assignments in each audio,
• All Auxiliary Input, and Instrument track.
• Minimal For more information, see “Configuring
Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows” on
See also “Views in the Mix and Edit
page 1009.
Windows” on page 999.
Input Path selector Edit window I/O view, Volume pop-up fader (audio
Output Window button track)
Volume indicator
Pan indicator
Peak Indicator Functions as a headroom indicator
Output Path selector
based on the last peak playback level. To reset the
peak counter, click anywhere in the meter. Values
Edit window I/O view (audio track)
range from – (no signal) to 0 dB.
To show the I/O View in the Edit window:
Pan Indicator
Select View > Edit Window > I/O.
The Pan indicator displays the current pan setting
Channel strips in the Mix window always dis- of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full left) to
play Input and Output selectors as well as 100> (full right). Pan controls are only available
volume and pan values, so there is no I/O for stereo tracks or for mono tracks routed to a ste-
view display option for the Mix window. reo output.
To toggle the Volume indicator display: Edit window I/O view, Pan pop-up slider (audio track)
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) the indicator to toggle it between the fol- Greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks do
lowing modes: not provide a Pan indicator in I/O view. You
can view and adjust multichannel panning in
Volume Indicator (and Pop-Up Fader) Shows the the track’s Output window or in the Mix win-
current volume, or input level of a track as set by dow.
the track Volume fader. In I/O view (Edit win-
dow), click the Volume indicator to display the
Volume pop-up fader, which can be used to adjust
the volume.
Pro Tools meters provide a Peak Hold feature with 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
three options: 3 Second, Infinite, or None. Metering tab.
Clip Indication
Because Pro Tools uses 64-bit floating point calcu-
lations for the mixer, there will never be any inter-
nal clipping in the mixer. However, it is possible to
clip at the converters on your audio interface. It is
also possible to clip when writing audio to disk in
fixed point audio files (16-bit or 24-bit files only,
32-bit floating point files will not clip).
Audio track clip indicators display red under the Command-Option-Control-click (Mac) or Con-
following circumstances, otherwise they display trol-Alt-Start-click (Windows) any track level
yellow: meter in the Mix or Edit window.
Meter Type
Mix Window View selector 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 115.
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).
unselected track
selected track
Pro Tools lets you link Track selection with Edit To select a range of tracks, Shift-click
selections. When Track and Edit selections are additional Track Names.
linked, you can make a selection within a track or
across multiple tracks for editing and each associ- 2 Do one of the following:
ated track is selected (track names automatically • Choose Track > Delete.
highlight). • In the Tracks List, or Mix or Edit window,
Right-click the track name and select
To link Track and Edit selections:
Delete.
Select Options > Link Track and Edit Selection.
3 Click OK to remove the selected tracks from the
session.
Notes View
(MIDI Only)
To change to the previous or next Track View: To toggle Track Views for all tracks with
1 Click in the track you want to change. To Command Focus enabled, press
change views on multiple tracks, Shift-click or Option+Minus (Mac) or Alt+Minus
drag the Selector tool to select additional tracks, (Windows) on the alphanumeric keyboard.
or select a group.
Audio tracks are toggled between Waveform and
2 Do one of the following: Volume view. MIDI and Instrument tracks are tog-
• To change to the previous or next Track View on gled between Notes and Clips view.
all selected tracks, press Control+Command
(Mac) or Control+Start (Windows) and the Left Master Views for Tracks
or Right Arrow key.
Audio, MIDI, and Instrument tracks have Track
• To change to the previous or next Track View on Views that act as “master.” When a track is dis-
all tracks, press Command+Option+Control played in its Master view, any edits performed ap-
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start (Windows) and the ply to all data in the track. For instance, when an
Left or Right Arrow key. audio track is set to Waveform, copying and past-
ing affects not just the waveform information, but
Toggling Common Track Views all of the automation data as well.
The most common editing view for audio tracks
The Master view is based on the type of track, as
are Waveform and Volume view. The most com-
follows:
mon editing views for MIDI and Instrument tracks
are Notes and Clips view. Pro Tools provides an • Audio tracks: Waveform and Blocks
easy way to toggle these views. • MIDI and Instrument tracks: Clips, Blocks, and
Notes (when using the Selector tool)
Tracks List
Click the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks Click the Tracks List menu and choose Hide All
List. Tracks.
In the Tracks List (or on the track channel strip), You can also hide all tracks by Option-clicking
Right-click the track name and select Hide (or (Mac) or Alt-clicking (Windows) the
Hide and Make Inactive if the track is active and Show/Hide icon of any track that is shown.
you also want to make it inactive).
To show a track that is currently hidden, do one of To show or hide a range of tracks in the Tracks List
the following: with the Marquee:
Click the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks 1 Move the cursor to the left of a track name until
List. the Marquee with a small “+” symbol appears.
In the Tracks List (or on the track channel strip), 2 Click on the track in the list and drag up or down
Right-click the track name and select Show (or over the Show/Hide icons (to show or hide the
Show and Make Active if the track is inactive track and the tracks immediately above or be-
and you also want to make it active). low it).
Click the Tracks List menu and choose Show All Click the Show/Hide icon for the tracks you
Tracks. want to show or hide.
You can also show all tracks by Option-click- To restore previously shown tracks after using the
ing (Mac) or Alt-clicking (Windows) the Show All Tracks, Show Only Selected Tracks, or
Show Only Tracks by <Track Type> commands:
Show/Hide icon of any track that is hidden.
From the Tracks List menu, choose the Restore
Previously Shown Tracks option.
Field Recorder Guide Track (Audio Tracks on Track Input Track Input Track set to
set to Audio 2 set to Bus 2 No Input
Pro Tools HD Only) Sets the selected track to be
the guide track for field recorder workflows.
The Input Path selector lets you route any audio in- Assigning Audio Outputs
put or any of the Pro Tools internal busses to an au- (Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and
dio, Auxiliary Input, or Instrument track. The Instrument Tracks)
choices available in this pop-up menu are deter-
To assign an audio output of an audio, Auxiliary
mined by the Input Path configuration in the I/O Input, Master Fader, or Instrument track:
Setup. Inputs in use by another track appear bold in
1 In order to assign audio track outputs in the Edit
the Input Path selector pop-up menu.
window, select View > Edit Window > I/O.
Instrument tracks automatically assign the 2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the track’s
audio output from the instrument plug-in in- Output Path selector and choose from the avail-
serted on the track to the track audio Input. able audio interface channels and busses. Stereo
and multichannel surround tracks have outputs
available as pairs and multichannel paths.
The Output Path selector lets you route a track to 1 On an existing track, click the Output selector
any configured audio output or internal bus. The for the track and select New Track.
choices available in this pop-up menu are deter-
2 In the New Track dialog, select the Width, Type,
mined by the Output Bus Path configuration in the
and Time Base for the new track.
I/O Setup. Outputs in use by another track appear
bold in the Output Path selector’s pop-up menu.
choose Rename from the pop-up menu. In the Edit or Mix window, Right-click the In-
put selector or Output selector for a track, and
2 In the Rename I/O dialog, type a name for the
choose Make Inactive (or Make Active) from the
I/O Path, and click OK.
pop-up menu.
‘
You can also adjust the relative priority of tracks Click the Voice selector and set the track to Dyn,
by freeing up the voices of individual tracks, mak- Off.
ing them available to other tracks in the session.
In the Edit window, select View > Edit Control-click (Mac) or Right-click (Mac or
Window > I/O to access any track’s Output Windows) the MIDI Output selector and select
selector. additional channels from any device.
2 Click the Solo button on another track. The but- With AFL, the level you hear is dependent on the
tons for both tracks are highlighted and all other fader level for that track. Additionally, there is a
tracks are muted. separate master level setting for AFL that affects
the output of any or all tracks you solo in AFL
To un-solo tracks: mode (see “AFL/PFL Path” on page 57). This
Click the Solo button on soloed tracks. level setting is independent of the PFL level
setting.
For information on creating and modifying
groups for track soloing and muting, see PFL (Pre Fader Listen) The Solo button routes the
“Grouping Tracks” on page 257. track’s pre-fader/pre-pan signal to the AFL/PFL
Path output. The AFL/PFL Path is configured in
the Output page of the I/O Setup dialog (see
Solo Button
“AFL/PFL Path” on page 57).
The Solo button normally mutes other tracks so
that the selected track can be auditioned inde- With PFL, the fader level and pan are ignored, and
pendently. the level you hear is dependent on the signal’s re-
corded level. Additionally, there is a separate mas-
With Pro Tools HD, this behavior is selected as a ter level setting for PFL that affects the output of
Solo mode, called “Solo In Place.” Additional Solo any or all tracks you solo in PFL mode (see
modes are provided to change how the Solo button “AFL/PFL Path” on page 57). This level setting is
works. See “Solo Modes” on page 250. independent of the AFL level setting.
As long as at least one Solo button is held, all The Mute button on a MIDI track mutes MIDI
the solos will remain latched. data, not audio. Muting MIDI results in no MIDI
data being passed to the MIDI output. On Instru-
Solo Safe Mode ment tracks, the track’s Mute button mutes the au-
dio signal and the MIDI Mute button is only avail-
Pro Tools lets you solo safe a track. This prevents able in Instruments view.
the track from being muted even if you solo other
tracks. This feature is useful for tracks such as
Auxiliary Inputs that are being used as a submix of
audio tracks, or effects returns, allowing the audio
or effects track to remain in a mix even when other
tracks are soloed. It is also useful to solo safe MIDI
tracks so that their playback is not affected when
you solo audio tracks.
MIDI Mute button, Instruments view, Mix window
AFL or PFL soloed tracks cannot be solo
safed.
To make one or more tracks inactive or active, do Tracks List Track colors are displayed in vertical
one of the following: color bars that appear to the left of each track
Select the track and select Track > Make Inac- name.
tive/Active. Groups List Track colors are displayed in vertical
Right-click the Track Name in the Tracks List, color bars that appear to the left of each Group
or Mix or Edit windows and choose Make Inac- Name.
tive/Active.
Default colors are automatically assigned to tracks,
To select multiple tracks, Command-click but you can override those colors by choosing
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) additional from a color palette of 96 possible colors. For more
Track Names. information, see “Color Palette” on page 255.
7 Select a Default Clip Color Coding option. Track Type Assigns a color to each track according
to its type (audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader,
8 Click OK.
VCA Master, MIDI, Instrument, or video).
Always Display Marker Colors
Default Clip Color Coding
This option lets you view Marker colors in the
The Default Clip Color Coding options determine
Markers ruler, regardless of the option you choose
how colors are assigned to the display of tracks,
for the Default Clip Color Coding option.
clips in the track playlist and Clips List, and
Marker Locations.
MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity
None Turns off default color assignment for clips.
When this option is enabled, MIDI notes display
varying shades of the assigned track color in MIDI Clips are drawn as black waveforms or black MIDI
notes view in the Edit window and in MIDI Editor notes on a light gray background.
windows. Notes with high velocities are darker Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to each
and notes with lower velocities are lighter. clip in the Edit window according to its voice or
MIDI channel assignment.
Pro Tools provides a relative grouping function for Mix Groups, Edit Groups, and
linking tracks and their controls. Mix/Edit Groups
Mix Groups only affect mixing functions and Edit
Groups only affect editing. Mix/Edit Groups link
Grouping Tracks the grouping functions of the Mix Group and the
Groups are useful for editing several tracks in ex- Edit Group.
actly the same way, or for mixing several tracks
(such as a pair of stereo tracks or a submix) while Edit Groups
keeping them at the same relative volume level. Edit Groups affect the following items in the Edit
and MIDI Editor windows:
Pro Tools provides the following grouping
features: • Track View
• Up to 104 different groups are available, ar- • Track Height
ranged in 4 banks of 26 Group IDs. • Track Timebase
• Groups can be nested (subgroups within • Audio and MIDI editing functions
groups).
• Automation editing functions
• Grouped faders or controllers preserve their lev-
els relative to each other.
• Groups are assignable to an available VCA Mas-
ter track.
Grouping Limitations 2 Deselect the Link Mix and Edit Group Enables
option.
Grouping does not affect these parameters:
3 Click OK.
• Voice assignment
• Output assignment
• Inserting plug-ins
• Elastic Audio plug-ins
Group Controls
Colors Group IDs Show/Hide
Menus and commands for creating and modifying Groups List
groups are accessible in the following:
• Groups List Groups List
Hollow Circle
Filled In Circle
Group Dialog
Whether you are creating or modifying groups
with the Groups List, a track's Group ID indicator,
or the Track > Group menu command, you use the
Groups dialog.
2 Do one of the following: • To replace all tracks in the group with the tracks
that are currently selected in the session, click
• Choose Track > Group.
the Replace button at the bottom of the Group
• Choose New Group from the Groups List menu. dialog.
3 Type a name for the group. In either list, Shift-click to select a range of
4 Select the type of group to create: Edit, Mix, or track names. Command-click (Mac) or Con-
Mix/Edit. trol-click (Windows) to select discontiguous
track names.
5 Choose a Group ID from the ID pop-up menu.
Four banks of 26 are available: a–z, 2a–z, 3a–z, 7 If the group is a Mix Group or a Mix/Edit
4a–z. (If you do not choose a Group ID, Group, do the following:
Pro Tools automatically assigns the next avail-
• Set the Attributes for the Group (see “Setting
able ID to a new group.)
Group Attributes” on page 264).
• If you want to assign the group to an available
VCA, select the VCA Master track from the
VCA pop-up menu.
8 Click OK.
Track controls:
• Main Volume
• Main Mute
• Main Pan
• Main LFE Level (Pro Tools HD only)
To disable a group:
Groups List Keyboard Focus enabled
In the Groups List, click the name of the group
To enable and disable groups using the Edit and
you want to disable. The name is unhighlighted
Mix Groups List Keyboard Focus:
to indicate that it is not enabled.
With Groups List Keyboard Focus enabled,
type the Group ID letter (a–z) to automatically
enable or disable the corresponding group.
The Edit Window displays all audio clips, MIDI Because clip information can become lengthy, the
clips, and clip groups in a single, comprehensive Clips List can be scrolled or resized as necessary.
Clips List.
Use the Clips List as a bin for storing your
Drag to resize width Keyboard Focus favorite audio loops and MIDI clips. Save
of Clips List the session as a template and the clips are
Clips List menu
available for future sessions (see “Session
Templates” on page 171).
Clips List
Hiding Auto-Created clips can be useful File Name Displays the parent file name.
when importing clip groups (or REX files
Disk Name Displays the name of the hard drive on
as clip groups), because these file types can
which referenced file resides.
contain so many separate clips that it be-
comes difficult to read the Clips List. Full Path Displays the full directory path of the
clip’s parent file.
In the Clips List, whole-file audio clips are dis-
played in bold, and stereo and multichannel audio Channel Name Displays the channel name for
clips can be expanded to display individual chan- audio files imported from field recorders.
nels.
Scene and Take Displays the scene and take for
audio files imported from field recorders.
2 From the submenu, select a basis for sorting. • User Time Stamp
Different options are available for audio and • Timebase
MIDI clips. See “Sort By Options” on page 271. • Start in Parent
3 To set whether clips are listed in ascending or • End in Parent
descending order, click the Clips List menu,
choose Sort By, and select Ascending or Clips can also be sorted by Clip Type (Audio and
Descending. MIDI), or in Ascending or Descending order.
Unused Except Whole Files Selects clips that To preview a clip in the Clips List:
have not been placed in a track in the current ses-
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
sion, but do not include Whole-file clips. Whole-
clip name.
file clips are clips that were created when record-
ing or importing audio, consolidating existing Audio clips and clip groups play back through the
clips, and when nondestructively processing with specified Audition Path (see “Audition Path” on
an AudioSuite plug-in. Whole-file audio clips ref- page 56).
erence an entire audio file that resides on your hard
drive. Whole-file audio clips are displayed in bold Sample-based clips play back at their native
in the Clips List tempo. Tick-based MIDI and Elastic Audio pro-
cessed clips play back at the session tempo (based
Offline Selects clips whose parent files cannot be on the location of the playback cursor). You can
located, or are not available, when opening a ses- also preview clips from the Clips List during ses-
sion or importing a track. Offline clips appear in sion playback.
the Clips List as italicized and dimmed; they ap-
pear in playlists as light blue clips with italicized MIDI clips play back using the Default Thru In-
names. strument selected in the MIDI Preferences page
(see “The Default Thru Instrument” on page 509).
“Select Unused” Ignores Parent Clip Enabling
the “Select Unused” Ignores Parent Clip option af-
fects the behavior of the Select Unused command.
When it is enabled, all unused clips are selected ex-
cept for any unused whole clips that have related
sub-clips currently on tracks in the session.
When auditioning a mono component of a mono Stereo clips, expanded (top) and collapsed (bottom)
component clip, the clip can be routed equally to To expand or collapse all stereo and multichannel
all outputs of the parent clip’s Audition Path. clips:
in the Clips List • From the Clips List menu, choose Rename.
A typical session can become cluttered with doz- • Right-click on any selected clip and select Re-
ens of tracks and hundreds of clips. There are a name from the pop-up menu.
number of things you can do to keep track of and 4 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
manage a session’s clips, including: clip. If a whole-file audio clip was selected,
• Renaming existing clips specify whether to rename just the clip, or both
the clip and the disk file.
• Specifying how auto-created clips are named
• Hiding auto-created clips
• Removing unused clips
Renaming Clips
In the course of a session you can rename clips to
give them more descriptive names, or to shorten or
simplify existing names. When renaming a clip
that was auto-created during editing, the clip be- Name dialog
comes a user-defined clip and is displayed in the 5 Click OK to rename the clip. If renaming multi-
Clips List even when auto-created clips are hidden. ple clips, you are prompted, successively, to re-
If a clip resides in a track, you can easily rename it name each clip.
by double-clicking it with one of the Grabber tools. You can resize the Name dialog by dragging
However, if the clip does not reside in a track, or if the boundaries of the dialog.
you want to rename several clips, use the Rename
command in the Clips List.
The Name dialog provides the option to view in- In the Name dialog, click the show/hide triangle
formation about the selected clip. This information for Clip Info.
is not editable from the Name dialog. The follow-
ing clip information is available:
Suffix Specifies text to be appended to the end of • Clips created by trimming whole-file
the name, following the auto numbering. audio clips
The Pro Tools Workspace combines an intuitive, When offline items are needed, Pro Tools lets you
browser-style interface with an integrated databas- find the correct matching files, then relink to on-
ing engine, optimized for metadata and media line media.
management.
The Workspace browser provides access to all
Workspace browsers provide extensive databasing your mounted volumes, as well as the folders and
tools for searching, sorting, auditioning, and im- files they contain.
porting of audio, MIDI, video, plug-in settings
(.tfx), Guitar Rig Settings (Eleven Rack only), and Using the Workspace browser, you can:
session files. Multiple browsers can be displayed • Use Soundbase to tag and find audio files with
and arranged, with custom display settings pro- musically descriptive metadata
vided to customize your work environment. • Access all mounted volumes
For information on dragging and dropping • Access all Catalogs
files from Workspace browsers to your • Search across multiple volumes and Catalogs
Pro Tools session, see “Importing Files with simultaneously
Drag and Drop” on page 368.
• Designate volumes for Record and Playback,
Playback Only, or Transfer
Workspace Browsers
• View, manage, audition, and import individual
Workspace browsers provide an intuitive user in- items in any catalog or mounted volume
terface to databases with many convenient features
for various file management tasks (such as search • Update databases for entire volumes
and sort functions).
Sound Libraries
Workspace browsers in Pro Tools are analogous to
At the top of the list in the Location pane of any
windows in your computer’s operating system, but
Workspace browser is the Sound Libraries direc-
are specifically designed for Pro Tools workflow.
tory. Sound Libraries provides easy access to
Multiple browsers can be displayed simultane-
tagged audio files, and search on criteria that in-
ously, and arranged independently with custom
cludes musically useful information about the au-
display settings for each.
dio content—especially Time Base, Duration
Workspace browsers let you search and sort audio (Min:Sec or Bars|Beats), Tempo, Key, Time Sig-
files, video files, and sessions. Audio, video, and nature, Favorites, Rating, and Tags. Use Sound-
session files displayed in browsers can be dragged base in Workspace browsers to find audio files us-
directly into the current Pro Tools session. ing tags (WAV and AIFF only). Tags are
Transfer Volumes These are volumes that are not When opening sessions created in lower versions
supported for media playback in Pro Tools (such of Pro Tools in Pro Tools 12.7 or higher, you are
as shared network volumes or CD-ROMs), or stor- prompted to update the database file and to man-
age volumes (hard drives) that have been desig- ually back up the database file from the lower
nated in the Workspace browser as Transfer (T) version of Pro Tools. This is important if you (or
volumes. Transfer volumes cannot be used to re- anyone else for that matter) expect to continue to
cord or play back media in a Pro Tools session. work on the session in a version of Pro Tools
lower than 12.7. Back up that database file to fa-
Designated Transfer (T) volumes can be useful for
cilitate session interchange between different
transferring session and media files between dif-
versions Pro Tools. This helps to maintain things
ferent Pro Tools systems. like Catalogs created in lower versions of
Pro Tools or Favorites and Ratings created in
For more information, see “Volume
Pro Tools 12.7 or higher.
Permissions” on page 286.
When opening a session last saved in Pro Tools
12.7 in a lower version of Pro Tools, any
Databases Pro Tools 12.7 database file is backed up auto-
matically and appended with the version of the
The information displayed in Workspace browsers
backup starting with “.1” (Workspace.wksp.1).
is stored in the system-wide Pro Tools database.
The appended number increases incrementally
Pro Tools creates a centralized database automati-
for each subsequent backup.
cally for all mounted volumes, including Transfer
volumes, on your system drive. Pro Tools uses a With Pro Tools 11 and higher, the database file
single database file that maintains an index of all is versioned and is not backward compatible with
volumes (hard drives, networked drives, and re- previous versions of Pro Tools. When using a
movable media) and catalogs. system where Pro Tools 11 or higher and
Pro Tools 10 are co-installed, there will be sepa-
On Mac, the database file is stored in
rate database files for each version of Pro Tools.
/Users/Shared/Pro Tools.
Database files of the same version are cross-
On Windows, the database file is stored in platform compatible (Mac and Windows).
<Systemdrive>/Users/Public/Pro Tools.
Pro Tools databases use two file types:
The waveform cache for audio files indexed by the
Workspace.wksp Stores media and session file
database are stored within the database file. This
metadata for a particular volume or catalog.
includes the mini thumbnail waveforms for pre-
viewing (waveform cache files for sessions con- Wavecache.wfm Stores waveform overviews for
tinue to be stored in the session folder). all audio files referenced by each session.
There is also the MiscSettings file which stores the
directory path for the Sound Libraries folder.
Toolbar
Column headers
Items List
Locations pane
Browser pane
Show/Hide
Pane split
To maximize processing speed and protect vital The main elements of a Workspace browser
components, Workspace browsers do not display include the following.
all folders. For example, in Windows, Workspace
Toolbar Provides the Browser menu, Search icon,
browsers do not display the WU Temp or System
Volume Information folders; and on Mac, Work- View Presets (numbered 1–5), Workspace browser
space browsers do not display the System folder. navigation tools, and preview tools.
This excludes them from being indexed, searched, Items List Displays the contents of a volume,
sorted, or affected in any way by Workspace tasks. folder, session, or Catalog database in rows.
You should not store Pro Tools session or media
files in any of these folders.
Choose Window > New Workspace > Sound- Select Sound Libraries, or a volume, folder, or
base. Catalog, and press the Right Arrow key to ex-
pand, or the left Arrow key to collapse.
Press Option+Control+I (Mac) or
Control+Alt+I (Windows). To move up one level in a browser:
To open a new Workspace browser focused Click the Browse Back arrow in the toolbar.
on the Project:
To move up one level in a browser,
Press Option+O (Mac) or Alt+O (Windows). press Command+Up Arrow key (Mac)
or Control+Up Arrow key (Windows).
To send all Workspace browsers to the T (Transfer) Can only be used for storing, transfer-
background, press Option+Shift+J (Mac) ring, or auditioning files, and cannot be used for re-
or Alt+Shift+J (Windows). cording or playback.
All open Workspace browsers are moved to the If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple
background, bringing the other windows to the drives, and you intend to record multiple
foreground. Nonetheless, all Workspace browsers tracks simultaneously, you may want to des-
remain open and accessible. ignate the System drive as a Playback only or
Transfer only drive for optimal performance.
To bring an open Workspace browser to the
To change a volume designator:
foreground:
1 Open a Workspace browser.
Choose Window > Browsers, and select an open
Workspace browser from the submenu. 2 In the Locations pane, select Volumes.
3 In the Browser pane, click and select the appro-
To cycle to the next or previous Workspace
priate permissions for any volume.
browser:
Press Command+Left/Right Arrow keys (Mac) You can also Right-click any volume in either
or Control+Left/Right Arrow keys (Windows). the Locations pane or the Browser pane and set
the desired permissions setting for the selected
volume.
Closing Workspace Browsers
To close all Workspace browsers:
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Close box of any Workspace browser.
AAF and OMF sequences can be opened from To open a folder in the current Workspace
Workspace browsers. browser:
You can also drag and drop AAF and OMF se- Double-click the folder, or click the
quences from Workspace browsers into the current Expand/Collapse icon for the item.
session.
With a browser in the foreground and the
To open an AAF or OMF sequence from a folder selected, press Command+Down
Workspace browser: Arrow (Mac) or Control+Down Arrow
(Windows) to open a folder in the
1 Do one of the following:
current Workspace browser.
• With no Pro Tools session currently open, dou-
ble-click the AAF or OMF sequence in the
Browser pane of any Workspace browser.
• Drag the AAF or OMF sequence from the
Browser pane of any Workspace browser to the
Timeline in an open session.
2 Configure the Import Session Data dialog.
3 Click OK.
To scroll to the top or bottom of the active If a volume or folder has not been indexed, it is in-
pane: dexed automatically the first time it is opened in a
Workspace browser. Volumes or folders contain-
Press Home (for the top) or End (for the
ing a lot of media files can take a long time to in-
bottom).
dex. For this reason, you may want to manually in-
dex specific volumes or files prior to starting a
To move items up or down in the current
Workspace browser:
project to help expedite workflow.
Manual Indexing
Manual indexing fills in all missing data, and up-
dates changed data for selected folders and all of
their sub-folders.
To update the index for a folder and all sub- Workspace Browser menu icon
folders: Loop Preview Previews the selected file by loop-
Right-click the item in a Workspace browser ing playback of the file. If multiple files are se-
Items List and choose Update Index. lected, only the first selected file previews. When
Loop Preview mode is enabled, the Preview button
To update the index for an entire volume: updates to show a Loop Preview Mode icon.
Right-click the volume to update in the Work- Auto-Preview Enables or disables automatic pre-
space browser and choose Update Index. view of files. When this option is enabled, select-
ing a file in the browser starts preview. The Pre-
Last Indexed Date Display view button updates to show that Auto-Preview is
enabled.
The Date Indexed column shows the date that the
index for that folder and all of its sub-folders was
updated. Keep in mind that individual sub-folders
may have been updated more recently.
Chapter 16: Workspace Browsers 289
Spacebar Toggles File Preview Enables or dis- Show Offline Volumes Select (or deselect) the
ables the Spacebar for starting and stopping pre- Show Offline Volumes command to show (or hide)
view. When this option is disabled, use the Pre- all indexed offline volumes from the database in
view button to start and stop preview. In this mode, the Locations pane.
the Spacebar starts and stops session playback.
Delete Index for All Offline Volumes Deletes the
This lets you play back the session and, with the
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo option en-
index for all offline volumes from the database.
abled, preview the selected audio file in time with Keep Window on Top Select (or deselect) the Keep
the session. Window On Top option in the Workspace Browser
menu to ensure that the Workspace remains in the
When a browser is front-most, Command+P
foreground when working with other windows. This
(Mac) or Control+P (Windows) starts and
can be helpful when working with the Workspace
stops preview. Also, the Esc key stops preview.
and the Edit window in particular. When this option
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Con- is disabled, clicking on another window (such as the
forms all tick-based audio files with Elastic Audio Edit or Mix windows) brings that window to the front
analysis, as well as REX and ACID files, to the and the Workspace may be hidden behind it. When
session tempo. This option lets you play back the enabled, all open Workspace browser remain in front
session and simultaneously preview the selected of all other windows with the focused Workspace al-
files in time with the session. This option is only ways in the foreground.
available when a session is open. For more infor-
mation, see “Conforming Preview to the Session
Tempo” on page 317. Workspace Right-Click Menu
When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo Pro Tools lets you Right-click on items in the Lo-
option is enabled, Pro Tools analyzes un-analyzed cations pane (such as volumes and folders) and the
files on preview or import. Audio files that have Browser pane (such as folders and files) to access
been analyzed as tick-based can then be previewed relevant contextual commands. These commands
at the session tempo and conform to the session are specific to the type of items selected in the Lo-
tempo on import. cations pane or the Browser pane, as described be-
low.
When the Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
option is disabled, any tick-based audio files with New Folder Creates a new folder on the currently
Elastic Audio analysis, and REX and ACID files selected volume or folder, or within the currently
preview and import at their native tempo. selected catalog. For volumes and folders, a new
folder is created on disk. For more information, see
Don’t Limit Search Results Select (or deselect) “Creating and Opening Workspace Browser Fold-
the Don’t Limit Search Results option to show all ers” on page 287.
search results past the default 1,000 item limit. If a
search returns more than 1,000 items you are notified Create Catalog from Selection Creates a fully in-
to the left of the simple search field that 1,000+ items dexed catalog of all items selected in either the Lo-
were found. You can click the 1,000+ link to show cations or the Browser pane.
all items found or you can enable the Don’t Limit
Search Results option to always show all search re-
sults.
Spot To Edit Insertion Spots the selected audio Load Guitar Rig Settings (Eleven Rack
Only) Loads the Guitar Rig Settings for selected
file to the current Edit insertion location. Note that
audio files with embedded Guitar Rig Settings
the channel width of the file must match the chan-
from an Eleven Rack.
nel width of the target audio track.
Select Offline Files Selects all files that are
Update Index Updates the index for the currently
currently offline.
selected volumes or folders.
Select Online Files Selects all files that are online.
Delete Index Deletes the index of files for the
items in the selected volume or folder from the da- Select Transfer Files Selects all files identified as
tabase. Transfer files (files found on media that do not
support playback).
Delete Index for All Offline Volumes Deletes the
index for all offline volumes from the database. Relink Offline Opens the Relink window for items
selected in the current session.
Invert Selection Reverses (inverts) the current
selection. Relink Opens the Relink window, with all selected
files from the current browser displayed and se-
Select All Selects all items shown in the browser.
lected as Files to Match. This command is avail-
Calculate Waveform Calculates the waveform dis- able for catalogs and sessions only.
plays for selected audio files, or for all audio files
Copy and Relink Copies items selected in the cur-
within selected volumes, folders, or catalogs.
rent session browser to a chosen location, and
For more information, see “Waveforms” on relinks the session to the copies instead of the orig-
page 311. inals. Use this to easily move files from a Transfer
to a Performance volume. This command is also
Calculate Elastic Analysis Calculates Elastic Au- available in selected catalogs to copy items and
dio analysis data for all selected audio files. Ana- relink the current catalog to the copies.
lyzed files are indicated by a blue clock for sam-
ple-based files and by a green metronome for tick-
Chapter 16: Workspace Browsers 291
Duplicate Creates a duplicate of the selected items Moving Columns
in the same location.
To move a column:
Rename Renames the selected item.
Drag the column to a new location in the
Permissions Lets you set Transfer, Playback, or Workspace.
Record permissions for the selected volume (see
“Volume Permissions” on page 286).
Resizing Columns
Lock Locks all selected items. Any files already
locked remain so. Locking a folder locks all files To resize a column, do one of the following:
and sub-folders it contains. Drag the right column boundary to a new width.
Unlock Unlocks the selected items. Double-click the right column boundary to re-
size the column to the widest element in col-
Delete Lets you delete selected files, folders, and
umn.
catalogs from disk, or move selected items to the
Trash (Mac) or to the Recycle Bin (Windows).
Showing and Hiding Columns
You can show or hide individual columns in
Workspace Browser Panes Workspace browsers to fit your workflow. The de-
and Display fault column display includes the items you would
use in most sessions.
Workspace browsers display an Items List consist-
ing of various columns (such as file name, size,
To show or hide individual columns, do one
creation date, and sample rate). of the following:
Right-click a column label and select or dese-
Showing (or Hiding) the
Size Displays the size of a file. This field cannot be Time Signature Displays the assigned Time Sig-
edited. nature of the file. Click in the Time Signature col-
umn and select the meter (such as 4/4).
SMPTE ID Displays the 32-bit unique ID for spe-
cific MXF files that were made with the SMPTE Unique ID Displays the standard 8-bit Unique ID
standard identifier. for most media and Pro Tools files.
Sound Roll Displays sound roll number data (This User Bits Displays text information embedded in
data is usually named “Tape” in BWF files, but is audio files. This field can be used for user com-
distinct from the date displayed in the Workspace ments, or auto-generated info with certain field re-
Tape column). This field cannot be edited. corders.
Sound Roll TC Displays the starting timecode of User Time Stamp Displays the user time stamp, if
audio files. This field cannot be edited. any, of audio files only.
Sound Roll TC Rate Displays the frame rate infor- Video Compression Displays the compression ra-
mation embedded in audio files: 24, 25, 29.97, 30, tio of video files where applicable.
drop or non-drop. This field cannot be edited.
Waveform Displays a graphical overview of an au-
Tags Displays, and lets you add and edit tags. dio file. See “Waveforms” on page 311 for more
Click in the Tags column for an item to add or edit information.
tags. You can also mark items as Favorites and
Rate them from zero to five stars. For more infor- Comments Fields
mation, see “Soundbase and Tags” on page 305.
Comments about individual files can be stored in
Take Displays take number data embedded in au- the database, and embedded with the file’s meta-
dio files. data wrapper. There are two types of comments
fields: File Comments and Database Comments.
Tape This column displays the original Avid tape
name if the item is an OMF file (audio or video). If File Comments
an audio file was originally recorded in Pro Tools,
this field displays the name of the original session. File Comments are stored with the metadata of the
file itself. Not all file types support File Com-
Tape ID Displays tape ID information embedded in ments. Indexing stores File Comments in the data-
audio files. This field cannot be edited. base, allowing them to be searched and viewed
TC Rate This column displays the frame rate of the even if the file is offline. File Comments can be ed-
item if the item is an AAF sequence or an OMF se- ited in Workspace browsers, as long as the files or
quence or file: 24, 25, 29.97, 30, drop or non-drop. their parent media are not defined as read-only.
For sequences, the frame rate at the start of the se-
You can also add and edit File Comments to
quence is displayed.
Pro Tools Session files. File Comments cannot be
edited in Catalogs.
296 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Database Comments To select all Transfer files in the current
(Sessions and Catalogs Only) window:
Database Comments, which can be up to 256 char- Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser
acters in length, are searchable, cross-platform, menu.
and editable.
To select all offline files:
Adding and Editing Comments Choose Select Offline Files from the Browser
menu.
To add, view, or edit a comment:
1 Click the Comments field. The field expands to To select all online files:
display the entire contents of the field if neces- Choose Select Online Files from the Browser
sary. menu.
2 Enter or edit a comment.
To reverse the current selection:
3 Press Enter, or click outside the text box to close
Choose Invert Selected from the Browser menu.
it.
Number of items
in the Browser List Tags button
Search tools
Initiating a search with no search criteria returns all items on the system.
Location selected for search Browser Search field Simple Search enabled
Search results
Volume selected for search Advanced Search settings Advanced Search enabled
Search Checked
option (disabled) Search results
6 Click in the Search Text field and type text for the search.
If you want to refine your search, click the Add Row button to add further constraints to the search.
Repeat steps 4–6 for each row you add.
Folders checked for search Advanced Search settings Advanced Search enabled
Search Checked
option (enabled) Search results
6 Click in the Search Text field and type text for the search. (Use spaces between text strings
for either/or searches and use quotes around text strings with spaces for and searches.)
7 Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).
Click the Simple Search button (“X”). Use the Search Text field to search the selected
column type according to the selected column type
Advanced Search Features and search criteria.
Once you have initiated an advanced search, the Add/Remove Row Buttons
Workspace browser displays additional advanced
search features. Pro Tools lets you refine your search by up to 8
rows of search criteria.
Add Row button
Add Row Button Click the Add button (“+”) to
Search Text field add another row to refine the advanced search.
Search Column selector
Press Shift + “+” (plus) or to add a new row.
Pro Tools lets you change the location of the An alias of that folder is added to Sound Libraries.
Sound Libraries folder in the Operation prefer- Directories (and all folders and files in that folder)
ences. However, you will have to manually copy or that are added as a Sound Library Location are col-
move any media to the new location. ored blue, whereas files and folders actually lo-
cated in the default (or assigned) Sound Libraries
To change the location of the Sound location are gray.
Libraries folder:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
2 Click the Operations tab.
3 Click the Change button for Sound Libraries un-
der User Media and Settings Location.
4 Navigate to the new location you want for the
Sound Libraries folder and click Open.
5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Added folders that point to other locations are blue
3 Select the tags you want to add or type in a new Creating a new tag for the selected audio file
tag. You can add as many tags to any audio file
(WAV or AIFF only) as you like. If more than one Choose from the Recently Used Tags options
audio file is selected, you are prompted to confirm in the Right-click menu to quickly add any of
that you want to add the tag to all selected files. the last used tags to the selected audio files.
4 When done, press Enter.
To use the Favorites designation in an Waveform displays for stereo and multichannel
Advanced Search: files are summed.
1 Select Favorites for the Column type.
2 Select either Set or Not Set for the Search Crite-
ria.
3 Press Enter or Return.
Tick-based Sample-based
file icon file icon
To audition from a specific location within MIDI files can be previewed from the
the file: session Clips List, but not from Workspace
Click in the waveform display at the location. browsers. See “Previewing Clips in the
Clips List” on page 275.
Meters
• Click the Browser Preview button again. 1 In the session, place the insertion point at the lo-
cation where you want to preview the file in
• If Spacebar Toggles File Preview is selected in
Workspace.
the Browser menu, press the Spacebar again.
2 In a Workspace browser, select the file you want
• Press Command+P (Mac) or Control+P
to preview.
(Windows).
• Press the Esc key. 3 Do one of the following:
• Click the Audio Files Conform to Session
Auto-Preview Tempo button. It highlights when enabled.
• From the Browser menu, select Audio Files Con-
Auto-Preview plays the audio file as soon as it is
form to Session Tempo.
selected. Additionally, the Preview button
updates to show an Auto-Preview icon. • Right-click the file you want to preview and se-
lect Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo from
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click the pop-up menu.
(Windows) the Preview button to toggle
Auto-Preview mode on and off. 4 Click the Preview button in the Workspace
browser and the file plays at the session tempo.
To automatically preview files when
selected:
Do one of the following:
• From the Browser menu, select Auto-Preview.
The Preview button updates to show that Auto-
Preview is enabled.
• Right-click the Preview button and select Auto-
Preview.
Catalogs have unique linking characteristics. To copy Transfer files found when opening a
See “Relinking and Aliases in Catalogs” on session, do one of the following:
page 325.
Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink dialog.
Choosing When to Relink Click No to open the session with all Transfer
files offline. When opened, the session’s Work-
Pro Tools lets you relink files while opening a ses-
space browser indicates Transfer files with a
sion or after a session is already open, as follows:
“T” in their Status column.
Relinking when opening a session ensures that
the session opens with all media playable. Auto- Transfer Files in an Open Session
matic and manual relinking can be performed. See
“Opening a Session with Missing Files” on To make Transfer files playable in the current
page 320. session:
1 Select the current session in the Locations pane.
Relinking later (after a session is already open)
is the fastest way to open the session, but all miss- 2 Double click the Audio Files folder to display
ing items remain offline and unplayable. See all of the audio files.
“Relink Window” on page 322.
3 Choose Select Transfer Files from the Browser
Forcing a Relink menu.
4 Choose Copy and Relink from the Browser
If you cannot relink to the original file, you can
menu.
force a relink to another file. See “Force Relinking
Files” on page 325. 5 Specify a location for the copied files on a valid
Performance volume and click OK.
6 Repeat for video files, as necessary.
• Choose Window > New Workspace and select 1 When you open a session, Pro Tools opens the
the current session in the Locations pane. session with all available media, then shows
you how many files are missing (if any) and
• Open a Catalog.
asks how you want to proceed. (If told that files
2 Select the items you want to copy and relink. are unsuitable for playback, see “Transfer Files”
You can select any media files (online, offline, on page 319.)
and Transfer files).
2 Select one of the following:
3 Choose Copy and Relink Selected from the • Skip All—or press Command+S (Mac) or
Browser menu. Control+S (Windows).
4 If the default location for the copies (the ses- • Manually Find Relink—or press Command+M
sion’s Audio Files folder) is not appropriate, (Mac) or Control+M (Windows).
specify a different location and click Choose.
• Automatically Find Relink—or press
5 The files are copied to the chosen destination Command+A (Mac) or Control+A (Windows).
and the session or Catalog is relinked in the
3 Select Regenerate Missing Rendered Files
background.
Without Searching to exclude rendered Elastic
Audio files from the relink process and regener-
ate them instead.
4 Click OK.
Areas to Search
Files to Relink
Candidates
Menu and Toolbar Includes the Relink menu, Opening the Relink Window
View Presets, and relinking buttons. Status is dis-
played at the far right. When opening a session with missing files, use the
Manually Find and Relink option to open the Relink
Areas to Search Selects volumes on which to window. The Relink window can also be accessed
search for missing items. after a session is open.
OMF video clips can only be relinked to a To relink multiple missing files:
session if they have matching Unique IDs. 1 Configure Areas to Search. (See “Selecting Ar-
eas to Search” on page 323.)
QuickTime video clips can only be relinked to 2 Select one or more items in the Files to Relink
a session by file name and file format (Quick- list. The Find Links button becomes available.
Time).
3 Click Find Links.
To control matching and linking criteria 4 Configure criteria for relinking, if necessary, in
when relinking an individual missing file, the Linking Options dialog:
use the Find Links button. Find Links is ex- • By default, Find by Name and ID is enabled.
plained in “Relinking Multiple Missing • To add additional matching criteria, select an op-
Files” on page 324. tion from the Linking Options dialog. (Modifi-
cation Date is only applicable to Catalogs.)
4 Click the Link icon next to the appropriate Can-
didate to which you want to relink. A Link icon • If Match Duration is enabled, Pro Tools only se-
next to an item indicates it will be relinked to lects files of the same length or greater.
the item currently selected in the Files to Relink
list.
To force a relink:
Relinking and Aliases in
Catalogs
1 Select the items you want to relink.
Catalogs are collections of “aliases” or “shortcuts”
2 Choose Relink Offline from the Browser menu. to actual files. If the files are moved, an item in a
3 In the Relink window, select one item in the Catalog can become unlinked from the file it refer-
Files to Relink list. ences.
2 In the Browser pane, select one or more items in Metadata Metadata for all files found online, in-
the catalog that you want to remove. cluding File comments, are updated.
3 Choose Remove Selected Items from the Database Comments Database Comments are not
Browser menu. updated, because they are unique to each Catalog
and are not part of the file’s metadata.
4 When prompted, do one of the following:
• To remove the aliases for the selected items from
Relinking Catalog Items
the Catalog, click Remove.
If files are ever missing from a Catalog, use the
• To delete the selected items from disk (and re-
Relink window to locate, copy, and relink files.
move their aliases from the Catalog), click Move
For more information, see “Linking and Relinking
To Trash (Mac) or Move To Recycle Bin (Win-
Files” on page 318.
dows).
The Task window lets you monitor, pause and cancel ongoing tasks including file copying, fade regener-
ation, and indexing. You can also use the Task Manager to monitor upload and download progress with
projects.
Status
Active Tasks
Paused Tasks
Because the Task window is a floating window, it Quantification Shows percentage of progress of
does not interrupt current work. This allows you to the current task.
continue recording and editing, and postpone file
management until a more convenient time. Active Tasks Pane
Stored Tasks
Any task that imports files into a session is stored
with a session when it is closed, and resumes when
the session is re-opened. For example, if you Im-
port Session Data with Copy From Source Media
selected, then Save and Close the session before
the copy completes, the copy tasks resume when
the session is reopened.
Grouped Tasks
Some tasks consist of many smaller tasks. For in-
stance, Copy and Relink may require hundreds of
individual files to be copied. To help manage these
tasks, they are grouped under the originating com-
mand. So in the example of a Copy and Relink
command, one copy task would appear with an Ex-
pand/Collapse icon in the Task window. Clicking
the icon shows each of the individual sub-tasks.
Use the Artist Chat window to find and invite other Pro Tools users to collaborate on projects. Use text chat
to communicate during the collaboration process. The Artist Chat window is a floating window.
3 Click Save.
Add Contacts
To add a contact:
1 Click Contacts in the left column of the Artist
Chat window. Send a contact request
Notifications
When you receive and invitation to collaborate on
a project, you are notified in the Notifications tab.
You can choose to accept or reject the request to
collaborate.
My Contacts
Accepting or rejecting an invitation to collaborate
3 You can double-click one of your contacts to
on a project:
start a text chat with them.
1 When you receive a notification, a number ap-
To delete a contact: pears to the right of the Notifications tab in the
left column of the Artist Chat window.
1 Click Contacts in the left column of the Artist
Chat window.
2 The My Contacts tab should be shown, but if
not, click it. One notification
3 Click Edit in the upper-right corner of the My 2 Click the Notifications tab in the left column of
Contacts pane. It will turn blue. the Artist Chat window to review your notifica-
tions.
4 Move the mouse cursor over the far right of the
contact you want to delete. A “–” (minus) sym- 3 Review the notification and then decide to ac-
bol appears. cept or reject the request.
History
Project Notifications
To leave a project:
Leave a project
Chat Topic
Collapse/Reveal Chat List (Group Chat Only)
Invite Contacts
Start New Chat to chat
Chat view
Chat view, individual chat shown 2 Click Start to start a new chat with the selected
contact.
Individual Chat
Group chats provide several additional options that Renaming a Group Chat Thread
are not available with individual chats:
When a group chat is started, it initially uses the
• Rename group chat
names of the members of the chat as the name for
• Set a topic for a group chat the chat. You can add a specific name to the group
• Individually message a participant in a group chat to help identify it in the Chat list. You can
chat. only change the name for a group chat.
• Add a participant to join your contacts if they are
To rename a group chat:
not already one of your contacts.
1 Double click the title of the group chat at the top
To start a group chat: of the chat pane.
1 Either add more contacts to an existing chat
thread or start a new one. Any participant on a
group chat thread can add any of their contacts
to the group chat.
2 Click the Invite Contacts to Chat icon in the up-
per-right corner of the Chat. Rename a group chat
Emoticons pane
Edited message identifies by pencil icon
Selecting Offline
While “Read” and “None” are continually shared, • Track Voice assignments
“Write” modes are not (as this could cause prob-
lems for other project participants). Sending and Receiving Tracks
and Updates
I/O Setup
A track must be shared to send or receive updates
New projects are received with the bus settings with other project participants. If a track is not
from the project owner. All existing busses on col- shared, it is usable only on the local system. This
laborator systems are cleared for the new project. can be desirable if you want to keep certain tracks
from being changed by other participants in the
Any received bus follows the standard I/O Setup project, or if you want to share only mixdowns of
mapping logic. Output mapped busses look for a the full mix rather than the entire mix (this can ac-
unique ID, followed by the assigned monitor path tually save time and online storage space).
(if any), followed by the name and channel format
of tracks. If none are found, the bus does not map A track must be shared by at least one user to show
to the collaborator’s system and they are notified up as “available for download” in the Tracks list.
through the project notes when they first receive an
open the project. If this occurs, they may have to
remap those busses manually.
• HEAT settings
• Video Track Collaboration Tools in
the Edit Window
Project Ownership The Edit Window toolbar is host to the global
Track Collaboration tools.
The owner of the project is the one who creates the
project and invites others to collaborate on the To show (or hide) the Track Collaboration tools in
project. All media posted to the shared project the Edit window toolbar, do one of the following:
counts only against the project owner’s storage al- Select (or deselect) View > Track Collaboration.
location. Be sure to communicate using the Artist
Chat window to make sure all participants manage From the Edit Window menu, select (or dese-
the amount of media they post to the project so as lect) Track Collaboration.
to not overburden the project owner. Only the proj-
ect owner can invite participants to collaborate on
the project and delete participants from the project.
When the project owner deletes the project, it is de-
leted for all participants. When a participant who is
not the project owner deletes the project, it is the
same as if they simply leave the project and all
other participants will be able to continue collabo-
rating on the project.
Automatically
Show Artist Upload, Download,
Selecting Track Collaboration view from the Transport Chat or Download All
window menu
Track Collaboration tools in the Edit window toolbar
Invite User
Track Collaboration view in the Transport window (in Click the Invite User button to open the Artist Chat
Expanded view on top and non-Expanded view on the window and invite one or more of your contacts to
bottom) participate on the project (see “Invite Contacts to
Collaborate” on page 338).
Select (or deselect) View > Edit Window Views > Select (or deselect) View > Mix Window Views >
Track Collaboration. Track Collaboration.
From the Edit Window View selector, enable From the Mix Window View selector, enable
(or disable) Track Collaboration. (or disable) Track Collaboration.
Track Collaboration Track view, Edit window When it is not shared, it is gray. When a track is not
shared, none of the other Track Collaboration con-
Share Track trols are available. You can keep unshared tracks
in your project as if they are “private” tracks. In
Enable the Share Track control to share a track many cases you won’t need to share all the tracks
with other participants in the project. When a track in your project. Consider duplicating tracks to
is shared, the Share Track icon is blue. When a keep them as a reference against other collabora-
track is not shared, it is gray. Anyone can share or tors changes. Or, consider sharing only mixed
unshare any track in the project that has been down tracks as a reference for your collaborators
posted to the cloud and that they have downloaded rather than sharing the entire mix.
from the cloud. Any participant can create new
tracks and keep them private in their own local When a track is shared, the Share Track control is
copy of the project by not sharing them at all. blue. When a track is shared, anyone can take own-
ership of the track and make changes to it.
When any participant makes a “share-able” change Choosing the Abandon Changes command clears
to a shared track, they take ownership of that track, the upload and resets all of the changes to how the
even if only temporarily, and the Upload Track track was prior to you working on the track.
Changes control on that track lights green. When
that person clicks the Upload Track Changes con- Manual Uploads Only
trol, it uploads the track changes to the cloud copy Enable the Manual Uploads Only option to ensure
of the project. Other participants will notice that that the Upload All New Changes button does not
the Download Track Changes control for that track automatically upload any of your changes on this
lights green in their local copy of the project and track. Your changes will only be uploaded if you
they can choose to download those changes or not. click the Upload Track Changes control for that
Command-click (Mac) or Control-Click track. Disable this option to return to allowing the
(Windows) an Upload Track Changes control Upload All New Changes button to automatically
to force upload the track. upload all changes on this track.
When any participant makes a “share-able” change Enable the Manual Downloads Only option to en-
to a shared track that you do not own and they up- sure that the Download All New Changes button
load it to the cloud copy of the project, your Down- does not automatically download any changes
load Track Changes control for that track lights from the cloud copy of this track. You will only
green. When you click the Download Track download changes from the cloud copy of the proj-
Changes control, your local copy of the project be- ect if you click the Download Track Changes con-
gins to download the changes for that track. trol when it is green. Disable this option to return
to allowing the Download All New Changes but-
Consider making an unshared duplicate of a ton to automatically download all changes on this
track before you download changes to it. This track.
way you will always have your original for
reference.
Track Ownership
Download Track Changes Right-Click The Track Ownership control lets you take owner-
Menu
ship of a shared track, release ownership of a
shared track, request ownership of a shared track,
and show you if another participant currently owns
the track. It is important to understand that the
ownership of shared tracks is not restrictive. Mul-
tiple participants can edit unowned tracks simulta-
neously, and this can result in edit conflicts be-
Download Track Changes Right-Click menu tween the cloud copy of the project and
collaborators’ local copies.
The Download Track Changes control provides a
few additional options in its right-click menu as When any Upload Track Changes control or
follows: Download Track Changes controls light yellow, it
indicates that there are edit conflicts between vari-
Download
ous participants’ local copies of the project and the
The Download command works just like clicking a cloud copy of the project. You can upload your
green Download Track Changes control and changes and overwrite the cloud copy for a track
downloads all changes to the track from the cloud simply by clicking the Upload Track Changes con-
copy of the project. trol, even if it is yellow. Otherwise, you can click
the Download Track Changes button, even if it is
Ignore Changes yellow, and overwrite your local track with the
version from the cloud.
Choosing the Ignore Changes command rejects
any changes to that track in the cloud copy of the
project and maintains your current version of the
track.
When no one owns a shared track, the Track Own- When you manually take ownership of the track by
ership control is gray and anyone is free to work on clicking the Track Ownership control, it turns solid
it. green, shows your Display Name in the Track
Ownership control, and no other participant can
take ownership of the track simply by changing
their copy of the track.
Automatic Ownership
Similarly, if you make local changes to a track In the Tracks List, click the gray Cloud icon to
while another participant uploads their changes to the left of the track name to download and im-
the cloud copy, when you are notified that changes port all track data.
are available for download, the Download Track
In the Tracks List, right-click the gray Cloud
Changes control may turn red indicating that your
icon to the left of the track name and select on of
changes will be overwritten by changes on the
the following options:
cloud.
Download Downloads the track data without im-
porting. Track data can be imported at a later time.
When another participant makes a “share-able” Enable the Manual Downloads Only option to en-
change to a Conductor ruler and they then upload sure that the Download All New Changes button
their changes to the cloud copy of the project, the does not automatically download any changes
corresponding Download Ruler Changes control from the cloud copy of the project to this Conduc-
lights green for all other participants. They can tor ruler. Cloud changes to the ruler will only be
click the Download Ruler Changes control to downloaded if you click its Download Ruler
download the changes to the Conductor ruler from Changes control. Disable this option to return to al-
the cloud copy of the project to their local copy. lowing the Download All New Changes button to
automatically download all changes on this Con-
Download Ruler Changes Right-Click ductor ruler.
Menu
Download Ruler Changes Right-Click menu When no one owns a Conductor ruler, anyone is
free to work on it and the Conductor Ruler Owner-
Download
ship control is gray.
The Download command works just like clicking
the green Download Ruler Changes control and
downloads all changes on that ruler from the cloud
copy of the project. Unowned Conductor ruler
Ignore Changes
You can take ownership of a Conductor ruler either
by making “share-able” changes on that ruler (in
Choosing the Ignore Changes command clears the this case you automatically own the ruler for the
download and keeps your Conductor ruler as is re- time being) or you can click the Ruler Ownership
gardless of any changes in the cloud copy of the control and manually take ownership of the ruler.
project. For whoever takes ownership of a ruler, the Con-
ductor Ruler Ownership control turns either dim
green or solid green. For all other participants, the
Conductor Ruler Ownership control turns orange
in their local copy of the project.
You Automatically Own the Conductor ruler Conductor ruler owned by another participant
When you manually take ownership of a Conduc- If you want to take control of a Conductor ruler
tor ruler by clicking its Conductor Ruler Owner- owned by another participant, you can make a
ship control, it turns solid green and no other par- “share-able” change on the Conductor ruler or
ticipant can take ownership of that Conductor ruler click the Conductor Ruler Ownership control. The
simply by making a “share-able” change to their other participant is notified that the ownership of
copy of that Conductor ruler. the Conductor ruler is being requested and you will
see that the request is pending. If they relinquish
ownership of that Conductor ruler, you will take
ownership of it.
You Manually Own the Conductor ruler
Ownership Requested
Pro Tools lets you import and export a variety of • Using the File menu Import commands:
data into and out of a session, including audio and • Session Data
MIDI files, clip groups, video files, track playlists,
• Audio
I/O configurations, and signal routing configura-
tions. • MIDI
• Video
You can import individual audio and MIDI files
• Clip Groups
into a session, or import entire audio or MIDI
tracks, along with all of their attributes, from an- • VENUE Channel Names as Track Names
other session. Additionally, with Pro Tools HD,
Session or project data, audio files, and clips can
you have the option of importing any combination
be imported to existing tracks, new tracks, the
of track attributes from another session, such as a
Tracks List, or the Clips List in a Pro Tools session
track’s audio or MIDI playlists, signal routing,
or project.
plug-ins, or automation (see “Importing Session
Data” on page 384). Exporting
When you are working with video, you can import Pro Tools lets you export audio, video, MIDI, clip
and export video files from a session (see groups, and session data by:
Chapter 57, “Working with Video in Pro Tools”).
• Using the Export to Sibelius or Send to Sibelius
command (MIDI only)
When files are added to a Pro Tools session, Audio files formats other than WAV and AIFF
they remain at their current hard drive location and must be converted on import. Pro Tools automati-
are not moved or copied. The session references cally converts these files to the current session or
the original files wherever they are on your system. project audio file format on import. Also, if the
Additionally, the files referenced by the session re- session or project is not enabled for Interleaved
tain their original file format, sample rate, and bit files, Pro Tools splits interleaved audio files into
depth. multiple mono files on import.
When files are copied into the session, the orig- If clip definitions are present in an audio file, you
inal files remain wherever they are on your system can convert and import the audio for a clip without
and are copied to the session’s Audio Files folder importing the entire parent audio file using the Im-
and are then added to the session. The session ref- port Audio command.
erences the copied files, not the original files. Ad-
ditionally, the copied files referenced by the Pro Tools 7.x and higher does not support
session retain their original file format, sample audio file names that contain certain ASCII
rate, and bit depth. characters (see “Opening a Session that
Contains Audio File Names with Illegal
When files are converted into the session, the
Characters” on page 425).
original files remain wherever they are on your
system, converted to the session file format, sam-
Supported Audio File Formats
ple rate, and bit depth, and are written to the ses-
sion’s Audio Files folder. The session references Audio files of the following types can be
the converted files, not the original files. imported into Pro Tools sessions and projects
without conversion:
Files That Can Be Added to a Session or Project
Without Conversion • AIFF
• WAV or BWF (.WAV) (including support for
Any audio file of a supported file format (WAV
WAV Extensible and RF64)
and AIFF) and bit depth (16, 24, and 32-bit float)
can be added to sessions and projects without con-
version. Audio files with sample rates that do not
match the session or project sample rate can be
When using the Import Audio command, inter- 1 Select audio, video, MIDI, clip group, REX, or
leaved stereo files are automatically imported to ACID files in a Workspace browser, or Win-
stereo tracks. With Pro Tools HD, greater-than- dows Explorer, or Mac Finder.
stereo multichannel audio files are automatically 2 Drag the selected files onto the Clips List.
imported to tracks with the corresponding multi-
channel audio file format. To import files into an existing track:
If the Interleaved option is enabled for the session, 1 Select the files you want to import in a Work-
or is enabled on import, interleaved files are im- space browser, or Windows Explorer or Mac
ported to the session and remain interleaved files. Finder.
If this option is not enabled, interleaved files are 2 Drag the selected file to a location on an exist-
split into multi-mono. ing, compatible track. The file is imported and
placed where it was dropped.
Conversely, split stereo (dual mono) audio files
can be automatically imported to stereo tracks. To import files as new tracks:
Split stereo audio files must have the channel iden-
tifiers “.L” and “.R” in their names (for example, 1 Select the files you want to import in a Work-
filename.L and filename.R), and the files must be space browser, or Windows Explorer or Mac
the same length. In Windows, or in Mac/PC Com- Finder.
patibility mode, these files will have a 3-letter file 2 Do any of the following:
extension appended after the “.L” or “.R” channel
• Shift-drag files and drop anywhere in the Edit
identifier.
window.
• Drop files to the Tracks List.
Importing Files with Drag • Drop files to empty space in the Edit window,
and Drop below or between tracks.
Pro Tools lets you import audio, MIDI, video, and Importing does not always convert or copy
session files by dragging and dropping files from a audio files. See “Audio Conversion on Im-
Workspace browser, Windows Explorer, or Mac port” on page 366.
Finder to the Pro Tools application icon, the ses-
sion Timeline, a track, the Tracks List, or the Clips
List. Importing using drag and drop does not
necessarily bring the Edit window to the
The following figure illustrates some of the foreground. For example, dragging and
options available to import files using drag and dropping a file from a browser into a track
drop from Workspace browsers. leaves the source browser in the fore-
ground (not the Edit window). Always
verify the active, foreground window or
browser before continuing.
Adjust the preview volume with the vertical slider. 5 When you have added all audio files and clips to
To navigate to a particular location in the file, use the Import list, you can apply sample rate con-
the horizontal slider under the Play and Stop but- version by doing the following:
tons.
• Enable Apply SRC.
The Preview Volume control in the Import • Specify the Source Sample Rate either by typ-
Audio dialog also affects the preview volume ing a number, or by selecting a sample rate from
when auditioning clips in the Clips List. the pop-up menu.
The audition output path defaults to channels 1–2. • Select the sample rate conversion quality from
For Pro Tools systems with more than 2 channels the Quality pop-up menu. This setting overrides
of output, the audition path can be changed in the the Sample Rate Conversion Quality setting in
I/O Setup (see “Audition Path” on page 56). the Processing Preferences page.
6 Click Done.
To import ACID and REX flies as sample-based To import REX files as tick-based clip groups:
clips: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro- Processing tab.
cessing tab.
2 Select the Import REX Files as Clip Groups
2 Disable the Import REX Files as Clip Groups op- option.
tion.
3 To apply real-time crossfades to the files, enable
3 Select No Files as the Drag and Drop from the Automatically Create Fades option (see
Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo prefer- “Automatic Fades for Imported REX Files” on
ence. page 375).
4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. 4 Select REX and ACID Files Only or All Files as
the Drag and Drop from Desktop Conforms to
5 When importing by drag and drop from Work-
Session Tempo preference.
space browsers, make sure that the Audio Files
Conform to Session Tempo option is disabled. 5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Exporting Audio
Pro Tools supports exporting audio clips as audio
files, exporting left and right audio files as stereo
interleaved files, and exporting clip information.
Exporting a Clip as a New Audio 3 In the Export Selected dialog, set the File Type,
File Format, Bit Depth, and Sample Rate. In addi-
You can export clips as audio files with the tion, specify the Conversion Quality, and choose
Export Clips as Files command. Use this the Destination Directory.
command if you intend to use a clip in other ses-
sions (or other audio applications) without using
its parent source file.
Additional Options
2 Drag the files onto the Clips List of the current 1 Make sure to unmute any MIDI tracks in the
session. session that you want included in the exported
MIDI file. (Or, conversely, mute any MIDI
To import MIDI into an existing track: tracks you do not want included in the exported
MIDI file.) For Instrument tracks, enable or dis-
1 Select MIDI files in a Workspace browser, Win-
able the MIDI mute button (Instruments view).
dows Explorer, or Mac Finder.
2 Choose File > Export > MIDI. The Export MIDI
2 Drag the files onto an existing track in the Edit
Settings dialog opens.
window of the current session.
• Dragging a session to a track in Pro Tools lets To manually copy files on import:
you import tracks.
Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) the
• Dragging a session to a track playlist in files. A copy is created in the session Audio
Pro Tools opens the Import Session Data dialog, Files folder or, for projects, uploaded to the
letting you select tracks and attributes to import. cloud.
The imported session data will begin wherever
you drop the session in the Timeline. When importing sessions or tracks, the Import Ses-
sion Data dialog lets you specify whether to refer-
To import tracks and other session data by drag ence the source media, or copy it.
and drop:
1 Open a Workspace browser. To automatically copy files on import:
2 Drag a Pro Tools session file, or an AAF or 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
OMF sequence, into the current session, as Processing tab.
follows: 2 Select Automatically Copy Files on Import.
• Drag onto an existing track to overlay or over- 3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
write data on the target tracks. Hold the Shift key
while dragging if you intend to replace the cur-
rent track playlists with those being imported Using Undo after Importing
(the Shift key pre-configures the settings in the Using Undo after importing any files to the Time-
Import Session Data dialog). line removes the files from the Timeline. However,
• Drag to empty space in the Edit window to cre- the files remain in the session or project (in the
ate new tracks for the imported session data. Clips List and Workspace browser) and are offline.
If you do not remove or delete the files from the
• Configure the Import Session Data options (see
session or project manually, Pro Tools will report
“Import Session Data Dialog” on page 387).
them as missing files the next time the session or
project is opened.
When you choose this option, you can also choose Import as Offline Satellite Media
the Handle Size (in milliseconds) applied to con- (Pro Tools HD Only)
solidated audio. Handle is the amount of the origi-
nal audio file that is preserved before and after Select this option to import a video track with of-
each clip in case you need to make any edits (such fline media. You will be able to see cuts and clip
as applying fades or trimming) to the new clips. names, but the video media remains offline. You
can view the video media on a connected Video
Consolidate From Source Media is not avail- Satellite system. This option is only available
able when importing Elastic Audio tracks. when New Satellite Track is selected for the video
track.
Force to Target Session Format This option cop-
ies and converts all source media files to the cur-
rent session or project file format, bit depth, and
sample rate. Files are copied even if they already
match the current session or project format.
Adjust Session Start Time to Match Source Conversion Quality This option lets you set the
Start Time quality of the sample-rate conversion process (see
“Sample Rate Conversion Quality” on page 367).
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.
Clip Effects Imports the clip effects settings for all Elastic Audio Track State Imports the source
imported audio clips. track’s Elastic Audio track state. Any Elastic Au-
dio settings in the destination track are replaced.
Volume Automation and Setting Imports the
source track’s Volume fader setting and any auto- HW Insert Assignments Imports the source
mation data on the track’s Volume Automation track’s hardware Insert assignments. Any Insert
playlist. The Volume fader setting and any Vol- assignments in the destination track are replaced.
ume automation data in the destination track are re-
Voice Assignments Imports the source track’s
placed.
voice assignment from the source session. Any
Pan Automation and Setting Imports the source voice assignments in the destination track are re-
track’s Pan Slider settings and any automation data placed.
on the track’s Pan Automation playlist. The Pan
Input Assignments Imports the source track’s
Slider setting and any Pan automation data in the
channel input assignment. The Input assignment in
destination track are replaced.
the destination track is replaced.
Mute Automation and Setting Imports the source
Side-Chain Assignments When the source track’s
track’s Mute setting and any automation data on
plug-in assignments are imported, this option im-
the track’s Mute automation playlist. The Mute
ports any side-chain assignments associated with
setting and any Mute automation data in the desti-
the plug-ins. If no plug-in assignments are im-
nation track are replaced.
ported, this option has no effect.
Record Safe/Solo Safe Settings Imports the re- Import Key Signature/Chord Map Imports all key
cord safe and solo safe settings of the source track signatures (if present) and chord markers into
from the source session. Any record safe or solo Pro Tools with the imported session data. Any key
safe settings in the destination track are replaced. signatures and chord markers in the destination
session or project are replaced.
Track View Settings Imports the track height and
playlist view of the source track from the source Import Marker/Memory Locations Imports mark-
session. ers and Memory Locations as they appear in the
Marker ruler, from the source session. Any mark-
Mix/Edit Groups Imports track groups from the
ers and Memory Locations in the destination ses-
source session.
sion or project are retained. Imported marker and
ICON Custom Fader Groups (Pro Tools HD Memory Locations are assigned the next available
Only) Imports any ICON Custom Fader Groups Marker/Memory Location numbers.
from the source session.
Import Window Configurations Imports the Win-
ICON Automation Snapshots (Pro Tools HD dow Configurations from the source session.
Only) Imports any ICON Automation Snapshots
from the source session. Import Mic Pre Settings Imports any Pro Tools
Mic Pre settings from the source session. Any Mic
HEAT Switch Settings (Pro Tools HD with the Pre settings in the destination session or project are
HEAT Software Option Only) Imports any stored replaced.
HEAT switch settings from the source session.
Import HEAT Master Settings (Pro Tools HD with
Object Assignment and Toggle Setting the HEAT Software Option Only) Imports any
(Pro Tools HD with Dolby Atmos Only) Imports HEAT Master settings from the source session, in-
Object Output Path assignments and Bus/Object tog- cluding Bypass, Drive, and Tone settings. The
gle settings for any tracks selected for import. HEAT Master settings in the destination session or
project are replaced.
Use the File > Import > Audio command. 7 Select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and Bit
Depth to use for the session.
Drag and drop them from any Workspace
browser or the desktop. 8 To create interleaved multichannel audio files in
the session. select Interleaved.
9 Click OK.
To open and import audio and/or video tracks from 8 Set the Track Offset Options (see “Track Offset
an OMF or AAF sequence: Options” on page 400).
1 Launch Pro Tools, and open an existing 9 Set the Sample Rate Convert Options (see
Pro Tools session or project. “Sample Rate Conversion Options” on
page 400).
2 Choose File > Import > Session Data, and select
the AAF or OMF sequence that you want to im- 10 Change other settings and options as necessary
port. (for more information about the Import Session
Data dialog, see “Import Session Data Dialog”
You can also open an AAF or OMF sequence on page 387).
by dragging it from any location on your com-
puter or the Workspace browser to the 11 Click OK.
Pro Tools Timeline.
If there are any errors or clip name truncations,
3 In the Import Session Data dialog, deselect any a dialog will appear asking you if you want a
source tracks that you do not want imported. detailed report of the changes. Click Yes and
(If importing Session Data from AAF or OMF choose where you want to save the log.
sequences, all tracks are selected by default.
12 If your audio or video source media is on a vol-
However, if you are importing tracks from a
ume that is not suitable for playback (shown as
Pro Tools session, no tracks are selected by
a Transfer volume in the Workspace browser),
default.)
Pro Tools displays a dialog that guides you to
copy the media to a volume designated for Play-
back or Record. (Click Yes.)
Pro Tools recognizes and creates two different Select this option to translate the AAF or OMF file
unique IDs for media files (AIFF and WAV only): to a Pro Tools session that refers to as many of the
Unique ID and SMPTE ID. SMPTE ID (Pro Tools original media files as possible. In this case, the
12.8 and higher only) provides optimal compatibil- Pro Tools session points to the BWF (WAV) or
ity and interchange with other applications that uti- AIF files from the source project.
lize SMPTE IDs in media files and AAF sequences
(such as Avid Media Composer), and ensures truly When importing audio embedded in an AAF se-
unique IDs for AIFF and WAV files. quence, Pro Tools copies the audio to a new drive
or folder even if this setting is selected.
8-bit Unique ID Legacy ID format used with ver-
sions of Pro Tools lower that 12.8. For projects, you should always copy or consoli-
date from source media. Any tracks in a project
SMPTE ID 32-bit SMPTE IDs created and sup- that contain linked local media cannot be shared.
ported with Pro Tools 12.8 or higher.
Copy from Source Media
You can sample-rate convert the audio during Select this option to import a video track with of-
translation. fline media. You will be able to see cuts and clip
names, but the video media remains offline. You
Force to Target Session Format can view the video media on the connected Video
Satellite system. This option is only available
Use this setting to convert source media to the ses- when New Satellite Track is selected for the video
sion audio file format if the source media file for- track.
mat differs from the project or session file format.
The Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right set- 1 Click the Markers to Import menu.
ting enables you to set the basic track pan setting so 2 Select the colors of markers you want to import.
that odd-numbered tracks translate with full-left Check marks appear next to the selected colors.
panning, and even-numbered tracks translate with
full-right panning. This is useful if you want to pan Once imported, the new Markers can be edited as
the currently unpanned audio full-left or full-right. normal.
The Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right Unlike Pro Tools Markers, which only mark
setting is not supported when importing specific points in time in a session,
multi-channel audio tracks from an AAF. Media Composer Markers point specifically
When importing multi-channel tracks, the to individual audio or video tracks. Informa-
setting is greyed-out and any imported stereo tion on which track each Marker was associ-
channels are panned hard right and hard left. ated with can be found in the Comments sec-
tion in the Memory Locations window in
Markers To Import Pro Tools.
Avid Media Composer sequences can contain
metadata points called Markers that serve a similar When Media Composer Markers are im-
purpose to the Markers in Pro Tools, adding color- ported to Pro Tools as Markers, the associ-
coded contextual information to the timeline. Even ated comment text is added to the Marker
though markers are associated with specific tracks name in Pro Tools (up to 31 characters).
in Media Composer, you can import markers into Comments over 31 characters can be viewed
Pro Tools without importing those tracks. in full in the Memory Locations window in
Pro Tools.
When exporting an AAF from Media Composer,
Marker information is included and can be im- Track Data to Import Pop-Up Menu
ported into Pro Tools, thus preserving this data.
The Track Data to Import pop-up menu lets you se-
Markers can only be imported from AAF lect which attributes of the selected tracks you
sequences. want to import into the current session or project.
The selected attributes are applied to all tracks that
To import all Markers: you choose to import into the current session or
Click the Markers to Import menu and select All. project. For more information about Track Data To
Import options, see “Track Data to Import” on
To import no Markers: page 390.
Click the Markers to Import menu and select When importing an AAF into Pro Tools, use the
None. Track Data to Import menu to specify whether or
not to import the plug-ins and plug-in settings.
A1<01:00:00:00–01:00:16:06>“Jag film to
Whirl.01.Sub.06.new.01”; insufficient source
material for clip;shortening clip by 1 sample.
Pro Tools can export AAF or OMF se- Shift-click to select multiple tracks; or
quences linked to RF64 audio files, which are Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
special WAV files that can be larger than 2 to select all tracks.
GB (normal WAVs must be under 2 GB).
2 Choose File > Export > Selected Tracks as
However, Avid video editing applications
OMF/AAF.
cannot open WAV files larger than 2 GB.
Keep file size in mind when exporting 3 From the Export As pop-up menu, select AAF or
AAF/OMF for Avid video users. OMF.
9 Select other export options as desired. 16 Click Choose (Mac) or Use Current Folder
(Windows).
For more information, see “Export Options
when Exporting to AAF or OMF Sequences” on Pro Tools exports the composition and related
page 411. media to the appropriate folders.
10 Click OK.
The clip gain of Pro Tools clips with static volume Exporting Pro Tools Tracks
between -inf dB and +12 dB will translate directly as MXF Audio Files
to clip-based gain upon export. Dynamic clip gain You can export MXF audio files using the follow-
and values above 12 dB will be rendered for each ing commands:
clip in the resulting media, to optimize compatibil-
ity with Avid video editing applications. • Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF
• Bounce to Disk
Clip-based gain is not exported when
exporting to OMF format.
• Export Selected Clips as Files
5 Ensure the Target Project Timecode Format is Pro Tools exports the AAF sequence to the se-
correct for the Avid application project to which lected folder, and exports the related media to the
you are exporting the AAF sequence. OMFI MediaFiles folder (OMF files) or the Avid
MediaFiles folder (MXF files).
6 Under the Audio Media Options section, select
MXF from the Audio Format pop-up menu. 16 If you are ready to import the files into the Avid
video application, exit Pro Tools.
7 Verify the Audio Bit Depth setting is acceptable
for the recipient of this export. For more information on working in Avid
8 If you’re exporting a sequence that contains ste- video applications, see the appropriate Avid
reo, 5.1 or 7.1 tracks and want to export those video application guide.
tracks as multi-channel audio files, enable the
Export Stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 Tracks as Multi-
Channel option.
9 Click OK.
10 In the Publishing Options dialog, type the
Pro Tools Comment and Sequence Name.
11 Click OK.
7 Click Export.
If the Enforce Media Composer Compatibility op- The Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries option al-
tion is enabled, all AAF and OMF files and se- lows Pro Tools to export your sample-accurate
quences will meet the specific requirements of Me- Pro Tools edits into an AAF or OMF file so they
dia Composer. Sample rates are limited to appear as frame-accurate.
44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. Exported clips will be padded
to the nearest frame boundaries (Quantize Edits to The Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries set-
Frame Boundaries). This padding ensures that the ting must be selected when you are translating
placement of a file in the Timeline will be the same your Pro Tools session or project for use in
on sample-accurate as well as frame-accurate sys- frame-accurate editing workstations. There-
tems. fore, it is automatically selected whenever you
export tracks with Enforce Media Composer
When exporting a sequence with multi-chan- Compatibility selected.
nel audio tracks, the Enforce Media Com-
poser Compatibility option must be enabled.
This setting allows you to specify the sample rate Select 16-bit or 24-bit as the target bit depth for the
for audio files after the AAF or OMF translation. exported media. Pro Tools automatically applies
dither, without noise shaping, when reducing bit
If this setting differs from the Source Sample Rate depth from 24-bit to 16-bit.
setting, audio is sample-rate converted digitally to
the Destination Sample Rate. Source Media
Exporting Session
Information as Text
You can use the Export Session Info as Text com-
mand to create a text file that contains extensive in-
formation about your session or project.
7 You can also enable the Main Playlist Only 1 Choose File > Export > Session Info as Text.
option if you do not want to include any of 2 Select whether to include the File List, Clips
the alternate playlists associated with any of the List, and track EDLs.
selected tracks in the new session or project.
8 Click OK.
# OF AUDIO TRACKS: 19
Select this option to export a list of all markers in- Time Format
cluded in the session or project.
You can select the appropriate time format that ex-
ported EDL information is based on. For example,
Include Plug-In List
for post work, you might select SMPTE time, but
Select this option to export a list of the plug-ins for music creation locked to a grid, you might se-
used in the session or project. lect Bars:Beats.
You can export track EDLs (playlists). Track On Mac, you can to export to TextEdit, UTF-8, MS
EDLs can be used to spot-check clip placement Excel, MS Word, Write Now, Word Perfect, and
and edits, or in a conforming program for post ap- AppleWorks text formats. On Windows, you can
plications. In extreme circumstances the EDL can export to either TextEdit or UTF-8.
be used to recreate the entire session or project.
You can export session text for All Tracks or for
Selected Tracks Only. Importing and Exporting Clip
MIDI track EDLs are not exported.
Group Files
Pro Tools can export and import the clip group file
When exporting track EDLs, the following options format (.rgrp). This lets you do the following:
are available:
• Separate clip group metadata from audio files to
Show Subframes This option allows you to export avoid unnecessary file copy operations when ex-
subframe time information with track EDLs, if porting audio clip groups composed from multi-
used in your session or project. ple source files.
• Export MIDI data as part of a clip group.
• Create multitrack loops.
• Embedded fades and crossfades 1 Choose File > Import > Clip Groups and select
the clip group you want to import.
• Clip group names and format (single or multi-
track) 2 In the Clip Group Import Options dialog,
• All MIDI data present in the clip group (such as choose where the clip group will go:
notes, controllers, and Sysex) New Track Creates a new track where the clip
• Track names group will be imported.
• Elastic Audio Warp markers and TCE factor Clips List Imports the clip group into the Clips
• Clip timebase (samples or ticks) List, where it will be where it will be available to
place into tracks.
• Sync points
• Loops
• Tempo map
Pro Tools provides several ways to import clip 3 If you chose to create a new track, choose a lo-
groups into an open session: cation for the imported group in the track.
• “Importing Clip Groups with Pro Tools Menu Session Start Places the group at the start of the
Commands” on page 419 session or project.
• “Importing Clip Groups with Drag and Drop” on Song Start Aligns the beginning of the group to
page 420 the Song Start point.
1 Select one or more clip groups in a Workspace Export Clip Groups dialog
browser, or Windows Explorer or Mac Finder.
3 In the Export Clip Groups dialog, the Destina-
2 Drag the files onto the Clips List of the current tion Directory defaults to the auto-created Clip
session. Groups folder in the session folder. You can
change the Destination Directory by clicking
To import clip groups into an existing track: the Choose button, navigating to a new loca-
1 Select one or more clip groups in a Workspace tion, and clicking Open. Click Reset to reset the
browser, or from Windows Explorer or Mac Destination Directory to the default location.
Finder.
4 Enable one of the following options for resolv-
2 Drag the files onto an existing track in the Edit ing duplicate clip group file names:
window of the current session or project. • Prompting for Each Duplicate (default)
1 Select one or more clip groups in a Workspace • Replacing with New Files
browser, Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. 5 Click Export.
2 Do one of the following:
• From the Workspace browser, Shift-drag the
files anywhere in the Edit window of the current
session or project.
• Drag the files onto any empty space in the Edit
window of the current session or project.
• Drag the files to the Tracks List.
When working with Pro Tools, you will encounter In Pro Tools sessions, use the Disk Allocation
several different kinds of computer files. Pro Tools command to specify where you want newly re-
systems require that you keep certain files in spe- corded audio files to be stored (see “Working with
cific hard drive locations in order to function prop- Hard Drives for Recording” on page 479).
erly:
Although Pro Tools lets you record to your
• Pro Tools software files (such as the application
system drive, this is generally not recom-
and plug-ins files) should be located on your
mended. You should record to system drives
Startup drive (the drive that contains your oper-
only when necessary—for example, if your
ating system and other system-related files).
computer system has just one hard drive, or it
• Data files (such as session files, audio files, and your other hard drives are completely full.
video files) can be located on any compatible
drive connected to your computer’s internal or
If you have a system with multiple drives,
external SAS, SATA, IDE/ATA, FireWire, or
you can designate the System drive as a
Thunderbolt busses.
Playback only or Transfer only drive for op-
You can specify the location of new session files timal performance (see “Volume Permis-
when creating new sessions (see “Creating a New sions” on page 286).
Blank Session or Project” on page 156).
4 Click OK.
It is possible to have a Pro Tools 7.x or Pro Tools always creates AES31/Broadcast com-
higher session that contains audio file names pliant BWF (.wav) files when the file originates in
with illegal characters. If you Save Copy In Pro Tools. Non-BWF .wav files can be added to
the session to Pro Tools 6.9.x or lower with BWF (WAV) format Pro Tools sessions without
Mac/PC Compatibility on, the tracks are re- conversion. This option ensures that all WAV files
named with legal characters. If Mac/PC are imported, and if necessary, converted to BWF
Compatibility is off, the characters are not (WAV), compliant with the AES31/EBU Broad-
changed. cast standard.
Pro Tools supports the RF64 audio file format. Moving Sessions on Windows
RF64 is an extension to the WAV audio file format
Systems to Mac-Based HFS+
Drives
that addresses the 4 gigabyte size limitation of
(From Window-Based NTFS Drives Only)
other WAV audio file formats. RF64 audio files
are identified in Workspace browsers with the des- There are specific steps for transferring session
ignation “MBWF” in the Attributes field. files from Windows-based NTFS drives to Mac-
based HFS+ drives.
Lower versions of Pro Tools cannot read
RF64 files. These files have to be manually ed- To transfer Pro Tools Windows sessions from
ited and consolidated so that they are no NTFS drives to HFS+ drives:
larger than 4 GB in order to be available to 1 Set the MacDrive Options to Backup/File
systems running lower versions of Pro Tools. Transfer.
For details on transferring sessions between Windows and Mac systems, see “Sharing Sessions Created
on Different Computer Platforms” on page 427.
Maximum number of 512 Aux Input tracks 512 Aux Input tracks 128 Aux Input tracks
Auxiliary Input tracks
Maximum number of 512 Instrument tracks 512 Instrument tracks 512 Instrument tracks
Instrument tracks
When opening a Pro Tools HD 12.x session in Pro Tools 12.x, the following occurs:
Tracks
• Any tracks beyond the first 128 are deleted.
• Any Auxiliary Input tracks beyond 128 are deleted.
• DSP plug-ins with Native equivalents are
converted; those without equivalents are made inactive.
• Multichannel surround tracks are removed from the session.
• Unavailable input and output paths are made inactive.
• HEAT (if present) is removed.
Pro Tools makes it easy to share sessions between • When opening sessions created in Pro Tools
different software versions of a particular 12.6 or higher in Pro Tools 12.5 or lower, clip ef-
Pro Tools system. fects will be dropped.
• When opening sessions created in Pro Tools
Pro Tools 10.x sessions and higher cannot be 12.2 or higher that have VCA Master tracks in
opened with lower versions of Pro Tools. To save Pro Tools 12.1 or lower, those tracks will be
a Pro Tools 10.x session or higher so it is compat- dropped.
ible with a lower version of Pro Tools, use the File
> Save Copy In command to select the appropriate • When opening sessions created in Pro Tools
session format. 12.1 or higher that have more than the maximum
number of audio tracks or instrument tracks in
Pro Tools 12.0 or lower, those tracks will be
Sharing Sessions Between dropped.
Pro Tools 12.x and Pro Tools
11.x
Sharing Sessions Between
Pro Tools 12.x and Pro Tools 11.x sessions are Pro Tools 11.x or Higher and
cross-compatible. However, the following caveats Pro Tools 10.x
apply:
Pro Tools 11.x or higher and Pro Tools 10.x ses-
• When opening a session created Pro Tools 12.8 sions are cross-compatible. However, for sessions
session with any Dolby Atmos specific ele- with 64-bit AAX plug-ins that do not have 32-bit
ments, they are dropped./ equivalents, those plug-ins will be made inactive
• When opening a session created Pro Tools 12.8 when opening the session in Pro Tools 10.x. Like-
session with 7.0.2 or 7.1.2 paths or tracks, those
paths and tracks are dropped.
Additionally, for sessions created or modified by • Fades have to be rendered when the session is
Pro Tools 11.x or higher, any instrument tracks be- opened in a lower version of Pro Tools.
yond 128 will be made inactive when the session is • Sessions with mixed file formats and bit depths
opened in Pro Tools 10.x. must convert all files to the same file format and
bit depth.
When opening a session in Pro Tools 10.x that was
created in Pro Tools 11.x or higher that uses more • Sessions with files that have a bit depth of 32-bit
than 4 GB of RAM (due to plug-in usage), the ses- floating point must be converted to 24-bit or 16-
sion will not open. bit.
• For sessions with RF64 files larger than 4 GB,
Sharing Sessions with Video these files will be unavailable to lower versions
of Pro Tools. (You will need to manually edit
When opening a session in Pro Tools 11.x or
and consolidate these files so that the audio can
higher created in a lower version of Pro Tools that
be available to lower versions of Pro Tools.)
contains SD video, the aspect ratio must be reset.
When opening a session created in Pro Tools 11.x Opening Pro Tools 9.0 Sessions
or higher that contains Avid video in a lower ver- with Pro Tools 8.1 and 8.5
sion of Pro Tools, the track will be inactive unless
A Pro Tools 9.0 session can be opened with
the Avid video is an SD resolution and a Mojo or
Pro Tools 8.1 and 8.5, but certain session compo-
Mojo SDI is attached.
nents open differently or not at all.
Saving Pro Tools 12.x–10.x When opening a Pro Tools 9.0 session with
Sessions to Pro Tools 7 –> 9 Pro Tools 8.1 or 8.5, you are warned that you
Format are opening a session created with a newer
To save a Pro Tools 12.x or 10.x session so it is version of Pro Tools and that not all session
compatible with Pro Tools version 7.x through 9.x, components will be available.
use the File > Save Copy In command to choose the When opening a Pro Tools 9.0 session with
Pro Tools 7 –> 9 Session format. Pro Tools 8.1 or 8.5, the following occurs:
When saving a Pro Tools 12.x–10.x session to • Any audio tracks beyond 256 are made inactive.
Pro Tools 7 –> 9 format, the following occurs: • Any internal mix busses beyond 128 are made
• Any audio tracks beyond 256 are made inactive inactive.
• Clip effects and settings are dropped (sessions • The Stereo Pan Depth reverts to –2.5 dB.
created in Pro Tools HD 12.6 or higher). If you
want to apply any clip effects prior to saving the
session copy, you will need to manually render
clip effects.
• Any assignments to busses beyond 32 are made • If the session contains QuickTime movies in the
inactive. Clips List but no video track, the session opens
with a new QuickTime Movie track containing
• Any Instrument tracks beyond 32 are made inac- the first QuickTime movie from the Clips List.
tive.
• The Timeline displays and plays back only the
• TDM plug-ins with RTAS equivalents are con- video playlist that was last active. Alternate
verted; those without equivalents are made inac- video playlists are not available.
tive.
• In Pro Tools LE 7.1 or lower only, video clips
• Multichannel surround tracks are removed from and video clip groups are not shown or saved.
the session.
• Unavailable input and output paths are made in-
active.
• Any Delay Compensation settings are removed.
• VCA Master tracks are removed and any unco-
alesced VCA automation is dropped.
• HEAT (if present) is removed (Pro Tools HD 8.1
or higher sessions with HEAT option only).
• Output Bus assignments are removed
(Pro Tools HD 8.1 or higher sessions only).
After importing or recording audio or MIDI to To stop playback, do one of the following:
tracks, you will want to play back the material • Click Stop in the Transport.
when editing and mixing.
• Press the Spacebar.
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport
Starting and Stopping Playback
or Shuttle, press 0 on the numeric keypad.
To start playback, do one of the following: • If you have a control surface connected and con-
• Click Play in the Transport. figured, press the Stop switch.
• Press the Spacebar. • If Pro Tools is online and slaved to another deck,
press stop on the master deck (see “4% audio
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Transport
pull rates are not available in 176.4 and 192 kHz
or Shuttle, press 0 on the numeric keypad.
sample rate sessions.Putting Pro Tools Online”
• If the Numeric Keypad mode is set to Transport, on page 1215).
and the Use Separate Play and Stop Keys option
is enabled, press Enter on the numeric keypad.
Playing Back Audio
• If you have a worksurface or MIDI control sur-
face connected and configured, press the Play To play back audio:
switch. 1 Import or record audio to a track.
• If Pro Tools is online and slaved to another deck,
2 Assign the track’s Output selector to your main
press play on the master deck (see “4% audio
monitoring path.
pull rates are not available in 176.4 and 192 kHz
sample rate sessions.Putting Pro Tools Online” 3 To have playback start from the beginning of
on page 1215). 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 26. 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 188. Bars|Beats Moves to the beginning of the previous
or next bar.
You can also move the playback location in multi- • Select a preset amount in the Back/Forward
ple increments by repeating the command (See Amount pop-up menu.
“Repeating Back/Forward Commands” on • In the Back/Forward Amount field, enter a
page 449). custom amount.
To play a selection:
1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection.
Choose Edit > Selection > Play Timeline. To audition a selection start point:
To play from the pre-roll point to the start of a To audition a selection start point with pre-roll:
selection, or to the current Cursor location:
Press Command+Option+Left Arrow (Mac) or
Press Option+Left Arrow (Mac) or Alt+Left
Control+Alt+Left Arrow (Windows).
Arrow (Windows).
To audition a selection end point:
To play to the post-roll point from the end of a
selection, or from the current Cursor location: Press Option+Right Arrow (Mac) or Alt+Right
Arrow (Windows).
Press Command+Right Arrow (Mac) or
Control+Right Arrow (Windows). When auditioning the end of a selection, playback
begins before the end point by the pre-roll amount.
Auditioning Start and End Points
for Selections To audition a selection end point with post-roll:
There may be times when you want to audition the Press Command+Option+Right Arrow (Mac)
start or end of an audio selection without hearing or Control+Alt+Right Arrow (Windows).
the entire selection. This allows you to check, for
instance, whether the beginning or end of a selec-
tion includes any unwanted clicks or pops.
1 Open the Expanded Transport window. 1 Deselect Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selections.
2 Click in the numeric field to the right of the
Fade-in enable button. 2 Select Options > Scrolling > Center Playhead.
3 Type in the desired time. 3 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
ruler to set the play range.
4 Choose Edit > Selection > Play Timeline.
2 With the Selector tool, select the track range Dynamic Transport Mode
you want to loop.
Dynamic Transport mode lets you decouple the
3 Enable Loop Playback by doing one of the playback location from the Timeline selection.
following: This means that you can start playback from any-
where on the Timeline without losing your Time-
• Select Options > Loop Playback.
line or Edit selections. For example, you can use
• Right-click the Play button in the Transport win- Dynamic Transport mode in conjunction with
dow and select Loop from the pop-up menu. Loop Playback mode to quickly audition loop tran-
• Control-click (Mac) or Start-click sitions.
(Windows) the Play button in the Transport win-
When Dynamic Transport mode is enabled, the
dow.
Main Timebase ruler expands to double-height and
• Press Command+Shift+L (Mac) or reveals the Play Start Marker. The Play Start
Control+Shift+L (Windows). Marker determines where playback starts when the
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans- Transport is engaged. You can position the Play
port, press 4 on the numeric keypad. Start Marker independently of the Timeline Selec-
tion. The Play Start Marker can be repositioned
during playback and playback continues from the
new location.
Select or deselect Options > Dynamic With any Edit tool selected, click in the Play
Transport. Start Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler.
Right-click the Play button in the Transport With any Edit tool selected, drag the Play Start
window and select Dynamic Transport from the Marker to a new location.
pop-up menu.
Click Fast Forward or Rewind in the Transport
Press Command+Control+P (Mac) or to relocate the Play Start Marker forward or
Control+Start+P (Windows) to toggle Dynamic backward by the standard Fast Forward and Re-
Transport mode on or off. wind increment amount.
Enabling Dynamic Transport mode automat- Double-click anywhere in the Play Start
ically disables Link Timeline and Edit Selec- Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler to
tion, and automatically enables Loop Play- move the Play Start Marker to that location
back mode. and start playback.
Using Separate Play and Stop Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
Keys the Right Arrow.
When enabled, the Use Separate Play and Stop To move the Play Start Marker to the Edit Selection
Keys option lets you start playback with the Enter Start:
key and stop playback with the 0 key on the nu-
Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
meric keypad. This is useful for quickly starting
the Down Arrow.
and stopping playback when auditioning loop tran-
sitions. To move the Play Start Marker to location of the
Playhead:
To use separate play and stop keys on the numeric
keypad: Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
the Up Arrow.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
2 Click the Operation tab. To nudge the Play Start Marker backward (rewind):
4 Select Use Separate Play and Stop Keys. To nudge the Play Start Marker forward (fast
forward):
This option overrides using the Enter key to
add Memory Location markers. Press Pe- Press 2 on the numeric keypad.
riod (.) and then Enter on the numeric key-
pad to add a Memory Location marker.
For information about synchronizing exter- 4 Enter the correct negative offset values (such as
nal MIDI devices with Pro Tools for play- “–200” samples) for each port that is enabled
back and recording using MIDI Timecode, for transmitting MIDI Beat Clock (see “Mea-
see “Generating Timecode” on page 1216. suring Beat Clock Latency” on page 460).
5 Click OK.
1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio. 2 Ensure that your external MIDI device is con-
figured to receive MIDI Beat Clock, and that it
2 In the MIDI Devices window of Audio MIDI is correctly configured to play back a simple
Setup, double-click the IAC Driver icon. rhythmic pattern “on the beat.”
3 Configure the IAC Driver ports and confirm 3 Create a new Pro Tools session.
that it is online.
4 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, ensure that MIDI
4 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock. Beat Clock is enabled and that the device is se-
5 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the lected.
Enable MIDI Beat Clock option. 5 Set the Main Time Scale to Bars|Beats.
6 Select the IAC Driver ports you want to enable 6 Create a new audio track and select the audio in-
for sending MIDI Beat Clock. put channels for your external MIDI device.
7 Click OK. 7 Record enable the audio track and start record-
ing. MIDI Beat Clock is sent to the external
MIDI device, which starts playing back the
MIDI Beat Clock Offsets pattern.
You can set an offset for MIDI Beat Clock on a 8 Stop recording after a few bars.
port-by-port basis with your MIDI interface and 9 Enable both Snap to Grid and Show Grid.
external MIDI devices. This lets you adjust the
timing for each device where some devices sound 10 With the Selector tool, place the edit cursor on
late due to different, fixed latencies. Where appro- the beat grid prior to a prominent transient in the
priate, enter negative offset values in samples for waveform that is “on the beat.”
each port to correctly synchronize the audio sig- 11 Enable Tab to Transients and Shift+Tab to the
nals from your external MIDI devices with transient. The duration of this selection is the
Pro Tools playback. approximate amount of latency for your exter-
nal MIDI device.
12 Switch the Main Time Scale to Samples. The
length of the selected clip in samples is the
MIDI Beat Clock latency for that device.
13 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, enter the Sample Offset value as a negative number.
Since MIDI is not sample accurate, you may want to make several measurements at different grid
locations and average them to come up with the best value for the MIDI Beat Clock Offset.
Once you have measured the latency for your MIDI Beat Clock-enabled devices, be sure to keep
a record of these values in case you need to re-enter the MIDI Beat Clock Sample Offset in other
sessions.
Before you start recording in Pro Tools, you need Session Setup for Recording
to set up your Pro Tools system, a session, and one • Configuring a new or existing session for
or more tracks for recording. You will also need to recording:
configure how Pro Tools monitors the input you
• “Working with Hard Drives for Recording”
intend to record.
on page 479
While some of the information here is relevant to • “Recording with a Click” on page 466
preparing to record MIDI, there are more • “Setting the Session Meter and Tempo” on
specific setup details for MIDI recording in page 468
Chapter 24, “MIDI Recording.”
• Setting a Record Mode. See “Record Modes”
For information on recording audio, see on page 471
Chapter 23, “Audio Recording.”
Track Setup for Recording
For information on digitizing (recording) • Configuring one or more tracks for recording:
video in Pro Tools, see Chapter 57, “Work-
• “Configuring Default Names for Audio Files
ing with Video in Pro Tools” or the Avid
and Clips” on page 474
Video Peripherals Guide.
• “Assigning Hardware I/O on a Track” on
page 475
Record Setup Overview • “Record Enabling Tracks” on page 476
Record setup includes the following: • “Recording with Multiple Hard Drives” on
page 479
Hardware Setup for Recording
Monitoring Setup for Recording
• “Configuring Pro Tools Hardware I/O for Re-
cording” on page 464 • “Selecting a Record Input Monitoring Mode” on
page 482
• “Connecting a Sound Source” on page 466
• “Setting Monitor Levels for Record and Play-
back” on page 484
• “Reducing Monitoring Latency” on page 484
• “Recording with Delay Compensation” on
page 485
003 Rack+ has eight inputs with preamps, to which Set Input Levels
you can connect low-level signals.
When you feed a signal into any audio recording
003 and 003 Rack have four inputs with preamps, system, including Pro Tools, make sure to adjust
to which you can connect low-level signals, and the input level to optimize the dynamic range and
four additional line-level inputs with switchable signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded file. If the in-
gain. put level is too low, you will not take full advan-
tage of the dynamic range of your Pro Tools sys-
Eleven Rack has one Mic input with a preamp and tem. If the input level is too high, the waveform
1 instrument-level Guitar input with a special vari- can clip and distort the recording. Set the input lev-
able-impedance circuit called True-Z (for more in- els high, but not high enough to clip.
formation, see the Eleven Rack User Guide.)
As a general rule of thumb, try to set levels so that
Mbox (3rd generation), Mbox 2, Mbox Pro, Mbox they peak within –3 dB to –12 dB on the input me-
2 Pro, Mbox Mini, and Mbox 2 Mini each have two ter without triggering the clipping indicator on
inputs with preamps, to which you can connect your audio interface. Depending on the type of ma-
low-level signals. terial you are recording and its dynamic range and
peak content, you may want to record with higher
or lower levels.
Headroom Indicator
Headroom indicator
Pro Tools provides a numeric display (in dB) of Audio Volume indicator
the available headroom on tracks based on the last
Audio Volume and Headroom indicators
registered sample peak level in relation to the ref-
erence level of the currently selected Meter Type. Calibration Mode
The Headroom indicator is just to the right of the (HDX and HD Native Systems Only)
Audio Volume indicator below the faders and me-
ters in the Mix window. Click the Headroom indi- You can use the Calibration mode in Pro Tools to
cator to reset the current value. adjust the input and output levels for your audio in-
terface so they match those of your mixing console
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) to and other audio devices in your studio.
reset all Headroom indicators. Shift-Option-
click (Mac) or Shift-Alt-click (Windows) to HD I/O has one set of adjustable trim pots for its
reset the Headroom indicators for only se- inputs. Additionally, the reference level for the in-
lected tracks. put can be set to +4 dBu or –10 dBV. For more in-
formation on calibrating HD I/O, see the HD I/O
If the Headroom indicator is displayed in blue, Guide.
it is measuring below the dB value of the lowest
scale marking for the currently selected Meter There are no input or output trims on the following
Type. audio interfaces: HD OMNI, HD MADI. Some
Pro Tools audio interfaces that do not have output
trims (such as the HD OMNI) offer software-con-
trollable input levels, adjustable from Setup >
Hardware (see the guide for your particular audio
interface).
When your track material lines up with the beats, To create a click track using MIDI:
you can take advantage of some very useful editing
1 Create a new (mono) Auxiliary Input or Instru-
functions in Pro Tools, such as quantizing MIDI
ment track.
and audio events or clips, quantizing individual
MIDI notes, and copying and pasting measures 2 Do one of the following:
and song sections in Grid mode.
• From the track’s Input selector, select the path to
Material that is recorded without listening to which the MIDI device is connected.
a click can still be aligned to bar and beat • Insert an instrument plug-in on the track (such as
boundaries in Pro Tools with Beat Detective TL Metro or Xpand2).
(see Chapter 32, “Beat Detective”), or by us-
3 Configure the Click/Countoff options, and be
ing the Identify Beat command to determine
sure to select the port for the MIDI device or in-
the tempo (see “Identify Beat Command” on
strument plug-in from the Output pop-up menu
page 813).
(see “Click Options” on page 468).
4 Enable Click (see “Enabling the Click” on
page 467).
Selecting MIDI Controls from the Transport window Count Off button, enabled
menu
Hearing the countoff before recording helps musi-
• Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- cians to start playing at the right time and in tempo.
dows) the Expand/Collapse “+” button in the The Count Off button in the Transport window dis-
Transport window to display the MIDI controls. plays the number of bars counted before the trans-
port starts.
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Expand/Collapse “+” button in the Transport The countoff is ignored when Pro Tools is on-
window to display the MIDI controls and the line and synchronized to SMPTE timecode.
Counters.
• Choose Setup > Click/Countoff. 4 Select whether the click is heard During Play
and Record, or Only During Record, or Only
• Double-click the Metronome button in the
During Countoff.
Transport window.
5 If using a countoff, specify the number of Bars
2 In the Click/Countoff Options dialog, do one of
to be counted off. To hear the countoff only
the following:
when recording, select that option.
• If using the TL Metro or Click plug-in, select
None in the Output pop-up menu. 6 Click OK.
To set the Manual Tempo with the Tempo slider: 2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo Ruler
Enable (Conductor) button so it becomes un-
1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport win-
highlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
dow, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.
Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in
2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo Ruler the Tempo ruler are ignored.
Enable button (Conductor) button so it becomes
3 Do one of the following:
unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in • Click in the Tempo field so it becomes high-
the Tempo ruler are ignored. lighted and tap the “T” key on your computer
keyboard repeatedly at the new tempo.
Tempo Resolution selector • If the Use MIDI to Tap Tempo option is enabled
Tempo value in BPM in the MIDI Preferences, click in the Tempo
Tempo Ruler field so it becomes highlighted and tap in the
Enable button tempo by playing a note repeatedly at the new
Manual Tempo mode tempo on your MIDI keyboard controller.
3 To base the BPM value on something other than To compute the new tempo, Pro Tools averages
the default quarter-note, click the Tempo Reso- the last eight (or fewer) taps to determine the cor-
lution selector and select a different note value. rect tempo. The computed BPM value appears in
(For example, if you are in 6/8, select a dotted- the Transport window’s Tempo field.
quarter note.)
To lock in the new tempo:
4 To enter a new tempo, do one of the following:
Take Pro Tools out of Manual Tempo mode by
• Drag the Tempo value up or down. For finer res-
clicking the Tempo Ruler Enable (Conductor)
olution, press Command (Mac) or Control (Win-
button, then set the default tempo for the Song
dows) while dragging.
Start Marker to the new tempo.
• Click the Tempo value, type a new number, and
press Enter.
Unlike audio loop recording, the state of the MIDI QuickPunch, TrackPunch, and Destructive
Merge toggle determines whether existing material Punch modes use a different method for num-
is replaced or merged. bering clips. For details, see “TrackPunch
Audio Recording” on page 530.
Unless MIDI Merge is enabled, MIDI recording is
destructive (though you can undo a MIDI record When recording MIDI tracks, a similar naming
pass), either overwriting or adding to clip material. scheme is used, though with only one set of digits.
One exception to this rule is when Loop Record For example, after recording to a track called
mode is enabled; in this mode, existing track clips “Synth 1,” a clip is created called “Synth 1-01.”
are replaced with new clips when new material is Subsequent clips for that track, generating either
recorded. The old clips remain intact and available from additional record takes or clip edits, are num-
from the Clips List, and from the Matches pop-up bered sequentially (for example, “Synth 1-02”).
menu. In Loop Record mode, MIDI Merge has no
effect, so its button is dimmed. To rename a track:
Monitoring Drive Space By default, Pro Tools records audio files to the Au-
dio Files folder inside the session folder. If you
Pro Tools lets you check how much drive space is have multiple hard drives for recording, you can
available. The Disk Usage window shows the use the Disk Allocation window to specify other
available drive space for each drive connected to hard drive locations to record audio files on a
your system as text and as a gauge display. track-by-track basis.
To monitor available space on your drive during a Hard drives that are full do not appear in the Disk
Pro Tools session: Allocation window.
Choose Window > Disk Space.
To increase system performance, Pro Tools can re-
cord and play each track from a different hard
drive. You can also automatically distribute any
newly created tracks to multiple audio drives with
Round Robin Allocation.
5 When you are finished, click OK. Record to system drives only when absolutely nec-
essary, such as if your computer system has only
one hard drive, or if your other hard drives are
Saving Disk Allocation Settings completely full.
To save Disk Allocation settings for use with fu-
By default, the system volume is not included in
ture sessions, save the session as a template. For
Round Robin Allocation (regardless of volume
details, see “Session Templates” on page 171.
designation in the Workspace browser). To include
the System Volume in Round Robin Allocations,
Disk Allocation and Cross- see “Allocating Audio Drives in Your System” on
Platform Sessions page 480.
To ensure cross-platform operation, it is required
If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple
that Mac Pro Tools sessions and their associated
drives, and you intend to record multiple
audio files be on Mac-formatted (HFS or HFS+)
tracks simultaneously, you may want to
drives. Windows Pro Tools sessions and their as-
designate the System drive as a Playback only
sociated audio files must be on Windows-format-
or Transfer only drive for optimal
ted NTFS drives.
performance.
See “Saving Copies of Mac Sessions to be
Compatible with Windows” on page 429 and
“Sharing Sessions Created on Different
Computer Platforms” on page 427.
When in Auto Input mode, the switch back to Select Track > Input Only Monitoring.
monitoring track material on punch-out is
To toggle between Auto Input and Input
not instantaneous.
Only monitoring, press Option+K (Mac) or
Alt+K (Windows).
TrackInput monitoring lets you toggle individual To toggle individual tracks, click the TrackInput
audio tracks between Auto Input and Input Only Monitor button for each track you want to tog-
monitoring modes at any time, during playback, gle.
recording, while stopped, and even when a track is To toggle all tracks in the session, Option-click
not record-enabled. TrackInput monitoring pro- (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a TrackInput
vides the necessary monitoring flexibility for over- Monitor button.
dubbing and mixing, and is similar to input switch-
ing on analog multitrack recorders and similar To toggle all selected tracks in the session,
machines. Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click
(Windows) a selected track’s TrackInput Moni-
When the TrackInput button in a track is enabled tor button.
(green), the track monitors audio in Input Only
mode. Press Shift+I to enable the TrackInput
Monitor button for any track containing the
Edit cursor on an Edit selection.
TrackInput Monitor button On (Input Only), in the Edit To change all record-enabled tracks to Input
Window Only monitoring, select Track > Set Record
Tracks to Input Only.
When the TrackInput button in a track is disabled,
the track monitors in Auto Input mode. To toggle record-enabled tracks between
Auto Input and Input Only monitoring, press
Option+K (Mac) or Alt+K (Windows).
Pro Tools keeps track of these two states for fader With Pro Tools, latency occurs as follows:
levels automatically. If you adjust a fader when a • All Pro Tools systems can have Virtual Instru-
track is record-enabled and then turn off record en- ment plug-in MIDI-to-audio latency (such as
able for the track, the fader returns to its playback when playing a virtual instrument live and mon-
level. itoring the instrument’s output).
When audio tracks are record-enabled, their vol- • Pro Tools systems have input-to-output moni-
ume faders in the Mix window turn red, indicating toring latency on any record-armed tracks or
that the record monitor level is active. Auxiliary Inputs with live inputs.
• HDX systems have monitoring latency on tracks
Link Record and Play Faders that have one or more host-based plug-ins.
When the Link Record and Play Faders option is The latency amount is related to the H/W Buffer
selected in the Operation Preferences, Pro Tools Size setting—the larger the buffer size, the greater
does not keep track of record and play levels for the latency. You can reduce the amount of moni-
audio tracks. In this case, record enabling an audio toring latency by reducing the H/W Buffer Size set-
track has no effect on the fader level for the track. ting. However, even at the smallest buffer size,
This lets you maintain a consistent mix regardless there is still some latency.
of whether you are recording or just listening.
In addition, reducing the buffer size limits the
number of simultaneous audio tracks you can re-
cord without encountering performance errors.
Reducing Monitoring Latency
While there may be times when you want a larger
There will inevitably be some audio delay, or
buffer size, such as when you have higher track
latency, in the monitoring signal (even if only a
counts with more plug-ins, you will generally want
few samples) due to the process of converting an
the smallest possible buffer size when latency is
analog signal to a digital signal (input) and back
present during recording and monitoring.
again (output). There may be additional latency
due to mixer configurations and processing. If you are monitoring the recording source with an
external mixer before it is routed to Pro Tools, you
HDX systems have additional latency when using
will not hear any latency.
Native plug-ins because these plug-ins also use
your computer’s host processor.
In Pro Tools, you record audio to audio tracks. Au- Basic Recording Steps
dio tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel as
appropriate for the recording source. To record an audio track:
When recording a stereo audio source, record to a 3 Click the Record Enable button for the audio
single, stereo audio track in Pro Tools. A single, track. It lights red.
mono audio file is written to disk for each channel
of a stereo track: one for the left channel, and one
for the right channel. These files appear as a stereo
clip both in the track’s playlist and in the Clips
List.
8 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected 3 To start playback, click Play in the Transport or
(see “Record Modes” on page 471). press the Spacebar.
The track’s playlist is restored to its previous state For each record-enabled track, a new audio file is
and material is discarded as follows: written to disk, and a new clip is created that ap-
pears both in the track’s playlist and in the Clips
• When in normal Record mode, only the most re-
List.
cent take is discarded.
• When in Loop Record mode, all takes from each If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple
record pass are discarded. drives, and you intend to record multiple
tracks simultaneously, you may want to
• When using QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or
designate the System drive as a Transfer only
DestructivePunch mode, all punches from the
drive for optimal performance.
last recording pass are discarded.
The Stop button lights and both the Play and Re-
cord buttons flash.
3 To begin recording instantaneously, click Play.
4 Click Stop to stop recording.
Memory Locations
Transport window with Start, End, and Length fields You can store Edit selections as Memory Loca-
displayed tions, which can also include current pre- and post-
You can enter locations in the start and end fields roll values.
to set the record or play range. The Timeline Selec- For more information on Memory Locations,
tion Markers in the Main Timebase ruler are up- see Chapter 38, “Memory Locations.”
dated accordingly.
To save an Edit selection with a Memory Location:
To set the record range by entering start and end
times in the Transport window: 1 Ensure that Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection is selected.
1 To see the start, end, and length times, do one of
the following: 2 Set the record range by making an Edit or Time-
line selection, or by entering start and end times
• Select View > Transport > Expanded.
in the Transport window.
• Shift-click the Expand/Collapse “+” button in
the Transport window.
The start and end times and pre- and post-roll set-
tings stored with the Memory Location are re-
called.
7 Click OK.
Setting Pre- and Post-Roll in the To set and enable the pre- and post-roll by clicking
Transport Window in a playlist:
Pre- and post-roll can be enabled and set in the 1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
Transport window. tion.
Pre-roll enabled for 2 beats; Post-roll disabled 2 With the Selector tool, Option-click (Mac) or
Alt-click (Windows) in the Edit selection near
5 To enable either pre- or post-roll, click the ap- the end to disable the post-roll.
propriate button so it is highlighted.
In the Timeline, you can reset the pre- and
Use the Period (.) or Left/Right Arrow keys to post-roll to zero. First, drag the Pre-Roll
move through the different time fields for pre Flag to the Timeline Selection In Point, then
and post-roll. Use the Up/Down Arrow keys drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline Se-
to increase or decrease the numerical values. lection Out Point.
• To record from the beginning of the session, • To record from the beginning of the track, click
click Return to Zero in the Transport. Return to Zero in the Transport.
• If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is • If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection is
enabled, click anywhere in the track’s playlist to enabled, click anywhere in the track’s playlist to
begin recording from that point. begin recording from that point.
To record a specific track range, with precise To record a specific track range, with precise
start and end points, see “Audio Punch Re- start and end points, see “Audio Punch Re-
cording Over a Specified Range” on cording Over a Specified Range” on
page 495. page 495.
4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools 4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
for recording. for recording.
6 Click Stop to stop recording. 6 When finished, click Stop to stop recording.
Pro Tools adds the new material to the end of the 4 Record enable the track.
track. If using Destructive Record mode, the new 5 To start from the beginning of the session, click
audio is appended to the audio file and clip from Return to Zero in the Transport.
the first take. In Nondestructive Record mode, a
new file and clip are created. 6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
for recording.
Recording to a New Playlist 7 Click Play to start recording.
Instead of recording over existing audio clips, 8 Click Stop to stop recording.
there is another way to nondestructively record
new takes to the same track. Do this by creating a An audio file for the new take is written to disk and
new playlist for the track, then record just as be- appears as an audio clip both in the track’s new
fore. playlist and in the Clips List.
Tracks can have multiple edit playlists, each of Selecting a previous playlist from track’s Playlist
which stores a list of clips strung together in a par- selector recalls its clips as they previously ap-
ticular order. Also, since playlists follow groups, peared in the track. At any time, all clips from all
duplicating or selecting alternate playlists for a playlists are available in the Clips List, and can be
track in an enabled group will affect all tracks in mixed and matched between playlists and tracks.
the group. For more information on playlists and play-
list editing, see “Playlists” on page 653.
When loop recording audio, Pro Tools creates a 5 To hear track material up to the start point of the
single audio file that includes all takes. Takes ap- loop, enable pre-roll and set the pre-roll time
pear as individual clips in the Clips List and are (see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 493).
numbered sequentially. Once you stop recording, 6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
you can audition any of the recorded takes. for recording.
To use alternate takes created with Loop 7 Click Play to start recording.
Record in other sessions (such as when us-
ing Import Session Data), export clip defi- The Record button flashes during the pre-roll.
nitions (see “Exporting Clip Definitions” When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins
on page 380). If clip definitions are not ex- recording. When the end point is reached,
ported, alternate takes created with Loop Pro Tools loops back to the start time and contin-
Record will be inaccessible when im- ues recording.
ported into another session. 8 To cancel all recorded takes while loop record-
ing, press Command+Period (.) (Mac) or Con-
trol+Period (.) (Windows).
9 When finished, click Stop to stop recording.
When loop recording, Pro Tools creates a single Selecting Alternate Takes from the
file containing all recording passes where each re- Clips List
cording pass is a clip in the file. On the track, only
the last recording pass is present as a clip in the To select a take from the Clips List:
main playlist. All other clips (recording passes) are 1 In the Edit window, select the current clip (take)
hidden and can only be recalled as matching alter- with the Time Grabber tool.
nate clips (takes). When enabled, the new Auto-
2 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) dif-
matically Create New Playlists When Loop Record-
ferent clips in the Clips List to audition them.
ing option in the Operation Preferences page
automatically copies each clip (take) to a new play- 3 Control-drag (Mac) or Start-drag (Windows)
list in the track. This facilitates using Playlists the clip you want from the Clips List into the
view for auditioning and selecting alternate takes. playlist.
To automatically create new playlists when loop The clip replaces the previous take and snaps pre-
recording: cisely to the correct location.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Op-
eration tab. Selecting Alternate Takes on a Track
2 In the Recording section, enable the Automati- Each clip resulting from a punch or loop record
cally Create New Playlists When Loop Record- pass has an identical start time (the User Time
ing option. Stamp). You can select and audition alternate takes
from the Right-click Matches submenu or the Al-
ternate Takes pop-up menu—even during play-
back.
Clip Start Any clips that have the same start time
as the time location of the Edit cursor or Edit selec-
tion.
Clip Start and End Any clips that have the same
start and end times as the Edit selection.
Pro Tools lets you copy alternate takes to new Expanding alternate takes to new tracks readily fa-
playlists or tracks. This is especially useful for au- cilitates auditioning, editing, and mixing alternate
ditioning, editing, and mixing multiple alternate takes, each on separate tracks.
takes or channels. Alternate takes are created when
punch and loop recording. To expand alternate takes to new tracks:
have audio Input and Output selectors. These Devices that are assigned as a MIDI Controller
selectors are different than the Instrument track’s in the Peripherals dialog (Setup > Peripherals) are
selectors for MIDI Input and Output and are pri- ignored when MIDI tracks are recorded. This is to
marily used for monitoring audio from MIDI in- avoid recording data from MIDI control surfaces
struments or instrument plug-ins. (such as Command|8).
It is not necessary to use QuickPunch, Track- To record and play MIDI, the device must be
Punch, or DestructivePunch to punch in with MIDI enabled in the MIDI Input Enable dialog. For more
or Instrument tracks. This capability is available information, see “Enabling Input Devices” on
both in Normal (Nondestructive) Record mode and page 508.
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 1217. 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 975.
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).
Instrument track MIDI Input selector • Make the necessary selections for program and
bank select.
• Click Done.
4 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit 1 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re-
Selection. cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument
Tracks for Recording” on page 512).
5 With the Selector tool, select the punch range in
the track’s playlist. 2 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected
(see “Record Modes” on page 471).
For other methods of setting the record
range, see “Setting Punch and Loop Points” 3 In the Transport window, disable Wait for Note
on page 490. and Countoff.
4 Record enable the track containing the previous
6 To hear existing track material up to the start
take.
point, or after the end point, enable and set pre-
and post-roll times (see “Setting Pre- and Post- 5 Click Play in the Transport to start playback.
Roll” on page 493).
6 When you reach the punch-in point, do one of
7 Record enable the track containing the previous the following:
take. • Click Record in the Transport.
8 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools • For Pro Tools systems that support a connected
for recording. The Record button flashes. footswitch, press the footswitch at the punch-in
point.
9 Click Play to start recording.
10 When you have finished recording, click Stop in Footswitches are supported by 003 family in-
the Transport. The newly recorded MIDI data terfaces, Mbox Pro, and Mbox 2 Pro, as well
appears in the track. as any Pro Tools system with a supported con-
trol surface.
3 Select Options > Loop Playback. When Loop 13 To switch to a new record track, press Com-
Playback is enabled, a loop symbol appears in mand (Mac) or Control (Windows), and press
the Play button. the Up/Down Arrow keys to record enable the
previous or next MIDI or Instrument track.
14 When you are finished recording, click Stop in
the Transport.
Loop Playback enabled The newly recorded MIDI data appears as a MIDI
clip in the track’s playlist, and in the Clips List.
4 Record enable the MIDI or Instrument track.
Ensure that no audio tracks are record-enabled.
Loop Recording Multiple Takes
5 In the Transport window, click the MIDI Merge
When recording MIDI in Loop Record mode, new
button so it is highlighted.
clips are created each time new material is received
6 Disable Wait for Note and Countoff in the during a record pass. This differs somewhat from
Transport window. loop recording audio, where Pro Tools creates a
single audio file that comprises all takes, which ap-
7 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
pear as individual clips in the Clips List.
tion.
To record MIDI in Loop Record mode: The Record button flashes during the pre-roll.
When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins
1 Configure a MIDI or Instrument track for re-
recording. When the end point is reached,
cording (see “Configuring MIDI or Instrument
Pro Tools loops back to the start point and contin-
Tracks for Recording” on page 512).
ues playing and recording.
2 Select Options > Loop Record. When Loop Re-
10 Play your MIDI controller. A new MIDI clip
cord mode is enabled, a loop symbol appears in
containing the newly recorded material is auto-
the Record button.
matically created and appears in the track’s
playlist, replacing the previous clip.
3 If you have not done so already, record enable 11 When you are finished recording, click Stop in
the MIDI or Instrument track by clicking its Re- the Transport.
cord Enable button. Make sure no audio tracks
The recorded takes appear as clips in the Clips List
are record-enabled.
and are numbered sequentially. The takes, which
4 Disable Wait for Note and Countoff in the are the same length and easily interchangeable, can
Transport window. be selected from the Matches pop-up menu—even
while the session plays or loops.
5 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit
Selection.
Punch recording is used in many areas of audio Pro Tools Punch Recording
production for film, video, and music. Modes
Pro Tools provides three different manual punch
recording modes:
Introduction to Punch
Recording Modes QuickPunch A nondestructive Record mode that
lets record-enabled tracks be punched in and
Once basic track material has been recorded, it is punched out during playback by clicking the Re-
often necessary to replace some, but not all, of the cord button in the Transport. QuickPunch mode is
audio that makes up each track. Punch recording available on all systems.
lets you manually punch one or more audio tracks
in and out of recording without stopping the Trans- TrackPunch (Pro Tools HD Only) A nondestruc-
port. tive Record mode that lets individual tracks be
punched in, punched out, and taken out of record
You do not need to use QuickPunch or any enable without interrupting online recording and
other audio punch recording mode to punch playback.
record with MIDI tracks. MIDI tracks can be
punched while in Normal (Nondestructive) DestructivePunch (Pro Tools HD Only) A de-
Record mode, and in Destructive Record structive Record mode that maintains a single
mode. continuous audio file per punch track, and lets in-
dividual tracks be punched in, punched out, and
taken out of record enable without interrupting
online recording and playback.
• Tracks with assigned voices that are record-en- Command-Control-click (Mac) or Control-
abled. Start-click (Windows) the Track Compensation
indicator on the track.
• Tracks with Dynamically Allocated Voicing that
are not record-enabled. To apply Delay Compensation to all selected
• Tracks with Dynamically Allocated Voicing that tracks where Delay Compensation was
are record-enabled. suspended, do one of the following:
Transport and Record preferences for punch re- Punching out of record by pressing Record
cording appear on the Operation Preferences page. on the Transport takes the transport out of re-
These preferences specify how track and Transport cord enable.
record status respond during, between, and after
Destructive Recording and Transport RecordLock
punches and passes.
As a precaution against accidentally recording
over previous material, the Transport RecordLock
option is automatically disabled and grayed out
when Destructive record mode is enabled.
Audio Track RecordLock
Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming • Select Options > QuickPunch.
Profiles to configure your system, and choose • Right-click the Record button in the Transport
Window > Machine Track Arming to display and select QuickPunch.
the Machine Track Arming window.
When QuickPunch is enabled, a “P” appears in the
Record button in the Transport.
For information on remote track arming
with MachineControl, see the Machine-
Control Guide.
QuickPunch enabled
Before each pass, you must TrackPunch enable all Each track’s Record Enable button indicates its
tracks that you intend to punch (you can Track- TrackPunch and record enable status as follows:
Punch enable tracks without record enabling • When a track is TrackPunch-enabled but not re-
them). cord-enabled, its Record Enable button lights
solid blue.
To TrackPunch enable one audio track:
Option-Control-Shift-click (Mac) or
Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) a track’s
Record Enable button.
When TrackPunch enabled, Track record enable Record Enable button, enabled
buttons light solid blue.
• When a track is both TrackPunch-enabled and
Create track groups for each stem or set of record-enabled, its Record enable button flashes
tracks on which you plan to punch, then use blue and red.
the Groups List to quickly select all tracks in • When a track is record-enabled only, its Record
the group. Enable button flashes red.
• While a track is recording (in any mode), its Re-
cord Enable button lights solid red.
In order for a track to be enabled for Destructive- To prepare a track for DestructivePunch
Punch recording, the track must contain a contigu- recording:
ous audio file that meets the following require- 1 Enable DestructivePunch mode (“Enabling De-
ments: structivePunch Mode” on page 534).
• 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 536).
“DestructivePunch File Length” on page 535).
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 535.)
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 536.)
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
6 Stop playback. When you are finished with the Because Pro Tools can be networked, TrackPunch
record pass, track Record Enable status and (and all other) audio files and whole sessions can
transport Record Arm status follow the current be available for secure transfer to other systems for
Audio Track RecordLock and Transport Record- review, editing, and archiving.
Lock preference settings.
Film Dubbing and Mixing
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Workflow example for configuring “in-the-box”
Operation tab. dubbing:
2 Enable Mute Record-Armed Tracks While 1 Using internal busses, route your source tracks,
Stopped. by stem (for example, dialog, music, and ef-
fects), to your record tracks (see Figure 1 on
3 Configure synchronization and other settings page 541).
for Pro Tools and your other devices.
2 Route your stem source tracks to your print
4 Enable TrackPunch or DestructivePunch mode master track (such as a 5.1 audio track).
and proceed with punch recording.
Use the Edit window in Pro Tools to edit and ar- Nondestructive Editing
range audio, video, and MIDI. Track material can
The vast majority of audio editing in Pro Tools is
be edited nondestructively and in real time during
nondestructive. Whether cutting, pasting, trim-
playback.
ming, separating, or clearing clips, you are only
The Edit window also lets you graphically edit performing these functions on a map of the actual
other data, as follows: media (such as audio files). The source files re-
main untouched. However, certain processes or
Editing Clips and Selections See Chapter 29, tools work destructively (can permanently change
“Editing Clips and Selections.” Also, see audio files on your hard disk), as noted in other
Chapter 39, “Arranging Clips.” topics.
Editing Fades and Crossfades See Chapter 30, 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 43, “Elastic important MIDI tracks and clips safe when per-
Audio.” forming edits (see “Nondestructive MIDI Editing”
on page 554).
Editing MIDI See Chapter 33, “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 277.
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 641 for details.
Whenever possible, begin a clip precisely
before a volume peak, and end it immediately be- With Pro Tools HD, use the AutoFade feature to
fore another volume peak. apply real-time fade-ins/outs to all clip boundaries
that do not touch or overlap other clips. See “Using
Whenever possible, make sure a clip starts and AutoFades” on page 642 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 604.) and splicing analog tape. Instead, Pro Tools cre-
• Editing to a Grid (see “Grid Mode” on page 564) ates a map of the audio file on your hard disk,
• Beat Detective (see Chapter 32, “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 49, “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 34,
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 231. 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 33, “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 708. page 708.
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 277.
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 653). 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 703). 2 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
clip. If a whole-file audio clip was selected,
specify whether to rename just the clip, or both
the clip and the disk file.
3 Click OK to rename the clip.
Choose Edit > Redo. The operation you choose, as well as all the opera-
tions in the queue before it, are redone.
Press Shift+Command+Z (Mac) or Shift+Con-
trol+Z (Windows). To toggle display of creation times in the Undo
History window:
If no actions are available to redo, the menu
Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
displays Can’t Redo.
Show Creation Times.
Undo History Window To undo all the operations in the Undo Queue:
You can use the Undo History window to view the Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
queue of the undoable and redoable operations and Undo All.
return to any previous state. The Undo History can
show edit creation times, enabling you to revert to To redo all the operations in the Redo Queue:
the state a session held at a particular time.
Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
Redo All.
Options selector
Creation times
3 Click OK.
You cannot cut or copy automation data Use the Copy command to place a copy of the se-
from an automation playlist unless that lection on the Clipboard so it can be pasted to an-
playlist includes at least one breakpoint in other track, or to the same track at a different loca-
it. The selection you are cutting or copying tion, while leaving the original intact and in place.
does not need to include any breakpoints,
To cut or copy a selection or clip:
but without at least one breakpoint on an
automation playlist, there is no automation 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
data to copy. rent Grid value, enable Snap to Grid.
2 Set the Track View for the tracks you want to
edit.
4 Do one of the following: • Place the insertion point in each of the destina-
tion tracks by Shift-clicking in them.
• If pasting audio clips to larger areas, the Batch
Fades dialog opens. Configure the dialog to cre- • Make a selection in one of the Timebase rulers.
ate crossfades between each pasted clip, then 2 Choose Edit > Paste.
click OK.
When you paste multiple types of data, whatever
• If you do not want crossfades for the pasted au-
data has been copied is pasted into the correct type
dio, click Cancel in the Batch Fades dialog.
of playlist. Automation data is pasted into the cor-
responding automation playlist. Audio or MIDI
data is pasted into the audio or MIDI playlist. You
Editing Across Multiple do not need to set target tracks to the specific type
Tracks of data being pasted for the paste to work correctly.
When working with data from multiple tracks,
If all destination tracks in a multitrack paste are
there are some important points to remember.
displayed as automation, the paste replaces any
For example, if any selected tracks are set to their
previous data on the target track without shuf-
master view (see “Master Views for Tracks” on
fling—regardless of whether Shuffle Clips is
page 234), edits affect not only audio and MIDI for
enabled.
the selected tracks, but all automation and control-
ler data as well.
Edit mode buttons When using any of the Trim tools in Shuffle mode,
changing a clip’s start or end point automatically
The Edit mode affects the movement and place-
moves any subsequent clips as necessary. The
ment of audio and MIDI clips (and MIDI notes),
placement and insertion of MIDI notes is not af-
how commands like Copy and Paste function, and
fected by Shuffle mode.
also how the various Edit tools (Trim, Selector,
Grabber, and Pencil tools) work. Press F1 to enable Shuffle mode.
Spot Mode
Shuffle Lock enabled
Use Spot mode to place clips at precise locations.
To lock out Shuffle Mode: In Spot mode you can specify a frame location (or
While in any Edit mode other than Shuffle a location based on any of the other time formats),
mode, Command-click (Mac) or Control-click capture an incoming Timecode address, or use a
(Windows) the Shuffle button on-screen. A lock clip’s time stamps as reference points for spotting.
icon appears in the Shuffle button. This can be particularly useful when performing
post production tasks around SMPTE frame loca-
To unlock Shuffle Mode: tions.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- When Spot mode is enabled, Pro Tools asks you to
dows) the locked Shuffle button on-screen. specify a destination location when a clip is
dragged from the Clips List, a Workspace browser,
Windows Explorer, or the Mac Finder.
Slip Mode
Press F3 to enable Spot mode.
In Slip mode, clips can be moved freely within a
track or to other tracks. In this mode, it is possible
to place a clip so that there is space between it and Grid Mode
other clips in a track. When the track is played
back, this space is silent. It is also possible to move In Grid mode, clips and MIDI notes that are
a clip so that it overlaps or completely covers an- moved, trimmed or inserted “snap” to the currently
other clip. selected Grid value, or to precise increments on a
user-definable time grid.
The actual Grid size, chosen from the Grid value Grid Mode Lock
selector can be based on a time value using the
Main Time Scale; or, if the Follow Main Time To ensure that you do not inadvertently change the
Scale option is deselected, another time format can Grid mode setting when using Edit mode keyboard
be used for the Grid size. shortcuts, you can enable Edit/Tool Mode Key-
board Lock.
The Grid Value indicator and selector are located
in the Edit window. Also, the Score Editor window To lock (or unlock) the selected Grid mode:
and MIDI Editor windows each provide an inde- 1 Click the Grid mode selector and choose
pendent Grid Value indicator and selector. Absolute or Relative.
Edit Tools
Pro Tools provides the following Edit tools: the
Zoomer, Trim, Selector, Grabber, Scrubber, and
Pencil tools, and the multifunctional Smart Tool.
Zoomer Scrubber
Zoom buttons Smart Tool Pencil
Press Command+[ (Mac) or Control+[ (Win- To zoom in vertically for all audio tracks, do one of
dows). the following:
The Zoomer tool offers two modes: 3 To zoom back to the previous level, Option-
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) with the
Normal Zoom The Zoomer tool remains selected Zoomer tool.
after zooming.
To zoom into a particular track area:
Single Zoom The previously selected Edit tool is
automatically reselected after zooming. 1 Do one of the following:
• Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
Press the F5 key to select the Zoomer tool Normal Zoom mode.
and toggle between Normal and Single Zoom
modes. • Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom.
Zooming in a Ruler
To zoom horizontally in a ruler:
1 Press Command+Control (Mac) or Con-
trol+Start (Windows) and move the cursor into
the ruler area, so the Zoomer tool appears.
Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window
When selected, this option ensures that zoom tog- If Last Used is selected for any of the following,
gle automatically follows the current Edit selec- you can adjust the corresponding zoom, height, or
tion. When disabled, changing the Edit selection view in the Edit window to update the stored zoom
has no affect on the currently toggled-in track. state:
• Vertical Zoom
Using Zoom Toggle • Horizontal Zoom
Depending on the Zoom Toggle preference set- • Track Height
tings, the Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window
• Track View
lets you define a zoom state and toggle between it
and the current zoom state, or it zooms to the set- In Commands Keyboard Focus mode (see
tings in the Zoom Toggle preferences. When “Keyboard Focus” on page 25), press the
Zoom Toggle is enabled, the Edit window displays E key to enable or disable Zoom Toggle.
the stored zoom state. Additionally, any changes
made to the view while Zoom Toggle is enabled
are also stored in the zoom state. Press Option+Shift+E (Mac) or Alt+Shift+E
(Windows) to cancel Zoom Toggle without
When Zoom Toggle is disabled, the Edit window reverting to the previous view.
reverts to the last zoom state.
To modify the stored Zoom Toggle state if Last
To store a zoom state using Zoom Toggle: Used is selected:
1 Set the Zoom Toggle preferences. 1 Make sure the Zoom Toggle button is lit (en-
abled).
2 Make an Edit selection.
2 Adjust the Track Height, Vertical Zoom, Track
3 Click the Zoom Toggle button. It lights to indi- View, or the Grid depending on which prefer-
cate that Zoom Toggle is enabled and Pro Tools ences are set to Last Used. Changes are stored
zoom toggles in based on the settings of the as the new Zoom Toggle state.
Zoom Toggle preferences.
Using the Zoom Toggle Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while
turning the mouse scroll wheel.
Trim tools provide clip, note, and data trimming To trim a clip with the Trim tool:
functions. The following Trim tools are available:
1 Select the Trim tool.
• Trim tool; also called the Standard Trim tool
2 Do one of the following:
• Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool; also
• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
called the TCE Trim tool
Standard.
• Scrub Trim tool (Pro Tools HD Only)
• Loop Trim tool
The TCE, Scrub, and Loop Trim tools do not apply 3 Move the cursor near the start or end of the clip,
to fades. so the Trim Tool cursor appears.
Trim Tool
With the Trim tool, you can quickly shorten or ex-
pand a clip (up to the entire length of the source au-
dio file). The first time you trim a clip, Pro Tools Trim tool
automatically adds it to the Clips List as a new clip To reverse the direction of the Trim tool, press Op-
(with a name derived from the original) in order to tion (Mac) or Alt (Windows).
differentiate it from the original.
To use the TCE Trim tool in Spot mode: 1 Do one of the following:
1 Set the Edit mode to Spot. • Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
Scrub.
2 Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
TCE. • Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Trim Tools > Scrub.
3 Click the clip near its start or end point. The
Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale, enter The tool changes to a speaker with a bracket.
a new start or end time (or duration) for the clip, 2 Drag within a track to the left or right. Audio
then click OK. from a scrubbed track is routed through the
track signal path, including any DSP effects.
When you locate the trim point, release the
Scrub Trim Tool mouse button to trim the clip.
(Pro Tools HD Only) • To scrub trim two tracks, drag with the Scrub
The Scrub Trim tool is a convenient tool for audi- Trim tool between two adjacent tracks.
tioning material (on up to two tracks) to find a trim • To scrub with finer resolution (without having to
point. You can drag in a track to hear the audio in- zoom in), press Command (Mac) or Control
formation, then trim at a specific location by re- (Windows) while scrubbing.
leasing the mouse button.
Tandem trimming
Placing the edit cursor with the Selector tool
Click the Grabber tool in the Edit window and Trim Trim
select the Grabber tool from the pop-up menu. tool tool
(start) (end)
Trim Trim
tool Selector tool tool
(start) (end)
For the Selector tool, position the cursor over For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over
the middle of the clip, in the upper half of the clip. the note, near its middle.
For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over For the Trim tool, position the cursor near the
the middle of a clip, in the lower half of the clip, note start or end point.
but not over an Event marker or Warp marker.
2 Drag within the track: left for reverse or right Scrub within a selection that contains multiple
for forward. tracks.
The distance and speed dragged determine the Custom Shuttle Lock Speed
speed for the scrubbed audio. (Pro Tools HD Only)
4 Hold any of the following keys (or key combi- Although you can Undo a Pencil tool edit, it is rec-
nations) on the numeric keypad to trigger play- ommended that you create a backup copy of the
back. target audio before using the Pencil tool. You can
do this by using the AudioSuite Duplicate plug-in.
Shuttle Speed Rewind Key Forward Key
The Pencil tool is a destructive editing tool
1 X Speed 4 6
that permanently modifies the audio file on
4 X Speed 7 9 disk and should be used with caution.
1/4 X Speed 1 3
For information about the AudioSuite Du-
1/2 X Speed 4+5 5+6
plicate plug-in, see the Audio Plug-Ins
2 X Speed 7+8 8+9 Guide.
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 593 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 622.
2 Make the initial selection with the Selector tool.
3 Do one of the following:
Edit Markers • While pressing Option+Shift (Mac) or Alt+Shift
To make a long-length selection: (Windows), press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the
numeric keypad to move the selection’s start
1 With the Selector tool, click at where you want point by the Nudge value.
the selection to start.
• While pressing Command+Shift (Mac) or Con-
2 Scroll to the end point and Shift-click at the trol+Shift (Windows), press Plus (+) or
point where you want the selection to end. Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move the
selection’s end point by the Nudge value.
To verify the start and end points of a long selec-
tion, press the Left Arrow key to scroll to the be-
ginning of the selection, or press the Right Arrow
key to scroll to the end.
• With Tab to Transients disabled, press Con- 2 Click in the Start field at the top of the Edit win-
trol+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Start+Shift+Tab (Win- dow.
dows) to extend the selection to the next clip 3 Type in the start point for the selection and press
boundary. the Forward Slash key (/) to enter the value and
• Press Option+Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con- automatically move to the end field.
trol+Start+Shift+Tab (Windows) to extend the
4 Type in the end point for the selection and press
selection to include the previous clip boundary.
Enter to accept the value.
To extend a selection to a Marker or Memory
Numeric Entry Shortcuts for Selection
Location:
Indicators
1 Do one of the following:
You can use the following shortcuts for entering
• Click in a track with the Selector tool at the start
values in the Edit Selection indicators:
or end point.
• Press the Forward Slash (/) key to cycle through
• Make a selection with the Selector or Time
the three Edit Selection indicators.
Grabber tool.
• Use Period (.) or the Left and Right Arrow keys
2 Do one of the following: to move through the different time fields in each
• Shift-click a Marker in the Markers ruler. Edit Selection indicator.
• Shift-click a Memory Location in the Memory • Press the Up or Down Arrow keys to increase or
Locations window. decrease numerical values.
2 Press Minus (–) on the numeric keypad. Enable the All Edit Group and make a selection
in any track.
3 Type the amount you want to subtract from the
current time value, then press Enter. Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
ruler (make sure the Timeline and Edit Selec-
4 Press Enter again to apply the change. tions are linked).
To add time values: These selections include all tracks in the Edit win-
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the dow, but do not include the Conductor tracks (for
time field you want to change. Tempo, Meter, and Markers).
2 Press Plus (+) on the numeric keypad. To select across all tracks, including the
Conductor tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers):
3 Type the amount you want to add to the current
time value, then press Enter. Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) with
the Selector tool in any Timebase ruler.
4 Press Enter again to apply the change.
To move a selection to an adjacent track: In either instance, the original Edit selection re-
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key- mains selected.
board Focus” on page 25).
With Commands Keyboard Focus dis-
abled, press Control+Shift+P (Mac) of
Start+Shift+P (Windows) to extend the se-
lection to the previous track, or Con-
trol+Shift+Semicolon (;) (Mac) or
Start+Shift+Semicolon (;) (Windows) to
extend the selection to the next track.
Commands Keyboard Focus button enabled To remove the bottom track from a selection:
2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a Press Option+Control+Semicolon (;) (Mac) or
selection. Alt+Start+Semicolon (;) (Windows) to remove
the bottom track.
3 Do one of the following:
• Press P on your computer keyboard to move the Other Useful Selection
selection to the previous track. Techniques
• Press semicolon (;) to move the selection to the Following are some additional selection tech-
next track. niques.
In either instance, the original Edit selection be-
To position the edit cursor precisely at a clip start,
comes deselected. end, or sync point:
With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled, 1 Make sure the Tab to Transients button is not
press Control+P (Mac) or Start+P (Win- enabled. (See “Tabbing to Transients” on
dows) to move the selection to the previous page 604.)
track, or Control+Semicolon (;) (Mac) or
2 Click with the Selector tool in the track.
Start+Semicolon (;) (Windows) to move the
selection to the next track. 3 Do one of the following:
• Press Tab to move the cursor to the next clip or
To extend a selection to an adjacent track:
clip group start, end, or sync point.
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key-
• Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win-
board Focus” on page 25).
dows) to move the cursor to the previous clip or
2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a clip group start, end, or sync point.
selection.
4 While pressing Shift, scrub to an appropriate 3 Drag left or right to move the Edit selection
end point for the selection, then release. The back or forward in time while preserving its
range between the initial and final scrub be- length.
comes selected. If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is disabled
(Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection), Op-
To move a selection to an adjacent clip on the
same track: tion-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) the Edit
Markers instead.
1 Select a clip with the Time Grabber.
2 Do one of the following: Right-Click Commands and
• Press Control+Tab (Mac) or Start+Tab (Win- Selection Preservation
dows) to move the selection to the next clip. You can use Right-click commands with key com-
• Press Option+Control+Tab (Mac) or Con- binations to perform operations on objects while
trol+Start+Tab (Windows) to move the selection maintaining selections in the Edit and Mix win-
to the previous clip. dows. For example, you can maintain selections in
the following areas while carrying out certain com-
In either instance, the original clip becomes dese- mands:
lected.
• Clip selections in the Timeline
To slide an Edit selection in the Main Timebase • Clip name selections in the Clips List
ruler:
• Track selections
1 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a
selection. To apply a command to an object while keeping the
current selection:
2 While pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows),
move the cursor over either of the Timeline Se- Command-Right-click (Mac) or Control-Right-
lection Markers in the ruler (the Time Grabber click (Windows) the object and choose a com-
appears). mand from the pop-up menu.
Tab to Transients button enabled If necessary, you can move to the previous tran-
sient by pressing Option+Tab (Mac) or Con-
In Warp view, Tab to Transients tabs to all Event trol+Tab (Windows).
and Warp markers in a clip. Normal Tab tabs to
clip boundaries and all Warp markers. In Analysis 5 Press Shift+Tab until the cursor locates to the
view, pressing Tab always tabs to Event markers, end of the material you want to select.
regardless of whether or not Tab to Transients is
To move the selection end point to the previous
enabled.
transient, press Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con-
For MIDI and Instrument tracks in Notes view, trol+Shift+Tab (Windows).
pressing Tab always tabs to the next note, regard-
Once selected, the material can be looped for re-
less of whether or not Tab to Transients is enabled.
cording or playback, or it can be turned into a new
In Clips view, Tab to Transients tabs to notes and
clip with the Separate or Capture command.
Normal Tab tabs to clip boundaries.
Peak transients are usually visible in the
For MIDI notes, when tabbing to chords, each note
waveform. However, some low-frequency
in the chord is recognized as a single event. This
transients may not appear as visible peaks in
lets you tab to each note in the chord.
the waveform.
When Tab to Transients is enabled, the Tabbing
function also locates the cursor to clip start and end Tab to Transients Across Multiple
Tracks
points, but not to sync points.
With the edit cursor inserted across multiple
To toggle Tab to Transients on and off,
tracks, you can use Tab to Transients to tab to the
press Command+Option+Tab (Mac) or
next transient on any of those tracks. When tran-
Control+Alt+Tab (Windows).
sients on multiple tracks are closely aligned, Tab to
Transients tabs to the first transient on any of those
tracks.
Choose Edit > Selection > Change Timeline to The Edit Selection indicators (to the right of the
Match Edit. Main and Sub counters) display the Start and End
times, and Length of the current Edit selection ac-
Press Option+Shift+5 (Mac) or cording to the Main Timebase.
Alt+Shift+5 (Windows) to change the
Timeline selection to match the Edit The Main and Sub Counters, as well as the Edit Se-
selection. lection indicators, also appear in the Transport
window when it is set to display Counters.
You can scroll the contents of the Edit window by 1 Place the mouse over the window you want to
dragging in a ruler. While this does not actually up- scroll (for example, in the Edit window you
date the session’s Current Location, it does let you might want to scroll either the track display or
conveniently shift the display left or right for the the Clips List).
sake of finding and editing material. 2 Shift-scroll the scroll wheel up or down to scroll
This method of scrolling is especially useful when the window to the left or right.
using the Continuous Scrolling option, which does
not update or follow Timeline selections.
Scrolling in a ruler
This overview represents audio and MIDI material on all tracks in the session that are not hidden (including
tracks that are inactive, or that contain offline clips). The order in which material is displayed in the Uni-
verse view corresponds to the track order in the Edit window.
In the Universe view, audio, MIDI, and video clips on tracks are represented by horizontal lines that are the
same colors as the clips on the tracks. Each audio track is represented at the same height regardless of how
many channels it has. Additionally, tracks that show Automation, Controller, or Playlist lanes are repre-
sented with increasing height for each lane shown.
Since Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA Master tracks do not contain audio or MIDI clips, they are
displayed as blank areas in the Universe view.
3 Press the Down Arrow to place the Edit cursor Press Command+Control+Option+’ (single
at the current playback location and mark the quote) (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+’ (single
beginning of the Edit selection. quote) (Windows).
4 Press the Up Arrow to mark the end point of the To move the selection backward by the selection
Edit selection. amount:
5 Stop playback. Press Command+Control+Option+L (Mac) or
Control+Alt+Start+L (Windows).
6 Do one of the following:
• Press the Left arrow to locate the beginning of To double the Edit selection:
the Edit selection.
Press Command+Control+Option+Shift+’ (sin-
• Press the Right arrow to locate the end of the gle quote) (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+’
Edit selection. (single quote) (Windows).
Press Command+Control+Option+Shift+L
Pro Tools provides several keyboard shortcuts for
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+L (Win-
moving and extending or decreasing the range of
dows).
an Edit (or Timeline) selection.
You can also press Command+Option+Z To change Track views for all tracks together:
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Z (Windows) to restore Press Command+Option+Control+Left or
the previous selection. Right arrows (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Left
or Right arrows (Windows).
Clips are the basic building blocks for arranging Capture Clip Command
audio and MIDI in Pro Tools. Understanding how
The Capture Clip command defines a selection as a
clips are created, edited, and arranged is essential
new clip and adds it to the Clips List. From there,
to taking full advantage of the editing capabilities
the new clip can be dragged to any existing tracks.
of Pro Tools.
This chapter covers basic editing functions as they To capture a new clip:
apply to clips and clip groups, and selections, 1 With the Selector tool, drag in an existing clip to
which for the most part apply to both MIDI and au- select the material for the new clip.
dio data. For editing procedures more specific to
MIDI, see Chapter 33, “MIDI Editing.” For edit-
ing procedures specific to video, see “Video Clips”
on page 1269.
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 712). 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 849). 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 667). 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 622).
Start and end points for selections can also be 1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the
moved by the Nudge value (see “Nudging Selec- Nudge Value” on page 622).
tion Start/End Points” on page 599). In addition, 2 With the Time Grabber or Selector tool, select
clips can be trimmed by the Nudge value (see the clip, clips, or clip groups you want to nudge.
“Trimming with Nudge” on page 621). The clips can reside on multiple tracks. Only
clips that are completely selected are nudged.
To set the Nudge value:
3 Do one of the following:
1 Do one of the following:
• On the numeric keypad, press Plus (+) to move
• From the View > Main Counter menu, select the
the selection forward by the Nudge value.
Time Scale for the Nudge value.
• Press Minus (–) to move the selection back by
• To keep the Main Time Scale and use a different
the Nudge value.
time format for the Nudge value, deselect Follow
Main Timebase in the Nudge Value pop-up The Nudge command works the same regardless of
menu. the Edit mode. Adjacent clips are overlapped in
2 Specify a Nudge value by doing one of the fol- Shuffle mode, the Spot dialog does not appear
lowing: when in Spot mode, and shifted material does not
snap to the Grid when in Grid mode.
• From the Nudge value pop-up menu in the Edit
window, select the Nudge value.
Nudging Clips on Multiple
• To specify a Nudge value not listed in the Nudge Tracks and in Multichannel
Value pop-up menu, click the Nudge Value indi- Tracks
cator and type in the value.
When nudging a selection of multiple clips within
a single track or across multiple tracks, that also
contains silence, any automation data residing
within the silence is also nudged.
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 644. 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 644
<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 (.tfx) fade-in or fade-out.
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 (.tfx) 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 638). 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 577 and “Trimming with Nudge” on
you want the crossfade to begin in the first clip page 621.
and drag to where you want it to end in the sec-
ond clip. Crossfade selections can begin and To remove a crossfade, do one of the following:
end anywhere in their respective clips. Select the area of the track containing any cross-
2 Do one of the following: fades you want to delete and choose Edit >
Fades > Delete.
• Choose Edit > Fades > Create.
• Press Command+F (Mac) or Control+F (Win- Select the crossfade with the Time Grabber tool
dows). and press Delete (Mac) or Backspace (Win-
dows).
To apply a Crossfade using the Default
Right-click the crossfade with any of the edit
Crossfade setting (in the Editing Prefer-
tools and select Delete Fades from the pop-up
ences), and without opening the Fades dia-
menu.
log, press Command+Control+F (Mac) or
Control+Start+F (Windows).
Pre and Post Crossfade Pro Tools HD can automatically apply real-time
Selections fade-ins and fade-outs to all clip boundaries in the
session on playback. Specify the duration (0 to
By making a selection that begins or ends precisely
10 ms) for automatic real-time fades with the Auto
on the border of two clips, you can create “pre” or
Clip Fade In/Out Length preference in the Opera-
“post” crossfades. Use the Tab key to place the in-
tion Preferences page). These fade-ins and fade-
sertion point at the exact beginning or end of a clip.
outs are performed during playback and do not ap-
To create a pre- or post-crossfade:
pear in the Edit window.
1 With the Selector tool, click in the track that AutoFades are not applied to AudioSuite
contains the clips you want to crossfade. processing.
2 Do one of the following: This feature is especially useful in post production
• Press Tab to move forward to the next situations such as dialogue tracking. For example,
clip boundary. you can assign both a dialogue track and a “room
• Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win- tone” track with matching background to the same
dows) to move back to the previous clip bound- voice. You can then set the AutoFade option to a
ary. moderate length (4 ms or so) so that whenever a si-
lence occurs in the dialog, playback switches
smoothly to and from the background track with-
out clicks or pops.
2 Type a value between 0 and 10 ms for the Clip • Press Command+F (Mac) or Control+F (Win-
Auto Fade In/Out Length. A value of zero (the dows).
default) means that no auto-fading will occur. 4 In the Batch Fades dialog, select whether you
3 Click OK. The AutoFade value is saved with the want to Create New Fades, Adjust Existing
session, and is automatically applied to all free- Shape & Slope, Adjust Existing Length, or a
standing clip boundaries until you change it. combination of these options for fade ins, cross-
fades and fade outs.
Fade lengths can subsequently be resized Manually adjusting the fade shape
with any of the Trim tools, including
Nudge Trim commands. See “Using the
For Crossfades, you can edit only the fade-in
Trim Tools” on page 577 and “Trimming
shape of the curve by pressing Option (Mac)
with Nudge” on page 621.
or Alt (Windows) while dragging left or right.
To edit only the fade-out portion of the curve,
press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
Manually Adjusting Fade while dragging.
Shapes in Fade Windows
If the Fade Shape setting for a Fade In, Fade Out, 4 Click OK.
or Crossfade is set to Standard or S-Curve, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
Pro Tools lets you adjust the fade shape in the any the fade curve to reset it to its default shape.
of the corresponding Fade window (Fade In, Fade
Out, and Crossfade) using the mouse. This in-
cludes Batch Fades and Fade windows in the Edit-
Adjusting the Start and End
ing preferences.
Points of a Crossfade
To adjust the fade (or crossfade) shape: If the Link setting for a Crossfade is set to Standard
1 Create a new fade (or crossfade) or open the or None, Pro Tools lets you adjust the start and end
Fade (or Crossfade) window for an existing points of the fade in and fade out of the crossfade
fade (or crossfade). independently. This includes the Batch Fades and
Crossfade windows in the Editing preferences.
2 Ensure that the Fade Shape is set to either Stan-
dard or S-Curve, and not to one of the seven To adjust the start and end points of a crossfade:
preset Fade Shapes.
1 Create a crossfade or open the Crossfade win-
dow for an existing crossfade.
2 Ensure that the Link setting for the Crossfade is
set to None.
• Use the Time Grabber tool to select the fade. 1 Do one of the following:
• Use the Selector tool to select a range that in- • Click a clip with the Time Grabber tool (or dou-
cludes the fade. ble-click with the Selector tool) to select the clip
along with the fade (in or out).
• Select multiple clips that include the fades and
crossfades you want to move.
1 Select the clip, but not the fade. 5 Drag the selected clip with the Grabber.
If you nudge a clip beyond the boundary of avail- Where your selection overlaps any fade-ins or
able audio for the crossfade, the fade is removed. fade-outs, the fade is trimmed to fit the selection.
To rename a track’s assigned playlist: To show the previous playlist in the main
playlist for tracks that contain the Edit
1 Double-click the track’s name. cursor:
2 Type a new name and click OK. Press Shift+Up Arrow.
You can also delete playlists in Playlists view. Two tracks, Audio 1 with main playlist only (gray) and
Audio 2 with multiple playlists (blue)
Right-click the Playlist Name on a lane or in
Playlists and Edit Groups
the Tracks List and choose Delete.
Right-click on the Playlist lane and choose 1 Once you have identified the best take, make
Hide. any changes to the Edit selection. This is the se-
lection that will be copied to the main 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 > Main
choose Filter Lanes > Show Only Lanes With > Playlist.
Clips Within the Edit Selection.
• Right-click the selection and choose Copy
Selection to Main Playlist.
• Click the Copy Selection to Main Playlist button
for the Playlist lane.
Copy Selection to
Main Playlist button
Click the name of the alternate playlist and drag To resize a single Playlist lane, do one of the
it to the location you want. following:
• Hide Only Lanes With > Clips Within The Edit • When duplicating playlists (audio or MIDI),
Selection there will be matching alternate clips between
playlists.
• Hide Only Lanes With > Clips Outside The Edit
Selection • When importing multichannel audio from a field
recorder, there will be matching alternate clips
• Hide Only Lanes With > “Clips Rated >= 1–5” between channels.
Playlist lanes are shown and hidden accordingly. Pro Tools also provides several ways to access and
audition multiple matching alternate clips:
• Use the Clip Right-click menu to select match-
ing alternate clips according to certain criteria.
• Use the Alternate Takes pop-up menu to select
matching alternate clips.
• Use the Expand Alternates to New Tracks com-
mand to copy matching alternate clips to new
tracks.
• Use the Expand Alternates to New Playlists
command to copy matching alternate clips to
new alternate playlists on the same track. Then
use Playlists view to access the alternate play-
lists.
The following In Addition To Match options are 1 Configure the Matching Criteria window if nec-
mutually exclusive. essary (see “Matching Criteria” on page 667).
2 Do one of the following:
All Any clips that include the time location of the
Edit cursor; or any clips that are either partly or • Right-click the clip with the Selector or the
fully within the current time range of the Edit se- Grabber tool, and select a matching alternate
lection. take from the Matches submenu in the pop-up
menu.
Clip Start Any clips that have the same start time
as the time location of the Edit cursor or Edit selec-
tion.
Clip Start and End Any clips that have the same
start and end times as the Edit selection.
Expanding alternate takes to new playlists readily • If the clip is selected, with the Selector tool,
facilitates track compositing. Once you have ex- Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
panded alternate takes to new playlists on a track, dows) anywhere on the selected clip and choose
you can audition and edit them in Playlists view to Matches > Expand Alternates To New Tracks.
assemble the best takes in the main playlist. • If the clip is not selected, with the Selector tool,
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
To expand alternate takes to new playlists: dows) at the precise beginning of the loop or
1 Identify the clip on the main playlist with punch range and choose Matches > Expand
matching alternate clips (takes). Alternates To New Tracks.
2 Do one of the following: 3 Then choose one of the following from the Ex-
• Right-click the clip and choose Matches > pand Alternates To New Tracks sub-menu:
Expand Alternates To New Playlists. By Track Name Names all new tracks after the
• If the clip is selected, with the Selector tool, source track name.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
By Clip Name Names each new tracks after the
dows) anywhere on the selected clip and choose
corresponding original clip names that you see in
Matches > Expand Alternates To New Playlists.
the Matches list.
• If the clip is not selected, with the Selector tool,
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- By Track and Clip Name Names all new tracks af-
dows) at the precise beginning of the loop or ter the source track name, but with the correspond-
punch range and choose Matches > Expand ing original clip names in parenthesis.
Alternates To New Playlists.
All matching alternate clips are copied to new
All matching alternate clips are copied to new tracks.
playlists on the track. To view all playlists for the
track, select Playlists view. In any track view, you
can also select any available alternate playlist as
the main playlist from the Playlist selector.
It is not possible to rename files encoded with 6 The Pro Tools editor Right-clicks the name of
XML metadata. The file extension will always the guide track and selects Expand Channels to
be .A1 and .A2 (even for stereo files). Also, it New Tracks > By Timecode Only. The original
is not possible to rename files with a .L/.R source tracks expand to new tracks with edits
suffix. As a result, Pro Tools does not always and fades that match the guide track.
recognize these channels as a stereo pair.
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 696.
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 693).
inal clip location and the position of the
referenced template event.
Edit Smoothing
For example, if a note was played at Bar 1|1|060 (a
(Audio Only)
16th note), and the corresponding template event is
at 1|1|073, a slider value of 100% results in the note After clips are conformed, there may be gaps be-
being shifted to 1|1|073; a slider value of 200% tween the clips. These gaps can cause the material
shifts the note to 1|1|086. to sound unnatural on playback.
8 To conform the material before applying the
groove template, enable the Pre-Process Using
Standard Conform option.
1. Beat triggers
detected in Kick track
added to collection
Overhead mic track displaying a collection of beat triggers containing unique triggers generated from the kick,
snare, and hi-hat tracks
11 Repeat steps 7–10 for each additional track you are analyzing.
The beat triggers stored in the Collection mode are saved with sessions. Therefore, when a session is
opened later, the previous collection material is still there (until it is cleared).
12 Once the beat triggers have been added to the collection, you can use them to generate Bar|Beat Markers
or groove template, or separate clips. However, this must be done from the Collection Mode section
(when the triggers are displayed in multiple colors).
To separate clips across multiple tracks, make sure to extend the selection to any additional tracks be-
fore separating.
The Default Note Duration setting updates to show Click the Default Note On Velocity setting in
the selected note value. the Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or the
Score Editor window, type a new number and
press Enter.
Inserting a Series of Notes With these settings, the notes are inserted spaced
one quarter note apart.
In the Edit window and in MIDI Editor windows,
the Line, Triangle, Square, and Random Pencil 4 Click at the point to insert the first note and drag
tool shapes can be used to enter a series of identical to the right until the number of notes you want
pitches with varying velocities. The duration and have been inserted.
spacing for the inserted notes are determined by
the current Grid value and the Default Note Dura-
tion setting.
When using a Grabber tool, if any portion of the You can also select notes in the Select/Split
rectangle touches a note (either its start or end Notes window. See “Select/Split Notes Com-
point), the note is included in the selection. How- mand” on page 973.
ever, selections made with a Grabber tool are ob-
ject selections and do not include underlying con- Selecting and Auditioning MIDI
troller and automation data for the MIDI track. Notes with the Mini-Keyboard
With the Selector tool, drag across a range of Use the mini-keyboard on MIDI and Instrument
notes. tracks to select and play notes on that track. You
can click on the mini-keyboard with any Edit tool.
Moving Notes
Like clips, MIDI notes can be dragged left or right
with the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool to change
their start point. If several notes are selected before
dragging, they are all moved together.
The Shift key ensures that the transposed note 1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Notes view.
maintains its original start point. 2 With the Pencil tool or any Grabber tool, drag
the note left or right (press Shift while dragging
to preserve the note’s pitch).
In Notes view in the Edit window and in MIDI Ed- With the Grabber or Pencil tool, Control-Shift-
itor windows, both the Pencil and Grabber tools click (Mac) or Start-Shift-click (Windows) be-
can be used to separate MIDI notes and to consol- tween the separated MIDI notes.
idate MIDI notes.
The Mute command lets you mute individual MIDI 1 Do one of the following:
notes. If entire clips are selected, the Mute com- • Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Velocity
mand prompts you to either mute clips or MIDI view.
notes. • Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or In-
strument track and show Velocity.
To mute one or more MIDI notes:
1 Select the MIDI notes you want to mute.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Mute Notes.
• Right-click the selected MIDI notes and choose
Mute Notes.
1 Select the MIDI notes you want to unmute. 2 Select any Grabber tool.
2 Do one of the following: 3 Drag the top (diamond) of the velocity stalk up
or down.
• Choose Edit > Unmute Notes.
• Right-click the selected MIDI notes and choose
Unmute 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
want them all to be louder or softer.
To scale velocities with the Trim tool: Drag up to increase the velocity value, or down to
1 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Velocity decrease it. While dragging, the diamond turns
view. blue and the associated note becomes selected. The
dragged velocity values are reflected in the Cursor
2 Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, se- Location Value indicator (in the Edit window).
lect the range of notes to be edited.
If two notes have the same start time (with ve-
locity stalks on top of each other), Command-
drag (Mac) or Control-drag (Windows) the
actual note up or down to adjust its velocity.
With the Pencil tool selected, Option-click After trimming a MIDI clip with the Time Compression/
(Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the note. The Expansion Trim tool
Pencil tool changes to an Eraser when Option
(Mac) or Alt (Windows) is pressed. Using the Time Compression/
Expansion Trim Tool in Grid
Mode
The Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool
(TCE Trim tool) can be used in Grid mode to
match a clip to the tempo of a session or a section
of a session, or to create “double time” or “half
Deleting a note with Pencil tool
time” performances.
To copy continuous MIDI controller events To manually enable a continuous controller for
and paste to a different MIDI controller, use automation:
Special Paste (Edit > Paste Special > To 1 Do one of the following:
Current Automation Type). For example, you
• Click the Track View selector for the MIDI or
might want to use the same control data for
Instrument track you want to edit, and select
volume and a cut-off filter, or for pan and
Add/Remove Controller from the controllers
pitch bend. For more information, see “Spe-
submenu.
cial Paste Function for Automation Data” on
page 1103.
Change button
Patch Select dialog
To insert a program change with the Pencil tool: The placement of program changes can also
1 Do one of the following: be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Command”
on page 854) or Nudge (see “Nudging Clips”
• Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Program on page 621).
Change view.
• Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or In- To delete a program change event:
strument track and show Program Change. 1 With the Track View or Controller lane set to
Program Change view, click the program
2 If you want the inserted event to snap to a Grid
change event with any Grabber tool to select it.
value, enable Grid mode.
3 Click with the Pencil tool in the track’s playlist If the clip contains other events you want to
at the point where you want to insert the pro- delete, you can delete the clip and the Pro-
gram change. gram Change event will also be deleted.
6 When you are finished auditioning settings, de- 3 Configure your MIDI device to send Sysex
select the Increment Patch option and select the (such as a bulk dump).
program number (or patch name) you want and 4 Start recording in the Transport.
click Done.
To begin recording the Sysex transfer from
your MIDI device at the Timeline insertion
point, enable Wait For Note.
Choose Event > All MIDI Notes Off. For MIDI Real-Time Properties to apply to
incoming MIDI data with MIDI Thru
Press Command+Shift+Period (.) (Mac) or
enabled, the corresponding MIDI and
Control+Shift+Period (.) (Windows) for the
Instrument tracks must be record-enabled.
All MIDI Notes Off command.
Duration Amount
Duration
If the Ticks/Notes pop-up menu is set to ticks, en-
Duration can be used to increase or decrease the
ter a duration as a number of quarter notes plus a
duration of MIDI notes by a fixed amount or by a
number of ticks, such as 4|000. If the Ticks/Notes
percentage. This is useful for creating legato or
pop-up menu is set to a note size, enter a number to
staccato passages.
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
window.
Scale Select to scale the current duration of each
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
Real-Time Properties can be configured to apply to
value in the Dynamics field to scale velocity
an entire track (all clips on that track), or on a clip-
around the median velocity of 64. You can also en-
by-clip basis. Track-level properties also provide
ter an offset by adding (+) or subtracting (–) values
real-time MIDI input processing of velocity and
between 1 and 127. You can also enter Minimum
transposition.
and Maximum Velocity value limits. The Mini-
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
Properties are indicated by an “R” displayed in the
Velocity can be applied as a Real-Time Prop-
upper right-hand corner of the clip. Clips boundar-
erty to MIDI Input and Thru on record-en-
ies including the “T” and the “R” displays are indi-
abled MIDI and Instrument tracks.
cated in Notes view and in MIDI Editor windows,
but not in the Score Editor window.
Clip-based Real-Time Properties can only be ap- 2 Select one or more tracks to which you want to
plied using the Real-Time Properties window apply Real-Time Properties.
(Event > MIDI Real-Time Properties). Real-Time 3 Open the Real-Time Properties window (Event
Properties can be applied to multiple clips. Once > MIDI Real-Time Properties).
Real-Time Properties have been assigned to a clip,
the clip can be moved or copied and pasted and re- 4 Select Tracks from the Real-Time Properties
Apply To pop-up menu.
tain its Real-Time Properties.
5 Configure the Real-Time Property settings.
Track-Based Real-Time Properties
6 Do one of the following:
All track-based Real-Time Properties consistently
• Click the Write to Track button in the Real-Time
apply to MIDI data throughout the entire track.
Properties window.
However, clips with clip-based Real-Time Proper-
ties will take precedence over any track-based • Choose Track > Write MIDI Real-Time Proper-
Real-Time Properties. You can clear clip-based ties.
Real-Time Properties by selecting the clip and
To write Real-Time Properties to clips:
clicking the Clear Clip Properties button in the
Real-Time Properties window (see “Writing Real- 1 Select one or more clips to which you want to
Time Properties to Tracks or Clips” on page 735). apply Real-Time Properties.
For greater flexibility, when Real-Time Properties 2 Open the Real-Time Properties window (Event
are assigned on a track basis they are actually con- > MIDI Real-Time Properties).
tained in a track playlist. This lets you create mul- 3 If Link Track and Edit Selection is enabled, se-
tiple playlists containing different Real-Time lect Clips from the Real-Time Properties Apply
Property settings. To pop-up menu.
4 Click the Clear Clip Properties button. Real-Time Properties Effects Displayed in the
MIDI Event List
Pro Tools provides MIDI Editor windows for detailed MIDI editing.
Solo
Notation view enabled in a MIDI Editor window
The Solo button lets you solo all the tracks cur-
rently displayed in the MIDI Editor window. You can access the Notation Display Track
Settings in a MIDI Editor window when in
Notation view. Select the Notation Display
Track Settings option from the Tracks List
menu or Right-click in the Notes pane and se-
lect the Notation Display Track Settings op-
Mute tion from the Right-click menu. For more in-
formation, see “Notation Display Track
The Mute button lets you mute all the tracks cur-
Settings” on page 766.
rently displayed in the MIDI Editor window.
Scrolling Submenu
Keep MIDI Editor Window On
The Scrolling submenu lets you select the scrolling Top
options for the MIDI Editor window inde-
pendently of other MIDI Editor windows and the The MIDI Editor window lets you set it to remain
Edit window. The scrolling options include: in the foreground even when clicking on and fo-
cusing another window (such as the Edit or Mix
No Scrolling The MIDI Editor window does not windows).
scroll during or after playback. The playback cur-
sor moves across the MIDI Editor window, indi- Enable the Keep Window On Top option in the
cating the playback location. MIDI MIDI Editor window menu to ensure that
the window remains in the foreground when work-
After Playback The playback cursor moves across ing with other windows. When this option is dis-
the MIDI Editor window, indicating the playback abled, clicking on another window (such as the
location. When playback has stopped, the MIDI Edit or Mix windows) brings that window to the
Editor window scrolls to the final playback loca- front and the MIDI Editor window may be hidden
tion. behind it.
Page The playback cursor moves across the MIDI To keep the MIDI Editor window always in front of
Editor window, indicating the playback location. all other windows:
When the right edge of the MIDI Editor window is
From the MIDI Editor window menu, select the
reached, its entire contents are scrolled, and the Keep Window On Top option.
playback cursor continues moving from the left
edge of the window.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Pro Tools provides MIDI Zoom In and Out buttons
dows) the controls or displays you want to move in the upper-right corner of MIDI Editor windows.
and drag them to the location in the Toolbar you These controls function exactly the same as the
want. MIDI Zoom controls in the toolbar, and let you
zoom in and out vertically on MIDI notes.
From the Tracks List pop-up menu, select Hide Right-click on any Track Name in the Tracks
All Tracks. List.
All but the top MIDI or Instrument track in the Tracks List Right-click Menu Options
Tracks List are hidden. MIDI Editor windows re-
quire that at least one MIDI or Instrument track al- The following options are available depending on
ways be shown in the window. the track type (Auxiliary Input, Instrument, or
MIDI).
To hide selected MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary
Input tracks in a MIDI Editor window: Hide Hides the selected track.
1 In the Tracks List, select the MIDI, Instrument, Hide and Make Inactive Hides the selected track
and Auxiliary Input tracks you want to hide. and makes it inactive.
2 From the Tracks List pop-up menu, select Hide Make Inactive Makes the selected track inactive.
Selected Tracks.
Export MIDI Exports the selected track as a MIDI
file.
Sorting Tracks in the Tracks List
New Opens the New Track dialog.
You can sort tracks in the Tracks List by the fol-
lowing criteria: Rename Renames the selected track.
Name Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks List Duplicate Duplicates the selected track.
by Track Name.
Split into Mono Splits the selected stereo Instru-
Type Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks List by ment or Auxiliary Input track into two mono
Track Type. tracks.
Edit Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks Delete Deletes the selected track.
List by Edit Groups.
MIDI Real-Time Properties Opens the MIDI Real-
Mix Group Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks Time Properties window for the selected track.
List by Mix Groups.
Open in New MIDI Editor Opens the tracks dis-
Voice Sorts the order of tracks in the Tracks List by played in the current MIDI Editor window in a new
Voice allocations. MIDI Editor window. The new MIDI Editor win-
dow will be untargeted.
Tracks List Right-Click Menu Open in Score Editor Opens the shown tracks in
In addition to common track management com- the Score Editor window.
mands, the Tracks List Right-click menu shares
Open in MIDI Event List Opens the selected track
commands with both the Tracks List pop-up menu
in the MIDI Event List.
and the Notes Pane Right-click menu.
Notation Display Track Settings Opens the Nota-
tion Display Track Settings window.
You can also view and edit MIDI notes in Notation view in the Notes pane (see “Notation View”
on page 752).
MIDI Editor window, Notes pane with five superimposed Instrument tracks
When Color Coding by Track is enabled, tracks in the MIDI Editor are temporarily assigned one of
sixteen fixed colors, in the order they appear in the Tracks List.
When Color Coding by Velocity is enabled, MIDI notes are all the same red color (hue) on all tracks dis-
played, and MIDI notes vary in color saturation (from a light red to a dark red) based on the Note On ve-
locity. Notes with low velocities are lighter in color and those with high velocities are darker.
When neither Color Coding by Track nor Color Coding by Velocity are enabled, notes are drawn in the
MIDI Editor in as the same color they are in the Edit window—using the color coding options as set in the
Track Color Coding settings in the Display Preferences.
Inserting a MIDI note on track “Inst 3” The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools
relevant to the Score Editor.
To pencil-enable multiple contiguous Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool.
tracks, Shift-click in the Pencil column of
the range of tracks you want. To pencil-en- Trim Selects the Trim tool.
able multiple discontiguous tracks, Com- Selector Selects the Selector tool.
mand-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) in the Pencil column of any Grabber Selects the Grabber tool.
additional tracks. Option-click (Mac) or
Scrubber Selects the Scrubber tool.
Alt-click (Windows) to pencil-enable all
tracks. Manually inserted notes are written Pencil Selects the Pencil tool.
to all pencil-enabled tracks.
Smart Selects the Smart tool.
The Insert submenu lets you insert key changes, The Consolidate command lets you consolidate se-
meter changes, and chord symbols at the location lected multiple consecutive MIDI notes of the
of the Edit cursor. same pitch.
The Paste command pastes the clipboard to the Open In New MIDI Editor
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cursor
Selecting the Open In New MIDI Editor option
location. Any MIDI notes already present at the
opens all shown tracks in a new MIDI Editor win-
same location are overwritten.
dow.
Merge
Open In Score Editor
The Merge command pastes the clipboard to the
The Open In Score Editor option opens the shown
current Edit selection or at the current Edit cursor
tracks in the Score Editor window.
location and merges the pasted data with any MIDI
notes already present at the same location.
Open in MIDI Event List
Clear The Open In MIDI Event List option opens the se-
lected track in the MIDI Event List.
The Clear command clears (deletes) the current
Edit selection. Display Notation
In MIDI Editor windows, notation is displayed as a To enable Notation view, do one of the following:
continuous timeline and not in page view as in the Enable the Notation view button in the MIDI
Score Editor window. Editor window toolbar.
For information on editing notation, see
“Editing Notes” on page 769.
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 759).
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 761).
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 759).
Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Velocity”
on page 759). The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 761).
The minimum duration of the note is determined
by the selected Default Note Duration (see “De- Random
fault Note Duration” on page 759).
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 759).
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
The duration is determined by the selected Default page 759).
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
The start time for each note is determined by the
page 759).
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 761).
The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 761).
If you want dotted note values, also select the Dot- Play MIDI Notes When Editing enabled in the Score
ted option. Editor window
When inserting MIDI notes with the Pencil tool When the Target is disabled, the Score Editor does
(using the Line, Triangle, Square, or Random not update to show the current Edit window selec-
shapes), the Grid value determines the Note On lo- tion or Edit cursor location.
cation and the Default Note Duration value deter-
mines the note duration (see “Default Note Dura-
tion” on page 759).
Selection display
Keep Score Editor Window On
Top
Tracks List
The Score Editor window lets you set it to remain
When selected, the Tracks List option displays the in the foreground even when clicking on and fo-
Tracks List in the Score Editor window. cusing another window (such as the Edit or Mix
windows).
Scrolling
Enable the Keep Window On Top option in the
The Scrolling submenu lets you select the scrolling Score Editor window menu to ensure that the win-
options for the Score Editor window inde- dow remains in the foreground when working with
pendently of the Edit window and any MIDI Editor other windows. When this option is disabled,
windows. The scrolling options include: clicking on another window (such as the Edit or
Mix windows) brings that window to the front and
No Scrolling The Score Editor window does not
the Score Editor window (whichever one you are
scroll during or after playback. The playback cur-
working with) may be hidden behind it.
sor moves across the Edit window, indicating the
playback location.
Changing Toolbar Display Options From the Score Editor Window menu, select or
deselect Tracks List.
To change the toolbar display options in the Score
Editor window toolbar:
Showing and Hiding Tracks
1 Do one of the following:
Use the Tracks List to show and hide MIDI and In-
• Click the Score Editor Window Toolbar menu. strument tracks as staves in the score.
• Right-click in the Toolbar.
To show MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
2 From the pop-up menu, select or deselect any of Editor:
the following:
Enable the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks
• Selection Display List for tracks you want to show in the score.
• Expanded Edit Tools
Display Transposition
Information
On pages where the music is vertically justi- The Score Editor provides simple score editing
fied, the distance between staves and systems tools for entering, moving, and transposing MIDI
will be larger than the numbers specified. notes as music notation:
Below Title and Composer Enter the spacing you • The Trim tool lets you lengthen or shorten the
want between the Title and Composer and the first duration of notes.
staff of the score. • The Note Selector tool lets you make object se-
lections of notes in the score.
Below Chord Symbols and Diagrams Enter the
spacing you want between Chord Symbols and Di- • The Grabber tool lets you select and move notes
agrams and the top stave of each system. to another time or pitch location on the same
track.
Layout • The Pencil tool lets you insert notes and move
them to another time or pitch location on the
Page Size Select the page size (Letter, Legal, Tab-
same track.
loid, or A4).
Page Margins Enter the size for the top, bottom, 1 Click the Note Selector tool.
left, and right page margins.
2 Drag in the score to highlight the notes you
Inches Select to enter Stave Size and Page Mar- want to select.
gins in inches.
Moving Notes
Use the Grabber tool to move selected notes from
one time location to another time location on the
Selecting notes with the Grabber tool same staff. When moving notes in the Score Edi-
tor, the underlying MIDI notes maintain their posi-
Transposing Notes tion relative to the Grid.
You can use the Grabber tool or the Pencil tool to To move notes to another time location:
manually transpose a note up or down. You can
1 Click the Grabber tool.
also use the Transpose Event Operation (Event >
Event Operations > Transpose) to transpose se- 2 If you want to move more than one note, drag
lected notes. around the notes you want to move to select
them.
To transpose a single note:
3 Drag any of the selected notes to another time
1 Click the Grabber tool. location on the same staff.
2 Drag the note you want to transpose up or down.
Cut
Entering multiple note of the same pitch with the Line
Pencil tool The Cut command cuts the current Edit selection.
Rests Copy
The Score Editor automatically adds rests as nec- The Copy command copies the current Edit selec-
essary. Rests cannot be moved or inserted manu- tion.
ally.
Paste
Chord Quality
selector
Chord selector Bass selector
To export a score from Pro Tools: 1 Open the Score Editor window and configure
your score.
1 Configure the score for your session in Score
Editor window. 2 Choose File > Print Score.
2 Choose File > Export > To Sibelius. 3 Configure the Print dialog as necessary and
click Print (Mac) or OK (Windows).
3 Select a destination and click Save.
Press Command+P (Mac) or Control+P
To send the score from your Pro Tools session to (Windows) to print the score.
Sibelius, do one of the following:
Track Selector
The Track selector in the MIDI Event List both in-
dicates the currently displayed MIDI or Instrument
track and can be used to choose a different MIDI or
Instrument track to be displayed.
Number of Events
MIDI Event List The number of MIDI events on the selected track
are displayed at the top of the MIDI Event List.
Events in the MIDI Event List can be copied and
pasted, selected, or deleted. Any MIDI event (ex-
cept Sysex data) can be inserted and edited in the Target
list. Certain MIDI event types can be hidden with The Target button for the MIDI Event List deter-
the View Filter. mines whether or not the MIDI Event List follows
the Edit cursor and Edit selections in the Edit win-
Unlike playlists in the Edit window, you can
dow and MIDI Editor windows. For example,
insert and display polyphonic aftertouch in
when the Target is enabled, the Events shown in
the MIDI Event List.
the MIDI Event List update to show the event in
The playback cursor appears as a blue arrow (red, When inserting an event type that has been
when tracks are record-enabled) in the Start col- filtered from the MIDI Event List, that event
umn. type will no longer be filtered.
When several events reside at the same location, Example: To filter the display of aftertouch and
the location is only indicated for the top event, with System Exclusive Messages in the MIDI Event
List:
the others dimmed. The dimmed locations can be
edited by double-clicking them. 1 In the MIDI Event List, choose View Filter from
the MIDI Event List menu.
• Press Tab or the Down Arrow to move to the 4 Enter the location you want to go to, then click
next event (with or without the edit field se- OK.
lected).
• Press Option+Tab (Mac) or Control+Tab (Win-
dows) or the Up Arrow to move to the previous
event (with or without the edit field selected).
With the MIDI Event List as the front-most To insert a controller event in the MIDI Event List:
window, press Command+N (Mac) or Con- 1 From the MIDI Event List menu, choose Insert
trol+N (Windows) to Insert a note. > Controller.
2 Enter the location, pitch, attack (Note On) and With the MIDI Event List as the front-most
release (Note Off) velocities, and length for the window, press Command+L (Mac) or Con-
new note. To move between the Event Entry trol+L (Windows) to Insert a controller
fields, use the Left and Right Arrow keys. event.
To edit an event in the MIDI Event List: Selecting Events in the MIDI
1 Do one of the following: Event List
• Double-click the event field you want to edit. To select a range of events in the MIDI Event List,
do one of the following:
• To edit a selected event, press Command+Enter
(Mac) or Control+Enter (Windows). Click the event at the beginning of the selection
and drag to the ending event.
Shift-click the event at the beginning of the se-
lection, then Shift-click the ending event.
Displaying Rulers
To display all rulers:
If a Timebase ruler is displayed, click its name From the Main Counter selector, select (or dese-
so it becomes highlighted. lect) the Show Sub Counter option.
Setting the Main Time Scale to the timebase To show the Sub Counter in the Transport window:
currently displayed in the Sub Counter
From the Transport Window menu, ensure that
switches the two Time Scales, setting the Sub
the Counters and Expanded Transport options
Time Scale to the previous timebase of the
are enabled.
Main Time Scale.
To set the Time Scale for the Sub Counter:
When working in Bars|Beats, you will often want Tick- and Sample-Based
to specify tick values for a number of operations, Timebases
including:
Pro Tools lets you set any track timebase to either
• Placing and spotting clips
sample-based or tick-based.
• Setting lengths for clips or MIDI notes
Audio tracks in Pro Tools are sample-based by de-
• Locating and setting play and record ranges (in-
fault. This means that audio clips and events are lo-
cluding pre- and post-roll)
cated at specific sample locations, and they do not
• Specifying settings in the Quantize and Change move from that location if the tempo changes in
Duration pages of the Event Operations window the session—even though their bar and beat loca-
• Setting the Grid and Nudge values tions do change.
When the Main Time Scale is set to MIDI and Instrument tracks in Pro Tools are tick-
Bars|Beats, and you are using tempo based by default. This means that MIDI clips and
changes, set the Linearity Display Mode to events are located at a specific bar and beat loca-
Linear Tick Display (see “Changing the tions, and they do not move from that location if
Linearity Display Mode” on page 806). the tempo changes in the session—even though its
This will keep the Bars|Beats ruler fixed (at sample location does change.
the selected zoom level) and sample-based
rulers such as Minutes:Seconds will scale Sample-Based Audio and MIDI
to fit any tempo changes while bar lengths
With a sample-based audio track, all audio clips in
remain constant.
the track have an absolute location on the absolute
Timeline (for example, on the Samples or Min-
utes:Seconds Timebase ruler). Audio stays fixed to
the sample time, regardless of any tempo or meter
changes occur in a session.
Switching Timebases
All Pro Tools tracks can be switched between be-
Track Height pop-up menu
ing sample-based or tick-based.
When you change the timebase for an audio track Do not select the material with any of the Grab-
that is part of an active Edit group, all the tracks in ber tools (or by double-clicking with the Selector
the group will change to the same timebase. tool).
In the Tempo ruler with any Edit tool, drag the Select View > Rulers > Tempo.
Song Start Marker left or right.
To set the default session tempo, see “Setting
the Session Meter and Tempo” on page 468.
4 To place the inserted tempo event cleanly on the Dragging a tempo event
first beat of the nearest measure, select the Snap
If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged event
To Bar option.
snaps to the current Grid value.
5 To base the BPM value on something other than
the default quarter note, select a different note To edit a tempo event:
value. 1 In the Tempo ruler, double-click the tempo
6 Click OK. The new tempo event is inserted and event.
appears in the Tempo ruler. 2 In the Tempo Change window, enter a new
Location or BPM value for the tempo event.
3 Click OK.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
tempo event (the cursor changes to a Grabber rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
with a “–”).
2 Drag with the Selector tool in the Tempo ruler to
To copy and paste several tempo events:
select the tempo events you want to remove.
1 With the Selector tool, drag in the Tempo ruler 3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected tempo
to select the range of bars that includes the events.
tempo events.
Tap Tempo
You can manually set the tempo for a Pro Tools
session by tapping on your computer keyboard.
You can also use a connected MIDI keyboard to
Tempo events selected tap tempo.
Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while To set the Manual Tempo by tapping on a computer
dragging to select across all Conductor keyboard:
tracks. 1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport win-
dow, select View > Transport > MIDI Controls.
2 Choose Edit > Copy.
2 In the Transport window, click the Tempo Ruler
3 Click in the Tempo ruler at the point where you Enable (Conductor) button so it becomes un-
want to paste the tempo events. highlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual
4 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip- Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in
board are pasted from the insertion point, re- the Tempo ruler are ignored.
placing any existing tempo events.
Graphic Tempo Editor Click the Tempo Editor Zoom Out button (“–”).
Tempo Editor
With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event up or Selecting a single tempo event
down. To Select a tempo curve in the Tempo Editor:
To adjust the location of the tempo change: Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, tri-
ple-click on a horizontal tempo line in the curve
With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event to the that you want to select.
left or right.
You can extend Tempo selections to the next or the 1 Open the Tempo Editor.
previous tempo event. 2 With the Selector tool, select the area you want
to edit.
To extend a tempo selection:
3 With the Trim tool, click within the selected
1 With the Selector tool, select a range of tempo
area, and drag up or down. Dragging up in-
events.
creases the tempo values of the selection in
2 Do one of the following: BPM; dragging down decreases them.
• Press Shift+Tab to extend the selection to the
next tempo event.
• Press Shift+Option+Tab (Mac) or Shift+Con-
trol+Tab (Windows) to extend the
selection to the previous tempo event.
The Tempo Operations window lets you define Choose Event > Tempo Operations, followed
tempo events over a range of time (or measures). by one of the Tempo Operations page com-
The time range is specified in the time format cho- mands (such as Constant).
sen for your Main Time Scale. In addition, the
Tempo Operations window lets you: If the Tempo Operations window is already
open, you can select any of the pages from the
• Fit a specific number of Bars|Beats into a precise pop-up menu at the top of the window.
time range.
To open the last active Tempo Operations window
• Create tempos that speed up or slow down, both
page:
linearly and over various curves.
Choose Event > Tempo Operations > Tempo
• Scale and stretch existing tempos.
Operations Window.
The Tempo Operations window is not
Press Option+2 (Mac) or Alt+2 (Windows)
available in Manual Tempo mode.
on the number keypad to open the Tempo Op-
The Tempo Operations window has six pages, one erations window and display the last active
for each type of tempo operation. Tempo Operations page.
Constant Lets you create a constant tempo over a To define tempo events over a range of time:
selected range of time. 1 Make a selection in the Timebase or in a track.
Linear Lets you create tempos that change evenly 2 Choose Event > Tempo Operations > Tempo
over a selected range of time. Operations Window.
Parabolic Lets you create tempos that accelerate or 3 Select a Tempo Operation page from the pop-up
decelerate following a tempo curve that changes menu at the top of the Tempo Operation win-
the tempo more rapidly or less rapidly over the se- dow.
lection time.
4 Change the settings for the page you have cho-
S-Curve Lets you create tempos that accelerate or sen, as necessary.
decelerate following a tempo curve with a defin- 5 Do one of the following:
able breakpoint that determines mid-curve times
and tempo values. • Click Apply.
• Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to auto-
Scale Lets you scale tempos within the selection
matically apply the values and close the window.
by a percentage amount.
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates either
previous tempo setting that was in effect at the se- the selection end time, the start tempo, the end
lection end point is preserved after the selection. If tempo or the curvature of the tempo change.
unselected, the last tempo event created by the
Selection Start and End Displays the start and end
tempo operation continues to the end of the ses-
points for the tempo change in the currently se-
sion, or until the next tempo event beyond the se-
lected Main timebase. When an Edit selection is
lected range.
made, the Start and End fields will display the se-
lection boundaries. Changing start or end values
changes the selection range.
Resolution (Advanced Option) Lets you select the Scale page (Advanced Option)
BPM note value for your tempo setting. Advanced When this option is selected, the
selection range changes to the Main Time Scale
Select “Follow Metronome Click” will set the
format, and additional and modified options be-
tempo BPM note value to mirror the click
come available.
value set in the meter markers.
Calculate (Advanced Option) In combination with
Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the
settings chosen in the Scale pop-up menu, the Cal-
density of the tempo change events written to the culate pop-up menu lets you calculate the selection
Tempo ruler. end time, the average tempo, the start tempo, or the
end tempo.
Average Tempo Displays the Average Tempo, in Stretch To End Specifies a new end point for the
beats per minute (BPM), across the selected range. clip to which you want to apply the selected tempo
Changing the Average Tempo changes the Scale events. Changing the end point causes the Stretch
percentage. percentage to change.
Scale Displays the percentage by which the tempo Stretch To Start (Advanced Option) Specifies a
is scaled, in beats per minute (BPM), across the se- new start point for the clip to which you want to
lected range. Changing Scale changes Average apply the selected tempo events. Changing the end
Tempo. point causes the Stretch percentage to change.
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the Stretch Specifies the percentage of time for the se-
previous tempo setting that was in effect at the se- lected tempo events to cover.
lection end point is preserved after the selection. If
unselected, the last tempo event created by the
tempo operation continues to the end of the ses-
sion, or until the next tempo event beyond the se-
lected range.
812 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the Choosing Bar|Beat Markers or
previous tempo setting that was in effect at the se- Tempo Events
lection end point is preserved after the selection. If
Because tempo events are tick-based, and Bar|Beat
unselected, the last tempo event created by the
Markers are sample-based, they cannot be mixed.
tempo operation continues to the end of the ses-
If a session contains tempo events and you attempt
sion, or until the next tempo event beyond the se-
to insert Bar|Beat Markers, existing tempo events
lected range.
are converted to Bar|Beat Markers (and vice
versa).
The Identify Beat command analyzes a selection 1 Press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
range (usually with a distinct number of beats or and click the Add Tempo Change button.
measures) and calculates its tempo based on the
2 Select either Tempo Events or Bar|Beat
specified meter. In doing this, Bar|Beat Markers
Markers from the pop-up menu.
for the calculated tempo are inserted and appear in
the Tempo ruler at the beginning and end of the se-
lection; in addition, meter events are inserted into
the Meter ruler.
Bar|Beat Marker
Current Meter
As meter events are encountered during playback,
the session’s current meter is displayed in the
Current meter displayed in Transport window
Transport window.
2 In the Meter Change window, enter the Loca-
tion and Meter for the meter change.
3 If you want the inserted meter event to fall
cleanly on the first beat of the nearest measure,
select the Snap To Bar option.
5 Click OK to insert the new meter event. The Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while
new meter event is inserted and appears in the dragging to select across all Conductor tracks.
Meter ruler.
3 Choose Edit > Copy.
4 Click in the Meter ruler at the point where you
want to paste the meter events.
5 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip-
Inserted meter event board are pasted from the insertion point, re-
placing any existing meter events.
Each meter event has a small yellow triangle next
to it that indicates its location. These triangles can To extend an Edit selection in a track to the Meter
be selected for copying and pasting, and they can ruler:
be double-clicked to edit the meter event. 1 Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, se-
lect a track range.
Editing Meter Events 2 Shift-click in the Meter ruler.
Existing meter events can be edited, deleted, cop-
Shift-click again in the Meter ruler to remove it
ied, and pasted.
from the selection.
To edit a meter event:
To select all meter events:
1 In the Meter ruler, double-click the meter event.
With the Selector tool, double-click in the Me-
2 In the Meter Change dialog, enter a new Loca- ter ruler.
tion or Meter for the event.
To clear a range of selected meter events:
3 Click OK.
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
To delete a meter event: rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the 2 Drag in the Meter ruler to select the meter
meter event. events you want to remove.
3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected meter
events.
As necessary, Pro Tools will create a partial mea- Choose Event > Time Operations > Time Oper-
sure to accommodate the inserted meter event. ations Window.
When a meter event is preceded by a partial mea-
Press Option+1 (Mac) or Alt+1 (Win-
sure, the meter event is displayed in italics in the
dows) on the number keypad to open the
Meter ruler.
Time Operations window and display the
last active Time Operations window.
Change Meter
Partial measure of 4/4
Change Meter in the Time Operation window lets
Partial measures can also occur when pasting me- you specify complex meter changes for Bar|Beat-
ter events to locations other than the first beat of a based material. You can enter meter changes at a
measure. particular bar, make a meter change over a selected
To insert meter events while avoiding partial area of time, or add meter changes sequentially one
bars, use the Change Meter command in the bar at a time.
Time Operations window. See “Change Me-
ter” on page 818.
Time Operations
The Time Operations window lets you:
• Change Meter
• Insert Time
• Cut Time
• Move Song Start
Pitched tracks are MIDI or Instrument tracks that The Import MIDI dialog includes the Import Key
can be affected by transpositions due to key Signature from MIDI File option. When selected,
changes (including constrain to key). MIDI and In- key signatures (if present) are imported into
strument tracks are “pitched” by default. However, Pro Tools with any other MIDI data.
if you have MIDI or Instrument tracks assigned to
drum machines or samplers, you do not want those
tracks to be affected by key changes because of
key mappings. You can deselect the Pitched option
for specific MIDI and Instrument tracks so that
they will not be affected by key changes.
Select View > Rulers > Chord Symbols. To delete a chord symbol, do one of the following:
From the Ruler View selector in the Edit win- Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
dow or in a MIDI Editor window, select Chords. Chord Symbol marker in the Chords ruler.
Make a selection in the Chords ruler that in-
cludes the chord symbols you want to delete and
choose Edit > Clear or press Delete.
Chord Diagrams
Chord Change dialog
Memory Locations provide a powerful way to nav- When creating Memory Locations, the next avail-
igate your session while editing and arranging. able number is assigned to it (1–999). This number
is used in recalling the Memory Location from the
Each session can save up to 999 Memory Loca- numeric keypad.
tions that can be used to recall:
• Markers to important locations in the session To create a Marker Memory Location:
• Edit selections across one or more tracks 1 Configure any session settings you will save
with the Marker Memory Location, such as
• Record and play ranges, along with pre- and
zoom settings, pre- and post-roll times,
post-roll times
Show/Hide status for tracks, Track Heights, and
• Track settings that include Show/Hide status, Edit and Mix Group enables.
Track Heights, and zoom values
2 If necessary, enable Options > Link Timeline and
• Edit and Mix Groups enables Edit Selection.
• Window Configurations
3 Ensure that the Markers ruler is displayed (View
Memory Locations are viewed and sorted in the > Rulers > Markers).
Memory Locations window, where they can be re- 4 Do one of the following:
called by clicking the Memory Location.
• Click with the Selector tool in any track or ruler
at the location where you want to place the
Marker. To place a Marker at the beginning of a
Creating Memory Locations clip, select the clip with the Time Grabber tool.
Memory Locations can be created in different Click the Add Marker/Memory Location button
ways, based on the type of Memory Location: (or press Enter on the numeric keypad).
• In the Marker ruler, double-click the Marker to 2 Select a range of material in one or more tracks.
open the Edit Memory Location dialog and relo-
3 In the Memory Locations window, Control-
cate the insertion point at the marker location.
click (Mac) or Right-click (Windows) the
• In the Marker ruler, Control-click (Mac) or Memory Location that you want to redefine.
Start-click (Windows) the Marker to open the
4 Enter a name for the Memory Location and
Edit Memory Location dialog without locating
click OK.
the insertion point at the marker location.
4 Enter a name for the Marker and click OK. If the beginning of the selection includes a Marker,
press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows) so
the Selector tool appears.
Deleting Memory Locations Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while
To delete a Memory Location, do one of the dragging to select across all Conductor
following: tracks.
Select the Memory Location and choose Delete 3 Choose Edit > Copy.
Memory Location from the Memory Locations
Window menu. 4 Click in the Markers ruler at the point where
you want to paste the tempo events.
In the Memory Locations window, Option-click
(Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the Memory Lo- 5 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip-
cation. board are pasted from the insertion point, re-
placing any existing Markers.
In the Memory Locations windows, Memory Lo- View Filter Submenu Provides commands to show
cations are listed with assigned number, name, and or hide specific memory location properties:
View Filter icons. Locations can be recalled or ed- • Show Icons
ited from this window.
• View Markers
• View Selections
• View Locations with Zoom Info
• View Locations with Pre/Post Roll Info
• View Locations with Track Show/Hide Info
• View Locations with Track Height Info
• View Locations with Group Info
Memory Locations window with View Filter icons
• View Locations with Window Configuration
To recall a Memory Location from the Memory Info
Location window:
• Show Markers Only
Click the Memory Location.
• View All
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to
Classic, press the Memory Location number
followed by Period (.). With the Numeric
Keypad mode set to Transport or Shuttle,
press Period (.), the Memory Location
number, and Period (.) again.
Main/Sub Counters in the Memory Locations window Sort by Time When selected, Markers are sorted
by their order in the Timeline, followed by Selec-
You can click at the top of the Main Time Scale tion and General Properties Memory Locations,
column for a pop-up menu that lets you change the which are listed in the order in which they were
Main Time Scale. created.
Delete <Name> Slot Deletes the selected Memory Marker Window Configuration
Zoom Show/Hide
Location, and renumbers all subsequent Memory Settings Track Heights
Locations.
Auto-Name Memory Location When selected, Memory Locations View Filter icons
Memory Locations are created automatically with- To show or hide Memory Locations containing a
out encountering the New Memory Location dia- specific property:
log. If the Default To Marker option is selected, a
Marker Memory Location is auto-created. Other- Click the appropriate icon.
wise, the Memory Location type is determined by
Color and Properties
whatever type (Marker, Selection, or None) was
created last. When a view icon is enabled, it appears in color.
When it is disabled, it appears gray.
Pro Tools provides several ways of arranging clips If dragging multiple clips, the clips are placed on
on tracks including, but not limited to, moving adjacent tracks left to right or on multiple tracks
them with the Grabber tool, nudging, cutting or from top to bottom depending on the selected
copying and pasting, spotting them to a time loca- Timeline Drop Order option (see “Setting Timeline
tion, and so on. The exact placement of clips in a Drop Order” on page 840). If dragging a stereo au-
track depends on whether the Edit mode is set to dio clip, it must be placed in a stereo track or in two
Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid (see “Edit Modes” on mono tracks.
page 563).
Clips are placed according to the current Edit
mode:
Placing Clips from the Clips • In Shuffle mode, existing track clips are slid as
List on to Track Playlists necessary to make room for the new clip.
• In Spot mode, you are prompted by the Spot di-
Once you have created a clip, it appears in the
alog to enter a location for the dragged clip (see
Clips List. From the Clips List you can drag it to a
“Spotting Clips” on page 848).
track to add to an existing arrangement of clips on
a track, or you can create a new track and start add- • In Grid mode, the dragged clip snaps to the near-
ing clips from scratch. est Grid boundary.
You can locate clips in the Clips List by You can temporarily disable Grid mode while
typing the first few letters of their name dragging a clip by holding down the Com-
(see “Keyboard Selection of Clips” on mand key (Mac) or Control key (Windows)
page 274). after clicking with the mouse.
To place a clip from the Clips List on a track: • In Slip mode, the clips are placed exactly where
1 In the Clips List, select the clip or clips you they are dropped in the destination track.
want to place.
2 Drag the selected clips from the Clips List to a
location in a track.
Choose Clips List > Timeline Drop Order, and New tracks after dropping multiple Clips List items,
with Timeline Drop Order set to Top to Bottom mode
then Top to Bottom or Left to Right.
To place multiple items across multiple existing
tracks:
Dragging and Dropping Multiple
Items from the Clips List 1 From the Clips List menu, choose Timeline
Drop Order > Top to Bottom.
To drag and drop multiple items from the Clips List
to multiple new tracks: 2 Select multiple items in the Clips List and drop
them in the playlist of a compatible track at the
1 From the Clips List menu, choose Timeline
target location. When the cursor is over a com-
Drop Order > Top to Bottom.
patible destination, the clip outlines appear at
2 Search and sort the Clips List to configure the the location.
order in which items will be placed.
1 With the Selector tool, click in the track at the 1 With the Time Grabber tool, select the clip you
time location where you want to place the sync want to align to by clicking it.
point of the clip.
2 If the Scrolling option is set to Center Playhead
2 Do one of the following: (Pro Tools HD only), move the playhead to the
• While pressing Control+Shift (Mac) or start of the selected clip (see “Moving the Play-
Start+Shift (Windows), drag the clip from the head” on page 454).
Clips List, or from another track, to the destina- 3 Do one of the following:
tion track.
• Command-Control-drag (Mac) or Control-Start-
• If the clip is already in the track, Shift-Control- drag (Windows) a clip from the Clips List to an-
click (Mac) or Shift-Start-click (Windows) the other track.
clip with the Time Grabber tool.
• If the clip is already in the track, Command-
Control-click (Mac) or Control-Start-click
(Windows) the clip you want to move with the
Aligning Clip Start Points Time Grabber tool.
The start, end, and sync point of one clip can be
To align the sync point of a clip to the start of
aligned to the start of a different clip on another
another clip (on a different track):
track.
1 With the Time Grabber tool, select the clip you
In Pro Tools HD, when the Scrolling want to align.
option is set to Center Playhead, clip start,
2 If the Scrolling option is set to Center Playhead
end, and sync points align to the playhead.
(Pro Tools HD only), move the playhead to the
To align the start points of clips on different tracks: start of the selected clip (see “Moving the Play-
head” on page 454).
1 With the Time Grabber tool, select the clip you
want to align to by clicking it. 3 Do one of the following:
2 If the Scrolling option is set to Center Playhead • Control-Shift-drag (Mac) or Start-Shift-drag
(Pro Tools HD only), move the playhead to the (Windows) a clip from the Clips List to another
start of the selected clip. For details, see “Mov- track.
ing the Playhead” on page 454. • If the clip is already in the track, Control-Shift-
3 Do one of the following: click (Mac) or Start-Shift-click (Windows) the
clip you want to move with the Time Grabber
• Control-drag (Mac) or Start-drag (Windows) a tool.
clip from the Clips List to another track.
• If the clip is already in the track, Control-click
(Mac) or Start-click (Windows) the clip you
want to move with the Time Grabber tool.
To shuffle clips:
1 Enable Shuffle mode (see “Edit Modes” on
page 563).
2 Drag a mono clip from the Clips List to an
empty track. The clip snaps to the beginning of
the track.
3 Drag a second clip from the Clips List to the
same track, somewhere in the middle. The start
point for the second clip snaps to the end of the
first clip.
4 With the Time Grabber tool, drag the second
clip to the beginning of the track.
You can also use the Snap To commands with 5 Experiment more with Shuffle mode by drag-
an Edit selection that includes multiple clips ging additional clips to the track and rearrang-
on one or more tracks. ing them.
For more information on using SMPTE with 4 If the Time Scale is set to Timecode, select the
Pro Tools, see Chapter 55, “Working with Use Subframes option to display subframes in
Synchronization.” the fields for improved accuracy.
5 Do one of the following:
To spot a clip:
• Click in the field for Start, Sync Point, or End
1 Enable Spot mode (see “Edit Modes” on
and type in a new location. Changing one of
page 563).
these locate points automatically updates the
2 Do one of the following: other locate points.
• Drag a clip from the Clips List, or drag audio • Click one of the up arrows next to Original Time
files or sessions from a Workspace browser to an Stamp or User Time Stamp to enter the associ-
existing track. ated values into the currently selected field.
• Click a clip already in a track with the Time • If you are using an external SMPTE timecode
Grabber tool. source, click the down arrow next to the Current
Timecode display—or press Equal (=) on the nu-
3 In the Spot dialog, select a time format from the
meric keypad—to capture an incoming time-
Time Scale pop-up menu.
code address.
6 Click OK. The clip is moved to the new location
specified for its start, end, or sync point.
Sync points in audio clips may displayed or 1 If you want the sync point to snap to the current
hidden. Grid value when you finish scrubbing, set the
Edit mode to Grid (see “Edit Modes” on
To disable the display of sync points in audio clips: page 563).
Deselect View > Clip > Sync Point. 2 Select the Scrubber tool.
3 Drag the sync point to a new location. The sync
To enable the display of sync points in audio clips:
point scrubs the audio as you move it.
Choose View > Clip > Sync Point.
Locking Clips
In many cases you may want to “lock” clips or clip Edit Lock icon
groups to a specific time location to keep them
from being moved or otherwise edited inadver- When Edit-locked, a small Edit Lock icon appears
tently. Pro Tools provides two different commands in the clip and it cannot be moved, deleted, or ed-
for locking clips: Edit locking and Time locking. ited. If you attempt to perform edits on a locked
clip, Pro Tools alerts you (see “Allowing Editing
of Edit-Locked Clips” on page 856).
Edit Locking Clips
In Shuffle mode, Edit-locked clips, and all clips
If you have a clip or group of clips that you want to
occurring after the locked clip, are not displaced
protect from being inadvertently edited, you can
when other neighboring clips are moved.
Edit lock them. Clips that are Edit-locked cannot
be edited (such as cutting, deleting, separating, On tick-based Elastic Audio-enabled tracks, Edit-
trimming, or adjusting clip gain) or moved to a dif- locked clips conform to tempo changes, but not
ferent time location. Copied edit-locked clips can other Elastic Audio processing (such as Quantize
be pasted to any other track or time location, but or manual warping) can be applied.
the copy will also be Edit-locked at the new time
location.
For example, if you set these naming options to: For finer resolution on these controls, press Com-
• Name = SFX mand (Mac) or Control (Windows) while adjusting
them.
• Auto Number Start = 23
• Leading Zeros = 1
• Suffix = .Reel1
Inserting Silence
The Insert Silence command is a simple and con-
Strip Silence rectangles
venient way to insert silence on audio, MIDI, and
Strip Threshold Sets the amplitude threshold Instrument tracks. This command lets you make a
(from –96 dB to 0 dB) for Strip Silence. Audio selection on a track (or tracks) and insert precisely
falling below this threshold is considered silence that amount of silence.
and removed. Audio above the threshold is re-
tained and defined as new clips. The Insert Silence command also affects
markers in any selected Conductor Rulers
Minimum Strip Duration Sets the minimum dura- (such as the Tempo or Meter rulers).
tion (from 0 to 4,000 ms) that the material above
the threshold must last to be considered silence. In Shuffle mode, all data on the track is shuffled
Use this control to avoid countless small clips that later in the track by an amount equal to the
may occur within a selection. selection.
Clip Start Pad Specifies a time value to be added In Grid mode, the Insert Silence command works
to the beginning of each new clip created with just like the Clear command.
Strip Silence. This is useful for preserving musical
material that falls below the threshold, such as the Shuffle Mode When inserting silence on multiple
breath before a vocal phrase, or the finger slide be- tracks in Shuffle mode, the following conditions
fore a guitar chord. apply:
If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data,
Clip End Pad Specifies a time value to be ap-
the selected duration of silence is inserted into the
pended to the end of each new clip created with
audio or MIDI data and all underlying automation
Strip Silence, thereby preserving the nuances in
data on all selected tracks. All subsequent clips are
the decay of the material.
shuffled by the amount of silence inserted. On
Strip Clears the detected silence, but leaves the MIDI tracks, only notes that are selected from the
clips containing audio on the track. beginning are affected, so if you have selected the
tail of a note and you Insert Silence, the note will
Extract Clears the audio and leaves the silent por- remain unchanged.
tions of the track (in other words, an “inverse” strip
silence feature that is ideal for generating room If all selected tracks are displayed as automa-
tone or ambience to use elsewhere). tion data, the selected range is cleared of automa-
tion data only of the type visible on each track.
Clips are not shuffled. Instead, a blank gap appears
equal to the length of the selection.
tion data, press the Control (Mac) or Start key Duplicating Clips
(Windows) while choosing the Insert Silence com- The Duplicate command copies a selection and
mand to inserts silence on all automation playlists places it immediately after the end of the selection.
for all selected tracks. Clips are not shuffled. Though this is similar to using Copy and Paste,
Duplicate is more convenient and faster, particu-
Slip Mode When inserting silence on multiple
tracks in Slip mode, the following conditions ap- larly when working with data on multiple tracks.
ply: To make more than one copy of a selection, use the
If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data, Repeat command (see “Repeating Clips” on
the selected range is cleared of audio or MIDI data page 861). You can also loop clips (see “Clip
and all underlying automation data on all selected Looping” on page 863).
tracks.
As with the Copy and Paste commands, certain
If all selected tracks are displayed as automa- rules apply when duplicating material on multiple
tion data, silence is inserted only into the automa- tracks (see “Editing Across Multiple Tracks” on
tion type visible on each track. page 562).
If all selected tracks are displayed as automa-
To duplicate a selection or clip:
tion data, press the Control (Mac) or Start key
(Windows) while choosing the Insert Silence com- 1 If working with material that is bar- and beat-
mand to insert silence on all automation playlists based, such as loops, set the Main Time Scale to
for all selected tracks. Bars|Beats.
2 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
To insert silence into a track: rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The length
3 Make an Edit selection.
of the selection determines the duration of the
silence inserted. 4 Choose Edit > Duplicate. The material is placed
immediately after the selection’s end point.
2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence.
Press Command+D (Mac) or Control+D
In Shuffle mode, Pro Tools inserts the selected
(Windows) to Duplicate any selected clips.
amount of silence. In the process, it splits the clips
at the beginning of the insertion point, and moves In Shuffle mode, the duplicated data is placed di-
the new clips later in the track by an amount equal rectly after the end of the selection. Clips occurring
to the length of the selection. after it slide to accommodate the duplicated mate-
rial. In Slip mode, the duplicated material overlaps
any adjacent data.
Pro Tools lets you loop clips or a group of clips Looped clips (all iterations) display a Loop icon in
(called a clip group). the lower, right corner or each loop iteration.
Looped clip
Clip Ungroup functions on loops the same as Manually warping any part of a looped clip
using the Unloop command and choosing in Warp view separates only that iteration
Flatten. from the looped clip.
To unloop and ungroup a selection down to its To select a looped clip as a group (all loop
individual clips: iterations), do one of the following:
1 Select a looped clip that contains one or more With the Grabber tool or Smart Tool, single-
clip groups. click the looped clip.
2 Choose Clip > Ungroup All. With the Selector tool, double-click the looped
clip.
Unlooping and Flattening Looped Clips with
Separate Clips Menu Commands The source clip and all its loop iterations are
selected.
The Separate Clips commands (At Selection, On
Grid, and At Transients) automatically unloop and
flatten looped clips before separating.
Tabbing to Transients and Clip Boundaries 2 Choose Edit > Trim Clip and one of the Trim Clip
commands (To Selection, To Fill Selection, Start
With Tab to Transients enabled you can tab both to to Fill Selection, or End to Fill Selection).
transients and clip boundaries in a looped clip.
Normal Tab (Tab to Transients disabled) tabs to
the start and end boundaries of the entire looped Automation and Looped Clips
clip. For more information, see “Tabbing to Tran- Looping an audio clip does not loop any automa-
sients” on page 604. 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 581.
The size of the selection determines the size of the Clip groups are created in the same timebase for-
clip group. The selection can start and end on any mat (samples or ticks) as the tracks on which they
clip boundary, empty space, or even in the middle are created. Multitrack clip groups can include
of a clip. Selections starting or ending within a clip both sample-based and tick-based tracks.
will separate the clip at the selection boundary
when you create a clip group. Clip groups created
from object-based selections include all selected
and unselected clips between the first and last se-
lected clip on the track.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Clip > Group. Audio Clip Group icon on an audio track
• Right-click the Edit selection and choose Group.
If a MIDI clip within a clip group is modified in For more information, see “Tabbing to Tran-
any way, a new clip copy is created and placed sients” on page 604.
over the clip group. For example, if you record,
draw in a new note, edit MIDI controller data, or
quantize a Timeline selection, a new clip is created
over the clip group.
Recording
Clip groups that contain clips with fades are
When recording audio or MIDI, new clips are cre-
not allowed on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
ated over (in front) of clip groups instead of being
included in the clip group. To record into a clip
group, first ungroup the clip group, then record, When changing tempo with clip groups on
and then regroup the clip group. The clip group tick-based tracks, you may need to Ungroup,
will be recreated intact with the newly recorded redo or create new fades, and then Regroup
material. in order to maintain the fades.
AudioSuite Menu
AudioSuite plug-ins are accessed through the Au-
dioSuite menu. Plug-ins can be organized in the
AudioSuite menu in Pro Tools by Flat List (with
plug-ins in alphabetical order), Category, Manu- AudioSuite window, EQ III 1-Band shown
facturer, or Category and Manufacturer.
From this menu you can select any AudioSuite Clips List Applies AudioSuite processing only to
plug-in installed in your Plug-Ins folder. Plug-Ins selected clips in the Clips List. Processing is not be
are listed in the Plug-In selector pop-up menu ac- applied to clips on the Timeline (playlists on audio
cording to the Organize Plug-Ins Menu By setting tracks).
in the Display Preferences page.
If the Use In Playlist option is enabled in ad-
dition to Clips List being selected in the Se-
lection Reference pop-up menu, the process-
ing will be applied to the selected clip in both
the playlist and the Clips List.
4 Click OK.
Rendering Handle
File Mode Whole File Fades Clip Gain Metadata
Mode Behavior
Some plug-ins that rely on the Edit selection for processing (including plug-ins that require an anal-
ysis pass) may not work as expected when using handles. In this case, it is recommended that the han-
dle length be set to zero.
Destructive recording and Destructive Punch recording are not supported with AudioSuite rendered
clips with handles.
Clip Gain Fader Icon Right-Click Menu Show/Hide Clip Gain Line
You can Right-click the Clip Gain Fader icon for Select Show/Hide Clip Gain Line in the Right-click
any individual clip to access relevant clip gain menu to show or hide the Clip Gain Line for all
commands for that clip. clips.
Clip Gain Lines after applying a crossfade Clip Gain fader, adjusting all breakpoint clip gain
values
Editing Clip Gain
Press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
Pro Tools lets you adjust the gain settings for a clip
while adjusting the Clip Gain fader for fine
using the Clip Gain Fader for quick and easy ad-
control.
justments, or using breakpoint editing on the Clip
Gain Line for detailed clip gain control.
Using the Pencil tool (Free Hand) to draw clip gain 2 Make an Edit selection that includes the clip
settings bound by the Edit selection gain settings that you want to adjust.
To add clip gain breakpoints with the Pencil tool: 3 Select the Trim tool.
1 Ensure that the Clip Gain Line option is enabled. 4 Drag up or down over the Clip Gain Line within
2 Select the Pencil tool. the Edit selection.
Pro Tools lets you convert clip gain settings to Pro Tools lets you coalesce clip gain settings to
track-based volume automation, as well as letting track-based volume automation, as well as letting
you convert track-based volume automation to clip you coalesce track-based volume automation to
gain settings. clip gain settings.
When converting clip gain settings to volume au- When coalescing clip gain settings to volume auto-
tomation, the clip gain settings are cut from the clip mation, the clip gain settings are cut from the clip
and pasted to track-based volume automation at and coalesced with track-based volume automa-
the same timeline locations as the clip. tion at the same timeline locations as the clip.
When converting track-based volume automation When coalescing track-based volume automation
to clip gain, the volume automation is cut from the to clip gain, the volume automation is cut from the
track volume automation playlist and pasted to the track volume automation playlist and coalesced
clip. Once volume automation has been converted with the selected clip gain settings. Once volume
to clip gain, the clip gain settings stay with the clip automation has been coalesced to clip gain, vol-
when moved, cut, copied, or pasted. ume automation is set to 0 dB for the selection.
To convert clip gain settings to track-based To coalesce clip gain settings to track-based
volume automation: volume automation:
1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection. 1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection.
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Convert Clip Gain 2 Choose Edit > Automation > Coalesce Clip Gain
to Volume Automation. to Volume Automation.
Any clip gain settings above +12 dB are lost To coalesce track-based volume automation to
when converted to volume automation. Also, clip gain settings:
clip gain settings within crossfades are cross- 1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection.
faded as part of the volume automation.
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Coalesce Volume
To convert track-based volume automation to clip to Clip Gain.
gain:
1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection. Any clip gain settings above +12 dB are lost
when it is coalesced to volume automation.
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Convert Volume to Also, clip gain within crossfades is cross-
Clip Gain. faded as part of the volume automation.
Clip effects settings always stay with the clip, which means you can move, and Cut or Copy and Paste clips
along with their corresponding clip effects settings (clip effects settings are also maintained with other edit com-
mands, such as Duplicate or Loop). You can also Cut Special > Cut Clip Effects or Copy Special > Copy Clip
Effects, and Paste Clip Effects settings independently of the selected clip’s audio.
You can save and import clip effects settings as presets. You can also use your computer keyboard to quickly
store and recall presets just like you can with plug-in inserts and AudioSuite plug-ins.
Clip effects are fully supported with Pro Tools HD software. However, while Pro Tools software can open and
playback sessions and projects with clip effects as well as Bypass, Clear, and Render clip effects (if present),
it cannot create or edit clip effects. Clip effects use the host processor (Native processing) on all systems.
With Pro Tools HD, clip effects controls are dis- The header at the top of the Clip Effects display
played at the top of the Edit window below the provides controls for Presets, Compare, and By-
toolbar in the same space as the Universe display pass controls as well as displaying the name of the
(see Figure 1 on page 898). You can toggle be- selected, whole Clip.
tween Clip Effects display and Universe display,
but they cannot both be viewed at the same time. Clip Bypass
Clip Effects Settings menu
To show or hide the Clip Effects display, do one of
the following:
Clip Effects icon (upper right) and the Display Bypass Lets you bypass clip effects processing
Show/Hide icon (lower right) (see “Bypassing Clip Effects” on page 900).
Press Option+6 (Mac) or Alt+6 (Windows).
The behavior of this key command varies
slightly depending on the edit selection: if no
whole clip is selected, it shows or hides the Clip
Effects display while leaving the Edit window
focused; if one or more whole clips are selected,
it shows and focuses the Clip Effects display (if
the display is shown, but not focused, it be-
comes focused) or hides the display.
Clip effects are applied after elastic audio and before clip gain. The signal chain from an audio clip on a
track to the track fader is as follows:
Audio File > Elastic Audio > Clip Effects > Clip Gain > AudioSuite > Fades > Inserts > Fader
Rendering always leaves down-stream processing in place while rendering upstream elements. The follow-
ing examples show what is rendered in the signal chain depending on which commit or render command
is used.
What is rendered by process
Audio Elastic Clip Clip Audio
command Fades Inserts Fader
File Audio Effects Gain Suite
Select or deselect View > Clip > Clip Effects Sta- To paste clip effects:
tus.
1 Special Cut or Copy Clip Effects from one or
more whole clips.
Clip Effects Special Edit
Commands 2 Select one or more whole clips with or without
clip effects.
(Pro Tools HD Only)
3 Do one of the following:
Cut Clip Effects • Choose Edit > Paste Clip Effects.
Cutting clip effects copies the clip effects settings • Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip Ef-
to the clipboard and resets the settings for the se- fects > Paste Clip Effects.
lected whole clip (or clips) to <factory default>. • Press Command+V (Mac) or Control+V (Win-
dows).
To cut clip effects:
1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects. Clear Clip Effects
2 Do one of the following: Clearing clip effects resets the settings for the se-
lected whole clip (or clips) to <factory default>.
• Choose Edit > Cut Special > Cut Clip Effects.
• Press Command+Option+Control+X (Mac) or To clear clip effects:
Control+Alt+Start+X (Windows). 1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects.
Copy Clip Effects 2 Do one of the following:
Copying clip effects copies the clip effects settings • Choose Edit > Clear Special > Copy Clip Effects.
for selected whole clips to the clipboard while • Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip Ef-
leaving the settings for those clips intact. fects > Clear Clip Effects.
• Press Command+Option+Control+B (Mac) or
To copy clip effects:
Control+Alt+Start+B (Windows).
1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Copy Special > Copy Clip Effects.
• Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip Ef-
fects > Copy Clip Effects.
EQ controls
Frequency Graph
The Phase Invert button at the top of the Input sec- Control-Shift-click (Mac) or Start-Shift-click
tion inverts the phase (polarity) of the input signal, (Windows) the control point for any frequency
to help compensate for phase anomalies that can band to solo that frequency band. Drag left or
occur either in multi-microphone environments or right to change the frequency value.
because of mis-wired balanced connections.
Gain
(y-axis)
Frequency
(x-axis)
Figure 2. Frequency Graph
Frequency Dragging a control point to the right in- Q Click within the curve of an EQ control point
creases the Frequency setting. Dragging a control and drag up or down to increase or decrease the Q
point to the left decreases the Frequency setting. setting. For the Low and High Frequency Bands,
the Q control is only available when the EQ Type
Press the Shift key while clicking and drag- is set to Peak. For Filter control points, drag it up or
ging an EQ control point up or down to adjust down to adjust the Q for that filter. The Q control is
the Gain setting without changing the Fre- only available when the Filter Type is set to Band
quency. Likewise, press the Shift key while Pass or Notch.
clicking and dragging an EQ control point left
or right to adjust the Frequency setting with- You can also Control-click (Mac) or Start-
out changing the Gain setting. click (Windows) and drag a control point up
or down to increase or decrease the Q setting.
Gain Dragging a control point up increases the
Gain setting. Dragging a control point down de-
creases the Gain setting.
Clip Effects let you view the gain scale on the Fre- Enable the HF button for the high frequency band
quency Graph display either in 3 dB increments of the EQ and the LF button for the low frequency
from –12 dB to +12 dB or in 6 dB increments from band. The both the high and low frequency band
–24 dB to +24 dB. can be set to be either a Peak or Low Shelf EQ.
Frequency Graph Gain Resolution toggle Q Sets the width of the EQ band. Higher Q values
represent narrower bandwidths. Lower Q values
To change the Frequency Graph Gain resolution:
represent wider bandwidths. The Q control is only
Click the Graph Resolution toggle. available when the EQ Type is set to Peak.
Enable/Disable EQ Bands and Filters High Mid and Low Mid Frequency EQ
Controls
Click the Enable/Disable button for an EQ fre-
quency band (HF, HMF, LMF, or LF) or a filter (1 or Enable the HMF button for the high mid–frequency
2) to enable or disable that frequency band or filter. band of the EQ and the LMF button for the low
Buttons are lit when enabled, and unlit when dis- mid–frequency band. Both bands are peak EQs.
abled.
Frequency Sets the center frequency for the fre-
quency band.
Dynamics controls
Dynamics Graph
Filter 1 and 2 controls
Type Lets you select from the following Filter The Dynamics Graph display shows a curve that
Type options: High Pass, Low Pass, Band Pass, represents the level of the input signal (on the hor-
and Notch. izontal x-axis) and the amount of gain reduction
applied (on the vertical y-axis). The display shows
Freq (Frequency) Sets the center frequency for the two vertical lines representing the Threshold set-
selected Filter Type (from 20 Hz to 21.0 kHz). ting for the Expander/Gate and the Compres-
sor/Limiter, respectively. Use this graph as a visual
Slope Sets the slope for the filter from the selected
guide to see how much dynamics processing you
Frequency to –INF (12 dB/O or 24 dB/O). The
are applying to the incoming audio signal.
Slope control is only available when the Filter
Type is set to Low Pass or High Pass. Expander/Gate Threshold
Compressor/Limiter Threshold
Q Sets the width of the filter around the center fre- Knee
quency band. Higher Q values represent narrower
bandwidths. Lower Q values represent wider band-
widths. The Q control is only available when the
Filter Type is set to Band Pass or Notch.
Output Signal
(y-axis)
Input Signal
(x-axis)
Dynamics Graph
• Expander/Gate Knee Attack Sets the attack time, or the rate at which
gain is reduced after the input signal crosses the
• Expander/Gate Threshold
threshold. Use this along with the Ratio setting to
• Gate Depth control how soft the Expander gain reduction
• Hysteresis curve is.
• Compressor/Limiter Ratio Ratio Sets the amount of expansion. For example,
• Compressor/Limiter Knee if this is set to 2:1, it will lower signals below the
threshold by one half. At higher ratio levels the Ex-
• Compressor/Limiter Threshold
pander/Gate functions like a gate by cutting off
• Limiter Depth signals that fall below the threshold. As you adjust
the ratio control, refer to the Dynamics Graph dis-
play to see how the shape of the expansion curve
changes.
The Detection options include Peak or Avg (Aver- To enable (or disable) Listen on the Side Chain:
age).
Click the Listen button (speaker icon) in the
Peak Applies side-chain processing according to Side Chain section so that it is highlighted.
the detected peak amplitude. Click it again so that it is not highlighted to dis-
able it.
Average Applies sidechain processing according
to the detected average amplitude.
Filter Frequency
Clip Effects Presets and
Settings Files
The Filter Frequency control lets you set the fre-
quency for the selected Filter Type. (Pro Tools HD Only)
Notch Applies a notch filter to the side-chain pro- 2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
cessing at the selected frequency. dows) the Preset button where you want to store
the current clip effects settings.
Band Pass Applies a band pass filter to the side-
chain processing at the selected frequency.
Elastic Audio provides track-based Real-Time and you like, drag it from the browser and drop it into
Rendered Time Compression and Expansion the session. The loop automatically conforms to
(TCE) and clip-based pitch shifting (transposi- the session tempo map and Bar|Beat grid. You can
tion). Pro Tools Elastic Audio uses exceptionally then further manipulate its timing and also trans-
high-quality transient detection algorithms, beat pose the clip to match the pitch of other loops in
and tempo analysis, and real-time TCE and pitch your session.
shifting processing algorithms. Elastic Audio lets
you quickly and easily transpose the pitch of audio Correcting Performances
clips and tempo conform (beat match) audio to the
Elastic Audio lets you quantize audio to tighten up
session’s Tempo map. It also provides an unprece-
a performance or even manually re-align that one
dented degree of control over transient detection
note that was played just a little late. Or, you might
and TCE processing on an event-by-event basis.
decide that the performance is excellent, but just a
With Elastic Audio, Pro Tools analyzes entire au- little under tempo. Tick-based Elastic Audio auto-
dio files for transient events. For example, an event matically warps audio to conform to tempo
can be a drum hit, a sung note, or chord played by changes. When you change your tracks to tick-
a guitar. These detected events can then serve as based and increase the session tempo, the audio au-
control points for warping the audio. Pro Tools can tomatically time compresses to match.
warp (TCE) audio events automatically, such as
Remixing
automatically conforming audio to the session
tempo or quantizing audio events, or you can warp Elastic Audio lets you quickly beat match an entire
audio manually using standard editing tools in song to the session tempo and Bar|Beat grid. You
Warp view. can also transpose clips to match pitch.
Elastic Audio is useful in several common work- Sound Design and Special Effects
flows: working with loops, correcting perfor-
mances, remixing, sound design and special ef- Use Elastic Audio to achieve special effects with
fects, and film scoring. extreme or widely variable TCE or pitch manipu-
lation. Use the Varispeed algorithm to achieve
Working with Loops tape-like effects for speed and pitch change.
If you work with loops, Elastic Audio lets you pre-
view your loops in Workspace browsers at their
native tempo (BPM) or at the session tempo
(BPM). You can even preview the loop while the
session is playing back. When you find the loop
If you are scoring a film scene, use Elastic Audio 1 Create a new Pro Tools session or project.
to fit the music to the required duration. You can 2 Set the session’s Main Timebase ruler to
even use tempo changes to achieve accelerandos Bars|Beats.
and ritardandos.
3 Be sure to display the Tempo and Meter rulers.
Remember, when using tempo adjustments
4 Use the default tempo of quarter-note equals
for sessions that include multiple cues, tempo
120 BPM.
changes may affect the timecode position of
other cues later on the Timeline. Locate and preview a loop in a Workspace browser
at the session tempo:
Elastic Audio is not recommended for pull up 1 Open the Workspace (Window > Workspace).
and pull down workflows. Use the Session
2 Navigate to the folder where you keep your
Setup window real time pull up or pull
drum loops. Double-click the folder name to
downs, or the presets included with Time
open a browser window showing just the
Shift or X-Form AudioSuite plug-ins.
folder’s contents.
3 Select the loop you want to preview.
Example Elastic Audio
Workflow Audition Paths for previewing are selected in
the I/O Setup window (Choose Setup > I/O
In this workflow, you will be introduced to some and click the Output tab).
common Elastic Audio tasks for working with
loops: 4 Click the Preview button to preview the loop at
its native tempo.
• Create and configure a new session for this
workflow.
Audio Files Conform
• Locate and preview a loop in a Workspace Preview button to Session Tempo button
browser at the session tempo.
• Import the loop at the session tempo on a tick-
based, Elastic Audio-enabled track.
• Change the session tempo to change the tempo
of the clip on tick-based, Elastic Audio-enabled
tracks.
• Quantize the audio to apply a Groove Template
to the rhythm.
• Transposition the clip to match the pitch of the Preview and Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
imported audio to other audio and MIDI in the buttons in a Workspace browser
session.
Dragging and dropping a tick-based audio file from a Workspace browser to the Tracks List
Warp indicators
The Polyphonic plug-in provides a single control The Decay Rate control determines how much of
for adjusting the analysis window size for TCE the decay from a transient is heard in the processed
processing. Experiment with adjusting the Win- audio when time stretching. When the Rhythmic
dow size for different types of material until you plug-in is selected, any gaps between transients re-
achieve the best results. The following table pro- sulting from time stretching are filled in with au-
vides some recommended Window sizes for dif- dio. The Decay Rate determines how much of this
ferent types of material. audio is heard by applying a fade out rate. Adjust
the Decay Rate up to 100% to hear the audio that is
If you frequently work with distinct types of filling the gaps created by the time stretching with
material, you may want to find the best Win- only a slight fade, or adjust down to 1.0% to com-
dow settings for each type of material and pletely fade out between the original transients.
save them as plug-in settings for quick and
easy recall.
Monophonic Plug-In
The Monophonic plug-in is best suited to mono-
Recommended
Type of Material
Window Size
phonic material where you want to keep the for-
mant relationships intact, such as with vocals. The
General purpose 30–40 ms Monophonic plug-in is also well suited to mono-
Percussive 20 ms or lower
phonic instrumental lines, such as a bass track. The
Monophonic plug-in provides no plug-in specific
Pads and other legato 60 ms or higher parameters.
material
Rhythmic Plug-In
The Rhythmic plug-in is best suited to material
with clear attack transients, such as drums. The
Rhythmic plug-in supports clip-based pitch shift-
ing.
Elastic Audio plug-in: Monophonic
Varispeed Plug-In
Elastic Audio plug-in: X-Form
Use the Varispeed plug-in to link time and pitch
changes for tape-like speed change effects, and Quality
post production workflows. The Varispeed plug-in Select either Maximum or Low (Faster) from the
provides no plug-in specific controls. Quality pop-up menu. Maximum is the slowest pro-
cessing algorithm, but provides the highest quality
results. Low (Faster) produces relatively good re-
sults and is much faster than the Maximum setting.
Formant
• With the Pencil tool, click anywhere in the clip 2 Do one of the following:
to add a Warp marker at that location. If you • With the Grabber tool, double-click a Warp
click on an Event marker, a Warp marker is cre- marker.
ated on top of the Event marker.
• With the Grabber or the Pencil tool, Option-click
• With the Grabber tool, Control-click (Mac) or (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a Warp marker.
Start-click (Windows) anywhere in the clip to
• With any Edit tool, Right-click a Warp marker
add a Warp marker at that location. If you click
and select Remove Warp Marker from the pop-
on an Event marker, a Warp marker is created on
up menu.
top of the Event marker.
• With the Grabber tool, if no Warp markers are To delete all Warp markers in a selection:
present in the clip, or if Warp markers are only 1 In Warp view, make an Edit selection that in-
present prior to the location where you want to cludes only the Warp markers you want to de-
add a new Warp marker, double-click an Event lete (and none of the Warp markers you want to
marker to add a Warp marker on top of the Event keep).
marker.
2 Do one of the following:
• With the Grabber tool, double-click anywhere in
the clip where an Event marker is not present to • Press Delete or Backspace on your computer
add a Warp marker at that location. keyboard.
• With the Grabber tool, single-click any Event • With any Edit tool, Right-click the Edit selection
marker prior to another existing Warp marker in and select Remove Warp Marker from the pop-
the clip to add a Warp marker on top of that up menu.
Event marker.
• With any Edit tool, Right-click anywhere in the
clip and select Add Warp Marker from the pop-
up menu to add a Warp marker at that location. If
there is an Edit selection, Warp markers are
added at the selection start and end.
Telescoping Warp
Telescoping Warp can be applied to any audio clip
before or after a Warp marker as long as no other
Warp marker precedes or follows it accordingly.
The audio can be on a sample- or tick-based track. Before and after warping, applying Telescoping Warp
Telescoping Warp is especially useful for adjust- with the clip start fixed
ing audio files to match the session tempo map and
Bar|Beat grid.
(Tick-Based Tracks Only) 1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the clip.
The Source Length property in the Elastic Proper- 2 Select the correct note value for the beat from
ties window displays the length of the clip based the Tempo Resolution pop-up menu. For exam-
on the source file in bars and beats. If the length of ple, if the source file is in 5/8, select 1/8 note.
the source file was analyzed incorrectly, you can 3 Do one of the following:
change it.
• Type the tempo in the Source Tempo field.
To change the Source Length of a clip: • If the tempo was incorrectly analyzed as being
1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the clip. half the tempo of the source file, click the x2 but-
ton.
2 Do one of the following:
• If the tempo was incorrectly analyzed as being
• Type the correct bar, beat, and tick values in the twice the tempo of the source file, click the 1/2
Source Length field. button.
• If the duration was incorrectly analyzed as being
half the duration of the source file, click the x2 Meter Field
button. (Tick-Based Only)
• If the duration was incorrectly analyzed as being
twice the duration of the source file, click the 1/2 Elastic Audio analysis does not calculate meter
button. and assumes all files are in 4/4. If you work with
meters other than 4/4, use the Meter property to
Changing the duration of a clip on an Elastic correctly identify the source meter.
Audio-enabled track using the TCE Trim tool
updates the Source Length in the Elastic To change Meter of a clip:
Properties window. 1 Open the Elastic Properties window for the clip.
2 Click in the Meter nominator field and type the
correct number of beats per measure. For exam-
ple, if the clip is in 3/4, type 3.
3 Click the Meter denominator field and type the
correct note value. For example, if the meter is
in 6/8, type 8.
Event Sensitivity Property When you change the Event Sensitivity prop-
The Event Sensitivity property in the Elastic Prop- erty, Pro Tools writes temporary filtered
erties window lets you filter Event markers based Elastic Audio analysis files (.aan) to the ses-
on the analysis confidence level. The confidence sion’s Rendered Files folder. Any unused
level for any detected transient event is based, in temporary filtered analysis files are purged
part, on the clarity of the transient. For example, if when you close the session.
the file is a drum loop, loud accented hits will be
analyzed with a higher degree of confidence than a Reset Button
soft, unaccented hit.
Click the Reset button in the Elastic Properties
The Event Sensitivity acts like a threshold for window to reset event analysis data for the clip to
showing only the transient events that were de- match the original file. The Event Sensitivity prop-
tected with a high degree of confidence. In Warp or erty is reset to 100%.
Analysis track views you will see the number of
Event markers decrease or increase as you lower or Input Gain Property
raise the Event Sensitivity.
It is possible to encounter clipping when time com-
Lowering the event sensitivity can help reduce the pressing audio. Real-Time Elastic Audio plug-ins
number of erroneously detected transients. In turn, provide a Clip indicator to let you know when clip-
this can result in better sounding Elastic Audio ping has occurred and the Elastic Audio plug-in
processing. Pro Tools preserves the detected tran- button turns red. Rendered Elastic Audio clips dis-
sients when applying TCE in order to avoid flam- play a Clip indicator on the clip when clipping has
ming and granulation of the transients. Conse- occurred (see “Clipping Indicator” on page 923).
quently, false transients are also preserved and the
If you encounter clipping when processing Elastic
resulting sound quality can be less than desirable.
Audio, use the Input Gain property in the Elastic
If you are working with audio material that does
Properties window to attenuate the gain of the au-
not have clearly defined transients, you may want
dio signal before it is processed.
to lower the Event Sensitivity in the Elastic Prop-
erties, or you may want to even edit the Event
markers in Analysis view.
(Polyphonic, Rhythmic, and X-Form Only) To transpose the pitch of an audio clip in the
Transpose window:
In addition to Pro Tools Elastic Audio time com-
pression and expansion capabilities, you can also 1 Make sure the clip, or clips, you want to Trans-
change the pitch of whole audio clips in semitones pose are on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks (using
and cents in the range of +/– 2 octaves. the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form algo-
rithm).
Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
2 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the au-
ported with the Monophonic algorithm.
dio clip you want to transpose. Only clips that
However, if you switch to the Monophonic
are completely selected will be affected.
plug-in after pitch shifting with another plug-
in, the pitch metadata for the clip is main- 3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
tained.
• Adjust the Transpose By settings by an amount 1 Select the clip for which you want to remove
in Semitones and Cents. warping.
• Adjust the Transpose From and To settings by 2 Do one of the following:
an amount in Semitones and Cents.
• Choose Clip > Remove Pitch Shift.
The Transpose All Notes To and the Trans- • With any Edit tool, Right-click the clip and se-
pose In Key settings can only be applied to lect Remove Pitch Shift.
MIDI notes. When only audio clips are se-
lected, these options are unavailable. Remove Pitch Shift can only be applied to
clips and cannot be applied to clip groups. To
5 Click Apply. remove pitch shifting from clip groups you
must first ungroup the clip, then apply Re-
Varispeed and Pitch Shifting move Pitch Shift to the underlying clips, and
then regroup those clips.
When using the Varispeed algorithm, pitch trans-
position and time compression/expansion are al-
ways linked. If you apply pitch transposition to an AudioSuite Processing and
audio clip using the Polyphonic or Rhythmic algo- Elastic Audio Clips
rithms, that transposition data is stored in the meta-
data for the clip. Consequently, if you then switch Real-Time Elastic Audio processing is non-de-
to Varispeed, change the TCE factor, and then structive. However, since AudioSuite plug-ins pro-
switch back to the original Elastic Audio algo- cess the entire clip and write a new audio file (or
rithm, the clip will revert to the original amount of actually apply destructive processing), when ap-
pitch shifting while maintaining the amount of plying AudioSuite processing to clips on Elastic
time compression/expansion applied by the Vari- Audio-enabled tracks, any Elastic Audio process-
speed algorithm. ing is rendered first, the rendered file is then pro-
cessed by AudioSuite, and the resulting new audio
file is analyzed for Elastic Audio processing.
Removing Clip Pitch Shifting
If you have applied any pitch shifting to a clip, you
can remove pitch shifting and revert the clip to its
original pitch. This can be useful if you are not sat-
isfied with the results and want to revert to the
pre–pitch shifted clip.
Real-time Elastic Rendered Elastic Render clip with destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio–enabled track Audio–enabled track
Real-time Elastic Audio track Render clip with source track’s Elastic Audio plug-in and
Audio–enabled track (no Elastic Audio) commit the clip to the destination track
Rendered Elastic Real-time Elastic Apply real-time Elastic Audio processing using the
Audio–enabled track Audio–enabled track destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio track Real-time Elastic Calculate Elastic Audio analysis and apply real-time
(no Elastic Audio) Audio–enabled track Elastic Audio processing using the destination track’s
Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio track Rendered Elastic Calculate Elastic Audio analysis and render the clip
(no Elastic Audio) Audio–enabled track using the destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Pitched Elastic Audio track Render clip pitch shift with source track’s Elastic Audio
Audio–enabled track (no Elastic Audio) plug-in and commit the clip to the destination track
Clips that are committed, either by disabling Elastic Audio on a track or by moving a clip to a track with-
out Elastic Audio enabled, are written to disk as new audio files (see “Committed Clips” on page 919.)
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 936).
abled using the selected default plug-in.
Enable Elastic Audio on New Tracks When se-
lected, new tracks are created with Elastic Audio
enabled. The selected default Elastic Audio plug-
in is used.
2 Configure the resulting Commit Tracks dialog The following source track data can optionally be
as desired (see “Commit Tracks Dialog” on rendered if selected in the Commit Tracks dialog:
page 944). • Pan automation
3 Click OK. • Volume automation
Select either Selected Tracks or Edit Selection to The Copy options determine whether or not sends
determine what is committed. or Group assignments are copied to committed
tracks.
Selected Tracks Commits all selected tracks from
the beginning of the first clip on the track to the end Sends Select to copy sends from the source track to
of the last clip on the track. If the Consolidate Clips the committed track.
option is disabled, all clip boundaries are main-
‘
Pro Tools lets you “freeze” audio, Auxiliary Input, Select one or more tracks and choose Track >
and Instrument tracks. When you freeze a track, Freeze (or Unfreeze).
the source material (audio and MIDI) on the track
Click the Track Freeze icon in the Track con-
is replaced with audio that has been processed by
trols so that it is highlighted (or unhighlighted).
all of the plug-ins on the track (or only up to a spec-
ified insert), including instrument plug-ins. This Right-click on the track name and select Freeze
process is reversible, so you can “unfreeze” frozen (or Unfreeze).
tracks.
Option-Shift-Click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-Click
Freezing tracks is useful for freeing up processing (Windows) to freeze all selected tracks. Op-
power in your session for other tracks and process- tion-Click (Mac) or Alt-Click (Windows) to
ing tasks. It is especially useful for exchanging ses- freeze all audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instru-
sions with other systems that may not have all of ment tracks.
the same plug-ins as your system. Rather than
committing tracks as final print tracks, you can When a track is frozen, any plug-ins on the track
freeze tracks that you want to share but might want are made inactive. On Instrument tracks, the wave-
to keep editing while that track is shared or out for form of the frozen audio is superimposed over the
review. MIDI data on the track as a visual cue.
1 Ensure that Inserts view is shown in either the • Editing clips or clip contents is disallowed.
Edit or Mix window. • Elastic Audio is disallowed.
2 Right-click on the insert up to which you want • Clip gain and clip effects are disallowed on fro-
to freeze the track and choose Freeze Up To zen tracks.
This Insert. • AudioSuite rendering is disallowed on frozen
tracks.
• Tempo changes, Song Start changes, and en-
abling or disabling the Conductor Track are not
allowed when there are frozen tracks in the ses-
sion.
• Insert and Cut Time operations are disallowed in
a session if there are frozen tracks.
• HEAT is unavailable for frozen Auxiliary Input
Freeze Up To This Insert (Freezing up to insert B)
and Instrument tracks.
When any plug-in processing on a track is frozen, • Instrument Tracks are removed from the MIDI
frozen inserts are italicized and grayed out. The Editor window while frozen and MIDI parame-
also display the Track Freeze icon. ters including Real Time Quantize settings can-
not be adjusted until the track is unfrozen.
• Clips used on a source playlist for a frozen track
cannot be removed from the session until the
Track Freeze icon
track is unfrozen.
Bounce Track
Pro Tools lets you bounce individual tracks from
your session or project. Track Bounce is useful for
Global Freeze Tracks, one or more tracks frozen
delivering audio files from tracks in the session
To globally freeze or unfreeze tracks, do one without having to re-route sub-master stems or in-
of the following: dividual tracks for bus recording. You can just se-
lect the desired source tracks and Bounce them to
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Global Freeze icon so that it is lit (frozen) or unlit disk.
(unfrozen). You can Bounce the following track types: audio,
Right-click the Global Freeze icon and choose Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument
Freeze All or Unfreeze All. tracks.
To freeze (or unfreeze) only certain track types: To bounce a track from your session or project:
1 Right-click the Global Freeze icon and select (or 1 Do one of the following:
deselect) which track types you want to include (or
exclude): • Select the track you want to bounce and then
• Include all Audio Tracks choose Track > Bounce.
• Include all Aux Tracks • Right-click the track you want to bounce and se-
• Include all Instrument Tracks lect Bounce.
• Press Command+Option+Shift+B (Mac) or
Control+Alt+Shift+B (Windows).
2 In the Track Bounce dialog, configure the op-
tions as desired.
Only Include Instrument Tracks selected in the Global
Freeze Right-click menu
3 Click Bounce.
Render Automation
Various events in Pro Tools (such as groups of The Event Operations window can be left open,
MIDI Notes, audio clip start times or sync points, This provides quick access to apply a command or
and whole clips) can be transformed with Event try out different options for a particular command.
Operations.
You can also apply quantize, duration,
delay, and transpose to MIDI nondestruc-
What to Quantize
The What to Quantize settings determine what as-
pects of any selected MIDI notes are quantized:
Note Ons (attacks), Note Offs (releases), or both.
You can also select whether to quantize audio clips
or Elastic Audio events. Depending on what type
of track material is selected, not all options will be
available. If only MIDI is selected, the Audio Clips
and Elastic Audio Events options are unavailable.
If only audio is selected, the Note On, Note Off, and
Before quantizing, followed by two examples showing
Preserve Note Duration options are not available. the results of different What To Quantize settings
Note On When selected, MIDI note start points are Audio Clips When selected in the What to Quan-
quantized. tize pop-up menu, Quantize is applied to clip start
times (or sync points if present) for selected audio
Note Off When selected, MIDI note end points are
clips. MIDI clips are not affected. Typically, you
quantized.
will only want to apply quantization to sliced audio
Preserve Note Duration When selected, MIDI clips or clip groups (such as imported REX files or
note durations are preserved. clips created using the Separate Clips at Transients
command or Beat Detective). Quantization can be
When deselected with the Note On option selected, applied to mixed selections of MIDI notes and au-
note end points are not moved. dio clips.
When deselected with the Note Off option selected, Elastic Audio Events When selected in the What
note start points are not moved. to Quantize pop-up menu, Quantize is applied to
detected transient events within the Edit selection
If the options for both Note On and Note Off are se-
on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks. Quantization can
lected, the Preserve Note Durations option is un-
be applied to mixed selections of MIDI notes and
available.
Elastic Audio events. Warp markers are created
The following figure shows how MIDI notes are automatically on top of Event markers nearest the
adjusted by the different What To Quantize op- quantize grid. Quantize then uses these Warp
tions. markers to apply quantization.
Show Comments The Comments field displays Beat Detective does not extract duration
any comments saved with the groove template information from audio performances. Di-
from Beat Detective. The Comments field cannot giGroove templates created using Beat De-
be edited in the Quantize page, but can be edited tective contain a fixed duration value that
when saving a groove template from the Groove is 50% of the selected template resolution
Quantize page. (see “Defining a Beat Detective Selection”
on page 678).
Pre-Quantize Enable to hard quantize the
selected MIDI notes to a sixteenth-note grid Velocity Enable to influence the velocities of the
before applying Groove Quantize. selected MIDI notes. The Velocity option does not
apply to audio selections. If the slider is set to 0%
Groove Quantize Options there is no change to the selected velocities, a set-
ting of 100% sets all velocities to match the current
Timing Enable to apply Groove Quantize to the se-
groove template. A velocity setting of 200% typi-
lected MIDI notes, Elastic Audio events, or audio
cally results in over-exaggerated velocities—loud
clips. Use the slider to change the amount of quan-
notes increasing and soft notes decreasing in vol-
tization applied to the selection. If the slider is set
ume.
to 0%, there is no change in timing. A setting of
100% moves notes to the underlying template lo- For example, if two adjacent notes have equal ve-
cations. If the slider is set to 200%, events move to locities of 80, and the two corresponding template
a tick location that is twice the difference between velocities are 70 and 90, setting the slider to 200%
the original event location and the position of the changes the velocities to 60 and 100.
referenced template event.
The default value for the Velocity slider is 100%.
For example, if an event was played at Bar 1|1|060
(a 16th note), and the corresponding template
Recalling Options Slider
event is at 1|1|073, a slider value of 100% results in Settings
the event being shifted to 1|1|073 (a slider value of
200% shifts the note to 1|1|086). To Save the groove template with the current
Options Slider Settings:
The default value for the Timing slider is 100%.
1 In the Quantize window, select Recall with Tem-
Duration Enable to influence the durations of the plate if you want to restore all Groove Quantize
selected MIDI notes. The Duration option does not Options to the settings that are saved with the
apply to audio selections. At a setting of 100%, du- current template.
rations are changed to match the current groove
2 Click the Save button.
A DigiGroove template (derived from the audio shown) applied to a series of sixteenth-notes with Timing and
Velocity both set to 100%
Pro Tools applies groove templates relative to the In cases where the Groove Templates and track se-
song start. For example, a two-bar groove template lections are based on different meters, the template
repeats starting at every odd-numbered bar in the will be repeated or truncated to match the number
session (bar 1, 3, 5, 7…). of beats in the selection.
If a selection starts on an even bar, only the appro- 4/4 1-bar selection
priate portion of the groove template will be used.
For example, if the selection is two bars long and
starts on an even bar, the template applies bar 2 be-
fore bar 1. 6/4 bar 1 (beats 3–6
not used)
4/4 1-bar selection
Applying a 1-bar groove template in 6/4 to a 1-bar
selection in 4/4
4/4 bar 1 (not used) 4/4 bar 2
Restore Performance can be used to remove quan- 1 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the
tization on input for MIDI notes. For example, if MIDI notes you want to flatten.
you recorded a performance with Input Quantize 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Flatten Per-
on, you can still restore the performance as it was formance to open the Flatten Performance page.
actually played.
3 Select the note attributes to flatten. (For descrip-
For information on Input Quantize, see tions of these attributes, see “Restore Perfor-
“Input Quantize Command” on page 975. mance Command” on page 966).
4 Click Apply.
Flatten Performance
Change Velocity
The Flatten Performance command in the Event
Operations window “locks in” the current perfor- The Change Velocity command in the Event Oper-
mance for selected notes, creating a new “restore ations window automatically adjusts Note On (at-
to” state for the specified note attributes when us- tack) and Note Off (release) velocities for selected
ing Restore Performance. MIDI notes. Use it to make notes louder or softer,
or to create crescendos or decrescendos.
Original velocities
Change Smoothly Allows velocities to change For example, if a note with a velocity 64 is scaled
smoothly from one value to another over time. by 200%, the new velocity would be 127.
Attempting to scale or increase the velocity any
Change Smoothly by Percentage Allows veloci-
further yields no further change.
ties to change smoothly from one percentage value
to another over time.
The curve for this change can be adjusted (+/– 99) Change Duration
to affect how gradually the change occurs.
The Change Duration command in the Event Op-
Limit To When selected, restricts the Change erations window adjusts durations for selected
Velocity command to a minimum and maximum MIDI notes. Use it to affect the articulation of the
range after the selected Change Velocity option selected notes by making them more staccato or
has been applied (and also after any randomization legato.
has been applied).
You can also change note duration non-
Randomize When selected, the selected Change destructively in real-time using MIDI
Velocity option is randomized by the specified Real-Time Properties. See “MIDI Real-
percentage value after the selected Change Veloc- Time Properties” on page 730.
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 939.
the percentage value to achieve the desired effect.
To make notes more legato: Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited. ported with the Monophonic algorithm.
Transpose All Notes To Transposes all selected 1 Select the MIDI notes you want to transpose.
notes to the same pitch. Use the slider or the num- 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
ber entry box to enter the pitch to which to trans-
pose all selected notes. This option is not applica- 3 Select Transpose in Key.
ble to Elastic Audio clips. 4 Adjust the slider (or type a number) for the
Transpose In Key Transposes selected notes in number of scale steps (+ or –) by which you
key up or down by scale steps (based on the Key want to transpose the selection. For example, to
Signature ruler). This option is not applicable to transpose down a third, enter “–2.”
Elastic Audio clips. 5 Click Apply.
Step Input in the Event Operations window lets 1 Make certain your external MIDI device is
you use a MIDI controller to enter notes individu- properly connected and working with
ally, one step at a time. This gives you precise con- Pro Tools.
trol over note placement, duration, and velocity. 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Step Input.
With MIDI step input you can also create musical
passages that might be difficult to play accurately, 3 Select the Enable option.
or at a fast tempo.
When Step Input is enabled, each previously
record-enabled MIDI or Instrument track is
taken out of record enable, and if the
Default Thru Instrument preference is
defined, it is disabled.
Undo Step When the previous note has been re- If you use a continuous controller as a
leased from the MIDI keyboard, and the insertion trigger (such as Pitch Bend), you should
point has moved forward to the next note, Undo make certain to use an extreme controller
Step removes the entire last note. value to avoid erroneous data input.
When a note is being held on the MIDI keyboard, 5 Press Enter to confirm the MIDI trigger assign-
Undo Step changes to read “Decrement,” and re- ment.
moves the last Step Increment length that was
added to the held note.
Numeric Keypad Shortcuts for
Next Step (or Increment) When no note is being Step Input
held on the MIDI keyboard, Next Step moves the When Enable Numeric Keypad Shortcuts is se-
insertion point by the Step Increment value, essen- lected, you can apply many of the controls in the
tially inserting a musical rest. Step Input page, as well as several selection con-
When a note is being held on the MIDI keyboard, trols, using your computer’s numeric keypad.
:
While the note is being held, the Step Increment 1/2 note 2
value can be changed, allowing you to create notes 1/4 note 4
of any musical length.
1/8 note 5
Redo Step Reinserts the last note that was
removed by the Undo Step operation. 1/16 note 6
1/32 note 7
Triggering the Undo Step, Next
Step, or Redo Step Buttons
1/64 note 8
To set Undo Step, Next Step and Redo Step MIDI Undo step 0
triggers:
Nudge forward +
1 Place the Edit insertion on a track at the location
where you want to enter the first MIDI note. Nudge back –
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Step Input. Select Main Counter =
3 Locate the button you want to assign a MIDI Edit Selection indicators /
event to, and click in the field below the button.
HEAT (Harmonically Enhanced Algorithm Tech- To enable (or disable) HEAT in a session, do one of
nology) is a paid software option that adds “analog the following:
color” to Pro Tools | HD systems. HEAT is avail- Select (or deselect) Options > Activate HEAT.
able in both DSP and Native formats. To use
HEAT, iLok authorizations are required for both Select (or deselect) the HEAT On/Off button in
Pro Tools | HD Software and HEAT. the Mix window in HEAT view.
HEAT is applied to all active audio tracks in your You can also enable the Enable HEAT in New Ses-
session, emulating magnetic recording tape com- sions option in the Pro Tools Preferences to have
bined with harmonic coloration commonly experi- HEAT automatically enabled for all new sessions.
enced with analog mixing consoles. Use HEAT to
To enable (or disable) HEAT for new sessions:
open up your mixes with warm, analog-modeled
soft-saturated distortion. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
2 Click the Processing tab.
With HDX systems, HEAT uses DSP resources on About HEAT Processing
all active audio tracks. This is important to know
because as you increase (or decrease) the number HEAT provides global controls for Drive and
of audio tracks in the session, you also increase (or Tone. These affect all audio tracks where HEAT is
decrease) the amount of DSP resources required to not bypassed.
keep HEAT hot. Note that HEAT does not use
DSP resources on inactive audio tracks. Drive
With Pro Tools | HD Software on Native systems, The Drive control introduces non-linear processing
HEAT uses the host-processor. that emulates magnetic recording tape combined
with harmonic information commonly found in an-
alog gear.
HEAT Master Controls HEAT Master controls can be viewed in the Mix
window.
The HEAT Master controls let you adjust the
amount and color of HEAT processing for all au- To show (or hide) HEAT Master controls:
dio tracks. Take some time to experiment with dif-
Click the Show/Hide HEAT View button in the
ferent settings until you get the desired tone color
lower right corner of the Mix window.
for your mix.
Drive Adjusts the amount of Drive for HEAT, HEAT Track controls
which emulates the distortion you get when over-
Bypass (BYP) Bypasses HEAT processing for the
driving an analog channel strip on a console. At the
individual audio track. Note that bypassing HEAT
default 12 o’clock position, no HEAT processing
on individual tracks does not free up the DSP re-
is applied. Turn the knob counter-clockwise to add
sources used by HEAT for that track.
odd harmonics to the mix (a magnetic tape satura-
tion–like effect). Turn the knob clockwise to add Pre/Post Insert (PRE) Sets HEAT processing to be
even harmonics to the odd harmonic series for the Pre or Post inserts on the individual track. HEAT
effect of simulating a triode tube circuit. processing is Pre Inserts when the PRE button is
lit.
Select (or deselect) HEAT in the Mix Window HEAT Track and Master controls with bypassed track
View selector.
When the Master Bypass is enabled, it is bright or-
ange and any explicitly bypassed track BYP but-
tons also remain bright orange. For any implicitly
bypassed track, the BYP button changes to dark or-
ange.
Master Controls
Press the Soft Keys switch in the Channel Bar. To exit, press the Soft Keys switch again.
HEAT Master Controls are mapped to the encoder and encoder switches of channel strips 21–24, as shown
in Table 1 on page 986.
When HEAT is enabled in a session, each channel strip provides HEAT Bypass and Pre/Post. You can ac-
cess these channel settings directly from C|24 channel strips. Channel HEAT controls follow Do To All
and Do to All Selected modifiers.
Rotate the channel encoder, or press the encoder switch, and choose Pre or Post.
Table 1. HEAT Master Controls on C|24
Encoder: 21 22 23 24
Master Fader track audio signal flow When a Master Fader track is inactive, its associ-
ated plug-ins, I/O assignments, and their resources
Master Faders do not consume any of your sys-
are made inactive.
tem’s audio processing power. Master Faders pro-
vide up to five post-fader inserts and no sends. When a Master Fader output assignment (path as-
Also, Master Fader tracks do not have Pan sliders, signment) is made inactive, the Master Fader no
or Mute and Solo buttons. longer controls the master gain of that path.
This ensures that even when a VCA Master track is • Automate a submix by automating its VCA
not visible, the true state of its slave tracks is accu- Master track
rately displayed.
VCA Master Track Controls
VCA Slave Track Controls and The controls on a VCA Master track affect the cor-
Group Behavior responding controls on the slave tracks in its as-
When a group is assigned to a VCA Master, the signed Mix group. VCA Master tracks have the
VCA-modifiable controls (Volume, Mute, Solo, following controls:
Record Enable and TrackInput) on its slave tracks,
Volume
by default, do not follow any grouped behavior
that may be set in the Attributes page of the Groups The VCA Volume fader controls the Volume fader
dialog. This lets you control the output levels of the on audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, Master
group’s member tracks while retaining the ability Fader, and other VCA Master tracks in a VCA-
to adjust individual member track levels. controlled group. (Volume faders on MIDI tracks
are not affected.) Volume faders on slave tracks
Slave tracks can be set to follow normal grouped
move to show the composite level, or the level on
behavior. See “Assigning Groups to VCA Mas-
each track resulting from the position of the VCA
ters” on page 997.
Master Volume fader.
The VCA Mute button controls the mute state of The VCA TrackInput button toggles the input
audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, MIDI, and monitor status of only those audio tracks in a
other VCA Master tracks in a VCA-controlled VCA-controlled group that are record-enabled.
group. Muting a VCA-controlled group does not You can toggle input monitor status for those
change the underlying mute state of slave tracks. tracks using the VCA Master TrackInput button.
(Mute buttons on slave tracks that were previously
unmuted show an implicit mute.) To temporarily force all slave tracks to toggle their
input monitoring status:
Solo Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
The VCA Solo button controls the solo state of au- VCA Master TrackInput button on the VCA
dio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, MIDI, and other Master.
VCA Master tracks in a VCA-controlled group.
Level Meter
• Soloing a VCA Master will implicitly mute all
tracks except its slave tracks, thereby indirectly On VCA Master tracks, level meters indicate the
soloing the slave tracks. highest level occurring on any of its individual
tracks, not a summed level of all slave tracks.
• Soloing a VCA Master will clear any explicit so-
los on its slave tracks, leaving them indirectly The channel format of level meters on the VCA
soloed, and implicitly mute all other tracks. Master is set according to the channel formats of
• Explicitly soloing a slave track while its VCA its slave tracks, as follows:
Master track is soloed will override the VCA • If all slave tracks are the same channel format
Master solo. (mono, stereo or a multichannel format), the
number of level meters on the VCA Master track
Record Enable is identical to that of the slave tracks.
The VCA Record Enable button toggles the Re- • If the slave tracks are different formats, the num-
cord Enable status of only those audio, Instrument, ber of level meters on the VCA Master track is
and other VCA tracks that have already been re- set to one.
cord-enabled individually. You can then toggle re-
cord enable on and off for those tracks using the
VCA Master Record Enable.
The Surround Mixer requires slightly more For greater than stereo formats (such as 5.1),
DSP resources than the Stereo Mixer. Conse- all surround output panning is fixed at
quently, if you plan to regularly mix in stereo –3.0 dB. The variable pan depth options are
and use a Pan Depth of –2.5, you may want to only available for stereo outputs.
use the Stereo Mixer plug-in.
To set the stereo pan depth: Views in the Mix and Edit
1 Choose Setup > Session to open the Session Windows
Setup window. The Mix and Edit windows can be configured to
2 Select an option from the Pan Depth selector. show or hide various mixing controls, using menu
commands or view selectors.
HEAT View
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 730.
Track Compensation
indicator Input Path selectors determine the source input for
audio, Auxiliary Input, and (optionally) Instrument
Delay Compensation View tracks. Track inputs can be set from hardware in-
Delay values can be specified in either samples or puts or internal bus paths or subpaths. For detailed
milliseconds, as selected in the Operation Prefer- information on assigning track inputs, see “As-
ences page. For more information on Delay Com- signing Audio Inputs” on page 241.
pensation, see “Delay Compensation” on
Hardware input and bus paths can be configured in
page 1027.
the I/O Setup. For more information, see
Track Color View Shows track color in each track. Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”
For detailed information, see “Color Coding for
You can also define what physical ports are routed
Tracks, Clips, Markers, and Groups” on page 253.
to Pro Tools input ports in the Hardware Setup di-
Track Collaboration View (Projects Only) .Shows alog. For more information, see “Configuring
the collaboration controls for tracks. For more in- Pro Tools Software System Settings” on page 86.
formation about collaboration, see “Track Collab-
oration Track View in the Edit and Mix Windows” Output Audio Path
on page 355.
Track Output Path selectors route the post-fader
signals to the assigned output or bus paths. The
Output Path selector routes the main track output
to the chosen main or sub-path. Tracks can be
routed directly to hardware output or internal bus
paths and subpaths for submixing (main or sub-
paths).
Track Collaboration View (Edit window)
The track format (mono, stereo, or multichannel)
determines the available main and sub-path
choices for track output. For detailed information
on assigning track outputs, see “Assigning Audio
Outputs” on page 241.
Track Collaboration View (Mix window)
2 Click the Send selector on the track and choose • Adjust the Send Level fader.
a path from the pop-up menu. • Set the send level to unity gain (0 dB) by Op-
tion-clicking (Mac) or Alt-clicking (Windows)
the Send Level fader.
Click the Mute button for the send. To create a new track from a send:
1 On an existing track, click the Send selector and
To mute (or unmute) sends from the Track menu:
select New Track.
1 Select the tracks on which you want to mute
sends. Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Win- 2 In the resulting New Track dialog, select the
dows) to select all tracks shown in the session. Width, Type, and Time Base for the new track.
Multichannel Sends (Pro Tools HD Only) When To display sends in the Mix window:
you click the Sends button on a track, you can Select any of the following:
choose from a list of multichannel output or bus
• View > Mix Window > Sends A–E.
paths.
• View > Mix Window > Sends F–J.
To show (or hide) meters in Send Assignments, do Send level and mute can follow Mix groups, to ad-
one of the following: just multiple send controls from a single set of con-
trols.
Choose Setup > Preferences > Metering and se-
lect (or deselect) the Show Send Assignment
Level Meter option (see “Show Send Assign- Individual Send Views and
ment Level Meter” on page 118). Meters
Right-click on a track meter and select (or dese- When you display the controls for an individual
lect) the Show Send Assignment Level Meter send, you also have the option of displaying send
option. level meters.
To move a send:
Copying Track Settings to Sends
Drag the send name to a new position in the (Pro Tools HD Only)
original track or in a different track.
Sometimes you need send settings to match the
To copy a send: settings in the track itself—for example, to provide
a headphone mix based on the main mix. You can
Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) the
copy the current values or the entire automation
send to a new position.
playlist from selected tracks to any of their sends.
Moving or copying a send maintains all routing as-
For more information, see “Copying Track
signments, automation, level/pan/mute settings,
Automation to Sends” on page 1084.
and output format.
To show all tracks based on the track Input or To open a track Output window:
Output assignment, Send assignment, or
Hardware Insert assignment: Click the Output Window button in the channel
strip.
Right-click the assignment selector and choose
Show Assignments To for the bus you want.
Any hidden tracks with the corresponding as-
signment are shown.
Inverse Pan Reflects one side’s panning location Path Meter View in a Send window
and direction in the other side (for example, left-
and right-channel Pan controls).
The audio paths monitored in the Output meters For all Pro Tools systems using stereo output
are determined by the Output Meter Path setting in paths, stereo meters are shown (L/R).
the Output page of the I/O Setup.
Selecting the Output Meter Path in the I/O Setup Selecting the Output Meters option in the Transport
Window menu
4 Click OK.
Monitoring and Mixing Audio 3 Select an instrument plug-in from the first Insert
with Auxiliary Input Tracks selector on the Instrument track (such as
Xpand2).
Use Auxiliary Input tracks to monitor and mix au-
dio from external sources, such as MIDI instru- 4 The virtual MIDI node (port) for the instrument
ments, tape, or microphone inputs, in a Pro Tools plug-in should be automatically selected for the
mix. Instrument track’s MIDI Output. If not, select
the MIDI channel and corresponding port for
To use an Auxiliary Input track to monitor and mix the instrument plug-in from the MIDI Output
external audio sources: selector.
1 Connect the audio outputs of your audio source
5 Assign the track audio output to the appropriate
(such as a MIDI synthesizer or tape output) to
path or paths for monitoring.
available inputs on your Pro Tools audio inter-
face. 6 Adjust the Instrument track fader to mix the au-
dio input.
2 If necessary, configure the I/O Setup dialog for
the input paths you plan to use (see Chapter 6, 7 If you are controlling the Instrument plug-in
“I/O Setup.”) from the Instrument track, you can also mix
using the MIDI Volume and Pan controls in the
3 Use an existing or create a new Auxiliary Input
Instrument View.
track with a channel format that corresponds to
the channel format of your audio source (mono, For information on configuring audio and
stereo, or multichannel). MIDI signal routing for controlling and mon-
4 Set the input of the Auxiliary Input track to the itoring ReWire client applications, see the
corresponding input path. Audio Plug-Ins Guide.
Discrete Submix Output You can also bounce a submix to disk to free up the
voices for use by other tracks. See Chapter 50,
Pro Tools lets you discretely route source audio “Mixdown” for more information.
through a submix. This is preferred for dither or
other mastering processing, where you do not want
unprocessed audio heard in addition to the pro- Send and Return Submixing for
cessed signals. Use track outputs (not sends) to as- Effects Processing
sign tracks to a bus path for discrete submixing. In When you are submixing for reverb, delay, and
this arrangement, the balance of processed and un- similar effects processing, use sends to achieve tra-
processed signal is controlled by plug-in wet/dry ditional send/return bussing. You can use a real-
settings. time plug-in or a hardware insert as a shared re-
source for all tracks included in a submix. The
To create a discrete submix: wet/dry balance in the mix can be controlled using
1 Set the output of the tracks you want to include the track faders (dry level) and Auxiliary Input
in the submix to a stereo bus path. fader (effect return, or wet, level).
2 Pan each track. See Chapter 48, “Plug-In and Hardware
3 Choose Track > New. Inserts” for more information.
1 Assign each track’s main output to your main Send to external device
mix outputs.
Controls level of send
to external device
2 Assign a send (mono or stereo) and set the send
destinations on the source tracks to the output
path connected to the external device. Config-
ure the sends for pre- or post-fader, as needed.
Input set to device’s return
3 Choose Track > New. Output set to main mix outs
2 Specify the track type (Master Fader), and To create a “stereo” effect from a mono source,
mono, stereo, or any of the supported multi- you must use reverb, delay, or other time domain
channel formats for surround mixing. effects.
3 Click Create.
4 Do one of the following: Delay Compensation
• Set the output of the Master Fader to the same
Pro Tools provides automatic Delay Compensa-
path that you are using to send to an Auxiliary
tion for managing DSP and host-based delays from
Input track.
plug-in inserts, and mixer routing (bussing and
• Set the output of the Master Fader to match the sends). With Delay Compensation enabled,
path that you have chosen for your effects send. Pro Tools maintains phase coherent time align-
ment between tracks that have plug-ins with differ-
You can then adjust send levels to balance the
ing delays, tracks with different mixing paths,
source tracks, and use the Master Fader as a master
tracks that are split off and recombined within the
level control for the entire submix.
mixer, and tracks with hardware inserts.
To solo safe an Auxiliary Input: To maintain phase coherent time alignment, Delay
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Compensation should always be enabled during
dows) the Solo button on the Auxiliary Input playback and mixing. Delay Compensation should
track. also be used in most recording situations.
Delay Compensation view only shows the in- This field lets you adjust track delays manually
sert delay for each track. To view the com- while Delay Compensation is enabled. The User
plete system delay, including mixer delays, Offset is added to or subtracted from the amount of
check the System Delay in the Session Setup delay applied by Track Compensation. The User
window (see “System Delay” on page 1028). Offset is useful for the following cases:
Tracks that are not record-enabled still apply De- Command-Control-Shift-click (Mac) or Con-
lay Compensation. Pro Tools automatically com- trol-Start-Shift-click (Windows) the Track
pensates for any timing discrepancies between the Compensation indicator to override Low La-
recorded material and the delay-compensated mix. tency Monitoring for all selected tracks.
Command-Option-Control-click (Mac) or
Control-Alt-Start-click (Windows) the Track
Compensation indicator to override Low La-
tency Monitoring for all tracks.
Refer to the documentation for your external hard- With dither there is a trade-off between signal-to-
ware to see if it identifies the hardware noise performance and less-apparent distortion.
latency, or use the following procedure in Proper use of dither lets you get better subjective
Pro Tools to determine the latency for hardware performance when reducing the bit depth of audio.
inserts.
For more information on using Noise Shaping, 3 If your Ethernet control surface consists of
see the Audio Plug-Ins Guide. more than one unit, select the units in numerical
order as you want them arranged left to right.
Click OK.
Using an Ethernet Control
4
Surface with Pro Tools For more information, see the documentation
that came with your Ethernet control surface.
Avid offers several Ethernet-based control surface
options for Pro Tools. To enable EUCON control in Pro Tools:
MIDI Control Surfaces add hands-on control to To connect a (non-USB or FireWire) MIDI control
many Pro Tools functions, allowing you to adjust surface:
faders and knobs, activate transport controls, or 1 Using a standard 5-pin MIDI cable, connect the
edit plug-in parameters. MIDI Out port on your MIDI control surface to
the MIDI In port on your Pro Tools hardware or
Command|8
MIDI interface.
Command|8 is a compact USB-based MIDI con- 2 Using a standard 5-pin MIDI cable, connect the
trol surface for Pro Tools systems. MIDI In port on your MIDI control surface to
the MIDI Out port on your Pro Tools hardware
For complete instructions on connecting
or MIDI interface.
and configuring Command|8, see the
Command|8 Guide. 3 If you have a multi-port MIDI interface, note
which MIDI port the control surface is con-
Other MIDI Control Surfaces
nected to.
Pro Tools supports some MIDI control surfaces
that use HUI controller personalities. Configuring Your System for a
MIDI Control Surface
MIDI Control Surface A MIDI Control Surface is configured in the same
Personalities way as any other MIDI device in Pro Tools, using
MIDI Control Surface Personalities are files that Audio MIDI Setup (Mac) or MIDI Studio Setup
allow Pro Tools to communicate with the MIDI (Windows).
control surface. When you install Pro Tools, these
For complete instructions on configuring
files are installed by default in the Controllers
your MIDI studio, see the User Guide that
folder inside the Pro Tools application folder. If
came with your system.
the files are not present, run the Pro Tools installer
to install the personality files.
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 50, “Mix-
down” for more information).
Insert selector
Types of Inserts
An insert can be either a software DSP plug-in or a
Insert button hardware insert.
Plug-In Inserts
Plug-In inserts are software inserts that process au-
Insert button and selector on a track dio material on a track in real time. For example,
the EQ, compressor, and delay plug-ins supplied
Pro Tools provides up to ten unity-gain inserts on
with your Pro Tools system can be used as real-
each audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and In-
time plug-in inserts.
strument track. Audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instru-
ment track inserts are pre-fader, and Master Faders For more information about the plug-ins
inserts are post-fader. included with your Pro Tools system, see the
Audio Plug-Ins Guide.
When more than one plug-in or hardware insert is
used on a track, they are processed in series. Each Additional real-time plug-ins are available from
effect is added to that of any previous inserts Avid and from many third-party developers.
(flowing from top to bottom in the Mix window In-
serts View, and left to right in the Edit window In- For information about optional plug-ins,
serts View). visit www.avid.com.
HDX Systems
DSP and Native plug-ins can be used on audio, Sends (F–J) View
Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument
tracks.
I/O View
With HDX systems, Native plug-ins may
use additional voices and introduce extra inserts and Sends in the Mix window
latency based on the HW Buffer Size. See
“Inserting Native and DSP Plug-Ins on Select Inserts A–E or Inserts F–J from the Edit
Tracks” on page 1044. Window or Mix Window View selector.
The current controller focus, if any, is indicated To make an insert inactive, do one of the following:
with a color outline around its name:
Command-Control-click (Mac) or Control-
Start-click (Windows) the Insert button.
Right-click the Insert button and select Make In-
active.
Command-Control-Option-Shift-click (Mac) or
Control-Start-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) an In-
sert button in the position you want to toggle.
• Specific plug-ins located in the plug-in subfold- The Effects subfolder organizes special effects,
ers (such as EQ III in the EQ subfolder) are indi- multi-effect processors, and other plug-ins. All
cated in green text. plug-ins that specify their plug-in category as an
“Effects” type will be displayed within the Effects
Control surfaces with single-color displays (such subfolder.
as Command|8) do not indicate plug-in view
choices. They display contents of a plug-in folder If no plug-ins within a certain category are
as a single list of plug-ins. installed on your system, the subfolder
named for that category will not appear in
“Organize Plug-In Menus By” the menu.
Setting
Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manu-
Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in al- facturer, with individual plug-ins listed in the man-
phabetical order. ufacturer submenus. Plug-Ins that do not have a
Manufacturer defined will appear in the “Other”
Category Organizes plug-ins by process category
manufacturer folder.
(such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individ-
ual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. Plug- If no plug-ins by a certain manufacturer are
Ins that do not fit into a standard category (such as installed on your system, the subfolder
the Signal Generator), or third-party plug-ins that named for that manufacturer will not
have not had a category designated by their devel- appear in the menu.
opers, appear in the Other category. Plug-Ins can
appear in more than one category.
Default plug-in display in the Insert selector menu When selecting the plug-in favorite to change, you
can select the plug-in from the list of favorites at
the top of the plug-in menu, or in its plug-in cate-
gory (where the plug-in appears in bold).
To move an insert:
Moving a plug-in
To duplicate an insert:
Track selector
Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename, save, Link Enable buttons
Channel Selector Accesses a specific channel To close all currently open plug-in windows:
within a multichannel track for plug-in control ed-
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
iting. This menu appears only on multi-mono plug-
close box of any currently open plug-in win-
ins inserted on tracks with more than one channel.
dow.
Shift-clicking this selector opens a separate Plug-
In window for each channel of the multichannel
track on which the plug-in is
inserted. Using Plug-In Window
Controls
All plug-ins provide standard Pro Tools controls
Opening Plug-In Windows for track and insert selection, bypass, and other
controls, in addition to the EQ, dynamics, and
To open a plug-in window: other processor-specific controls.
Click the plug-in button in Inserts view in the
Mix or Edit window. To select a different plug-in on the same track:
Editing Plug-In Parameters 2 Change the value by doing one of the following.
Using a Mouse • To increase a value, press the Up Arrow on your
You can adjust rotary controls by dragging hori- keyboard.
zontally or vertically. Parameter values increase as • To decrease a value, press the Down Arrow on
you drag upward or to the right, and decrease as your keyboard.
you drag downward or to the left.
• Type the value.
Keyboard Shortcuts
In fields that support values in kilohertz, typ-
For finer adjustments, Command-drag (Mac) or ing “k” after a number value will multiply the
Control-drag (Windows) the control. value by 1,000. For example, type “8k” to en-
ter a value of 8,000.
To return a control to its default value, Option-
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the control.
Side-Chain Filters
Plug-In Automation and Safe Some plug-ins feature key high-pass and low-pass
Modes filters. These controls let you define a specific fre-
quency range in the side-chain signal with which
All real-time plug-ins can be fully automated, and
to trigger the plug-in effect. A common production
support all Pro Tools Automation modes (Write,
technique is to use these controls to filter a drum
Touch, and Latch, plus Trim).
track so that only specific high frequency sounds
The Auto button opens the Plug-In Automation di- (such as a hi-hat) or low frequency ones (such a
alog, where you can enable individual plug-in con- tom or a kick) trigger the effect.
trols for automation recording (see “Automating
Plug-Ins” on page 1085). Using a Key Input for External
Side-Chain Processing
The Safe button engages Automation Safe mode.
When enabled, existing plug-in automation is pro- To use a key input for external side-chain
tected from being overwritten (see “Record Safing processing:
Plug-In Automation” on page 1087). 1 Click the plug-in’s Key Input selector and select
the input or bus carrying the audio you want to
use to trigger the plug-in.
Side-Chain Input
The side-chain input is the split-off signal used by
a plug-in's detector to trigger dynamics processing,
and is generally drawn internally from the input
signal. However, some plug-ins let you switch be-
tween internal and external side-chain processing.
Set As User Default Defines the current preset as To select a destination folder:
the User Default for the selected plug-in. From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose
Settings Preferences > Save Plug-In Settings
Settings Preferences To, and select Session Folder or Root Settings
Folder.
The Settings Preferences submenu provides com-
mands for configuring preferences for saving and If you selected Root Settings Folder, Pro Tools
importing presets. They include: saves to the default Root Plug-In Settings folder
unless you have specified a different location for
Set Plug-In Default To Sets the default preset to ei-
the Root Settings folder.
ther Factory Default (the standard default setting
for that plug-in) or User Default (your custom set- To select a different Root Settings folder:
ting).
1 From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose Set-
Save Plug-In Settings To Selects the folder where tings Preferences > Set Root Settings Folder.
presets (plug-in settings files) are saved. If you se-
2 Select the folder you want to use as your Root
lect Session Folder, the settings are saved in a
folder and click Select.
folder named “Plug-In Settings” within the current
Session folder. If you select Root Settings Folder,
the settings are saved in the folder you specified Creating Subfolders for Settings
with the Set Root Settings Folder command. You To make it easier to find specific types of settings,
can change the location of the Root Settings Folder you can subdivide settings files by creating sub-
in the Operation Preferences (see “User Media and folders for them.
Settings Location” on page 106).
To create a settings subfolder:
To save plug-in settings to any location other
than the default Plug-In Settings folder, you 1 From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose Save
must first create a folder named “Plug-In Settings.
Settings” in the new location and then save to 2 Click the New Folder button and type a name for
that folder. the subfolder.
3 Name the preset and click Save. The plug-in
settings file is saved within the subfolder.
Use the Plug-In Settings menu to manage plug-in 1 Open the destination plug-in.
presets. 2 Choose Paste Settings from the Plug-In Set-
tings menu.
Unlinked multi-mono plug-ins have specific
rules for settings. See “Linking and Unlink- Press Command+Shift+V (Mac) or Con-
ing Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-Ins” on trol+Shift+V (Windows) to paste plug-in
page 1065. settings.
To save a preset: To create a custom User Default preset:
1 Choose Save Settings from the Plug-In Settings 1 Create and save a plug-in settings file.
menu.
2 Select Set As User Default from the Plug-In Set-
2 Type a name and click OK. The setting appears tings menu.
in the Plug-In Librarian menu.
To make a plug-in default to your custom preset:
Press Command+Shift+S (Mac) or Con-
trol+Shift+S (Windows) to save plug-in From the Plug-In Settings menu, select Settings
settings. Preferences > Set Plug-In Default To > User
Setting.
To load a plug-in preset:
Choose the name of the preset from the Plug-In Changing Presets with the Next
Librarian menu. (+) and Previous (–) Setting
Buttons
To import a preset:
These buttons let you select the next or previous
1 Choose Import Settings from the Plug-In Set- preset in the Plug-In Librarian menu.
tings menu.
To change plug-in presets using the +/– buttons:
2 Locate the settings file you want to import and
click Open. Pro Tools loads the setting and cop- Click the Plus (+) or Minus (–) buttons to select
ies it to the root destination folder. the next or previous preset. The next (or previ-
ous) preset is enabled, and the Plug-In Librarian
To copy plug-in settings: menu changes to show the name of the new pre-
set.
Choose Copy Settings from the Plug-In Settings
menu. You will lose the current plug-in settings if
they are not saved before you use the Next
Press Command+Shift+C (Mac) or Con-
and Previous Setting buttons. Always save
trol+Shift+C (Windows) to copy plug-in
your plug-in settings to the selected Root Set-
settings.
tings folder.
3 Click Done.
When you create a custom plug-in map, its param- Map Presets menu
eters are arranged in pages that correspond to the Learn button
controls on the control surface. The size of a page
depends on the type of control surface. Each cus-
Parameter menu
tom plug-in map allows up to 200 pages of mapped
Plug-In Map controls in the plug-in window
parameters.
Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename, save,
Plug-In mapping is stored according to the follow- delete, import, export, and set default plug-in
ing types of control surfaces: maps.
• 003
Map Presets Menu Lets you choose from avail-
• C|24 able custom Plug-In Maps for the plug-in.
• Command|8
Learn Button Puts the plug-in in Learn mode,
• D-Control where you can map plug-in parameters to a control
• D-Command surface.
• EUCON-compatible controllers Parameter Menu When in Learn mode, lets you
• M-Audio controllers select a parameter on the plug-in for mapping. If
you click a parameter in the plug-in window while
If you import a plug-in map that was created in Learn mode, this menu shows the name of the
on a different type of control surface, it will parameter.
appear as an inactive choice in the Map Pre-
sets menu. Plug-In Map controls can be shown or hidden.
When you first put a plug-in into Learn mode, a 4 On the control surface, do one of the following:
new plug-in map is created (with the default name • Turn the encoder or press the channel Select
“Custom Map”), and the plug-in is focused on the switch where you want to map the parameter.
control surface, but with a blank page of controls,
• If the control surface is in Flip mode, move the
ready for mapping.
fader or press the channel Select switch where
Only one plug-in can be in Learn mode at a time. you want to map the parameter.
5 Repeat steps 3-4 for each parameter you want to
To put a plug-in into Learn mode, do one of the
following:
map.
Click the Learn button in the plug-in window. 6 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose To change parameter mapping in a plug-in map:
New Map.
1 Open the plug-in whose custom map you want
to change.
To take a plug-in out of Learn mode, do one of the
following: 2 Choose the map you want to change from the
Click the active Learn button in the plug-in win- Map Preset pop-up menu.
dow. 3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is
Close the plug-in window. focused on the control surface.
Click the Learn button in a different plug-in 4 Do the following for each parameter mapping
window. you want to change:
• In the plug-in window, click the new plug-in pa-
Plug-Ins are automatically taken out of Learn
rameter you want to map. The parameter name
mode when moved to a different insert
appears in the Parameter menu.
position, made inactive, or converted
between DSP and Native formats. • On the control surface, page to the encoder or
switch where you want to change the mapping,
and turn the encoder or press the switch.
Saving Plug-In Maps 4 Enter a new name for the plug-in map.
You can save plug-in maps as presets for reuse on 5 Click OK.
the same Pro Tools system.
Deleting Plug-In Maps
Plug-In maps are saved as global preferences on a
Pro Tools system, so they are available to all ses- From the plug-in window, you can delete individ-
sions created on the system. ual plug-in maps.
When you create a map for a plug-in, that map be- You can also delete all custom plug-in maps on the
comes available to all other plug-ins of the same system, reverting all plug-ins to their Factory De-
type and channel format. fault plug-in maps.
If you want to map the same plug-in in On D-Control and D-Command systems,
different channel formats (such as mono, when you delete all plug-in maps, you are
stereo and 5.1 surround) you need to create also deleting all Custom Fader Plug-In
a separate plug-in map for each format. mappings.
You can also export plug-in maps for use on other To delete a custom plug-in map:
Pro Tools systems with a similar control surface 1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to delete.
(see “Exporting and Importing Plug-In Maps” on
page 1063. 2 Choose the map you want to delete from the
Map Presets pop-up menu.
Setting a Custom Plug-In Map as To set a custom plug-in map as the default plug-in
the Default Map map:
You can set a custom plug-in map as the default 1 Open the plug-in whose default plug-in map
map for a plug-in, instead of the Factory Default you want to change.
map. 2 Choose the map you want to use as the new
default from the Map Presets pop-up menu.
When you set a custom plug-in map as the default,
it applies across the entire session. All instances of 3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
that plug-in that were set to the Factory Default Set As Default.
map, or to another custom default map, change to
the new default. Hiding Default Plug-In Map
If you change parameter mapping in the custom Pages
plug-in map that has been set as the default, the When you create a custom plug-in map, its param-
changes will propagate to all instances of the plug- eters are arranged in pages that correspond to the
in using that default. groups of controls that appear on a control surface.
When you export a plug-in map, the default When you page through the controls for a plug-in
map setting for that plug-in is also exported. on a control surface, the pages for custom plug-in
When that map is imported, the default setting maps appear first, and the pages for the Factory
is also updated, and all instances of the plug- Default map appear after the custom pages.
in change to the new default.
You can hide the Factory Default pages of a plug-
in, so that only the custom pages appear on the
control surface. This applies to all instances of the
plug-in.
Deselect the Master Link button. 1 Choose Setup > I/O, then click the Insert tab.
2 Select an insert path, or click New Path to create
To access controls for a specific channel:
a new Insert path.
Select the channel from the Channel selector.
3 Double-click the Path Name to enter a custom
To link the controls of specific channels: path name for the insert.
1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al- 4 Make sure the insert path is set to the correct
ready deselected. format (mono, stereo, or other).
2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels 5 Map inserts in the Channel Grid as needed. In-
whose controls you want to link. sert and Output paths have special rules regard-
ing channel mapping (see “Valid Paths and
Requirements” on page 73).
Pro Tools can receive external clock from the Op- Pro Tools can receive external clock from the
tical input or S/PDIF input. S/PDIF input on these interfaces.
To select an external clock source for a Pro Tools To select an external clock source from Pro Tools
system with 003, 003 Rack+, or 003 Rack: with an Mbox Pro or Mbox (3rd generation):
• mono aftertouch
Automation Playlists with Audio
• program change and MIDI Clips
• sysex
Pro Tools handles audio clips and their automation
• controllers playlists differently from MIDI clips and their au-
• Audio Volume tomation playlists.
You can display and edit each of these automatable Trim Automation Playlists
playlists individually from Pro Tools, even during (Pro Tools HD Only)
playback. Separate Trim automation playlists are available
for Volume trim and Send Level trim. Volume trim
is available on all track types except MIDI tracks.
Send Level trim is available on audio tracks only.
Touch mode writes automation only while a fader See also “Writing Automation to the Start,
or switch is touched or clicked with the mouse. End, or All of a Track or Selection” on
When the fader is released, the writing of automa- page 1107.
tion stops and the fader returns to any previously
automated position, at a rate determined by the Au- AutoJoin with Latch Mode
toMatch and Touch Timeout settings. See “Auto- (Pro Tools HD Only)
mation Preferences” on page 1077.
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. Join is available only with sup-
hits the pass-through point, or the previously auto- ported control surfaces.
mated position. Once you reach the pass-through
point with the fader, or a non-touch sensitive rotary
control, writing of automation begins and contin-
ues until you stop moving the fader.
AutoJoin Enable button in the Automation window AutoJoin indicator in the Edit window
Trim Mode Trim Off turns off reading and writing of all auto-
(Pro Tools HD Only) mation (main and trim) for a track. All automation
moves are ignored during playback. Trim faders
Pro Tools HD can adjust (or trim) existing track
are temporarily set to zero when a track is set to
volume and send level automation data in real
Trim Off mode.
time. Pan, mute and plug-in automation cannot be
trimmed in this manner. Trim mode works in com- Depending on the Coalesce Trim Automation pref-
bination with the other Automation modes (Read, erence setting, changing a track to Trim Off can
Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch, and Write) and is use- coalesce Trim automation on that track. See “Co-
ful when you want to preserve all of your volume alescing Trim Automation” on page 1106.
automation moves, but need to make levels a bit
louder or softer to balance a mix. For more infor- Automation can be switched from Trim Off to an-
mation, see “Trim Automation Modes” on other Automation mode during playback or record.
page 1075.
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 1078 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 1077). 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:
You can permanently store the initial position of When playback gets to the first muted section,
an automatable control by doing any of the follow- the Mute button becomes highlighted.
ing:
3 As long as the button is held, Pro Tools over-
• Place the track in Write mode and press Play to writes the underlying data on the track with the
write a few seconds of automation data to the current state of the switch (on or off) until play-
track back is stopped.
• Manually place a breakpoint on the automation
playlist somewhere after the initial breakpoint. Automating Switched Controls
(See “Graphical Editing of Automation Data” on in Touch Mode
page 1096 for more information.)
When automating switched controls (including
mute, plug-in bypass, and any switched control on
a plug-in) in Touch mode, these controls will latch
in their current state after they are touched.
3 Click OK to close the Preferences window. 6 Move the controls you want to automate.
7 When you have finished, stop playback.
Automating Sends Send level, mute, and pan can also be configured to
follow Mix Groups (see “Automation Preferences”
Pro Tools provides automation of send level, send on page 1077).
mute, and send pan (for stereo and multichannel
sends only). This makes it easy to control effect
levels and placement during mixdown with great
Copying Track Automation to
Sends
precision.
There may be times where you want a track’s send
Send level and mute can also be configured to fol- settings or automation to mirror the settings or au-
low groups. tomation in the track itself, for example, when cre-
ating a headphone mix based on the main mix, or
when an effect level needs to follow the levels in a
main mix. You can copy the current settings or the
entire automation playlist for the selected controls
to the corresponding playlist for the send.
On ICON worksurfaces, you can invoke Auto- If a track is in Latch or Touch/Latch automation
Match on individual controls or control types on mode, you can prime individual controls for writ-
single channels. ing automation while the transport is stopped. This
Latch Prime capability lets you prepare for an au-
To AutoMatch all controls of a type on a channel: tomation pass before starting playback.
Hold Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
To prime controls for writing automation in Latch
and press any of the following in the Channel
mode while the transport is stopped:
Strip Mode controls for the track whose controls
you want to AutoMatch: 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
6 While the transport is stopped, touch or move Latch Prime during an automation pass, the corre-
the controls you want to start writing at the be- sponding controls AutoMatch to their currently
ginning of the automation pass. When at least written values.
one control on a track is primed, the Automa- If you AutoMatch a control that is in a Latch
tion Mode selector displays in red. Prime state, the control will no longer be primed.
Option-Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt- 1 Locate the cursor where you want to punch in
Control-Shift-click (Windows) the Automation automation.
Mode selector on a track.
2 Prime controls for writing while the transport is
Alt-Shift-click (Windows) Option-Shift-click stopped. (See “Priming Controls for Writing
(Mac) the AutoMatch button in the Automation Automation in Latch Mode” on page 1088.)
window.
3 In the Automation window, click the AutoJoin
button.
To take an automation type out of Latch Prime on
all tracks, do one of the following: 4 In the Automation window, click the Capture
In the Automation window, Command-click button and then click the Punch Capture button.
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the button The AutoJoin marker (a vertical red line) ap-
for the automation type (Volume, Pan, Mute, pears on-screen at the punch point.
Plug-In, Send level, Send pan, or Send mute).
• Object/Bus (Pro Tools HD with Dolby Atmos To suspend Trim automation on all tracks
only) (Pro Tools HD only):
Not Enabled
Automation data takes the form of a line graph 2 Press Control+Delete (Mac) or Start+Back-
with editable breakpoints. The easiest way to re- space (Windows).
move automation in a track or selection is to man-
All automation data within the selection is re-
ually delete breakpoints from the automation play-
moved for all automation playlists on that track,
list.
regardless of whether automation is write-enabled
Removing data in this manner is different from us- for those controls.
ing the Cut command, which creates anchor break-
points at the boundaries of the remaining data. For
details, see “Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Auto-
mation” on page 1100.
Drag the breakpoint down to mute a section. Drag Click an existing point on the line graph with
a breakpoint up to unmute the section. Drag a any Grabber tool and drag it to a new position.
breakpoint to the left or right to adjust the timing of
For vertically constrained, fine-resolution
the mute.
editing of any automation breakpoint,
Command-Shift-click-drag (Mac) or
Control-Shift-click-drag the breakpoint
to the desired value.
Automation for certain controls (such as MIDI To edit several breakpoints at once:
controller values or plug-in settings) appears as a Use the Selector tool to select a range in the au-
stepped pattern on the breakpoint line. Drag a tomation playlist that contains the breakpoints,
breakpoint up or down to a different step to change and do one of the following:
to a new control value. Drag a breakpoint to the left
• To move the breakpoints earlier or later in the
or right to adjust the timing of the stepped control
track, press the Plus key (+) to nudge them later
change.
(to the right) or the Minus key (–) to nudge them
earlier (to the left). The breakpoints move by the
current Nudge value.
If the data is deleted by pressing Delete (Mac) or The Master Views are:
Backspace (Windows), the automation data is re- • Audio tracks: Blocks and Waveform
moved, and automation values span the gap be-
tween pre-existing breakpoints, as shown in the • MIDI and Instrument tracks: Blocks, Clips, and
following figure. Notes
If cut or copied data contains a type of automa- Pan Automation Cuts only pan automation or
tion not currently on the target track, Pro Tools MIDI pan data whether it is shown or not.
prompts you before allowing you to paste the data.
Plug-In Automation Cuts only the plug-in automa-
Cut or copied automation data for plug-ins or tion that is shown.
sends that do not exist on the target track is ignored
when pasted.
The Paste Special commands let you paste auto- Pan Automation Clears only pan automation or
mation data into another clip (without affecting as- MIDI pan whether it is shown or not.
sociated audio or MIDI notes) in the following
Plug-In Automation Clears only the plug-in auto-
ways:
mation that is shown.
Merge Lets you add the pasted data to any existing
automation data of the same type in the destination Special Paste Function for
selection. This can be useful for consolidating Automation Data
MIDI data from several tracks into a single MIDI
Normally, when you copy and paste automation
track. For example, you like the pitch bend on the
data, it is pasted in an automation playlist of the ex-
synth trombones and want to apply it to the synth
act same type (for example, Left Pan data is pasted
guitar.
into the Left Pan playlist).
Repeat to Fill Selection Pastes multiple iterations
However, there may be times when you want to
of the automation data to the entire selection range.
paste from one data type to another (for example,
If you select an area that is not an exact multiple of
Left Pan data into the Right Pan playlist).
the copied clip size, the remaining selection area is
filled with a trimmed version of the original selec- The Special Paste command lets you copy one
tion. This lets you easily create drum loops and data type to another.
other repetitive effects. Before the data is pasted,
Pro Tools prompts you to specify a crossfade to If you want to paste automation or MIDI controller
smooth transitions between clips. data only (without its associated audio or MIDI
notes), use the Paste Special command.
Pro Tools lets you convert clip gain settings to 2 Click the Track View selector to choose the
track-based volume automation, as well as letting automation type you want to automate.
you convert track-based volume automation to clip 3 Drag with the Selector tool in the track to
gain settings. For more information, see “Convert- select the area you want to write the glide to.
ing Clip Gain and Track Volume Automation” on
page 896. 4 Change the automation parameter to the value
you want at the end of the selection. For exam-
ple, to glide automation volume to –Infinity,
Coalescing Volume Automation move the Volume fader to –Infinity.
and Clip Gain
(Pro Tools HD Only) 5 Choose Edit > Automation > Glide to Current.
Pro Tools lets you coalesce clip gain settings to You can also press Option+Forward Slash
track-based volume automation, as well as letting (/) (Mac) or Alt+Forward Slash (/) (Win-
you coalesce track-based volume automation to dows).
clip gain settings. For more information, see “Co-
alescing Clip Gain and Track Volume Automa-
tion” on page 896.
When a track’s Trim mode is enabled, its Volume On Exiting Trim Mode Trim moves are stored sep-
and Send Level faders turn yellow, and its Auto- arately in the Trim automation playlist until they
mation Mode selector is outlined in yellow. This are coalesced. Trim automation is automatically
outline appears solid if the track is trim-enabled, coalesced on a track only when you take the track
and flashes whenever trimming is occurring on the out of Trim mode. You can repeat an automation
track’s volume or send levels. pass, edit Trim automation manually on any of the
Trim playlists, or clear Trim automation before co-
alescing with this method.
Writing Trim Automation
The writing of Trim automation depends on how it Even when automation is set to coalesce on
is set to be coalesced. See “Coalescing Trim Auto- exiting Trim mode, you can use the
mation” on page 1106. If automation is not set to Coalesce Trim Automation command to com-
coalesce after every automation pass, Trim auto- mit Trim moves at any time.
mation moves are written to a separate Trim play-
Manually Trim moves are stored separately in the
list.
Trim automation playlist until they are coalesced.
To trim track Volume or Send levels:
With this setting, the only way to coalesce Trim
moves is with the Coalesce Trim
1 In the Automation window, make sure the auto- Automation command. You can repeat an automa-
mation type (Volume or Send level) is write-en- tion pass, edit Trim automation manually on any of
abled. the Trim playlists, or clear Trim automation before
2 Click the Automation Mode selector of the coalescing with this method.
track where you want to write automation and
To set the method by which Trim Automation is
choose the automation mode (Touch, Latch,
coalesced:
Touch/Latch, or Write).
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
2 Click the Write Automation to Next Breakpoint • Write to Start/Selection Start: Currently writing
on Stop button or the Write Automation to controls continue writing automation
Punch Point button. • Write to All/Selection: Currently writing con-
trols (except controls in Write mode) punch out
When this option is enabled, automation writing
of writing automation
will be performed automatically forward to the
next breakpoint after a valid automation pass has • Write to End/Selection End: Currently writing
been performed. controls (except controls in Write mode) punch
out of writing automation
To configure Write Automation to Punch Point on • Write to Next Breakpoint: Currently writing
Stop:
controls (except controls in Write mode) punch
1 Choose Window > Automation. out of writing automation
2 Click the Write Automation to Punch Point on • Write to Punch point: Currently writing controls
Stop button. continue writing automation
When this option is enabled, automation writing For MIDI automation, the Write To com-
will be performed automatically back to the auto- mands only apply to MIDI Volume, MIDI
mation punch-in point after a valid automation Pan, and MIDI Mute. MIDI parameters can-
pass has been performed. not use the Write To commands.
Overwriting or Extending
Mute Automation
(Pro Tools HD Only) Mute off event extended (up to automation pass end)
Extending a mute automation event
Pro Tools lets you overwrite or extend an existing
mute event in real time, without changing the cur- Mute Overwrite/Extend is
rent mute state. supported in Touch and Latch
mode, as follows:
A mute event can be overwritten when the automa-
tion pass begins before the first mute event and Touch Mode Writes the current state as long as the
ends after the second event. In this case, the current Mute button is held.
on/off state of the mute is maintained.
Latch Mode Writes the current state until you stop
or AutoMatch out.
Creating Snapshot
Automation
(Pro Tools HD 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 Edit
point) and choosing Write to Current.
selection), then press Command+Forward Slash
(/) (Mac) or Control+Forward Slash (/) (Win- • Click with any Grabber tool on each side of the
dows). 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
over Existing Automation Data
multiple tracks) where you want to apply the au-
tomation. 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
1 In the Automation window, make sure that the
currently displayed automation parameter,
automation parameters you want to edit are
choose Write to Current.
write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose
• To write the current settings for all automation automation you want to preserve.
parameters enabled in the Automation 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
the automation.
When you use a Write Automation command on an
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.
Loading Captured Values into Preview When you are in Preview mode, you can capture
the values of isolated controls and apply them else-
You can preview and modify captured automation where on a track. By capturing preview values, you
values in Preview mode before punching the val- can leave the underlying automation unchanged at
ues to the automation playlist. the place where you capture.
To capture an automation value and use it to On ICON systems, you can use preview mode to
preview: capture multiple snapshots without changing auto-
1 Make sure the track where you want to preview mation.
the value is enabled for automation (Touch,
Latch, Touch/Latch or their corresponding To capture a preview value:
Trim modes). 1 Activate Preview mode and isolate a control.
(See “Previewing New Automation Values” on
2 Make sure the automation type you want to pre-
page 1118).
view is enabled in the Automation window
(Volume, Pan, Mute, Send level, Send pan, 2 Start playback and adjust the isolated control to
Send mute, or Plug-In). audition the changes.
3 Capture an automation value that you want to 3 When you are ready to capture preview value,
preview in another location on a track. (See click the Capture button in the Automation win-
“Capturing Automation Values” on page 1120.) dow.
4 Go to a location where you want to preview the The Punch Capture button in the Automation win-
captured automation states, and click the Pre- dow lights to indicate a captured value is available
view button in the Automation window. to punch.
5 Click the Punch Capture button.
The affected controls are isolated and updated to VCA Master Track
the captured values. The Punch Preview button in Automation
the Automation window lights to indicate the pre-
view value is available to punch. You can automate changes to VCA Master track
controls (as well as the controls for VCA slave
6 Start playback and adjust the isolated control to tracks).
audition the changes.
7 When you are ready to punch the preview value Displaying Automation on VCA
to the automation playlist, click the lit Punch Master Tracks
Preview button.
The following controls on VCA Master tracks can
be automated and have separate automation play-
lists:
• Volume
• Volume trim (Pro Tools HD only)
• Mute
Displaying the Composite 5 Move the fader on the VCA Master track.
Automation Playlist on Slave 6 Stop playback.
Tracks
Automation is written on the excluded slave track
When a track is a VCA slave, you can display a
such that the fader moves on the VCA Master track
composite automation playlist that shows the con-
are canceled out, and the fader on the excluded
tribution of the VCA Master to the Volume or
slave track does not move on subsequent playback.
Mute automation data on the slave track. This
composite playlist reflects the actual position of
the Volume fader on the slave track.The composite included slave
playlist display cannot be directly edited.
excluded slave
To display the composite playlist on VCA slave
tracks:
VCA Master
Select View > Automation > Composite Playlist.
4 Click OK.
Selection or Track Length If you make a selection Track Output Right-Click menu in the Mix window
in a track, the bounced mix will be the length of the
selection. If there is no selection in any track, the
bounce will be the length of the longest audible
track in the session.
Bounced Files Are Delay-Compensated Send Right-Click menu in the Mix window
Pro Tools compensates for any bus and plug-in de- To Bounce an Output or Send path to disk:
lays when bouncing to disk. This means that if a 1 Right-click the Output Path selector or the Send
bounced file is imported back into a session, and Path selector for the desired track Output or
placed directly in time against the source mix, it is Send.
time-aligned with the original source mix.
2 From the right-click menu, choose Bounce
Record-Enabled Tracks and TrackInput- <path>.
Enabled Tracks Cannot Be Bounced
3 The Bounce dialog opens with the Output or
Pro Tools does not include tracks that are either re- Send path selected as the Bounce Source.
cord-enabled or in Input Only monitoring mode in 4 Configure the other Bounce settings as desired
the bounce. and click Bounce.
To set the resolution of the bounced file: 44.1 kHz This is the standard sample rate for com-
pact discs (CD), and is supported by DA-88/98,
Select a bit depth from the Bit Depth selector. DAT, and ADAT decks.
1136 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Additional sample rate options include 8 kHz, To export your mix to your iTunes library:
11.025 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.050 kHz, and 32 kHz. 1 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.
Custom For a custom sample rate, click in the 2 In the Bounce to Disk dialog, select the Bounce
sample rate window and manually enter in a value Source and set the other options.
from 4,000 to 200,200 samples.
3 Enable the Add to iTunes Library option.
Pull Up and Pull Down Rates All available sam-
ple rates support pull up and pull down rates, or The Add to iTunes Library option is only
other specialized rates. available if the Bounce Source is set to a
mono or stereo path, and Format is set to
Mono (Summed) or Interleaved.
Enforce Avid Compatibility
Enable this option in the Bounce to Disk dialog to 4 Click Bounce.
create a bounced file with frame-accurate edits,
wrapped as OMFI (unless File Type is MXF), and Import After Bounce
with the sample rate options limited to 44.1 kHz or
The Import After Bounce option automatically im-
48 kHz. Dither without noise shaping will be ap-
ports the newly bounced files into the Clips List so
plied to files being exported from 24-bit to 16-bit.
you can place them in tracks. If your newly
bounced files are split stereo files (Multiple
Add to iTunes Library Mono), they are listed together in the Clips List.
Pro Tools lets you bounce your mix to your iTunes
The Import After Bounce option is only avail-
library using the Add to iTunes Library option in
able if the target file type and sample rate for
the Bounce to Disk dialog. When this option is se-
the bounce is the same as the file type and
lected, the bounced file is copied to your local
sample rate of the current session, and the
iTunes library. You can specify the location of
target resolution (bit rate) is the same or
your iTunes library using the new iTunes Library
lower than the resolution of the session. In
Folder setting in the Pro Tools Operation prefer-
addition, tracks bounced to a Stereo Inter-
ences.
leaved file cannot be automatically imported
If the Add to iTunes Library option is enabled when after a bounce.
bouncing to disk, the resultant audio file is auto-
matically imported into iTunes the next time you Bounce File Name
launch the iTunes application. If iTunes is not in- Pro Tools provides a File Name text entry field for
stalled on your computer, this option does not do Bounce to Disk. In the Bounce dialog, type the File
anything. Name you want for the bounced file. For multi-
source bounces, the entered file name is appended
with the name of the Bounce Source and a number
(incremented for each source): “<file
name>_<source name>_<n>.”
Click the Choose button to specify a different di- The speed of offline bounce can be affected by the
rectory for bounced files than the default location. following:
• CPU Usage—The speed of your CPU and how
Offline Bounce much CPU is in use by the system and other ap-
plications. You can monitor CPU usage in the
Pro Tools provides an Offline option for Bounce to
System Usage window.
Disk and Bounce to QuickTime. This lets you
bounce faster-than-real-time in most cases (de- • Disk Usage—For example, if the Disk meter in
pending on the session mixer size and DSP plug-in the System Usage window reads 50% when you
complement). are playing back the session, offline bounce will
max out at two times the speed of real-time sim-
To bounce audio to disk offline: ply because it is physically impossible to read
1 Make a Timeline selection to define the range to the disk data from the drive fast enough. If you
be bounced. can increase the Disk Playback Cache Size
(Setup > Playback Engine) to cache all audio on
2 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk. the timeline, this should not be an issue
3 In the Bounce dialog, enable the Offline option. (Pro Tools HD only).
• If there is an unbalanced use of your computer’s
4 Configure the Bounce options as desired.
core processors due to large mixers and Native
5 Click Bounce. plug-in usage, you can check to see if the indi-
vidual core CPU meters are unbalanced in the
Limitations of Offline Bounce CPU section of the System Usage window. Re-
moving or making Native plug-ins inactive on
When using the Offline Bounce option, the follow-
Auxiliary Input and Master Fader tracks may
ing are not included in the bounce:
help alleviate this problem.
• Hardware Inserts
• Some third-party plug-ins may slow down off-
• External MIDI driven audio (such as outboard line bounce due to their CPU requirements.
MIDI synthesizers or samplers).
Note that for some sessions that use very
• External audio sources monitored by Auxiliary
large mixer configurations with lots of DSP-
Input tracks.
based plug-ins and automation, it is possible
• DSP only plug-ins (Offline Bounce always uses that Offline Bounce may actually be slower
the Native version of DSP plug-ins, but only if than bouncing in real time.
they are available).
• Any audio source that is synchronized exter- Cancel
nally.
The Cancel button closes the Bounce to Disk dia-
On Pro Tools HD systems with HDX hard- log without initiating the bounce to disk conver-
ware, any HEAT processing in the bounce sion.
path is included with offline bounce.
You can also create a submix by recording to new Drag and drop the bounced files from a Work-
tracks. For details, see “Sample Rate Conversion space browser or the desktop.
and Bit Depth Reduction” on page 1129.
Pro Tools | HD Software lets you work with sur- Track Layouts for 5.1 Formats
round formats up to 7.1, and up to 7.1.2 with Dolby
Formats Track Layout
Atmos.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Film L C R Ls Rs LFE
Surround Mixing in Pro Tools (Pro Tools
default)
(Pro Tools | HD Software Only)
SMPTE/ITU L R C LFE Ls Rs
Pro Tools supports mixing in the following multi- for Dolby
Digital (AC3)
channel (greater than stereo) formats: LCR, Quad,
LCRS, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.1, 7.0, 7.0 SDDS (Sony Dy- DTS L R Ls Rs C LFE
namic Digital Sound), 7.1, and 7.1 SDDS. With C|24 L C R Ls Rs Lf
Dolby Atmos, Pro Tools also supports 7.0.2 and
7.1.2 formats. The following table shows the X-MON mono track
routing for a 7.1 SDDS mix. A 5.1 mix should use
For information on fundamental surround the same routing, excluding outputs 2 and 4 (Lc
concepts, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround and Rc).
Concepts Guide.
Default Track Layout for 7.1 SDDS Format
Formats Track Layout
Pro Tools Audio Connections 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
for 5.1 Mixing X-MON L Lc C Rc R Ls Rs LFE
While all 5.1 mixing formats provide the same
To connect your audio interfaces for 5.1 format
speaker arrangement, there are three primary stan- mixing and monitoring:
dards in use for the track layout of the individual
1 Determine the 5.1 format and track layout you
channels that comprise the 5.1-format multichan-
want to use.
nel mix.
2 Connect the output channels of your audio in-
In the following table, it is assumed that surround
terface to the corresponding input channels of
channels are assigned to outputs 1–6 of a Pro Tools
your monitoring system according to the assign-
audio interface. Use channels 7–8 to monitor a ste-
ments listed in the tables above.
reo mix for a stereo version, or for cue mixes and
monitoring. If you use a control surface, see its guide for
more information.
The following table shows default mono track 7.0.2 L C R Lss Rss Lsr Rsr – Lts Rts (Film)
routing for a 7.1 SDDS mix in Pro Tools.
7.0.2 L R C – Lss Rss Lsr Rsr Lts Rts (SMPTE)
Default Track Layout for 7.1 SDDS Format
7.1.2 L C R Lss Rss Lsr Rsr LFE Lts Rts (Film)
Track Layout
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 7.1.2 L R C LFE Lss Rss Lsr Rsr Lts Rts (SMPTE)
L Lc C Rc R Ls Rs LFE
5 Click OK.
6 In the Save dialog, name the session, navigate to
the location where you want to save the new
session, and click Save.
5.1 Settings Track Layout I/O Setup, Bus page, default 5.1 (Film) Output Bus
assignments
5.1 Film Mix L C R Ls Rs LFE
Default Input and Insert Paths with 5.1 Settings
SMPTE/ITU Mix L R C LFE Ls Rs
The 5.1 Mix settings files provide default stereo
DTS Mix L R Ls Rs C LFE main paths and mono sub-paths for inputs and in-
C24 Mix L C R Ls Rs Lf serts. If you need multichannel input paths or in-
serts, you can create them in the I/O Setup (see
ICON X-MON Mix L Lc C Rc R Ls Rs LFE “Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 1147).
3 Select LCRS from the Path Format selector. • Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and
create a mono sub-path for the Center channel.
4 Name the path LCRS.
• Select the LCRS path, click New Sub-Path, and
5 In the Channel Grid, click in the box below the create a mono sub-path for the Surround chan-
first (left-most) audio interface channel for the nel.
path. Pro Tools automatically fills up the adja-
cent units to the right. If you click in the LCRS
row under channel 1, the LCRS path will be as-
signed to channels 1–4.
Pro Tools internal (on-screen) metering of 5.1 for- Monitor Path Selects the monitor path for the main
mat paths always follows the Film track layout: mix output of your Pro Tools sessions.
L C R Ls Rs LFE
Audition Path Selects the monitoring path for pre-
Pro Tools track layout of 5.1 format audio tracks in viewing audio in the Clips List, Import Audio dia-
the Edit window also conforms to the Film layout logs, and a Workspace browser. Only outputs on
(arranged top to bottom). See “5.1 Track Layouts, your primary interface can be used as your Audi-
Routing, and Metering” on page 1150. tion path.
In the I/O Setup dialog, you can route these signals Object Fold Down Path Selects the Output path
out of your audio interfaces according to any track for monitoring Object audio when not connected to
layout (such as DTS or SMPTE/ITU). a Dolby Atmos Renderer.
Film
(Pro Tools Standard,
and C|24 Mix)
L C R Ls Rs LFE
L C R Ls Rs LFE
L C R Ls Rs LFE
same same
SMPTE/ITU
L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
(Control|24 Mix) (top to bottom)
L R C LFE Ls Rs (left to right)
L R C LFE Ls Rs
DTS
same same
L R Ls Rs C LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
L R Ls Rs C LFE
same same
ICON X-MON L C R Ls Rs LFE L C R Ls Rs LFE
(8-channel 7.1) (top to bottom) (left to right)
L x C x R Ls Rs LFE
L x C x R Ls Rs LFE
Surround sessions typically include a combination Multichannel audio tracks can be:
of mono, stereo, and multichannel audio, Auxiliary • Recorded directly into Pro Tools, using multiple
Input, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks, and in- microphones or microphone arrays, or routed to
serts and busses. appropriate multichannel Pro Tools Input paths
Multichannel surround mixing is supported • Imported from other Pro Tools sessions
with Pro Tools HD only. • Edited, processed, and mixed in combination
with mono and stereo tracks
Once the appropriate I/O Setup has been imported
or configured, audio, Auxiliary Input, Master
Fader, and Instrument tracks can be mixed in mul-
tichannel for surround using Pro Tools mixing fea-
tures.
To do so, the number of channels being dragged For discrete control of signals, multichannel tracks
must match the destination track format. For ex- can be converted into individual mono tracks. For
ample, you can only drag a stereo pair or two mono discrete level and phase adjustment, you can insert
clips onto a stereo audio track. Similarly, you can and unlink a multi-mono Trim plug-in. Both of
only place audio into an LCR track when you have these techniques are explained below.
selected three clips. With 5.1 tracks, you must se-
lect six mono files or clips. Once converted to mono, multichannel tracks
cannot be relinked into their original multi-
When dragged into a multichannel track, au- channel format. However, a multichannel
dio files are placed from top to bottom in the track can be reassembled by dragging the
exact order that they appear in the Clips List corresponding number of mono files (with the
or playlist from which they came (Top to Bot- appropriate file suffixes) into a multichannel
tom must be selected for in the Clips List track, although some automation data may
menu > Timeline Drop Order). For this rea- be lost. As an alternative, record the submix
son, you may want to rename audio files be- of the mono tracks to disk on a multichannel
fore dragging them, so that they are placed in track.
the preferred order. Rename them so that
sorting them By Clip Name in the Clips List To convert a multichannel track into discrete mono
tracks:
results in the preferred order. (For example,
with a 5.1-format track, you can rename the 1 Select the multichannel track.
audio tracks so that the arrangement of the 2 Choose Track > Split Into Mono.
tracks corresponds to L, C, R, Ls, Rs, and
LFE.) To have discrete control of gain on individual
channels of a multichannel track:
Mono meter
Multichannel tracks can be used to monitor and Multi-mono plugs-ins can also be inserted on ste-
route multichannel instrument plug-ins or multi- reo tracks, to apply unlinked plug-ins on the left
channel external MIDI instruments. and right channels.
Master Link button 1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al-
ready deselected.
2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels
whose controls you want to link.
Channel selector
Link Enable buttons
To help simplify large sessions, use sub-paths to route static (or, stationary) elements directly to the out-
put channel or channels.
For example, film dialog is often mixed to the center channel to anchor this essential sound element to the
picture. Instead of assigning a six-channel panner to dialog tracks and panning the tracks to the center
speaker only, you can route the dialog track’s main output to a mono (Center) sub-path.
Effect
bus routing
Outputs to
sub-paths
Stereo Sub-Path The forward stereo sub-path. Use Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions to
this type of sub-path routing to mix music stems Surround Mixing
and effects to the front left and right speakers. Stereo mixing sets the precedent for active and
Center Sub-Path The front center-channel sub- static panning, and surround mixing can benefit
path provides a discrete mono path for the center from the same basic principles.
channel. Panning a sound back-and-forth between the left
Ls/Rs Sub-Path The surround, rear left and right and right speakers is best used as a special effect.
stereo sub-path. Use this type of sub-path to mix In a typical music mix, the basic tracks are placed
surround effects. in the stereo sound field and remain there.
LFE Path The LFE sub-path provides a discrete Surround mixes can become incoherent if too
mono path for the LFE channel. many elements are continuously moving, For spe-
cial effects, some tracks can be panned dynami-
5.0 Sub-Path The 5.0 path is a 5-channel sub-path. cally, bouncing between speakers or sweeping
Use this type of sub-path routing to conserve mix- from one side to the other.
ing resources with tracks you want to keep out of
the LFE channel.
FX stem
Music stem
LFE 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 %
Yellow The track is in automation Off mode (or For examples of how divergence settings
Automation Suspend) mode. affect output panning, see “Divergence and
Center Percentage” on page 1173.
Rear Displays and controls the current rear X-axis The LFE fader determines how much of the current
(left/right) position of the panner. In default X/Y track’s signal will be routed to the LFE channel.
Panning mode, Rear is linked to Front position and LFE faders in Track and Send windows can follow
cannot be controlled independently. groups. The Pro Tools LFE channel is always full-
bandwidth. For more information on how to use
F/R (Front/Rear) Displays and controls the current the LFE fader, see “LFE Faders in Multichannel
Y-axis position of the panner. Panners” on page 1176.
Link
To pan in X/Y mode:
Front Inverse
1 Click on the Panning Mode button until the X/Y
mode icon is displayed.
Front/Rear Inverse
2 Drag the Pan Location cursor, or click any-
Rear Inverse where in the Grid and drag to pan the track. The
Stereo multichannel panner controls showing default location of the Pan Location cursor determines
linking the pan position of the signal. For example, to
pan something to the left rear speaker, move the
Pan Location cursor to the lower-left corner of
Panning Modes the Grid.
The Panning Mode button provides access to four
It is not necessary to click exactly on the Pan
panning modes: X/Y mode, Divergence Editing,
Location cursor. Clicking anywhere in the
3-Knob mode, and AutoGlide mode. Panning con-
Grid will move the Pan Location cursor rela-
trols can be automated in all four modes.
tive to where you click or take over with a
Pro Tools provides the following Panning Modes: hardware panner. Panning does not jump to
the click position.
X/Y Mode Joystick-style panning by dragging the
Pan Location cursor within the X/Y Speaker Grid.
See “X/Y Panning” on page 1170 for more infor-
mation.
Display Automation in Edit Window Control- By comparison, in X/Y mode a diagonal pan may
Command-Control-click (Mac) or Start-click result in audio being heard in some or all channels.
(Windows) a control to display that control’s play-
list in the Edit window. The difference is that 3-Knob mode pans discretely
between the front and rear position of the panning
All Pan controls can be automated, including trajectory, while X/Y mode panning takes place in
pan position and divergence. See Chapter 49, the full 360° Panning Grid. Divergence and Center
“Automation” for details. Percentage are variable in both Panning modes.
Pro Tools provides 3-Knob mode as an additional Click on the Panning Mode button until the 3-
way to input pan moves. Knob mode icon is displayed.
To change the current trajectory position (left-to- 2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
right) and retain its current angles: tion Mode selector and select an Automation
mode for the track you want to automate.
Drag the trajectory line (not its end points) to a
new position. 3 Press Play to begin playback.
4 Set a new destination for the cursor by doing
AutoGlide Mode one of the following:
AutoGlide mode lets you quickly write Surround • Click a Snap Pan to Speaker icon to glide to its
Panner automation by clicking new locations in the speaker location.
Surround Panner window, instead of manually • Click in the pan window to glide to a specific lo-
moving the Surround Panner controls. cation in the X/Y Grid.
When writing automation in AutoGlide
Snap Pan to
mode, the Pan Location cursor cannot be Speaker
dragged from its location. icons
The time it takes to glide from point to point (from Pan Location
cursor
the Pan Location cursor to the new destination) is
called the AutoGlide Time. This time is set in the
Mixing Preferences page and has a range of
10 msec to 10000 msec (10 seconds).
2 Set the AutoGlide Time in the Automation Panning Mode button (AutoGlide mode shown)
section.
Pan Location
cursor
To adjust divergence:
Adjust the LFE fader in any “.1” surround for- LFE Enable in the multichannel Dynamics III
Compressor/Limiter
mat Output window.
To process the LFE channel in a multichannel
LFE Faders and Groups
plug-in:
Pan Playlists
Multichannel panners have an automation playlist
for each position and divergence control.
[DigiLink] [MADI]
Pro Tools | HDX system
Figure 1. Example Pro Tools and Dolby Atmos hardware components and connections
Dolby also provides software-only solutions for 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 formats work in Pro Tools just like
rendering and mastering a Dolby Atmos mix, such any other multichannel surround format, but with
as the Dolby Atmos Renderer application that is the addition of two overhead channels. Because of
part of the Dolby Atmos Production Suite. the overhead channels, additional automatable
panning controls are provided (see “7.0.2, 7.1.2,
Contact Dolby for complete information and Object Panner” on page 1189).
about Dolby Atmos product solutions.
When mixing for Dolby Atmos, assign the output
of mono or stereo source tracks to a 7.1.2 (or 7.0.2)
7.0.2 and 7.1.2 Surround audio or Auxiliary Input track using a 7.1.2 (or
Formats in Pro Tools 7.0.2) bus to feed a bed mix. Use volume and pan
automation on the source tracks to mix them into
Pro Tools lets you create 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 surround
the final 7.1.2 (or 7.0.2) bed mix.
format input, output, insert, and bus paths in the
I/O Setup. Pro Tools can likewise create tracks
with 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 channel widths.
Configuring the Network
Once 7.0.2 or 7.1.2 paths have been created, they Connection for Pro Tools and
are available in any path input or output selector, a Dolby Atmos Renderer
such as track input and output assignments, sends,
The Atmos page in the Peripherals dialog lets you
and so on. configure the network connections required for send-
ing Dolby Atmos metadata between Pro Tools and
7.0.2 or 7.1.2 paths can also be used for internal
the Dolby Atmos Renderer. When properly config-
busses, monitoring, auditioning, and output meter-
ured, Pro Tools and the Renderer communicate with
ing. Dolby Atmos metadata over the network.
4 Specify the Renderer host in the RMU Host field Only Use a Supported Session Timecode Rate
by doing one of the following (if there is more For home theater workflows, the Dolby Atmos Ren-
than one Renderer on the network, make sure derer supports mixing and creating masters at the fol-
you specify the correct one for the Pro Tools lowing timecode rates: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 29.97
system): drop frame, and 30 frames per second (fps).
• Enter the IP Address for the RMU (or rendering
For cinema workflows, the Dolby Atmos Renderer
and mastering workstation) on the network that
supports creating masters at 24 fps only. If mixing
has a MADI connection to your Pro Tools sys-
with a 24 fps session, set Audio Rate Pull Up/Down
tem. and Video Rate Pull Up/Down to None.
• Click the RMU Host drop-down selector to see
a list of RMUs (or other Dolby Atmos render- Set the Hardware Buffer Size to 1,024 Samples
ing and mastering workstations) identified on (Recommended)
the network and select one that has a MADI
connection to your Pro Tools system. Sessions used to author Dolby Atmos mixes tend to
be very large and processor intensive. Using the
• If your Pro Tools machine is using a software
highest available Hardware Buffer Size setting is rec-
Renderer (such as the Dolby Atmos Renderer ommended for optimal performance and reliability
application that is part of the Dolby Atmos on your Pro Tools system.
Production Suite), type localhost or select it
from the drop-down selector.
The Connection Status indicator lights solid if the
connection is successful. It flashes on and off if the
connection is not successful. You can still work on
the session even if not connected to the Renderer, but
Enable must be selected.
5 Enable Link Object and Audio Rendering if de-
sired (see “Link Object and Audio Recording” on
page 138).
1 Open the I/O Setup (Setup > I/O) and click the Select (or deselect) View > Edit Window Views >
Output tab. Object.
2 In the Output page, ensure that there is an avail- From the Edit Window View selector, enable
able output path with the channel format that you (or disable) Object.
want. If not, create one.
3 From the Object Fold Down Path selector, output
path you want to use to monitor panned object au-
dio
Bus/Object toggle
Object controls
Bus/Object toggle can be automated (see “Object/Bus Toggle Automation” on page 1193).
Master Object assigned, Set by default if no other tracks are already assigned to this
sending metadata object, use this mode to control an object on the renderer.
Record Object assigned, Use this mode in a re-recording workflow to record pan
record mode automation sent from a Master panner on the network.
Off/bypass Object assigned, no Use this mode to mix multiple tracks of audio to the same
metadata being sent object output path. In this workflow, one track set as Master
controls the panning, while one or more other tracks with
the same object output path assignment but set to
Off/bypass feed audio to the object output path but without
sending pan metadata.
Figure 2. Output window in standard (2D) view for a mono track assigned to a 7.1.2 bus (left) and an Object (right)
Theater Mode
The Pro Tools Panning Mode selector provides the Theater option, which is only available with the 7.0.2, 7.1.2,
and Object panners. When this mode is selected, the panner displays a 3D/Theater view.
Height Mode
Sets the Height mode for the track. Choices include
FreeForm mode (manual height adjustment), and
Wedge, Sphere, and Ceiling modes (automatic height
modes). Height mode can be automated.
Zones
The Zones selector sets the speaker Zone (Zone
Mask). Choices include All, F/S (front and side), F/R
(front and rear), FC/R (front, center and rear), Front,
and Rear. Speaker icons surrounding the panner grid
appear as appropriate for the current Zone.
Size indicator in standard 2D view
Speaker Snap
You can toggle Dolby Atmos Speaker Snap on or
Zones selector off for tracks assigned to an Object.
To select the Zone:
To enable (or disable) Speaker Snap:
Right-click, or click and hold on the Zones selec-
tor and set the Zone. Click the Speaker Snap icon to toggle on/off.
Speaker Snap
Speaker Snap icon (shown disabled)
Across the top of the Output window are the Audio The Pan Dot control in Output windows, and in the
Output Path selector, the Object Output Path selec- graphic panner in I/O view on tracks in both the Edit
tor, and the Object Control button. and Mix windows changes color to show whether
track audio follows the selected output bus path
Object Control Mode button shown in the I/O view or the selected object output
path shown in the Object view as well whether the
Object Output Path selector
Track Automation mode is set to Read, any Write
mode, or is Off.
Pan Dot Color Indication
Pan Dot Automation
Object/Bus
Color Mode
Height mode and Height Enable
Bus Read
Available only on tracks assigned to an object output Green
path, these controls let you assign the track to a dif-
Object Read
ferent Object and configure its Object Control mode,
respectively. These controls are also available in Ob- Orange
ject view in the Edit and Mix windows. Any Any Write mode
Red
Object Output Path Selector
Any Off
Click the Object Output Path selector to assign the
Yellow
track to an Object (see “Object Path Selector” on
page 1187). Object, but
Gray off/bypassed
Toggling Object/Bus Assignment
About Object Bypass
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows)
the Object Output Path selector or the pan dot to tog- Bypass can be used to establish a workflow where
gle the track audio output between the selected Ob- multiple source tracks are assigned to the same object
ject path or selected track output (output bus). Tog- but only one of them is sending pan metadata to con-
gling between object output and bus output trol the panning on the Renderer. For more informa-
assignments can be automated (see “Bus/Object Tog- tion, see “Dolby Atmos PEC/DIR Recorder Work-
gle” on page 1188). flow Example” on page 1196.
Object Control
Synchronization allows one system to output time- SMPTE Trigger Resolved with a
code and the other device to chase (follow) that SYNC HD
timecode. Pro Tools is synchronized to other de- (HDX and HD Native Systems Only)
vices using SMPTE/EBU timecode or MIDI Time-
code. You can use SYNC HD to resolve Pro Tools re-
cording and playback speed with any of the follow-
ing clock reference sources while slaving
Pro Tools to timecode:
Pro Tools Synchronization
Options • LTC
• Video source
There are several options for synchronizing
Pro Tools to an external source or using Pro Tools • House video reference (SD or HD)
as the master device. • VITC
• 1x Word Clock
SMPTE Trigger Only
• AES/EBU “null” clock
This solution is useful for short projects if both • Pilot Tone
systems are extremely close in speed, but even the
best systems will rarely stay perfectly synchro- • Bi-Phase
nized for longer than a couple of minutes. This enables long-term, high-fidelity synchroniza-
tion when all transports within the system are re-
solved to this common synchronization source, or
by resolving to any variations in incoming time-
code while slaving to timecode.
The Session Setup window is organized into three sections. The Format section is at the top of the window.
The SYNC Setup & Timecode Offsets section and the Timecode Settings section can be shown or hidden.
Format Section
SYNC Setup
& Timecode Offsets
section
External Timecode
SYNC Setup settings Offset settings
Timecode Reader
Timecode section offset
Freewheel settings
To show the Session Setup window: The controls in this section configure SYNC HD
From a Pro Tools session, choose Setup > settings. Settings are provided for Clock and Posi-
Session. tional Reference, Video Ref Format, Video In For-
mat, and Variable Speed Override.
Press Command+2 (Mac) or Control+2
(Windows) to open the Session Setup win- To show Timecode Settings section:
dow. Click the Timecode Settings expand/collapse
triangle.
To expand SYNC Setup & Session Offset section:
Click the SYNC Setup & Timecode Offsets ex- The controls in this section provide timecode gen-
pand/collapse triangle. eration and freewheel options, and separate pull up
and down selectors for audio and video rates.
The SYNC Setup and Timecode Offsets section of Video Ref Format
the Session Setup window includes displays and
menus for timecode-related settings on your sys- Sets the video reference format for the SYNC HD.
tem.
Video In Format
This menu lets you set the Pro Tools clock refer- Varispeed maximum sample rate limits
ence. Nominal Channel Maximum
sample rate Count Frequency
When using a SYNC HD, the Clock Reference
selector lists all supported clock types. 44.1/48 kHz 64 48.8 kHz
When using HDX or HD Native systems with- 44.1/48 kHz 56 55.6 kHz
out a SYNC HD, choices include any currently-en- 88.2/96 kHz 32 97.5 kHz
abled digital format or source available from your
Avid HD audio interface (such as AES, S/PDIF, or 88.2/96 kHz 28 111.5 kHz
1x Word arriving at the HD audio interface’s Word 176.4/192 kHz 16 194.9 kHz
Clock In port).
176.4/192 kHz 14 223.0 kHz
Freewheel
The choices in the Freewheel section let you con-
figure how Pro Tools will freewheel, or continue
playback if timecode is interrupted or corrupted.
Use these options to protect against errors that can
occur if your SMPTE timecode source has “drop
Redefine External Timecode Offset dialog outs” or temporary lost signals.
2 In the Redefine External Timecode Offset None No freewheel is applied.
dialog, enter the offset you want in the Desired
Timecode Position field. Frames Sets a number of frames to freewheel,
from 1 to 120 frames. This value defaults to 8
3 Click OK. frames, which is the recommended setting for most
applications.
Sample Offset (Sync Offset)
Jam Sync Lets Pro Tools trigger synchronization
This field creates an offset that lets you fine-tune to incoming timecode, and continue to play back
the point at which Pro Tools synchronizes relative even if timecode input is completely interrupted. It
to incoming timecode. Use this to compensate for can be useful if timecode is damaged, or has been
timing differences between various SMPTE-to- accidentally erased from your source tape.
MIDI Timecode converters or analog-to-digi-
tal/digital-to-analog converters. For example, a
value of –50 makes an event in Pro Tools occur 50 Pull Up/Down
samples before the same event in incoming LTC, When Pro Tools is used in conjunction with a
MTC, VITC, or Serial Timecode. However, this SYNC HD, this option lets you “pull up” or “pull
does not apply to synchronization for Satellite sys- down” the current sample rate.
tems.
For more information on applying pull factors in
The Sample Offset field allows a range of plus or Pro Tools, see “Pull Up and Pull Down” on
minus roughly one frame's length in samples. For page 1211.
instance, if the session is at 48 kHz and the Time-
code Rate is 24 FPS, the range is +/–2002 samples Pull up and pull down are applied differently
(1 frame). in different workflows. Make sure you check
each project’s specific workflow before you
begin your work.
Synchronization and MachineControl system set- If you are generating timecode, it is a good practice
tings are enabled in the Pro Tools Peripherals dia- to stripe your timecode beginning at 01:00:00:00
log (Setup > Peripherals). These settings are sys- (subtracting time for the head format, such as ini-
tem settings, and remain constant regardless of the tial black, bars and tone, or logos). This prevents
particular session you are working on. Configure problems that can occur with some synchronizers
these settings before opening a session. when the striped timecode crosses from
23:59:59:29 to 00:00:00:00 (commonly referred to
MachineControl is supported on HDX and as the “midnight” boundary).
HD Native systems only.
To set a SMPTE Start Time for your session:
Other settings are configured in the Session Setup
1 Choose Setup > Session.
window, such as the session Timecode rate, the
Feet+Frames rate, the session start frame, and time 2 Enter a SMPTE frame number in the Session
display format. These settings are session-specific Start field.
settings. These settings can only be configured
when a session is open. To capture an incoming SMPTE address as the
session start time:
Pro Tools displays timecode values in the cur- Press Command+2 (Mac) or Control+2
rently selected SMPTE frame rate. (Windows) to open the Session Setup
window.
Sub Counter and Sub Time Scale Display
2 From the Timecode Settings section of the Ses-
You can display a Sub Time Scale in the Sub sion Setup window, select a Pull Up/Down
Counter. For example, if the Main Time Scale is Rate.
set to Timecode, and you want to compare SMPTE
time to “wall clock,” when you are using 29.97
Non-Drop frame rate, click the Sub Counter selec-
tor and select Min:Secs as the Sub Time Scale.
Video Frame Rate Pull Up and With no video hardware, Pro Tools supports 0.1%
Down pull up and pull down at all project frame rates
when monitoring video in the Pro Tools Video
The Video Pull Up/Down setting lets you change
window.
the frame rate of video playback independently
from the audio pull up/down rate. Note that video However, when monitoring with video hardware,
pull rates are saved with the session. certain frame rates only support pull in certain di-
rections (as follows):
See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on
page 1212. • 23pNTSC can only pull up by 0.1%
• 24pNTSC can only pull down by 0.1%
The choices available for Video Rate Pull Up/Down
depend on the file format and frame rate of the • 24pPAL can only pull up by 4%
video, and whether or not you are using video • 25pPAL can only pull down by 4%
hardware.
* Suggested pull rates for any given project frame rates appear highlighted in the Video Rate Pull Up /Down
selector.
Plug-Ins and Pull Up and Pull Clicking the Online button in the Transport
Down
The Online button flashes while Pro Tools waits
For proper operation at larger (4%) pull rates, for a SMPTE frame to trigger playback. When
plug-ins must utilize sample clock instead of an timecode is received, playback begins and the On-
absolute time clock. All Pro Tools audio plug-ins line button becomes highlighted. The Edit Selec-
are based on sample clock. tion indicators in the Edit window, and the Incom-
ing Time field in the Session Setup window
display the incoming timecode.
To generate MIDI Timecode from Pro Tools: 5 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the 6 Choose Setup > Session, and choose the appro-
Synchronization tab. priate frame rate for the Timecode Rate setting.
2 From the MTC Generator Port setting, select the 7 In the SYNC Setup section of the Session Setup
MIDI output port on which you want to transmit window, choose a clock reference from the
MIDI Timecode (MTC). Clock Reference selector. Not all clock choices
are available at all sample rates. See “External
Clock Sources” on page 1204.)
8 From the Transport Window menu (or the Edit
Window menu), select Synchronization.
To slave Pro Tools to an external device using MIDI Pro Tools will now respond to MMC commands
Machine Control: from the external device.
1 Connect a MIDI In port on your Pro Tools MIDI
interface to an appropriate port on the master Operating MMC Devices with the
device. Pro Tools Transport
2 Connect a MIDI Out port on your Pro Tools You can use the Pro Tools Transport window as
MIDI Interface to the MTC in port on the mas- the remote controller for all your enabled devices
ter device. (such as a nonlinear video deck). To do so, set the
enabled devices to listen to the address you enter
3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session. for MMC. The Transport window will then drive
4 In the Timecode Settings section of the Session the Pro Tools transport and any slaved devices.
Setup window, select Using MTC.
5 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the Syn-
chronization tab.
Machine Chases Memory Location When se- To set up MIDI devices, see “Enabling MIDI
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session Machine Control in Pro Tools” on
with a Memory Location causes a connected trans- page 1218.
port to chase to that location. To set up machine devices, see the Machine-
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se- Control Guide.
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session
by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a
track causes a connected transport to chase to that Setting Minimum Sync Delay
location. Lock-up time delay is the initial amount of prime
time your system’s devices need to achieve syn-
chronization “lock.” This amount varies for each
device. Pro Tools lock up delay is set by entering a
value for Minimum Sync Delay in the Synchroniza-
tion preferences. The lowest value available is 15
frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time that
your equipment can operate at consistently, and set
1220 Pro Tools Reference Guide
this as the Minimum Sync Delay. On systems utiliz-
ing MachineControl, enabling the Use Serial Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming
Timecode setting in the Session Setup window will Profiles to configure your system, and choose
make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time- Window > Machine Track Arming to display
code requires both the SYNC HD and external de- the Machine Track Arming window.
vices to be locked to house video reference.)
Press Command+Option+Control+J (Mac)
To set a Minimum Sync Delay:
or Control+Alt+Start+J (Windows) to en-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the able (or disable Remote mode. If using a
Synchronization tab. D-Command or D-Control work surface,
press the 9-pin Remote button.
2 Enter a number of frames in the Minimum Sync
Delay field.
For information on remote track arming with
3 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
MachineControl, see the MachineControl
Configuring Minimum Sync Delay for External Guide.
MMC Devices Locked to House Sync
Spot dialog
Select (or deselect) View > Clip > Original Time User Time Stamp dialog
Stamp. 3 Enter a new SMPTE time by doing one of the
following:
Creating a User Time Stamp • Enter the numbers manually (with the help of the
If you want to create a separate user-defined arrow keys).
SMPTE time stamp, you can use the Time Stamp • To capture the incoming timecode address, click
command in the Clips List menu. This command the Current Timecode button (or press the Equal
lets you select a clip (or clips) and redefine its key).
SMPTE time stamp. The Original Time Stamp and • To enter the start time of the current on-screen
the User-Time Stamp are then stored with your selection, click the Current Selection button.
session.
4 Click OK.
When audio is first recorded, the User Time Stamp
will match the Original Time Stamp, but you can This command can be used in “batch mode” to set
change the User Time Stamp at any time using the new time stamps for several clips at a time. To do
Time Stamp command. This feature is particularly this, select several clips and choose the Time
useful in post production situations where the Stamp command. One after another, a dialog will
SMPTE timecode on video “work prints” often open for each clip, allowing you to quickly enter
changes from one edit revision to another. new values.
To time stamp a clip (or clips) with a new SMPTE Once entered, the user time stamps can be dis-
frame number: played in all clips currently placed in tracks.
1 In a track, select the clip that you want to time To show (or hide) User Time Stamps in clips:
stamp.
Select (or deselect) View > Clip > User Time
2 From the Clips List menu, choose the Time Stamp.
Stamp command.
faster
25 fps
slower
NTSC PAL +0.1% then 45983 50050 91967 100100 n/a n/a
Video +4.1667%
PAL NTSC –4.0% then 42294 46034 84587 92068 n/a n/a
Video 0.1%
Sample Rate Conversion Using Destination Sample Rates at Pull Up and Pull Down Setting
NTSC PAL +0.1% then 42294 46034 84587 92068 n/a n/a
Video +4.1667%
PAL NTSC –4.0% then 45983 50050 91967 100100 n/a n/a
Video 0.1%
Pro Tools HD lets you import multichannel audio Digital Field Recorders
files and metadata recorded by field recorders.
A field recorder, also known as a hard disk loca-
(Field recorder workflows are not available with
tion audio recorder, is a device used by a produc-
Pro Tools Software.)
tion sound mixer during a film or video shoot to
make a multichannel recording of multiple micro-
phone inputs recorded simultaneously.
Field Recorder and
Production Workflow Depending on the capabilities and settings of a
Terminology field recorder, multichannel recordings can in-
clude one or more tracks (up to 32) and are saved
Before working with field recorders in
as monophonic or polyphonic audio files on a hard
Pro Tools HD, you may want to review a brief
drive, DVD-RAM, or Flash media.
glossary of common field recorder and production
terms. Multichannel recordings made by a field recorder
should be encoded with start and end time stamps
Field Recorder Terminology representing SMPTE timecode or linear timecode
(also known as LTC). Most field recorders also al-
The following terminology applies to field record- low manual entry of additional types of metadata,
ers in general: including Channel Name/Number, Scene, Take,
Circled Take, User Bits, and more.
Metadata
Pro Tools can import monophonic and polyphonic
Metadata is used to describe the following:
files and certain types of metadata entered on field
• Information embedded in a media file. This may recorders.
include scene, take, sample rate, bit depth, exter-
nal clip names, the name of the videotape from Production Sound Mix
which the media file was captured, and even
For each multichannel recording made by a field
timecode values.
recorder, the production sound mixer may desig-
• Information embedded in Pro Tools sessions or nate a production sound mix comprising either a
other sequences, including what files are used, representative channel or a mixdown of other se-
where they appear in a timeline, and automation. lected channels in the recording.
• For AAF or OMF sequences, information about
automation or clip-based gain.
BEXT and iXML Chunks SMPTE Timecode Also known as LTC or linear
timecode. The generating clock of this timecode
BEXT and iXML chunks are sets of metadata can be based on the time of day or can be set to as-
found within a Broadcast WAV file. cend beginning from a certain starting time of day.
Limitations Minutes:Seconds Timecode based on minutes and
seconds.
The following limitations apply to handling of im-
ported metadata from field recorders. Wild No timecode. Most consumer digital video
• The BEXT specification as described here adds recorders do not have the ability to generate time-
some features that conform to standards used by code.
Avid video editing applications and Pro Tools—
Production Sound Mixer
specifically, Description metadata is interpreted
differently. The production sound mixer uses a field recorder
• When you import multiple files in which the to record multichannel audio during a shoot, and
same metadata are populated with different val- later delivers those source files to one or more par-
ues, Pro Tools imports the value that is first pres- ties:
ent based on the following order: • Telecine operator (film workflow only)
• Avid OMF-wrapped media or MXF media • Avid video editor
• Any iXML chunk metadata in a BWF • Pro Tools editor
• Any BEXT chunk metadata in a BWF
• Raw Production source files representing multi- Production Source Audio in Timeline Auto-
channel recordings from a field recorder Synced to Edited Production Sound Mix The
production source audio in the Avid Bin has been
You will receive these files either separately (from auto-synced to the edited located sound mix, and
the Avid video editor and production sound mixer) all audio channels reside in the Avid Timeline.
or together as part of an AAF or OMF sequence ex-
port including raw production source audio (from When you import this type of sequence into
the Avid video editor). Pro Tools, the edited video, edited production
sound mix, and all production source audio will be
available to import directly into the Timeline.
Separate Deliveries of Source
Files Production Source Audio Auto-Synced and Re-
sides Only in the Avid Bin In an Avid video edit-
When you receive an AAF or OMF sequence from
ing application, the raw production source audio
the Avid editor and raw production source audio
has been auto-synced to the edited production
from the production sound mixer, you import the
sound mix, but all audio channels reside only in the
sequence, then either import the raw production
Avid Bin.
source audio, or instruct Pro Tools to search for
matching audio outside the session. In this case, the AAF or OMF sequence does
not contain or reference the production
Once the production audio is imported or
source audio when imported into Pro Tools.
located, Pro Tools will be able to match them
The Avid editor must deliver the production
together.
files to Pro Tools separately. The Avid editor
See “Importing an AAF or OMF Sequence may either deliver the production audio files
into Pro Tools” on page 1237 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 1238. audio files, which have not passed through
Media Composer.
When you use Pro Tools to import raw production 2 Select the Processing tab.
source audio that was not exported from an Avid 3 In the Import section, find the Don’t Convert
video editing application—such as audio delivered Sample Rates on Import preference setting.
separately from an AAF or OMF sequence—that
audio may be offset with the audio in the AAF or 4 Enable that preference to activate real-time pull
OMF sequence by as much as half a frame. down for 48.048 kHz audio files.
2 Click Field Recorder Guide Track. • Same clip name prefix (such as Audio File or
Audio File_01)
3 Repeat for each field recorder track in the
• Consecutively-numbered clip name suffix, from
session.
A1 through A8
Each mono field recorder track must be
For example, the clips Audio File_01.A1 and Au-
designated to enable the special Pro Tools
dio File_01.A2 would be grouped as a multichan-
field recorder features for that track.
nel clip in the Clips List.
Name and Sort Tracks By The Reset button toggles all criteria to their
default values.
This option lets you set the method Pro Tools uses
to name and sort the audio files created by expand-
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
ing matching field recorder channels.
any item to select or deselect all criteria in
the dialog.
By default, Pro Tools searches for matching field • Click Save to close the Select Areas to Search
recorder files in the Audio Files folder for the cur- dialog and save the new search area settings.
rent session. Because field recorders often accu- • Click Save & Index to save the new search area
mulate large amounts of audio data, importing the settings and re-index the selected folders. For
necessary files into your Pro Tools session can be a more information, see “Re-Indexing” on
slow and complex task. page 1243.
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 1247).
6 Check the box to the left of the file in the Can-
7 The Pro Tools editor Right-clicks the name of didates pane so that the Link icon appears.
the guide track and selects Expand Channels to
New Tracks > By Timecode Only. The original 7 Click Commit Links at the top of the Relink win-
source tracks expand to new tracks with edits dow and then close the Relink window.
and fades that match the guide track.
You can now Right-click the name of the guide
and select Expand To New Tracks > By Timecode
Only. All expanded tracks should be synchronous
with the guide track.
• Multichannel location audio 8 Insert a blank videotape into the VTR con-
nected to the telecine, and manually assign lin-
• Written shootlist and sound log
ear timecode (LTC) information to the
The telecine operator generates the dailies (a vid- videotape.
eotape containing the day’s shots) by transferring 9 Begin the telecine capture. During the telecine
the film and audio to a videotape. The shootlists capture, the following occurs:
will be used as a guide.
• The telecine begins capturing the synchronized
To use a telecine to create dailies: film and audio to the videotape, with linear time-
code (LTC) assigned to the videotape beginning
1 Load film and audio into the telecine.
from where you entered the start timecode.
2 Enter the Tape name or Sound Roll name • A FLEx file is created, where scene and take in-
(whichever was used during the production) formation is automatically written and associ-
character for character into the telecine. ated to the film keycode and telecine videotape
timecode relative to audio timecode.
To ensure that metadata are preserved for
the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the 10 When the telecine transfer is complete, deliver
Tape name or Sound Roll name character for the following to the Avid editor:
character. For example, if the metadata was
• Telecine videotape
T001 (with two zeroes), enter T001 with two
zeroes—not T01 with one zero or T0001 with • FLEx file
three zeroes. • Shootlist
In a film workflow, the Avid editor batch digitizes 7 When you are finished editing, export the edited
the telecine videotape to digital video and audio sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it
files in order to edit them. can be imported into Pro Tools.
The following describes an overview of the steps After loading the digital video storage into the
that are necessary in these workflows: camera, the camera operator gives it a unique
name. The production sound mixer must enter that
1 Set up before shooting.
exact name in the Tape BEXT or iXML metadata
2 Shoot. field inside the Broadcast WAV file.
3 Digitize video in Avid video editing application To ensure that metadata are preserved for
(video workflow only) or import digital video the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the
files directly into Avid video editing application Tape name character for character. For ex-
(fully non-linear workflow only). ample, if the metadata was T001 (with two
Following these steps ensures that timecode and zeroes), enter T001 with two zeroes—not T01
other metadata are preserved from the moment with one zero or T0001 with three zeroes.
shooting begins to the final delivery of source files
to the Pro Tools editor. Shooting (Video and Fuly Non-
Linear Workflows)
Shooting proceeds as follows:
Setting Up Before Shooting 1
In a video workflow, the Avid editor digitizes the To import video into the Avid video editing
videotape to digital video and audio files in order application:
to edit them. Before doing so, however, the Avid
1 In the Avid video editing application, create a
editor must name the tape.
Bin.
To digitize a videotape to digital source files: 2 Import the video files directly into the Bin.
1 Load the videotape into the Avid system. 3 When the Disk Label Import dialog appears, en-
2 When prompted to name the videotape, enter ter the exact Tape name used by the camera op-
the exact Tape name used by the camera opera- erator and the production sound mixer.
tor and the production sound mixer.
To ensure that metadata are preserved for
To ensure that metadata are preserved for the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the
the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the Tape name character for character. For ex-
Tape name character for character. For ex- ample, if the metadata was T001 (with two
ample, if the metadata was T001 (with two zeroes), enter T001 with two zeroes—not T01
zeroes), enter T001 with two zeroes—not T01 with one zero or T0001 with three zeroes.
with one zero or T0001 with three zeroes.
4 Use the Avid video editing application to edit
3 Digitize the videotape loaded into the Avid. audio and video.
4 When the digitize is complete, use the Avid 5 When you are finished editing, export the edited
video editing application to edit audio and sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it
video. can be imported into Pro Tools.
When working with someone who is preparing Separate Video-Only and Audio-Only Drives For
QuickTime movies for use with Pro Tools, ensure best results, always use separate video-only and
that you communicate the following: audio-only drives. For complete information on
hard drive requirements, visit www.avid.com.
Consolidated and Referenced Media QuickTime
DV movies can be either complete (consolidated)
QuickTime files (where media is copied into a
QuickTime file) or QuickTime reference files
(where just a small composition is in the Quick-
Time file which references the original media
files).
Video Tracks
Video tracks let you add or import video to the
New Video options in the Pro Tools Operation Timeline, as follows:
preferences • Pro Tools lets you add or import one video track
The Video section of the Pro Tools Operation per session, with a limit of one video playlist and
Preferences provides the following options: one Avid or QuickTime video file on that track.
• Pro Tools HD lets you add multiple video tracks
Enable GPU to the Timeline, with multiple video playlists
Pro Tools video processing is done on the GPU and multiple video files per track.
(Graphics Processing Unit) in order to free up the • Pro Tools HD lets you mix QuickTime and Avid
CPU for Pro Tools audio and MIDI. If you are us- video tracks in the Timeline (but not on the same
ing a slower GPU and encounter poor video play- video track).
back, you may want to disable this option and have
the video processing done on the CPU. To create a video track in Pro Tools, do one of the
following:
Prevent Tearing Use File > Import to import a video file.
When enabled, Pro Tools buffers video to prevent Drag a video file to the Timeline.
visual artifacts with horizontal movement in situa-
tions where video sync does not match the screen Use File > Import > Session Data to import a
refresh rate. This options is not available when the session or AAF sequence containing a video
Enable GPU option is disabled.
track.
Frames do not display properly if you change Video tracks displaying a QuickTime icon
zoom settings during playback. Blank frames are
You can add any supported video to an empty
drawn until playback is stopped. You should stop
video track.
playback before changing zoom settings if you
want to view frames.
Project Type
Video Quality
Output Settings
Project Type
While Pro Tools does not allow mixed frame rates,
Video Online button (offline (top) and online (bottom)
it does allow different resolutions. The Project
To switch a video track online or offline: Type selector lets you set the Project Type (resolu-
tion) to best match mixed resolutions for the ses-
Click the Video Online button of any track that
sion. In general, you will not need to change the
is offline (gray) to put it online (blue), making
Project Type.
that track the main video track.
Click the Video Online button of the main video For Avid MXF video, Project Type is set automat-
track to take it offline, and Pro Tools will not ically. However, when you are working with
output video. mixed resolutions, Pro Tools lets you set the clos-
est matching resolution for the session using the
With Pro Tools HD, press Shift+J to cycle Project Type setting.
through all shown video tracks to determine
which one is online.
Pro Tools provides an Output Settings window for In the Video Output Tool window, click the Op-
configuring your Avid or Avid-qualified third- tions tab to configure the options for video output
party video peripheral. The Output Settings are that are relevant to your video hardware and proj-
saved with the system. The Output Settings button ect type.
is unavailable when working with video without a
video peripheral.
The Sync Lock setting locks your video peripheral The options for HDMI Color Space are dynamic
to an external reference or an internal clock. depending on whether a Mojo DX or Nitris DX is
Pro Tools automatically detects the type of Avid connected, as well as other settings. The HDMI
video hardware you have and displays the appro- Color Space setting determines the color standard
priate options from the following: (either YCbCr or Convert to RGB) to use for your
• Mojo DX options: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
output. You must have HDMI-compatible Avid
• Internal
video hardware attached to your system.
• Reference
• Nitris DX options: HDMI Format
If a SYNC HD is installed and enabled, and Clock Output PSF or True Progressive
Reference is set to Video Reference in the Session
Setup window, suggested formats are highlighted When working with HD video, this setting lets you
in the Video Ref Format selector of the Session toggle the hardware between PSF and Progressive
Setup window for Avid DX and DNxIO hardware. output formats:
• PSF Output
• True Progressive
The Sub Pixel H Phase setting lets you adjust the Select the Best Performance option to process and
horizontal blanking interval used to synchronize play back the full image raster for the project using
the timing of two or more video signals. The Sub 1/16 of the image information. The Best Perfor-
Pixel H Phase setting is available on some systems mance option uses a bit depth of 8 bits. This option
for S Video, Component, or Composite output. subsamples 25% of the raster width. For interlaced
projects, this option uses 50% of the lines in one
field. For progressive projects, this option uses
Video Quality 25% of the scan lines. This option is only available
Use the Video Quality selector to set the video with Avid Mojo and Nitris DX.
quality for the track on playback. You can choose
from options that range from best performance
(lower video quality) to full quality.
Remove Existing Video Tracks When selected, all To bypass the Video Import Options dialog when
importing video into Pro Tools:
existing video tracks will be deleted before
Pro Tools imports video into the session. Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) one
or more video files from a Workspace browser,
Remove Existing Video Clips When selected, all
Windows Explorer, or Mac Finder into the Clips
existing video clips will be removed from the
List or the Timeline.
Timeline and the Clips List before Pro Tools im-
ports video into the session (but left on disk). This
option is useful if you want to import a video file
into the session with a video frame rate that does Importing Audio from a
not match the current video engine rate. QuickTime Video Clip
For QuickTime Video clips, Pro Tools lets you
See “Video Engine Rate” on page 1264 for
right-click on selected clips to import the audio
more information.
from the QuickTime movie clips even if you im-
Clear Main Video Track Playlist When selected, ported QuickTime video without its associated au-
all existing video clips in the currently-selected dio.
playlist on the main video track will be removed
To import audio from a QuickTime video clip:
from the track before Pro Tools imports video into
the session. No other playlists, video tracks, or 1 Right-click on a QuickTime video clip in a
video clips will be affected. (This option is only video track or in the Clips List.
enabled if the main video track is selected as the 2 Choose Import Audio From Movie.
Destination option.)
3 In the resulting dialog, specify the location
where you want to save the audio and click
Open.
The Clips List menu provides commands that let • Selecting within video frame boundaries (see
you show or hide video clips in the Clips List. “Selecting within Video Frame Boundaries” on
page 1272)
To show or hide video clips in the Clips List: • Selecting and editing across multiple tracks (see
1 In the Edit window, click the Clips List menu, “Selecting and Editing Across Multiple Audio
and choose Show. and Video Tracks” on page 1271)
2 Select the Video option to show or hide video • Link or unlink track and Edit selections
clips. • Auto-scroll video tracks
• Loop playback
• Video Universe window (see “Browsing Video
in the Video Universe Window” on page 1275)
• Nudging (quantized to frame boundaries) • Waveform Repair with the Pencil tool
Managing Clips
• Insert space (see “Using the Insert Silence Com-
mand to Insert Space in Video Tracks” on
page 1272)
• Compact Selected (nothing happens to the
video, and at least one audio track must be se-
lected)
• All naming and displaying of clip commands
Pro Tools does not let you select, play back, or edit To insert space into a video track:
a partial video frame. The following rules apply
1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The length
when selecting or editing video:
of the selection determines the duration of the
• When you make a selection in a video track, the space inserted.
selection boundaries follow the current Grid set-
2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence.
ting but round to the nearest video frame bound-
ary, as follows:
• If the selection includes more than half of a
video frame, the full video frame is included
Renaming Video Disk Files
within the selection. When renaming audio clips in either the Timeline
• If the selection includes less than half of a or the Clips List, you have the option of also re-
video frame, that video frame is not included naming the audio files on disk. However, this does
in a video selection. not apply to video files on disk.
• When you paste a selection containing video to a To rename video files on disk, you must rename
video track, the insertion point automatically them in a Workspace browser or in Windows Ex-
aligns with the closest video frame boundary. plorer or Mac Finder.
When you paste audio and video simultane- Changes made in the operating system will
ously, this video frame re-alignment may re- not automatically update the information
sult in the audio not being positioned displayed in the Workspace browser.
exactly where you placed it. A warning
dialog displays when this occurs.
Video Clip Groups
Using the Insert Silence (Pro Tools HD Only)
Command to Insert Space in
Video Tracks You can include video clips within clip groups for
the following operations:
The Insert Silence command lets you make a selec-
tion on a track (or tracks) and insert precisely that • Creating clip groups
amount of space. You can also select across video • Creating multitrack clip groups (including audio
and audio tracks, and use the Insert Silence com- tracks)
mand to insert audio silence and space simultane-
• Editing clip groups
ously.
• Creating fades and crossfades for audio files in
clip groups
• Importing and exporting clip group files
For information on enabling (or disabling) 3 With the Selector tool, click in the audio track
video scrubbing with video hardware, see where you want playback to begin. To shuttle on
“Enable Hardware During Scrub” on two tracks, Shift-click in a second audio track.
page 1255.
4 Press the Control (Mac) or Start key (Windows)
To scrub a video track: and a number on the numeric keypad: 0–9 (9 is
fastest, 5 is normal speed, and 0 stops shuttling).
1 Select the Scrubber tool.
Once Shuttle Lock mode is initiated, Fast Forward
2 Click in the video track and drag the Scrubber.
and Rewind become highlighted in the Transport
To scrub with finer precision, press the Com- window.
mand key while scrubbing. 5 Press additional keys to change the playback
speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch
the playback direction (plus for forward, minus
for backward).
To exit Shuttle Lock mode, do one of the following: To increase or decrease the size of video frames in
the Video Universe window:
Click Stop in the Transport.
Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click
Press the Spacebar. (Mac) anywhere in the Universe, and select In-
crease or Decrease.
1 Move the cursor over the top half of any video 1 Move the cursor over the bottom half of any
frame until it becomes a zoom tool. video frame until it becomes a selector tool.
2 Do one of the following: 2 Do one of the following:
• To move the beginning of a video clip to the far • To place the cursor at the beginning of a video
left of the Timeline while maintaining the cur- clip, click the video frame representing the video
rent zoom resolution in the Edit window, click clip.
the video frame representing the clip once. • To select an entire video clip from start to end,
• To zoom in on a video clip so that it fills the en- double-click the video frame representing that
tire Edit window, double-click the video frame clip.
representing the clip. • To select one or more entire clips from start to
• To zoom a range of selected clips so that they fill end, drag the video frames representing the
the Edit window, drag on the video frames that video clips.
represent the clips.
If the Edit window does not display the
selected video clips, it will automatically
Selecting Ranges in the Video scroll to show the beginning of the selection.
Universe
When you move the cursor over the bottom half of Selecting Zoom Resolutions and
a video frame in the Video Universe, it displays Ranges Simultaneously in the
and behaves as a selector tool. This tool lets you Video Universe
select ranges within one or more video clips in the
When you move the cursor over a video frame in
Edit window.
the Video Universe while pressing Option (Mac)
or Alt (Windows), the cursor appears as a selector
tool. This tool lets you zoom and select ranges si-
multaneously.
QuickTime Settings
Movie Settings dialog
Pro Tools lets you transcode video to QuickTime
5 Click OK.
using the QuickTime Settings options (the encoder
plug-in for QuickTime must be installed). When 6 In the QuickTime Bounce dialog, configure the
bouncing to QuickTime, if the video in the session other settings as desired.
is not a valid video resolution or codec for Quick-
7 Click Bounce.
Time, you are prompted to use the QuickTime Set-
tings to transcode the video to a valid QuickTime When bouncing to QuickTime from Pro Tools,
resolution and codec. the Sounds settings in the Movie Settings dia-
log are ignored.
Avid Satellite Link lets you link up to twelve On systems with a D-Control or D-Command con-
Pro Tools HD systems over an Ethernet network sole, Satellite Link can work in conjunction with
so that you can cue, play, and stop the transports, ICON Multi-mode. This lets you operate the trans-
make play selections, and solo tracks across any of port selectively for up to four networked
the systems from any linked workstation. Pro Tools HD systems from a single D-Control
console, or up to two Pro Tools HD systems from a
Alternatively, you can link up to eleven D-Command.
Pro Tools HD systems and one of the following:
• A Pro Tools Video Satellite system, which uses a
separate Pro Tools system for video playback. Satellite Link Requirements
• An Avid Video Satellite system, which uses an and Compatibility
Avid Media Composer or Avid Symphony sys-
tem for video playback, capture, and conversion. Satellite System Requirements
For more information, see Chapter 59, The following is required for each Pro Tools HD
“Pro Tools Video Satellite” and system on the network:
Chapter 60, “Avid Video Satellite.” • Avid-qualified computer
From each linked Pro Tools HD system, Satellite • Pro Tools | HD Software
Link lets you link and unlink networked systems • HDX or HD Native hardware
and see the link status of other connected systems.
• Pro Tools | SYNC HD
By setting Satellite Link preferences, you can con- • Ethernet connection to a Local Area Network
figure linked Pro Tools HD systems for single- or (LAN)
multi-operator workflows.
All Pro Tools systems in a Satellite Link
Satellite Link can be used simultaneously with network must be resolved to a common
Avid MachineControl, allowing one linked video reference, or “house sync,” using
Pro Tools HD system to go online and drive a SYNC HD.
9-pin capable device.
Other systems on the network are configured as 3 In the Video Satellite Settings window, select
satellite systems, and are added to the network Video Satellite Mode.
from the administrator system.
4 Click OK.
Configuring Satellite Systems To configure a non-HD Pro Tools System system
as a video satellite:
Do the following for each Pro Tools system you
want to configure as a Satellite Link satellite: 1 On the satellite Pro Tools system, choose Setup
> Peripherals and click Satellites.
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click Satellites.
2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for
2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for
the system.
the system.
3 Under Mode, choose Enable Satellite Mode.
3 Under Mode, choose Satellite.
4 Click OK.
4 Click OK.
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click Satellites. 2 Under Administrator, declare the systems you
want to use as satellites from the System 2-12
2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for pop-up menus.
the system.
3 Click OK.
3 Under Mode, choose Administrator.
The administrator and declared satellite systems
4 Under Administrator, choose the current system
appear in the Synchronization section of the Trans-
from the System 1 pop-up menu.
port. The display resizes to show all available sys-
5 Click OK. tems.
3 Make sure the systems are linked. AFL and PFL Modes With Solo Link, AFL and
PFL solos on a linked system have no effect on
Using Solo Link without Linking other systems.
Transport Controls
An AFL-soloed track on a linked system can be
If you are synchronizing multiple Pro Tools sys- muted by a Solo In Place on another system. To
tems to an external synchronizer, you can still take avoid this, use PFL instead of AFL.
advantage of the Solo Link feature.
Clearing Errors on Linked Systems If one or more satellite systems on the network en-
counters a problem and the network becomes un-
By default, linked systems continue to operate if stable, Pro Tools lets you reset all Satellites on the
one of the systems experiences an error and its network to get back up and running as quickly as
transport stops. The Satellite Link button for the possible.
remote system reporting the error highlights red on
all other systems in the network. Any error mes- To reset all satellite systems on a network, do one
sage on a linked system appears in the tool tip for of the following:
the corresponding Satellite Link button in the Command-Option-Control-Click (Mac) or
Transport. Control-Alt-Start-Click (Windows) the Satellite
Link button in the Transport of any Pro Tools
You can set each system independently to stop
Satellite system on the network.
playback when it encounters an error.
In the Satellite page of the Peripherals window
To clear an error dialog on a remote linked system: (Setup > Peripherals > Satellite), click the Re-
In the Transport on any other system in the net- set Network button, and then click OK.
work, Shift-click the Satellite Link button for
the affected system.
Using Satellite Link with
To set a linked system to stop the transport on all MachineControl
systems when an error occurs:
MachineControl Deck Control Mode can be used
Make sure the DAE Errors Stop All Linked Sys-
to operate a 9-pin synchronization device (such as
tems option is selected in the Synchronization
a Soundmaster ATOM or a CB Electronics 9-Pin
Preferences.
synchronizer), allowing Pro Tools to act as a “code
To set all systems to stop the transport when an er- only master” for systems controlled by the syn-
ror occurs, make sure this option is selected on all chronizer.
linked systems.
Satellite Link lets you use MachineControl on one
Playback and Modal Dialogs
linked Pro Tools system at a time.
When one linked Pro Tools system is already
Linked systems stop playback (or prevent play-
online and you go online with another linked
back from starting) if a modal dialog (such as the
Pro Tools system, Satellite Link will automatically
I/O Setup, Hardware Setup, or Playback Engine di-
take the first system offliine.
alog) is opened on any linked system.
Any linked Pro Tools systems set to
To avoid interrupting playback on another “Transport=Pro Tools” will follow Satellite Link
system when opening a modal dialog, transport commands.
unlink the system before opening the dialog.
Any linked Pro Tools systems set to
“Transport=Machine” cannot transmit Satellite
Link transport commands, but will follow Satellite
Link transport commands if they are offline.
To set up the Pro Tools Video Satellite system: The administrator Pro Tools system does not
See “Configuring Satellite Systems” on respond to playback commands from the
page 1287. 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 1288. other satellite systems. On every system, one of
these buttons corresponds to that system’s main
The systems appear, in order, from left to right, in Link button.
the Synchronization section of the Transport win-
dow. Link buttons highlight to indicate linked status.
Linked systems will stop playback if a modal dia- 1 In Pro Tools, go to Setup > Session. The
log box (such as the I/O Setup, Hardware Setup, or Session Setup window appears.
Playback Engine dialog) is opened on any linked 2 In the Timecode Offsets section, compensate
system. The corresponding Satellite Link button for the offset between Pro Tools and a Pro Tools
for that system highlights red on all other systems. Video Satellite as follows:
.
A system cannot play back when a modal • If the start time of the video clip in video satellite
dialog box is open. falls before the start time of the administrator
Pro Tools session, type a positive timecode
Spotting Video to the Pro Tools value into the Satellite Offset field.
Timeline • If the start time of the video clip in video satellite
falls after the start time of the administrator
Once a session is created (or an existing session
Pro Tools session, type a negative timecode
opened) on the satellite Pro Tools system, and the
value into the Satellite Offset field.
video has been imported, the video must be set to
the correct start time so that it runs in sync with the
audio on the main Pro Tools system. Video can be Compensating for Monitor-
spotted to the desired start time by matching time- Induced Output Delay
code or feet+frames values. Many monitors add a delay to the video output of
one or more frames. You can compensate for this
Compensating for Different delay by advancing the video output by the neces-
Start Times in Pro Tools and a sary number of frames.
Pro Tools Video Satellite
To set the number of frames to offset video output:
In some cases, you may want the Pro Tools Video
Satellite system to be offset from the administrator 1 On the video satellite system, choose Setup >
system to accommodate for external deck offsets Video Sync Offset.
or differences in session start time. 2 In the Video Sync Offset field, type a positive
You can control the amount of offset by changing value that matches the amount of delay in the
the Timecode Offset parameters on the Pro Tools monitors. You may need to try a few different
Video Satellite system. settings.
When working with 24p and 23.976 projects, The Project Type is also established when
Media Composer defaults to displaying frames creating a new project in Media Composer.
mapped to 29.97 fps timecode. In order to keep the
3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session.
Pro Tools and Media Composer or Symphony
timecode displays in sync when working in 24p or 4 Select a timecode setting from the Timecode
23.976 projects, click the timecode display above Rate pop-up menu that is compatible to the
the Record monitor and choose Sequence > Time- Media Composer Project Type setting.
code > 24 > Mas.
5 Make sure that a compatible clock source is
To avoid sync problems during later stages of available and connected correctly.
post production, it is strongly recommended 6 Select the connected clock reference from the
in most cases to change the settings in Clock Reference pop-up menu.
Pro Tools to match those of the sequence
open in Media Composer. 7 Select a compatible video format from the
Video Ref Format pop-up menu.
The following table describes compatibility between Avid Project Format and Edit Play Rate, and
Pro Tools Timecode Rates, Audio Pull Up/Down Rate, Clock Reference, and Video Format.
Rate and Sync Ref Compatibility between Avid and Pro Tools
25 PAL 25 4% Up PAL
*Although Media Composer standalone supports locking the video peripheral to black burst or tri-level
sync at these HD rates, Video Satellite will only support locking the Media Composer video peripheral to
tri-level sync when using these HD rates.
In almost all cases, the first frame of video is You can compensate for any offsets that might oc-
located at the start of the Media Composer se- cur if the start times of an Avid sequence differ be-
quence. However, Pro Tools sessions often have tween Media Composer and Pro Tools.
silence at the head to create countoffs or silence.
To compensate for different sequence start times:
For example, a Media Composer sequence may
1 In Pro Tools, go to Setup > Session. The Ses-
start at 01:00:00:00 while the matching Pro Tools
sion Setup window will appear.
session starts at 00:59:55:00—allowing five sec-
onds of silence before the audio starts. 2 In the External Timecode Offset section, com-
pensate for the offset between Pro Tools and
In some cases, starting playback from Video Satellite as follows:
Media Composer at a point which is more
• If the start time of the video satellite sequence
than a minute earlier than the start of the
falls before the start time of the Pro Tools se-
Pro Tools session may fail. Change the
quence, type a positive timecode value into the
Pro Tools session start time to be earlier.
Satellite Offset field.
To set the default start time for new sequences in • If the start time of the video satellite sequence
Media Composer:
falls after the start time of the Pro Tools se-
1 In the Project window, click the Settings tab and quence, type a negative timecode value into the
then double-click the General setting. Satellite Offset field.
2 Type in the desired starting timecode in the De-
fault Starting TC field. Compensating for Monitor-
Induced Output Delay
To change the start time of an existing sequence in
Media Composer:
Many monitors add a delay to the video output of
one or more frames. You can compensate for this
1 In Media Composer, open the bin containing delay by advancing the video output by the neces-
the existing sequence. sary number of frames.
2 If needed, re-size the bin window so that you
can see the Start column of the bin window. To set the number of frames to offset video output:
1 In Media Composer, choose Settings > Video
3 In the Start column for the sequence for which
Satellite Settings.
you want to set a new start time, type the new
start time using semi-colons (for Drop Frame) 2 In the Video Satellite Offset field, type a posi-
or colons (for Non-Drop Frame), and press En- tive value that matches the amount of delay in
ter. the monitors. You may need to try a few differ-
ent settings.
4 Click OK to confirm.
To link or unlink other satellite systems: 3 The softkeys corresponding with each machine
can then be pressed to link or unlink that ma-
Click the corresponding Satellite Link button in
chine.
the Transport window.
Video Satellite and EUCON Control and
To link or unlink the video satellite system from
Work Surfaces
within Media Composer, do one of the following:
Click the Satellite Link button to change it to a A selection of system linking controls have been
linked (green) or unlinked (grey) state. EUCONized. For more information on controlling
Video Satellite functions from EUCON devices,
Press Shift-Alt-L (Windows) to toggle the link see the Pro Tools EUCON Guide.
state between linked and unlinked.
Since video and audio are streamed in one signal 1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session, and en-
over FireWire, it is not necessary to connect any sure the following:
audio inputs. • Clock Source pop-up menu is set to SYNC.
If you are capturing video using FireWire, you • Clock Reference pop-up menu is set to Video
must capture both audio and video into Reference.
Media Composer, because a single FireWire cable • If Clock Reference pop-up menu is set to an-
provides both video and audio. This audio can then other source, like Word Clock, make sure that
be exported over to Pro Tools. the Ref Present LED is lit, and that the clock ref-
erence that the SYNC is locked to matches that
of the VTR.
Source Record
Track Track Record Enable Preview
button button
Index 1315
default names 474 Render button 883
importing 366 Reverse button 883
mixed file types 163 Selection Reference selector 878
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo 290 Target button 881
Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button 315 Use in Playlist button 879
Audio Files folder 152 using 884
audio format 413, 1205 Whole File button 883
Audio Media options 387 AudioSuite window 877
on export 413 Audition Paths selector 56
on import 398 auditioning
Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Mac) 90, 139 clips in the Clip List 56, 275
Audio Pull Up and Pull Down 1211, 1303 fades 633
Audio Pull Up/Down setting 1304 in browsers 313
Audio Pull-Up and Edit Play Rate 1304 MIDI notes 708
audio signal paths 48 pre/post-roll 452
Audio Track RecordLock option 107, 527 programs 726
audio tracks 8 selection start and end points 452
5.1 format 1143 takes 500
and Output format 1153 Auto Accept Adjust Bounds option 110
and surround sessions 1151 Auto Backup option 105
bouncing to disk 1130 Auto button (plug-ins) 1049
channel strips 209 Auto buttons
creating a tempo map for 813 upload, download, and download all shared
disabling Elastic Audio 919 tracks 355
enabling Elastic Audio 918 Auto Input Monitoring mode 482
loop recording 499 Auto Insert Default Plug-Ins preference 112
placing audio in multichannel tracks 1152 Auto Match Pull Factors 1212
punch recording 495 Auto Rename Clip List command 279
recording multiple 489 auto-created clips 546
signal flow 990 hiding 279
track controls 213 renaming 277
Waveform View 547 AutoFades 642
Audio Zoom In button 568 AutoGlide mode 1172
Audio Zoom Out button 568 AutoGlide Time preference 114, 1172
AudioSuite menu 204 AutoJoin
AudioSuite plug-ins 877, 878, 884, 1041 command 1073
Bypass button 882 indicator 1074
Clip by Clip mode 880 AutoMatch
Clip List command 878 all controls 1088
Create Continuous File command 880 button 1087
Create Individual Files command 879 indicators 1081
Default Handle Length preferences 119 individual automation types 1088
Entire Selection mode 880 individual controls 1088
File Mode selector 879 AutoMatch Time preference 114, 1078
Handle Length setting 883 Automatic Ownership 360
multichannel processing 883 Automatically Copy Files on Import option 120, 376,
Overwrite File command 879 386
Playlist command 878 Automatically Create Click Track in New Sessions
Preview 882 option 123
Preview Volume 882
Index 1317
B Bounce
Back and Play command 448 track 951
Back command 448 Bounce to Disk command 1127, 1130, 1132, 1139
Back/Forward Amount 105, 448 bit depth options 1136
Back/Forward commands 448 channel format options 1135
backing up sessions automatically 105, 153 Choose directory 1138
Backup to Cloud 154, 177 dither 1128
bank select 722 File Type 1133
Bar|Beat Markers Format 1135
and tempo events 814 Offline option 1138
audio with varying tempos 815 Output Path selector, from the 1131
editing 815 recording a submix 1139
from Identify Beat command 813 sample rate conversion options 1136
generated with Beat Detective 686 Send Path selector, from the 1131
moving 814 source path 1132
bars time stamps 1131
renumbering 823 Bounce to QuickTime Movie command 1279
Bars|Beats Time Scale 787 breakpoints 1098
Beat Detective 675, 676, 677 Avid keyframes 1096
beat triggers clip gain 892
deleting 684 Bring to Front command 799
generating 680 browsers 284
inserting 684 display options 292
moving 684 opening 285
promoting 685 sorting 293
Collection Mode 695 Buffer Size (Hardware) 485
conforming clips 690 bus interrogation 1014
defining a selection 678 bussing
detecting transients 680 multichannel sends 1155
DigiGroove templates 687 sends 1005
edit smoothing 693 signal paths 47
extrapolation 688 submixing and effects processing 1020
generating Bar|Beat Markers 686 surround examples 1159
groove templates 687 BWF (.WAV) file format 1133
Scroll Next 685 Bypass button (plug-ins) 1049
separating clips 689 Bypass Clip Effects command 900
system requirements 676 Bypass Clip Effects settings 900
templates 687 Bypass Clip Gain setting 897
Trigger Pad 689
window 677 C
with multiple tracks 690 Cache Size 90
Bed Audio (or Bed Material) 1177 Calculator Entry mode (for numeric entry) 601
Big Counter window 445 Calibration Mode command 465
Bi-Phase/Tach Calibration Reference Level preference 109
pulses-per-frame setting 131 canceling record takes 489, 515
Wiring setting 130 Capture Clip command 615
bit depth 150, 413, 1204 capturing automation values 1120
Blocks View capturing timecode 1223
audio track 231 Catalogs (Workspace) 287
video track 1257 Center % (Percentage) 1173
1318 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Center % in Output window 1175 Clip Auto Fade In/Out Length preference 643
Center Playhead Scrolling option 451 clip boundaries
centered crossfade 631 extending selections to 600
Change Duration command 953, 969 moving edit cursor to 602
Change Edit to Match Timeline command 606 moving Playhead to 454
Change Meter command 774, 816, 818 clip definitions 380
Change Tempo command 795 clip effects 898
Change Timeline to Match Edit command 606 applying 900
Change Velocity command 953, 967 bypassing 900
channel mapping rendering 900
default path order 58 Clip Effects display 899
editing 72 Clip Effects Status 556
re-mapping 73 clip gain 889
Channel selector 1050 adjusting with the Clip Gain Fader 891
for multi-mono plug-ins 1156 breakpoint editing 892
channel strips 11 bypassing 897
audio tracks 209 clearing 894
Auxiliary Inputs 210 Clip Gain Info view 889
Instrument tracks 212 Clip Gain Line 890
Master Fader tracks 210 clip groups 874
MIDI tracks 211 coalescing clip gain to volume automation 896
VCA Master tracks 211 coalescing volume automation to clip gain 896
channels 11 converting clip gain to volume automation 896
chasing converting volume automation to clip gain 896
MIDI controller events 728 copying 895
MIDI notes 727 cutting 895
MIDI program changes 728 Default Handle Length preferences 119
Chat 341 dynamic 889
start new 342 editing 891
Chat list 341 editing with the Grabber tool 892
pinning items 345 editing with the Pencil tool 893
unpinning items 345 pasting 895
chat messages rendering 897
filtering 344 static 889
Chord Change dialog 828 static clip gain value display 889
chord diagrams 828 Clip Gain Fader 891
chord symbols 774, 828 Clip Gain Fader icon 889
Chord Symbols ruler 827 Clip Gain Info view 889
chords 827 Clip Gain Line 890
Classic Numeric Keypad mode 27, 105 Clip Gain Nudge Value setting 110
Clear All Clip Indicators command 220, 1012 clip group file format (.rgrp) 418, 874
Clear Clip Gain command 894 clip groups 547, 867
Clear command (Clip List) 280 changing timebase format 871
Clear command (Edit menu) 561 creating 868
Clear Special commands (automation) 1103 editing 872
Clear Trim Automation Track command 240, 1094 exporting to different hard drives 421
click 466, 467, 468 fades and crossfades 873
Click plug-in 466 importing 419
click track 466 importing and exporting 418
clicks and pops, avoiding 550 mixed 869
Index 1319
multitrack 869 Quantize to Grid command 625
regrouping 869 Remove Sync Point command 853
separated 870 Send to Back command 799
tick-based 871 Ungroup All Clips command 869
timebase format 868 Ungroup Clips command 869
trimming 873 Unlock command 855
ungrouping 869 Unloop Clips command 865
video 1272 Clip Name
Clip Groups folder 153 Right-click menu 205, 280
Clip Hold options 118, 220 View option 555
Clip Info dialog 1307 Clip Time View option 555
Clip information 278 Clip Transparency view 843
Clip List 269 Clip Views
and MIDI clips 269 Transparency 843
auditioning clips 275 clip-based effects 898
displaying file info for audio clips 270 clip-based gain 401, 889
dragging from 839 clipping 464
Export Clips as Files command 378 clips 9, 231, 547
Find History 273 aligning to clip start points 842
finding clips 272 auto-created 546
Keyboard Focus 25 automation 551
pop-up menu 269 auto-naming options 279
previewing clips 275 auto-spotting 1224
repeating a previous search 272 bringing to front 799
selecting clips 273 capturing 615
sorting 271 clearing 561
Clip List Keyboard Focus 274 clearing Real-Time Properties 736
Clip List menu 1225 clip effects 898
Auto Rename command 279 Conform to Tempo 799
Clear command 280 conforming with Beat Detective 690
Compact command 627 consolidating 627
Export Clip Definitions command 380 copying 559
Export Selected As Files command 410 creating 615
Find command 272 crossfading between 641
Rename command 277 cutting 559
Select options 275 default names 474
Selected Unused command 280 displaying names 555
Show Auto-Created option 279 displaying times 555
Sort By options 271 dragging from Clip List 839
Time Stamp Selected command 849 dragging to multichannel tracks 627
Timeline Drop Order option 840 duplicating 860
Clip List Selection Follows Edit Selection option Edit-locking 855
109, 270, 596 exporting as audio files 378
Clip Matching Options setting 110 extending selections to include 600
Clip menu 204 finding 272
Bring to Front command 799 fitting to an Edit selection 629
Capture command 615 gain 889
Identify Sync Point command 1226 healing separations 618
Lock command 855 hiding auto-created 279
Mute/Unmute command 856 inserting silence into 859
Index 1321
compositing 656 Copy Source Audio Media 398
Conductor button 191 Copy Special commands 1103
Conductor rulers 788 Copy to Send command 1085
including in selections 601 Copy/Move Indicators 556
configuring copying
MMC 1218, 1219 MIDI notes with the Split command 973
SMPTE 1209 plug-in settings 1055
Conform to Tempo command 799 selections and clips 559
connecting track automation to sends 1084
external audio devices 1066, 1067 track control settings to sends 1013
Consolidate command Core Audio 6
audio 627 count off 467
MIDI notes 713 Countoff button 191
Consolidate From Source Media 414 Create Catalog from Selection 290
Consolidate Handle Length 399, 414 Create Click Track command 466
Consolidate Handle Size 414 Create Fades command 641, 642
Consolidate Source Audio Media 399 Create tab 149
consolidating media 327 creating
Constant command (Tempo Operations) 808 clip groups 868
Continuous Scroll with Playhead option 451 clips 615
Continuous Scrolling During Playback option 450, crossfades 641
451 fade-ins/outs 639
continuous zoom 568 Mac and PC compatible sessions 429
control surfaces Markers and Memory Locations 829
C|24 1035 settings subfolders 1054
Command|8 1036 Crossfade Preference for Pre/Post-Roll option 110,
D-Command 1035 638
D-Control 1035 crossfades
controller events 719 creating with Smart Tool 586
and MIDI clips 552 DestructivePunch 527
editing 720 equal gain 637
editing with Smart Tool 587 equal power 637
inserting 720 Fades dialog 633
Controller lanes 719, 1079 in batches 643
in MIDI Editor windows 754 linear 637
in the Edit window 1079 overlap 637
Controllers folder (controller personalities) 1036 Overlapping Waveforms view 632
Conversion Quality option 367, 1269 pre/post 642
Convert Clip Gain to Volume Automation command removing 641
896 TrackPunch 526
Convert Plug-In selector 1049 trimming 642
Convert Volume to Clip Gain command 896 Current Feet+Frames command 1210
Convert WAV files to AES31/BroadcastWave Current Meter indicator 191, 816
option 120, 376, 426 current tempo 191, 794
converting sessions 161 Current Time display 1205
Copy Clip Gain command 895 Current Timecode Position command 1210
Copy command 559 Custom FF/REW Speed preference 104
Copy From Source Media 413 Custom Note Duration
Copy from Source Media (Video) 388, 399 Follow Grid 702
Copy Settings command 1053 custom session templates 171
Index 1323
tracks 229 Dolby Atmos Metadata 1177
unused clips 280 Enable 1180
Destination Audio Sample Rate 401, 413 mapping busses to Objects 1183
destination folder for plug-in settings 1054 mixing bed material 1182
destructive editing 628 Network configuration 1179
Destructive Record mode 472, 497 Object Audio (or Objects) 1177
destructive recording 497 Object Control Mode 1188
DestructivePunch 533 Object controls 1187
crossfades 527 object output path 1185
Prepare DPE Tracks command 535 Object Path selector 1187
preparing for 535 PEC/DIR Recorder Workflow example 1196
DestructivePunch File Length preference 108, 535 Renderer Connection Status indicator 1188
DigiGroove templates 687 restrictions 1180
Digital Cut Tool (Media Composer) 1313 Theater mode 1189
DigiTest 86 Dolby Atmos Metadata 1177
Disable “Input” When Disarming Track (In “Stop”) Don’t Limit Search Results 290
option 107 Double-Clicking a MIDI Clip Opens option 123
discrete signal control 1152 Download 239
Disk Allocation 480 Download All New Changes button 354
and cross-platform sessions 481 Download All Shared Tracks button 354
and system volume 481 Download command 359
Disk Space window 479 Download Ruler Changes control 363
Display (Group List) command 260 Download Ruler Changes Right-click menu 363
Display Events as Modified by Real-Time Download Track Changes control 359
Properties option 123, 736 Download Track Changes Right-click menu 359
Display Preferences 101 drag and drop
Clip Hold options 118 from the Clip List to tracks 840, 841
Draw Grids in Edit Window option 565 importing audio files 368
Language options 102 importing MIDI files 382
Peak Hold options 118 Drag and Drop From Desktop Conforms to Session
displaying Tempo options 120, 376
all rulers 789 Draw Grids in Edit Window option 565
clip names 555 DSP
clip times 555 active and inactive items 15
file info for audio clips 270 and inactive inputs and outputs 244
Meter Ruler 816 and inactive outputs 1005
Original Time Stamps 1225 and inactive sends 1012
Tempo ruler 794 and no output 1005
User Time Stamps 1225 and overall resources 15
dither and Send meters 1011
and Bounce to Disk 1128 DSP usage meters 100
on Master Faders 1128 dubber emulation 107, 527
resolution and Bounce to Disk 1136 Duplicate command 860
divergence Duplicate Dolby Atmos Plug-in automation to track
drawing 1174 pan automation 1193
using 1173 Duplicate Group command 260
Documentation and Settings setting 106 Duplicate Track command 230, 240, 1072
Dolby Atmos 1177 Duplicate track pan automation to Dolby Atmos
Bed Audio (or Bed Material) 1177 Plug-in automation 1193
Bus/Object toggle 1188 duplicating
Index 1325
Smart Tool 566 Auto-Name Memory Locations While Playing
Trim 566, 577 option 830
Zoomer 566, 567 Auto-Name Separated Clips option 617
Edit window 181, 182 Clip List Selection Follows Edit Selection
All View option 1000 option 270, 596
half-screen 451 Conversion Quality option 367
None Views option 1000 Crossfade Preference for Pre/Post-Roll option
scrolling from the Ruler 607 110, 638
Universe view 609 Edit Selection Follows Clip List Selection
View options 182 option 596
Edit Window Default Length preference 101, 188 QuickPunch Crossfade Length preference 526
Edit Window Follows Bank Selection option 113 Separate Clip Operates On All Related Takes
Edit window View options 1000 option 617
Edit Window View selector 1000 editing tags 309
Edit Window Views Edit-locking clips 855
Track Collaboration 355 Effect Bypass button 1049
Edit/Tool Mode Keyboard Lock 591 Elastic Audio 913
editing Accordion Warp 930
across multiple tracks 562 adding Event markers 934
and Edit modes 563 analysis 921
automation 1096 analysis in Workspace 312, 313
Bar|Beat Markers 815 Analysis view 920, 934
breakpoints 1098 AudioSuite processing 940
controller events 720 batch analysis 312
during playback 546 Clipping indicator 923
Edit modes 563 committing 919
Grid mode 564, 566 Conform to Tempo 799
Grid modes 850 creating new tracks 919
hidden tracks 239 deleting Event markers 935
Markers 834 disabling 919
Memory Locations 834 Edit Groups 933
meter events 817 enabling on tracks 918
MIDI clips 551 event confidence 921
MIDI Event List 782 Event markers 927
MIDI notes 708 Individual Range Warp 932
nondestructively 545 Monophonic plug-in 925
nondestructively (audio) 550 moving clips between tracks 941
nondestructively (MIDI) 554 moving Event markers 934
note attributes 716 out of range processing 933
note durations 969 pitch shift 939
note velocities 714, 967 Plug-In selector in browsers 316
program changes 725 plug-ins 923
Shuffle Lock mode 564 Polyphonic plug-in 924
Shuffle mode 563 preview at session tempo 317
Slip mode 564 processing types 922
Spot mode 564 promoting Event markers 935
tempo events 795 properties 936
Track View 558 quantizing 964
waveforms 550 Range Warp 931
Editing Preferences 109 removing pitch shift 940
Index 1327
clip groups 420 Fast Forward button 189
markers 383 Feet+Frame Rate setting 1205
MIDI tracks 382 Feet+Frames
OMF files 413, 414 redefining position 1210
OMFI files 405 Feet+Frames Time Scale 788
Score to Sibelius 776 field recorder
sessions as text 416 expanding alternate channels to new playlists
Sibelius (.sib) files 776 671
stereo interleaved files 379 importing monophonic audio files 375
Ext. Clock Output 95, 1202 importing polyphonic audio files 375
extending selections 600, 804 file formats (audio)
to adjacent tracks 601, 602 AIFF 1133
to clip boundaries 600 BWF (.WAV) 1133
to include adjacent clips 600 MP3 1133
to Markers and Memory Locations 600 MXF 1135
to next tempo event 804 QuickTime 1134
external clock source 1067 file management 423
external MIDI instruments 522 File menu 204
external side-chain processing 1052 Bounce to Disk command 1130
External Timecode Offsets 1207 Close Session command 174
extrapolation 688 Exit command (Windows) 178
Export MIDI command 382
F Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF
factory I/O settings 78 command 405
Fade Files folder 153 Export Session Info as Text command 416
Fade settings 638 Import Audio to Track command 371
Fade Settings menu 639 Import Clip Groups command 419
Fade To End command 641 Open Session command 157
Fade To Start command 641 Revert to Saved command 160
fade-in shapes 635 Save As command 161
fade-out shapes 634 Save command 160
Fades Save Copy In command 161, 430
presets 638 final mixdown 1139
fades 639 Find All Candidates command 323
adjusting with Smart Tool 586 Find Clip List command 272
AutoFades 642 Find Clips
creating 639 By Name 272
creating with Smart Tool 585 Include Subsequently Added Clips 272
equal gain 636 Find History 273
equal power 636 Find Matching Tracks option 390
in batches 643 finding clips 272
moving 647 First Invite Shares All Tracks option 124
nudging 647 First Selected MIDI Track option 123
Slope setting 636 Flatten Performance command 953, 967
Fades command 633 footswitch 94
Fades dialog 633 Force Audio Media to Target Session Format 399
In Shape 635 Forward and Play command 448
Link option 637 Forward command 448
Out Shape 634 frame rate
Fast Forward 447 and refresh rate 1300
Index 1331
Group List 25 Link Selection button 593, 595
keyboard shortcuts 1051 Link Timeline and Edit Selection option 593
global key commands 24 Link to Source Media (Video) 388, 399
numeric entry 600 Link Track and Edit Selection option 229, 595
recording 489 linked media 21
Knowledge Base 204 linking
inverse panning 1017
L multi-mono plug-ins 1156
Language options 102 plug-in controls 1065
Last Used 81 stereo panners 1017, 1170
Latch automation mode 1073 local (current session) preferences 127
AutoJoin 1073 Local Control 509
Join 1073 Local Waveform Cache Versions preference 109
Latch option 251 locating
Latch Record Enable Buttons option 106 the playback cursor 446
Latch Trim automation mode 1076 with Fast Forward/Rewind 447
Latching Behavior for Switch Controls in “Touch” with Location indicators 607
option 113 Location indicators 606, 607
latency 88 locations
Launch Setup App button 92 dragging MIDI notes 710
Layered Editing option 624, 844 quantizing MIDI notes 958
LCRS path examples 1148 randomizing MIDI notes 957, 959
Level meters Locators to Import 402
for audio tracks 219 Lock Clip command 855
for Aux Input, Master Fader, and Instrument AudioSuite rendering 884
tracks 219 Lock Settings File command 1054
Levels of Undo preference 111, 558 Locked indicator 1207
LFE Locked Track command 240
enable in plug-ins 1176 Loop Playback option 455
faders 1176 and Touch mode 1083
routing examples 1162 loop points 490
Librarian menu 1048 Timeline Selection Markers 491
Limit Character Set option 164 Loop Record mode 472, 499
Linear command (Tempo Operations) 808 loop recording
linear crossfades 637 and pre/post-roll 499
Linear Sample Display 806 audio 499
Linear Tick Display 806 MIDI 517
Linearity Display Mode 806 multiple takes (MIDI) 518
Link controls Loop Trim tool 581
accessing mini-link buttons from a control looped clips 863
surface 1310 copying and pasting automation 867
linking systems to a control surface 1310 creating 864
link controls 1309 editing 865
displaying 1310 selecting 865
link button 1309 trimming with Loop Trim tool 582
Satellite Link buttons 1309 unlooping 865
Link Enable buttons 1050 looping
in multi-mono plug-ins 1156 clips 863
Link Mix and Edit Group Enables option 112 playback 455
Link Record and Play Faders option 107, 484 selections 455
Index 1333
meter events 816 select and split notes 973
editing 817 separating notes 712
inserting 816 setting the Grid value for editing 703
meter map 392 setup (Mac) 139
Meter Ruler setup (Windows) 142
displaying 816 MIDI Beat Clock 459
extending an Edit selection to 817 offsets 460
Meter Type 223 transmitting 459
Metering Preferences 115 transmitting over IAC 460
metering, advanced 222 MIDI clips 551
Advanced Meter Type settings 117 and Clip List 269
Digital VU option 116 and controller events 552
Fader and Meter scales 222 and punch recording 517
Gain Reduction meter 223 created on barlines 514
K options 117 guidelines for editing 551
Linear (Extended) option 116 MIDI controller devices 507
Linear option 116 Local Control 509
Meter Type setting 223 MIDI controller events
PPM options 116 chasing 728
Pro Tools Classic option 116 MIDI Controllers 133
RMS option 116 MIDI Editor
Sample Peak option 116 Automation lanes 754
VENUE options 117 Controller lanes 754
VU option 116 editing MIDI notes 749
meters Notation view 752
for MIDI tracks 219 Superimposed Notes View 747
pre/post fader levels 219 Velocity lane 754
Sends View 1011 MIDI Editor view (in the Edit window) 193
Meters and Faders View 1002 MIDI Editor windows 737
Metronome button 467 MIDI Event List 777
Metronome Click button 191 deleting events 783
Mic Preamps editing events 782
configuring 135 inserting events 780
I/O Setup 53 navigating in 779
Mic Preamps View 1001 Options menu 784
MIDI 6 selecting events 782
assigning channels 248 View Filter 778
configuring MIDI setup 90 MIDI File Format pop-up menu 383
consolidating notes 713 MIDI files (see Standard MIDI Files)
controller events 719 MIDI Input selector 217, 247
Default Thru Instrument 509 Instrument track 249
editing in a MIDI Editor window 749 MIDI Machine Control (MMC) 1217
import by drag and drop 382 configuring in Pro Tools 1218, 1219
importing 380 controlling external devices with 1217
loop recording 517 Master settings 132
muting notes 714 Slave settings 132
offsets 728 MIDI Merge mode 191, 473, 511
patch name files (.midnam) 723 MIDI meter 219
patch names 723 MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity option 103
playing back 444 MIDI Note Display options 123
Index 1335
monitoring Mute button 252
during punch recording 496 Mute Overwrite/Extend 1113
MIDI recording with MIDI Thru 509 Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped option
monitoring modes 482 107, 540
Auto Input 482 Mute/Unmute Clip command 856
Input Only 482 muted clips and AudioSuite processing 884
Move Song Start command 818, 822 muting
moving clips 856
Bar|Beat Markers 814 MIDI notes 714
clips with fades 647 sends 1007
fades 647 tracks 252
inserts 1047 MXF format 367, 1135
Markers 835 My Contacts 336
MIDI notes 710
program changes 725 N
sysex events 727 Narrow Mix View option 224
MP3 file format 1133 navigating Workspace browsers 285
importing 367 New Group (Group List) command 260
MTC (MIDI Timecode) 1208 New Memory Location dialog 493
MTC Generator Port setting 130 New Paths dialog 66
MTC Reader Port setting 130 New Session command 81
MTRX 43 New Subpath dialog 67
configuration 98 New Track command 225, 240
Multi-Cam Resolution files 396 New Track Default Output selector 57
multichannel clips 547 New Tracks Are Shared option 124
multichannel plug-ins 1155 New Tracks Default To Tick Timebase option 110,
multichannel tracks 487 378
and automation 1099 Next Setting button (plug-ins) 1048
dragging clips to 627 Nitris DX 1253
names for 475 No Output option 1005
replacing clips in 851 no scrolling during playback 450
splitting 626 noncontiguous selections 597
multilingual application support 439 nondestructive editing (audio) 550
multi-mono nondestructive editing (MIDI) 554
plug-in Channel selector 1156 Nondestructive Record mode 471
plug-ins 1155 nondestructive recording 497
multi-mono audio files 152 recording to a new playlist 498
multiple tracks with QuickPunch 525
and Beat Detective 690 Non-Linear Transport Error Suppression option 125
audition takes 501, 669 non-real-time plug-ins 877
editing across 562 Normal Zoom mode 570, 756
extending selections to 601, 602 Notation Display Track settings 766
fitting audio clips to Edit selection 629 Notation view 752
nudging clips in 622 Note Chasing option 727
pasting to 562 Note Selector tool 709
selecting 601 notes (see MIDI notes)
separating clips on 617 Notes View 231, 232, 553
shuffling clips on 847 Nudge value 622
Mute Audio Inputs in Auto Input option 540 trimming clips by 621
Mute automation 1098 trimming MIDI notes by 711, 712
1336 Pro Tools Reference Guide
nudging 621 online help 1301
by next Nudge value 623 Online options 108
clip contents 623 online project 154
clips with fades 647 online recording 1216
fades 647 on-the-fly punch recording
multiple clips 622 QuickPunch 473, 528
selection range 599 Open in New Workspace 291
selection start/end points 599 Open Revision History 176
selections and clips 622 Open Session command 157
setting the Nudge value 622 Open Unresourced DSP Plug-Ins as Native
Number of Voices setting 89 preference 122
numeric entry Opening an AAF sequence in Pro Tools 394
shortcuts 600 Opening an OMF sequence in Pro Tools 394
Numeric Keypad modes 26, 105 opening plug-in windows 1050
Classic 27, 105 Operation Preferences 104
Shuttle 28, 105, 590 Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind option 447
Transport 27, 105 Clip Auto Fade In/Out Length preference 643
Use Separate Play and Stop Keys 105 Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle option 588
Link Record and Play Faders option 484
O Machine Chases Memory Location option
1220
Object Assignment and Toggle Setting 1194
Object Audio (or Objects) 1177 Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub option
Object controls 1187 1220
Object Fold Down Path 1186 Record Online option 1216
Object Grabber tool 585, 597, 598 Use F11 for Wait for Note 511
object output path 1185 Operation/Destination Track pop-up menus 390
Object panner 1189 Operations menu
Object Path selector 1187 Calibration Mode command 465
Object Select in Edit Window command 280 Link Timeline and Edit Selection option 593
Object selections 597 Link Track and Edit Selection 229, 595
Object View 1002 Low Latency Monitoring option 485
Object/Bus Toggle 1193 Options menu 204
offline Auto-Spot Clips command 1224
clips 547 Delay Compensation option 1028
files, selecting in Workspace 291 Destructive Record mode 497
Offline (faster-than-real-time) Bounce 1138 Link Track and Edit Selection option 229, 595
offline projects 154 Loop Playback option 455
offset Loop Record mode 499
setting for video satellite start time 1298 MIDI Thru command 509
OMF 405 Mirror MIDI Editing command 703
embedded media 20 Pre/Post Roll option 495
exporting 411 Pre-Fader Metering option 219
import translation settings 401 Scrolling options 450
importing 393 Solo Latch options 251
linked media 21 Transport Online command 1215
media data 17 Organize Plug-In Menus By option 102, 1045
metadata 18, 1231 Original Time Stamp 849, 1225
opening in Pro Tools 394 Other Playlists menu 654
publishing options 414 Output Meter Path selector 56, 57
Online button 188 Output Options
Index 1337
Sample Rate 1136 automation 1103
Output Path selector 217, 242 multiple data types 562
Output Window button 1167 plug-in settings 1055
Output windows 1004 selections and clips 560
outputs to multiple tracks 562
assigning multiple outputs 1004 with Repeat to Fill Selection command 561
default 5.1 paths and sub-paths 1146 Patch Select button 722
format and tracks 1153 Path Order selector 59
to multichannel paths 1154 paths 48
overlap crossfades 637 active and inactive 72
Overlap Shadows 555 audition 56
overlapping paths 73 creating 65
Overwrite Indicator 556 creating multichannel 1147
Ownership Pending 361 customizing 69
Ownership Requested 360 default mono and stereo 69
default order 58
P default output 57
P (Playback Only volumes) 286 deleting 71
Page Scrolling option 450, 743, 762 editing 69
Pan automation 1097 for surround 1157
Pan Depth 999 last used 81
Pan indicator 217 main 48
Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right 402 mapping 72
Pan slider 218 multichannel example 73
panning overlapping 73
3-knob 1171 reordering 71
automation and groups 1100 selecting 71
fine-adjust mode 1171 sub-path surround examples 1160
grids 1166 sub-paths 48
guidelines 1159, 1160 Peak Hold options 118, 220
Height 1191 Peak indicator 217
Height mode 1190 Peak view 548
linked stereo 1017, 1170 PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring option 108
multichannel automation playlists 1176 Pencil tool 566, 590, 704
Size 1191 as Eraser 717
Speaker Snap 1191 drawing automation 1095
take over in grid 1170 editing breakpoints 1097
Theater mode 1189 editing clip gain 893
trajectory 1172 editing Tempo 801
Use Absolute Pan Linking option 112 Free Hand 705
X/Y mode 1170 inserting MIDI notes 706
Zones 1191 Line 705, 801
Parabolic command (Tempo Operations) 809 Random 705
Parallel Task Optimization preference 122 repairing waveforms with 590
Participant menu 344 resolution for inserted controller events 720
pass-through point 1073 selecting the Pencil tool shape 704
Paste command 560 shapes 704, 1095
Paste Settings command 1053 Square 705
Paste Special commands (automation) 1103 Triangle 705
pasting
1338 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller playing
Data option 123, 720, 1095 and making selections 597
pending tasks 331 at half-speed 454
Performance Volume 283 audio 443
Peripherals Edit selections with Playhead enabled 453
Atmos 138, 1179 from a track point 447
Ethernet controllers 134 MIDI 444
Machine Control 131 selections 451
MIDI Controllers 133 Timeline selections with Playhead enabled 453
PRE 135 tracks 443, 488
Satellites 136 Playlist lanes 659
Synchronization 129 Playlist selector 10, 653
VENUE 137 playlists 10, 653
Peripherals dialog 129, 507 adding 654
Peripherals list 94, 95 and groups 655
personalities 1036 and multichannel tracks 1099
PFL (Pre Fader Listen) 250 and nondestructive MIDI editing 554
pitch (MIDI notes) assigning 654
transposing 710 automation playlists 653, 1070, 1079
Pitch Memory Enabled option 130 auto-naming 653
pitch shifting 939 changing timebase of 793
pitch, for MIDI notes deleting 655
transposing with Transpose command 971 duplicating 654
Play button 189 edit playlists 653
Play Edit Selection command 452, 453 Playlist selector 653
Play MIDI Notes When Editing option 701 recalling 654
Play Start Follows Timeline Selection option 104 recording to new 498
Play Start Latency setting 106 renaming 655
Play Start Marker Follows Timeline Selection option setting pre/post-roll in 494
457 Playlists view 659
Play Timeline Selection command 452, 453 plug-in controls
playback adjusting 1051
audio 443 linking 1065
MIDI 444 Plug-In Controls Default to Auto-Enabled option 113
no scrolling 450 plug-in inserts 1039
starting 443 plug-in maps 1058
stopping 443 creating 1060
playback cursor 445 deleting 1061
Playback Cursor locator 446 importing and exporting 1063
Playback Engine 86 Learn mode 1058
Cache Size 90 managing 1061
Hardware Buffer Size 88 setting default 1062
Host Engine 88 Plug-In selector
Number of Voices 89 for AudioSuite plug-ins 878
Sample Rate 90 for real-time plug-ins 1048
Playback Engine setting 87 plug-in settings 1055
Playhead 451, 743 Plug-In Settings menu 1048, 1053
and Edit selections 453 Plug-In Settings Select button 1048
and Timeline selections 453 plug-in windows
moving to clip boundaries 454 opening and closing 1050
Index 1339
plug-ins DestructivePunch File Length 535
and pull rates 1215 global 127
and surround mixing 1155 local 127
automating 1085 Mute Audio Inputs in Auto Input 540
bypassing from window 1063 Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped
Category 1045 540
Category and Manufacturer 1046 Pause during Playback 332
Channel selector for multi-mono 1156 Project Media Cache setting 106
creating a default setting 1055 Tool Tips Display 206
enabling for automation 1052, 1086 TrackInput 483
favorites 1046 TrackPunch 527
Flat List 1045 Zoom Toggle 111
for surround 1155 Preferences dialog 101
inserting on tracks 1043 Prepare DPE Tracks command 535
Librarian menu 1048 Pre-Process using Standard Conform 693
linking and unlinking 1065, 1156 Pre-Roll button 190
Manufacturer 1045 Preserve Fades when Editing option 110
mono-to-stereo 1040 Preserve Folder Hierarchy command 165
multichannel 1040 presets
multi-mono 1040, 1155 plug-in maps 1058
Next Setting button 1048 plug-ins 1053
Organize Plug-In Menus By command 1045 Prevent Tearing option 106
Plug-In Settings menu 1048 preview
Plug-In Settings Select button 1048 AudioSuite processing 882
presets 1053 in context 318
Previous Setting button 1048 reserving voices 318
removing from tracks 1043 voice requirements 318
post crossfades 632, 642 Preview Volume
Post-Roll button 190 AudioSuite 882
Power view 548 previewing
PRE 44 audio in browsers 313
configuring 135 clips in the Clip List 275
I/O Setup 53 Previous Setting button (plug-ins) 1048
pre crossfades 632, 642 Prime for Playback mode (Play Pause) 454
Pre Fader Listen (PFL) mode 250 Prime for Record mode (Record Pause) 490
PRE settings 392 Print Score 776
Pre/Post Fader button 1018 Pro Tools
Pre/Post Roll option 495 Audio Pull Up and Pull Down 1303
pre/post-fader inserts 1039 Check For Updates 204
pre/post-roll Clock Reference setting 1303
and loop recording 499 Drop Frame setting 1303
and punch recording 495 file management 423
auditioning 452 Help 204
setting 493 Knowledge Base 204
Pre/Post-Roll Flags 495, 594 link controls 1309
Pre-Fader Metering option 219 displaying 1310
preferences linking and unlinking systems 1310
Automatically Copy Files on Import option 386 main menus 204
changing 101 Non-Drop Frame setting 1303
DestructivePunch 527 session file 152
Index 1345
creating subfolders 1054 Single Zoom mode 571, 757
pasting 1055 SIP (Solo In Place) 250
saving 1055 Size setting (for window dub) 131
Settings Preferences command 1054 Skip All 425
Setup menu 204 slices 676
Click/Countoff Options dialog 468 Slip mode 564
Disk Allocation 480 and moving clips 847
I/O Setup 48 Smart Tool 566, 585
MIDI Studio 723 adjusting fades with 586
Preferences command 101 creating crossfades with 586
Session Setup 1203 creating fades with 585
Video Sync Offset command 1278 editing automation 587
Share Track control 357 editing controller events with 587
Shared as Frozen option 358 Elastic Audio tracks 586
Shared track, unowned 360 MIDI tracks 586
Shared Tracks Conflict 169 multichannel tracks 587
Shift command 854 Smart Tool Fade Adjustment 111
shortcuts for keyboard input 1051 Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option 113, 1094
Show All Tracks Group command 261 smoothing automation 1077
Show Artist Chat button 353 SMPTE
Show Auto-Created option 279 configuration 1209
Show Offline Volumes 290 start frame (sessions) 1205
Show Only Tracks in Group command 260 Snap Pan to Speaker icons 1169
Show/Hide Clip List button 269 Snap To Bar option 816
Show/Hide Track List/Group List View button 237, Snap To commands 845
259 Snap To Grid 565
Show/Hide Tracks in Group command 260 snapping to the following or preceding clip 845
Shuffle Lock mode 564 snapshot automation 1115
Shuffle mode 563 adding to empty automation playlists 1116
and locked clips 855, 856 and trim values 1117
and moving clips 846 writing over existing automation 1116
shuttle Solo button 250
fixed mode option 589 Solo in Place (SIP) mode 250
Shuttle Numeric Keypad mode 28, 105, 590 Solo Latch options 251
Sibelius (.sib) file 776 Solo modes 250, 251
Side % (Percentage) 1173 Solo Safe mode 252
side-chain 1052 soloing
filters 1052 tracks 250
processing 1048 tracks in a submix 1027
signal flow Song Start Marker 793
audio tracks 990 editing tempo 794
Auxiliary Inputs 991 moving 794
Instrument tracks 993 Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) 1144
Master Faders 992 Sort By options 271
signal paths 48 sorting
signal routing clips 271
and default path order 58 data in browsers 293
basics for surround 1154 Markers 837
example 12 Sound Libraries 281
surround examples 1160 adding 306
Index 1347
Synchronization Device settings 130 pausing during playback 332
synchronization peripherals 44 pending 331
Synchronization Preferences 125 TC/E Plug-In preference 121, 579
Sysex View 726 TCE Edit to Timeline command 628
System Exclusive data 726 TCE Trim tool 578, 579, 580
deleting 727 templates
moving 727 Beat Detective 687
recording 520 DigiGroove 687
system resources 15 Pro Tools session 171
system settings tempo
Cache Size 90 current 794
Clock Source system setting 93 default 469
Hardware Buffer Size 86, 88 display 191
Hardware Setup 93 effects on Markers and Memory Locations 832
Host Engine 88 Manual Tempo mode 470
Number of Voices 89 tapping in 470
Playback Engine 87 Tempo Edit Density pop-up menu 802
Sample Rate 90 Tempo Editor 800
System Usage window 98, 100 Tempo Event Warp markers 798
Tempo Event–generated Warp markers 929
T tempo events 794
T (Transfer volumes) 286 and Bar|Beat Markers 814
Tab to Transients button 449, 604 editing 795
Tags extending selections to 804
adding 309 inserting 795
Assign Tags pop-up window 310 tempo map 392
editing 309 from Identify Beat command 813
excluding from search 308 Tempo Operations commands
searching 307 Constant command 808
take over (surround pan) 1170 Linear command 808
takes Parabolic command 809
auditioning 500 Scale command 811
default names 474 S-Curve command 810
matching alternates 500, 668 Stretch command 812
MIDI 520 Tempo Operations window 807
multiple tracks 501, 669 Tempo Resolution selector 801
numbering for QuickPunch 526 Tempo ruler
recording additional 497 displaying 794
selecting an alternate take 501, 668 extending an Edit selection to 796, 836
Tandem Trimming option 583 Tempo Ruler Enable button 191
tapping in the tempo 470 Theater mode 1189
Target button (plug-ins) 1049 Thin All Automation command 1094
Target Project Timecode Format 411 Thin Automation command 1094
Task 184 thinning automation 1078, 1094
Task Manager 329, 373 tick-based timing 791, 832
Task Manager Status indicator 184 Time Compression/Expansion plug-in 628
tasks Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool 121, 578
failed 331 trimming MIDI 717
grouped 332 Time Grabber tool 584, 598
paused 330 Time Operations commands 818
Index 1349
pop-up menu 237 crossfades 526
showing 237 preferences 527
Track List Right-click menu tracks 8
Download 239 5.1 format track layout 1151
Ignore for Future Download 239 adding comments 228
Import 239 adding to selection 601, 602
Track menu 204 appending new material to end of 498
Auto Input Monitoring mode 482 Color Coding options 253
Clear All Clip Indicators command 220, 1012 commit 943
Delete command 229 converting multichannel tracks into mono
Duplicate command 230, 1072 tracks 1152
Group command 262 creating a click track 466
Input Only Monitoring mode 482 creating new Elastic Audio tracks 919
Make Inactive command 253 deleting 229
New Track command 225 duplicating 230, 1072
Scroll to Track 228 Elastic Audio 918
Scroll to Track command 608 formats 208
Set Record Tracks to Auto Input 483 freeze 948
Set Record Tracks to Input Only 483 grouping 257
Split Into Mono command 626, 1152 hiding 238
Write MIDI Real-Time Properties command locating with Fast Forward/Rewind 447
735 making inactive/active 253
Track Name commands 239 Master View 234, 1101
Track Name/Comments dialog 227 metering 219
Track Number command 228, 608 moving selections between 602
Track Offset options 389, 400 muting 252
Track Ownership control 353, 359 names 225, 227
Track Ownership Request indicator 353 placing clips in 839
Track Position Numbers Stay with Hidden Tracks playback priority 246
option 101 playing 443, 488
Track Record Enable indicator 190 record enabling 476
Track selector 1048 removing from a selection 602
Track View 231 scrolling shortcut 608
Blocks 231 selecting across multiple 601
changing 234 selecting clips 596
Clips 231, 232, 551 selecting in Timebase rulers 601
edit content 558 selecting material in 595
Master View 1101 soloing 250
Notes 231, 232, 553 surround 1151
Playlists 659 Track Height 235
Sysex 726 Track View 231, 234
toggling 234 transposing 971
Velocity 714 trimming unwanted data from 619
Waveform 547 types 207
Track View selector 233 video 1255
Track View Toggle 234 Tracks (Group List) command 260
track width 224 Tracks List
TrackInput Monitor button 483 Cloud icon 361
TrackInput Monitor indicator 190 trajectory panning 1172
TrackPunch Transfer files 424
Index 1351
V locking 1264
VCA Masters main video track 1256
assigning groups 997 Output Settings 1260
channel strips 211 Project Type 1258
clearing 1123 scrubbing 1274
controls 995 settings 1258
deleting 1124 shuttling 1274
displaying automation 1122 track controls 216
mixing 994 Video Quality 1263
track controls 214 viewing as blocks 1257
track type 207, 994 Video Universe window 1275
velocities (MIDI) Video window 1273
drawing with Pencil 715 mixed aspect ratios 1273
editing 714, 967 Video Window command 1273
fading 967 View Filter (Memory Locations window) 838
Real-Time Properties 734 View Filter (MIDI Event List) 778
scaling 715, 968 View menu 204
Velocity Trim tool 715 Clip Name View option 555
Velocity View 714 Clip Sync Point View option 854
VENUE 137 Clip Time View options 555
VENUE Link 45, 137 Edit window View options 182, 1000
version conflicts 168 Mix window View options 180, 1000
Version List 167 Narrow Mix View option 224
Vertical Position setting 131 Track Number command 228, 608
video Transport View options 191, 445, 492, 494
importing 1265 viewing blocks in the video track 1257
Pillarbox/Letterbox option 1274 views
playback 1300 Delay Compensation 225
Stretch option 1273 I/O View 217
Video Clip Groups 1272 Inserts View 1001
video clips 1269 Sends View 1001
Video Engine option 90 Wide Meters View 221
video engine rate 1264 VITC
Video Engine Rate indicator 1265 Generate Lines setting 130
Video Format setting 1303 Read Lines setting 130
Video Import Options dialog 1267 Read Lines, defaults 130
Video Media options 388 VITC Insertion Enabled option 130
Video Online button 1256, 1258 Voice selector 246
Video Pull Up and Pull Down 1211 voices 524
Video Satellite and track priority 246
avoiding sync issues 1303 Voices meter 99
connecting 1301 volume
Media Composer 136, 1299 Performance 283
quitting Pro Tools 1302 Transfer 283
settings 1303 Volume automation 1097
troubleshooting satellite connections 1302 Volume fader 218
video satellite offset 1298 Volume indicator 217
video stutter 1300 Volume permissions 286
Video Sync Offset command 1278
video tracks 208, 1255
Index 1353
preferences 332 X
previewing 313, 315, 317 XML (MIDI patch names) 723
Quick Search 299 X–OR (Cancels Previous Solos) Solo Latch option
Regenerate Missing Rendered Files 321 251
Relink window 282, 322
relinking 318
Reveal in Finder/Explorer 291
Z
zero-crossing 550
Right-click menu 290
Zoom buttons 567
saving a search as a Catalog 305
Zoom Presets 573
searching 299
Zoom Toggle 573
searching with tags 307
Zoom Toggle preferences 111, 573
session 282
Zoomer tool 566, 567, 570
Show Offline Volumes 290
zooming 567
Skip All 321
a track area 570, 757
sorting columns 293
around a track point 570, 756
Sound Libraries 281
continuously 568
Spacebar Toggles File Preview 290
horizontally for all tracks 568
Spot To Edit Insertion 291
in the ruler 571
suitable volumes (see Transfer files) 319
in the Tempo Editor 800
Task Manager window 282
on a selection 569
Tasks 330
out to the entire session 569
Transfer files 318, 319
recalling zoom levels 573
Transfer Volume 283
return to the previous zoom level 569
volume permissions 286
storing zoom levels 573
Volumes 282
to make all clips visible 569
WaveCache 283
vertically 568, 569
waveform display 311
with a scroll wheel 576
Workspace browsers 193, 281, 481
Zoom Toggle 573
Workspace.wksp file 283
Write 1117
Write Automation commands 1116, 1117
Write automation mode 1072
Write Automation To commands 1119
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint command
1109
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint on Stop
command 1111
Write Automation to Selection/Selection
Start/Selection End buttons 1107
Write MIDI Real-Time Properties command 735
Write Trim automation mode 1076
writing
automation 1082
automation on stop 1108
automation to next breakpoint 1109
automation to selection, selection start or end
1107
snapshot automation 1116