Professional Documents
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Pro Tools Reference Guide
Pro Tools Reference Guide
Version 2024.3
Legal Notices
© 2024 Avid Technology, Inc., (“Avid”), all rights reserved. This guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written
consent of Avid.
Pro Tools includes élastique Pro V3 by zplane.development as time stretching engine for Elastic Audio processing.
Bonjour, the Bonjour logo, and the Bonjour symbol are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Confidential unpublished works. Copyright 2023 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved.
Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories
Licensing Corporation.
Contents iii
Chapter 3. Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Mouse Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Global Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Keyboard Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Toolbar Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Numeric Keypad Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Pro Tools Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Contents v
Chapter 8. Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Display Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Operation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Editing Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Mixing Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Metering Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Processing Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
MIDI Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Collaboration Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Synchronization Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Global and Local Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Contents vii
Managing Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
How Window Configurations Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Window Configuration Commands and Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tool Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
UI Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Contents ix
Set Column Metadata Values for Multiple Selected Files in Workspace Browsers . . . . . . . . 373
Searching Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
Soundbase and Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Searching Based on Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Adding and Editing Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Elastic Audio Files in the Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Previewing Audio in Workspace Browsers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Preview Controls and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
Preview Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Linking and Relinking Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Transfer Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Missing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
Relink Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Task Manager Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Contents xi
Importing AAF and OMF Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
Import Options when Importing AAF or OMF Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
Import Sequence from Media Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Media Composer Software Export Options for Audio and Video Mixdowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Audio File Format Compatibility Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as AAF or OMF Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Importing MXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as MXF Audio Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Export Options when Exporting to AAF or OMF Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511
Export Selected Tracks to Sequence in Production Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
Export Selected Tracks as New Session or Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515
Export Selected Time Range as New Session or Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
Exporting Session Information as Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517
Export Session Information as Text Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Importing and Exporting Clip Group Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
Contents xiii
MIDI Merge/Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
Configuring MIDI or Instrument Tracks for Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 616
Recording MIDI and Instrument Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617
MIDI Input Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620
MIDI Punch Recording Over a Specified Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 621
Loop Recording MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623
MIDI Step Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626
MIDI Keyboard Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626
Recording System Exclusive Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626
Recording Audio from a MIDI Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627
Retrospective Record for MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629
Part V Editing
Chapter 29. Editing Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 653
Track Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654
Audio Clips and Waveforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655
MIDI Clips and MIDI Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 659
Naming Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 662
Displaying Clip Names, Clip Times, and Other Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663
Multiple Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 664
Basic Editing Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 666
Editing Across Multiple Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 670
Contents xv
Nudging Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731
Layered Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 734
Quantizing Clips to Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735
Editing Stereo and Multichannel Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736
Consolidating Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Compacting an Audio File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 737
Processing Audio with AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738
TCE (Time Compression and Expansion) Edit To Timeline Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738
Rating Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 739
Part VI MIDI
Chapter 36. MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
MIDI Editing Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 815
Setting the Grid Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817
Using the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 818
Inserting MIDI Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820
Inserting a Series of Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 821
Manually Editing MIDI Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 822
Using the Grabber Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 825
Time Compression/Expansion Trim Tool Functionality on MIDI Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 831
Continuous Controller Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833
Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 837
Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
Contents xvii
System Exclusive Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845
Note and Controller Chasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 846
Offsetting MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847
Stuck Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
Remove Duplicate Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
Quantize MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849
MIDI Real-Time Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 850
Real-Time Properties Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 852
Real-Time Properties on Tracks and Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 854
Writing Real-Time Properties to Tracks or Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 855
Real-Time Properties In the MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 856
Display of Real-Time Properties Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 856
Contents xix
Change Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 939
Insert Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 940
Cut Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942
Move Song Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943
Renumbering Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 944
Key Signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 944
Chord Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 947
Extract Chords From Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 948
Marker Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 950
Contents xxi
Chapter 45. Clip Gain and Clip Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1021
Clip Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1021
Clip Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1029
Clip Effects Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1035
Clip Effects Presets and Settings Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1043
Part IX Mixing
Chapter 51. Basic Mixing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1135
Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1135
Metering and Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1135
Signal Flow by Track Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1136
Audio Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1136
Auxiliary Input Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1137
Master Fader Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1138
Instrument Tracks and Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1140
VCA Master Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1141
Contents xxiii
Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1144
Configuring Inserts View in the Mix and Edit Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1144
HEAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1145
Stereo Pan Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1145
Views in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1146
Audio Input and Output Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1150
Sends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1153
Configuring Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1158
Sends View Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1158
Editing Sends in the Mix and Edit Windows (Individual Send Views) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1160
Bus Interrogation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1163
Output Windows for Tracks and Sends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1164
Output Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1168
Signal Routing for Monitoring and Submixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1169
Delay Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1176
Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1184
Using an Ethernet Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1184
Using a MIDI Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1185
Contents xxv
Writing Automation to the Next Breakpoint or to the Punch Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1274
Guidelines for “Write To” Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1277
Overwriting or Extending Mute Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1278
Creating Snapshot Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1281
Previewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1283
Capturing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1285
VCA Master Track Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1288
Coalescing VCA Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1289
Part X Surround
Chapter 56. Pro Tools Setup for Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1311
Surround Mixing in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1311
Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1312
7.1 and 7.0 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1312
7.1.2 and 7.0.2 Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1313
5.0.2 to 9.1.6 Immersive Surround Formats in Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1314
Ambisonics Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1314
Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1314
Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1319
5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1320
Contents xxvii
Dolby Atmos PEC/DIR Recorder Workflow Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1382
Importing Bed/Object-Related Track Data from Another Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1384
Import ADM BWF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1384
Opening Legacy Dolby Atmos Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1386
Export ADM files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1387
Bounce Mix, Metadata, and ADM/Re-render Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1389
Offline Bounce of Dolby Atmos Re-renders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1390
Contents xxix
Connecting a Supported Third-Party Paddle Device to Your Pro Tools System. . . . . . . . . 1459
Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode Preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1459
Configuring Ports for a Deck and a Supported Third-Party Paddle Device . . . . . . . . . . . . 1459
Deck Control Key Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1460
Machine IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1461
9-Pin Cable Pinouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1463
Contents xxxi
Linking or Unlinking Pro Tools and a Video Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1550
Capturing Audio and Video with a Video Satellite System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1552
Re-Digitizing an Existing Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1553
Digitizing from an EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1553
Laying Back Audio and Video to Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1553
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1557
Profile Showcase your work and talent for others Marketplace Expand your creative capabilities
to see and hear what you can do. Avid Link gives further by shopping the Marketplace, conveniently
you a powerful platform to tell your story and pro- accessible right within Avid Link. Whether you
mote your work. Get discovered and increase your need plugins, video effects, stock footage (coming
creative opportunities by tagging your profile with soon), a control surface, or other software or hard-
your skills, specialties, and expertise, making it ware to use with Pro Tools, Media Composer®,
easier for others to find and connect with you. Sibelius®, or a third-party audio or video tool.
Home Get informed and inspired with access to the Lounges Looking to meet others to get or give ad-
latest industry news, customer stories, blogs, and vice, help, or feedback? Hang out in the Lounges,
product info. You can filter your news feed by Au- which offer a variety of discussion topics for col-
dio, Video, Notation, Live Sound, and Broadcast, laboration seekers, areas of interest, tips and tricks,
and see the latest features for your products, dis- and more. Start or join a conversation, exchange
cover great tips and tricks, be among the first to ideas, and contribute to discussions about prod-
hear about new product announcements, and gain ucts, workflows, and the industry, all in real time,
workflow insight from creative pros. on your computer or mobile device.
Products Lets you view all of your registered Avid Pro Tools Projects Lets you view your online
products, including the System ID, Activation ID, Pro Tools Projects in the Artist Chat window.
when Support Expires, and Support Status if rele- When you are signed in, double-click any project
vant. You can also add Notes for each product. in the list to open it.
Sonic Drop Provides free downloads of audio For more information about accessing
samples and loops, as well as instrument presets, to Pro Tools Projects, Messages, Find Talent,
all current Pro Tools subscribers and perpetual li- and Profile with Avid Link and Artist Chat,
cense holders on an active support plan. see Chapter 19, “Artist Chat and Avid Link.”
Before you begin to use Pro Tools, you may find it Nonlinear editing provides significant advantages
helpful to review Pro Tools concepts. These con- over dubbing (re-recording), and cutting and splic-
cepts are the foundation of Pro Tools operation ing magnetic tape. It gives you the greatest possi-
and functionality. ble flexibility for editing and arranging, and it is all
nondestructive and “undoable.” Additionally, with
nonlinear editing in Pro Tools, you will never in-
Hard Disk Audio Recording troduce any degradation of audio fidelity as you
would with tape.
Hard disk recording is a nonlinear (or random ac-
cess) medium—you can go immediately to any
spot in a recording without having to rewind or fast
Audio Engines
forward.
You can stream audio between Pro Tools software
This differs from tape-based recording, which is a and your audio hardware using the Avid Audio En-
linear medium—where you need to rewind or fast gine (Avid audio hardware only), Core Audio
forward to hear a particular spot in a recording. To (Mac), ASIO (Windows only with third-party au-
rearrange or repeat material in a linear system, you dio hardware), or WASAPI (built-in audio or
need to re-record it, or cut and splice it. third-party Windows Audio Devices for playback
Nonlinear systems have several advantages. You only).
can easily rearrange or repeat parts of a recording
Avid Audio Engine
by making the hard disk read parts of the recording
in a different order or multiple times. In addition, The Avid audio engine (AAE) is a real-time oper-
this re-arrangement is nondestructive, meaning ating system for digital audio recording, playback,
that the original recorded material is not altered. and processing with Pro Tools and Avid audio
hardware. When you install Pro Tools, AAE is au-
tomatically installed on your system. AAE pro-
Nonlinear Editing vides the foundation for much of the hard disk re-
cording, digital signal processing, and mix
Pro Tools is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
automation required by Pro Tools and other prod-
and nonlinear editing system that lets you arrange
ucts from Avid and its Development Partners.
and mix recorded material nondestructively. Non-
linear editing simply means that you can cut, copy,
paste, move, delete, trim, and otherwise arrange
any audio, MIDI, or video in the Pro Tools Edit
window.
Pro Tools provides multiple types of tracks: Folder tracks let you organize both track layout
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, VCA and signal routing in your projects and sessions.
Master, MIDI, Instrument, Folder, and Video.
Video tracks support several different video file
types, including .mov and .mxf video files. There
are many variations of video file types, so refer to
the Pro Tools Knowledgebase for the most up to
date specifics regarding your version of Pro Tools,
Audio track in the Edit window (stereo track shown) on your current operating system.
Voices
In Pro Tools, voices are unique, discrete audio
streams that can be routed to and from Pro Tools
audio tracks, and physical audio outputs and inputs
on your Pro Tools audio interfaces. The audio
Video track in Frames view paths to and from Pro Tools software routed to
Pro Tools hardware use voices. If you exceed the
Audio, MIDI, Instrument, and video track data can number of available voices in your system, you
be edited into clips or repeated in different loca- have effectively exceeded the available number of
tions to create loops, re-arrange sections or entire audio paths. Voices are allocated dynamically.
songs, or to assemble tracks using material from
multiple takes. Typically, each audio channel for each track in
your Pro Tools session uses a single voice. So, for
Auxiliary Input tracks can route internal audio bus- a mono audio track, a single voice is used; for a ste-
ses or physical inputs to internal busses or physical reo audio track, two voices are used; for a 5.1
outputs. Auxiliary Inputs are typically used for au- track, six voices are used. When using Punch Re-
dio effects busses, audio throughput (monitoring), cording, two voices are needed for every single au-
and submixing. dio channel (one for playback and one for record-
Pro Tools sessions create, import, export, and ref- Pro Tools references video files that have been
erence media files. Media files are audio, MIDI, captured by another application, such as Avid
and video files. Audio and video media files are Media Composer® Software. When video is im-
stored separately from the Pro Tools session file. ported into Pro Tools, it references the file in its
MIDI data is stored in the session file. current location. In some cases, such as when im-
porting an AAF or Saving Copy In, video may be
Audio Files copied and referenced from the Video Files folder
within the session folder. Pro Tools cannot na-
When you record audio into a Pro Tools session, tively record new video. Depending on your OS,
audio files are created. Pro Tools is able to export video and re-import it to
the timeline. For more information, visit the
Pro Tools Knowledgebase.
Clips
A clip is a segment of audio, MIDI, or video data.
Audio file icon
A clip could be a drum loop, a guitar riff, a verse of
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
Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and Signal routing options include the following:
signal routing controls for audio and MIDI. These
Track Input and Output (I/O) Controls The most
controls are located in the Mix window. Some of
these controls can also be accessed from the Edit basic type of signal routing is track input and out-
window. put. A track needs to have an assigned input path to
record audio, and an assigned mapped output path
A common audio signal routing task is to submix in order to be audible through a hardware output.
multiple tracks to a single channel strip (such as an Signals can also be routed to or from other tracks in
Auxiliary Input) for shared processing and level Pro Tools (or hardware inputs and outputs) using
control. The following example shows two audio internal busses.
tracks submixed to a stereo Auxiliary Input.
Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder, and Master Fader
Tracks Auxiliary Inputs and Routing Folder tracks
can be used as returns, submixers, and bus masters.
Inserts Master Fader tracks are used as bus and output
master level controls. Auxiliary Input, Routing
Folder tracks, and Master Fader tracks can have
plug-in and hardware inserts.
Sends
MIDI Tracks MIDI tracks are generally used for
Input from routing MIDI from internal or external sources to
Outputs to stereo external MIDI devices. MIDI data can also be
stereo bus bus path
path routed to plug-ins on Auxiliary Inputs or Instru-
ment tracks.
Paths Paths are any routing option in Pro Tools, You can only collaborate with projects, never with
including internal or external inputs, outputs, bus- sessions. Otherwise, projects work just like ses-
ses, and inserts. Pro Tools lets you name these sions. Projects have all of the same recording, ed-
paths, and these path names appear in the Audio iting, mixing, and processing capabilities as do
Input and Output Path selectors and other menus. sessions (you can save a copy of a session as a
For more information, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.” project or a project as a session using the Save
Copy In command). Throughout this Reference
Mixing Formats Sessions can include combina-
Guide, “sessions” refers to session and projects un-
tions of mono, stereo, and greater-than-stereo mul-
less otherwise noted.
tichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, outputs,
and inserts. Greater-than-stereo multichannel for- Project data and media are bundled and cached on
mats are supported with Pro Tools Studio and local storage, but you cannot open a project by
Ultimate only. navigating through the file system. You can only
access projects through the Pro Tools Dashboard.
Grouping and VCA Tracks Tracks can be grouped
Projects are differentiated from sessions by their
together for mixing so that their relative mix set-
file icon.
tings are maintained when changing a mix setting
for any track in the group. For example, changing
the volume of one track affects the volume of all
the other tracks in the group. VCA Master tracks
control the relative mix settings for all tracks Project icon (online, left; offline, right)
within the selected group.
You must be online and logged in to your Avid
Master Account the first time you create a project,
but after that you can work offline. Pro Tools and
Pro Tools Projects Avid Link will synchronize your local project with
Projects are similar to sessions, but projects are your account the next time you online. This pro-
cloud enabled. Projects are written to a local proj- cess runs in the background and can be monitored
ect cache that includes all project data and associ- in Pro Tools by checking the Task Manager (Win-
ated media as well as mirrored in your Avid Cloud dow > Task Manager).
Account. Offline projects store all media and proj-
If a project is downloaded on another system when
ect data in the local cache only. Online projects are
you log in to your Avid Master Account, all asso-
stored in your Avid Cloud Account and mirrored
ciated media is downloaded inside of the project
locally (though you can clear the local project
bundle. This does not affect the location of the me-
cache and have the project and its media stored
dia on the originating system. Each system main-
only in the cloud).
tains its own unique placement of media without
duplication.
Media Composer
Pro Tools
MXF file icon (AAF or OMF)
Pro Tools can import and play back MXF audio session sequence
and video files created in Media Composer. whole file clip master clip
OMF is both a media file and sequence format. plug-ins real-time audio effects
OMF media files can be audio or video, and volume automation gain Media Composer key-
Pro Tools can import and play back OMF audio, frame volume
but not OMF video. Pro Tools can also export
OMF audio, but not OMF video.
Whole audio files in the Clips List normally
Pro Tools can import and play back OMF audio appear in bold type. However, master clip au-
files created in Media Composer or other applica- dio files imported from AAF or OMF into
tions. Pro Tools will not appear in bold type (indi-
cating clips) in the Pro Tools Clips List even
An OMF sequence cannot reference or have MXF
though they are audio files.
media embedded within it.
Embedded Media
Exporting to AAF or OMF with embedded media results in one large AAF or OMF file containing both the
metadata and all associated media files.
The main benefit to this approach is that fewer copies of media files may need to be made, so the
export and import process can be much faster. Using this approach, it is less likely that you will
encounter any file size limitations since the data is broken up into many smaller files.
The main disadvantage to this approach is that there are potentially many files (for example, one AAF or
OMF file and hundreds of media files) that must be transported between systems.
Linked to:
To access the full list of Pro Tools shortcuts in the • Assigning inputs, outputs, and sends
Pro Tools Shortcuts Guide: • Toggling volume/peak/delay display
Choose Help > Pro Tools Shortcuts. • Clearing meters
• Changing track heights
Mouse Shortcuts
Command Mac Windows
Right-Click Shortcuts
Apply action to all Option+ Alt+
Pro Tools provides Right-Click shortcuts for channel strips/tracks action action
choosing various Pro Tools commands and menus
with any Right-Click capable mouse. Apply action to Option+ Alt+Shift+
selected channel Shift+ action
strips/tracks action
Scroll-wheel Functions
Toggle item and set Control-click Command- Commands Keyboard Focus When selected in
all others to opposite item click item the Tracks pane in the Edit window or in the Notes
state pane of any MIDI Editor window, this provides a
wide range of single key shortcuts from the com-
Controls and Editing Tools puter keyboard for editing and playing. The front-
Pro Tools provides keyboard shortcuts for moving most Edit or MIDI Editor window always receives
plug-in controls, faders and sliders, the Scrubber, Commands Keyboard Focus when it is en-
and automation data. abled.With Commands Keyboard Focus disabled,
you can still access any of its key shortcuts by
Command Mac Windows pressing Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) along
with the key. See the Shortcuts Guide for a com-
Fine adjustment Hold Command Hold Control
plete list of Commands Keyboard Focus shortcuts.
of sliders, while clicking while clicking
knobs, and the item the item
breakpoints
Pro Tools Custom Keyboard labeled with keyboard commands (Mac keyboard shown)
Clips List Keyboard Focus When selected, audio To set the Keyboard Focus, do one of the
clips, MIDI clips, and clip groups can be located following:
and selected in the Clips List by typing the first few Click the a–z button for the focus you want to
letters of the clip’s name. enable.
Groups List Keyboard Focus When selected, Mix While pressing Command+Option (Mac) or
and Edit Groups can be enabled or disabled by typ- Control+Alt (Windows), press one of the fol-
ing the Group ID letter (in either the Mix or Edit lowing keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Clips List), or 3
window). (Groups List).
Commands Keyboard Focus Clips List Although multiple plug-in windows can have a
(Edit window) Keyboard Focus
keyboard focus enabled, only the front-most
window receives any keyboard input.
Toolbar Focus
In the Edit window, the MIDI Editor pane can be
displayed in addition to the Tracks pane (View >
Groups List
Keyboard Focus Other Displays > MIDI Editor). When the MIDI Ed-
itor pane is displayed, there are two separate Tool-
bars and Timelines in the Edit window: one for the
Tracks pane and one for the MIDI Editor pane.
Keyboard Focus buttons Only one Toolbar and Timeline can be focused for
Menu and Toolbar commands (including the cor-
responding keyboard shortcuts) at a time. The fo-
cused Toolbar displays a yellow outline.
The Pro Tools Help menu provides quick access to Guides Accessible in Pro Tools
installed PDF documentation and online Help. The
The following guides are available from the
Help system is HTML-based and launches in the
Pro Tools Help menu:
Pro Tools in-application browser. It also runs on
most common web browsers. Audio Plug-Ins Guide Describes the plug-ins in-
cluded free with Pro Tools, as well as additional
The Pro Tools Help menu also provides direct ac-
plug-ins available for purchase separately.
cess to the online Pro Tools Knowledge Base,
Avid Audio Forums, and the Avid Support Center Pro Tools Reference Guide Explains Pro Tools
using the in-application browser (an internet con- systems and software in detail.
nection is required).
Pro Tools Shortcuts Lists keyboard and
The Pro Tools in-application Web browser Right-click shortcuts for Pro Tools, including
is not available outside Pro Tools. To use those shown in Pro Tools menus.
Pro Tools Help while Pro Tools is not
running, use the default Web browser for
your operating system. Accessing the Help System
There are several ways to access the Help system.
Accessing Guides in • Open Help at its Welcome page from the Help
Pro Tools Software menu in Pro Tools
PDF (Portable Document Format) versions of the • Open Help at its Welcome page from within a
main Pro Tools guides are accessible from the Help browser in Pro Tools
Pro Tools Help menu. Adobe Reader is recom- • Open Help at its Welcome page outside of
mended for PDF documentation. Pro Tools
Using Help 31
To open Help within Pro Tools, do one of the
following: Using the Contents and Index
Choose Help > Pro Tools Help.
Tabs
The left pane of the Help browser is the display
From the Pro Tools Online browser window,
area for most of the Help system’s main navigation
choose Help.
tools, including the Contents and Index tabs.
To open Help outside of Pro Tools (or to select a
different version or language of Help): Contents Tab
1 Open your favorite online browser (such as
The Contents tab displays a complete hierarchical
Safari or Explorer).
list of all topics in the Help system. This lets you
2 Visit the Pro Tools Help launch page quickly see the overall organization of the Help
https://apps.avid.com/ProToolsHelp/ system.
3 Follow the on-screen instructions to open a You can expand and collapse the contents to view
version of Help. the logical organization of the Help system, and
you can move to any topic by clicking its entry in
To close the Help system: the Contents.
Click the Help viewer’s Close button.
When you move to a new topic, the contents ex-
pands to the level of that topic and highlights the
topic. This feature, like the hierarchy links at the
Help Display top of each topic, lets you see exactly where the
The Help system includes the following display el- current topic is positioned within the logical orga-
ements: nization of the Help system.
Topics Help topics open in the right pane of the To display a topic from the contents:
Help viewer. Click the Contents tab, and then click a topic’s
Navigation Tools Contents, Index, and Search tabs entry in the contents.
open in the left pane of the Help viewer.
To expand or close a section in the contents:
Hierarchy Links Use these links to verify the
Click the Contents tab, and then click a book
location of the currently displayed topic within its
icon to the left of a link.
chapter and to jump to relevant higher-level topics,
including the Main Topic.
The Index provides an alphabetized list of entries 1 Click the Search tab.
similar to the index of a printed book. 2 In the Search pop-up menu (located below the
Search text box), click whether you want to
If Java is enabled in your browser, the Index dis-
search in “All Available Books” or a specific
plays as a dynamic index where the listing scrolls
book (such as Pro Tools Shortcuts).
as you type a word in the text box. If you do not
have Java enabled in your browser, or if your 3 In the Search text box, type the word or words
browser does not support Java implementations, a that you want to find.
JavaScript version of the index displays, which lets
4 Click Go.
you scroll manually through the entries.
A list of topics and ranking numbers appears.
To find topics by using the Index tab:
Additional Search Information
1 Click the Index tab.
The Search feature provides the best combination
2 Click the first character of the topic in the
of usefulness and speed:
Numerics, Letters, Symbols list.
• The Search feature uses a database of valid
To view the topic associated with an index entry: words. This database includes all words that are
Click the index entry. significant for identifying topics and excludes
all other words. When you type words in the
search text box, the system ignores any invalid
words that you have typed and searches for valid
Using the Search Tab words.
The Search tab lets you search the entire text of the • The Search feature cannot search for words in a
Help system for one or more words and then lists certain order. For example, if you type “TIFF
the topics that include those words. The list of re- graphics import” as a search entry, Search dis-
sults is ranked, placing the topics that the Search plays all topics that contains these three words
feature considers most likely to be relevant at the regardless of their location in the topic. The re-
top of the list. sults include topics where the three words ap-
pear together as a phrase, and also topics where
When you search for text, the text string automati-
the three words are scattered throughout the
cally highlights by default. You can turn these
topic.
highlights off. You can also stop displaying high-
lights after a search by using the Back and Forward • The Search feature cannot distinguish between
buttons to go to a different topic. When you come words that are similar but not identical. For ex-
back to your searched topic, the highlights no lon- ample, if you type “capture” as a search entry,
ger display. Search displays topics that include that word,
but it does not find topics that include related
For more guidelines on using the Search feature ef- words such as “captures” or “capturing.” If a
fectively, see “Search Guidelines” on page 34. search for a word fails to produce useful results,
you might be more successful if you search
again using one of the related words.
Using Help 33
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.
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There are several types of Pro Tools systems: Pro Tools Ultimate Software
Pro Tools Intro Software These systems include Pro Tools Ultimate soft-
ware with any compatible non-HDX or non-
Pro Tools Intro software can be used with built-in HD Native Avid audio interfaces (such as Mbox),
computer audio, and using Avid or third-party au- or Core Audio (Mac), ASIO (Windows), or
dio interfaces with supported Core Audio (Mac) or WASAPI (Windows) hardware.
ASIO (Windows) drivers.
MBOX Studio
All Pro Tools subscriptions and trials automat-
ically default to Pro Tools Intro upon expira- MBOX Studio consists of MBOX Studio hard-
tion, ensuring that you have some limited capa- ware, MBOX Control software, Pro Tools Studio
bilities even if your license or trial expires. software, and Sibelius® Artist software.
• Up to a total of 8 mono or stereo audio tracks per Pro Tools Artist supports up to 4 channels of audio
session at all sample rates input and output, but the available input and output
• Up to 4 Auxiliary Input and Routing Folder capabilities with Pro Tools Intro varies depending
tracks on your audio interface. For information about the
input and output capabilities of your audio inter-
• 1 Master Fader track
face, refer to the documentation that came with
• Up to 8 MIDI tracks your hardware.
• Up to 8 Instrument tracks
• 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit floating point audio
resolution, at sample rates up to 192 kHz
• Non-destructive, random-access editing and mix
automation
• Multichannel support for surround sound in- The total processing capacity of a Pro Tools Studio
cluding Dolby Atmos® and Ambisonics system depends on the processing power of your
• Audio processing with up to 10 real-time computer. Visit www.avid.com for the latest sys-
plug-ins per track, depending on the capabilities tem requirements and compatibility information.
of your computer
• Up to 10 hardware inserts per track
• Up to 10 sends per track
• AAF and OMF Import/Export
• HEAT
In a Pro Tools | Carbon Expanded system, each ADAT I/O is not available in Pro Tools with
Pro Tools | Carbon Pre provides an additional 8 Pro Tools | Carbon Pre when it is part of a
channels of audio I/O, and when used with Pro Pro Tools | Carbon Expanded system. How-
Tools can each take advantage of the DSP in your ever, ADAT I/O remains available on the Pro
Pro Tools | Carbon. Pro Tools | Carbon Pre can Tools | Carbon primary device in a Pro Tools
also function as a standalone 8-channel analog mi- | Carbon Expanded system.
crophone preamp or as a standalone ADAT
• Stereo Optical S/PDIF input (auto-detected) at
AD/DA converter. Additionally, you can use Pro
44.1/48 kHz and 88.2/96 kHz
Tools | Carbon Pre as an AVB interface with thrid-
party AVB Core Audio–compatible audio soft- • Word Clock I/O
ware. • 8 channel I/O metering
Pro Tools | Carbon Pre can be used in the following • Front panel control over input channel settings,
system configurations: and input and output metering
• To provide additional I/O in a Pro Tools | Carbon • Gigabit AVB-capable Ethernet (100’ maximum
Expanded system (up to two Carbon Pre units) cable length)
• As a standalone AD/DA converter (ADAT
mode)
• As a standalone 8-channel microphone preamp
(ADAT mode and AD->DA mode)
• As an AVB audio interface with Pro Tools or any
other Core Audio–compatible DAW
With HDX systems, voice limits are dependent on the session sample rate and the number of DSP chips
dedicated to the system’s Playback Engine. With the HDX Hybrid Engine, HD Native, Core Audio, and
ASIO systems, voice limits are dependent on host processing.
s
Pro Tools Ultimate audio playback, recording, and voice limits by hardware configuration
Sample Rate
Core System Type Maximum I/O Maximum Voices
(kHz)
88.2/96 128
176.4/192 64
88.2/96 256
176.4/192 128
88.2/96 384
176.4/192 192
176.4/192 2,048
Sample Rate
Core System Type Maximum I/O Maximum Voices
(kHz)
88.2/96 2,048
176.4/192 2,048
176.4/192 2,048
HD OMNI Audio Interface • 4 analog TRS line level back panel inputs
(Channels 1–4)
HD OMNI is a professional digital audio interface
designed for use with Pro Tools HD systems. HD OMNI provides multiple analog input con-
HD OMNI provides a compact preamp, monitor- nections, but only four channels of analog input
ing, and I/O solution for music production and re- for Pro Tools.
cording, and post production studios.
• Soft Clip and Curv limiting circuits to protect
HD OMNI Features against clipping on analog input
HD OMNI provides up to 8 discrete channels of • 8 channels of analog back panel output using a
Pro Tools input and output, with 4-segment LED DB-25 breakout cable (sold separately) with
meters for input or output (selectable). variable output gain
• 2 channels of analog back panel output using
Analog I/O TRS (Mirrors channels 1–2 or 7–8 on DB-25
• 24-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-an- connector)
alog (D/A) converters, with support for sample • Front panel stereo 1/4-inch headphone jack
rates up to 192 kHz
• 2 high-quality Mic/DI preamps (Channels 1–2) Digital I/O
• 2 combined XLR and 1/4-inch TRS front panel • 8 channels of AES/EBU output (up to 192 kHz
inputs for microphone and instrument level in- Single Wire) using a DB-25 breakout cable (sold
put separately)
• 2 XLR back panel microphone inputs • 2 channels of AES/EBU XLR input (up to
192 kHz Single Wire)
• 2 1/4-inch TRS Send and 2 1/4-inch TRS Return
back panel jacks for hardware inserts on chan- • 2 channels of S/PDIF RCA input and output (up
nels 1 and 2 to 192 kHz)
• 8 channels of ADAT™ TOSLINK input and out-
put
• Support for ADAT S/MUX Optical for sample 192 kHz
rates of 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, and
• Optional addition of I/O cards to expand analog • BNC Loop Sync I/O for synchronizing
or digital I/O HD MADI with additional Avid HD audio
interfaces and peripherals (such as HD I/O,
• Simultaneous use of multiple Avid HD audio in- HD OMNI, or Sync X)
terfaces to further expand system input and out-
put • Dedicated BNC Word Clock input and XLR
AES/EBU input (clock input only) for external
For more information, see the HD I/O Guide. MADI synchronization (when using SRC on
output)
• Clock support for the following formats: Inter-
nal, Loop Sync, Word Clock, AES/EBU, and
MADI
• Varispeed modes (supports both 64- and 56-
channel standards)
Pro Tools | MTRX is a multichannel digital audio • Sample rates of 44.1–384 kHz as well as
interface designed for use with Pro Tools | HDX DSD64/DSD 128 with high precision internal
and Pro Tools | HD Native systems. clock and PLL
• Sample rate can be adapted to the setting of an
Depending on installed analog expansion I/O external device
cards, MTRX features extremely high quality
24-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-ana- • Synchronization by Word Clock, AES11, Video,
log (D/A) converters, and supports sample rates of and all digital audio inputs
up to 192 kHz.
Remote Control
MTRX comes in three standard configurations: • Operation using DADman software—some set-
• 8 x 8 x 8 (8 analog in, 8 analog out, and 8 digital tings can be controlled on the front panel
in and out) • All settings are controlled over Ethernet
• 16 x 16 analog in and out
Pro Tools | MTRX I/O Expansion Options
• 16 x 16 digital in and out
• 2 to 48 analog channels depending on the in-
You can also add or remove analog and digital I/O stalled analog I/O cards (Mic/Line AD cards
expansion cards for custom configurations. with relay-based mic pre gain circuits):
• MTRX 8 Line Pristine AD Card
MTRX Features
• MTRX 2 Mic/Line Pristine AD Card
Pro Tools MTRX provides up to 64 discrete chan- • MTRX 8 Mic/Line Pristine AD Card
nels of audio for Pro Tools with two DigiLink Mini • MTRX Pristine 8 DA Card
ports (Primary and Primary/Expansion).
• Digital I/O Expansion Cards:
Digital I/O • MTRX 8 AES3 I/O Card
• Built-in 8 AES3 interfaces with 16 channels of • MTRX Dual SDI/HD/3G Card
I/O • MTRX Dante 128 Card
• Built-in MADI coax interface with 64 channels • MTRX 64-Channel IP Audio Dante Module
of I/O
• MTRX Dual MADI I/O Card
• Compliant with the Dante Controller and Dante
• MTRX DigiLink I/O Card
Virtual Sound Card
• MTRX SPQ Processing Card
• Ethernet IP audio interface for 64 I/O channels
using Dante® with configurable redundant net- For more information, see the MTRX In-
work stallation and the MTRX Operation guides.
• Digital router and format converter between all
analog and digital inputs and outputs
The I/O Setup provides tools to label, format, and assign Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus audio sig-
nal paths both for individual sessions as well as for your specific Pro Tools system. I/O Setup also provides
controls for Mic Preamps (such as for Avid | PRE) signal paths and Delay Compensation settings for hard-
ware 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.
Channel Grid
Import/Export Settings
To close the I/O Setup without saving changes: A sub-path represents a signal path within a main
path. For example, a default stereo output bus path
Click Cancel.
consists of two mono sub-paths, left and right.
Mono tracks and sends can be routed to either
Navigating in the I/O Setup mono sub-path of the stereo output bus path.
To scroll up or down in the I/O Setup:
In sessions, signals are routed to and from tracks, Pro Tools comes with default I/O Setup settings to
sends, and inserts using track Input, Output, Insert, get you started (see “Factory I/O Seittings” on
and Send selectors. page 92). You should only need to open the I/O
Setup if you want to customize I/O paths or if you
When you click a track Input, Output, Insert, or change your system hardware (for example, add-
Send selector, the paths created and defined in the ing an expansion card to HD I/O, or adding or re-
I/O Setup appear in the list of available paths (see moving an audio interface).
“Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to Tracks”
on page 278). You can always return to the default settings for an
I/O Settings page by clicking the Default button.
Path Configurations and These paths are available in session tracks and are
I/O Settings reflected in the I/O Setup.
Each Pro Tools system can have a different path You can customize your I/O Setup configuration at
configuration, determined by: any time, according to the needs of each project
(see “Customizing I/O Settings” on page 73).
• On Pro Tools systems, the type of audio inter-
face or other physical I/O (including built-in
hardware)
I/O Setup Pages
• On HDX and HD Native systems, the number
and types of audio interfaces The I/O Setup provides tabs to open pages for con-
figuring specific I/O Settings.
Path configurations in Pro Tools are saved as
I/O settings.
Opening an I/O Setup Page
I/O Settings are saved with both the session and
with the system. You can choose to overwrite the To open an I/O Setup page:
I/O settings saved with the system with those Click the corresponding tab at the top of the I/O
saved with the session (see “Restore from Session” Setup.
on page 95).
Hold the Command key (Mac) or the Control
Unavailable items (including hardware, paths, or key (Windows) and use the Left or Right Arrow
required resources) remain in the session as inac- keys to cycle through the different pages of the
tive items (see “Making Paths Active or Inactive” I/O Setup.
on page 86). When you create a new session, you
can specify which I/O Settings to use. For exam-
ple, you can use the factory installed default set- I you choose to customize your I/O Setup, con-
tings, the “Last Used” setting, or one of any avail- figure the system-specific options first: Input,
able custom I/O settings files. Output, Insert, Mic Preamps, and H/W Insert
Delay. Once you have configured your sys-
See “Factory I/O Seittings” on page 92 tem, you should not need to change it unless
and “I/O Settings Files” on page 93 for you add or remove hardware (such as audio
more information. interfaces) from your system. See “Customiz-
ing I/O Settings” on page 73.
Configure input signal path names, formats, and source channel (analog or digital) on the Input page. Mul-
tichannel input paths (greater-than-stereo) can have any number of sub-paths. Input channels can have
overlapping input paths. Input names, channel widths, and physical input mappings are saved with the sys-
tem and the session, and can be recalled from either.
Configure output signal path names and formats on the Output page. Output channels can have overlapping
output paths. Multichannel Output paths (greater-than-stereo) can have any number of sub-paths. Output
names, channel widths, and physical output assignments are saved with the system and the session, and can
be recalled from either.
Configure bus path names and formats, and map any main bus path to any available output of the same
width or greater. Multichannel bus paths (greater-than-stereo) can have any number of sub-paths. Output
bus and internal mix bus names and channel widths are saved with and recalled from the session.
The Dolby Atmos page of the I/O Setup lets you enable Dolby Atmos mixing and configure either the
Pro Tools Internal Render or setup for mixing to an External Renderer.
Insert paths require audio interface inputs and outputs, and are determined by the configuration of the Insert
page in the I/O Setup for your system.
For more information, see “Setting a Hardware Insert Delay Offset” on page 1183.
Show Last Saved Setup Appears in the I/O Setup Compensation for Output Delays After
in certain session transfer situations. For details on Record Pass
this feature, see “Show Last Saved or Current When enabled, this option provides automatic
Setup” on page 96. compensation for any analog or digital output de-
Cancel Button Closes the I/O Setup without lay with Avid HD audio interfaces. Enable this op-
saving changes. tion when you are synchronized to an external
clock source. When recording from a digital
OK Button Closes the I/O Setup and saves any source, both the Compensation for Input Delays
changes. After Record Pass and the Compensation for
Output Delays After Record Pass options must be
enabled.
Chapter 6: I/O Setup 69
The Compensation for Output Delays After Record Using the Default Audition Path
Pass option is only available in the Output page of
When you preview a file or clip in the Clips List or
the I/O Setup.
in a Workspace browser, or when previewing Au-
dioSuite processing, Pro Tools routes the audio
Monitor Path output through the specified Audition Path.
Pro Tools provides a Monitor Path setting in the Pro Tools assigns a default Audition Path to the
Output page of the I/O Setup. Using the selected first available main Output path of the correspond-
Monitor path for the main mix output of your ing format. You can also select a different Audi-
Pro Tools sessions ensures that a session created tion Path in the I/O Setup.
on another Pro Tools system will always have at
least one audible output. Configuring Audition Paths
The Default Output Bus selector is available in the Select a path from the AFL/PFL Path pop-up
Bus page of the I/O Setup. menu.
The Default Output Bus can be set for Selecting None as the AFL/PFL Path disables
internal mix bus paths, as well as for AFL and PFL Solo modes. When None is
output bus paths. selected, AFL and PFL cannot be used.
To specify a default output for new tracks in the Setting AFL or PFL Path Levels
I/O Setup:
You can set a separate master AFL/PFL Path level
Click the Default Output Bus pop-up menu and for all AFL solos and all PFL solos.
select a format and output bus path.
Tracks do not need to be soloed to have the
master AFL/PFL Path level adjusted.
AFL/PFL Path
Tracks soloed in AFL (After Fader Listen) or PFL To set the AFL/PFL Path level for AFL or PFL
solos:
(Pre Fader Listen) Solo mode are routed to the cur-
rent AFL/PFL Path, as set with the AFL/PFL Path 1 Choose Options > Solo Mode, and select a Solo
selector. mode:
• To set the level for AFL solos, select AFL.
Pro Tools provides a combined AFL/PFL Path set-
ting that can use any available Output path, regard- • To set the level for PFL solos, select PFL.
less of channel width. For mismatched channel 2 In the Mix or Edit window, Control-click Com-
widths, the AFL/PFL path is automatically down- mand-click (Mac) or (Windows) a Solo button
mixed or upmixed to the selected Output path. on any track.
3 Adjust the AFL/PFL Path fader.
To set the AFL/PFL Path level to 0 dB, The Default Format selector lets you select the de-
Command-Control-click (Mac) or fault format (Mono, Stereo, and all multichannel
Control-Start-click (Windows) any Solo formats) for new paths and for when you click the
button. Default button.
4 From the Low Latency Monitoring pop-up menu, Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio let you filter
select the Output path you want to use for Low which multichannel formats appear in the De-
Latency Monitoring. fault Format selector. For more information,
see “Channel Width Filtering” on page 1323.
5 Click OK to save your changes and close the I/O
Setup.
For more information about multichannel mix-
ing with Pro Tools Ultimate and Pro Tools
Studio, see Chapter 56, “Pro Tools Setup for
Surround.”
2 Click the Output tab. 7 The settings of the currently loaded Rig will be
embedded in each audio clip that is recorded
3 Use the Default Path Order setting to select the from the input you select in the Embed Setting
channel order you want for the corresponding From menu.
channel width.
Audio clips with embedded Rig data are marked
Embed Eleven Settings From with a small Eleven Rack logo icon in both the Edit
Window and the Clips List in Pro Tools.
(Systems with Eleven Rack Only)
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 77
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.
5.0 – 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path 1 Select the page of the I/O Setup where you want
6.0 – 5–7 Mono name >.LR to create sub-paths (such as the Input page).
7.0 (one for each Mono: <main path
channel) name >.L, .C, .R, 2 Select the Main path for which you want to cre-
.Ls, .Rs, and so on ate sub-paths.
5.1 – 1 Stereo (LR), Stereo: <main path 3 Click New Sub-Path.
6.1 – 6–8 Mono name >.LR
7.1 (one for each Mono: <main path 4 Configure the New Sub-Paths dialog as desired
channel) name >.L, .C, .R, and click Create.
.Ls, .Rs, and so on,
and LFE 5 Click in the Grid to assign the new sub-path
channels to available main path channels.
7.0.2 1 each: 7.0, 5.0, multichannel sub-
(Dolby Quad, LCR, Ste- paths: <main path
Atmos reo, Overhead name >.<channel New Sub-Path Dialog
only) (LR); format>
and 9 Mono Mono: <main path The New Sub-Path dialog lets you create new sub-
(one for each name >.L, .C, .R, paths for main paths on the Input, Output, Bus, and
channel) .Lss, .Rss, .Lsr, .Rsr, Insert pages of the I/O Setup.
.Lts, .Rts
7.1.2 1 each: 7.1, 7.0, Stereo: <main path Number of new sub-paths Add/Remove Row
(Dolby 5.1, 5.0, Quad, name >.LR Sub-Path Format Sub-Path Name
Atmos LCR, Stereo, Mono: <main path
only) Overhead (LR); name >.L, .C, .R,
and10 Mono .Lss, .Rss, .Lsr, .Rsr,
(one for each .LFE, .Lts, .Rts
channel)
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.
Assigning channels
Default Format and Path Order settings Though it is possible to set up invalid assignments
in the Channel Grid, Pro Tools will not accept an
Reassiging Paths I/O Setup configuration unless all paths meet the
path definition and channel assignment require-
You can move the individual assignments to dif-
ments, as follows:
ferent channels, to reorder the path’s definition
(for example, changing a multichannel path to Minimum Path Definitions All paths must have a
L-R-C-LFE-Ls-Rs). name, be of a specific format, and have a valid I/O
assignment.
To reassign channels in a path:
Valid Paths Channel assignment follows certain
Drag the channel to the new location in the
rules regarding overlapping paths.
Grid. Other channel assignments move (shuffle)
to accommodate dragged channels. • There can be no partial overlaps between any
two output paths.
Channel Shuffling • A newly-created output path must either be
Moving a signal from right to left results in a shuf- completely independent of other assignments
fle of other signals after the new destination chan- (not assigned to any other available I/O inter-
nel. Moving a signal from left to right shuffles any face/channels), or it must be a path completely
and all signals after the new destination channel contained within a larger path (for example, an
and leaves the previous channel empty. LCR sub-path within a larger 5.1 path).
Valid (complete) output path When you create a new output path on the Output
page of the I/O Setup, a new output bus of the same
width is automatically created and mapped to that
output path. Output busses are also created and
mapped according to default settings when creat-
ing a new session or restoring defaults (see “Re-
storing Default Paths and Path Names” on
page 83).
2 In the New Paths dialog, specify the number of To map all output busses of the same format to an
new paths you want to create, the channel width output path:
for each path, and the path name. Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Mapping To Output selector and select an out-
put path (mono or stereo).
Command-Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Con- To revert to the default bus configuration for your
trol-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) the mono bus in- system:
dicator of the top-most mono bus and select the 1 Open the I/O Setup.
first channel from the pop-up menu.
2 Click the Bus tab in the upper left.
Using Keyboard Modifiers When 3 From the pop-up menu to the right of the Default
Enabling or Assigning Output button, select one of the following:
Busses • All Busses
Pro Tools lets you use keyboard modifiers when • Output Busses
enabling or assigning Output busses. These key- • Internal Busses
board modifiers behave in the same way as when
assigning track inputs, and track and send outputs. 4 Click Default.
Being able to assign a single output bus to multiple
Resetting busses to the default setting will re-
physical outputs is useful in cases where you want
name all busses to their default name (Bus 1–
to route a single source signal to two or more out-
2, Bus 3–4, and so on).
puts. Rather than assigning multiple outputs on a
track-by-track basis, you can do it once in the 5 Click OK to save changes and close the I/O
I/O Setup. Setup.
In the I/O Setup, the following keyboard modifiers
Active Busses
apply:
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) to The Bus page of the I/O Setup displays the number
apply to all busses. of active internal mix busses. If the number of ac-
tive busses exceeds the number of available bus-
• Command-Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Control- ses, the display turns red. Delete or deactivate any
Alt-Shift-click (Windows) to apply only to se- active busses in excess of the available number of
lected Output busses. busses to be able close the I/O Setup and save your
• Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) settings.
for each additional Output path you want to as-
sign an Output bus to.
• Command-Option-click (Mac) or Control-Alt-
click (Windows) to assign a bus to the selected
Output path and all subsequent busses to the
next available Output path sequentially.
Chapter 6: I/O Setup 91
Sorting Bus Paths Stereo Mix Settings
The Bus page provide controls to sort busses by This Stereo Mix setting creates the maximum
name (ascending or descending), format (ascend- number of stereo paths, as determined by the avail-
ing or descending), or by mapped to output status able system’s I/O Setup and hardware configura-
(ascending only). tion.
Click to sort by Name Click to sort by map- Using the “Stereo Mix” settings file has
ping to output status
the same effect as clicking Default for ev-
Click to sort by Format ery individual tab in I/O Settings. See
“Restoring Default Paths and Path
Names” on page 83.
Sorting bus paths in the I/O Setup The Surround Mix setting provides additional, sur-
round-specific Output and Bus settings files.
To sort bus paths by Name:
1 In the Bus page, click the Name column header. See Chapter 56, “Pro Tools Setup for
Surround.”
2 Click the Name column header again to toggle
between ascending and descending sort order.
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 73), 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 481.
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 58.
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).
Aux I/O
(macOS Big Sur or Later Only)
While Aux I/O can use any Core Audio device Use Pro Tools Audio Bridge as the audio con-
on the system, it is recommended that you use nection between Pro Tools and any other ap-
Pro Tools Audio Bridge devices for optimal plication to avoid clicks pops, errors, or other
performance. Aux I/O devices should not be artifacts.
used interchangeably with your main playback
engine as it incurs greater, non-deterministic 4 If desired, you can rename Aux I/O input and
latency (which means latency can change be- output devices in the Display Name column.
tween playback and recording passes). Aux 5 After you have selected In and Out for any Core
I/O is meant to be used as a utility to route sig- Audio devices you want to use as Aux I/O with
nal through Pro Tools, but should not be relied Pro Tools, click OK.
upon for critical audio tasks.
6 Click OK to close the I/O Setup window.
Setting Up Aux I/O Any Core Audio devices selected as In or Out Aux
The Input and Output pages of the Pro Tools I/O I/O devices can be selected as the input or output
Setup window let you add any Core Audio device for audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder, Instru-
for use with Pro Tools as Aux I/O in addition to the ment, and Master Fader tracks, or as Outputs for
I/O of the selected Playback Engine. Sends.
4 Click the desired color on the Color palette to assign the color you want to the path.
You can assign a single color to multiple selected paths with a single click in the Color palette.
Assigned path colors are saved as part of the path and included with the I/O Settings in sessions and .pio
files. Paths are stored and recalled from different places depending on the path type.
Figure 11. Edit window I/O and Insert view with color coded I/O paths
Assigned path colors are inherited by related paths (as long as the related paths are set to the default color,
which they are by default). For example, assigning a color to an Output path is automatically inherited by
its corresponding assigned output bus path (unless the bus path is uniquely assigned a different color).
If you color code Dolby Atmos groups and assign a group to a path in the Dolby Atmos tab, it also colors
the path. If that path is mapped to an output when using an external renderer, that output inherits the
Group color as well.
To ensure that the components of your Pro Tools To quit Pro Tools, choose Pro Tools > Quit
system communicate properly with each other, you (Mac) or File > Exit (Windows).
need to start them in a particular order.
2 Turn off or lower the volume of all output
Start up your Pro Tools system in this order:
devices in your system.
1 Make sure all your equipment (including your 3 Turn off your computer.
computer) is off. 4 Do one of the following depending on your
2 Lower the volume of all output devices in your Pro Tools system:
system. • For HDX and HD Native systems, turn off
your Pro Tools audio interfaces.
3 For systems with an expansion chassis, turn on
the chassis. • For Pro Tools systems with hardware requir-
ing external power (like Pro Tools | Carbon),
4 Turn on any control surfaces (such as S1 or S6). turn off the hardware.
5 Turn on any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or 5 For systems with an expansion chassis, turn off
synchronization peripherals. the chassis.
6 Do one of the following, depending on your 6 Turn off any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or
Pro Tools system: synchronization peripherals.
• For HDX and HD Native systems, with the
7 Turn off any control surfaces (such as S1 or S6).
volume of all output devices lowered, turn on
your audio interfaces (such as HD OMNI).
Wait at least fifteen seconds for your system
hardware to initialize. Running DigiTest
• For Pro Tools systems with hardware requir- Before you use Pro Tools, you may want to run the
ing external power (like Pro Tools | Carbon), DigiTest™ diagnostic application to ensure that all
with the volume of all output devices low- HDX cards in the system are recognized, installed
ered, turn on the hardware. in the proper order, and have valid connections.
You can also use DigiTest to validate your
7 Turn on your computer.
HD Native PCIe card or Thunderbolt interface.
8 Launch Pro Tools. For more information, see the Avid DigiTest Guide.
On Windows systems, select the ASIO4ALL v2 op- On Windows systems, select the Windows Audio
tion to use the built-in WDM sound card (for re- Device option to use the built-in audio, or any other
cording and monitoring). The ASIO4ALL v2 supported 3rd-party Windows Audio Device.
driver is installed automatically with Pro Tools.
You can configure the ASIO4ALL settings in its In order to reduce demand on the CPU and to
Setup App (choose Settings > Hardware and click provide optimal performance when using a
Launch Setup App). WASAPI device with Pro Tools, audio stream-
ing with that device is restricted to Pro Tools
and is unavailable for the system or any other
audio application.
If the Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option When enabled, the Dynamic Plug-In Processing
is enabled and too many CPU intensive Native option maximizes plug-in counts by dynamically
plug-ins are active in the session (such as Eleven reallocating host-based processing resources as
Free or various virtual instrument plug-ins), you needed. This means that plug-ins only use CPU
may experience badly distorted audio. If you en- cycles when they are actually processing audio.
counter this problem, remove or make inactive any
unnecessary Native plug-ins. You can also isolate Optimize Performance at Low Buffer
and bus record any tracks that use virtual instru- Sizes
ments, and then make those source tracks inactive (Mac Only)
to free up processing resources.
In the Playback Engine dialog, the Optimize Per-
Ignore Errors During Playback/Recording For formance at Low Buffer Sizes option ensures that
CPU performance is optimized as thread-wakeup
On macOS only, there are two options for ignoring time jitter is minimized on macOS. When enabled
errors during playback and recording: (it is enabled by default), this option impacts only
the two lowest available HW Buffer Size settings.
Main Playback Engine Enable to avoid interrup-
However, when this option is enabled, certain
tions to playback and recording for the main play-
plug-ins may cause the system to hang for several
back engine.
seconds. If you encounter this issue, disable the
Aux I/O Enable to avoid interruptions to playback option or increase the HW Buffer Size setting.
and recording for any Aux I/O configured for Input
and/or output with Pro Tools on macOS. Limit Number of Real-Time Threads
(Pro Tools on Intel-based Macs Only)
To reduce the possibility of resource contention Activate Pro Tools Power Scheme
you can limit the number of real-time threads that
(Windows Only)
are spun up and run by enabling the Limit Number
of Real-Time Threads option in the Playback En- Enable the Activate Pro Tools Power Scheme op-
gine dialog. tion to optimize Pro Tools performance. When en-
• When enabled, CPU resource contention is min- abled, a dialog is displayed that describes how this
imized by limiting the number of low latency setting optimizes Pro Tools performance, but de-
processing threads that Pro Tools will spin up to activates Windows power-saving settings which
[(number of physical cores) –1]. can result in increased power consumption, CPU
heat generation, fan activity and potential noise.
• When disabled (legacy Pro Tools behavior),
Pro Tools will spin up and run more real-time
threads [(number of logical cores) –1], or [(num- Disk Playback Section
ber of logical cores) –2] for machines with 12 or
Cache Size
more logical cores.
The Cache Size setting in the Playback Engine de-
If you are recording or input monitoring many termines the amount of memory allocated to pre-
tracks with plug-ins, having this option en- buffer audio for playback and recording. In most
abled may result in –9093 and –6101 errors cases, the default setting of Normal is the optimum
due to a reduction in the number of parallel Cache Size for most sessions.
high-priority real-time threads that Pro Tools
will spin up. If this occurs, disable this option. Pro Tools can also load audio files used in
Pro Tools sessions into RAM for cached playback.
Intel® Turbo Boost Pro Tools prioritizes files closest to the current
(Intel-based Macs with Turbo Boost Support playhead location. This way, when you start play-
Only) back, those files are already cached for playback.
This is especially useful when working with shared
Many Intel®-based Macs provide a feature called
media storage (such as with Avid Unity ISIS®
“Turbo Boost.” This accelerates processor and
shared storage systems).
graphics performance for peak loads, automati-
cally allowing processor cores to run faster than To determine the maximum amount of RAM avail-
the rated operating frequency. The downside is able for the Disk Cache, Pro Tools polls the com-
that this also increases CPU temperature, which puter for the amount of RAM installed and sub-
can cause Mac fans to have to run faster and thus tracts 4 GB of RAM. For example, if your
generate more noise. computer has 16 GB of RAM installed, the total
amount of RAM available for the Disk Cache will
Turbo Boost is enabled by default on macOS and
be 12 GB.
its setting applies to the entire Mac system (not just
Pro Tools).
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 Master set to
Internal.
HDX and HD Native systems can have HD I/O, 4 Select the Identify option, located in the lower
HD OMNI, HD MADI, Pro Tools | MTRX, or left corner of the Hardware Setup. This illumi-
Pro Tools | MTRX Studio audio interfaces con- nates all the LEDs on the front panel of the se-
nected to HDX cards or HD Native hardware. lected audio interface.
HD I/O, HD OMNI, MTRX, and MTRX Studio 5 Make a note of which interface in your studio
can also have additional interfaces attached using setup corresponds to the identified interface.
the Expansion port on each interface.
6 Repeat the above steps for each additional audio
interface in your setup.
Hardware Setup for HD I/O, Main page 6 Select which digital I/O port on your audio in-
terface enclosure is active by selecting the cor-
Additional pages are available to configure other responding option under Digital Format.
controls for each audio interface (such as setting Depending on the type of interfaces in your
operating levels). system, choices include AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and
Optical (S/PDIF). Selecting Optical (S/PDIF) re-
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.
HD OMNI Hardware Setup, Mixer page 6 If you have at least one HD I/O Digital card,
click the Digital tab and configure the options.
8 When you are finished, click OK.
7 If you have two HD I/O Digital cards, click the
For detailed information about configuring second Digital tab and configure the options.
HD OMNI, see the HD OMNI Guide.
System Usage
Meters in the System Usage window indicate how
HD MADI Hardware Setup much of your system’s resources are being used
when processing audio, and when writing and
The settings for HD MADI Port 1 and playing back automation.
HD MADI Port 2 are linked. Any changes are
As these meters approach their limits, host pro-
global regardless of which is selected in the
cessing and recording or playback of automation
Peripherals list.
data can be affected. If CPU or PCI Activity are
3 When you are finished, click OK. high, a system error may occur. If Disk Activity is
high, Pro Tools may miss playback of some auto-
For detailed information about configuring mation data during particularly dense periods of
HD MADI, see the HD MADI Guide. activity, such as while using the Bounce Mix com-
mand.
The CPU Total meter displays session performance The System Usage window lets you monitor use of
for Elastic Audio processing, Clip Gain process- the Disk Cache. This meter is only present if a
ing, and Native plug-in and mixer processing. A fixed Cache Size is selected in the Playback En-
3-second peak indicator provides visual indication gine dialog.
of peak CPU usage.
Voices
Time Slots
Time Slots
System Usage window (HDX Hybrid Engine shown)
(HDX Systems Only)
Timeline Marker Ruler Marker color extends Press Control+N (Mac) or Start+N (Windows)
within the lane until the next marker is reached. to toggle the Timeline Insertion/Play Start
Marker Follows Playback preference on and
Tracks Marker color extends within the lane until off.
the next marker is reached.
Numeric Keypad mode determines how the nu- When enabled, this option lets you start playback
meric keypad functions. You can always use the with the Enter key and stop playback with the 0
numeric keypad to select and enter values in the key on the numeric keypad. This is useful for
Event Edit Area, Edit Selection indicators, Main quickly starting and stopping playback when audi-
and Sub Counters, and Transport fields. tioning loop transitions. The Use Separate Play
and Stop Keys option is only available in Trans-
Classic Selects a Shuttle Lock mode that emulates port Numeric Keypad mode.
the way Pro Tools worked in versions lower than
5.0. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Classic, When this option is enabled, it overrides
you can play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle using the Enter key to add Memory Location
Lock mode. Press Control (Mac) or the Start key markers. Instead, press Period (.) and then
(Windows), followed by 0–9 for different play Enter on the numeric keypad to add a
speeds. Press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to reverse di- Memory Location marker.
rection. Recall Memory Locations by typing the
Memory Location number, followed by Period (.). Auto Backup
Transport Selects a Shuttle Lock mode that lets Enable Session File Auto Backup When se-
you set a number of record and play functions, and lected, Pro Tools automatically saves backups of
also operate the Transport from the numeric key- your Pro Tools session file while you work. Back-
pad. With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans- ups are saved to in the Session File Backups folder
port, you can play up to two tracks of audio in in your session folder.
Shuttle Lock mode. Press Control (Mac) or the
Click the Change button to direct Pro Tools to ref- Link Record and Play Faders When selected,
erence another location for the Sound Libraries Pro Tools does not remember separate fader levels
folder and Loops content. for tracks when they are record-enabled, allowing
you to maintain the same monitoring level for
Show Sound Libraries in Workspace Locations tracks during recording and playback.
macOS /Users/<username>/Library/Logs/Avid/
Crashlog/ProTools
Windows C:/Users/<username>/AppData/Local/
Avid/Logs/Crashlog/ProTools
Auto-Name Memory Locations When Determines whether adjusting fade and crossfade
Playing When selected, Pro Tools gives new shapes in the Edit window using the Smart Tool is al-
Memory Locations default names based on their ways on or if it requires that you also use the Com-
time location in the session. The time units cur- mand key (Mac) or the Control key (Windows) to ad-
rently chosen in the View menu determine the just fades and crossfades with the Smart Tool (see
units for the names. “Adjusting Fade Shapes with the Smart Tool in the
Edit Window” on page 755).
Recall Memory Location at Original Track When
selected, Memory Locations that recall a selection Always On Adjust fade and crossfade shapes in the
also recall the track in which the selection was Edit window using the Smart Tool.
made.
Requires Command Key (Mac) or Requires Con-
Marker Target Follows First Selected trol Key (Windows) adjust fade and crossfade
Track When selected, the Marker Target always shapes in the Edit window using the Smart Tool only
follows the first track in the selection. If no track is when the Command key (Mac) or Control key (Win-
selected, the Marker Target moves to the ruler. dows) is pressed.
This setting specifies how quickly Pro Tools tran- The New Session Defaults settings for Routing
sitions (glides) from one automation value to an- Coefficients are only saved with new sessions and
other, when AutoGlide mode is used. new session templates. Sessions created from ex-
isting templates retain the settings used to create
Delay Compensation the template. Changing the New Session Defaults
settings does not affect the currently open session
Delay Compensation Time Mode
The Current Session Settings show the Routing
When Delay Compensation is enabled (Options > Coefficients settings saved with the session.
Delay Compensation), this option lets you choose Changing the Current Session Settings affects the
whether information in the Delay Manager is dis- currently open session and are saved with it.
played in milliseconds or samples.
Fold Down
Compensate Side Chains
Classic Uses the legacy coefficients used in earlier
When Delay Compensation is enabled (Options > versions of Pro Tools and cannot be edited. All ses-
Delay Compensation), this option applies Delay sions created in versions of Pro Tools prior to
Compensation to plug-in side chain signals. 2021.10 default to using the Classic coefficients.
Surround to Stereo
Sample Peak The scale and the decay time is cal- The PPM Digital option, like all other Meter Type
culated in dB/second, which results in slower de- options besides Sample Peak, does not report ev-
cay in metering compared to previous versions of ery transient (such as a series of very fast tran-
Pro Tools. The Sample Peak option is the only sients). However, even though it under-reports the
Meter Type that has a 0 sample integration time, actual digital dynamic range, it more closely
and as such shows all dynamic activity of the dig- matches human hearing of loudness over time.
ital signal at every moment in time.
PPM BBC Adopted by commercial broadcasters in
Pro Tools Classic Provides legacy Pro Tools scale the UK, BBC scaling uses 4 dB spacing between
and metering ballistics. scale marks. Other organizations around the world,
including the EBU, CBC, and ABC used the same
Linear Use Linear for post-production and music
dynamics but with slightly different scales.
mixing scenarios. Using a fast decay time, Linear
provides direct one-to-one linear metering of sam- PPM Nordic A Scandinavian variant of the DIN
ple peaks in the audio signal with a metering range PPM has the same integration and return times but
down to –40 dB. This offers higher metering reso- a different scale, with “TEST” corresponding to
lution closer to 0 dB (which can be particularly Alignment Level (0 dBu) and +9 corresponding to
useful for mixing and mastering). Permitted Maximum Level (+9 dBu). Compared to
the DIN scale, the Nordic scale is more logarithmic
Linear (Extended) Provides the same ballistics as
and covers a somewhat smaller dynamic range.
Linear, but the meter scaling extends to –60 dB.
PPM EBU Is a variant of the British PPM designed
RMS Provides metering ballistics that display the
for the control of program levels in international
average loudness (Root Mean Square of the signal)
program exchange (Type IIb PPM in IEC 60268-
over a range of time. Peak metering, on the other
10). It is identical to the British PPM (BBC) except
hand, displays the peak signal level at any given
for the meter scale. The meter scale is calibrated in
point in time.
dB relative to the Alignment Level, which is
VU Popular for music and dialog mixing, the VU marked “TEST.” There are ticks at 2 dB intervals
scale used in Pro Tools is extended on the low end and at +9 dB, which corresponds to the Permitted
from –23 dB to –40 dB to accommodate a wide Maximum Level.
range of material without the need for stage re-cal-
ibration.
VENUE Peak Provides the same ballistics as Sam- The Integration Time setting determines the
ple Peak, but with VENUE meter scaling to amount of time it takes, in milliseconds, to average
+20 dB. the peak level as registered on the meter display.
You can think of this as the attack time for regis-
VENUE RMS Provides the same ballistics as RMS, tering peak levels on the meters. For some Meter
but with VENUE meter scaling to +20 dB. Types, this setting is not adjustable (such as Peak).
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
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
Always Use 32-bit When selected, new audio files The Elastic Properties window inherits the
created using Track Commit command are 32-bit Default Input Gain setting. To apply further clip-
files regardless of the session bit depth. based input gain attenuation for Elastic Audio pro-
cessing, select the clip and adjust the Input Gain
Follow Session Settings When selected, new au-
setting in the Elastic Properties window (see “Elas-
dio files created using Track Commit command are tic Properties Window” on page 1069).
the same bit depth as the session.
This option lets you set the default MIDI Thru in-
strument. You can select a predefined device from
your available MIDI instruments, or select First
Selected MIDI Track to use the assigned MIDI out-
put of the first selected MIDI or Instrument track.
When multiple MIDI or Instrument tracks are se-
lected, the instrument in the selected track that is
closest to the top of the Edit window (or closest to
the left edge of the Mix window) is used. Select
None to only route MIDI Thru record enabled
MIDI and Instrument tracks.
Satellite Link lets you link up to 12 Pro Tools HD Global and Local Preferences
systems, or 11 Pro Tools HD systems and an Avid
Video Satellite (Media Composer) or a Pro Tools Pro Tools preferences are either global (system-
Video Satellite system, over an Ethernet network wide) or local (for the current session or project
so that you can cue, play, and stop the transport, only).
make play selections, and solo tracks across any of
Global (System-Wide) Preferences Global prefer-
the systems from any linked workstation.
ences are applied to all sessions. These preferences
Transmit Solos Causes a linked Pro Tools system become the default preferences for any existing
to send the solo status of its tracks to all other sessions that you subsequently open or any new
linked Pro Tools systems. On other linked systems sessions that are created.
that are set to receive solos, tracks follow solo be-
Local (Current Session) Preferences Local pref-
havior as if the solo were on the local system.
erences are applied to the current session (if one is
Receive Solos Causes a linked Pro Tools system open). Local preferences are not applied to older
to receive solos from all other linked Pro Tools sessions that are subsequently opened.
systems that are set to transmit solo status of their
Preferences and New Sessions
tracks. Tracks on the receiving system follows solo
behavior as if the solos were on the local system. New sessions use global preference settings, plus
the most recent local preference settings. The most
Solo Independent of Linked State Causes a
recent local settings refer to the last open session
Pro Tools system to send the solo status of its
(unless subsequent changes were made in the Pref-
tracks to other satellite systems even when it is un-
erences from the application window).
linked. This allows control of solo status across
systems even when transport control is not en-
abled.
• Always Display Marker Colors • Pencil Tool Resolution When Drawing Con-
troller Data
• Default Track Color Coding options
• Delay for External Devices Options
• Default Clip Color Coding options
• Collaboration Preferences
• Operation Preferences
• None
• Latch Forward/Rewind
• Synchronization Preferences
• Custom Shuttle Lock Speed
• None
• Custom FF/REW Speed
• Back/Forward Amount (Pro Tools Ultimate
only)
• PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring
(Pro Tools Ultimate only)
• DestructivePunch File Length
(Pro Tools Ultimate only)
• Clip Auto Fade In/Out Length
(Pro Tools Ultimate only)
• Delay Comp Time Mode
• Compensate side chains
(HDX systems only)
• Editing Preferences
• None
• Mixing Preferences
• Coalesce When Removing Members from
VCA Group (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio
only)
• Metering Preferences
• None
• Processing Preferences
• Convert Imported “WAV” Files To
AES31/BroadcastWave
Synchronization
The Synchronization page lets you configure
Pro Tools for use with MIDI Timecode and a syn-
chronization peripheral.
Bi-Phase/Tach Pulses/Frame (2–254) Size Sets the relative size of the window dub
(Small or Large).
There are several different standards for the num-
ber of pulses-per-frame output by Bi-Phase or Color Sets the color of the timecode numbers and
Tach devices. You can set the synchronization pe- background of the window dub. The choices in-
ripheral to operate from 2 to 254 pulses per frame clude White on Black Bkgnd, Black on White Bk-
from Pro Tools. The setting should match the PPF gnd, White on Video Bkgnd, or Black on Video
rate of the Bi-Phase/Tach encoder on the external Bkgnd. (Video Bkgnd means that the background
device. of the window dub is transparent, so that the time-
code numbers are displayed directly on top of the
Reset Bi-Phase video signal, without a contrasting background
box.) The default setting is White on Black Bkgnd.
This button lets you set the Bi-Phase/Tach start
frame from Pro Tools. Click the button to update Enable Relay-Based GPOs
the Timecode Display on the synchronization pe- (Pro Tools | Sync X Only)
ripheral to match the session timecode value.
When this option is selected, GPO Output triggers
Enable Dub Window 0–3 are enabled for the GPIO DB-25 port on the
(SYNC HD Only) back panel of Sync X. When disabled, there is no
audible click noise from the device during play-
When this option is selected, you can insert a time- back, record, or fader start. For more information,
code window into a video signal with the follow- see the Pro Tools | Sync X Guide.
ing Window dub appearance settings:
Displays
Vertical Position Sets the vertical position of the
(Pro Tools | Sync X Only)
window dub, relative to the bottom of the video
picture. The choices range from 10% From Bottom This setting lets you specify the behavior of the
to 50% From Bottom, in 10% increments. Sync X front panel displays when the unit is pow-
ered on and idle for a certain amount of time.
“10% from Bottom” vertical position is out-
side the standard “safe title” area, which Use Screensaver After 15 minutes of inactivity
means it may not be visible on some video the displays are dimmed. After 30 minutes the
monitors. screen saver appears. After 60 minutes the displays
are turned off. Pressing any front panel switch re-
turns displays to normal on state.
The Machine Control page lets you configure Select the MIDI Out Port to which the MMC device
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio for use with MIDI you want to control is connected.
Machine Control or 9-Pin Machine Control
(Pro Tools Ultimate only). MMC ID
For information about using MachineControl The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID
with Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio, see number for which MMC information will be sent.
Chapter 62, “Pro Tools | MachineControl.” MMC commands contain an ID number to identify
which machine should respond to the MMC com-
mand. There are 128 MMC ID numbers, from 0–
127. The default of ID #127 is a special setting that
transmits to all 128 MMC IDs. With a setting of
127, Pro Tools will transmit MMC commands to
all MMC IDs.
Preroll
Pro Tools provides the following for configuring After you select a port, Pro Tools automatically
MIDI Machine Control Remote settings. polls the port to see what kind of machine is con-
nected. If the machine is recognized, Pro Tools
Enable loads the corresponding Machine Type. This in-
cludes the corresponding track layout and auto-
When the Enable option is selected, Pro Tools is
matically enters the name of that machine into the
controlled by MMC commands it receives from
Machine Track Arming window. However, if the
the master device and sends MTC information
machine is not recognized, the “Generic 1” per-
back to that device.
sonality is automatically loaded.
MMC ID
Preroll
The MMC ID setting lets you specify the MMC ID
The Preroll setting lets you specify a variable
number for which MMC information will be re-
amount of machine preroll to account for the time
ceived.
it may take the machine to achieve servo lock.
Shorter preroll values are usually better for non-
9-Pin Machine Control (Deck linear machines. Longer preroll values are usually
Control) better for older tape transports. The Machine pre-
(HDX and HD Native Systems Only) roll value is added to any preroll specified in the
The 9-Pin Machine Control (Deck Control) settings Transport window.
let you configure a Machine Control device for Se-
rial Deck Control mode with Pro Tools Ultimate. 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation)
Serial Deck Control mode is available whenever (HDX and HD Native Systems Only)
Machine Control is connected using the Serial
Deck Control cable. When connected for Serial The 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) settings let
Deck Control mode, Machine Control enables all you configure Pro Tools Ultimate for 9-Pin Re-
Pro Tools track arming, synchronization, and mote (Deck Emulation) mode. This mode makes
Transport features, as available on your system. Pro Tools operate as a virtual deck, supporting
Serial Deck Control mode also supports 9-pin se- most standard Sony P2 9-pin commands. By de-
rial timecode. fault, Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75 model
video deck. You can also configure Pro Tools to
Enable emulate other machines.
The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machine Port
Control port. The available choices depend on
your platform and configuration The Port setting lets you select the 9-pin Machine-
Control port. The available choices depend on
your platform and configuration
The Machine Type setting lets you select the ma- The number of the row indicates the order of the
chine description for specific machine controllers selected controllers. The color corresponds to the
(such as the Soundmaster ATOM). By default, controller focus around Pro Tools track and plug-
Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75. in controls.
When Chase LTC is enabled, Pro Tools still re- The Type setting lets you select the MIDI control-
sponds to track arming and record commands. ler connected to your computer. Choose from any
However, Pro Tools will chase incoming LTC of the following types of MIDI controllers:
with the machine controller. By having Pro Tools • Command | 8 (Windows only)
follow the LTC source instead of having the ma-
chine chase Pro Tools timecode, you can avoid the • HUI
waiting (and tape wear) that occurs while a ma- • Surround Panner
chine transport locates and bumps tape to the cue • NI Komplete Kontrol
point.
Be sure to install and configure Native Instru-
ments Komplete Kontrol software according to
MIDI Controllers the manufacturer’s instructions before select-
ing it for use as a MIDI controller in Pro Tools.
The MIDI Controllers page lets you configure up
to four different MIDI controllers for Pro Tools. Receive From
Send To
Number of Channels
For information on using any third-party
MIDI controller, consult the manufacturer’s The Number of Channels (# Ch’s) setting displays
documentation. the number of control channels supported by the
selected MIDI controller type.
Ethernet Controller
Be sure to filter out Mic Pre MIDI messages so Select the Retain Current Settings option to retain
that they do not interfere with Virtual Instru- PRE channel settings when an existing session
ments (see “MIDI Input Filter” on page 592). with different settings is loaded. New sessions will
automatically retain the current settings.
For information about Avid | PRE, see the Remote Lock-Out Mode
Avid | PRE Guide.
For information about Pro Tools | Carbon, When the Remote Lock-Out Mode option is se-
see the Pro Tools Carbon Guide. lected, all connected PREs ignore their front panel
controls.
Satellites
The Satellites page lets you configure synchroni-
zation between multiple Pro Tools systems (in-
cluding an Avid Video Satellite system) using Sat-
ellite Link.
The Receive From setting lets you specify the Media Composer Video Satellite lets you link an
MIDI In port to which the PRE is connected. HDX or HD Native system and a Media Composer
system for monitoring Avid video. Pro Tools
Send To Video Satellite lets you link an administrator (can
be an HDX or HD Native system, or a non-HD
The Send To setting lets you specify the MIDI Out
system) and a Pro Tools host-based system for
port to which the PRE is connected.
monitoring video.
System Name
VENUE System
If you are using external MIDI devices with 2 If the MIDI Studio window is not showing,
Pro Tools (such as controllers or sound modules), choose Window > Show MIDI Studio.
you can customize your MIDI studio setup to dis-
play the names of your MIDI devices in Pro Tools.
5 Select a device image and click Apply. Pro Tools Audio Bridge 2-A
6 Close the AMS window to quit the AMS appli- Pro Tools Audio Bridge includes devices with the
cation. following channel counts:
The device names you enter appear as MIDI Pro Tools Audio Bridge 16 Provides 16 channels
input and output choices in Pro Tools. of input or 16 channels of output to or from Pro
Tools software.
2 Open ProToolsAudioBridge.config with any 3 When you are finished configuring the MIDI
text editor (such as Apple’s TextEdit), which is Studio Setup, close the MIDI Studio Setup
located here: window.
Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-
Ins/HAL/ProToolsAudioBridge.driver/Contents/
Resources/
The MIDI Studio Setup window is organized into The Instrument list contains all the currently de-
three sections. Interface controls are at the top of fined instruments. Selecting an instrument in the
the window. All the currently defined instruments list displays that instrument’s properties in the
are displayed in the Instrument Name list on the Properties section of the window.
left side of the window. A detailed view of MIDI
parameters is shown in the Properties section on Properties Section
the right.
The Properties section lets you edit information for
new instruments, or instrument currently selected
in the Instrument list.
Delete Deletes the instrument or instruments If you do not enter an instrument name, the
selected in the Instrument Name list. Instrument Name field will automatically in-
herit information from the Manufacturer and
Import Imports an existing MIDI Studio Setup file. Model pop-up menu.
Export Exports the current MIDI Studio Setup file. 4 Set a manufacturer and model for the new de-
Show Duplicate Emulated Ports When this option vice from the corresponding pop-up menus. If
is selected and you are using a MIDI interface that the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menus do
supports time-stamping, the MIDI Studio setup not provide a name for your particular device,
window shows both the DirectMusic time-stamped choose None.
output ports, and non-stamped duplicate emulated 5 From the Input pop-up menu, choose the input
output ports. port on your MIDI interface that is connected to
the MIDI Out of your instrument.
Some MIDI Interfaces will not properly load
or unload their drivers unless you quit and 6 From the Output pop-up menu, choose the out-
re-launch Pro Tools. Refer to the documenta- put port on your MIDI interface that is con-
tion that came with your MIDI interface for nected to the MIDI In of your instrument.
more information.
Input Port
Bit Depths
16-Bit Using 16-bit for audio files is useful for Session Setup window, selecting 32 Bit Float
keeping audio file sizes down. You may want to
use 16-bit for sessions and projects with few Sample Rates
tracks, and little mixing and plug-in processing. 44.1 kHz Is the sample rate used for CDs and is
CDs (Compact Discs) use 16-bit. used in most common music production environ-
ments.
24-Bit Using 24-bit for audio files is commonly
used for most music production and post-produc- 48 kHz Is the standard sample rate for film and
tion sessions and projects with multiple audio video projects, and is commonly used in post-pro-
tracks, mixing, and plug-in processing. 24-bit files duction environments. It is the sample rate used for
take up a third as much space as 16-bit files. DVDs.
2 In the Session Setup window, select an audio 1 Choose Setup > Session.
file format (AIF or WAV) from the Audio For- 2 In the Session Setup window, select (or dese-
mat selector. lect) the Interleaved option.
For more information, see “Renamed Audio Project icon (online project)
Files” on page 525.
You can save a session as a project using the Save
Copy In command. This lets you take an existing
session and save it as a project for cloud collabora-
tion. Likewise, you can save a project as a session.
You might want to do this when the project is com-
plete so that you can archive it as a session and free
up storage space in your Avid Cloud Account.
2 For Type, select either Project (cloud) or Ses- 7 If you want to change any of the session or proj-
sion (local).
ect parameters, do any of the following:
• Select the Audio File Type (WAV or AIF).
3 Type a Name for the session or project.
• Select the Bit Depth (16 bit, 24 bit, or 32 bit
4 Enable the Create From Template option. float).
5 From the Template Group pop-up menu, select • Select the Sample Rate.
the category of templates you want (for exam- • To create interleaved multichannel audio files
ple, Guitar or Songwriter). in the session or project, enable Interleaved.
6 Select the template you want to use from the list • For sessions only, select either the Prompt for
(on the right). location option or the Location option. If you
select the Location option, you can specify the
default location for saving sessions by click-
ing the Location button.
• For projects only, select the Backup to Cloud
option to create an online project. Disable this
option if you want to create an offline project.
Creating a New Blank 4 Ensure that the Create From Template option is
Session or Project deselected.
5 If you want to change any of the session or proj-
To create a new blank session or project:
ect parameters, do any of the following:
1 In the Dashboard, click the New tab if it is not
• Select the audio File Type (WAV or AIF).
already shown, or press Command+1 (Mac) or
Control+1 (Windows). • Select the Bit Depth (16 bit, 24 bit, or 32 bit
float).
• Select the Sample Rate.
• Select the I/O Settings to use for the session
or project. Several pre-configured I/O Set-
tings are included with your system, or you
can select a custom I/O Setting. For more in-
formation, see Chapter 6, “I/O Setup.”
• To create interleaved multichannel audio files
in the session or project, enable Interleaved.
• For sessions only, select either the Prompt for
location option or the Location option. If you
select the Location option, you can specify the
default location for saving sessions by click-
ing the Location button.
• For projects only, select the Backup to Cloud
option to create an online project. Disable this
option if you want to create an offline project.
6 Click Create.
7 For sessions only, in the Save dialog, specify
where you want to save the session, and then
click Save.
Dashboard, creating a new 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.
2 Choose File > Open > Sketch. 1 In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Project.
To open a Sketch, press Command+Option+ 2 In the Dashboard Projects list, select the project
Control+O (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+O you want.
(Windows) 3 Shift-click Open.
3 Navigate to and select the Sketch you want to If you close and re-open the project without using
open. the Shift key, plug-ins are activate.
4 Click Open.
Reverting to a Previously Saved By working this way, you can quickly retrace your
Session or Project steps if you want to go back to an earlier version of
If you have made changes to a session or project your session. The Save As command saves a new
since you last saved it, you can discard those version of the session file only, and does not dupli-
changes and revert to its previously saved state. cate versions of the audio or fade files.
Saving a Sketch
To save a Sketch in Pro Tools:
Session Plug-In Settings Folder When this option is selected, the session’s Fade
(Sessions Only) Settings folder is copied to the new location. The
references to these settings in the session are redi-
When this option is selected, the session’s Plug-In
rected to the copied settings files.
Settings folder is copied to the new location. The
references to these settings in the session are redi-
Root Fade Settings Folder
rected to the copied settings files. (Sessions Only)
Root Plug-In Settings Folder When this option is selected, the contents of the
(Sessions Only) root-level Fade Settings Folder are copied into a
folder named Place in Root Settings Folder, indi-
When this option is selected, the contents of the
cating that these files will need to be moved to the
root-level Plug-In Settings Folder are copied into a
root level Fade settings folder on the destination
folder named Place in Root Settings Folder, indi-
system before you can use them. The references to
cating that these files will need to be moved to the
these settings files in the session are not redirected
root level plug-in settings folder on the destination
to point to the copied files.
system before you can use them. The references to
these settings files in the session are not redirected
Clip Effects Quick Presets
to point to the copied files.
Enable this option to export any custom Clip Ef-
Movie/Video Files fects Presets with the copy of the session or proj-
ect.
When this option is selected, video files are cop-
ied, and references are updated to point to the cop-
Current Sketch
ied video files.
Enable this option to save the currently open
Preserve Folder Hierarchy Sketch with the session copy (Current Sketch).
(Sessions Only) This also pins the Sketch to the session.
When this option is selected, the relative arrange-
ment of session audio files located across different
drives or folders is maintained. The main folder for Save As New Version
the session copy will include subfolders for each (Projects Only)
drive or folder in the original session and the des-
tination subfolders will use the same names as the You can save different versions of Pro Tools projects
using the Save As New Version command (similar
source drives and folders.
to using the Save As command for sessions).
Pro Tools lets you review and restore any version of
a project from the Project Revision History window.
3 Type any notes for this version of the project un- To open the revision history window, do one of the
der Project Notes. This is optional—you can al- following:
ways add or edit Project Notes for any given Choose File > Revision History.
version later (see “Project Notes” on page 204).
Press Command+Control+O (Mac) or
4 Click OK. Control+Start+O (Windows).
The title bar at the top of the Edit and Mix win- On the Project page of the Dashboard, choose
dows, and the Revision History window update to Open Revision History from the Project pop-up
read “<project name>—<version title>.” menu.
Save History
Automatic and manual save histories are readily ac-
cessible for any version of a project. However, they
are automatically thinned out over time—always
keeping the most recent while gradually deleting
older save histories from your local cache and cloud
storage for the project (automatic saves are deleted
first). Revision History maintains a reasonable distri-
bution of older to more recent save histories in rela-
tion to your available storage.
Renaming a version of a project 3 You may be prompted to Save the currently open
version of the project before restoring the selected
• Select Window > Metadata Inspector and type version.
the Title that you want for this version of the
project. However, you can only do this if you
Conflicts Between Shared
are the owner of the project; collaborators Tracks in Different Versions of a
cannot edit the Metadata Inspector. Project
3 Type the new name. It is possible to have conflicts with shared tracks and
4 Press Enter. project data in the active version of a project if they
do not match the latest version on the cloud. This
When renaming a version of a project, it must may be a common occurrence when working with
be a name that is not already used by another different versions of a shared project. For example, if
version of the project. No project can contain you save version X of a shared project, make some
two separate versions with the same name nor edits without saving or uploading your changes, then
can one version overwrite another. save as new version Y and upload your changes, and
then restore version X, there will be conflicts be-
tween the version in the cloud (Y) and the local, ac-
tive version (X).
Pro Tools warns you of conflicts and lists the 1 In the Version List, select the version from which
you want to import data.
names of mismatched tracks so that you can make
an informed decision on how to proceed: 2 Do one of the following:
• Upload and overwrite tracks and project data in the • Click the Import button.
cloud. • Press I on your computer keyboard.
• Download and overwrite local tracks and project • Right-click the version you want to import
data. data from and choose Import.
• Do nothing and leave both the local version and
the cloud version unaltered. 3 Configure the Import Session Data dialog as de-
sired.
• Unshare any conflicting tracks and leave the cloud
version unaltered. 4 Click OK.
Even if the Auto Upload All or Auto Download All For detailed information on the Import Session
Track Collaboration options are enabled in a Data dialog, see “Importing and Exporting
shared project, Pro Tools never automatically Data to and from a Session or Project” on
overwrites the cloud version with the local version, page 461.
nor the local version with the cloud version, when
conflicts are detected.
Select this option to save the template file to any Choose Window > Metadata Inspector.
directory location on your system. Note that the
saved session template will not appear in the Dash-
board unless it is in a subdirectory (Category) in
the Session Templates folder in the Pro Tools Root
Settings folder. You can change the location of the
Root Settings Folder in the Operation Preferences
(see “User Media and Settings Location” on
page 129).
Include Media
You cannot undo the Delete Project command. If To restore a project from the cloud:
you delete a project that you do not own, but are 1 Ensure that you are logged in to your Avid Mas-
only collaborating on, you simple remove yourself ter Account through Pro Tools (File > Sign In or
as a collaborator for that project. The project re- click Sign In in the upper right corner of the
mains available to the owner and other collabora- Dashboard).
tors. However, once you delete a project that you
2 In the Dashboard window, select the Projects
own, it is permanently deleted and is unrecover-
tab to view your current projects; or if Pro Tools
able.
is already running, choose File > Open Proj-
To delete a project:
ect—Command+Option+O (Mac) or Con-
trol+Alt+O (Windows)—to access Projects tab
1 Ensure that you are logged in to your Avid Mas- in the Dashboard window.
ter Account through Pro Tools (File > Sign In or
click Sign In in the upper right corner of the 3 To the right of the Project list, click the Cloud
Dashboard). icon for the project you want to restore.
4 Choose Delete.
Dashboard, download progress
4 Choose Open Revision History. 1 Ensure that you are logged in to your Avid Mas-
ter Account through Pro Tools (File > Sign In or
Pro Tools opens the Revision History window click Sign In in the upper right corner of the
where you can view, restore, import, and delete Dashboard).
versions of the project as well as their save histo-
ries. 2 Choose File > Open Project, or press Com-
mand+Option+O (Mac) or Control+Alt+O
For more information about working with the (Windows) to open the Dashboard showing the
Restore History window, see “Revision History” Projects tab.
on page 196.
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 212).
Mix Window Shows tracks as channel strips, like a
mixing board (see “Mix Window” on page 210). To toggle between the Mix and Edit windows,
press Control+Equals (=) (Windows), or
press Command+Equals (=) (Mac).
Edit window
Transport window
Plug-In window
In-App Web Browsers Let you access the Avid To display the Mix window:
Marketplace and Pro Tools Online (see “In-Appli- Choose Window > Mix.
cation Web Browser” on page 225).
To display all Mix window view options:
Instrument
Tracks List View
(page 273) (page 1147
Inserts View
(page 1147)
Sends View
(page 1148)
Solo/Mute
(page 289)
Volume
fader
(page 252)
Level meter
Voice selector (page 253)
(page 284)
AutoMatch
indicator Track Name
(page 1245) (page 262)
Universe view
Grid and
(page 718)
Nudge values
Zoom buttons (page 675) Collaboration (page 421) (page 214) Edit Window
Counters and Edit Toolbar and menu
Edit Mode Selection indicators
Edit tools (page 212)
buttons (page 716)
(page 671) (page 674)
Tracks List
(page 273)
Tracks
(page 241)
Edit
Groups
List
At the top of the Edit window is the Edit Window The Counters and Edit selection indicators provide
Toolbar and menu. This Toolbar provides access information where selections are in the Timeline.
to the editing modes, tools, options, indicators, and
displays for Pro Tools. You can customize the MIDI Selection
Toolbar in the Edit, MIDI Editor, or Score Editor Edit Selection
windows by re-arranging, showing, and hiding the Main and Sub Counters
available controls and displays.
Task Manager Status Lights and animates when The Grid and Nudge selectors let you set the Grid
the Task Manager is busy. When no tasks are in and Nudge values for editing in Pro Tools. For in-
progress, it is unlit. The indicator turns red if the formation on the Grid Value selector, see “Config-
Task Manager requires your attention. Click the uring the Grid” on page 673. For information on
Task Manager Status indicator to open or close the the Nudge Value selector, see “Defining the
Task Manager window. Nudge Value” on page 732.
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.
Sketch Window
Pre-
The Sketch window in Pro Tools mirrors the func- Roll
tionality of the Pro Tools Sketch app on iPad. Post-
However, there are some unique controls and be- Roll
haviors with the Sketch window in Pro Tools.
Start, End, and Length
For more information on the Sketch window
TrackInput Monitor
in Pro Tools, see Chapter 21, “Pro Tools indicator
Sketches.”.
Transport window showing basic transport controls
and counters (Main and Sub Counters and MIDI not
For detailed information using the
shown)
Pro Tools Sketch app, see Using Pro Tools
Sketch Guide.pdf. Online Puts Pro Tools online so that playback and
recording is triggered by an external timecode
source.
Transport Window Return to Zero Locates to the beginning of the ses-
The Transport window can be set to show basic sion.
transport controls, counters, MIDI controls, and
expanded features. The counters in the Transport Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to
window mirror the controls and counters at the top Return to Zero.
of the Edit window.
You can Right-click the Return to Zero but-
To display the Transport window: ton to access the Write to Start and Write to
Choose Window > Transport. 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 555.
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 595.
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 595.
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, Ableton Link, Out- and Edit Selections” on page 701.
put Meters, and 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.
You can choose to show (or hide) a MIDI Editor To show (or hide) the Clip Effects tab in the Edit
pane at the bottom of the Edit window (below the window, do one of the following:
Tracks pane). Select (or deselect) View > Other Displays > Clip
Effects.
To show (or hide) the MIDI Editor tab in the Edit
window, do one of the following: For more information, see “Clip Effects”
Select (or deselect) View > Other Displays > on page 1029
MIDI Editor.
Open Last Shown Docked Editor
From the Edit Window menu, select (or dese-
lect) MIDI Editor. The following two methods open the Clip Effects
tab in new empty sessions, and open the MIDI Ed-
Press Shift+Option+Control+“=” (Mac) or
itor tab if a MIDI track is in the session and no
Shift+Alt+Start+“=” (Windows).
other Editor tab was shown previously; otherwise,
the following open the last shown Editor tab:
Melodyne Tab
Click the Docked Editor Show/Hide icon in the
Pro Tools lets you edit audio with Melodyne™ by lower left corner of the Tracks pane in the Edit
Celemony from within the Edit window. Pro Tools window.
provides a docked Melodyne editor at the bottom
of the Edit window along with the docked MIDI Double-click the divider below the Tracks pane
Editor and Clip Effects, each organized in tabs. in the Edit window.
You can analyze and edit whole audio tracks or
single audio clips using Melodyne.
Score Editor Window
To show (or hide) the Melodyne tab:
The Score Editor window lets you view and edit
Select (or deselect) View > Other Displays > Instrument and MIDI tracks as music notation. It
Melodyne. automatically transcribes MIDI performances in
real-time. You can print a score of your session or
For more information, see Chapter 47,
just parts from individual tracks.
“Melodyne Editing and Audio to MIDI.”
For more information, see Chapter 38,
“Score Editor.”
Browsers in Pro Tools are analogous to windows Search Tools Let you search your system for files
in your computer’s operating system (such as Win- and folders by simple or advanced search criteria.
dows Explorer or the Mac Finder), but are spe-
Browser Menu Provides commands for file man-
cially designed for working in Pro Tools. Multiple
agement.
browsers can be displayed simultaneously, and ar-
ranged independently with custom display settings Column Headers Display the type of metadata dis-
for each. played in the Items List. Column Headers can be:
Browsers let you search and sort audio files, video • Resized by dragging the column border, or rear-
files, and sessions. These files are displayed in ranged by dragging the Column headers.
browsers and can be dragged directly into the cur- • Dragged to either of two available panes, the
rent Pro Tools session. Fixed or Scrolling panes.
When offline items are needed, Pro Tools lets you Soundbase Lets you tag audio files with descrip-
find the correct matching files, then relink to on- tive metadata that you can then use as search crite-
line media. ria.
To open/close a Workspace browser focused Track Presets Lets you organize all of your Track
on Volumes, press Option+; (Mac) or Alt+; Presets for easy access.
(Windows).
Locations Pane Provides a view of Volumes (and
To open a default Workspace browser focused
on Volumes, press Option+I (Mac) or Alt+I
folders and files), Catalogs, and the currently open
(Windows). Press these key combinations again
Session for your system.
to open additional Workspace browsers. Browser Pane Provides a view of items on your
To open a Workspace browser with Soundbase system contained within the Volume (or folder),
and the Tags pane revealed, press Option+ Catalog, or open session that is selected in the Lo-
Control+I (Mac) or Alt+Start+I (Windows). cations pane. Alternatively, the Browser pane dis-
Press these key combinations again to open ad- plays search results.
ditional Workspace browsers with Soundbase.
To bring all browsers to the front, press For detailed information about Workspace
Option+J (Mac) or Alt+J (Windows). browsers, see Chapter 18, “Workspace
To send all browsers to the back, press Option+ Browsers.”.
Shift+J (Mac) or Alt+Shift+J (Windows).
Managing Windows
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 windows. Use the
Window Configuration List to create (or delete) and manage stored Window Configurations. Pro Tools lets
you store up to 99 Window Configurations. Window Configurations are saved with the session.
Create a session template with your favorite Window Configurations. You can then use the template
when you start a new session, or you can use Import Session Data to import Window Configurations
into your current session.
You can change which properties are stored with From the Window Configuration List pop-up
Window Configurations, as well as the number, menu, select Auto-Update Active Configuration.
name, or comments.
When Auto-Update Active Configuration is
To edit a Window Configuration:
selected, the active Window Configuration
updates with every change to the Window Layout
1 In the Window Configuration List, select the and Window Display Settings.
Window Configuration you want to edit.
Window Configurations that do not include Win-
2 From the Window Configuration List pop-up
dow Layout and only store Window Display Set-
menu, select Edit <Name>.
tings cannot be made active and thus won't auto-
3 In the Edit Window Configuration dialog, edit matically update. If you want to update a Window
the configuration and click OK. Configuration with changes to the Window Dis-
play Settings (such as the width of the Clips List in
the Edit window), use the Update command in the
Window Configuration List.
From the Window Configuration List pop-up Cascade Arranges all open windows in cascading
menu, select Delete All. pattern on the screen.
2 Select the Window Configurations option. Select or deselect Window > Hide All Floating
Windows.
Clear <Name> Clears the selected Window Con- Window Configuration List showing active
figuration without deleting the slot (number). configuration
For more information, see “Track Name 2 In the Basics section, enable the Tool Tips op-
Right-Click Menu” on page 276. tions you want displayed.
Clip Name Right-Click Menu (Edit Window Only) Function Shows the functional name of different
Pro Tools items (such as specific buttons, indica-
Right-clicking a clip name in the Clips List pro-
tors, modes, selectors, and Edit tools).
vides commands to clear, rename, time stamp, or
replace clips (Pro Tools HD software only). The Details Shows abbreviated or hidden Pro Tools
pop-up menu also lets you export clip definitions names or values for different Pro Tools items
or selected clips as files, recalculate waveform (such as insert names, gain levels, settings, and
overviews, select the parent file of selected clips in routing assignments).
a Workspace Browser, or select a clip as an object
in the Edit window. To turn off Tool Tips, leave both options
deselected.
For more information, see Chapter 17,
“The Clips List.” 3 Click OK.
Quick Presets
UI Customization Settings
UI Theme
Color Palette General settings
The UI Theme selector in the expanded Color Pal-
ette window lets you change the UI Theme (Clas- Text/Line Color Select the desired color for text
sic or Dark). This is the same as the settings in the and lines.
Display Preferences (Setup > Preferences). When
Text Brightness Adjust the text color brightness.
you change the theme, the user interface switches
immediately. Text Saturation Adjust the text color saturation.
UI Theme Settings Background Color Select the desired color for text
background.
The sections under the UI Theme selector provides
settings to customize brightness and other parame- Background Brightness Adjust the color bright-
ters for specific UI elements and areas (such as ness for text background.
Text, Tracks, Clips, and more). An asterisk (*) next
to a section title indicates that one or more param- Background Saturation Adjust the color satura-
eters have been changed. tion for text background.
Reset All
Edit Selection
Color Palette Grids settings
Inactive Track Brightness Adjust the color bright-
Brightness (Grid Mode)
ness for inactive tracks.
Brightness (Non-Grid Mode)
Inactive Track Saturation Adjust the color satura-
tion for inactive tracks. Marker Lines
Track Header Brightness Adjust the color bright-
ness for track headers.
Pro Tools provides different types of tracks for Master Fader Tracks Master Fader tracks control
working with audio, MIDI, and video in Pro Tools the overall level of audio paths that are routed to
sessions. physical output paths. For example, you could
have 24 tracks in a session with channels 1–8
routed to Analog Output 1–2, channels 9–16 to
Track Types Analog Output 3–4, and channels 17–24 to Analog
Output 5–6. You could then create three master
In a Pro Tools session, you can have several differ- faders, one to control each of these output pairs.
ent types of tracks. These can include audio, Aux-
iliary Input, Master Fader, VCA Master, MIDI, In- Master Fader tracks have additional uses (such as
strument, Folder, and video tracks. controlling submix levels). For more information,
see “Master Fader Tracks and Signal Flow” on
Video track features are described in page 1138.
Chapter 64, “Working with Video in
Pro Tools” VCA Master Tracks VCA Master tracks (or VCA
Masters) emulate the operation of voltage-con-
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA trolled amplifier channels on analog consoles,
Master Tracks where a VCA channel fader would be used to con-
trol, group, or offset the signal levels of other chan-
Pro Tools provides mono, stereo, and multichan-
nels on the console.
nel format audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder,
Master Fader, and VCA Master tracks. VCA Master tracks do not pass audio, so they do
not have inputs, outputs, inserts, or sends. A Mix
Audio Tracks Audio tracks let you record to disk
Group is assigned to a VCA Master track, which
and play back from disk recorded or imported au-
appears in the VCA track’s Assignment selector.
dio files.
Auxiliary Input Tracks Auxiliary Input tracks can The controls of the tracks in that Group are modi-
be used as effects sends, destinations for submixes, fied by the controls on the VCA Master. For more
as a bounce destination, as inputs to monitor or information, see “VCA Master Tracks” on
process audio (such as audio from external MIDI page 1141.
instruments), and for many other audio routing
tasks.
Folder tracks are a special type of track that essen- Stereo Tracks
tially function as containers for other tracks of any
type. A Folder track can be closed to hide all of the A stereo audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder,
tracks it contains, or opened to show all of the Master Fader, or Instrument track is a single chan-
tracks it contains (member tracks). There are two nel strip for two channels of audio as a stereo pair.
types of Folder tracks: Basic and Routing. Stereo audio tracks use two voices.
Basic Folder Tracks Basic Folder tracks let you Multichannel Tracks
organize tracks in your sessions, but without any of (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
the special routing capabilities that Routing Folder
A multichannel track is a single channel strip that
tracks provide.
plays multiple channels of audio (from 3 to 8 chan-
Routing Folder Tracks Routing Folder tracks let nels at a time). This lets Pro Tools support multi-
you organize tracks in your sessions, and also route channel mixing formats including LCRS, 5.1, 6.1,
audio through its input, apply plug-ins, use sends, and others. Audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing
assign track automation, and output audio simi- Folder, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can all
larly to an Auxiliary Input track. use any supported multichannel format.
Pan knobs
Pan indicators
Audio Input/Output Paths
Output Window button Solo/Mute buttons
Automation Mode selector
Group ID
Pan knob
Volume fader
Pan indicator
TrackInput Monitor button Level meters
Track Record Enable button
Solo/Mute buttons
Volume fader
Level meter Peak/Delay and Headroom indicators
Track Type indicator
Track Name button
Delay Compensation view
Track Comments
Group ID
Automation Mode selector
Volume
fader
Level meter
Volume fader
Level meters
Volume indicator
Track Type indicator
Solo/Mute buttons
Patch Select
Volume fader
MIDI Volume indicator
Track Type indicator Level meters
Track Name button
Track Comments
Patch Select
Peak/Delay and Headroom indicators
Track Color Coding
Track Type indicator
Track Name
MIDI channel strip
Delay Compensation view
Solo/Mute buttons
Level meters
Open/Close Folder track
Track Name button
Track Comments
Timebase selector
Playlist
selector Show/Hide Automation lanes
Timebase selector
Track View
selector
Inserts View (A–E and F–J) Channel strips in the Mix window always dis-
play Input and Output selectors as well as
Inserts view provides up to ten inserts (software
volume and pan values, so there is no I/O
plug-ins and hardware I/O inserts for generating
view display option for the Mix window.
and processing audio) on each audio, Auxiliary In-
put, Routing Folder, Master Fader, and Instrument
track. For details on Input and Output selectors, see
“Assigning Audio Inputs and Outputs to
For more information on inserts, see Tracks” on page 278.
Chapter 52, “Plug-In and Hardware
Inserts.” Volume/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator
Peak Indicator Functions as a headroom indicator Send Pan controls can be linked to the Main
based on the last peak playback level. To reset the Pan controls of a track by enabling the
peak counter, click anywhere in the meter. Values Follow Main Pan button in Send window.
range from – (no signal) to 0 dB.
Volume Fader
Pan Indicator
The Volume fader controls the playback level of a
The Pan indicator displays the current pan setting track when it is playing back, and the monitor level
of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full left) to of the track when it is recording. You can link the
100> (full right). Pan controls are only available record and monitor levels by enabling the Link Re-
for stereo tracks or for mono tracks routed to a ste- cord and Play Faders option in the Operation pref-
reo output. erences.
In I/O view (Edit window), click the Pan indicator The maximum fader gain for a volume fader is
to display the Pan pop-up slider, which can be used +12 dB.
to adjust panning.
MIDI Volume Fader
Meter Type
Marker Controls scale
In the Edit window, Marker Controls view dis- Clip indicator
Fader Gain
plays the controls for Track Markers. For more in- scale
formation, see “Marker Ruler and Track Marker Gain Reduction
Controls” on page 953. meter
Track Collaboration
Track signal
(Projects Only) meters
In the Edit window, Track Collaboration view pro-
vides access to the Track Collaboration controls
for all track types except Basic Folder, VCA and
Video tracks. Routing Folder tracks are converted
to Auxiliary Input tracks when shared. Track Col-
laboration controls are only available in projects Stereo audio track with Signal and Gain Reduction
meters in the Mix window
and never in sessions. For more information, see
“Track Collaboration Track View in the Edit and Fader Gain Scale
Mix Windows” on page 426.
The Fade Gain scale indicates the amount of gain
boost or attenuation of the signal by the Fader con-
trol.
Track Level Meters
Meter Type Scale Displays the meter scale for the
On audio tracks, level meters indicate the level of
selected Meter Type (see “Advanced Metering” on
the signal being recorded or played back from the
page 256).
hard drive. When an audio track is record-enabled
or input monitoring–enabled, these meters indicate Gain Reduction Meter Pro Tools provides the op-
record or input monitoring levels respectively. tion to display a Gain Reduction Meter just to the
right of the track signal meters on audio, Auxiliary
On Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder, Master Fader,
Input, Instrument, and Master Fader tracks with
and Instrument tracks, level meters indicate the
supported dynamics plug-ins (such as the Avid
level of the signal being played through the chan-
Pro Compressor or Pro Expander). For more infor-
nel output.
mation, see “Configuring Gain Reduction Meters”
On MIDI tracks, and in Instruments view for In- on page 258.
strument tracks, the meter shows the MIDI veloc-
ity of the most recent MIDI event.
To toggle track level metering between pre- fader To choose a Clip Indication setting:
and post-fader metering:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Select Options > Pre-Fader Metering. Metering tab.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the To clear all clip indicators, do one of the following:
Metering tab.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
2 Select a Peak Hold option. meter.
3 Click OK. Choose Track > Clear All Clip Indicators.
Audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, and Master Fader To toggle Wide Meters View on or off:
tracks showing clipping Command-Option-Control-click (Mac) or Con-
Master Fader Track Clip Indicators trol-Alt-Start-click (Windows) any track level
meter in the Mix or Edit window.
Master Fader track clip indicators display red
when the audio signal exceeds 0 dBFS, causing
clipping at the output converters on your audio in-
terface. This behavior is mirrored in the Output
Meters in the Transport.
Meter Type
scale
Peak VU
Different Meter Type scales
5 Click OK.
Peak VU K-20 To set the Track Meter Type in the Mix or Edit
windows:
Different Gain Meter locations to Meter Type scale
1 Right-click on any Track meter.
Setting the Meter Type
2 From the Meter Type menu, select the desired
You can set the Meter Type either in the Pro Tools option.
Metering preferences or using the Right-click Me-
ter menu. Depending on the Track and Master Me- If the Track and Master Meter Types Linked
ter Types Linked setting, you can set the Track (au- option is enabled in the Pro Tools Metering
dio, Auxiliary Input, and Instrument tracks) or Preferences, Master meters are also set to the
Master (Master Fader tracks) Meter Type settings selected Meter Type
independently.
To set the Master Meter Type in the Mix or Edit
For details on the available Meter Types, see windows:
“Track and Master Meter Types” on 1 Right-click on any Master meter.
page 142.
2 From the Meter Type menu, select the desired
To set the Meter Type for Track and Master meters option.
in the Pro Tools Preferences:
If the Track and Master Meter Types Linked
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
option is enabled in the Pro Tools Metering
2 Click the Metering tab. Preferences, all Track meters are also set to
the selected Meter Type
3 Enable or disable the Track and Master Meter
Types Linked setting as desired.
To configure Gain Reduction Meter Type, do one of To reduce the width of tracks in the Mix window:
the following:
Select View > Narrow Mix.
Choose Setup > Preference > Metering and se-
lect the desired Gain Reduction Meter Type op- To display tracks at normal width:
tion. Deselect View > Narrow Mix.
Right-click on any Track meter and select the
You can toggle track width by pressing
desired option from the Gain Reduction sub-
Command+Option+M (Mac) or
menu in the Gain Reduction Meter Type menu.
Control+Alt+M (Windows).
When new tracks are created, they are given a name that can be changed at any time.
To insert new tracks next to a specific track in a session, select that track by clicking the track’s name
in the Mix or Edit window before opening the New Tracks dialog. The new tracks are added immediately
after the selected track.
To insert new tracks after the last tracks in a session, make sure that no track names are selected on-
screen before opening the New Tracks dialog.
You can also add tracks to your session by importing them from preexisting sessions. See “Importing
Session Data” on page 481.
Adding New Tracks by Double- To add a new audio track of the same channel
Clicking in the Edit or Mix width as the last new track, do one of the
Windows following:
Double-click in the empty area of the Mix win- Command-double-click (Mac) or Control-dou-
dow below or to the right of any current tracks. ble-click (Windows) in the empty area below
any current tracks in the Tracks List.
Double-click in the empty area of the Edit win-
dow below any current tracks. If no tracks exist in the session, a stereo audio track
is created by default.
Double-click in the empty area below any cur-
rent tracks in the Tracks List.
4 Click OK.
1 Select the tracks you want to rename. 4 Configure the Batch Track Rename dialog as
desired.
2 Right-click any selected track name in the
Tracks List, Edit window, Mix window, Score 5 Click OK.
Editor window, or a MIDI Editor window.
All selected tracks are renamed accordingly.
3 Choose Batch Rename.
For details on batch renaming tracks or
Press Option+Shift+R (Mac) or Alt+Shift+R clips, see “Batch Renaming” on page 349.
(Windows) to open the Batch Track Rename
dialog.
With Track Number view enabled, each track is as- All tracks between the first track selected and the
signed a number corresponding to its position in additional track will also be selected.
the Mix and Edit Windows. When tracks are reor-
To select or deselect noncontiguous tracks, do
dered, they are renumbered to maintain positional
one of the following:
sequence.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
To enable (or disable) Track Number view: dows) Track Name buttons that are unhigh-
Select (or deselect) View > Track Number. lighted to select them.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
Selecting Tracks dows) Track Name buttons that are highlighted
to deselect them.
Tracks need to be selected for operations such as
duplicating tracks or adding tracks to a group. One To select all tracks:
or more tracks can be selected at a time.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
To select a track: Track Name button that is unhighlighted.
Press Shift+T to toggle Link Track and Edit Control-Shift-click (Mac) or Start-Shift-click
Selection on and off. (Windows) the track name in the Edit window,
Mix window, or Track List.
Scrolling a Track into View
Changing Track Channel Widths
The Scroll To Track dialog lets you type the name
of the track you want to scroll to. As you type a You can change the channel width of any track to
track name, only those tracks whose names begin any other available channel width, while preserv-
with the letter you enter appear in the Scroll To ing plug-ins, sends, and routing. For example, you
Track list. You can also Right-click a track name in can convert a stereo Auxiliary Input into a 5.1
the Tracks List and choose Scroll Into View. Auxiliary Input track, or convert a 5.1 audio track
into a 7.1.2 audio track and maintain all plug-ins
To scroll to a track by name in the Edit or Mix and signal routing (plug-ins must support the des-
window: tination width). This can be especially useful for
1 Choose Track > Scroll To Track. modifying and updating Track Presets and session
templates.
Press Command+Option+F (Mac) or Con-
trol+Alt+F (windows) to open the Scroll to To change the channel width of a track:
Track dialog.
1 Be sure the track you want to change does not
2 In the Scroll To Track dialog, type the first few have any clips in the timeline.
letters of the track name you want to scroll to. 2 Do one of the following:
3 From the Scroll To Track list, select the track • Select the track and choose Track > Change
name you want to scroll to using the Up and Track Width.
Down Arrow keys. • Right-click a Track Name and choose
Change Track Width.
To delete a track:
1 Click the name of the track in its track channel
strip to select it.
• If you want all the newly created tracks to follow Audio Tracks Can be set to Blocks, Playlists, Anal-
the last selected source track (to the far-right of ysis, Warp, Waveform, Volume, Volume Trim,
the Mix window, and at the bottom of the Edit Mute, Pan, Send controls, or any plug-in controls
window), select the Insert after Last Selected that are enabled for automation. By default, audio
Track option. tracks are set to Waveform view where track mate-
• If you want each newly-created track to be in- rial is graphically drawn with amplitude wave-
serted directly after its source track, deselect the forms (a time-domain representation of sound).
Insert after Last Selected Track option. This Track View provides the necessary detail for
important clip edits.
5 Click OK to duplicate tracks according to the
settings in the Duplicate Tracks dialog. Click Auxiliary Input Tracks Can be set to Volume, Vol-
Cancel to close the dialog and not create dupli- ume Trim, Mute, Pan, Send controls, or any plug-in
cate tracks. controls that are enabled for automation.
Track View set to Clips for MIDI track Setting Track Views in the
Edit Window
Notes View
To set the Track View:
(MIDI Only)
Click the Track View selector for the track and
With the Track View set to Notes, you can insert
select the view from the pop-up menu.
and edit MIDI notes on MIDI and Instrument
tracks. The track displays the new view. If the track is part
of an active Edit Group, all tracks in the group are
Automation and Controller set to the new view.
Views
When an audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder,
Master Fader, or Instrument track is displayed as
Volume, Pan, or another automated control, or
when a MIDI or Instrument track is set to one of
the continuous controller types (such as Volume or
Pitch Bend), the data for that track appears in the
form of a line graph with a series of editable break- Audio Track View selector
points. The breakpoints can be dragged to modify
the automation data, and new breakpoints can be
inserted with the Pencil tool or a Grabber tool.
MIDI and Instrument tracks also provide Velocity
view for editing MIDI velocities.
1 Click in the track you want to toggle. To toggle The Master view is based on the type of track, as
multiple tracks, Shift-click or drag with the Se- follows:
lector tool to select additional tracks. • Audio tracks: Waveform and Blocks
2 Do one of the following: • MIDI and Instrument tracks: Clips, Blocks, and
• Press Control+Minus (Mac) or Start+Minus Notes (when using the Selector tool)
(Windows) on the alphanumeric keyboard.
• With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled
(see “Keyboard Focus” on page 26), press Track Height
Minus on the alphanumeric keyboard. Tracks can be viewed in the Edit window at any of
eight heights: Micro, Mini, Small, Medium, Large,
To toggle Track Views for all tracks, press
Jumbo, Extreme and Fit To Window. Larger track
Option+Control+Minus (Mac) or
heights are particularly useful for precise editing,
Alt+Start+Minus (Windows) on the
especially for MIDI. Smaller track heights are use-
alphanumeric keyboard.
ful for conserving screen space in a large session.
Audio tracks are toggled between Waveform and Click the small arrow to the left of the Track
Volume view. MIDI and Instrument tracks are tog- name to get the Track Height pop-up menu.
gled between Notes and Clips view.
Click Edit window Vertical Zoom In or Out but- Hold Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
ton. while adjusting track height for continuous,
non-incremental adjustments.
Tracks List
The Tracks List (at the left of both the Mix and Tracks List
Edit windows) shows all tracks in the session. It al-
lows you to show or hide a track in the Mix, Edit, Show/Hide Tracks List and
MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows. Even Groups List
though a track is hidden, the material on the track
To show (or hide) the Tracks List (and Groups
will still play as part of the session. Inactive tracks List), do one of the following:
appear in italics in the Tracks List.
From the Edit window menu, select (or dese-
The Tracks List can also be used to create lect) Tracks List.
new tracks when importing media by drag
Click the Show/Hide Tracks List/Groups List
and drop from a Workspace browser. See
View button in the Mix or Edit window.
“Importing Files with Drag and Drop” on
page 464.
To hide all tracks: To restore previously shown tracks after using the
Show All Tracks, Show Only Selected Tracks, or
Click the Tracks List menu and choose Hide All Show Only Tracks by <Track Type> commands:
Tracks.
From the Tracks List menu, choose the Restore
You can also hide all tracks by Option-clicking Previously Shown Tracks option.
(Mac) or Alt-clicking (Windows) the
To show selected hidden tracks and hide all shown
Show/Hide icon of any track that is shown. tracks:
1 In the Tracks List, select the hidden tracks you
To reorder tracks on-screen, drag the track want to show.
names to new positions within the Tracks List
or in the Mix or Edit window. 2 Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click
(Windows) the Show/Hide icon for one of the
selected hidden tracks.
The Input Path selector lets you route any audio in-
put or any of the Pro Tools internal busses to a
Routing Folder, audio, Auxiliary Input, or Instru-
ment track. The choices available in this pop-up
Input/output assignments for three mono audio tracks
To make all selected tracks’ Inputs or Outputs Pro Tools systems let you play or record up to 256
assigned to the same path inactive (or active), do simultaneous stereo or mono tracks in any combi-
one of the following: nation. For details on system capabilities, see
In the Edit or Mix window, Option-Shift-Right- “Pro Tools Artist Capabilities with Different
click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-Right-click (Windows) Hardware Configurations” on page 39.
the Input selector or Output selector for a track,
and choose Make Inactive (or Make Active)
from the pop-up menu.
Command-Option-Control-Shift-click (Mac) or
Control-Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) the In-
put or Output selector in the Mix or Edit win-
dow.
With certain system configurations it is possible to You can also adjust the relative priority of tracks
have more voiceable tracks in a session than avail- by freeing up the voices of individual tracks, mak-
able voices. In this case, not all tracks in the ses- ing them available to other tracks in the session.
sion can play back simultaneously. When the num-
ber of tracks exceeds the number of available To free up the voice of a track, do one of the
voices, tracks with lower priority may not be following:
heard. For these situations, Pro Tools assigns pri- Click the Voice selector of the track and set it to
orities to tracks that compete for the available Off. See “Setting Voice Assignment” on
voices. Because there can be more tracks than page 284.
available voices, Pro Tools provides several ways
Deactivate the track by Command-Control-
of adjusting the playback priority of audio tracks.
clicking (Mac) or Control-Start-clicking (Win-
See “Changing a Track’s Playback Priority” on
dows) its track type icon in the Mix window.
page 284 and “Freeing up Voices on a Track” on
page 284. Make sure the track does not have an Output
Path or Send assignment.
Changing a Track’s Playback Priority
Tracks with higher positions (leftmost in the Mix Setting Voice Assignment
window or topmost in the Edit window) have pri-
A track’s voice assignment can be turned off or set
ority over tracks in lower positions in a session.
to be dynamically allocated. Use Dynamically Al-
located Voicing to automatically take care of voice
To increase a track’s priority, do any of the
following: management in the background.
In the Mix window, drag the Track Name button With Pro Tools Ultimate, QuickPunch,
to the left of other tracks in the session. Tracks TrackPunch, and DestructivePunch require
at the left of the Mix window have higher prior- additional voices. For more information, see
ity than those on the right. Chapter 28, “Punch Recording Modes.”
In the Edit window, drag the Track Name button
above other tracks in the session. Tracks at the With HDX systems, the initial insert of a Na-
top of the Edit window have higher priority than tive (host-based) plug-ins uses additional
those below. voices in certain situations. See “Inserting
Native and DSP Plug-Ins on Tracks” on
In the Tracks List, drag the Track Name to a
page 1194.
higher position in the list. Tracks at the top of
this list have higher priority than those below.
Tracks that are higher-numbered (lower priority) MIDI ports in your system can be named and con-
than these tracks do not play back and you cannot figured for use in Pro Tools (for Windows, see
record to them. For those tracks, the Dynamically “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup” and for Mac,
Allocated Voicing button turns blue to indicate they see “Configuring AMS”).
are unavailable for playback or recording.
Assigning MIDI Track Input
Pro Tools lets you assign specific MIDI ports and
channels to a MIDI track input. The default selec-
No free voice available for a lower priority audio track tion of All receives all incoming MIDI data from
all ports on all channels. Use the MIDI Input selec-
Tracks do not play back when they are inac- tor to specify a MIDI port and channel for input.
tive or their voice assignment is set to Off.
For information on assigning MIDI input to
When working with more than the maximum num- Instrument tracks, see “Assigning MIDI In-
ber of voiced audio tracks allowed by your system, put and Output for Instrument Tracks” on
you can only play back audio from higher-num- page 287.
bered (lower priority) tracks by changing the track
priority by doing any of the following:
• Make a lower-numbered track inactive (click the
Track Name and select Track > Make Inactive).
• Set the voice assignment in a lower-numbered
track to Off (click the Voice selector and select
Off).
Chain In
The MIDI Chain order is displayed below Chain The MIDI Chain order is displayed below Chain
In: Out:
MIDI Thru indicator, Insert slot (A–E, F–J), MIDI Thru indicator, Insert slot (A–E, F–J),
<plug-in name>, <plug-in instance #> <plug-in name>, <plug-in instance #>
Solo button behavior is defined by the Solo mode, Custom Pan Depth settings are unavailable
as follows: when either AFL or PFL Solo mode is
enabled.
SIP (Solo In Place) The Solo button mutes other
tracks. When this mode is enabled, tracks can be
solo safed (see “Solo Safe Mode” on page 292). If Mute Frees Assigned Voice is enabled,
muted tracks will not be audible in PFL
AFL (After Fader Listen) The Solo button routes mode.
the track’s post-fader/post-pan signal to the
AFL/PFL Path output. The AFL/PFL Path is con-
figured in the Output page of the I/O Setup dialog
(see “AFL/PFL Path” on page 71).
AFL/PFL is optimized for Pro Tools systems using To temporarily latch solos:
a D-Control or D-Command control surface, 1 Choose Options > Solo Mode > Momentary.
where the XMON automatically switches its mon-
itor source between the main output and the 2 Press the Solo button on the first track that will
AFL/PFL output from Pro Tools. be soloed.
3 While holding the first Solo button, press addi-
For more information on using XMON and
tional Solo buttons. Solo buttons remain soloed
AFL/PFL, see your control surface guide.
as long as one Solo button is held.
Solo Latch Options As long as at least one Solo button is held, all
the solos will remain latched.
Solos can be latched (where pressing subsequent
buttons adds them to the soloed mix of tracks), un-
latched, or temporarily latched
(Pro Tools Ultimate only).
Pro Tools lets you solo safe a track. This prevents Click the Mute button on the track.
the track from being muted even if you solo other
To unmute a track:
tracks. This feature is useful for tracks such as
Auxiliary Inputs that are being used as a submix of Click the Mute button again.
audio tracks, or effects returns, allowing the audio
or effects track to remain in a mix even when other MIDI Mute
tracks are soloed. It is also useful to solo safe MIDI
The Mute button on a MIDI track mutes MIDI
tracks so that their playback is not affected when
data, not audio. Muting MIDI results in no MIDI
you solo audio tracks.
data being passed to the MIDI output. On Instru-
New Auxiliary Input tracks default to Solo ment tracks, the track’s Mute button mutes the au-
Safe mode when added to a session. However, dio signal and the MIDI Mute button is only avail-
when converting an Auxiliary Input track to a able in Instruments view.
Routing Folder track, the resulting Routing
Folder track will not be in Solo Safe mode.
To make one or more tracks inactive or active, do Edit Window 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- Tracks List Track colors are displayed in vertical
tive/Active. color bars that appear to the left of each track
Right-click the Track Name in the Tracks List, name.
or Mix or Edit windows and choose Make Inac-
Groups List Track colors are displayed in vertical
tive/Active.
color bars that appear to the left of each Group
To select multiple tracks, Command-click Name.
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) additional Default colors are automatically assigned to tracks,
Track Names.To select a range of tracks, but you can override those colors by choosing
Shift-click the Track Names bounding the from a color palette of 96 possible colors. For more
range of tracks you want selected. information, see “Color Palette” on page 295.
You can also use the Color Palette to customize When the Hold button is enabled, the assigned
UI Themes (see “UI Themes” on page 236). color selected in the Color Palette persists and does
not change when a different track or clip is se-
To apply a color from the Color Palette: lected.
1 Choose Window > Color Palette.
To use the Hold button to assign the same color to
2 Do one of the following: multiple items:
• In the Apply to Selected pop-up menu, select the 1 Click the Hold button to enable it. The Hold but-
destination for color coding: Tracks, Marker, ton becomes white, and the currently selected
Group, Clips in Tracks, or Clips in Clips List. color is now highlighted with a wider white out-
• Select a track, marker, group, track clip, or Clips line.
List clip in the appropriate Pro Tools window. 2 Select additional tracks or clips to which you
The Apply to Selected menu will display the want to assign the same color. Because the Hold
type of item you have selected. button is enabled, the Color Palette does not fol-
If selecting a marker does not display the
low item selection; it remains (or “holds”) at the
Marker option in the Apply to Selected
last currently assigned color.
pop-up menu, then the Always Display 3 Click the assigned color again to assign it to the
Marker Colors option in the Display Prefer- new selection of tracks or clips. Use the Apply to
ences page is deselected. See “Always Dis- Selected pop-up menu to determine which se-
play Marker Colors” on page 294 for more lected elements are affected.
information.
4 To turn off Hold and return the Color Palette to
3 Select a color from the palette, or select one of its default mode, click the Hold button until it
the following: turns off.
Pro Tools provides Folder tracks to help you orga- Routing Folder Tracks Let you organize and man-
nize both track layout and signal routing in your age tracks in your sessions, and they also provide
projects and sessions. Folder tracks essentially audio routing and processing. You can route audio
function as containers for other tracks of any type. from member tracks through its input, apply plug-
A Folder track can be closed to hide all of the ins, use sends, assign track automation, and output
tracks it contains, or opened to show all contained audio much like an Auxiliary Input track.
tracks (member tracks). Thus, Folder tracks are a
powerful tool for organizing tracks (by stems, in- Tracks do not need to be contained by a
struments, and so on) so that you can more easily Routing Folder track in order to route audio
navigate complex sessions from a high level over- through it. You can bus audio from any track
view. to the audio input of a Routing Folder track
as desired.
Folder tracks can hold other Folder tracks up to
nine layers deep. A Folder track that contains an-
other Folder track is a parent Folder, and the Folder Basic Folder Tracks
it contains is a child Folder. Folder tracks that are
Basic Folder tracks can contain multiple tracks of
in the same layer are sibling Folders.
any type (including other Folder tracks). Use Basic
There are two types of Folder tracks: Basic and Folder tracks to organize tracks in your session. In
Routing. the Edit window, Basic Folder tracks display an
Overview of clips on all member tracks. Any edits
Basic Folder Tracks Let you organize and manage you make on Folder tracks Overview apply to all
tracks in your sessions, but without any of the spe- member tracks (see “Editing Folder Tracks in
cial routing capabilities that Routing Folder tracks Overview” on page 308).
provide. A Basic Folder track is like a container for
other tracks (of any type). It is especially useful in
large sessions with many tracks. For example, if
you have sixteen drum tracks in a session, you can
add them to a Basic Folder track which you can
then close to free up screen space so you can view
other tracks in the Edit and Mix windows without
scrolling. The solo and mute buttons on Basic
Folder tracks affect all member tracks, but other-
wise Basic Folder tracks do not provide any audio
or MIDI routing for member tracks.
Basic Folder tracks provide Solo and Mute controls that apply to all member tracks. They also provide Au-
dio and MIDI signal indicators, which light when any member track is playing back audio or MIDI respec-
tively.
Mute button
Solo button
3 Select the desired channel width from the Track Format selector.
4 Select the desired Track Time Base.
5 Type a descriptive Name for the Folder track.
6 Click Create.
Routing Folder tracks provide the same controls and indicators as Basic Folder tracks as well as the same
controls as Auxiliary Input tracks. However, be sure to note the difference in Mute behavior between Basic
and Routing Folder tracks.
Audio Signal Indicator Lights green when any Track Freeze Button Lets you Freeze (or Un-
member track plays back audio (even if the track is freeze) the Routing Folder track. Only the audio
muted). If audio from any member track clips, the output of the Routing Folder track will be frozen
border of the indicator turns either amber or red. (or unfrozen); audio from member tracks that are
not routed through the Routing Folder track are not
MIDI Signal Indicator Lights amber when any
included.
member track plays back MIDI.
Open/Close Folder Click to open or close the
Mute When selected (lit), the output of the Routing
Folder track. When closed, all member tracks are
Folder track is muted. Unlike the Mute behavior
hidden. When open, all member tracks are shown.
with Basic Folder tracks, tracks contained by the
In the Edit window, member tracks are indented to
Routing Folder are not muted, so any tracks that
show that they are contained by the Folder track. In
are not routed to the input of the Routing Folder
the Mix window, member tracks are bracketed by
track are potentially still audible.
the Folder track’s track color.
Solo When selected (lit), all member tracks remain
Open/Close Automation Lanes Click to open or
unmuted (except for any member tracks that were
close Automation lanes for the Folder track. All
explicitly muted separately) while all other tracks
Routing Folder track automation applies only to
that are not also soloed are muted.
audio routed through the Routing Folder track.
Track View Selector Lets you select Overview or
Track Timebase Selector Lets you select the
Track Automation views.
Track Timebase (Samples or Ticks).
Automation Mode Selector Lets you select the
Automation mode for the Routing Folder track. To open or close any Folder tracks that
contain the Edit cursor or are included in
the Edit selection, press Shift+F.
Mix window, Routing Folder track open—output of contained audio tracks routed to input of Routing Folder track
A new Basic or Routing Folder track is created and the selected tracks are moved to the new Folder track.
If you created a new Routing Folder track, a new internal bus named after the new folder track is created
and assigned to its track input. If you selected the Route Tracks to New Folder option, the outputs of any
tracks you are moving to the new Routing Folder track are also assigned to that bus.
A new bus is always created for a new Routing Folder and assigned to its input. The outputs of new mem-
ber tracks are only automatically routed to that bus if the Route Tracks to New Folder option is enabled.
Pro Tools lets you create, save, overwrite, and re- 2 Do one of the following:
call Track Presets. A Track Preset captures the cur- • Select the track or tracks and choose Track >
rent configuration of the selected track or tracks, Save Track Preset.
and can include the track type, format, level, pan-
• Right-click the track name and choose Save
ning, plug-in and send configurations, and more.
Track Preset.
You can recall Track Presets to create new pre-
configured tracks in your session. You can also re- • Select the track or tracks and press Op-
call Inserts or Sends configurations from Track tion+Shift+P (Mac) or Alt+Shift+P (Win-
Presets to tracks that are already in your session. dows).
3 Configure the Save Track Preset dialog as de-
Track Presets are available for recall in the Track
sired (see “Save Track Preset Dialog Settings”
Type selector in the New Tracks dialog. Track Pre-
on page 311).
sets can also be recalled from a Workspace
browser to create new tracks. You can use Work- 4 Click OK.
space browsers to organize, manage, and search
your collection of Track Presets, so you always
Save Track Preset Dialog
have easy access to the perfect Track Presets for Settings
any session or project.
The Save Track Preset dialog lets you name the
preset, assign it to a category, and include audio
Creating and Saving Track and MIDI clips (all clips or only clips within the
Presets current Edit selection). Add metadata tags to your
Track Presets to make searching for the perfect
You can save any selected track or tracks in your Track Preset in a Workspace browser even easier.
session as a Track Preset. A Track Preset captures You can rename and re-categorize Track Presets
the current configuration of the selected track or later in any Workspace browser.
tracks.
Category
Selecting the directory in which to create a new Track
From the Category selector, assign the Track Pre- Preset Category
set to an appropriate category. If the appropriate
category for the preset doesn’t yet exist, create a 4 Click OK.
new one. The new category is added to the available Track
Preset Categories.
To create a new Track Preset Category:
1 In the Save Track Preset dialog, choose Add Press Command+Left/Right Arrow keys (Mac)
Category from the Category selector. or Control+Left/Right Arrow keys (Windows)
to cycle through the available Categories.
Name
When saving a Folder track as a Track Preset, you Enable Auto-populate tags from Track Data to au-
can either save the Folder track as an empty folder tomatically create tags based on the following
or with all member tracks. To include all member Track Data: Plug-in Manufacturers, Plug-in
tracks with the Track Preset, enable the Include All Names, Plug-in Categories, Plug-in Preset (if un-
Member Tracks option in the Save Track Preset di- modified), Track Types, Track Names, and Track
alog. Folder track hierarchies are maintained when Width.
Track Presets are saved and recalled.
Press Command+T (Mac) or Control+T (Win-
Include Audio and MIDI Clips dows) to enable or disable the Auto-populate
Tags from Track Data option.
Enable Include Audio and MIDI Clips to include any
audio or MIDI clips on the track with the Track Tags Field
Preset. This can be useful if you often work with
Type descriptive tags for the Track Preset in the
loops, for example.
Tags field.
Press Command+I (Mac) or Control+I (Win-
To add a tag to a Track Preset:
dows) to enable or disable the Include Audio
and Media Clips option. 1 Click in the Tags filed and type the tag you want
(for example, “Strings,” “Synth,” or “Pad”).
Clips in Edit Selection Only
2 Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to as-
Enable Clips in Edit Selection Only to include only sign each new tag that you type.
whole audio and MIDI clips, and any associated
automation data that is within the current Edit se-
lection. Use this option in conjunction with Track
Offset Options set in the Track Data To Recall di-
alog to place included media at any desired Time-
line location in any other session or project (see
“Track Data to Recall” on page 314).
Press Command+R (Mac) or Control+R (Windows) to open the Track Data To Recall dialog from the
Save Track Preset dialog.
When recalling a Track Preset by any means, press Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) to open and
edit the Track Data to Import dialog. You can then specify what Track Data you want to recall.
Clips and media will only be stored with a Track Preset if the Clips and Media option is enabled.
2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes
dows) the Presets button where you want to the current settings file from disk.
store the current Track Data to Recall settings.
Lock (Unlock) Settings File Locks (or unlocks)
To recall a Track Data to Recall preset: the selected Settings file so that it cannot (or can)
be edited.
Click the Presets button that contains the set-
tings you want to recall. Track Data
Librarian Menu Pro Tools lets you include (or exclude) Track Data
with Track Presets. For a complete list of Track
Use the Librarian menu to save and recall presets
Data options with descriptions, see “Track Data to
files (.ptpreset). These are usually saved to and re-
Import” on page 488.
called from the Track Data to Recall folder
(/Documents/Pro Tools/Pro Tools Presets/Track Session Data
Data to Recall/). However, you can save to and re-
call from any directory location on your system. Pro Tools lets you include (or exclude) the follow-
Preset files can be shared and used on any other ing Session Data with Track Presets: For a com-
Pro Tools system as well. plete list of Session Data options with descriptions,
see “Importing Session Data” on page 481.
The Librarian menu commands include:
4 Click Create.
The Track Preset is recalled into the session as a new track (or as new tracks) according to the current Track
Data to Recall settings.
2 From the Track Type selector, choose Track Presets and select the Track Preset Category (such as
“Avid”).
4 Click Create.
The Track Preset is recalled into the session as a new track (or as new tracks) according to the current Track
Data to Recall settings.
To recall Track Presets from the Workspace into a session and create new tracks, do one of the following:
Drag and drop a Track Preset to the Tracks List or to blank space in the Mix or Edit windows.
Double-click a Track Preset.
Right-click a Track Preset and choose Recall Track Preset.
For more information about the Track Data to Recall settings, see “Track Data to Recall” on page 314.
Dragging to Inserts All Track Presets are recalled to create new tracks
in your session or project.
Drag and drop a Track Preset from a Workspace
browser to a track’s Inserts view in the Edit or Mix To recall a selection of Track Presets:
window to recall Inserts from the Track Preset. See
1 Locate the Track Presets you want to recall in a
also “Recalling Inserts from Track Presets” on
Workspace browser.
page 319.
2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
Dragging to Sends dows) the Track Presets you want to import.
Drag and drop a Track Preset from a Workspace 3 Right-click one of the selected Track Presets
browser to a track’s Sends view in the Edit or Mix and choose Import Track Preset.
window to recall Sends configurations from the
Track Preset. See also “Recalling Track Presets to All selected Track Presets are imported to create
Sends” on page 320. new tracks in your session or project.
Pro Tools provides a relative grouping function for Mix Groups, Edit Groups, and
linking tracks and their controls. Mix/Edit Groups
Mix Groups only affect mixing functions and Edit
Groups only affect editing. Mix/Edit Groups link
Grouping Tracks the grouping functions of the Mix Group and the
Groups are useful for editing several tracks in ex- Edit Group.
actly the same way, or for mixing several tracks
(such as a pair of stereo tracks or a submix) while Edit Groups
keeping them at the same relative volume level. Edit Groups affect the following items in the Edit
and MIDI Editor windows:
Pro Tools provides the following grouping
features: • Track View
• Up to 104 different groups are available, ar- • Track Height
ranged in 4 banks of 26 Group IDs. • Track Timebase
• Groups can be nested (subgroups within • Audio and MIDI editing functions
groups).
• Automation editing functions
• Grouped faders or controllers preserve their lev-
• Rulers
els relative to each other.
• Groups are assignable to an available VCA Mas-
ter track.
Grouping Limitations
• Group name in the Groups List
• Group ID indicator on a track
Grouping does not affect these parameters:
• Track > Group menu
• Voice assignment
• Output assignment
• Inserting plug-ins
• Elastic Audio plug-ins
The Pro Tools track grouping functions are located To the left of each Group ID (“a” through “z”) is a
at the left side of the Mix, Edit, and MIDI Editor symbol indicating whether that group is selected in
windows in the Groups List. This scrolling win- the current window (either the Mix or Edit win-
dow contains the names of all the groups in your dow). There are three types of Group symbols, as
session, as well as a pop-up menu for accessing shown in the following figure:
grouping commands. From this menu, you can se-
lect and enable groups.
Hollow Circle
By default, every session has a group named All,
which includes every track in the session. The All Filled In Circle
group cannot be edited or deleted.
Delete Deletes a single group. The Group dialog lets you create new groups and
assign attributes to groups.
Select Tracks in Group Selects tracks in the
group.
Tracks Lets you add and remove tracks from the Creating Groups
current group. You can select the tracks you want to add to a
Attributes Lets you select which parameters are
group before creating it, or add and remove tracks
linked for the current Mix or Mix/Edit Group. from a group after it has been created.
Group dialog
Duplicating Groups
You can duplicate a group and modify its settings
in order to quickly set up a mix.
To duplicate a group:
1 Do one of the following:
• Click the Group ID indicator on a track and
choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu.
• Right-click the Group name in the Groups List
and choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu.
2 Change any of the following for the current
Modify ALL Group dialog group:
Mix Attributes:
• Record Enable
• Input Monitoring
• Solos
• Automation Mode
• HEAT Pre/Post
• HEAT Bypass
• Object Controls (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio
with Dolby Atmos only)
Attributes page of Group dialog
To select the attributes for a group, do any of the
Selecting Group Attributes following:
The following attributes can be selected for Global Select individual attributes.
settings and for individual groups.
To select or deselect all attributes, Option-Shift-
Track controls: click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click (Windows) any
attribute.
• Main Volume
• Main Mute To select or deselect all attributes for a single
Send or Insert (across a row), Control-click
• Main Pan (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) any attribute in
• Main LFE Level (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio that row.
only)
To select or deselect attributes for a single con-
trol across all Sends, all Inserts, or for the four
track controls (down a column), Option-click
(Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any attribute in
that column.
To disable a group:
Selecting a Group Settings Location
In the Groups List, click the name of the group
you want to disable. The name is unhighlighted
To save the current attribute settings
to indicate that it is not enabled.
directly to a preset location, Command-
click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the
preset button.
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 202).
Clips List
Click the Clips List menu (at the top of the Clips Displaying File Info for Audio
List) and choose Show. From the submenu, Clips
select or deselect the clip type you want to show
or hide. In addition to clip names, the Clips List can also
display information about the clip’s color coding,
Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) type (audio, MIDI, and clip group), timebase, Elas-
to select (or deselect) multiple items in the tic Audio processing, and parent file:
Show submenu without closing the menu.
Timebase Displays the timebase (samples or ticks)
Audio Shows or hides audio clips in the Clips List. for audio and MIDI clips, and clip groups.
MIDI Shows or hides MIDI clips in the Clips List. Color Displays Track Color Coding as assigned
with Default Clip Color Coding option in Display
Video Shows or hides video clips in the Clips List. Preferences page, or as assigned in the Color Pal-
Groups Shows or hides clip groups in the Clips ette.
List. Processing State Displays the Warp Indicator
Auto-Created Shows or hides automatically-cre- icon if Elastic Audio processing has been applied
ated clips (of all types) in the Clips List. These are to the clip.
clips that were created as a by-product of cutting, Guitar Settings (Eleven Rack Only) Displays the
pasting, and separating other clips. Since these Eleven Rack icon if guitar settings are embedded
auto-created clips can become numerous, hiding in the clip.
them (by deselecting the option) helps you to avoid
scrolling through an unnecessarily long Clips List. File Type Displays the File Type icon for audio
and MIDI clips, and clip groups.
Hiding Auto-Created clips can be useful
when importing clip groups (or REX files File Name Displays the parent file name.
as clip groups), because these file types can
Disk Name Displays the name of the hard drive on
contain so many separate clips that it be-
which referenced file resides.
comes difficult to read the Clips List.
Sort By Options
Clips with file information shown in the Clips List The Sort By options let you sort clips to help keep
track of large numbers of clips.
Pro Tools displays only the clip name in the Clips
List by default. Audio clips can be sorted by:
When editing, the Clips List can become • Clip Type
cluttered with auto-created clips. You can • Name
hide auto-created clips by choosing Show
• Length
in the Clips List menu, and deselecting
Auto-Created. • Original Time Stamp
• User Time Stamp
• Timebase
Sorting and Searching in the
Clips List • Start in Parent
Most sessions will contain many clips, which can • End in Parent
make it challenging to swiftly locate a particular • File Name
clip in the Clips List. Pro Tools lets you sort and • File Length
search clips in the Clips List to quickly locate any
clip you want. • File Creation Date
• File Modification Date
• Disk Name (audio and clip groups only)
• Track Format/Width
• By Channel Name
• By Scene and Take
• Guitar Settings
Finding Clips
Use the Find command to display all clips in a list
whose names contain a particular word or phrase. Found Clips in the Clips List
To find and display clips in the Clips List: Clips of any type whose name match the word or
phrase you searched are displayed in the Clips List.
1 Do one of the following:
The search string is displayed at the top of the
• Click the Clips List menu and choose Find. Clips List in brackets.
• Press Command+Shift+F (Mac) or
Text entered into the Find dialog is saved in
Control+Shift+F (Windows).
a Find History, letting you quickly
repeat previous searches with a minimum
of retyping.
3 Click OK.
1 Click the Clips List menu, and choose Find. In the Clips List, you can select clips so they can be
dragged to tracks, processed with AudioSuite
2 Click and hold the small arrow to the right of the plug-ins, or exported.
text field in the Find dialog and select the item
in the Found History list before which you want To select or deselect a clip in the Clips List, do the
to insert the new entry. following:
3 Type the name, or any portion of the name, for Click a clip name that is unhighlighted to
the clips you want to find. select it.
4 Click and hold the small arrow to the right of the Click a clip name that is highlighted to
text field in the Find dialog and choose deselect it.
Insert Entry from the pop-up menu.
To select a range of clips in the Clips List, do one
of the following:
Keyboard Selection of Clips From the Clips List menu, choose Select, and
then choose one of the Select options:
If Clips List Keyboard Focus is enabled, you can
type the first few letters of a clip’s name and All Selects all clips in the Clips List.
Pro Tools will automatically locate and select the
Unused Selects clips that have not been placed in a
clip in the Clips List.
track in the current session. Offline clips appear in
the Clips List italicized and dimmed.
The Preview Volume control in the Import 1 In the Clips List, make sure the stereo or multi-
Audio dialog also affects the preview channel clip is in expanded view (showing .L,
volume when auditioning clips in the .R, and other component channels).
Clips List.
2 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
clip for the channel you want to audition.
Renaming Clips
In the course of a session you can rename clips to
give them more descriptive names, or to shorten or
simplify existing names. When renaming a clip
Stereo clips, expanded (top) and collapsed (bottom) that was auto-created during editing, the clip be-
comes a user-defined clip and is displayed in the
To expand or collapse all stereo and multichannel Clips List even when auto-created clips are hidden.
clips:
Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while If a clip resides in a track, you can easily rename it
clicking the expand/collapse triangle. by double-clicking it with one of the Grabber tools.
However, if the clip does not reside in a track, or if
you want to rename several clips, use the Rename
command in the Clips List.
If the Clips List Selection Follows Edit Selec- File Name Displays the file name of the parent file
tion option in the Editing Preferences page is for the clip.
enabled, you can highlight a clip in the Clips
List by selecting it in a track. Start Displays the start time of the selected clip ac-
cording to the main timebase.
3 Do one of the following:
Sync Displays the Sync point time of the selected
• From the Clips List menu, choose Rename. clip according to the main timebase.
• Right-click on any selected clip and select Re-
End Displays the end time of the selected clip ac-
name from the pop-up menu.
cording to the main timebase.
4 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
Duration Displays the duration of the selected clip
clip. If a whole-file audio clip was selected,
according to the main timebase.
specify whether to rename just the clip, or both
the clip and the disk file. Original Time Stamp Displays the original time
stamp of the selected clip according to the main
timebase.
Name dialog
You can specify the auto-naming options for a clip 4 Click OK.
when new clips are created from it in the course of
editing. Batch Clip Renaming
Auto-naming of clips does not affect the names of The Batch Rename command for clips is only
parent audio files. Instead, it stores pointers to the available in the Clips List.
clips within the parent source file.
Clip Groups and clips contained within are
To set auto-naming options for a clip: ignored by Batch Clip Renaming.
2 Choose Auto Rename from the Clips List menu. 1 In the Clips List, select the clips you want to re-
name.
2 Do one of the following:
• Click the Clips List menu.
• Right-click a selected Clip in the Clips List.
The Clear command cannot be undone. Use this “power delete mode” with caution.
Deletion of these files cannot be undone.
To find and remove unused clips in a session:
2 After all unused clips are selected, choose Clear Clear Removes selected clips from the session.
from the Clips List menu. The Clear Selected
Rename Renames selected clips.
dialog opens.
3 In the Clear Selected dialog, select the Automat- Batch Rename Lets you batch rename selected
ically select all unused clips option if you want clips.
to ensure that all unused clips, including whole Time Stamp Redefines the time stamp of selected
file clips, are selected for deletion or removal. clips.
Any selections previously made in the Clips
List are ignored. Spot to Edit Insertion Spots selected clips to the
Edit insertion point on tracks.
Recalculate Waveform Overviews Redraws Enable (or disable) the Replace option to replace
waveforms for selected clips. text in the names of clips or tracks.
Reveal in Workspace Lets you reveal the parent Press Command+R (Mac) or Control+R
file for any individual clip in a Workspace (Windows) to select (or deselect) Replace.
browser.
Pro Tools lets you rename selected tracks or clips Replace Type the text you want to use in the
in batches. This can be very useful for managing names of selected items instead.
auto-named tracks and clips, especially in a large Clear Existing Name Enable to completely clear
session. the existing names of selected items.
Batch Renaming Dialog Options Regular Expressions Enable to use advanced find
and Settings and replace operations using regular expressions.
The Batch Track Renaming and Batch Clip Re- For more information about using regular
naming dialogs provide controls for changing the expressions for batch renaming tasks, see
names of all selected items (tracks or clips) by Re- “Regular Expressions Workflow Examples”
placing text, Trimming characters, Adding charac- on page 352.
ters, and sequential Numbering. The Batch Clip
Renaming dialog also provides controls for setting
the order for numbering selected clips based on
Enable (or disable) the Trim option to remove the Enable (or disable) the Add option to add prefixes
specified number of characters from the beginning or suffixes to names. You can also insert text into
or end of names. the middle of names.
Batch Rename, Numbering options Clips List Sort Order Applies number according
to the current Clips List sort order for selected
Position Select whether you want numbers to be
clips.
added at the Beginning or End of names, or at the
specified character index (At Index) in names. If
Presets
you select At Index, also enter a number in the In-
dex field to specify after which character in names Pro Tools lets you store and recall common renam-
you want to insert the numbers. ing schemes best suited to your workflow in both
the Batch Track Renaming and Batch Clip Renam-
Starting Number Enter the number from which
ing dialogs. The Presets controls for Batch Renam-
you want to start.
ing work much like the Preset controls for Fades
Number of Places Enter the number of places you and Clip Effects.
want for numbering (for example, type 3 for three
places 000). Presets Buttons
Increment Enter the value by which you want the Both the Batch Track Renaming dialog and the
numbering to increment. Batch Clip Renaming dialog provide five preset
buttons that let you store and recall your most com-
Separate With Enable to separate added numbers monly used naming conventions. You can also
with a space or any other single character after (if save and import additional Batch Naming settings
placed at the beginning) or before (if placed at the using the Librarian menu.
end), or before and after the specified character in- \
Use the Librarian menu to save and recall Batch Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes
Naming Settings files (.ptpreset). These are usu- the current settings file (.ptpreset) from disk.
ally saved to and recalled from the Batch Track Lock (Unlock) Settings File Locks (or unlocks)
Rename folder or the Batch Clip Rename folder the selected Settings file so that it cannot (or can)
accordingly (/Documents/Pro Tools/Pro Tools be edited.
Presets/Batch Track Rename/). Of course you can
save to and import from any directory location on
your system. Batch Name preset files can be Regular Expressions Workflow
shared and used on any other Pro Tools system as Examples
well. Regular expressions are standardized text strings
that describe search patterns. Use regular expres-
The Librarian menu commands include:
sions when batch renaming tracks or clips to find
<factory default> Restores the default settings for and replace text based on more advanced criteria
Batch Naming. than simple find and replace text operations.
Save Settings Saves the current settings. This For more information about regular expres-
command overwrites any previous version of the sions, visit https://www.regex101.com.
preset.
\-\ Lets the character following the second \ be considered differently. For
example, since . (period) is used to match any character, type \. to match an
actual . (period) in a search string.
\s Matches any instance of a single space (such as the space bar or tab).
+ Any of the above regular expressions or any literal character can be fol-
lowed with + to match one or more of the preceding characters (for exam-
ple, \w+ can be used to find any number of spaces created by the spacebar
or tab).
With Regular Expressions enabled, any number of text patterns can be matched and replaced when batch
renaming tracks or clips. In the Find field, type the pattern you want to match inside parentheses and then
separate patterns using | (the pipe symbol). For example:
find replace
(Audio)|(VCA)|(Aux) (?1)(?2)(?3)
The text following ?1 will replace the text Audio, the text following ?2 will replace VCA, and the text fol-
lowing ?3 will replace Aux—(?1Aud)(?2Group Master)(?Bus)
Use the following regular expressions to remove all instances of .dup1, .dup2, or up to any number of du-
plicates from track or clip names by replacing them with no character at all.
find replace
\.dup\d+
\. searches for literal periods—as opposed to the special token . (period) since . itself is used to match any
character—followed by dup, then \d (the regular expression for any number) followed by + (which matches
any number of digits that follow .dup) and replaces all matches with nothing (effectively deleting that text).
Use the following regular expressions to find text automatically added by common AudioSuite processes
and remove them or replace them with something more appropriately descriptive.
find replace
(-Norm)|(-EQ3-1B) (?1)(?2-HPF)
This replaces -Norm with nothing (effectively deleting that text), and replaces -EQ3-1B with -HPF to indi-
cate that the EQ3-1B AudioSuite processing on the selected clips was used to roll off low frequencies.
The Pro Tools Workspace combines an intuitive, When offline items are needed, Pro Tools lets you
browser-style interface with an integrated databas- find the correct matching files, then relink to on-
ing engine, optimized for metadata and media line media.
management.
The Workspace browser provides access to all
Workspace browsers provide extensive databasing your mounted volumes, as well as the folders and
tools for searching, sorting, auditioning, and im- files they contain.
porting of audio, MIDI, video, plug-in settings
(.tfx), Guitar Rig Settings (Eleven Rack only), and Using the Workspace browser, you can:
session files. Multiple browsers can be displayed • Use Soundbase to tag and find audio files with
and arranged, with custom display settings pro- musically descriptive metadata
vided to customize your work environment. • Access all mounted volumes
For information on dragging and dropping • Access and organize Track Presets
files from Workspace browsers to your • Access all Catalogs
Pro Tools session, see “Importing Files with
• Search across multiple volumes and Catalogs
Drag and Drop” on page 464.
simultaneously
Workspace Browsers • Designate volumes for Record and Playback,
Playback Only, or Transfer
Workspace browsers provide an intuitive user in-
terface to databases with many convenient features • View, manage, audition, and import individual
for various file management tasks (such as search items in any catalog or mounted volume
and sort functions). • Update databases for entire volumes
Workspace browsers provide file management for Using Catalogs, you can:
local and network volumes. Volumes are formatted • Collect and organize files from any combination
partitions on a physical drive (hard drive). Any of volumes
changes made in the Workspace (such as copying,
• Create catalogs of complete volumes to view
or moving files and folders) is mirrored on the vol-
and search even if a volume is offline
umes themselves. Volumes include mounted hard
drives, network storage, and removable media • View, manage, audition, and import individual
(such as USB thumb drives). items in the catalog
• Update a database for contents of catalog
When Volumes are focused in the Locations pane
you can: For more information, see “Catalogs” on
• View, manage, audition, and import individual page 400.
items on the volume
• Update a database for contents of the volume
Task Manager Window
The Task Manager window is a utility for viewing
Session and managing all of the background tasks that you
initiate with Pro Tools. Use the Task Manager
Workspace browsers provide powerful search and
window to monitor, pause, or cancel background
management tools for the files referenced in your
tasks such as file copies, searches, and indexing.
current session, regardless of where they are
stored. For more information, see “Task Manager
When the currently open session is focused in the Window” on page 403.
Locations pane you can:
Relink Window
• Show all the media files associated with the cur-
rent session, including any missing files The Relink window provides tools and features for
relinking sessions and catalogs to media files. Use
• View, manage, audition, and spot individual
Relink tools to search and reacquire missing files
items
for use in the current session.
Track Presets
For more information, see “Relink Window”
Select Track Presets in the Locations pane to view on page 396.
all of your Track Presets. You can organize and
search Track Presets in the Workspace. Drag and
drop Track Presets from the Workspace to tracks in
your sessions.
Toolbar
Column headers
Items List
Locations pane
Browser pane
Show/Hide
Pane split
To maximize processing speed and protect vital The main elements of a Workspace browser
components, Workspace browsers do not display include the following.
all folders. For example, in Windows, Workspace
Toolbar Provides the Browser menu, Search icon,
browsers do not display the WU Temp or System
Volume Information folders; and on Mac, Work- View Presets (numbered 1–5), Workspace browser
space browsers do not display the System folder. navigation tools, and preview tools.
This excludes them from being indexed, searched, Items List Displays the contents of a volume,
sorted, or affected in any way by Workspace tasks. folder, session, or Catalog database in rows.
You should not store Pro Tools session or media
files in any of these folders.
Choose Window > Browsers, and select an open To change a volume designator:
Workspace browser from the submenu. 1 Open a Workspace browser.
To cycle to the next or previous Workspace 2 In the Locations pane, select Volumes.
browser:
3 In the Browser pane, click and select the appro-
Press Command+Left/Right Arrow keys (Mac) priate permissions for any volume.
or Control+Left/Right Arrow keys (Windows).
Unmounting Volumes
Creating and Opening
Use the Finder (Mac) or Windows Explorer (Win- Workspace Browser Folders
dows) to mount and unmount volumes while
Workspace browsers let you create and manipulate
Pro Tools is running.
folders (file system sub-directories). All folders
have Expand/Collapse icons to show their con-
tents. Dragging items onto a folder icon is the same
Working with Items in as dragging into an open Workspace browser.
Workspace Browsers
To create a new folder in a volume, folder, or
Opening Sessions catalog:
1 Select the volume, folder, or catalog in which
To open a Pro Tools session listed in a
Workspace browser: you want to create a new folder.
With no Pro Tools session currently open, dou- 2 Right-click the item and choose New Folder.
ble-click a Pro Tools session file in the Browser 3 Type a name for the folder and click OK.
pane of any Workspace browser.
4 For volumes and folders, the folder is created on
disk. In Catalogs, the folder is created in the cat-
Opening AAF and OMF alog database only. The Items List updates as
Sequences new items are added.
AAF and OMF sequences can be opened from
Workspace browsers.
You can also drag and drop AAF and OMF se-
quences from Workspace browsers into the current
session.
The first time you open a browser for a volume or • Navigating to a folder cause a re-indexing of just
folder that has never been indexed, Pro Tools auto- the top level items in that folder and for only the
matically begins to fill the database for that level of items with changed modified dates.
the volume. Files and folders appear in the browser • Click Update Index on a folder to look recur-
Items List, along with metadata in the columns for sively through the folder for any changed modi-
each item. Indexing continues until you either fied dates and update the index.
close the browser, or until that folder is completely
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) Up-
indexed.
date Index to force a recursive re-index of a
The next time you open that browser, metadata for folder for all files, regardless of changed to mod-
items that have already been indexed is visible im- ified date.
mediately. If the browser or folder was closed be-
fore indexing was complete, or if the contents of Manual Indexing
the folder have changed since the last time it was
Manual indexing fills in all missing data, and up-
browsed, Pro Tools automatically updates the da-
dates changed data for selected folders and all of
tabase the next time it is opened. This way, the da-
their sub-folders.
tabase is always up to date for the folder you are
browsing. (View the Task Manager to see current
To update the index for a folder and all sub-
activity.)
folders:
Indexing while Browsing saves time because it Right-click the item in a Workspace browser
only fills the database for items on the level of the Items List and choose Update Index.
volume that you are currently browsing. For exam-
ple, if you are browsing the root level of the vol- To update the index for an entire volume:
ume, it indexes only the folders and files on the
root level. If you open a folder, Pro Tools indexes Right-click the volume to update in the Work-
just the items in that folder. As a result, a database space browser and choose Update Index.
is only indexed for the parts of the volume that you
Last Indexed Date Display
have browsed. However, searches are faster and
more complete when a volume is already com- The Date Indexed column shows the date that the
pletely indexed. 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.
Keep Window on Top Select (or deselect) the Keep Tags Opens the Assign Tags popover window for
Window On Top option in the Workspace Browser audio files (WAV or AIFF only). For details on the
menu to ensure that the Workspace remains in the Assign Tags popover window, see “Soundbase and
foreground when working with other windows. This Tags” on page 380).
can be helpful when working with the Workspace
Recently Used Tags Lets you assign any of the
and the Edit window in particular. When this option
is disabled, clicking on another window (such as the
last 10 used tags to the selected audio file (WAV or
Edit or Mix windows) brings that window to the front
AIFF only).
and the Workspace may be hidden behind it. When Spot To Edit Insertion Spots the selected audio
enabled, all open Workspace browser remain in front file to the current Edit insertion location. Note that
of all other windows with the focused Workspace al- the channel width of the file must match the chan-
ways in the foreground. nel width of the target audio track.
Pro Tools lets you Right-click on items in the Lo- Delete Index Deletes the index of files for the
cations pane (such as volumes and folders) and the items in the selected volume or folder from the da-
Browser pane (such as folders and files) to access tabase.
relevant contextual commands. These commands Delete Index for All Offline Volumes Deletes the
are specific to the type of items selected in the Lo- index for all offline volumes from the database.
cations pane or the Browser pane, as described be-
low. Invert Selection Reverses (inverts) the current
selection.
New Folder Creates a new folder on the currently
selected volume or folder, or within the currently Select All Selects all items shown in the browser.
selected catalog. For volumes and folders, a new
Calculate Waveform Calculates the waveform dis-
folder is created on disk. For more information, see
plays for selected audio files, or for all audio files
“Creating and Opening Workspace Browser Fold-
within selected volumes, folders, or catalogs.
ers” on page 361.
Create Catalog from Selection Creates a fully in- For more information, see “Waveforms” on
dexed catalog of all items selected in either the Lo- page 386.
cations or the Browser pane.
Load Guitar Rig Settings (Eleven Rack Unlock Unlocks the selected items.
Only) Loads the Guitar Rig Settings for selected
audio files with embedded Guitar Rig Settings Delete Lets you delete selected files, folders, and
from an Eleven Rack. catalogs from disk, or move selected items to the
Trash (Mac) or to the Recycle Bin (Windows).
Select Offline Files Selects all files that are
currently offline. Scan Audio File(s) for Irregularities Lets you scan
audio files for irregularities in the workspace. The
Select Online Files Selects all files that are online. scan looks for the following corrupt files and irreg-
ularities: the file header size does not match the file
Select Transfer Files Selects all files identified as
size, chunk chains do not proceed linearly, chunk
Transfer files (files found on media that do not
sizes and/or offsets that point outside the bounds of
support playback).
the file, and suspected invalid chunks (chunk IDs
Relink Offline Opens the Relink window for items with non-alphanumeric or space characters). After
selected in the current session. the scan is complete, any irregularities found are
be reported. A more detailed report can be gener-
Relink Opens the Relink window, with all selected ated from the resulting dialog.
files from the current browser displayed and se-
lected as Files to Match. This command is avail-
able for catalogs and sessions only.
Moving Columns
Showing and hiding columns
To move a column:
Selected items appear in new columns. Deselected
Drag the column to a new location in the
items are hidden.
Workspace.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a
Resizing Columns column to hide it. The item is deselected in the
Column menu.
To resize a column, do one of the following:
To show all columns:
Drag the right column boundary to a new width.
Right-click a column label and Option-click
Double-click the right column boundary to re- (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any unchecked
size the column to the widest element in col- checkbox in the popover menu.
umn.
Pro Tools lets you save up to five preset views for Click the column title header a second time.
the Workspace browser and for the Relink win-
dow. Presets can be recalled by clicking a View To sort by multiple columns:
Preset button. Shift-click successive column headers.
Video Compression Displays the compression ra- 3 Press Enter, or click outside the text box to close
tio of video files where applicable. it.
Removing Session Items To set the column metadata for all selected
files in a Workspace browser to the same
Workspace browsers let you remove or delete files value:
from the currently open session. If a selected item 1 Select multiple files in a Workspace browser.
resides on a read-only volume, it can be removed The selected files can be contiguous or discon-
from the session, but it cannot be deleted. tiguous.
Location selected for search Browser Search field Simple Search enabled
Search results
Volume selected for search Advanced Search settings Advanced Search enabled
Search Checked
option (disabled) Search results
6 Click in the Search Text field and type text for the search.
If you want to refine your search, click the Add Row button to add further constraints to the search.
Repeat steps 4–6 for each row you add.
Folders checked for search Advanced Search settings Advanced Search enabled
Search Checked
option (enabled) Search results
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) to select multiple criteria for an either/or search.
6 Click in the Search Text field and type text for the search. (Use spaces between text strings
for either/or searches and use quotes around text strings with spaces for and searches.)
7 Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows).
Click the Simple Search button (“X”). Use the Search Text field to search the selected
column type according to the selected column type
Advanced Search Features and search criteria.
Once you have initiated an advanced search, the Add/Remove Row Buttons
Workspace browser displays additional advanced
search features. Pro Tools lets you refine your search by up to 8
rows of search criteria.
Add Row button
Add Row Button Click the Add button (“+”) to
Search Text field add another row to refine the advanced search.
Search Column selector
Press Shift + “+” (plus) or to add a new row.
Pro Tools lets you change the location of the An alias of that folder is added to Sound Libraries.
Sound Libraries folder in the Operation prefer- Directories (and all folders and files in that folder)
ences. However, you will have to manually copy or that are added as a Sound Library Location are col-
move any media to the new location. ored blue, whereas files and folders actually lo-
cated in the default (or assigned) Sound Libraries
To change the location of the Sound location are gray.
Libraries folder:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
2 Click the Operations tab.
3 Click the Change button for Sound Libraries un-
der User Media and Settings Location.
4 Navigate to the new location you want for the
Sound Libraries folder and click Open.
5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Added folders that point to other locations are blue
3 Select the tags you want to add or type in a new Creating a new tag for the selected audio file
tag. You can add as many tags to any audio file
(WAV or AIFF only) as you like. If more than one Choose from the Recently Used Tags options
audio file is selected, you are prompted to confirm in the Right-click menu to quickly add any of
that you want to add the tag to all selected files. the last used tags to the selected audio files.
4 When done, press Enter.
To use the Favorites designation in an Waveform displays for stereo and multichannel
Advanced Search: files are summed.
1 Select Favorites for the Column type.
2 Select either Set or Not Set for the Search Crite-
ria.
3 Press Enter or Return.
On Mac, the WaveCache file is stored in • Preview the file with the Audio Files Conform to
/Users/Shared/Pro Tools. Session Tempo option enabled.
On Windows, the WaveCache file is stored in Analyzed files in which a regular tempo was de-
C:\\Users\Public\Pro Tools. tected are updated as tick-based, display their du-
ration in Bars|Beats, and display their native tempo
in the Tempo column.
Elastic Audio Files in the Analyzed files in which no tempo was detected re-
Workspace main sample-based. These files typically contain
You can both calculate and clear Elastic Audio only a single transient (such as a snare hit) or they
analysis for selected audio files in Workspace are longer files without a readily identifiable regu-
browsers. Only AIFF and WAV files are supported lar tempo (such as entire songs).
for Elastic Audio analysis and processing. Any On Mac, if you do not see the Elastic Audio
other file format (such as MP3) must be converted Analysis icon or the duration does not
to AIFF or WAV for Elastic Audio analysis and change to tick-based during the preview pro-
processing. cess, check the permissions for the folder in
the Mac Finder. You must have write access
of the directory for this feature to work.
Previewing Audio in
File Timebase and Elastic Audio Workspace Browsers
Analysis Icons
Audio files can be previewed in Workspace brows-
Workspace browsers provide two different icons
ers. Previewing follows the master Audition path
for time-based or tick-based files. For time-based
as selected in the Output pane of the I/O Setup (see
files, the time-based icon is color coded to indicate
“Audition Path” on page 70). The base level for
whether or not a file includes Elastic Audio analy-
previewing is determined by the Master Fader (or
sis.
Auxiliary Input) level assigned to the Audition
Tick-based Sample-based path. You can also adjust the Preview Volume in
file icon file icon the Workspace browser.
Multi-Mono Files
When selecting one of a pair of Split Stereo files, The Preview button starts and stops preview of au-
such as “Drums.L” and “Drums.R,” both files pre- dio files selected in Workspace browsers. You can
view together. To preview only the selected chan- also Right-click the Preview button to change the
nel of a split stereo pair, press the Shift key and Preview mode and set whether or not the Spacebar
start preview. toggles file preview.
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.
Linking options
Link icon, indicating Linked status
5 Click OK to continue (or click Cancel to return
5 Click the Link icon next to other Candidates, if to the Relink window).
you want to relink to additional missing files.
Pro Tools searches for an acceptable candidate for
6 Click the Commit Links button. the first missing file (the first item selected in the
Files to Relink list). A link icon appears next to
Relinking Multiple Missing Files
each file as Pro Tools finds and links the first ac-
Using the Find Links button, multiple files can be ceptable candidate to the missing file. The Link
matched and linked in one procedure. Path column shows the location of the selected
candidate. Pro Tools continues searching, match-
ing, and linking for each missing file in the Files to
Relink list.
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
Relinking Catalog Items
from the Catalog, click Remove.
• To delete the selected items from disk (and re- If files are ever missing from a Catalog, use the
move their aliases from the Catalog), click Relink window to locate, copy, and relink files.
Move To Trash (Mac) or Move To Recycle For more information, see “Linking and Relinking
Bin (Windows). Files” on page 393.
The Task window lets you monitor, pause and cancel ongoing tasks including file copying, fade regener-
ation, and indexing. You can also use the Task Manager to monitor upload and download progress with
projects.
Status
Active Tasks
Paused Tasks
Because the Task window is a floating window, it Quantification Shows percentage of progress of
does not interrupt current work. This allows you to the current task.
continue recording and editing, and postpone file
management until a more convenient time. Active Tasks Pane
Stored Tasks
Any task that imports files into a session is stored
with a session when it is closed, and resumes when
the session is re-opened. For example, if you Im-
port Session Data with Copy From Source Media
selected, then Save and Close the session before
the copy completes, the copy tasks resume when
the session is reopened.
Grouped Tasks
Some tasks consist of many smaller tasks. For in-
stance, Copy and Relink may require hundreds of
individual files to be copied. To help manage these
tasks, they are grouped under the originating com-
mand. So in the example of a Copy and Relink
command, one copy task would appear with an Ex-
pand/Collapse icon in the Task window. Clicking
the icon shows each of the individual sub-tasks.
In addition to using the standalone Avid Link To set up your Avid Profile:
application, you can access Avid Link within 1 If you are not already signed in to your Avid
Pro Tools using the Avid Link menu and the Artist Master Account in Pro Tools, choose File > Sign
Chat window. With Avid Link, you can create and In and sign in.
manage your Avid Community Profile, find col-
laborators using Find Talent, and engage the Avid 2 In Pro Tools, choose Avid Link > Profile.
creative community through Lounges. The Artist 3 To add or change your Profile Picture and Cover
Chat window lets you invite people from your list Photo, do the following:
of contacts to collaborate on a project and commu-
• Choose Edit Cover Photo from the gear icon
nicate with collaborators using Messages.
in the upper right corner of the window.
• Click Edit to browse for and add photos.
Your Avid Profile • Click Save Changes.
Set up and maintain your Avid Profile to promote 4 To add relevant information about you, such as
your work, and share your talents and skills with your Bio and Contact Information, do the fol-
the Avid Creative Community. Add tags for your lowing:
skills to helps people find you when they are • Click About Me.
searching for collaborators using Find Talent. • Click Add Bio.
• Select (or deselect) Make My Profile Public.
• Enter your personal information.
• Click Save when you are done.
5 To add (or remove) tags for your talents and
skills, do the following:
• Click About Me.
• Click Add Skill and select your skills in each
category (for example, select Instruments and
click Piano). Tags for each selected skill are
added to your Profile.
• For each added tag, set your Expertise.
• Click Save when you are done.
New Avid Profile
Find Talent 2 In Pro Tools, choose Avid Link > Find Talent.
Use Find Talent to search for other members of the 3 Click Filters.
Avid Creative Community to add to your contacts 4 Click a Category (such as Instruments).
for collaboration based on specific talents and
skills. You can also search for people by name. If 5 Click a skill in that Category (such as Cello).
you want to collaborate with someone who is not 6 To further refine your search, click Filters again
yet part of the Avid Creative Community, you can and select a Genre (such as Classical).
email them an invitation to join.
Show/Hide Collaboration
Transaction Logs
Invite Contacts
to Collaborate
Project Name Show/Hide Participants
Project Participants
Revoke an Invitation to
Collaborate
(Project Owner Only)
1 Click the Show/Hide Participants icon to show To add another project participant to your
project participants. contacts:
2 Click on the name of the participant you want to 1 Click the Show/Hide Participants icon to show
remove and choose Remove. project participants.
2 Click on the name of the participant you want to
The Remove command is not available if the
add to your contacts and choose Add to Con-
participant currently has the project open.
tacts.
s
To open a project:
Double-click the Project icon in the Project List.
Individual Chat
To chat with an individual contact:
1 Do one of the following:
• Start a new chat with one of your contacts.
• Continue an existing chat by clicking the
name of the Contact in the Messages list.
2 In the Write Message field, type your message
and then press Return (Mac) or Enter (Win-
Create New Message icon
dows), or click the Send icon.
• Create a new chat with multiple contacts. If you are invited to a group chat thread, you are
• Add one or more contacts to an existing chat. notified in the Artist Chat Messages window.
To add one or more contacts to an existing chat: To accept or decline an invitation to collaborate on
a project:
1 In the Messages list, select the chat you want to
1 In the Artist Chat Messages window, you will
add to.
see an invitation to join a group chat thread
2 Click the Add Contact to Message icon. from one of its participants.
2 Click Accept or Decline.
Anyone who has already join a group chat can re- Removing a participant from the group chat
voke the invitation to join for anyone else that has
not yet accepted the invitation. That participant is removed from the group chat
and it is no longer available to them.
To revoke an invitation to join a group chat:
Leave a Group Chat
1 Click the Show/Hide Participants icon to show
group chat participants. Any participant that has If you are participating in a group chat that you did
not yet accepted the invitation shows “Invited” not initiate, you can leave it at any time. When you
to the left of their name. leave a group chat, the other participants are noti-
2 Click on their name and choose Revoke Invita- fied and you are removed from their list of group
tion. chat participants. You now no longer have access
to that group chat, and it is removed from the Mes-
sages list in the Artist Chat window.
If there is a participant in a group chat with you 3 The project or chat moves to the top of the list.
who is not already in your contacts, you can add This item will also be pinned to the top of the list
them. for all participants the next time they go online
To add participant in a group to your contacts:
To unpin a project or chat thread:
1 Click the Show/Hide Participants icon to show 1 Right-click the project or chat you want to un-
the group chat participants. pin from the top of the list.
2 Click on the name of the participant you want to 2 Choose Unpin.
add to your contacts and choose Add to Con-
tacts. 3 The project or chat moves back to its original
location on the list.
When you first get started with shared projects and Tracks and Rulers
collaboration, you may want to use an existing ses-
sion rather than create a new project from scratch. Tracks
In this case, open the session you want to work • Audio, MIDI, Instrument, and Master Fader
with and use the Save Copy In command to save it tracks
and its associated media (for more information, see
• Main Playlists
“Saving a Session as a Project” on page 200).
• Alternate Playlists
For in depth information about creating, • Clips Associated with Playlists
opening, and saving projects, among other
tasks, see “Pro Tools Projects” on page 183. • Clip Gain
• Clip Color
For information about using the Artist Chat • Elastic Audio Properties for Clips
window and Avid Link to invite and commu- • Melodyne track status
nicate with collaborators, see Chapter 19,
• Media Associated with Clips
“Artist Chat and Avid Link.”
• Track Color
• Volume Automation Settings
Chapter 20: Track Collaboration 421
• Pan Automation Settings to the collaborator’s system and they are notified
• Mute Automation Settings through the project notes when they first receive an
open the project. If this occurs, they may have to
• Plug-In Assignments remap those busses manually.
• Plug-In Settings and Automation
• Sidechain Assignments Items Shared Only when a
• HW Insert Assignments
Project is First Downloaded
• Track Metadata Project Level
• Track I/O assignments • Sample Rate
• Bit Depth
Routing Folder tracks can be shared, but they are
converted to Auxiliary Input tracks and all member • File Format
tracks are moved to the top level. • Interleaved Audio Files option (enabled or dis-
abled)
Rulers
• Project Start Time
• Markers (Specific Markers)
• Project Length
• Tempo ruler
• Timecode Rate
• Meter
• Feet+Frames Rate
• Key
• Timecode 2 Rate
• Chords
• If the Conductor is enabled or not (whether or
Automation Mode Selector not to follow the project Tempo track)
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). A track
(if any), followed by the name and channel format must be shared by at least one user to show up as
of tracks. If none are found, the bus does not map “available for download” in the Tracks List.
Click the Show Artist Chat button to open the Art- Right-click the Upload All New Changes button
and choose Abandon Changes.
ist Chat window. The Show Artist Chat button
turns green when you receive a message from an-
other participant in the Project Chat for the open
project.
Upload All New Changes Click the lit Download All New Changes button
As soon as you have made any change on any track If other participants have made changes to tracks and
whose own Upload Track Changes control turns you decide that you do not want to receive these
green, the Upload All New Changes button also changes, you can choose Ignore Changes. The Up-
turns green. If you are busy working on the project load All New Changes light goes out and no changes
you probably won’t want to upload each change indi- are downloaded.
vidually, but rather wait until you feel ready to post
all of your changes at once. To ignore all changes other collaborators on the
project have made in the project since your last
complete download:
To post all the new changes you have made on
tracks in the project since the last complete Right-click the Download All New Changes but-
upload: ton and choose Ignore Changes
Click the lit Upload All New Changes button
Typically, the Download All Shared Tracks button The project owner sees the meter level rise or
turns green the first time you join a project with lower as more media is posted to or deleted from
tracks. As with all collaboration transaction activ- their Cloud Account. The tool tip informs you of
ity, you can monitor the progress of the download how much storage is being used (both as a percent-
in the Task Manger window (Window > Task Man- age and as a hard number) on your Cloud Account
ager). The Download All Tracks button turns and how much total storage you have allocated to
green again when any participant creates new your account.
tracks and shares them. Tracks that are unshared,
and then re-shared do not trigger the lighting of the
Download All Tracks button.
Enable the Share Track control to share a track There are three different states that the track can be
with other participants in the project. When a track in with sharing. The clearest is when a track is ei-
is shared, the Share Track icon is blue. When a ther shared or not shared. Anyone can click any
track is not shared, it is gray. Anyone can share or Share Track control to share it or unshare it just as
unshare any track in the project that has been long as they already have that track in their local
posted to the cloud and that they have downloaded copy of the project.
from the cloud. Any participant can create new
tracks and keep them private in their own local
copy of the project by not sharing them at all.
To share a track:
Track not Track
1 Create a new track (or use an existing one). shared shared
Download Track Changes Right-Click menu It is important to understand that the ownership of
shared tracks is not restrictive. Multiple partici-
The Download Track Changes control provides a pants can edit unowned tracks simultaneously, and
few additional options in its right-click menu as this can result in edit conflicts between the cloud
follows: copy of the project and collaborators’ local copies
(see “Conflicts Between Track Changes and the
Force Download
Cloud” on page 433).
The Force Download command is only available
Generally speaking, no collaborator should take
when the Download Track Changes control is not
lit. Choose Force Download to force download of ownership of any track for any longer than they
the entire track from the cloud, replacing the entire need to work on that track and upload their
local track. changes. This helps to avoid conflicting changes
between collaborators.
Accept Download
When any Upload Track Changes control or
The Accept Download command works just like Download Track Changes controls light yellow, it
clicking a green Download Track Changes control indicates that there are edit conflicts between vari-
and downloads all changes to the track from the ous participants’ local copies of the project and the
cloud copy of the project. cloud copy of the project. You can upload your
changes and overwrite the cloud copy for a track
Ignore Changes simply by clicking the Upload Track Changes con-
trol, even if it is yellow. Otherwise, you can click
Choosing the Ignore Changes command rejects
the Download Track Changes button, even if it is
any changes to that track in the cloud copy of the
yellow, and overwrite your local track with the
project and maintains your current version of the
version from the cloud.
track.
The you now own the track, and the Track Owner- The Track Ownership control on the track for
ship control displays your name and turns solid which ownership is being requested also highlights
green (or orange for every one else). and displays the text “Ownership Requested.”
To relinquish ownership of a track, do one of the The Track Ownership Request indicator turns or-
following: ange when you have ownership of a track and an-
If you took ownership of the track automati- other participant wants to take ownership of the
cally, click the Track Ownership control. track.
Showing only the requested track Track changes conflict with cloud copy
Click the Track Ownership Request indicator Likewise, you can click the Download Track
again to show all previously shown tracks in the Changes control, even if it is yellow, and overwrite
project. The Track Ownership Request indica- your local track with the version from the cloud.
tor again turns orange.
If you make changes to a track while another par-
To relinquish ownership or reject a request, ticipant uploads their changes to the cloud copy,
Right-click the Track Ownership control and when you are notified that changes are available
choose one of the following options: for download, the Download Track Changes con-
Relinquish If you have no track changes that have trol turns yellow indicating that your local track
not yet been uploaded, choose Relinquish to sur- changes will be overwritten by changes on the
render track ownership to the collaborator making cloud.
the request.
The Download Track Changes control turns red To download a track from the cloud, do one of the
when a download for that track is currently in following:
progress and the cloud copy is in conflict with the In the Tracks List, click the gray Cloud icon to
local track changes. Once the transfer is complete the left of the track name to download and im-
it changes to yellow. You can then choose to ig- port all track data.
nore those changes and keep your version of the
In the Tracks List, right-click the gray Cloud
track, or download those changes and overwrite
icon to the left of the track name and select on of
your version of the track.
the following options:
Download from cloud in progress that conflicts with Ignore for Future Download Does not download
local track changes or import the track data.
Force Upload
The Upload command works just like clicking a The Force Download command is only available
green Upload Ruler Changes control and posts all when the Download Ruler Changes control is not
of your changes on the ruler to the cloud copy of lit. Choose Force Download to force download of
the project. the entire ruler from the cloud, replacing the entire
local ruler.
Abandon Changes
Accept Download
Choosing the Abandon Changes command clears
the upload and resets all of your changes to how The Accept Download command works just like
the Conductor ruler was prior to you working on clicking the green Download Ruler Changes con-
the it. trol and downloads all changes on that ruler from
the cloud copy of the project.
Download Conductor Ruler
Ignore Changes
Changes
When another participant makes a “share-able” Choosing the Ignore Changes command clears the
change to a Conductor ruler and they then upload download and keeps your Conductor ruler as is re-
their changes to the cloud copy of the project, the gardless of any changes in the cloud copy of the
corresponding Download Ruler Changes control project.
turns green for all other participants. They can
click the Download Ruler Changes control to Conductor Ruler Ownership
download the changes to the Conductor ruler from
The Conductor Ruler Ownership control lets you
the cloud copy of the project to their local copy.
take ownership of a Conductor ruler, release own-
To download Conductor ruler changes, do one of
ership of a Conductor ruler, request ownership of a
the following: Conductor ruler, and show you if another partici-
pant currently owns that Conductor ruler.
Click the Download Ruler Changes control.
Right-click the Download Ruler Changes con- Ruler Ownership Right-Click Menu
trol and choose Accept Download.
The Conductor Ruler Ownership control right-
click menu provides different commands depend-
Download Ruler Changes Right-Click
ing on whether or not the ruler is unowned, owned
Menu
by you, or owned by another, and whether or not
The Download Ruler Changes control provides a changes are pending upload or download.
right-click menu that offers similar controls to the
Download Track Changes control right-click
menu.
When no one owns a Conductor ruler, anyone is If any other participant wants to take ownership of
free to work on it and the Conductor Ruler Owner- that Conductor ruler, they must request ownership
ship control is gray. either by making a “share-able” change to that
Conductor ruler or by clicking the Conductor
Ruler Ownership control for that ruler in their local
copy of the project.
Unowned Conductor ruler
Ownership Pending
Sketches created in Pro Tools use the Playback En- With the Sketch window in the foreground and
gine settings for bit depth and sample rate. When choose File > Save Sketch.
sharing Sketch files between Pro Tools and the
Press Command+S (Mac) or Control+S
iPad app, bit depth and sample rate conversion is
(Windows).
managed in the background.
To save a Sketch as a new Sketch in Pro Tools:
Audio Output (Monitoring) Select the monitor output for the Sketch window. This can be any stereo path
defined in the Pro Tools I/O Setup (stereo only).
MIDI In Select the MIDI input device and channel for recording MIDI clips in the Sketch window.
Volume This master volume control (vol) lets you adjust the monitoring volume for the Sketch window.
Mute Mute lets you mute the output signal of the Sketch window.
Level Meters This stereo segmented level meter displays volume levels and provides clip indicators for the
Sketch audio output.
Pin to Session If you have the Sketch window and a Pro Tools session open at the same time, you can pin
the Sketch window to the session. This means that whenever you open that session while the Sketch re-
mains pinned to it, the Sketch window opens with that particular Sketch document. Note that a single
Sketch can be pinned to multiple sessions.
Preferences
Click to open the Sketch Window Preferences (not
the Pro Tools Preferences). For more information,
see “Sketch Window Preferences” on page 459.
Dragging and dropping from Media browser to a clip cell on an audio track
You can play back individual clips in your Sketch. 1 Select the audio input path.
2 If desired, click Input Monitor to hear your au-
To play back any individual clip, do one of the dio source during recording.
following:
3 Click Track Record enable on an audio track.
Click the Play icon on the clip you want.
4 Click Clip Record on the clip cell where you
Click the Play icon in the Editor for the selected
want to record audio. Recording starts immedi-
clip.
ately. However, if you are at a counter position
between Launch Timing points, then recording
Recording Clips starts at the next timing point.
When you record into an empty clip cell, audio or
Recording starts immediately. However, if you are
MIDI, you can do long form recording. When re-
at a counter position between Launch Timing
cording into an empty clip, the subsequent record-
points, then recording starts at the next timing
ing is of a fixed length determined by the current
point.
clip boundaries. With MIDI, recording into an ex-
isting clip results in MIDI Merge recording. Record into an empty clip cell to record for an in-
definite length.
Recording Audio Clips
Record into an existing empty clip with defined
The Pro Tools Sketch window lets you record au- boundaries to record for the duration of this clip.
dio clips using the selected stereo audio input You cannot record into and overwrite audio in an
(available inputs are defined in the Pro Tools I/O existing clip.
Setup).
You can view the audio you recorded in the Audio Clip Editor.
Pro Tools Sketch lets you record MIDI clips using the selected MIDI input device.
Recording starts immediately. However, if you are at a counter position between Launch Timing points,
then recording starts at the next timing point.
Record into an empty clip cell to record for an indefinite length. Record into an existing MIDI clip to record
for the duration of the existing clip—recorded MIDI merges with the existing MIDI in the clip.
4 Play your MIDI controller or playback MIDI from a Pro Tools MIDI or Instrument track. (You can also
click keys on the on-screen keyboard in the Editor view or the on-screen keyboard of a Virtual Instru-
ment in Track view).
When you are finished recording, click Stop in the Sketch Window toolbar. You can view the MIDI you
recorded in the MIDI Clip Editor.
Scenes
Scenes are rows of clips that can be played back all together.
Play Scene
Stop All
Click the Play icon for the Scene. Right-click the Scene you want in the left-hand
column and choose Delete.
To stop playback of a Scene:
To change Scene Properties:
Click the Stop All icon at the bottom of the
Scenes column. This stops playback of the 1 Right-click the Scene you want in the left-hand
Scene and any other clips that may be playing column and choose Properties.
back on other tracks (and in other Scenes).
2 Type a new Name for the Scene if desired.
To duplicate a Scene: 3 Click Color to select a color for the Scene and
Right-click the Scene you want in the left-hand then click the color you want in the color pal-
column and choose Duplicate. ette.
4 Click OK.
You can drag and drop any Scene from the Sketch window to the Timeline in the Edit window of an open
session. Doing so results in new tracks matching those in the Sketch being created in the session with media
beginning at the Timeline location where you dropped the Scene. Scenes cannot be dropped in the Tracks
List.
Dragging a Scene from the Sketch window onto Timeline in Edit window
To add a Scene to the Arrangement: 64 is the maximum number of repeats for a Scene
Drag and drop a Scene from the left-most col- in the Arrangement.
umn up into the Arrangement. 3 Click Close.
To repeat a Scene in the Arrangement: To export the current Arrangement from your
1 Click the Scene Multiplier to the right of the Sketch as a new audio file:
Scene in the Arrangement. 1 Click the Arrangement menu icon and choose
Export Arrangement.
2 Click + to increase the number of times that you
want the Scene to repeat during playback of the 2 Navigate to the location where you want to save
Arrangement, or click – to decrease the number your Arrangement.
of times that you want the Scene to repeat
3 Type a name for the Arrangement.
during playback of the Arrangement.
4 Click Export.
You can drag and drop an Arrangement from the Sketch window to the Timeline in the Edit window of an
open session. Doing so results in new tracks matching those in the Sketch being created in the session with
media beginning at the Timeline location where you dropped the Arrangement. The Arrangement cannot
be dropped in the Tracks List.
Zooming in the Sketch Window Editor Adding or Deleting Notes in the MIDI
Editor
To zoom out or in the Sketch Window Editor, do
one of the following: To add MIDI notes in the MIDI Editor:
Press Command+[ or Command+] (Mac), or Double-click in blank space in the Clip Editor to
Control+[ or Control+] (Windows). add a MIDI note there.
With Key Command Focus enabled, press R or
To delete MIDI notes in the MIDI Editor:
T.
Double-click MIDI notes in the Clip Editor.
Command-scroll up or down (Mac), or Control-
scroll up or down (Windows).
Mixer tab
Global FX tab
Pro Tools lets you import and export a variety of • Using the File menu Import commands:
data into and out of a session, including audio and • Session Data
MIDI files, clip groups, video files, track playlists,
• Audio
I/O configurations, and signal routing configura-
tions. • MIDI
• Video
You can import individual audio and MIDI files
• Clip Groups
into a session, or import entire audio or MIDI
tracks, along with all of their attributes, from an- • VENUE Channel Names as Track Names
other session. Additionally, with
Session or project data, audio files, and clips can
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio, you have the op-
be imported to existing tracks, new tracks, the
tion of importing any combination of track attri-
Tracks List, or the Clips List in a Pro Tools session
butes from another session, such as a track’s audio
or project.
or MIDI playlists, signal routing, plug-ins, or auto-
mation (see “Importing Session Data” on Exporting
page 481).
Pro Tools lets you export audio, video, MIDI, clip
When you are working with video, you can import groups, and session data by:
and export video files from a session (see
• Using the Export to Sibelius or Send to Sibelius
Chapter 64, “Working with Video in Pro Tools”).
command (MIDI only)
• Using the File menu Export commands:
Importing and Exporting • Selected Tracks as New AAF/OMF
Data to and from a Session or • Selected Tracks as New Session
Project • MIDI
Importing • Sibelius
• Session Info As Text
Pro Tools lets you import audio, video, MIDI, clip
groups, or session files into the current Pro Tools • Using the Tracks Right-click menu:
session or project by: • Send To Sibelius command (Score Editor
• Dragging and dropping from: only)
• A Workspace browser • Export MIDI command
• Mac Finder or Windows Explorer
Chapter 22: Importing and Exporting Session Data 461
• Using the Clips List menu: Files That Can Be Added to a Session or Project
Without Conversion
• Export Clip Definitions command
• Export Clips as Files command Any audio file of a supported file format (WAV
• Export Clip Groups command and AIFF) and bit depth (16, 24, and 32-bit float)
can be added to sessions and projects without con-
version. Audio files with sample rates that do not
match the session or project sample rate can be
Audio Conversion on Import added to the session or project without conversion,
Depending on the properties of the audio files you but will playback at a different pitch and speed
are importing, you can add, copy, or convert the from files that match the session or project sample
files: rate.
When files are added to a Pro Tools session, You can enable the Automatically Copy Files
they remain at their current hard drive location and on Import option in the Processing Prefer-
are not moved or copied. The session references ences page to be sure to always copy files to
the original files wherever they are on your system. the session’s Audio Files folder when import-
Additionally, the files referenced by the session re- ing audio by drag and drop.
tain their original file format, sample rate, and bit
depth. Files That Must Be Converted on Import
When files are copied into the session, the orig- Audio files formats other than WAV and AIFF
inal files remain wherever they are on your system must be converted on import. Pro Tools automati-
and are copied to the session’s Audio Files folder cally converts these files to the current session or
and are then added to the session. The session ref- project audio file format on import. Also, if the
erences the copied files, not the original files. Ad- session or project is not enabled for Interleaved
ditionally, the copied files referenced by the files, Pro Tools splits interleaved audio files into
session retain their original file format, sample multiple mono files on import.
rate, and bit depth.
If clip definitions are present in an audio file, you
When files are converted into the session, the can convert and import the audio for a clip without
original files remain wherever they are on your importing the entire parent audio file using the Im-
system, converted to the session file format, sam- port Audio command.
ple rate, and bit depth, and are written to the ses-
sion’s Audio Files folder. The session references Pro Tools 7.x and later does not support au-
the converted files, not the original files. dio file names that contain certain ASCII
characters (see “Opening a Session that
Contains Audio File Names with Illegal
Characters” on page 525).
Audio files of the following types can be imported • Sound Resource (AIDL – Mac Only)
into Pro Tools sessions and projects without con- • .sd2
version: • Legacy Pro Tools audio file format (Mac
• .wav Only)
• PCM (uncompressed) audio
Pro Tools 11 through Pro Tools 2020.5
• Wave Extensible, RF64, BW64, OMF cannot import SD I or SD II files or convert
• .aif/.aiff/.aifc them to the session format on import. To
convert SD II files on import, use Pro Tools
• PCM (uncompressed), AIFF-C audio
10 or lower, or Pro Tools 2020.9 or later
• .mxf (macOS only). Otherwise, use an audio file
• PCM (uncompressed) audio format conversion utility to convert the SD I
• OP-Atom (single audio channel per file) or SD II files to AIFF or WAV for use with
the latest version of Pro Tools.
Audio files of the following types can be imported
into Pro Tools sessions and projects, but will be
Pro Tools cannot import protected AAC or
converted to the current session or project file for-
MP4 files with the .M4p file extension. These
mat on import:
files are protected under the rules of digital
• .m4a/.m4v/.aac rights management.
• AAC audio
• Apple Lossless ALAC Sample Rate Conversion Quality
• .mp3 The Sample Rate Conversion Quality setting deter-
• MP3 audio mines the quality of sample rate conversion used
when converting and importing audio into a ses-
• .mov
sion. It can also applied when exporting files at dif-
• PCM (uncompressed), AAC, and MP3 audio ferent sample rate and when bouncing to disk.
• .mp4 There are five possible settings, ranging from Low
(fastest, but lowest quality) to Tweak Head (high-
• PCM (uncompressed), and AAC audio
est quality, but slowest). The higher the quality of
• .mxf sample rate conversion you choose, the longer
• PCM (uncompressed) audio Pro Tools will take to process the audio file.
• OP1a (audio from a combined audio/video
The Sample Rate Conversion Quality options are
MXF)
available in the Import Audio and the Import Ses-
• .wav sion Data dialogs. In each case, the Sample Rate
• ACID files Conversion Quality setting is local to that specific
dialog. The Sample Rate Conversion Quality pref-
• .rx/.rx2
erence only applies to conversion on import by
• Recycle (Rex 1 and 2) drag and drop.
To snap to tail:
Melodyne Analysis Data on
Command-Control-drag (Mac) or Control- Import
Start-drag (Windows) a file onto a track. When importing audio, Melodyne analysis persists
as long as no sample rate conversion is applied.
To snap to tail and copy the file to the session
Audio Files folder:
To import entire tracks from other sessions, File and Clip icons in the Import Audio dialog
see “Importing Session Data” on page 481.
On Mac, Sound Resource files must have the
For a complete list of key commands for “.SFIL” extension to be imported by
use in the Import Audio dialog, refer to the Pro Tools.
Pro Tools Shortcuts Guide.pdf.
3 To preview a selected file or clip before you im-
To import audio files or clips into a session or port it, click the Play and Stop buttons in the Im-
project using the Import Audio command: port Audio dialog.
1 Choose File > Import > Audio. Adjust the preview volume with the vertical slider.
2 In the Import Audio dialog, locate and select an To navigate to a particular location in the file, use
audio file to display its properties and associ- the horizontal slider under the Play and Stop but-
ated clips. tons.
You can choose to display only a certain file type The Preview Volume control in the Import
(such as WAV) by selecting the type from the Audio dialog also affects the preview volume
Show pop-up menu. To display all supported file when auditioning clips in the Clips List.
types, select All Documents from the Show pop-up
menu. The audition output path defaults to channels 1–2.
For Pro Tools systems with more than 2 channels
of output, the audition path can be changed in the
I/O Setup (see “Audition Path” on page 70).
Because the transfer is made in the digital domain, 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Pro-
cessing tab.
there is no signal loss.
2 Disable the Import REX Files as Clip Groups op-
The sample rate for audio CDs is 44.1 kHz. There-
tion.
fore, if your session’s sample rate is set to 48 kHz
or higher, Pro Tools will convert the sample rate 3 Select No Files as the Drag and Drop from
for the imported audio. Before importing CD au- Desktop Conforms to Session Tempo prefer-
dio, set the Sample Rate Conversion Quality pref- ence.
erence accordingly. For more information, see
4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
“Sample Rate Conversion Quality” on page 463.
5 When importing by drag and drop from Work-
space browsers, make sure that the Audio Files
Conform to Session Tempo option is disabled.
3 To apply real-time crossfades to the files, enable 6 In the REX Auto-Crossfades dialog, select the
the Automatically Create Fades option (see shapes you want for crossfades, and click OK.
“Automatic Fades for Imported REX Files” on 7 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
page 471).
Depending on your edits or tempo changes
4 Select REX and ACID Files Only or All Files as
after importing REX files, fades can be
the Drag and Drop from Desktop Conforms to
deleted and you will have to recreate them
Session Tempo preference.
manually.
5 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
Warped clips (Elastic Audio) will be exported 24-bit to 16-bit Yes Yes
unwarped at their original duration.
16-bit to 32-bit float No No
2 From the Clips List menu, choose Export Clips
as Files. 16-bit to 24-bit No No
16-bit to 16-bit No No
To export clips as a stereo or multichannel To export clip definitions for an audio file:
interleaved file:
1 In the Clips List, select any clips or clip groups
1 Select the stereo or multichannel audio clip in for which you want to export definitions. You
the Clips List or in the track playlist. If the clips do not have to select the parent file audio clip.
appear on mono tracks in the session, select the
2 Choose Export Clip Definitions from the Clips
two mono clips.
List menu.
2 From the Clips List menu, choose Export Clips
3 Click Export.
as Files.
1 Choose File > Import > MIDI and select the file Destination
you want to import.
The Destination options determine whether new
2 Configure the MIDI Import Options dialog as tracks are created for imported MIDI or if MIDI is
desired (see “MIDI Import Options Dialog” on imported just to the Clips List.
page 477).
New Track(s)
3 Click OK.
The New Track(s) option creates new tracks for
The MIDI file will be imported according to the
imported MIDI
settings in the Import MIDI Settings dialog.
Instrument Track Select this option to create new
If the Standard MIDI File contains markers, Instrument tracks for imported MIDI.
they are only imported if the current session
does not contain any markers. MIDI Track Select this option to create new MIDI
tracks for imported MIDI.
To export a session’s MIDI tracks for use in an- 4 If the Song Start time is different from the
other MIDI application, or for playback with an Session Start time, select Session Start or
external (hardware) MIDI sequencer, you can ex- Song Start from the Location Reference pop-up
port Pro Tools MIDI and Instrument tracks as a menu.
Standard MIDI File. 5 Enable or disable the Apply Real-Time
Properties option.
MIDI can be exported from Pro Tools as a merged,
single, multichannel track (Type 0), or as multiple 6 Click OK.
tracks (Type 1).
7 Specify a folder destination and name for the
If your Pro Tools session uses key signatures and MIDI file.
meters, they are exported with the MIDI file.
Pro Tools automatically adds the “.mid”
To export all MIDI and Instrument tracks in the extension when exporting MIDI files.
current session:
8 Click Save.
1 Make sure to unmute any MIDI tracks in the
session that you want included in the exported Pro Tools exports all unmuted MIDI and Instru-
MIDI file. (Or, conversely, mute any MIDI ment tracks in the current session to a Standard
tracks you do not want included in the exported MIDI File and writes it to your hard drive. Ex-
MIDI file.) For Instrument tracks, enable or dis- ported MIDI information includes notes, controller
able the MIDI mute button (Instruments view). events, program changes, and System Exclusive
data, as well as events for tempo, meter, and mark-
ers.
6 In the Save dialog, type a name for the MIDI 1 Make a selection of MIDI in either Sibelius or
file, specify where you want to save it, and click Pro Tools.
Save. 2 Copy the selection to the Clipboard.
Option-Shift-Right-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift- 3 Paste the selection to Pro Tools MIDI or Instru-
Right-click (Windows) to export all selected ment tracks or to Sibelius Instruments (staves).
tracks as a single MIDI file.
• Dragging a session to a track playlist in When importing sessions or tracks, the Import Ses-
Pro Tools opens the Import Session Data dialog, sion Data dialog lets you specify whether to refer-
letting you select tracks and attributes to import. ence the source media, or copy it.
The imported session data will begin wherever
you drop the session in the Timeline. To automatically copy files on import:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
To import tracks and other session data by drag Processing tab.
and drop:
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 463).
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.
(none) Neither the source track nor any of its attri- Destination Track Names The names of possible
butes are imported. destination tracks in the current session or project
are listed at the bottom of the pop-up menu. Im-
New Basic Folder Neither the source track nor any ported playlists and all attributes selected in the
of its attributes are imported. Track Data to Import pop-up menu will be placed
in the destination track you select.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
Source marker to set it to a New Basic Folder. Only destination tracks that match the track type
(audio, Instrument, MIDI, Auxiliary Input, or
Destination Ruler Names The names of possible Master Fader) and the channel format (mono, ste-
destination rulers in the current session or project reo, or any of the supported multichannel formats)
are listed at the bottom of the pop-up menu. of the source track appear in the pop-up menu.
Match Rulers Match Tracks
In the Import Session Data dialog, you can make In the Import Session Data dialog, you can make
sure Marker rulers match when you are importing sure track names match when you are importing
from source rulers with the same name as destina- playlists from source tracks with the same name as
tion rulers in the current session or project (such as destination tracks in the current session or project
a new cut of a scene). Click Match Rulers to auto- (such as a new cut of a scene). Click Match Tracks
matically match the ruler names. to automatically match the track names. Tracks
must have the same name, track type, and channel
Tracks Tab format to be automatically matched.
Click the Tracks tab to access the list of tracks in
the source session that can be imported, each with
a corresponding pop-up menu.
Available through the Import Session Data dialog, To select what Track Data to import:
the Track Data to Import dialog lets you select
1 In the Import Session Data dialog, click the
which attributes of the selected tracks you want to
Choose button for Track Data to Import.
import into the current session or project.
2 Configure the Track Data to Import dialog as
Selected attributes are applied to all tracks that you desired.
choose to import into the current session or project.
3 Click OK.
Replacing Track Attributes
Main Output Assignments Recalls the source Melodyne Track State Recalls the source track’s
track’s channel output assignments, including any Melodyne track state. Any Melodyne settings in
multiple output assignments. The channel output the destination track are replaced.
assignments in the destination track are replaced.
ARA Track State Recalls the source track’s ARA
Send Volume Automation and Setting Recalls the track state. Any ARA settings in the destination
Volume fader setting and any automation data for track are replaced.
sends on the source track. The Volume fader set-
HW Insert Assignments Recalls the source track’s
ting and any Volume automation data for sends in
hardware Insert assignments. Any Insert assign-
the destination track are replaced.
ments in the destination track are replaced.
Send Pan Automation and Setting Recalls the
Voice Assignments Recalls the source track’s
Pan slider setting and any automation data for
voice assignment from the source session. Any
sends on the source track. The Pan slider setting
voice assignments in the destination track are re-
and any Pan automation data for sends in the des-
placed.
tination track are replaced.
Track View Settings Recalls the track height and Presets Buttons
playlist view of the source track from the source
session. The Track Data to Import dialog provides five Pre-
sets buttons that let you store and recall your most
Mix/Edit Groups Recalls track groups from the commonly used Track Data to Import configura-
source session. tions. You can also save and import Track Data to
Import settings using the Librarian menu.
ICON Custom Fader Groups (Pro Tools Ultimate
and Studio Only) Recalls any ICON Custom
To store a Track Data to Import preset:
Fader Groups from the source session.
1 Configure the Track Data to Import dialog as
ICON Automation Snapshots (Pro Tools Ultimate you like.
and Studio Only) Recalls any ICON Automation
Snapshots from the source session. 2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) the Presets button where you want to
HEAT Switch Settings Recalls any stored HEAT store the current Track Data to Import settings.
switch settings from the source session.
Import Settings Opens the Choose a Settings File Window Configurations Imports the Window
dialog focused on the default Track Data to Import Configurations from the source session.
folder. Track Data to Import Settings file stored in
this location are listed by name under <factory de- Mic Pre Settings Imports any Pro Tools Mic Pre
fault> in the Librarian menu. In the Choose a Set- settings from the source session. Any Mic Pre set-
tings File dialog, you can navigate to any location tings in the destination session or project are re-
on your system to select and import the Track Data placed.
to Import Settings preset file you want. Dolby Atmos Trim and Downmix imports Trim
Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes and Downmix settings from either a source session
the current settings file from disk. or ADM file (see “Import ADM BWF Files” on
page 1384).
Lock (Unlock) Settings File Locks (or unlocks)
the selected Settings file so that it cannot (or can)
be edited.
Use the File > Import > Session Data command. 1 Launch Pro Tools.
Use the File > Open Session command. 2 Choose File > Open Session.
Drag and drop them from any Workspace 3 In the Open Session dialog, navigate to the AAF
browser or the desktop. or OMF sequence you want to import.
You can also open an AAF or OMF sequence If there are any errors or clip name truncations,
by dragging it from any location on your com- a dialog will appear asking you if you want a
puter or the Workspace browser to the detailed report of the changes. Click Yes and
Pro Tools Timeline. choose where you want to save the log.
Pro Tools recognizes and creates two different Select this option to translate the AAF or OMF file
unique IDs for media files (AIFF and WAV only): to a Pro Tools session that refers to as many of the
Unique ID and SMPTE ID. SMPTE ID (Pro Tools original media files as possible. In this case, the
12.8 and later only) provides optimal compatibility Pro Tools session points to the BWF (WAV) or
and interchange with other applications that utilize AIF files from the source project.
SMPTE IDs in media files and AAF sequences
(such as Avid Media Composer), and ensures truly When importing audio embedded in an AAF se-
unique IDs for AIFF and WAV files. quence, Pro Tools copies the audio to a new drive
or folder even if this setting is selected.
8-bit Unique ID Legacy ID format used with ver-
sions of Pro Tools lower that 12.8. For projects, you should always copy or consoli-
date from source media. Any tracks in a project
SMPTE ID 32-bit SMPTE IDs created and sup- that contain linked local media cannot be shared.
ported with Pro Tools 12.8 or higher.
Copy from Source Media
You can sample-rate convert the audio during Select this option to import a video track with of-
translation. fline media. You will be able to see cuts and clip
names, but the video media remains offline. You
Force to Target Session Format can view the video media on the connected Video
Satellite system. This option is only available
Use this setting to convert source media to the ses- when New Satellite Track is selected for the video
sion audio file format if the source media file for- track.
mat differs from the project or session file format.
When enabled, the Only Include Clips on Timeline Avid Media Composer sequences can contain
option prevents missing files for those that do not metadata points called Markers that serve a similar
work directly on a shared storage environment purpose to the Markers in Pro Tools, adding color-
with video editors. coded contextual information to the timeline. Even
though markers are associated with specific tracks
An AAF often contains clip information about all in Media Composer, you can import markers into
channels related to a multi-channel clip or file, Pro Tools without importing those tracks.
even if not all channels are on the timeline. This
can be useful if you are on the same shared storage When exporting an AAF from Media Composer,
environment with the video editor because you Marker information is included and can be im-
have immediate access to the alternate channels, ported into Pro Tools, thus preserving this data.
even if the video editor decided not to include them
in the edit. However, when users do not work in a Markers can only be imported from AAF
shared environment, it can result in missing files. sequences.
This is because when an AAF is exported from
To import all Markers:
Media Composer, only the timeline contents are
copied to a folder, but the AAF is still aware of the Click the Markers to Import menu and select All.
alternate channels.
To import no Markers:
Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right Click the Markers to Import menu and select
The Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right set- None.
ting enables you to set the basic track pan setting so
To import Markers based on marker color:
that odd-numbered tracks translate with full-left
panning, and even-numbered tracks translate with 1 Click the Markers to Import menu.
full-right panning. This is useful if you want to pan 2 Select the colors of markers you want to import.
the currently unpanned audio full-left or full-right. Check marks appear next to the selected colors.
The Pan Odd Tracks Left/Even Tracks Right Once imported, the new Markers can be edited as
setting is not supported when importing normal.
multi-channel audio tracks from an AAF.
When importing multi-channel tracks, the Unlike Pro Tools Markers, which only mark
setting is greyed-out and any imported stereo specific points in time in a session,
channels are panned hard right and hard left. Media Composer Markers point specifically
to individual audio or video tracks. Informa-
tion on which track each Marker was associ-
ated with can be found in the Comments sec-
tion in the Memory Locations window in
Pro Tools.
Parsing Errors
Sound Designer II Audio File
Format Example
Support for AAF Sequences Referencing SD II A1<01:00:00:00–01:00:04:20>error reading
Audio Files
component “Assertion in OMF_Objects2x.cpp”,
Pro Tools 11.x and later do not support Sound De- line 2871;substituting fill.
signer II (SD II) audio files. Open any AAF se-
This error indicates a problem that may have orig-
quence that references SD II files in Pro Tools 10.x
inated in Pro Tools or the application that pro-
and lower, or Pro Tools 2020.9 or later (macOS
duced the AAF or OMF file. In the translated com-
only). Any referenced Sound Designer II files are
position, there will be silence or video black at the
given interval.
A1<01:00:00:00–01:00:16:06>“Jag film to
Example 2
Whirl.01.Sub.06.new.01”; insufficient source
V1<01:00:48:25–01:00:49:26>no rendering for material for clip;shortening clip by 1 sample.
effect: omfi:effect: VideoRepeat;substituting
silence/video black. This Translation Note is primarily informational,
informing you that Pro Tools was not able to trans-
For some effects, the length of the output is differ- late the AAF or OMF sequence exactly, and has
ent than the length of the input. In this case, substi- had to make an adjustment so Pro Tools can under-
tuting a bypass when a rendering is missing doesn't stand it.
make sense, because it won't sync properly.
Pro Tools substitutes silence or video black. This error occurs because applications do not al-
ways calculate the number of samples in a frame in
Ignored Effects the same way. In some cases, there may be one too
few samples of media to support a given clip from
A1<01:00:02:00–01:00:07:01>ignoring render- the Pro Tools standpoint. In this situation, there
ing for effect: EFF_AUDIO_EQMB;using bypass can potentially be an audio “pop.”
clip.
Some video editors (such as Avid Pro Tools does export volume automation to AAF
Media Composer), require all media files to and OMF, but only if the Enforce Avid Compatibil-
be in specific folders to allow proper relink- ity and Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries op-
ing. tions are disabled.
Use Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF to export 7 Verify the Audio Bit Depth setting is acceptable
individual tracks or an entire Pro Tools session as for the recipient of this export.
an AAF sequence referring to MXF audio files.
8 If you’re exporting a sequence that contains ste-
Tracks are exported in their entirety and time reo, 5.1 or 7.1 tracks and want to export those
selections are ignored. tracks as multi-channel audio files, enable the
Export Stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 Tracks as Multi-
Channel option.
Volume and pan automation is not exported if
Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries or Avid 9 Click OK.
Compatibility Mode are enabled. 10 In the Publishing Options dialog, type the
Pro Tools Comment and Sequence Name.
To export selected audio tracks from Pro Tools as
an AAF sequence referring to MXF audio files:
Pro Tools creates a sequence with the name you
1 In Pro Tools, select the tracks you want to supply. The comment appears in the Avid applica-
export. tion bin in the Pro Tools Comment column.
2 Choose File > Export > Selected Tracks as 11 Click OK.
OMF/AAF.
12 In the Name the AAF File to Export dialog,
3 Under OMF/AAF Options, select AAF from the navigate to a folder where you can easily locate
Export As pop-up menu. the AAF sequence when it is time to distribute it
to another editor or import it into
An OMF sequence cannot reference MXF Media Composer.
media files. When using the Export Selected
Tracks as OMF/AAF dialog, choose AAF in the 13 Click Save.
Export As pop-up menu to enable MXF in the 14 In the Please Choose a Folder for Converted
Audio Format menu. Audio Files dialog, navigate to a folder where
the media files can be easily located (such as the
4 Select Enforce Avid Compatibility.
same folder where AAF or OMF sequence re-
Enforce Avid Compatibility creates frame- sides).
accurate edits, wraps the files as OMFI (unless
Some video editors require all media files to be
you choose MXF), and limits the sample rate
in specific folders to allow proper relinking.
options to 44.1 or 48 kHz. Dither without noise
shaping will be applied to files being exported 15 Click Choose (Mac) or Use Current Folder
from 24-bit to 16-bit. (Windows).
5 Ensure the Target Project Timecode Format is
correct for the Avid application project to which
you are exporting the AAF sequence.
10 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.
Because quantizing edits to frame boundaries ex- You might want to change the sample rate of a ses-
tends the clips, extra audio may be heard. To pre- sion or project if you are exporting to a system or
vent this extra audio from playing, special one- are at a stage in the process that requires a different
frame sound files are rendered to duplicate the sample rate.
original boundaries of the clip. In the exported se-
quence, these one-frame files are placed over the Check the Audio and Video pull options before
start and end frames of the extended clip so you applying a sample rate conversion to the entire
cannot hear the extension. session or project.
One-frame files (OFFs) are imported into Avid For example, your session or project contains au-
workstations as part of the AAF or OMF sequence dio media at 29.97 fps (NTSC video) at 48 kHz,
like any other sound file. In the Avid Timeline, while the film composer to whom you are export-
they appear as one-frame edits on either side of a ing your session or project requires audio media at
subclip.If you decide you need to extend the sub- 24 fps (film speed) at 48 kHz. To convert all the
clip at any point, discard the OFF and trim the sub- audio files and edits to play back at 24 fps (film
clip as needed. speed) at 48 kHz, you would set the Source Sam-
ple Rate setting to 48,048 (a pull up rate of 0.1%)
This solution is only available when you export a and the Destination Sample Rate to 48,000. These
sequence, not when you export individual files. settings tell Pro Tools that you want to fit 48,048
of the original video speed samples into 48,000 of
the new film speed samples. With these settings,
If Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries is se-
you sample-rate convert the video material to film
lected, Pro Tools volume automation will not
speed.
be exported.
This setting allows you to specify the sample rate Select 16-bit or 24-bit as the target bit depth for the
of the material you are working with in Pro Tools, exported media. Pro Tools automatically applies
independent of the session or project sample rate dither, without noise shaping, when reducing bit
settings. depth from 24-bit to 16-bit.
This setting allows you to specify the sample rate When exporting tracks from Pro Tools to AAF or
for audio files after the AAF or OMF translation. OMF, there are three ways that Pro Tools can han-
dle source audio media (as set in the Export to
If this setting differs from the Source Sample Rate OMF/AAF dialog’s Audio Media Options pop-up
setting, audio is sample-rate converted digitally to menu).
the Destination Sample Rate.
Link To Source Media Creates an AAF or OMF
Sample Rate Conversion Quality file that refers to as many of the original media
files as possible. In this case, the AAF or OMF file
These settings correspond to Pro Tools sample rate
points to the BWF (.WAV), AIFF, or MXF from
conversion settings. It is not recommended that
the source project.
you use the Low (Fastest) setting. The Tweak Head
(Slowest) setting provides the highest quality sam- Copy From Source Media Copies audio to another
ple rate conversion. drive or folder. You can sample-rate convert the
audio during this translation.
Audio Media Options Consolidate From Source Media Copies only the
When exporting tracks to AAF or OMF, Pro Tools part of the files that are actually used by the session
provides the following Audio Media Options: or project. For example, you may only be using a
ten second clip of a ten-minute audio file in your
Audio Format session or project. Consolidating this audio saves a
great deal of disk space by copying only the audio
Choose whether you want the resulting AAF or
you use and discarding the rest.
OMF file to refer to BWF (.WAV), AIFF, MXF
(AAF only), or embedded files. The audio files Consolidate Source Audio Media is the only us-
will be converted accordingly. able option for a Pro Tools to AAF or OMF
translation when Quantize Edits to Frame
If you create AIFF or BWF (.WAV) audio, the
Boundaries is selected. See “Quantize Edits to
audio files have extra OMF data attached to
Frame Boundaries” on page 511.
them. Though most applications will not have
problems reading these audio files, they may Consolidate Handle Size (Milliseconds) Speci-
not be compatible with all applications. fies the number of milliseconds of the original au-
dio file to retain at the beginning and end of each
MXF is only available if you have selected audio clip that is created. This lets you extend clip
the Enforce Media Composer Compatibility boundaries even after you have consolidated, by
option. the amount you specify. It is a good idea to have at
least 1000 milliseconds (one second) of handle, so
5 Navigate to the location where you want to save 3 If you choose to include track EDLs, select
the new session. whether to show subframes, and whether to in-
clude user timestamps. Also select an option for
6 Type a name for the new session.
crossfade handling.
7 Click Save.
4 If you choose to include track EDLs, select the
Time Format for the exported session text from
the pop-up menu.
5 Select the File Format for exported text using
the pop-up menu.
6 When you have set your options, click OK.
7 Select a location and type a filename for the ex-
ported text file. In Windows, Pro Tools adds the
correct 3-letter filename extension, while on the
Mac, the file extension “.txt” is added.
# OF AUDIO TRACKS: 19
# OF AUDIO FILES: 54
Select this option to export a list of all markers in- You can select the appropriate time format that ex-
cluded in the session or project. ported EDL information is based on. For example,
for post work, you might select Timecode location,
Include Plug-In List but for music creation locked to a grid, you might
select Bars:Beats.
Select this option to export a list of the plug-ins
used in the session or project.
File Format
Include Track EDLs (Playlists) On Mac, you can to export to TextEdit, UTF-8, MS
Excel, MS Word, Write Now, Word Perfect, and
You can export track EDLs (playlists). Track
AppleWorks text formats. On Windows, you can
EDLs can be used to spot-check clip placement
export to either TextEdit or UTF-8.
and edits, or in a conforming program for post ap-
plications. In extreme circumstances the EDL can
be used to recreate the entire session or project.
You can export session text for All Tracks or for Importing and Exporting Clip
Selected Tracks Only. Group Files
MIDI track EDLs are not exported.
Pro Tools can export and import the clip group file
format (.rgrp). This lets you do the following:
When exporting track EDLs, the following options • Separate clip group metadata from audio files to
are available: avoid unnecessary file copy operations when ex-
porting audio clip groups composed from multi-
Show Subframes This option allows you to export
ple source files.
subframe time information with track EDLs, if
used in your session or project. • Export MIDI data as part of a clip group.
• Create multitrack loops.
Include User Timestamps You can include user
timestamps with track EDLs. User timestamps in-
dicate a user-defined session or project location for
the clip, or the original location of the clip when re-
corded.
Fade Handling
• 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 520 session or project.
• “Importing Clip Groups with Drag and Drop” on Song Start Aligns the beginning of the group to
page 521 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)
• Auto Renaming
To import clip groups into new tracks:
• Replacing with New Files
1 Select one or more clip groups in a Workspace
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 cur-
rent 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 582).
erly:
Although Pro Tools lets you record to your
• Pro Tools software files (such as the application
system drive, this is generally not recom-
and plug-ins files) should be located on your
mended. You should record to system drives
Startup drive (the drive that contains your oper-
only when necessary—for example, if your
ating system and other system-related files).
computer system has just one hard drive, or it
• Data files (such as session files, audio files, and your other hard drives are completely full.
video files) can be located on any compatible
drive connected to your computer’s internal or
If you have a system with multiple drives,
external SSD, SAS, SATA, IDE/ATA, FireWire,
you can designate the System drive as a
USB, or Thunderbolt busses.
Playback only or Transfer only drive for op-
You can specify the location of new session files timal performance (see “Volume Permis-
when creating new sessions (see “Creating a New sions” on page 360).
Blank Session or Project” on page 186).
Pro Tools tags each audio file in a session with a Pro Tools classifies storage volumes according to
unique identifier that allows it to distinguish a par- their suitability for performance (recording or
ticular file even if its name or location has playback) or transfer (storage or copying) of audio
changed. This Unique ID is 8-bit and is used by and other media files. Audio files must be stored
versions of Pro Tools lower than 12.8. on suitable Performance volumes and be properly
linked in order to be playable in a Pro Tools
session.
SMPTE IDs
Pro Tools (version 12.8 and later) creates and When you open a session, if Pro Tools determines
reads 32-bit SMPTE IDs. SMPTE ID provides op- that audio files are not located on a Performance
timal compatibility and interchange with other ap- volume, or if it is unable to locate audio files con-
plications that utilize SMPTE IDs in media files tained in the session, you can locate or copy the
and AAF sequences (such as Avid Media Com- files in order to play back the session. This process
poser), and ensures truly unique IDs for all AIFF is called relinking.
and WAV files. When linking to WAV files, the For more information on storage volume
SMPTE ID is prioritized over any Unique ID. classifications, see “Performance and
ID linking priority is as follows: Transfer Volumes” on page 357.
1 SMPTE ID: Both Pro Tools and Media Com- Transfer Files
poser generate these.
Transfer files reside on volumes unsuitable for
2 Unique ID: Stored in the UMID Chunk. This is playback, such as CD or DVD discs, or network
the legacy Pro Tools ID. drives.
3 Unique ID: Stored in the OMF Chunk - This is
To open a session containing Transfer files:
the ID that you see in Wave files included with
an AAF from Media Composer. They are shown Open the Pro Tools session. If any files are on a
in the Unique ID field if there is no UMID volume unsuitable for playback, Pro Tools
Chunk ID, and they are only be used for linking prompts you to do one of the following:
if there is no SMPTE ID or UMID Chunk ID. • Click Yes to open the Copy and Relink
window.
• Click No to open the session with all
Transfer files offline.
RF64
Pro Tools supports the RF64 audio file format. Sharing Sessions Created on
RF64 is an extension to the WAV audio file format Different Computer Platforms
that addresses the 4 gigabyte size limitation of
other WAV audio file formats. RF64 audio files Working with Mac-Based HFS+
are identified in Workspace browsers with the des- Drives on Windows Computers
ignation “MBWF” in the Attributes field.
You can use the MacDrive Utility from Mediafour
Earlier versions of Pro Tools cannot read to mount HFS+ drives on an NTFS system for use
RF64 files. These files have to be manually ed- with Pro Tools.
ited and consolidated so that they are no
larger than 4 GB in order to be available to Moving Sessions on Windows
systems running earlier versions of Pro Tools. Systems to Mac-Based HFS+
Drives
BW64 (From Window-Based NTFS Drives Only)
Pro Tools lets you convert BW64 files on import, There are specific steps for transferring session
as well as link to and play back BW64 files. BW64 files from Windows-based NTFS drives to Mac-
audio files are extensions to the WAV audio file based HFS+ drives.
format that address the 4 gigabyte size limitation
of other WAV audio file formats.
For details on transferring sessions between Windows and Mac systems, see “Sharing Sessions Created
on Different Computer Platforms” on page 527.
Video tracks 64 64 1 0 0
Opening Pro Tools 9.0 Sessions Opening Pro Tools 9.0 Sessions
with Pro Tools 8.1 and 8.5 with Pro Tools 7.4.x
A Pro Tools 9.0 session can be opened with A Pro Tools 9.0 session can be opened with
Pro Tools 8.1 and 8.5, but certain session compo- Pro Tools 7.4.x, but certain session components
nents open differently or not at all. open differently or not at all.
When opening a Pro Tools 9.0 session with When opening a Pro Tools 9.0 session with
Pro Tools 8.1 or 8.5, you are warned that you Pro Tools 7.4.x, you are warned that you are
are opening a session created with a newer opening a session created with a newer ver-
version of Pro Tools and that not all session sion of Pro Tools and that not all session
components will be available. components will be available.
Opening Pro Tools 7.4 or Higher Sessions created with Pro Tools HD 7.2–9.x
Sessions with Pro Tools 7.3.x or that contain video tracks or VCA Masters can
7.2 only be opened with Pro Tools HD 7.1cs3
and later.
A Pro Tools 7.4–9.x session can be opened with
Pro Tools 7.3.x or 7.2, but certain session compo- When opening a Pro Tools 7.4–9.x session with
nents open differently or not at all. a version of Pro Tools 7.1 or 7.0 the following
occurs:
When opening a Pro Tools 7.4–9.x session
• All that occurs when opening a Pro Tools 7.4 or
with Pro Tools 7.3.x, you are warned that
higher session with Pro Tools 7.3.x or 7.2.
you are opening a session created with a
newer version of Pro Tools and that not all Tracks
session components will be available. • VCA Master tracks are removed and any unco-
alesced VCA automation is dropped.
When opening a Pro Tools 7.4.x or higher
session with Pro Tools 7.3.x or 7.2, the • Any uncoalesced Trim automation is dropped.
following occurs:
Groups
• All that occurs when opening a Pro Tools 8.x or
• All groups beyond the first 26 (Bank 1, Groups
higher session with Pro Tools 7.4.x.
a–z) are dropped.
• Elastic Audio-enabled tracks open without Elas-
• Mix Groups keep only Main Volume informa-
tic Audio and clip durations revert to the timing
tion.
of the original source file.
• Mix/Edit Groups keep only Main Volume and
• Sessions with mixed language characters sup-
Automation Mode information.
ported in Unicode may not open or, if they do
open, Pro Tools displays “garbage” text. • Automation overflow information for grouped
controls is not preserved.
• Group behavior of Solos, LFEs, Mutes, Send
Levels, Send Mutes is not preserved.
• Solo Mode and Solo Latch settings are dropped.
• Output bus assignments are removed. • Only the main video track is displayed.
• HEAT (if present) is removed. • Only the first QuickTime movie in the session is
displayed or played back.
• Elastic Audio-enabled tracks are saved untrans-
posed, unwarped, and clip durations revert to the • If the session contains QuickTime movies in the
timing of the original source file. Clips List but no video track, the session opens
with a new QuickTime Movie track containing
• Instrument tracks are split into separate Auxil- the first QuickTime movie from the Clips List.
iary Input and MIDI tracks.
Pro Tools 5.1 and later sessions cannot be opened • Pro Tools 2022.12 places the Media Composer
with Pro Tools version 5.0. comment field text into the Pro Tools memory
location name field. The memory location com-
To save a Pro Tools 12.x–10.x session so it is com- ments also contain the Media Composer track
patible with Pro Tools version 5.0, use the File > name and marker color. This results in the same
Save Copy In command to choose the behavior as for markers imported from a Media
Pro Tools 5.0 Session format. Composer generated AAF.
• Versions prior to Pro Tools 2022.12 show the
When saving a Pro Tools 12.x–10.x session to
Pro Tools 5.0 format, the following occurs: Media Composer marker name in the Pro Tools
memory location name field—this is a one-to-
• All that occurs when saving a Pro Tools 12.x–
one mapping of name field, and the Media Com-
10.x session to Pro Tools 5.0 format.
poser marker name typically contains the Media
• Multichannel surround tracks are removed from Composer username.
the session.
• Inactive tracks are removed from the session.
• Tracks assigned to “No Output” are routed to Language Compatibility
busses 31 and 32.
Unicode Support for Languages
• Tracks or sends assigned to busses 33–64 are
routed to busses 31 and 32. Pro Tools supports entry and display of any lan-
• Tracks assigned to multichannel paths or sub- guage characters supported in Unicode anywhere
paths of multichannel paths are routed to busses in the Pro Tools application. This lets you:
31 and 32. • Use multiple languages in session names, and in
• Sends assigned to multichannel paths or sub- path names, file names and clip names within
paths of multichannel paths are dropped. the same session.
• Search for terms in multiple languages in
Workspace browsers.
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.
Starting and Stopping Playback With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans-
port or Shuttle, press 0 on the numeric keypad.
To start playback, do one of the following:
If you have a control surface connected and
Click Play in the Transport.
configured, press the Stop switch.
Press the Spacebar.
If Pro Tools is online and controlled by another
With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans- deck, press stop on the master deck (see “Put-
port or Shuttle, press 0 on the numeric keypad. ting Pro Tools Online” on page 1418).
1 Specify the Back/Forward Amount. (See “Set- Tabbing to Transients With the Tab to Transients
ting the Back/Forward Amount” on page 548.) button enabled, you can automatically navigate to
transients in audio waveforms, placing the cursor
2 With the Selector tool, drag within a track to
just before the detected transient peak. For more
make a selection.
information, see “Tabbing to Transients” on
page 713.
No Scrolling The Edit window does not scroll To make the track display and the edit cursor
during or after playback. The playback cursor follow playback:
moves across the Edit window, indicating the play- Enable the Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker
back location. Follows Playback button in the Edit window.
After Playback The playback cursor moves across
the Edit window, indicating the playback location.
When playback has stopped, the Edit window
scrolls to the final playback location.
Center Playhead Scrolling option Half-screen for Center Playhead Scrolling option
Moving the Playhead with these methods does not To play a selection:
update the Timeline selection. However,
1 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit
updating the Timeline selection automatically
Selection.
moves the Playhead to the Timeline insertion
point. 2 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a
track selection.
With the Playhead enabled, you can jump to and
play an Edit or Timeline selection. For details, see 3 If you want to use pre-roll or post-roll, enable
“Playing Timeline and Edit Selections with the and set the pre-roll and post-roll amounts. For
Playhead” on page 553. details, see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on
page 597.
4 Click Play in the Transport window, or press the
Spacebar.
Press Command+Right Arrow (Mac) or To audition a selection start point with pre-roll:
Control+Right Arrow (Windows).
Press Command+Option+Left Arrow (Mac) or
Control+Alt+Left Arrow (Windows).
Auditioning Start and End Points
for Selections To audition a selection end point:
There may be times when you want to audition the Press Option+Right Arrow (Mac) or Alt+Right
start or end of an audio selection without hearing Arrow (Windows).
the entire selection. This allows you to check, for
instance, whether the beginning or end of a selec- When auditioning the end of a selection, playback
tion includes any unwanted clicks or pops. begins before the end point by the pre-roll amount.
Normal Playback Mode The Stop button lights and the Play button flashes.
Normal Playback mode is simply when none of the 2 To begin playback instantaneously, click Play.
other Playback modes are selected. In Normal
3 Click Stop to stop playback.
Playback mode, Pro Tools plays back at the ses-
sion sample rate. When synchronizing to timecode, use Prime
for Playback mode to play back large num-
bers of tracks. This decreases the time it takes
to lock to timecode.
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-
• Select Options > Loop Playback. where on the Timeline without losing your Time-
line or Edit selections. For example, you can use
• Right-click the Play button in the Transport
Dynamic Transport mode in conjunction with
window and select Loop from the pop-up
Loop Playback mode to quickly audition loop tran-
menu.
sitions.
• Control-click (Mac) or Start-click
(Windows) the Play button in the Transport When Dynamic Transport mode is enabled, the
window. Main Timebase ruler expands to double-height and
reveals the Play Start Marker. The Play Start
• Press Command+Shift+L (Mac) or
Marker determines where playback starts when the
Control+Shift+L (Windows).
Transport is engaged. You can position the Play
• With the Numeric Keypad mode set to Trans- Start Marker independently of the Timeline Selec-
port, press 4 on the numeric keypad. tion. The Play Start Marker can be repositioned
during playback and playback continues from the
new location.
Select or deselect Options > Dynamic With any Edit tool selected, click in the Play
Transport. Start Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler.
Right-click the Play button in the Transport With any Edit tool selected, drag the Play Start
window and select Dynamic Transport from the Marker to a new location.
pop-up menu.
Click Fast Forward or Rewind in the Transport
Press Command+Control+P (Mac) or to relocate the Play Start Marker forward or
Control+Start+P (Windows) to toggle Dynamic backward by the standard Fast Forward and Re-
Transport mode on or off. wind increment amount.
Enabling Dynamic Transport mode automat- Double-click anywhere in the Play Start
ically disables Link Timeline and Edit Selec- Marker strip in the Main Timebase ruler to
tion, and automatically enables Loop Play- move the Play Start Marker to that location
back mode. and start playback.
When the Link Timeline and Edit Selection To have the Playhead always snap to the Timeline
option is disabled, Option-drag (Mac) or Selection In Point when changed during playback:
Alt-drag (Windows) the Timeline selection 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
to snap the Edit selection to the Timeline se-
lection and move both in tandem. 2 Click the Operation tab.
3 Select Dynamic Transport Follows Timeline Se-
Play Start Marker Follows Timeline Selection
lection During Playback.
When enabled, the Play Start Marker snaps to the 4 Click OK.
Timeline Selection In Point when you move the
Timeline Selection, draw a new Timeline Selec- With this option is enabled and you make a new
tion, or adjust the Timeline Selection Start. When timeline selection during Loop Playback in Dy-
disabled, the Play Start Marker does not move with namic Transport mode, the Playhead jumps to the
the Timeline Selection. beginning of the new timeline selection instantly
without waiting for playback of the current loop to
To have the Play Start Marker always snap to the complete, and it begins to loop within the boundar-
Timeline Selection In Point:
ies of the new selection.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
When this option is disabled and you make a new
2 Click the Operation tab. timeline selection during Loop Playback in Dy-
3 Select Play Start Marker Follows Timeline namic Transport mode, the Playhead is behaves as
Selection. follows:
• If a new Timeline Selection is made during play-
4 Click OK.
back that is later than the current location of the
Playhead, the Playhead continues uninterrupted
without jumping to the start of new selection.
• If the Playhead enters the new selection, it loops
playback between the loop points of the selec-
tion.
Press Control+N (Mac) or Start+N (Windows) 4 Reposition the Play Start Marker before the
to toggle Insertion Follows Playback on and off. Timeline Selection Out Point.
5 Start playback.
When enabled, the Use Separate Play and Stop Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
Keys option lets you start playback with the Enter the Right Arrow.
key and stop playback with the 0 key on the nu-
To move the Play Start Marker to the Edit Selection
meric keypad. This is useful for quickly starting Start:
and stopping playback when auditioning loop tran-
sitions. Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
the Down Arrow.
To use separate play and stop keys on the numeric
keypad: To move the Play Start Marker to location of the
Playhead:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then
2 Click the Operation tab. the Up Arrow.
3 Select Transport for Numeric Keypad.
To nudge the Play Start Marker backward (rewind):
4 Select Use Separate Play and Stop Keys.
Press 1 on the numeric keypad.
This option overrides using the Enter key to
add Memory Location markers. Press Pe- To nudge the Play Start Marker forward (fast
forward):
riod (.) and then Enter on the numeric key-
pad to add a Memory Location marker. Press 2 on the numeric keypad.
The Enter key starts playback. The Zero key stops With Bars|Beats selected as the Main Timebase
playback. Pressing Zero twice locates the Play ruler, do the following on the numeric keypad:
Start Marker to the Timeline Selection start. • Press Asterisk (*).
• Type the bar number.
Keyboard Shortcuts for • Press Enter.
Relocating the Play Start Marker
In Dynamic Transport mode, you can use key- Recording in Dynamic Transport
board shortcuts to quickly relocate the Play Start Mode
Marker either during playback or when the Trans-
port is stopped. Recording in Dynamic Transport mode lets you
start playback independently of the Timeline se-
To move the Play Start Marker to the Timeline lection. Use the Play Start marker as a manual pre-
Selection Start: roll before the Timeline selection. Recording
Press Period (.) on the numeric keypad and then punches in and out based on the Timeline
the Left Arrow. selection.
Transmitting Beat Clock To transmit MIDI Beat Clock on the IAC bus:
To transmit MIDI Beat Clock: 1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.
1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock. 2 In the MIDI Devices window of Audio MIDI
Setup, double-click the IAC Driver icon.
2 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the
Enable MIDI Beat Clock option. 3 Configure the IAC Driver ports and confirm
that it is online.
3 Select the devices you want to receive MIDI
Beat Clock. If your MIDI interface does not 4 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock.
support transmitting MIDI Beat Clock to sepa-
5 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the
rate ports, only the interface appears as a desti-
Enable MIDI Beat Clock option.
nation.
6 Select the IAC Driver ports you want to enable
for sending MIDI Beat Clock.
7 Click OK.
Since MIDI is not sample accurate, you may want to make several measurements at different grid
locations and average them to come up with the best value for the MIDI Beat Clock Offset.
Once you have measured the latency for your MIDI Beat Clock-enabled devices, be sure to keep
a record of these values in case you need to re-enter the MIDI Beat Clock Sample Offset in other
sessions.
Ableton Link
Pro Tools supports Ableton Link, a synchronization technology from Ableton that keeps Link-enabled ap-
plications in time over a local network (LAN or WLAN). Link synchronizes musical beat, tempo, phase
and start/stop commands across multiple applications running on the same or different devices. Applica-
tions on devices connected to a local network discover each other automatically and form a musical session
in which each participant can perform independently:
• Anyone can start or stop while still staying in time.
• Anyone can change the tempo and the others follow.
• Anyone can join or leave without disrupting the session.
For more information about Ableton Link, To show (or hide) Ableton Link controls in the Edit
visit www.ableton.com. window toolbar:
1 Do one of the following:
To enable Ableton Link:
• Click the Edit Window Toolbar menu (in the
1 Ensure that your Pro Tools system is connected upper-right corner of the window).
to a local network (LAN or WLAN).
• Right-click in the Toolbar.
2 Ensure that any other devices running Link-en-
2 From the menu, select (or deselect) Ableton
abled applications (peers) are connected to the
Link.
same local network.
3 In Pro Tools, show the Ableton Link controls in
the Edit window toolbar or the Transport win-
dow.
4 Click the Link button so that it turns blue.
5 Enable Start/Stop if desired.
6 Select the desired Quantize value.
7 Start playback.
Start/Stop Sync
Click Start/Stop to toggle Pro Tools transport Launch Quantize determines the bar/beat cycle for
start/stop synchronization on and off. Start/Stop synchronizing playback with other peer applica-
lights green when enabled. When enabled, starting tions on the network. The selected Quantize value
and stopping the Pro Tools transport sends and re- determines at what point in the bar/beat cycle
sponds to start and stop messages to and from any Pro Tools playback starts when joining an active
other linked applications. Note that not all Link-en- multi-peer session. This ensures that Pro Tools
abled applications send or respond to start and stop synchronizes with other peers on the network in a
messages. For those that do, you may need to en- musically meaningful way.
able Start/Stop sync within the application itself.
If Pro Tools is the first peer on the network to start
Number of Connected Peers Display playback, playback starts immediately regardless
of the selected Quantize value and tick-based
The number of connected peers is displayed to the tracks follow the session tempo.
right of Start/Stop. Peers are other Link-enabled
applications connected over the network or run- If playback has already been started by another
ning on the host computer. For example, in addi- peer on the network, Pro Tools starts playback at
tion to your Pro Tools system, if there is a laptop the beginning of the next bar/beat cycle specified
on the network running Ableton Live and an iPad by the selected Quantize value, and tick-based
running two Link-enabled applications (such as a tracks follow the network tempo set by any peer on
synth app and a drum machine app), the number of the network. For example, with Quantize set to 1
peers displayed will be 3. Bar and you start playback after the downbeat
played by other peers on the network, Pro Tools
Note that peers can be on the same computer as waits to start playback until the next downbeat.
well as on other computers on the network.
Link Button
Before you start recording in Pro Tools, you need Session Setup for Recording
to set up your Pro Tools system, a session, and one • Configuring a new or existing session for
or more tracks for recording. You will also need to recording:
configure how Pro Tools monitors the input you
• “Working with Hard Drives for Recording”
intend to record.
on page 582
While some of the information here is relevant to • “Recording with a Click” on page 570
preparing to record MIDI, there are more specific • “Setting the Session Meter and Tempo” on
setup details for MIDI recording in Chapter 27, page 572
“MIDI Recording.”
• Setting a Record Mode. See “Record Modes”
For information on recording audio, see on page 575
Chapter 26, “Audio Recording.”
Track Setup for Recording
For information on digitizing (recording) • Configuring one or more tracks for recording:
video in Pro Tools, see Chapter 64, “Work-
• “Configuring Default Names for Audio Files
ing with Video in Pro Tools” or the Avid
and Clips” on page 578
Video Peripherals Guide.
• “Assigning Hardware I/O on a Track” on
page 579
Record Setup Overview • “Record Enabling Tracks” on page 580
Record setup includes the following: • “Recording with Multiple Hard Drives” on
page 583
Hardware Setup for Recording
Monitoring Setup for Recording
• “Configuring Pro Tools Hardware I/O for Re-
cording” on page 568 • “Selecting a Record Input Monitoring Mode” on
page 585
• “Connecting a Sound Source” on page 570
• “Setting Monitor Levels for Record and Play-
back” on page 587
• “Reducing Monitoring Latency” on page 587
• “Recording with Delay Compensation” on
page 588
003 Rack+ has eight inputs with preamps, to which Set Input Levels
you can connect low-level signals.
When you feed a signal into any audio recording
003 and 003 Rack have four inputs with preamps, system, including Pro Tools, make sure to adjust
to which you can connect low-level signals, and the input level to optimize the dynamic range and
four additional line-level inputs with switchable signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded file. If the in-
gain. put level is too low, you will not take full advan-
tage of the dynamic range of your Pro Tools sys-
Eleven Rack has one Mic input with a preamp and tem. If the input level is too high, the waveform
1 instrument-level Guitar input with a special vari- can clip and distort the recording. Set the input lev-
able-impedance circuit called True-Z (for more in- els high, but not high enough to clip.
formation, see the Eleven Rack User Guide.)
As a general rule of thumb, try to set levels so that
Mbox (3rd generation), Mbox 2, Mbox Pro, Mbox they peak within –3 dB to –12 dB on the input me-
2 Pro, Mbox Mini, and Mbox 2 Mini each have two ter without triggering the clipping indicator on
inputs with preamps, to which you can connect your audio interface. Depending on the type of ma-
low-level signals. terial you are recording and its dynamic range and
peak content, you may want to record with higher
or lower levels.
Headroom Indicator
Headroom indicator
Pro Tools provides a numeric display (in dB) of Audio Volume indicator
the available headroom on tracks based on the last
Audio Volume and Headroom indicators
registered sample peak level in relation to the ref-
erence level of the currently selected Meter Type. Calibration Mode
The Headroom indicator is just to the right of the (HDX and HD Native Systems Only)
Audio Volume indicator below the faders and me-
ters in the Mix window. Click the Headroom indi- You can use the Calibration mode in Pro Tools to
cator to reset the current value. adjust the input and output levels for your audio in-
terface so they match those of your mixing console
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) to and other audio devices in your studio.
reset all Headroom indicators. Shift-Option-
click (Mac) or Shift-Alt-click (Windows) to HD I/O has one set of adjustable trim pots for its
reset the Headroom indicators for only se- inputs. Additionally, the reference level for the in-
lected tracks. put can be set to +4 dBu or –10 dBV. For more in-
formation on calibrating HD I/O, see the HD I/O
If the Headroom indicator is displayed in blue, Guide.
it is measuring below the dB value of the lowest
scale marking for the currently selected Meter There are no input or output trims on the following
Type. audio interfaces: HD OMNI, HD MADI. Some
Pro Tools audio interfaces that do not have output
trims (such as the HD OMNI) offer software-con-
trollable input levels, adjustable from Setup >
Hardware (see the guide for your particular audio
interface).
If you intend to work with MIDI or Instrument To hear the click during playback and recording,
tracks in your session, or if the audio you’re work- configure the Click Options (see “Click Options”
ing with is bar and beat-oriented, you can record on page 572) and ensure that Click is enabled (see
your tracks while listening to a click. This ensures “Enabling the Click” on page 571).
that recorded material, both MIDI and audio,
aligns with the session’s bar and beat boundaries. To create a click track using MIDI:
• Command-click (Mac) or Control-click Hearing the countoff before recording helps musi-
(Windows) the Expand/Collapse “+” button cians to start playing at the right time and in tempo.
in the Transport window to display the MIDI The Count Off button in the Transport window dis-
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 Trans- The countoff is ignored when Pro Tools is on-
port window to display the MIDI controls and line and synchronized to Timecode.
the Counters.
d
2 In the Click/Countoff Options dialog, do one of 5 If using a countoff, specify the number of Bars
the following: to be counted off. To hear the countoff only
when recording, select that option.
• If using the Click II plug-in, select None in
the Output pop-up menu. 6 Click OK.
• If playing a click using MIDI, select the port
number (device) and channel for the click
from the Output pop-up menu. Setting the Session Meter
and Tempo
(Optional)
Click/Countoff Options dialog Meter events, which can occur anywhere within a
Pro Tools session, appear in the Meter ruler. For
more information on inserting and editing meter
events, see “Meter Events” on page 936.
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 en-
Tempo value in BPM abled in the MIDI Preferences, click in the
Tempo Ruler
Tempo field so it becomes highlighted and
Enable button tap in the tempo by playing a note repeatedly
Manual Tempo mode at the new tempo on your MIDI keyboard
controller.
3 To base the BPM value on something other than
the default quarter-note, click the Tempo Reso- To compute the new tempo, Pro Tools averages
lution selector and select a different note value. the last eight (or fewer) taps to determine the cor-
(For example, if you are in 6/8, select a dotted- rect tempo. The computed BPM value appears in
quarter note.) the Transport window’s Tempo field.
4 To enter a new tempo, do one of the following: To lock in the new tempo:
• Drag the Tempo value up or down. For finer Take Pro Tools out of Manual Tempo mode by
resolution, press Command (Mac) or Control clicking the Tempo Ruler Enable (Conductor)
(Windows) while dragging. button, then set the default tempo for the Song
• Click the Tempo value, type a new number, Start Marker to the new tempo.
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 639.
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:
When recording to stereo audio tracks, audio file 1 Assign a hardware input (recording source) by
and clip names for the left and right channels are doing one of the following:
appended with a “.L” and “.R” suffix. • In the Mix window, select the corresponding
hardware input for your source from the
track’s Input Path selector.
Names for Multichannel Tracks
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
Multichannel
File and Clip Suffixes
Format
LCR L, C, R
Quad L, R, Ls, Rs
Input Path selector (mono audio track, Mix window
LCRS L, C, R, S
• In the Edit window, with I/O view enabled,
5.0 L, C, R, Ls, Rs select the corresponding hardware input for
5.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE your source from the track’s Input Path selec-
tor.
6.0 L, C, R, Ls, Cs, Rs, LFE
Before recording to a track, you must specify the 2 Assign an output bus (for monitoring recording)
input and output signal path for the material you by doing one of the following:
are recording. You will do this by assigning a hard- • In the Mix window, select the corresponding
ware input (recording source) and an output bus output bus for monitoring (such as “Monitor”
(for monitoring recording) on the track. or “A 1–2”) from the track’s Output Path se-
lector.
Output Path selector (stereo audio track), Mix window To record enable an audio, MIDI, or Instrument
track:
• In the Edit window, with I/O view enabled,
select the corresponding output bus for mon- From either the Mix or Edit window, click the
itoring (such as “Monitor” or “A 1–2”) from track’s Record Enable button to toggle record
the track’s Output Path selector. enable on or off for the track. The track’s Re-
cord Enable button flashes red, the track’s fader
is solid red, and the Track Record Enabled indi-
cator in the Transport turns red (indicating at
least one track is record-enabled).
To record enable MIDI and Instrument tracks using Latch Record Enable Buttons
the Up/Down Arrows: Preference
While pressing Command (Mac) or Control When the Latch Record Enable Buttons option is
(Windows), press the Up/Down Arrows to re- selected in the Operation Preferences, you can re-
cord enable the previous or next MIDI or Instru- cord enable additional audio tracks by clicking
ment track. The previous (or next) record track their Record Enable buttons. Previously record-en-
is no longer record-enabled. abled tracks remain enabled. The Latch
Record Enable Buttons option affects audio tracks
To keep the previous track record-enabled
only.
while enabling new tracks, press
Command+Shift+Up/Down (Mac) or When the Latch Record Enable Buttons option is
Control+Shift+Up/Down (Windows). deselected, record enabling a subsequent audio
track disables the previously record-enabled audio
To record enable (or disable) all audio, MIDI, and
Instrument tracks: track.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any To enable the Latch Record Enable Buttons
Record Enable button to toggle record enable preference:
on or off for all audio, Instrument, and MIDI 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
tracks. Operation tab.
Command-Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Con- Disk Usage window, selecting Text Only view
trol-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) the Record En-
able button on any of the selected tracks to
toggle them in and out of Record Safe mode.
4 To automatically distribute any newly created See “Sharing Sessions Created on Different
tracks among the drives connected to your sys- Computer Platforms” on page 527.
tem, select the Use Round Robin Allocation for
New Tracks option. Workspace Volume Designation
If you are using Round Robin Allocation and want The Workspace volume designation can alter disk
audio to be recorded to your system’s start-up availability, thus affecting Disk Allocation. From
drive, do the following: the Workspace browser, you can designate vol-
umes as Record, Playback, or Transfer. If you
• Open the Workspace browser (Window > Work-
change a drive’s designation, making it read-only
space) and set the Volume Designator for your
(Play Only or Transfer), check the Disk Allocation
system volume to R (Record and Playback). See
window for any tracks formerly allocated to that
“Workspace Volume Designation” on page 584.
drive. For more information, see “Volume Permis-
Round Robin Allocation is not supported with sions” on page 360.
partitioned hard drives.
To enable recording, bring the volume online, For Pro Tools, the Input Monitor Enabled Status
change its volume designation to R (Play and Re- indicator (in the Transport window) lights green
cord), or change the allocation of the affected when Input Only mode is enabled.
tracks to a valid record volume.
To toggle between Auto Input and Input TrackInput Monitor button Off (Auto Input), in the Edit
Window
Only monitoring, press Option+K (Mac) or
Alt+K (Windows). To toggle the monitoring mode of audio tracks, do
one of the following:
Selecting Record Monitor Modes To toggle individual tracks, click the TrackInput
with TrackInput Monitoring Monitor button for each track you want to tog-
TrackInput monitoring lets you toggle individual gle.
audio tracks between Auto Input and Input Only To toggle all tracks in the session, Option-click
monitoring modes at any time, during playback, (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a TrackInput
recording, while stopped, and even when a track is Monitor button.
not record-enabled. TrackInput monitoring pro-
vides the necessary monitoring flexibility for over- To toggle all selected tracks in the session,
dubbing and mixing, and is similar to input switch- Option-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click
ing on analog multitrack recorders and similar (Windows) a selected track’s TrackInput Moni-
machines. tor button.
In Pro Tools, you record audio to audio tracks. Au- Basic Recording Steps
dio tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel as
appropriate for the recording source. To record an audio track:
When recording a stereo audio source, record to a 3 Click the Record Enable button for the audio
single, stereo audio track in Pro Tools. A single, track. It lights red.
mono audio file is written to disk for each channel
of a stereo track: one for the left channel, and one
for the right channel. These files appear as a stereo
clip both in the track’s playlist and in the Clips
List.
• When in Loop Record mode, all takes from each If you have a Pro Tools system with multiple
record pass are discarded. drives, and you intend to record multiple
• When using QuickPunch, TrackPunch, or tracks simultaneously, you may want to des-
DestructivePunch mode, all punches from the ignate the System drive as a Transfer only
last recording pass are discarded. drive for optimal performance.
Press Command+Period (.) (Mac) or • Press 3 on the numeric keypad (when the Nu-
Control+Period (.) (Windows) before the meric Keypad mode is set to Transport) to start
Transport is stopped. recording.
1 Click Record in the Transport. The Record but- 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
ton flashes. rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
2 Do one of the following: 2 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
• Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) tion.
Play in the Transport to put Pro Tools in 3 Do one of the following:
Prime for Record mode.
• With the Selector tool, select the record range
• Right-click the Play button and select Prime in a track’s playlist.
for Record.
The Stop button lights and both the Play and Re-
cord buttons flash.
3 To begin recording instantaneously, click Play.
4 Click Stop to stop recording.
Timeline selection
Use the Period (.) or Left/Right Arrow keys to 3 Drag the Pre-Roll Flag to the Timeline
move through the different time fields for pre Selection In Point.
and post-roll. Use the Up/Down Arrow keys
4 Drag the Post-Roll Flag to the Timeline
to increase or decrease the numerical values.
Selection Out Point.
To set pre- and post-roll values to the same Punch In Punch Out
amount, Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag
(Windows) either the Pre- or the Post-Roll
Flag in the ruler. The deselected flag will im-
mediately reset to the same value, and will
adjust accordingly as you drag the
selected flag.
example, to replace a portion of a recorded track). Timeline selection for punch recording with Pre-roll
The range’s start (punch in) and end (punch out) and Post-roll
points must be specified before recording. To punch record on an audio track:
Though there are several ways to set record and • If you do want to permanently record over the
play ranges (see “Setting Punch and Loop Points” specified record range, select Options >
on page 594), perhaps the easiest is to select within Destructive Record.
the track’s playlist the range for recording.
If you are recording in any mode other than
To set a record or play range by selecting Destructive Record mode, punches do not
within a playlist, the Edit and Timeline selec- permanently replace previously recorded
tions must be linked (select Options > Link material. If you do want to permanently
Timeline and Edit Selection). record over the specified record range (and
keep only the most recent take), select
Options > Destructive Record.
Pro Tools starts recording from the punch-in (start) To nondestructively record a new take on the same
point. If there is any pre-roll, recording starts when track:
the punch-in (start) point is reached. Recording 1 Ensure that Normal Record mode is selected
continues until the punch-out (end) point is (see “Record Modes” on page 575).
reached (unless you manually stop recording first).
If post-roll is enabled, playback continues for the 2 Record enable the track.
specified post-roll amount. 3 Do one of the following:
If recording nondestructively, a new audio file is • To record from the beginning of the session,
written to your hard drive and a new audio clip ap- click Return to Zero in the Transport.
pears both in the track and the Clips List. • If Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selection
is enabled, click anywhere in the track’s play-
If recording in Destructive Record mode, the new
list to begin recording from that point.
audio overwrites the previous material in the exist-
ing audio file and clip. To record a specific track range, with precise
start and end points, see “Audio Punch Re-
Monitoring during Punch-Ins
cording Over a Specified Range” on
Pro Tools provides two monitoring modes for re- page 599.
cording: Auto Input monitoring and Input Only
4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
monitoring (see “Selecting a Record Input Moni-
for recording.
toring Mode” on page 585).
5 Click Play to start recording.
6 Click Stop to stop recording.
4 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools Tracks can have multiple edit playlists, each of
for recording. which stores a list of clips strung together in a par-
ticular order. Also, since playlists follow groups,
5 Click Play to start recording.
duplicating or selecting alternate playlists for a
6 When finished, click Stop to stop recording. track in an enabled group will affect all tracks in
the group.
2 Record enable the audio track by clicking its Pro Tools ignores Loop Playback when recording.
Record Enable button. The only way to loop while recording is to enable
Loop Record mode.
3 Select Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
tion.
Automatically Create New
4 With the Selector tool, select the loop range on Playlists When Loop Recording
the track. For other methods of setting the re-
When loop recording, Pro Tools creates a single
cord range, see “Setting Punch and Loop
file containing all recording passes where each re-
Points” on page 594.
cording pass is a clip in the file. On the track, only
5 To hear track material up to the start point of the the last recording pass is present as a clip in the
loop, enable pre-roll and set the pre-roll time main playlist. All other clips (recording passes) are
(see “Setting Pre- and Post-Roll” on page 597). hidden and can only be recalled as matching alter-
nate clips (takes). When enabled, the Automatically
6 Click Record in the Transport to arm Pro Tools
Create New Playlists When Loop Recording option
for recording.
in the Operation Preferences automatically copies
7 Click Play to start recording. each clip (take) to a new playlist in the track. This
facilitates using Playlists view for auditioning and
The Record button flashes during the pre-roll. selecting alternate takes.
When the start point is reached, Pro Tools begins
recording. When the end point is reached, To automatically create new playlists when loop
Pro Tools loops back to the start time and contin- recording:
ues recording. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the Op-
8 To cancel all recorded takes while loop record- eration tab.
ing, press Command+Period (.) (Mac) or Con- 2 In the Recording section, enable the Automati-
trol+Period (.) (Windows). cally Create New Playlists When Loop Record-
9 When finished, click Stop to stop recording. ing option.
To cycle through matches for the selected clip, To switch takes for multiple tracks:
press Command+Option+Up/Down Arrows 1 Configure the Matching Criteria window (see
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Up/Down Arrows “Matching Criteria Window” on page 606), so
(Windows). that the following options are enabled:
• Track Name
• Selection Range
2 With the Selector tool, select the take range for
each track you want to replace.
3 Do one of the following:
• Right-click the Edit selection and select a dif-
ferent matching alternate take from the
Matches submenu.
• Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
(Windows) the Edit selection and select a dif-
ferent take from the Alternates pop-up menu.
Alternate Takes pop-up menu
The selected take replaces the previous take and
The selected matching alternate clip (take) re- snaps precisely to the correct location on each
places the clip in the main playlist and snaps pre- track.
cisely to the correct location.
The Matching Criteria window lets you select the The following In Addition To Match options are
criteria for matching alternate clips. This lets you mutually exclusive.
refine the list of available matching clips in the Al-
All Any clips that include the time location of the
ternate Takes pop-up menu and Clip Right-click
Edit cursor; or any clips that are either partly or
Matches submenu.
fully within the current time range of the Edit se-
lection.
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.
have audio Input and Output selectors. These Devices that are assigned as a MIDI Controller
selectors are different than the Instrument track’s in the Peripherals dialog (Setup > Peripherals) are
selectors for MIDI Input and Output and are pri- ignored when MIDI tracks are recorded. This is to
marily used for monitoring audio from MIDI in- avoid recording data from MIDI control surfaces
struments or instrument plug-ins. (such as HUI).
It is not necessary to use QuickPunch, Track- To record and play MIDI, the device must be
Punch, or DestructivePunch to punch in with MIDI enabled in the MIDI Input Enable dialog. For more
or Instrument tracks. This capability is available information, see “Enabling Input Devices” on
both in Normal (Nondestructive) Record mode and page 612.
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 1420. 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 1119.
3 Select the option for Program Changes. Leave
all other messages deselected.
Wait for Note
The Wait for Note button, located in the Transport
window, determines how Pro Tools begins record-
ing. When enabled, Pro Tools does not start re-
cording until a MIDI event is received. This en-
sures that recording begins only when you start
playing, and that the first note, or other MIDI data,
is recorded precisely at the beginning of the set re-
cord range (start time).
Latch Until Next Event Continues writing the last MIDI track Input selector
value until the next event even if you are still re-
cording.
1. Start recording
2. Recording
3. Recorded
Recorded MIDI clip fits to nearest whole bars based on first and last recorded MIDI events
The recorded MIDI data plays back through each MIDI Input Display
track’s assigned Output device (port) and channel. The MIDI Input display in the Edit window toolbar
shows chord names as they are received by MIDI
To monitor audio from an external MIDI in-
and Instrument tracks.You can use this display to
strument, select the corresponding audio In-
ensure that you are playing the right chords for
put Path for your MIDI instrument on the In-
your music when recording MIDI.
strument track (or use an Auxiliary Input
track). See “Signal Routing for Monitoring The MIDI Input Display can also be shown in
and Submixing” on page 1169. MIDI Editor windows, see “MIDI Input Dis-
play” on page 861.
Footswitches are supported by 003 family in- Clip added after punch record
terfaces, Mbox Pro, and Mbox 2 Pro, as well
When selecting an entire clip, or a section within a
as any Pro Tools system with a supported con-
clip, before punching, no new clips are created. In
trol surface.
this instance, only the material residing within the
The Record button in the Transport and the track’s existing clip changes, with no new material re-
Record Enable button stop flashing and stay lit corded outside the clip.
during recording. Unlike audio recording, MIDI recording in this
7 To punch out, click Record again (or press the scenario is destructive. Newly recorded MIDI data
footswitch). overwrites existing MIDI data while leaving the
existing clip boundaries intact.
Pro Tools exits Record mode and continues play-
ing. You can perform additional punches during
the same pass.
Instrument track record-enabled, Transport not record-enabled, MIDI performance sounds during playback
Press Option+Shift+Z (Mac) or Alt+Shift+Z (Windows) to write your MIDI performance to the
record-enabled MIDI or Instrument track.
MIDI performance written to record enabled track using Retrospective Record command
Punch recording is used in many areas of audio TrackPunch (Pro Tools Ultimate Only) A nonde-
production for film, video, and music. structive Record mode that lets individual tracks
be punched in, punched out, and taken out of re-
cord enable without interrupting online recording
Introduction to Punch and playback.
Recording Modes DestructivePunch (Pro Tools Ultimate Only) A
Once basic track material has been recorded, it is destructive Record mode that maintains a single
often necessary to replace some, but not all, of the continuous audio file per punch track, and lets in-
audio that makes up each track. Punch recording dividual tracks be punched in, punched out, and
lets you manually punch one or more audio tracks taken out of record enable without interrupting
in and out of recording without stopping the Trans- online recording and playback.
port.
To automatically punch in and out on
You do not need to use QuickPunch or any record-enabled audio tracks over a specific
other audio punch recording mode to punch range, see “Audio Punch Recording Over a
record with MIDI tracks. MIDI tracks can be Specified Range” on page 599.
punched while in Normal (Nondestructive)
Record mode, and in Destructive Record
mode. Guidelines for Punch
Recording
Pro Tools Punch Recording This topic lists the basic settings and guidelines for
Modes Pro Tools punch recording, including the follow-
Pro Tools provides three different manual punch ing:
recording modes: • “Voice Requirements for Punch Recording” on
page 634.
QuickPunch A nondestructive Record mode that
lets record-enabled tracks be punched in and • “Delay Compensation and DestructivePunch
punched out during playback by clicking the Re- Mode” on page 635.
cord button in the Transport. QuickPunch mode is • “Audio Files, Clips and Takes” on page 635.
available on all systems.
• “Preferences for Punch Recording” on page 636
(for crossfades, as well as transport and monitor
configuration settings).
To make more voices available for punch • Tracks with assigned voices that are record-en-
recording: abled.
1 Identify tracks that are not record-enabled, and • Tracks with Dynamically Allocated Voicing that
do not need to be heard while recording. are not record-enabled.
2 Make those tracks inactive. • Tracks with Dynamically Allocated Voicing that
are record-enabled.
Pro Tools Ultimate
If a session has plenty of available voices, you
(QuickPunch, TrackPunch, and should have no trouble punch recording tracks us-
DestructivePunch)
ing Dynamically Allocated Voicing. However, if
When using any punch recording mode with you are running out of voices, and want to ensure
Pro Tools Ultimate, two voices are required for that a track is heard when punch recording, be sure
each record-enabled mono track. This means that to set the voicing tracks that you don’t need to
you can punch record up to half the total number of punch into to Off.
voices available on your system.
Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming 3 Click the track Record Enable button to record
Profiles to configure your system, and choose enable each track on which you want to punch
Window > Machine Track Arming to display in.
the Machine Track Arming window.
If you cannot record enable tracks due to
voice limitations, see “Voice Requirements
For information on remote track arming for Punch Recording” on page 634.
with MachineControl, see Chapter 57,
“MachineControl.” 4 Prepare to record by cueing Pro Tools to an ap-
propriate location. To use pre-roll, enable a pre-
roll value in the Transport window.
QuickPunch Audio Recording 5 Start playback by clicking Play in the Transport
QuickPunch is available on all systems and lets window.
you instantaneously punch in and out all record- 6 Do one of the following:
enabled audio tracks during playback by clicking
• When you reach the punch-in point, click Re-
the Record button in the Transport.
cord in the Transport.
Many Pro Tools systems also let you use a • For Pro Tools systems that support using a
footswitch to punch in and out. See the guide connected footswitch, step on the footswitch
that came with your Pro Tools audio inter- at the punch-in point.
face or control surface.
The Record button stops flashing and stays lit
during recording.
Recording with QuickPunch
7 To punch out, click Record again (or step on the
To punch record with QuickPunch:
footswitch).
1 Do one of the following:
As Pro Tools continues playing, you can perform
• Select Options > QuickPunch.
additional punches (up to 200). When recording
• Right-click the Record button in the Trans- multiple punches during a single pass, a single au-
port and select QuickPunch. dio file is recorded from which Pro Tools creates
the appropriate clips.
When QuickPunch is enabled, a “P” appears in the
Record button in the Transport. After a QuickPunch recording pass, the punched
track’s playlist in the Edit window displays the
clips created by punching. You can use any of the
Trim tools after punch recording to open up the
head or tail of QuickPunch recorded clips, or to re-
veal the parent audio file that was recorded in the
background. This lets you compensate for any late
QuickPunch enabled or missed punches.
For information about online playback with Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows)
Pro Tools, see the User Guide that came with the Record button in the Transport to cycle
your system. For information about synchro- through available Record modes until Track-
nization with TrackPunch and Destructive- Punch mode is selected (a “T” indicates Track-
Punch recording, see “Synchronization and Punch mode).
Track Arming Options for Punch Recording”
Press Command+Shift+T (Mac) or Con-
on page 637.
trol+Shift+T (Windows).
Option-Control-Shift-click (Mac) or
When TrackPunch mode is enabled: Alt-Start-Shift-click (Windows) a track’s
A “T” appears in the Record button in the Record Enable button.
Transport.
When TrackPunch enabled, Track record enable
If at least one track is TrackPunch-enabled, the buttons light solid blue.
Record button lights solid blue.
Create track groups for each stem or set of
tracks on which you plan to punch, then use
the Groups List to quickly select all tracks in
the group.
TrackPunch mode, with at least one TrackPunch- Track Record Status Display
enabled track
Each track’s Record Enable button indicates its
When TrackPunch mode is enabled and the
transport is armed for recording: TrackPunch and record enable status as follows:
If no tracks are TrackPunch-enabled, the Re- • When a track is TrackPunch-enabled but not re-
cord button in the Transport flashes gray and red. cord-enabled, its Record Enable button lights
solid blue.
If at least one track is TrackPunch-enabled, the
Record button flashes blue and red.
If at least one TrackPunch-enabled track is also
To TrackPunch enable one audio track: • When a track is both TrackPunch-enabled and
Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows) record-enabled, its Record enable button flashes
the track’s Record Enable button. blue and red.
• When a track is record-enabled only, its Record
To TrackPunch enable or disable all audio tracks: Enable button flashes red.
Option-Control-click (Mac) or Alt-Start-click • While a track is recording (in any mode), its Re-
(Windows) a track’s Record Enable button. cord Enable button lights solid red.
Red (not flashing) indicates recording (all modes) 3 Click Record in the Transport to enter the
TrackPunch Record Ready mode. The Record
Monitoring and Levels button flashes blue and red.
To complete the setup for TrackPunch: 4 Click Play in the Transport to begin playback.
1 Configure monitoring for record-enabled tracks 5 During playback, punch in and out on individ-
by selecting a mode from the Track menu, or us- ual TrackPunch-enabled tracks by clicking their
ing the TrackInput button, as appropriate. respective Record Enable buttons.
Choices include: 6 While continuing local or remote playback, do
• Set Record Tracks to Auto Input any of the following:
• Set Record Tracks to Input Only • Punch in on other TrackPunch enabled tracks
individually.
Selecting either monitoring mode only affects
tracks that are record-enabled. • After punching out, take tracks out of record
enable then record enable different Track-
2 Start playback and compare levels of the input Punch enabled tracks.
source with audio on disk. Click the TrackInput • Repeat as needed to punch other stems,
button to toggle the track source. When lit tracks, or takes.
(green), the track is monitoring input. When un-
lit (gray), the track is monitoring from disk (see 7 Stop playback. When you are finished with the
“Selecting Record Monitor Modes with Track- record pass, track Record Enable status and
Input Monitoring” on page 586). transport Record Arm status follow the current
Audio Track RecordLock and Transport Record-
3 When you are satisfied with your levels, you are Lock preference settings.
ready to start punch recording.
After a TrackPunch recording pass, the punched
track’s playlist in the Edit window displays the
Using TrackPunch clips created by punching. You can use any of the
Trim tools after punch recording to open up the
After you have configured Pro Tools, tracks, and head or tail of TrackPunch recorded clips, or to re-
levels, you can record with TrackPunch in several veal the parent audio file that was recorded in the
ways. background. This lets you compensate for any late
or missed punches.
Punching In on Individual Tracks
For information on file and clip naming, see “Au-
To punch in on individual tracks: dio Files, Clips and Takes” on page 635.
1 Make sure Pro Tools is in TrackPunch mode.
In order for a track to be enabled for Destructive- To prepare a track for DestructivePunch
Punch recording, the track must contain a contigu- recording:
ous audio file that meets the following require- 1 Enable DestructivePunch mode (“Enabling De-
ments: structivePunch Mode” on page 643).
• 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 645).
“DestructivePunch File Length” on page 644).
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 644.)
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 645.)
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Operation tab.
This method lets you use the Prepare DPE Tracks Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) a
command to consolidate files for Destructive- track’s Record Enable button. All tracks’ Re-
Punch recording. cord Enable buttons flash blue and red.
Use the Edit window in Pro Tools to edit and ar- Nondestructive Editing
range audio, video, and MIDI. Track material can
The vast majority of audio editing in Pro Tools is
be edited nondestructively and in real time during
nondestructive. Whether cutting, pasting, trim-
playback.
ming, separating, or clearing clips, you are only
The Edit window also lets you graphically edit performing these functions on a map of the actual
other data, as follows: media (such as audio files). The source files re-
main untouched. However, certain processes or
Editing Clips and Selections See Chapter 32, tools work destructively (can permanently change
“Editing Clips and Selections.” Also, see audio files on your hard disk), as noted in other
Chapter 42, “Arranging Clips.” topics.
Editing Fades and Crossfades See Chapter 33, 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 46, “Elastic important MIDI tracks and clips safe when per-
Audio.” forming edits (see “Nondestructive MIDI Editing”
on page 662).
Editing MIDI See Chapter 36, “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 344.
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 751 for details.
Whenever possible, begin a clip precisely
before a volume peak, and end it immediately be- With Pro Tools Ultimate, use the AutoFade fea-
fore another volume peak. ture to apply real-time fade-ins/outs to all clip
boundaries that do not touch or overlap other clips.
Whenever possible, make sure a clip starts and See “Using AutoFades” on page 753 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 713.) and splicing analog tape. Instead, Pro Tools cre-
• Editing to a Grid (see “Grid Mode” on page 672) ates a map of the audio file on your hard disk,
• Beat Detective (see Chapter 35, “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 54, “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 37,
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 267. 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 36, “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 822. page 822.
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 344.
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 that you want to rename and select Re-
One way to safely return to a track’s previous
name from the pop-up menu.
state is with playlists. Before you edit notes,
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
lists” on page 761). you want to rename. For MIDI clips, the
Name Dialog option must be selected as the
Double-Clicking a MIDI Clip Opens setting in
To apply edits to all instances of a MIDI clip,
the MIDI Preferences.
enable Mirrored MIDI Editing mode (see
“Mirrored MIDI Editing” on page 817). 2 In the Name dialog, type a new name for the
clip. If a whole-file audio clip was selected,
specify whether to rename just the clip, or both
the clip and the disk file.
3 Click OK to rename the clip.
Choose Edit > Redo. The operation you choose, as well as all the opera-
tions in the queue before it, are redone.
Press Shift+Command+Z (Mac) or Shift+Con-
trol+Z (Windows). To toggle display of creation times in the Undo
History window:
If no actions are available to redo, the menu
Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
displays Can’t Redo.
Show Creation Times.
Undo History Window To undo all the operations in the Undo Queue:
You can use the Undo History window to view the Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
queue of the undoable and redoable operations and Undo All.
return to any previous state. The Undo History can
show edit creation times, enabling you to revert to To redo all the operations in the Redo Queue:
the state a session held at a particular time.
Click the Options pop-up menu and choose
Redo All.
Options selector
Creation times
Undo History Window
3 Click OK.
You cannot cut or copy automation data Use the Copy command to place a copy of the se-
from an automation playlist unless that lection on the Clipboard so it can be pasted to an-
playlist includes at least one breakpoint in other track, or to the same track at a different loca-
it. The selection you are cutting or copying tion, while leaving the original intact and in place.
does not need to include any breakpoints,
To cut or copy a selection or clip:
but without at least one breakpoint on an
automation playlist, there is no automation 1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur-
data to copy. rent Grid value, enable Snap to Grid.
2 Set the Track View for the tracks you want to
edit.
When Shuffle Clips is enabled, any subsequent If pasting at an insertion point with Shuffle Clips
clips slide over to fill any empty space. enabled, material to the right of the paste point is
shifted to the right. Otherwise, any material within
Deleting Underlying Clip Data the paste range is overwritten.
When removing a clip or selection, you can choose If pasting into a selection with Shuffle Clips en-
to remove or keep the underlying clip data. abled, the selection is replaced by the Clipboard’s
contents with the adjacent material slid left or right
To delete a clip or selection along with the
underlying clip data:
as necessary. Otherwise, the selection is also re-
placed but with the surrounding material remain-
Choose Edit > Cut. ing unchanged.
To delete a clip or selection without removing the When working with MIDI, you can merge the
underlying clip data: contents of the Clipboard with material in the
Choose Edit > Clear. destination track using Edit > Paste Special
> Merge MIDI. For more information, see
“Paste Special” on page 1268.
4 Do one of the following: • Place the insertion point in each of the desti-
nation tracks by Shift-clicking in them.
• If pasting audio clips to larger areas, the
Batch Fades dialog opens. Configure the dia- • Make a selection in one of the Timebase rul-
log to create crossfades between each pasted ers.
clip, then click OK. 2 Choose Edit > Paste.
• If you do not want crossfades for the pasted
When you paste multiple types of data, whatever
audio, click Cancel in the Batch Fades dialog.
data has been copied is pasted into the correct type
of playlist. Automation data is pasted into the cor-
responding automation playlist. Audio or MIDI
Editing Across Multiple data is pasted into the audio or MIDI playlist. You
Tracks do not need to set target tracks to the specific type
When working with data from multiple tracks, of data being pasted for the paste to work correctly.
there are some important points to remember.
If all destination tracks in a multitrack paste are
For example, if any selected tracks are set to their
displayed as automation, the paste replaces any
master view (see “Master Views for Tracks” on
previous data on the target track without shuf-
page 271), edits affect not only audio and MIDI for
fling—regardless of whether Shuffle Clips is
the selected tracks, but all automation and control-
enabled.
ler data as well.
Pro Tools provides four Edit modes and various then “shuffle” their order, but you cannot separate
Edit tools to help you successfully edit material. them from each other and you cannot make them
overlap as in Slip mode. However, if there is si-
lence between existing clips, and the clips are shuf-
Edit Modes fled, the silence is maintained, and not removed.
Pro Tools has four Edit modes: Shuffle, Spot, Slip, In Shuffle mode, adding another clip to the begin-
and Grid. Grid mode provides two modes of oper- ning of a track moves all subsequent clips to the
ation, Relative and Absolute, explained below. right (later in time) by the length of the added clip.
The Edit mode is selected by clicking the corre-
When using any of the Trim tools in Shuffle mode,
sponding button in the upper left of the Edit win-
changing a clip’s start or end point automatically
dow.
moves any subsequent clips as necessary. The
placement and insertion of MIDI notes is not af-
fected by Shuffle mode.
Shuffle Mode
In Shuffle mode, you can move, trim, delete, cut,
or paste clips freely within a track or to other Shuffle Lock enabled
tracks, but their movement is constrained by other
clips. That is, if you place several clips in a track,
they automatically snap to each other. You can
Spot Mode
Use Spot mode to place clips at precise locations.
In Spot mode you can specify a frame location (or
a location based on any of the other time formats),
capture an incoming Timecode address, or use a
clip’s time stamps as reference points for spotting.
This can be particularly useful when performing
Turning on Grid lines from a Timebase ruler
post production tasks around Timecode frame lo-
cations.
Edit Tools
Grid Value indicator and pop-up menu Pro Tools provides the following Edit tools: the
Zoomer, Trim, Selector, Grabber, Scrubber, and
The current Grid value is also used for the Pencil tools, and the multifunctional Smart Tool.
Quantize to Grid command (see “Quantizing
Clips to Grid” on page 735) and Separated Zoomer Scrubber
Zoom buttons Smart Tool Pencil
Clip At Grid command (see “Separate Com-
mands” on page 726).
Selector Tool Use the Selector to make selections The Edit window, MIDI Editor windows, and the
on tracks. Score Editor window also provide Zoom buttons
above and below the right vertical scroll bar (see
Grabber Tools Use the Grabber tools to select, “Edit Window Zoom Buttons” on page 217,
separate, or move clips on tracks. “MIDI Editor Zoom Controls” on page 865, and
“Score Editor Zoom Controls” on page 884.)
Smart Tool Use the Smart tool to Trim, Select, or
Grab clips, or apply or adjust fades in tracks.
Horizontal Zoom In and Out
Scrubber Tool Use the Scrubber tool to scrub Buttons
through track material.
The Horizontal Zoom In and Out buttons let you
zoom in and out horizontally on track data.
Click the Horizontal Zoom In button. Click the Audio Zoom In button.
Drag on the Horizontal Zoom In button to zoom Drag on the Audio Zoom In button to zoom
in continuously. continuously.
Press Command+] (Mac) or Control+] (Win- Press Command+Option+] (Mac) or Con-
dows). trol+Alt+] (Windows).
To zoom out horizontally for all tracks, do one of To zoom out vertically for all audio tracks, do one
the following: of the following:
Click the Horizontal Zoom Out button. Click the Audio Zoom Out button.
Drag on the Horizontal Zoom Out button to Click the Audio Vertical Zoom buttons.
zoom out continuously.
Press Command+Option+[ or Command+Op-
Press Command+[ (Mac) or Control+[ (Win- tion+] (Mac) or Control+Alt+[ or Con-
dows). trol+Alt+] (Windows).
(Windows).
To return to the previous zoom level, do one of the Press Command+Control+[ (Mac) or Con-
following:
trol+Start+[ (Windows).
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) any
of the Horizontal, Audio, or MIDI Zoom but- To set horizontal zoom to “overview scale” (256
tons. samples per pixel):
Zoomer tool
• Right-click on any track and select Tools > Zooming horizontally with Zoomer tool
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom.
The zoomed area fills the entire Edit window.
2 Click once with the Zoomer tool at a location
within the track. All tracks are zoomed in by Single Zoom Mode
one level and the Edit window is centered
around the zoomed location. Single Zoom mode returns you to the previously
selected tool after a zoom has been performed.
3 To zoom back to the previous level, Option-
click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) with the For example, when using the Smart Tool you can
Zoomer tool. click the Single Zoomer tool, and once the Zoom
operation has been performed, Pro Tools automat-
To zoom into a particular track area: ically switches back to the Smart Tool.
1 Do one of the following:
To use Single Zoom mode, do one of the following:
• Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and se-
lect Normal Zoom mode. Click the Zoomer tool pop-up menu and select
Single Zoom mode.
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Zoomer Tools > Normal Zoom. Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Zoomer Tools > Single Zoom.
2 Do one of the following:
• To zoom horizontally only, drag with the Press the F5 key to toggle to Single Zoom
Zoomer tool in the track’s playlist. mode.
• To zoom horizontally and vertically, press
Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
while dragging in the track’s playlist.
To set all audio track waveform heights to match Zoom Preset pop-up menu
the waveform height of the topmost audio track in
To recall a saved Zoom preset, do one of the
the Edit window:
following:
Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Control-Shift-
Click the appropriate Zoom Preset button (1–5).
click (Windows) the Audio Zoom button. All
waveform height offsets will be lost. Click and hold the Zoom Preset button and
choose Recall Zoom Preset from the Zoom Pre-
To set all MIDI and Instrument track note heights to set pop-up menu.
match the note height of the topmost MIDI or
Instrument track in the Edit window: If the 1–5 Number Keys Control Editing
Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Control-Shift- Preference is set to Zoom Presets, press
click (Windows) the MIDI Zoom button. All Control+1–5 (Mac) or Start+1–5 (Windows)
note height offsets will be lost. to recall the corresponding Zoom preset.
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in When this option is selected, the Grid setting
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection to stored with Zoom toggle is recalled when zoom
the last used Track Height. toggling in. When this option is deselected, the
same (current) grid setting is used whether zoom
Medium When selected, zoom toggling in changes
toggling in or out.
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Me-
dium Track Height. Zoom Toggle Follows Edit Selection
Large When selected, zoom toggling in changes When selected, this option ensures that zoom tog-
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Large gle automatically follows the current Edit selec-
Track Height. tion. When disabled, changing the Edit selection
Jumbo When selected, zoom toggling in changes
has no affect on the currently toggled-in track.
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the
Jumbo Track Height. Using Zoom Toggle
Extreme When selected, zoom toggling in changes Depending on the Zoom Toggle preference set-
all tracks containing an Edit Selection to the Ex- tings, the Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window
treme Track Height. lets you define a zoom state and toggle between it
and the current zoom state, or it zooms to the set-
Fit To Window When selected, zoom toggling in tings in the Zoom Toggle preferences. When
changes all tracks containing an Edit Selection to Zoom Toggle is enabled, the Edit window displays
the Fit To Window Track Height. the stored zoom state. Additionally, any changes
made to the view while Zoom Toggle is enabled
Track View
are also stored in the zoom state.
Waveform/Notes When selected, zoom toggling in
When Zoom Toggle is disabled, the Edit window
changes the Track View for audio tracks to Wave-
reverts to the last zoom state.
form view, and changes the Track View for Instru-
ment and MIDI tracks to Notes view. To store a zoom state using Zoom Toggle:
Warp/Notes When selected, zoom toggling in 1 Set the Zoom Toggle preferences.
changes the Track View for audio tracks to Warp
2 Make an Edit selection.
view, and changes the Track View for Instrument
and MIDI tracks to Notes view. 3 Click the Zoom Toggle button. It lights to indi-
cate that Zoom Toggle is enabled and Pro Tools
Last Used When selected, zoom toggling in
zoom toggles in based on the settings of the
changes the Track View to the last used Track
Zoom Toggle preferences.
View that was stored with Zoom Toggle.
Zoom Toggle button in the Edit window To use Zoom Toggle without changing playlist
views:
If Last Used is selected for any of the following,
you can adjust the corresponding zoom, height, or 1 Make a selection on one or more tracks.
view in the Edit window to update the stored zoom
2 Do one of the following:
state:
• Press Option+Control+E (Mac) or
• Vertical Zoom Alt+Start+E (Windows).
• Horizontal Zoom • With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled
• Track Height (see “Keyboard Focus” on page 26), press
Option+E (Mac) or Alt+E (Windows).
• Track View
1 Make sure the Zoom Toggle button is lit (en- Using the Zoom Toggle
abled).
2 Adjust the Track Height, Vertical Zoom, Track
View, or the Grid depending on which prefer-
ences are set to Last Used. Changes are stored
as the new Zoom Toggle state.
Trim tool
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool over a clip To set the AudioSuite plug-in for use with the TCE
Trim tool:
The TCE Trim tool unloops and consolidates 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
looped clips.
2 Click the Processing tab.
3 From the TC/E Plug-In pop-up menu, select the
You can match an Edit selection to the length
AudioSuite plug-in to be used with the Time
of a Timeline selection by selecting Edit > TCE
Compression/Expansion Trim tool.
Edit to Timeline Selection command (see
“TCE (Time Compression and Expansion)
Edit To Timeline Selection” on page 738.
• Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select 1 Set the Edit mode to Spot.
TCE.
2 Click the Trim tool pop-up menu and select
TCE.
3 Click the clip near its start or end point. The
Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale, enter
a new start or end time (or duration) for the clip,
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool
then click OK.
• Right-click on any track and select Tools >
Trim Tools > TCE.
3 With the TCE Trim tool, drag the audio clip’s Scrub Trim Tool
start or end point to compress or expand the clip (Pro Tools Ultimate Software Only)
to the Grid (for example, by quarter notes).
The Scrub Trim tool is a convenient tool for audi-
tioning material (on up to two tracks) to find a trim
point. You can drag in a track to hear the audio in-
formation, then trim at a specific location by re-
leasing the mouse button.
Loop icon
Loop Trim tool
Looped clip
3 Trim the looped clip.
Trimming Looped Clips
You can trim looped clips in two ways:
• Loop Trim a looped clip to change how long the
clip is looped. For example, Loop Trim a looped
clip from 2 bars to four bars. With a 1 bar clip,
the number of loops changes from 2 to 4. Each Loop trimming a looped clip
loop iteration remains the same length, but the
The number of loops increases or decreases to fill
length of the entire looped clip changes.
the new length of the entire looped clip.
• Trim the source clip (loop iteration) while keep-
ing the overall loop length unchanged. The num- Hold the Start key (Windows), or the
ber of loop iterations within the looped clip Control key (Mac) while trimming to trim
changes accordingly. For example, trim a 2 bar in loop iteration increments.
loop iteration of a 4 bar looped clip to 1 bar. The
4 bar looped clip remains constant, but the num- Trimming a looped clip does not trim any un-
ber of loop iterations changes from 2 to 4. Each derlying Fades.
loop iteration’s length changes, but how long the
clip is looped does not.
Tandem trimming
Trimming a looped clip
When in Slip mode, Grid mode can be tempo-
The number of trimmed loop iterations increases
rarily enabled by holding the Command key
or decreases to fill the original length of the entire
after releasing the Control key (Mac) or by
looped clip.
holding the Control key after releasing the
Start key.
To make an Edit selection with the Selector tool: 2 Do one of the following:
1 Select the Selector tool in the Edit window. • Drag on a Timebase ruler.
• If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is en-
2 Do one of the following:
abled, drag in a track.
• To make an Edit selection in a single track,
drag in the track.
• To make an Edit selection across multiple
tracks, drag across the tracks.
• If Link Timeline and Edit Selection is en-
abled, drag on the Timebase ruler to make an
Edit selection across all tracks.
Use the Grabber tools to select, move, separate, Click the Grabber tool in the Edit window and
and arrange clips on tracks. There are three modes select the Grabber tool from the pop-up menu.
for the Grabber tool: Time Grabber, Separation
Grabber, and Object Grabber. For more informa-
tion about arranging clips, also see Chapter 42,
“Arranging Clips.”
Time Grabber tool Right-click on any track and select the Grabber
Separation Grabber Cuts and pastes an Edit selec- tool from Tools > Grabber Tools.
tion from one location to another by dragging. For
more information, see “Separation Grabber Tool”
on page 728. Using the Smart Tool
With the Smart Tool, you can instantly access the
Selector, Grabber, and Trim tools, and you can
also apply and adjust fades and crossfades. The po-
sition of the cursor in relation to a clip or note, or
Separation Grabber tool within an automation playlist, determines how the
Object Grabber Lets you select multiple, noncon- Smart Tool functions.
tiguous clips. For more information, see “Object
Selections” on page 705.
For a crossfade, position the cursor between two For Elastic Audio warping, position the cursor
adjacent audio clips, near the bottom of the clip. over an Event marker or a Warp marker, in the
Once the Crossfade cursor appears drag left or lower half of the clip (for more information on
right to set the crossfade length. The crossfade is warping audio, see “Editing in Warp View” on
created automatically with the Default Fade Set- page 1059).
tings (in the Editing Preferences page).
Trim note start Grabber tool Trim note end To temporarily switch the Smart Tool to the
Smart Tool in Notes view Eraser, press Option+Control (Mac) or
Alt+Start (Windows).
The following capabilities are available with the
Smart Tool when working with MIDI and Instru- The Smart Tool in Automation
ment tracks in Notes view in the Edit window and and Controller Views
in MIDI Editor windows:
The following capabilities are available with the
For the Marquee Selector, position the cursor so Smart Tool when working in both automation and
it does not cover any notes. controller views:
For the Grabber tool, position the cursor over • For the Selector tool, position the cursor any-
the note, near its middle. where in the bottom 75% of the playlist for the
Selector tool. Drag with the Selector tool to se-
For the Trim tool, position the cursor near the
lect breakpoints.
note start or end point.
• For Trim tools, position the cursor in the top
25% of the playlist for the Trim tool. Drag with
the Trim tool to trim breakpoints. Press Com-
mand+Shift (Mac) or Control+Shift (Windows)
while trimming for fine control.
Scrub within a selection that contains multiple To play one or two tracks with the shuttle lock:
tracks. 1 With Pro Tools Ultimate, make sure the Opera-
When scrubbing multiple tracks, only the first two tion preference for Numeric Keypad mode is
tracks are heard. not set to Shuttle (see “Operation Preferences”
on page 126).
The maximum number of channels scrubbed
2 With the Selector tool, click in the track where
in Pro Tools is eight, which lets you scrub a
you want playback to begin. To shuttle on two
7.1 track, two stereo tracks (four channels),
tracks, Shift-click in a second track.
but not two 5.1 surround tracks (12 chan-
nels). 3 Press the Control (Mac) or Start key (Windows)
and a number on the numeric keypad: 0–9 (9 is
fastest, 5 is normal speed, and 0 stops shuttling).
• Audio waveforms (see “Waveform Repair with The Pencil tool is a destructive editing tool
the Pencil Tool” on page 698) that permanently modifies the audio file on
• MIDI data (see “Using the Pencil Tool” on disk and should be used with caution.
page 818)
• Tempo changes (see “Editing Tempo Events in For information about the AudioSuite Du-
the Tempo Editor” on page 921) plicate plug-in, see the Audio Plug-Ins
• Automation (see “Drawing Automation” on Guide.
page 1259). To destructively edit an audio waveform with the
Pencil tool:
When editing automation or MIDI control
data with the Pencil tool, you can switch be- 1 Locate the area you want to edit.
tween the current Pencil Tool shape (such as 2 Using the Zoomer tool or the Zoom buttons,
Line) and Free Hand pencil editing using the zoom down to the sample level so the waveform
Command key (Mac) or the Control key (Win- appears as a continuous thin line. Adjust the
dows). When editing with the selected Pencil Track Height, as necessary, to edit the wave-
shape, the Pencil cursor angles to the left. form with greater precision. You can also use
When editing in Free Hand with the key mod- vertical zoom for greater visual resolution.
ifier, the Pencil cursor angles to the right.
You can recall zoom levels with the Zoom
Waveform Repair with the Pencil Preset buttons (see “Zooming Options” on
Tool page 675), or with Memory Locations (see
“Recalling Memory Locations” on
On audio tracks, the Pencil tool lets you destruc-
page 957). The default setting for Zoom Pre-
tively “redraw” waveform data. This tool is most
set 5 is at the sample level for Pencil editing.
commonly used to repair a pop or click in an audio
file. A pop or click appears as a sudden sharp spike 3 Select the Pencil tool.
in a waveform. This tool only becomes active
when the Edit window is zoomed in to the sample
level.
Pencil tool
Repairing a “pop” with the Pencil tool 2 Select (or deselect) Options > Edit/Tool Mode
Keyboard Lock.
The Pencil tool can independently edit different
channels of a multichannel track.
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 701 for details.
Link Track and Edit Selection enabled Selections and Hidden Tracks
Click the clip with the Time Grabber tool. Clips List Selection Follows Edit
Double-click the clip with the Selector tool.
Selection
When the Editing preference for Clips List Selec-
To select two clips and the time range between tion Follows Edit Selection is enabled, selecting a
them:
clip in a track also causes the clip to become se-
1 With the Time Grabber, click the first clip. lected in the Clips List.
2 Shift-click the second clip. Both clips are se- Conversely, if the Editing preference for Edit
lected, along with the time range between them Selection Follows Clips List Selection is enabled,
(including any other clips). selecting a clip in the Clips List causes the initial
occurrence of that clip to become selected within
the track.
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 732.
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 (Windows), press Plus (+) or
To make a long-length selection:
Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move the
1 With the Selector tool, click at where you want selection’s start point by the Nudge value.
the selection to start.
• While pressing Command+Shift (Mac) or
2 Scroll to the end point and Shift-click at the Control+Shift (Windows), press Plus (+) or
point where you want the selection to end. Minus (–) on the numeric keypad to move the
selection’s end point by the Nudge value.
To verify the start and end points of a long selec-
tion, press the Left Arrow key to scroll to the be-
ginning of the selection, or press the Right Arrow
key to scroll to the end.
To extend the selection to include an adjacent clip: Doubling or Halving the Edit
1 Select the first clip with the Time Grabber tool.
Selection
Pro Tools lets you double or halve the current Edit
2 Do one of the following:
selection. This can be especially useful for music
• With Tab to Transients disabled, press Con- production when working with audio loops and
trol+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Start+Shift+Tab MIDI in Grid mode.
(Windows) to extend the selection to the next
clip boundary. To double the Edit selection, do one of the
• Press Option+Control+Shift+Tab (Mac) or following:
Control+Start+Shift+Tab (Windows) to ex- Choose Edit > Selection > Double Selection.
tend the selection to include the previous clip
boundary. Press Command+Option+Control+Shift+’
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+’
(Windows).
Moving the Edit Selection in 3 Type in the start point for the selection and press
Time the Forward Slash key (/) to enter the value and
automatically move to the end field.
Pro Tools lets you move the Edit selection earlier
or later by the selection amount. You can also 4 Type in the end point for the selection and press
move the Edit selection to the next track above or Enter to accept the value.
below the current Edit selection.
Numeric Entry Shortcuts for Selection
To move the Edit selection earlier by the selection Indicators
amount, do one of the following:
You can use the following shortcuts for entering
Choose Edit > Selection > Move Edit Left. values in the Edit Selection indicators:
Press Command+Option+Control+L (Mac) or • Press the Forward Slash (/) key to cycle through
Control+Alt+Start+L (Windows). the three Edit Selection indicators.
• Use Period (.) or the Left and Right Arrow keys
To move the Edit selection later by the selection
amount, do one of the following:
to move through the different time fields in each
Edit Selection indicator.
Choose Edit > Selection > Move Edit Right.
• Press the Up or Down Arrow keys to increase or
Press Command+Option+Control+’ (Mac) or decrease numerical values.
Control+Alt+Start+’ (Windows).
• Move the mouse scroll wheel up or down to in-
crease or decrease numerical values.
These shortcuts can also be used to enter start To extend a selection to another track:
and end values in the Transport window.
1 Using the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make
Calculator Entry Mode a selection in the first track or tracks.
You can perform calculator-style editing of values 2 Shift-click in additional tracks with the Selector
in the Edit Selection indicators. tool. An identical range is selected for each ad-
ditional track.
To subtract time values:
To shorten or lengthen the selection across each of
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the the tracks, press Shift while dragging to change the
time field you want to change. range of the selection.
2 Press Minus (–) on the numeric keypad.
To select across all tracks, do one of the following:
3 Type the amount you want to subtract from the
Enable the All Edit Group and make a selection
current time value, then press Enter.
in any track.
4 Press Enter again to apply the change.
Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
To add time values:
ruler (make sure the Timeline and Edit Selec-
tions are linked).
1 In the Edit Selection indicator, highlight the
time field you want to change. These selections include all tracks in the Edit win-
dow, but do not include the Conductor tracks (for
2 Press Plus (+) on the numeric keypad.
Tempo, Meter, and Markers).
3 Type the amount you want to add to the current
time value, then press Enter. To select across all tracks, including the
Conductor tracks (for Tempo, Meter, and Markers):
4 Press Enter again to apply the change.
Option-drag (Mac) or Alt-drag (Windows) with
the Selector tool in any Timebase ruler.
Extending (or Contracting) the Choose Edit > Selection > Remove Edit From
Edit Selection Over Multiple Bottom.
Tracks
Press Option+Control+; (Mac) or Alt+Start+;
To extend the Edit selection to the next track above (Windows).
the current selection, do one of the following:
Shift-click with the Selector tool (within the Moving and Extending
same time as the current Edit selection) on the Selections Between Tracks with
track just above the current Edit selection. Commands Keyboard Focus
Choose Edit > Selection > Extend Edit Up. With Commands Keyboard Focus enabled, Edit
selections can be moved or extended to adjacent
Press Control+Shift+P (Mac) or Start+Shift+P
tracks.
(Windows).
To move a selection to an adjacent track:
To extend the Edit selection to the next track below
the current selection, do one of the following: 1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key-
board Focus” on page 26).
Shift-click with the Selector tool (within the
same time as the current Edit selection) on the
track just below the current Edit selection.
Choose Edit > Selection > Extend Edit Down.
Press Control+Shift+; (Mac) or Start+Shift+;
(Windows).
1 With the Selector or Time Grabber tool, make a Command-Right-click (Mac) or Control-Right-
selection. click (Windows) the object and choose a com-
mand from the pop-up menu.
2 While pressing Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows),
move the cursor over either of the Timeline Se-
lection Markers in the ruler (the Time Grabber Tabbing to Transients
appears).
With the Tab to Transients button enabled, you can
automatically navigate to transients in audio wave-
forms in Waveform view, placing the cursor just
before the detected transient peak. This lets you
define selections and play ranges, as well as start
and end points for new clips, without having to
zoom in on the waveform.
Sliding an Edit selection in the Main Timebase ruler
5 Press Shift+Tab until the cursor locates to the With Pro Tools Ultimate or Studio, when the
end of the material you want to select. Scrolling option is set to Center Playhead, it deter-
mines where playback begins (see “Playing Time-
To move the selection end point to the previous line and Edit Selections with the Playhead” on
transient, press Option+Shift+Tab (Mac) or Con- page 553).
trol+Shift+Tab (Windows).
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur- 1 If necessary, resize the Transport window to Ex-
rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. panded view so the start and end times are dis-
played (View > Transport > Expanded).
2 Drag with the Selector tool in any Timebase
ruler. 2 Do one of the following:
• In the Transport window, click in the start
field.
• Press Option+Forward Slash (/) (Mac) or
Alt+Forward Slash (/) (Windows) on the nu-
meric keypad to select the start field in the
Making a Timeline selection with the Selector tool Transport window.
The Timeline selection is indicated in the Main 3 Type in the new start location and press For-
Timebase ruler by the blue Timeline Selection ward Slash (/) to enter the value and automati-
Markers (or if a track is record-enabled, the Time- cally move to the end field.
line Selection Markers are red). The start, end, and 4 Type in the new end location and press Enter to
length for the Timeline selection is displayed in the accept the value.
corresponding fields in the Transport window.
Shortcuts for entering start and end values in
To select all tracks, including Conductor the Transport window are listed in “Numeric
tracks, press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) Entry Shortcuts for Selection Indicators” on
while dragging in a Timebase ruler with the page 709.
Selector tool.
This overview represents audio and MIDI material on all tracks in the session that are not hidden (including
tracks that are inactive, or that contain offline clips). The order in which material is displayed in the Uni-
verse view corresponds to the track order in the Edit window.
In the Universe view, audio, MIDI, and video clips on tracks are represented by horizontal lines that are the
same colors as the clips on the tracks. Each audio track is represented at the same height regardless of how
many channels it has. Additionally, tracks that show Automation, Controller, or Playlist lanes are repre-
sented with increasing height for each lane shown.
Since Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and VCA Master tracks do not contain audio or MIDI clips, they are
displayed as blank areas in the Universe view.
2 Click anywhere in the Universe view to move Scrolling the Universe View
the framed area and the Edit window updates
accordingly. If you have more tracks in the session than are vis-
ible in the Universe view, you can scroll up or
down to show the other tracks.
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 To double the Edit selection:
of 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).
To move the selection down to the next track: To go to and select the previous clip, do one of the
following:
Press Control+; (semicolon) (Mac) or Start+;
Press Option+Control+Tab (Mac) or
(semicolon) (Windows).
Alt+Start+Tab (Windows).
To extend the Edit selection down across Press Command+Control+L (Mac) or
tracks, Press Control+Shift+; (semicolon) Control+Start+L (Windows).
(Mac) or Start+Shift+; (semicolon) (Win-
dows).
Press the Up Arrow. To change Track views for all tracks together:
Press Command+Option+Control+Left or
Right arrows (Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Left
or Right arrows (Windows).
Clips are the basic building blocks for arranging Capture Clip Command
audio and MIDI in Pro Tools. Understanding how
The Capture Clip command defines a selection as a
clips are created, edited, and arranged is essential
new clip and adds it to the Clips List. From there,
to taking full advantage of the editing capabilities
the new clip can be dragged to any existing tracks.
of Pro Tools.
This chapter covers basic editing functions as they To capture a new clip:
apply to clips and clip groups, and selections, 1 With the Selector tool, drag in an existing clip to
which for the most part apply to both MIDI and au- select the material for the new clip.
dio data. For editing procedures more specific to
MIDI, see Chapter 36, “MIDI Editing.” For edit-
ing procedures specific to video, see “Video Clips”
on page 1507.
There are three different Separate commands: • With an Edit selection, Right-click near the
cursor position or selection and choose Sepa-
At Selection (or Edit Cursor) Creates new clip rate from the pop-up menu.
boundaries at the selection start and end points. If
there is no selection and the edit cursor is placed Press Command+E (Mac) or Control+E
within the clip, the clip is split into two new clips at (Windows) for Separate At Selection.
the insertion point. Likewise, MIDI notes can be
3 If the Editing preference for Auto-Name Sepa-
separated at the selection start and end points (or at
rated Clips is disabled, type a name for the new
the Edit cursor).
clip when prompted, then click OK.
On Grid Creates new clips according to the se-
lected Grid value (see “Defining the Grid Value” To separate clips (or MIDI notes) according to the
current grid resolution:
on page 979). Likewise, MIDI notes can be sepa-
rated on the grid. 1 Make an Edit selection.
At Transients Automatically creates clip boundar- 2 Choose Edit > Separate > On Grid.
ies on detected transients within a selection. This 3 In the Pre-Separate Amount dialog, type a
uses the same algorithm for transient detection as pre-separate amount in milliseconds. This can
the Tab to Transients feature (see “Tabbing to be useful to pad the beginnings of the new clips.
Transients” on page 713). On Elastic Audio-en-
abled tracks, the Separate At Transients command
uses the transient events detected by Elastic Audio
analysis (see “Elastic Audio Analysis” on
page 1053). Separate At Transients only applies to
audio and is not applicable to MIDI notes or clips.
4 Click OK.
This option helps you compare different sections Separating across multiple tracks
from a group of related takes. For example, you
can quickly separate an entire group of related vo- Once separated, this material can be moved or cop-
cal takes into sections, then audition and select the ied to another location.
best material from each section independently.
Dragging selection to later in track with Separation If you have trimmed or otherwise changed the start
Grabber tool or end points of the two clips, or moved them fur-
ther away from each other, you will not be able to
A new clip (or clips) containing the previous selec-
repair them with the Heal Separation command. It
tion is created, separate from the original selection.
is not possible to heal two clips created from dif-
New clips are also created from the material out-
ferent audio files.
side the original selection.
Trimming Clips
In addition to the Trim tools (see “Using the Trim
Tools” on page 684), Pro Tools provides several
options for editing clip and clip group boundaries.
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 732).
The Nudge value determines how far clips and se- Press Shift+Option+Equal (=) (Mac) or
lections are moved when nudging. Shift+Alt+Equal (=) (Windows)
Start and end points for selections can also be To decrease the nudge value incrementally:
moved by the Nudge value (see “Nudging Selec- Press Shift+Option+Minus (–) (Mac) or
tion Start/End Points” on page 707). In addition, Shift+Alt+Minus (–) (Windows)
clips can be trimmed by the Nudge value (see
“Trimming with Nudge” on page 731).
Nudging Clips by the Nudge
To set the Nudge value: Value
1 Do one of the following: To nudge one or more clips:
• From the View > Main Counter menu, select 1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the
the Time Scale for the Nudge value. Nudge Value” on page 732).
• To keep the Main Time Scale and use a differ-
2 With the Time Grabber or Selector tool, select
ent time format for the Nudge value, deselect
the clip, clips, or clip groups you want to nudge.
Follow Main Timebase in the Nudge Value
The clips can reside on multiple tracks. Only
pop-up menu.
clips that are completely selected are nudged.
2 Specify a Nudge value by doing one of the fol-
3 Do one of the following:
lowing:
• On the numeric keypad, press Plus (+) to
• From the Nudge value pop-up menu in the
move the selection forward by the Nudge
Edit window, select the Nudge value.
value.
• To specify a Nudge value not listed in the
• Press Minus (–) to move the selection back by
Nudge Value pop-up menu, click the Nudge
the Nudge value.
Value indicator and type in the value.
The Nudge command works the same regardless of
the Edit mode. Adjacent clips are overlapped in
Shuffle mode, the Spot dialog does not appear
when in Spot mode, and shifted material does not
snap to the Grid when in Grid mode.
To nudge forward or back by the next larger Nudge Nudging clip contents without changing clip
value: boundaries
1 Enable Commands Keyboard Focus (see “Key- This “sliding” of clip contents is only possible if
board Focus” on page 26). there is material residing outside the clip’s start
2 Select the clips or notes you want to nudge. and end points—from the clip having been
trimmed, or perhaps captured from a larger clip.
3 Do one of the following:
• Press Forward Slash (/) to nudge the selected To nudge the contents of a clip without changing
material forward by the next Nudge value. the clip start and end points:
• Press M to nudge the selection back by the 1 Configure the Nudge value (see “Defining the
next Nudge value. Nudge Value” on page 732).
When Commands Keyboard Focus is not 2 With the Time Grabber tool, select the clip
enabled, press Control+Forward Slash (/) whose contents you want to nudge.
(Mac) or Start+Forward Slash (/) (Win- 3 While pressing the Control (Mac) or Start key
dows) to nudge the selected material for- (Windows), press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the
ward by the next Nudge value, and press numeric keypad to move the material by the
Control+M (Mac) or Start+M (Windows) Nudge value to the left (+) or right (–).
to nudge the selected material back by the
next Nudge value.
Layered Editing button (enabled) Figure 1. Editing with Layered Editing enabled
For MIDI clips, only the clips are quantized and all
MIDI data contained within the clips (such as
notes) are moved equally, thereby retaining their
rhythmic relationships.
You can quickly and easily apply fade-ins, fade- The type of selection you make determines the
outs on audio clips, and crossfades between adja- character of the crossfade.
cent audio clips. Crossfading is the process of fad-
ing between two clips of audio to prevent pops, Since crossfades are created by fading between
clicks, or sudden changes in sound. Crossfades overlapping audio material, a crossfade cannot
have many applications, from smoothing transi- be performed on clips that do not contain audio
tions between clips to creating special audio ef- material beyond their clip boundaries.
fects. The crossfade duration, position, and shape
are all user-definable. If a clip references insufficient data to execute
a selected fade or crossfade, you are prompted
to either skip those fades or to adjust the
About Crossfades and Curves bounds of the selection to execute those fades.
Use the Fades dialog to select, view, and manipu- Centered crossfade
late the curves used to perform fades and cross-
fades. Different volume curves can be assigned to This type of selection creates a crossfade on both
the fade-out and fade-in portions of crossfades. sides of the splice point, which affects the volume
The Fades dialog can also be used to audition a of clip 1 and clip 2. It is the most common type of
fade or crossfade before applying it. crossfade.
splice
sp lice splice
point point
clip 11
clip clip 22
clip clip 1 clip 2
This type of selection creates a crossfade before This type of selection creates a crossfade after the
the splice point. This lets you maintain the volume splice point. It is useful if you want to maintain the
of the very beginning of clip 2 instead of fading amplitude of clip 1 until its very end. When mak-
across it, which is useful if there is a strong attack ing selections for crossfades that occur on the bor-
at the beginning of clip 2 that you want to preserve. der of two clips, you can use the Tab key to move
When making selections for crossfades that occur the cursor to the exact beginning or end of a clip.
on the border of two clips, you can use the Tab key
to move the cursor to the exact beginning or end of This crossfade type requires that clip 1 contain au-
a clip. dio material beyond its end point.
Fade Out dialog If you are cross-fading between more than one
track this button allows you to view and preview
the audio of the second in a pair of adjacent tracks.
Preset Curve 6
Preset Curve 7
Preset Curve 6
Preset Curve 7
Preset Curve 4 fades in with a linear fade curve. Equal Gain Recommended for material that is
This is the default curve. phase-coherent or nearly phase-coherent. With this
fade, you can Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click
(Windows) the fade curve to reset it to its default
shape.
Preset Curve 5
Fade Link
For more information on adjusting the fade Overlap Fade This combination of curves keeps
shape, see “Manually Adjusting Fade Shapes both clips at full amplitude throughout the cross-
in Fade Windows” on page 754. 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 755
<factory default> Restores the default settings for Clip with a fade-in
the Fades dialog.
Creating Fade-Ins and Fade-
Save Settings Saves the current settings. This Outs
command overwrites any previous version of the
Depending on how you make the selection, you
preset.
can position a fade-in or fade-out at the exact be-
Save Settings As Saves the current settings as a ginning or end of a clip, or position it so it extends
new preset under a different name. into a blank area of the track. The length of the se-
lection in the clip determines the length of the
Import Settings Imports a fade settings file (.fd- fade-in or fade-out.
preset) from a location other than the Root Settings
folder or Session folder. You can also fade to the beginning or end of a clip
from an insertion point.
Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes
the current fade settings file (.fdpreset) from disk. Although fades appear to be discrete clips, they
cannot be separated from the clips in which they
Save Fade Settings To Selects the folder where were created.
Fades preset files (.fdpreset) are saved. If you se-
lect Session Folder, the settings are saved in a When changing tempo in a tick-based audio track,
folder named “Fades Presets” within the current fade-ins and fade-outs remain with their parent
Session folder. If you select Root Settings Folder, clips. Fades maintain their absolute duration and
the settings are saved in the Pro Tools Root folder are consequently recalculated after any tempo
specified in the Operation preferences. changes.
Selecting the beginning of a clip for a fade-in Selecting the end of a clip for a fade-out
To apply a Fade In using the Default Fade To apply the Fade Out using the Default
In setting (in the Editing Preferences page), Fade Out setting (in the Editing Preferences
and without opening the Fades dialog, page), and without opening the Fades dia-
press Command+Control+F (Mac) or log, press Command+Control+F (Mac) or
Control+Start+F (Windows). Control+Start+F (Windows).
3 Select the fade-in curve and configure the other 3 Select the fade-out curve and configure the
Fade settings. other Fade settings.
4 Click the Audition button to audition the fade. 4 Click the Audition button to audition the fade.
5 Adjust the curve by dragging it or by selecting a 5 Adjust the curve by dragging it or by selecting a
different shape from the In Shape pop-up menu. different shape from the Out Shape pop-up
menu.
6 Click OK.
6 Click OK.
The selected fade curve appears in the clip.
Pro Tools calculates the fade and the selected fade
curve appears in the clip.
Fade lengths can subsequently be resized For Crossfades, you can edit only the fade-in
with any of the Trim tools, including shape of the curve by pressing Option (Mac)
Nudge Trim commands. See “Using the or Alt (Windows) while dragging left or right.
Trim Tools” on page 684 and “Trimming To edit only the fade-out portion of the curve,
with Nudge” on page 731. press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
while dragging.
4 Click OK.
Selecting a clip without its fade Separating clips while preserving fades
2 Nudge the clip by pressing Plus (+) or Minus (– To separate crossfaded clips and remove the fade:
) on the numeric keypad.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the
Editing tab.
2 Nudge the clip by pressing Plus (+) or Where your selection overlaps a crossfade, the
Minus (–) on the numeric keypad. crossfade is separated into a fade-out and fade-in at
the selection boundary.
Trimming Clips that Include Click with the Selector in the clip and choose
Fades or Crossfades Edit > Trim > Start to Insertion or End to Inser-
tion. You can trim to clip or fade boundary in the
You can trim clips that include fades or crossfades.
track.
Playlist selector
You can delete a playlist from a session entirely. Press Shift+Up Arrow.
However, since playlists require minimal disk
space, you do not need to delete them to conserve Additional Playlists Indicator
storage.
When a track contains only the main playlist, the
Playlist selector is gray. However, when a track con-
To delete one or more playlists from a track:
tains more than one playlist, the Playlist selector
1 Click the track’s Playlist selector and choose turns blue.
Delete Unused.
• Audition and select the best take. 11 When finished, click Stop to stop recording.
• Copy the best take to the target playlist. 12 If you do not want to make another loop record
pass, record disable the audio track.
To configure a session:
After you have stopped loop recording, notice that
1 Open an existing Pro Tools session or create a
all of the loop recording takes are revealed in Play-
new one.
list lanes below the main playlist (including the
2 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the whole audio file clip of all of the loop record
Operation tab. passes).
3 On the Operation page, in the Record section,
select the Automatically Create New Playlists
When Loop Recording option.
4 Click OK.
Right-click on the Playlist lane and choose 1 Once you have identified the best take, make
Hide. any changes to the Edit selection. This is the se-
lection that will be copied to the target playlist.
With the same Edit selection that you used for
loop recording intact, Right-click the Track 2 Do one of the following:
Name or any of the Playlist Lane Names and • Choose Edit > Copy Selection To > Target
choose Filter Lanes > Show Only Lanes With > Playlist.
Clips Within the Edit Selection.
• Right-click the selection and choose Copy
Selection to Target Playlist.
• Click the Copy Selection to Target Playlist
button for the Playlist lane.
Copy Selection to
Main Playlist button
1 In Playlists view, make a selection in an alter- 1 In Playlists view, make a selection in any play-
nate playlist. list.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Edit > Move Selection To > New Play-
list.
• Right-click the Edit selection and choose Move
To > New Playlist.
• Press Control+Shift+N (Mac) or Start+Shift+N
(Windows).
Editing in Playlist Lanes Right-click the vertical scale between the play-
list area and the Playlist Lane controls and se-
You can edit clips in Playlist lanes in the same way lect the lane size you want. The track and all
that you do in the main playlist. You can even Playlist lanes resize accordingly.
move clips between different Playlist lanes (in-
cluding the main playlist), between different Press Control+Up/Down Arrow key (Mac) or
tracks, and to different points in time. However, Start+Up/Down Arrow key (Windows) to
you will not be able to hear your edits on Playlist resize heights for tracks, playlists, and lanes
lanes unless the lane you are editing is soloed (see containing the Edit cursor or Edit selection.
“Auditioning Alternate Playlists” on page 768).
Selecting a preset size for a Playlist lane Tracks List showing Playlist lanes for “Audio 1” track
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 775).
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
panded alternate takes to new playlists on a track, (Windows) anywhere on the selected clip and
you can audition and edit them in Playlists view to choose Matches > Expand Alternates To New
assemble the best takes in the main playlist. Tracks.
• If the clip is not selected, with the Selector
To expand alternate takes to new playlists: tool, Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
1 Identify the clip on the main playlist with (Windows) at the precise beginning of the
matching alternate clips (takes). loop or punch range and choose Matches >
Expand
2 Do one of the following: Alternates To New Tracks.
• Right-click the clip and choose Matches >
3 Then choose one of the following from the Ex-
Expand Alternates To New Playlists.
pand Alternates To New Tracks sub-menu:
• If the clip is selected, with the Selector tool,
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click By Track Name Names all new tracks after the
(Windows) anywhere on the selected clip and source track name.
choose Matches > Expand Alternates To New
By Clip Name Names each new tracks after the
Playlists.
corresponding original clip names that you see in
• If the clip is not selected, with the Selector the Matches list.
tool, Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
(Windows) at the precise beginning of the By Track and Clip Name Names all new tracks af-
loop or punch range and choose Matches > ter the source track name, but with the correspond-
Expand Alternates To New Playlists. ing original clip names in parenthesis.
All matching alternate clips are copied to new All matching alternate clips are copied to new
playlists on the track. To view all playlists for the tracks.
track, select Playlists view. In any track view, you
can also select any available alternate playlist as
the main playlist from the Playlist selector.
2 Right-click the edited guide track audio file in • Copy or move an Edit selection to the Target
the browser and choose Relink Selected. playlist from Waveform view without having to
switch to Playlist view.
3 In the upper pane of the Relink window, navi-
• Composite Grouped tracks.
gate to the original unedited guide track audio
file that was recorded in Pro Tools. The Main playlist is the Target playlist by de-
fault.
If the original unedited file is not available,
you can relink to any of the source audio files
as long as they have the same start and end Designating the Target Playlist
times as the guide track. The designated Target playlist is the destination
for all edits whether you are editing in Playlist
4 In the Select Files To Relink pane, select the ed-
view or Waveform view. Editing to Target play-
ited guide track file.
lists in Waveform view is especially useful when
5 Drag the original unedited guide track audio file editing grouped tracks.
into the Candidates pane. If a dialog appears
stating that one or more files are shorter than the To designate any playlist as the Target playlist
from any track view:
media file you are trying to relink, click Yes to
select it for relinking anyway. 1 Click the Playlist selector.
6 Check the box to the left of the file in the Can- 2 Select Target Playlist > Main Playlist or <playlist
didates pane so that the Link icon appears. name> for any other available playlist.
If a Clip Group spans multiple tracks, the 1 Place the Edit cursor in the playlist you want to
Clip Group is broken if the any of the tracks target.
in the Clip Group are not also Edit grouped
2 Press Command+Shift+Right Arrow (Mac) or
when switching to Playlists view.
Control+Shift+Right Arrow (Windows).
After you have designated Target playlists for 1 In Playlists view, Option-click (Mac) or Alt-
tracks you can work quickly when comping from click (Windows) the Target button for the play-
different playlists using key commands. Key mod- list you want to target.
ifiers can also be used to target the same playlist in 2 Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows), click on
all tracks of the same type or in all selected tracks the Playlist Selector menu, then click the Target
of the same type (audio, MIDI, Instrument, or Playlist sub-menu and click on the playlist you
Video). want to target.
To show the Target playlist as the Main Playlist: To target the same playlist in all selected tracks:
Press Shift+Right Arrow. 1 In Playlists view, Option-Shift-click (Mac) or
Alt-Shift-click (Windows) the Target button for
To toggle between the two most recently viewed the playlist you want to target.
Main playlists:
2 Hold Option-Shift (Mac) or Alt-Shift (Win-
Press Shift+Left Arrow.
dows), click on the Playlist Selector menu, then
To copy the current Edit selection to the Target
click the Target Playlist sub-menu and click on
playlist, do one of the following: the playlist you want to target.
Choose Edit > Copy To > Target Playlist. To focus the first playlist:
Right-click and choose Copy To > Target Play- Press Shift+Home (full-sized keyboard).
list.
Press fn+Shift+Left arrow (laptop).
Press Option+Shift+Up Arrow (Mac) or
Alt+Shift+Up Arrow (Windows). To focus the last playlist:
Home icon indicating that the audio selection cycled through all alternate playlists to its original playlist
When cycling through playlists, when you return to the starting playlist a “home” icon appears, no clip
edits are made, and any previous clip separation edits are healed.
• If you designate the playlist in the Main playlist view as the Target playlist (using either the keyboard
shortcut or the menu command), a blue target icon and light blue overlay the size of the Main playlist are
briefly displayed.
Blue target indicating that the Main playlist is the Target playlist
Gray target indicating that the Main playlist is no longer the Target playlist
Table 1. If you send a selection to the Target playlist from the Target playlist, a red “not allowed” icon is briefly
displayed at the center of the selection.
Move the Edit cursor up and down through Control+P and Control+ Start+P and Start+
Playlist lanes Semicolon (;) Semicolon (;)
Show the previous or next playlist in the Shift+Up Arrow/Shift+Down Shift+Up Arrow/Shift+Down
main playlist for tracks that contain the Edit Arrow Arrow
cursor
To designate the Target playlist for the Command+Shift+Right Arrow Control+Shift+Right Arrow
playlist containing the Edit insertion
To show the Target playlist as the Main Shift+Right Arrow Shift+Right Arrow
Playlist
To toggle between the current and most Shift+Left Arrow Shift+Left Arrow
recent Main playlists
Copy the selection to the Target playlist Option+Shift+Up Arrow or Alt+Shift+Up Arrow or
Option+Control+V Alt+Start+V
Focus the first playlist Shift+Home (full-sized key- Shift+Home (full-sized key-
(with Edit selection in the Main playlist) board) board)
fn+Shift+Left Arrow (laptop) fn+Shift+Left Arrow (laptop)
Focus the last playlist Shift+End (full-sized keyboard) Shift+End (full-sized keyboard)
(with Edit selection in the Main playlist) fn+Shift+Right Arrow (laptop) fn+Shift+Right Arrow (laptop)
Move ahead five playlists Shift+Page Down (full-sized Shift+Page Down (full-sized
(with Edit selection in the Main playlist) keyboard) keyboard)
fn+Shift+Down Arrow (laptop) fn+Shift+Down Arrow (laptop)
Move back five playlists Shift+Page Up (full-sized key- Shift+Page Up (full-sized key-
(with Edit selection in the Main playlist) board) board)
fn+Shift+Up Arrow (laptop) fn+Shift+Up Arrow (laptop)
Target the same playlist in all audio tracks Shift-click the Target button for Shift-click the Target button for
the playlist you want to target the playlist you want to target
To target the same playlist in all tracks of Shift-click the playlist you want Shift-click the playlist you want
the same type (audio, MIDI, Instrument, or to target in the Playlist selector to target in the Playlist selector
Video) menu menu
Target the same playlist in all selected In Playlists view, Option-Shift- In Playlists view, Alt-Shift-click
audio tracks click the Target button for the the Target button for the play-
playlist you want to target list you want to target
Target the same playlist in all selected Option-Shift-click the playlist Alt-Shift-click the playlist you
tracks of the same type (audio, MIDI, you want to target in the Play- want to target in the Playlist
Instrument, or Video) list selector menu selector menu
To open the Beat Detective window, do one of the The Beat Detective modes include the following:
following:
Operation Lets you choose to analyze either MIDI
Choose Event > Beat Detective.
or audio material.
Press Command+8 (Mac) or Control+8 (Win-
Bar|Beat Marker Generation Generates Bar|Beat
dows) on the numeric keypad.
Markers corresponding to transients detected in
Beat Detective is a floating window that can be left the audio selection or according to accent patterns
open while working. This lets you adjust the con- with MIDI notes.
trols in real time during playback, while viewing
Groove Template Extraction Extracts the rhyth-
the beat triggers that appear in your selection in the
mic and dynamic information from audio or MIDI,
Edit window.
and saves this information to the Groove Clip-
board, or as a DigiGroove template.
Beat Detective Modes Clip Separation (Audio Only) Separates and cre-
ates new clips based on transients detected in the
The Beat Detective window is divided into three audio selection.
sections: Operation, Selection, and Detection. De-
pending on the Operation mode, the controls in the Clip Conform (Audio Only) Conforms all sepa-
Action section change. The Selection options for rated clips within the selection to the current tempo
Beat Detective are available in each of the Opera- map. Beat Detective can conform audio clips to
tion modes. groove templates (such as DigiGroove templates)
in addition to standard quantization.
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.
Clips conformed with Beat Detective When using Groove Conform, the captured
9 Audition the new conformed clips by clicking selection must not include Bar|Beat Markers.
Play in the Transport. Otherwise, the accuracy of the Groove Tem-
plate will be compromised.
10 Do one of the following:
• If necessary, select Edit > Undo, and repeat 5 From the Groove Template pop-up menu, select
steps 4–8 trying a different set of Conform the Groove Clipboard or a saved groove tem-
settings. plate (for information on creating groove tem-
plates, see “DigiGroove Templates” on
• If necessary, apply Edit Smoothing (see “Edit
page 801).
Smoothing” on page 807).
6 To see comments about the selected template,
click Show Info.
Groove Conform
7 To affect how strongly the clips are conformed
Instead of using a grid based on the session’s
to the groove template, select the Timing option
tempo map, Groove Conform uses a grid based on
and specify a percentage value with either the
a groove template, or DigiGroove. DigiGrooves
slider or by typing in a value:
can be used to apply the feel of a captured passage
to the selected audio clips. For information about • Lower percentage values preserve the origi-
creating DigiGroove templates, see “DigiGroove nal feel of the clips.
Templates” on page 801. • Higher percentage values align the clips more
tightly to the groove templates grid, with
To conform clips using Groove Conform: 100% aligning precisely to the template grid.
1 In the Beat Detective window, select Clip • If the slider is set to 200%, clips move to a lo-
Conform. cation that is twice the difference between the
2 Select Groove. original clip location and the position of the
referenced template event.
With this option enabled, Beat Detective conforms After clips are conformed, there may be gaps be-
clips to the current Standard Conform settings be- tween the clips. These gaps can cause the material
fore applying the groove template. For material in to sound unnatural on playback.
which the performance was not accurate, enabling
Pre-Process Using Standard Conform can lead to
better results by ensuring that the performance is
accurately mapped to the correct bars, beats, and
sub-beats before the groove template is applied.
Experimentation is the best way to determine when
it is appropriate to use this option.
1. Beat triggers
detected in Kick track
added to collection
Overhead mic track displaying a collection of beat triggers containing unique triggers generated from the kick,
snare, and hi-hat tracks
11 Repeat steps 7–10 for each additional track you are analyzing.
The beat triggers stored in the Collection mode are saved with sessions. Therefore, when a session is
opened later, the previous collection material is still there (until it is cleared).
12 Once the beat triggers have been added to the collection, you can use them to generate Bar|Beat Markers
or groove template, or separate clips. However, this must be done from the Collection Mode section
(when the triggers are displayed in multiple colors).
To separate clips across multiple tracks, make sure to extend the selection to any additional tracks be-
fore separating.
The Default Note Duration setting updates to show Click the Default Note On Velocity setting in
the selected note value. the Edit window, a MIDI Editor window, or the
Score Editor window, type a new number and
press Enter.
To decrease the grid value incrementally: Pencil Tool Shapes for MIDI
Press Shift+Minus (–). Free Hand
Use the mini-keyboard on MIDI and Instrument With any Edit tool selected, click a key and drag
tracks to select and play notes on that track. You up or down on the mini-keyboard.
can click on the mini-keyboard with any Edit tool.
With any Edit tool selected, click a key on the You can also Shift-click on the mini-keyboard
mini-keyboard. to extend or contract the range of notes.
The placement of MIDI notes can also be ad- Changing note end times with the Trim tool
justed with Shift (see “Shift Command” on
If the Edit mode is set to Grid, the dragged start or
page 985) or Nudge (see “Nudging Clips” on
end point snaps to the nearest Grid boundary. If the
page 731).
Edit mode is set to Spot, the Spot dialog opens,
where you can enter the new location for the note’s
Trimming Note Start and End start or end point.
Times
Like clips, start and end points for MIDI notes can When in Grid mode, use the Command key
be adjusted with the Trim tool. If several notes are (Mac) or Control key (Windows) to temporar-
selected when performing the trim, each note is ily disable Grid mode.
changed.
Notes can also be trimmed with the Trim Clip to Se-
The Trim tool can also be used on MIDI clips. lection command (see “Trim to Selection Com-
For more informations, see “Time Compres- mand” on page 729) and the Trim To Insertion
sion/Expansion Trim Tool Functionality on command (see “Trimming with Nudge” on
MIDI Clips” on page 831. page 731).
To edit MIDI velocity in the Edit window: 2 Select the Pencil tool with the shape set to Line.
1 Do one of the following: 3 Click at the beginning of the note range, near
• Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Velocity the bottom of the velocity range, and drag to the
view. right and up until the line encompasses the
range of notes you want to include in the fade.
• Reveal the Controller lane for the MIDI or In-
strument track and show Velocity.
You can also use the Trim tool to scale the veloci-
ties for all selected notes. This is useful if you like
the velocity relationship between the notes, but
Revealing the Velocity Lane
want them all to be louder or softer.
2 Select any Grabber tool.
When in Velocity view, the Trim tool can be
3 Drag the top (diamond) of the velocity stalk up used to trim note durations in addition to
or down. changing velocities.
Pitch
Velocity Trim Tool Attack Velocity
To trim the velocity of one or more selected MIDI Release Velocity
notes:
A new value in the Start field moves the first note With the Pencil tool selected, Option-click
in the selection to that location, with all other notes (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the note. The
moving with it. Pencil tool changes to an Eraser when Option
(Mac) or Alt (Windows) is pressed.
Values entered in the pitch and velocity fields add Program change events and Sysex events can
to or subtract from the values for all selected notes. also be deleted by Option-clicking (Mac) or
For example, to transpose all selected notes down Alt-clicking (Windows) them with the Pencil
an octave, enter a value of –12 for pitch. tool.
Before trimming a MIDI clip with the Time 1 Set the Edit mode to Slip.
Compression/Expansion Trim tool
2 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Clips view.
3 Select the TCE Trim tool.
4 With the TCE Trim tool, drag the MIDI clip’s
start or end point to compress or expand the clip
freely A new MIDI clip is automatically cre-
After trimming a MIDI clip with the Time Compression/ ated, and appears both in the playlist and in the
Expansion Trim tool
Clips List.
Using the Time Compression/
Expansion Trim Tool in Grid Using the Time Compression/
Mode Expansion Trim Tool in Spot
Mode
The Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool
(TCE Trim tool) can be used in Grid mode to In Spot mode, clicking with the TCE Trim tool in a
match a clip to the tempo of a session or a section clip opens the Spot dialog. You can specify the lo-
of a session, or to create “double time” or “half cation where you want the clip to start or end, or
time” performances. the duration of the clip, and the clip is automati-
cally compressed or expanded as specified.
To compress or expand MIDI clips in Grid mode:
To compress or expand MIDI clips in Spot mode:
1 Set the Edit mode to Grid.
1 Set the Edit mode to Spot.
2 If necessary, set the MIDI or Instrument track to
Clips view. 2 Set the MIDI or Instrument track to Clips view.
3 Select the TCE Trim tool. 3 Select the TCE Trim tool.
4 With the TCE Trim tool, drag the MIDI clip’s 4 Click the MIDI clip near its start or end point.
start or end point to compress or expand the clip The Spot dialog opens. Using any Time Scale,
to the Grid (for example, by quarter notes). A enter a new start or end time (or duration) for
new MIDI clip is automatically created, and ap- the clip, and then click OK. A new MIDI clip is
pears both in the playlist and in the Clips List. automatically created, and appears both in the
playlist and in the Clips List.
New controller events can be drawn in with the 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, then click the
Pencil tool to replace existing events. Events can MIDI tab.
be drawn with the Pencil tool (set to Free Hand, 2 Type a value (1 to 100 milliseconds) for Pencil
Line, Triangle, Square, or Random). Tool Resolution When Drawing Controller Data.
Controller events can be cut or copied and 3 Click OK.
pasted, as well as nudged or shifted.
Navigating Notes
To increase or decrease the velocities of selected If you do not know what bank select command
notes in increments of 5: your instrument uses, you can record MIDI to
Press Command+Up/Down Arrow (Mac) or Pro Tools while making a bank change from
Control+Up/Down Arrow (Windows). the instrument. Then review the bank select
information your instrument has recorded
To increase or decrease the velocities of selected into Pro Tools in the MIDI Event List.
notes in increments of 15:
Press Command+Shift+Up/Down Arrow (Mac) Some older MIDI devices (such as the Kurz-
or Control+Shift+Up/Down Arrow (Windows). weil K1000) use a program change instead of
a Bank Select message to switch banks. For
these devices you may find it necessary to send
two program change messages to access a
particular program, where the first sets the
bank and the second sets the program.
The placement of program changes can also 4 Type a value for the number of seconds that will
be adjusted with Shift (see “Shift Command” elapse between each program change.
on page 985) or Nudge (see “Nudging Clips” 5 Select the Increment Patch option.
on page 731).
After the specified number of seconds, Pro Tools
To delete a program change event: selects the next patch and transmits the program
1 With the Track View or Controller lane set to change to the track’s assigned MIDI output.
Program Change view, click the program
6 When you are finished auditioning settings, de-
change event with any Grabber tool to select it.
select the Increment Patch option and select the
If the clip contains other events you want to program number (or patch name) you want and
delete, you can delete the clip and the Pro- click Done.
gram Change event will also be deleted.
Auditioning Programs
When the Patch Select dialog is open, Pro Tools
can automatically scroll through the different
patches for a track’s assigned MIDI device.
Sysex event block, Sysex view shown
To audition patches: While the contents of recorded System Exclusive
1 If you want to audition patches for a MIDI track events cannot be directly edited in Pro Tools, the
or Instrument during playback, click Play in the events can be moved or nudged, copied and pasted,
Transport. or deleted.
2 Open the Patch Select dialog by clicking the
Patch Select button, or by inserting or editing a
program change event in a MIDI or Instrument
track.
Enabled Real-Time Properties are heard on play- Selecting a Grid Quantize value or a Groove Template
back and play through for the selected tracks and
clips. Swing Value Enter the amount of swing as a per-
centage between 0 and 300%.
Duration can be used to increase or decrease the If the Ticks/Notes pop-up menu is set to ticks, en-
duration of MIDI notes by a fixed amount or by a ter a duration as a number of quarter notes plus a
percentage. This is useful for creating legato or number of ticks, such as 4|000. If the Ticks/Notes
staccato passages. pop-up menu is set to a note size, enter a number to
by which to multiply that note size, such as seven
Duration cannot be applied as a Real-Time 16th notes.
Property to MIDI Input and Thru.
Ticks/Notes Pop-Up Menu
Duration Mode Pop-Up Menu
The Ticks/Notes pop-up menu lets you select ei-
Select one of the following options from the Dura- ther Ticks or a note size for Note Durations. There
tion Mode pop-up menu: Set, Add, Subtract, is also a Ticks/Notes pop-up menu for the Mini-
Scale, Legato/Gap, or Legato/Overlap. mum and Maximum Durations options.
Set Select to set notes to the specified duration. Minimum and Maximum Durations
Add Select to add the specified duration to the cur- Enable either or both minimum and maximum du-
rent duration of each note. rations and enter a value in quarter notes plus ticks
or as a multiple of a note size. The Minimum (Min)
Subtract Select to subtract the specified duration
and Maximum (Max) Durations options are only
from the current duration of each note.
available in the expanded Real-Time Properties
Scale Select to scale the current duration of each window.
note by a percentage from 1 to 400%.
Velocity
Real-Time Properties on
Velocity lets you change MIDI velocity by a per- Tracks and Clips
centage or by constant value. Enter a percentage
value in the Dynamics field to scale velocity Real-Time Properties can be configured to apply to
around the median velocity of 64. You can also en- an entire track (all clips on that track), or on a clip-
ter an offset by adding (+) or subtracting (–) values by-clip basis. Track-level properties also provide
between 1 and 127. You can also enter Minimum real-time MIDI input processing of velocity and
and Maximum Velocity value limits. The Mini- transposition.
mum (Min) and Maximum (Max) Velocity options
The presence of track-based Real-Time Properties
are only available in the expanded Real-Time
are indicated by a “T” displayed in the upper right-
Properties window.
hand corner of MIDI clips. Clip-based Real-Time
Velocity can be applied as a Real-Time Prop- Properties are indicated by an “R” displayed in the
erty to MIDI Input and Thru on record-en- upper right-hand corner of the clip. Clips boundar-
abled MIDI and Instrument tracks. ies including the “T” and the “R” displays are indi-
cated in Notes view and in MIDI Editor windows,
Transpose but not in the Score Editor window.
3 Click OK.
Pro Tools provides MIDI Editor windows for detailed MIDI editing.
Record enable
Solo Track Edit selector
Default Note Duration
Mute
Default Note Velocity
Notation Key Focus
View Play MIDI Notes While Editing
Edit Mirrored MIDI Editing MIDI Editor menu
Tools Link Timeline and Edit Selection
Edit modes Grid Chord Cursor Target
selector display location
Tracks List
Velocity, Controller and Superimposed MIDI Zoom controls
Groups List Automation lanes and Instrument tracks
MIDI Editor window
Notation View
In a MIDI editor window, the Record-enable, Solo,
and Mute buttons affect tracks in all windows. The Notation view button lets you view MIDI
They let you either audition the tracks shown in the notes in the MIDI Editor window as music nota-
current MIDI Editor window without the rest of tion. In Notation view, MIDI and Instrument tracks
the mix, or let you hear just the mix without the are not superimposed, but are shown as staves just
tracks shown in the MIDI Editor window. Addi- like in the Score Editor window.
tionally, these buttons provide a quick visual indi-
cation as to whether or not any MIDI or Instrument
tracks are record-enabled, soloed, or muted.
Record-Enable
Notation view enabled in a MIDI Editor window
The Record-enable button lets you record-enable
(or record-disable) all the tracks currently dis- You can access the Notation Display Track
played in the MIDI Editor window. Settings in a MIDI Editor window when in
Notation view. Select the Notation Display
Solo Track Settings option from the Tracks List
menu or Right-click in the Notes pane and se-
The Solo button lets you solo all the tracks cur-
lect the Notation Display Track Settings op-
rently displayed in the MIDI Editor window.
tion from the Right-click menu. For more in-
formation, see “Notation Display Track
Settings” on page 885.
Target
Generally, the Target button for MIDI Editor win-
dows functions just like the Target button for Plug-
In, Output, and Send windows. Additionally, the
Target button in a MIDI Editor window synchro-
nizes its Timeline location view to the Timeline lo- Untargeted MIDI Editor window
Selection Display
MIDI Editor Window Display Options
When selected, the Selection Display option shows
Expanded Edit Tools the Edit Selection Display in the MIDI Editor win-
dow toolbar.
When selected, the Expanded Edit Tools option
displays all of the Edit Tools in the MIDI Editor
window toolbar.
Selection display
Expanded Edit tools displayed in a MIDI Editor window When selected, the MIDI Input Display option
shows the MIDI Input display in the MIDI Editor
When this option is not selected, only the icon for
window.
the selected Edit tool is displayed. Any of the other
Edit tools can be selected from the Edit Tool pop-
up menu.
Tracks List
Scrolling Submenu
Page The playback cursor moves across the MIDI Customizable Toolbar
Editor window, indicating the playback location. You can customize the toolbar in MIDI Editor
When the right edge of the MIDI Editor window is windows by rearranging, and showing and hiding
reached, its entire contents are scrolled, and the the available controls and displays just like in the
playback cursor continues moving from the left Edit window or the Score Editor window.
edge of the window.
Changing Toolbar Display Options
Continuous The MIDI Editor window scrolls con-
tinuously past the playback cursor, which remains To change the toolbar display options in a MIDI
in the center of the window. With this option, play- Editor window toolbar:
back is always based on the Timeline selection
1 Do one of the following:
(unlike the Center Playhead Scrolling option).
• Click the MIDI Editor Window Toolbar
Center Playhead (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio menu.
Only) The MIDI Editor window scrolls continu-
• Right-click in the toolbar.
ously past the Playhead, which is represented as a
blue line in the center of the window (or a red line 2 From the pop-up menu, select or deselect any of
when recording). the following:
• Expanded Edit Tools
Follow Edit Window When selected, the MIDI Ed-
itor window follows the scrolling option selected • Expanded Grid/Nudge Display
for the Edit window (Options > Edit Window Scroll- • Selection Display
ing).
Rearranging Controls and Displays
Keep MIDI Editor Window On You can rearrange the controls and displays in the
Top MIDI Editor window toolbar just like in the Edit
The MIDI Editor window lets you set it to remain window or the Score Editor window.
in the foreground even when clicking on and fo-
To rearrange controls and displays in a MIDI Editor
cusing another window (such as the Edit or Mix
window toolbar:
windows).
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
Enable the Keep Window On Top option in the dows) the controls or displays you want to move
MIDI MIDI Editor window menu to ensure that and drag them to the location in the Toolbar you
the window remains in the foreground when work- want.
ing with other windows. When this option is dis-
abled, clicking on another window (such as the
Edit or Mix windows) brings that window to the
front and the MIDI Editor window may be hidden
behind it.
864 Pro Tools Reference Guide
MIDI Editor Zoom Controls Tracks List
Vertical and Horizontal Zoom In and Out The Tracks List in MIDI Editor windows lets you
Buttons show or hide MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary In-
put tracks in the MIDI Editor window. The Tracks
In addition to the Zoom controls in the Toolbar, List settings are unique to each MIDI Editor win-
Pro Tools provides horizontal and vertical zoom dow. However, the order of tracks in the Tracks
buttons in the lower-right corner of MIDI Editor List is global. Sorting or changing the order of
windows. tracks affects the Tracks List in every window.
Vertical Zoom Buttons Zoom the lane heights pro-
Track Show/Hide
portionally for Automation and Controller lanes.
Track Color Code
Horizontal Zoom Buttons Zoom the Timeline just Track Type icon
like the Horizontal Zoom controls in the MIDI Ed- Track name
itor window toolbar. Pencil Enable
Tracks List
MIDI Zoom In and Out Buttons Show/Hide Indicates which tracks are shown or
hidden in the MIDI Editor window.
Pro Tools provides MIDI Zoom In and Out buttons
in the upper-right corner of MIDI Editor windows. Track Color Displays the track color for each track
These controls function exactly the same as the by type or by track.
MIDI Zoom controls in the toolbar, and let you Name Displays the name for each track.
zoom in and out vertically on MIDI notes.
Pencil Lets you enable a track for manually enter-
ing MIDI notes with the Pencil tool.
You can also view and edit MIDI notes in Notation view in the Notes pane (see “Notation View”
on page 872).
MIDI Editor window, Notes pane with five superimposed Instrument tracks
When Color Coding by Track is enabled, tracks in the MIDI Editor are temporarily assigned one of
sixteen fixed colors, in the order they appear in the Tracks List.
When Color Coding by Velocity is enabled, MIDI notes are all the same red color (hue) on all tracks dis-
played, and MIDI notes vary in color saturation (from a light red to a dark red) based on the Note On ve-
locity. Notes with low velocities are lighter in color and those with high velocities are darker.
No Color Coding
When neither Color Coding by Track nor Color Coding by Velocity are enabled, notes are drawn in the
MIDI Editor in as the same color they are in the Edit window—using the color coding options as set in the
Track Color Coding settings in the Display Preferences.
The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools Merge
relevant to the Score Editor.
The Merge command pastes the clipboard to the
Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool. current Edit selection or at the current Edit cursor
location and merges the pasted data with any MIDI
Trim Selects the Trim tool.
notes already present at the same location.
Selector Selects the Selector tool.
Clear
Grabber Selects the Grabber tool.
The Clear command clears (deletes) the current
Scrubber Selects the Scrubber tool. Edit selection.
Pencil Selects the Pencil tool. Separate
Smart Selects the Smart tool. The Separate command lets you separate MIDI
Zoomer Tools Lets you select Normal Zoom or notes at the Edit cursor location.
Single Zoom.
Consolidate
Pencil Tools Lets you select any of the Pencil
The Consolidate command lets you consolidate se-
tools.
lected multiple consecutive MIDI notes of the
Insert same pitch.
The Insert submenu lets you insert key changes, Mute Notes
meter changes, and chord symbols at the location
The Mute Notes (or Unmute Notes) command lets
of the Edit cursor.
you mute (or unmute) selected MIDI notes.
Key Inserts a key change.
MIDI Real-Time Properties
Meter Inserts a meter change.
Selecting the MIDI Real-Time Properties option
Chord Inserts a chord symbol. opens the MIDI Real-Time Properties window.
The Event Operations submenu lets you select any Selecting the Display Notation option changes the
of the Event Operations windows (such as Quan- MIDI Editor to Notation view. Deselecting this op-
tize or Change Velocity). tion reverts the MIDI Editor to Notes view.
Right-click in the Notes pane and select Notation View Right-Click Menu
Notation View.
When in Notation view, the Notes Pane Right-
Editing in Notation view in a MIDI Editor window click menu provides slightly different options than
works the same way as in the Score Editor win- when in Superimposed Notes view.
dow, but with the advantage of having access to
Velocity, Controller, and Automation lanes. In both views, the following options are available:
• Tools
In Notation view, the Trim tool functions as
• Insert
the Grabber tool when over a note and as the
Note Selector tool when not over a note. • Cut
• Copy
In Notation view, the Edit mode is • Paste
automatically set to Grid and cannot be
• Clear
changed.
• Separate
Double Bar in Notation View • Consolidate
The Double Bar button is only available in Nota- • Mute
tion view. When enabled, the Double Bar option • MIDI Real-Time Properties
shows the final double bar line in the MIDI Editor
• Event Operations
window. The double bar line is located at the end
of the last MIDI clip or event in the session. • Open In New MIDI Editor
• Open In Score Editor
• Open In MIDI Event List.
• Display Notation
display settings for tracks in Notation view. For in- dialog, see “Notation Display Track Settings” on
formation on the Notation Display Track Settings page 885.
MIDI Editor windows let you edit velocities, MIDI To add lanes:
controller data, and automation for all shown Click the Add Lane button.
MIDI, Instrument, and Auxiliary Input tracks in
lanes under the Notes pane. You can move and re- To remove lanes:
size Automation and Controller lanes just like in
Click the Remove Lane button.
the Edit window. When viewing multiple MIDI
and Instrument tracks, the velocities for notes on
To change the Automation or Controller type for a
separate tracks are superimposed in a single lane, lane:
just like notes in the Notes pane. However, all
other Controller lanes are grouped by automation Click the Automation or Controller Type selec-
and controller type, and provide individual lanes tor and select the Automation or Controller type
for each shown track. you want.
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 879).
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 880).
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 879).
Velocity setting (see “Default Note On Velocity”
on page 879). The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 880).
The minimum duration of the note is determined
by the selected Default Note Duration (see “De- Random
fault Note Duration” on page 879).
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 879).
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
The duration is determined by the selected Default page 879).
Note Duration (see “Default Note Duration” on
The start time for each note is determined by the
page 879).
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 880).
The start time for each note is determined by the
selected Grid value (see “Grid” on page 880).
If you want dotted note values, also select the Dot- Link Timeline and Edit Selection enabled in the Score
ted option. Editor window
Play MIDI Notes When Select the Mirrored MIDI Editing button in the
Editing Edit window, MIDI Editor window, or Score
Editor window.
When enabled, the Play MIDI Notes When Editing
option causes MIDI notes to sound when you in-
sert them with the Pencil tool or drag them with the
Grabber tool.
Double Bar
Cursor Location indicator in the Score Editor window
When enabled, the Double Bar option shows the fi-
nal double bar line in the Score Editor window.
The double bar line is located at the end of the last Grid
MIDI clip or event in the session. Enable the Dou-
The Grid selector lets you define the Grid value for
ble Bar option when you are ready to print the
MIDI notes inserted and displayed in the Score Ed-
score.
itor window.
When the Double Bar option is disabled, there will
To set the Grid value for the Score Editor window:
be a number of empty bars at the end of the last
MIDI clip in the session. The number of empty From the Grid Value pop-up menu, select a note
bars is determined by the Additional Empty Bars In value.
The Score Editor setting in the Pro Tools MIDI
Preferences (Setup > Preferences). Disable the If you want dotted note values, also select the
Double Bar option to manually enter notes in the Dotted option.
Score Editor after the last MIDI clip. If you want triplet note values, also select the
Triplet option.
Selection Display
Inserting notes on the Grid
When selected, the Selection Display option shows
If the selected Grid value is shorter than the De- the Edit Selection Display in the MIDI Editor win-
fault Note Duration, the Grid value determines dow toolbar.
both the Note On location and note duration for
notes inserted with the Pencil tool. For example, if
the Default Note Duration is set to quarter notes
and the Grid is set to eighth notes, drawing with the
Line Pencil tool creates a sequence of eighth notes. Selection display
Tracks List
Score Editor Window Target When selected, the Tracks List option displays the
Tracks List in the Score Editor window.
When the Target is enabled for the Score Editor
window, navigating the Edit window automati-
cally navigates the Score Editor window as well. Scrolling
For example, if in the Edit window you navigate to The Scrolling submenu lets you select the scrolling
bar 32, beat 3 in a MIDI track, when you view the options for the Score Editor window inde-
Score Editor window it too will show the same lo- pendently of the Edit window and any MIDI Editor
cation. windows. The scrolling options include:
When the Target is disabled, the Score Editor does No Scrolling The Score Editor window does not
not update to show the current Edit window selec- scroll during or after playback. The playback cur-
tion or Edit cursor location. sor moves across the Edit window, indicating the
playback location.
Page The playback cursor moves across the Score Customizable Toolbar
Editor window, indicating the playback location. You can customize the toolbar in the Score Editor
When the right edge of the current page shown in window by re-arranging, and showing or hiding
the Score Editor window is reached, it scrolls to the the available controls and displays just like in the
next page and the playback cursor continues mov- Edit window or MIDI Editor windows.
ing from the left edge of the window.
Changing Toolbar Display Options
Follow Edit Window When selected, the Score Ed-
itor window follows the scrolling option selected To change the toolbar display options in the Score
for the Edit window (Options > Edit Editor window toolbar:
Window Scrolling).
1 Do one of the following:
For Pro Tools HD systems, the Continuous • Click the Score Editor Window Toolbar
and Center Playhead scrolling options are menu.
not available in the Score Editor window. If • Right-click in the Toolbar.
the Score Editor window is set to the Follow
Edit Window scrolling option and the Edit 2 From the pop-up menu, select or deselect any of
window is set to either the Continuous or the following:
Center Playhead scrolling options, the Score • Selection Display
Editor window scrolls by page. • Expanded Edit Tools
The Tracks List lets you show and hide MIDI and From the Tracks List menu, select Show All
Instrument tracks in the Score Editor. It also pro- Tracks.
vides access to the Notation Display Track Set-
tings and Score Setup (see “Notation Display To show only selected MIDI and Instrument tracks
in the Score Editor:
Track Settings” on page 885 and “Score Setup” on
page 887). 1 In the Tracks List, select the MIDI and Instru-
ment tracks you want to show in the score.
To show or hide the Tracks List in the Score Editor
window: 2 From the Tracks List menu, select Show Only
Selected Tracks.
From the Score Editor Window menu, select or
deselect Tracks List. To hide MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
Editor:
Showing and Hiding Tracks Disable the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks
List for tracks you want to hide in the score.
Use the Tracks List to show and hide MIDI and In-
strument tracks as staves in the score.
To hide all MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
Editor:
To show MIDI and Instrument tracks in the Score
Editor: From the Tracks List menu, select Hide All
Tracks.
Enable the Track Show/Hide icon in the Tracks
List for tracks you want to show in the score.
To hide selected MIDI and Instrument tracks in the
Score Editor:
1 In the Tracks List, select the MIDI and Instru-
ment tracks you want to hide in the score.
2 From the Tracks List menu, select Hide Se-
lected Tracks.
To display the previous page of the score: To zoom out one level:
Click the Page Back button. Click the Zoom Out button.
Clef
Globals
Score Setup
The Score Setup window lets you set up the page
layout and staff spacing. You can enter the Title
and Composer for the score. You can also select
what elements of the score to display. Changes to Score Setup window
the Score Setup update instantly in the Score Edi-
Information
tor.
Title Enter the Title for the score. This appears at
To open the Score Setup, do one of the following: the top of the first page.
Choose File > Score Setup.
Composer Enter the Composer for the score. This
From the Tracks List menu in the Score Editor appears in the upper right-hand corner of the first
window, select Score Setup. page.
Right-click in the Score Editor window and se-
lect Score Setup.
The Display options determine which score ele- Between Staves Enter the spacing you want
ments you want displayed in the score. Deselect between staves.
the elements you do not want displayed in the
Between Systems Enter the spacing you want be-
score.
tween systems.
Title and Composer Select to display the Title and
Composer on the score. On pages where the music is vertically justi-
fied, the distance between staves and systems
Page Numbers Select to display Page Numbers at will be larger than the numbers specified.
the bottom of each page.
Below Title and Composer Enter the spacing you
Bar Numbers Select to display Bar Numbers at the want between the Title and Composer and the first
beginning of each system above the top staff. staff of the score.
Track Names Select to display Track Names for Below Chord Symbols and Diagrams Enter the
each staff at the beginning of the score. spacing you want between Chord Symbols and Di-
agrams and the top stave of each system.
Chord Symbols Select to display chord symbols in
the score.
Layout
Chord Diagrams Select to display Chord Dia-
Page Size Select the page size (Letter, Legal, Tab-
grams (guitar tablature) in the score (see “Chord loid, or A4).
Symbols and Diagrams” on page 894).
Portrait Select to set the page orientation to Por-
Disable the Chord Diagrams option when trait.
printing charts and lead sheets where you just
want to see chord symbols. Landscape Select to set the page orientation to
Landscape.
MIDI note editing in the Edit window, MIDI Edi- 1 Click the Grabber tool.
tor windows, and the Score Editor window all af- 2 Drag in the score to highlight the notes you
fect the same MIDI data. When editing in one win- want to select.
dow, your edits are reflected in all other windows.
You can use either the Note Selector tool or the 1 Click the Grabber tool.
Grabber tool to select notes on one or more staves. 2 Drag the note you want to transpose up or down.
Entering a single longer note with the Pencil tool Score Editor Right-Click
To manually insert multiple notes of the same
Menu
pitch: The Score Editor Right-click menu provides sev-
1 Select the Default Note Duration setting (see eral useful commands for editing, exporting, and
“Default Note Duration” on page 879). formatting the score and MIDI data.
2 Select the Grid setting (see “Grid” on To access the Score Editor Right-click menu:
page 880).
Right-click anywhere on the score.
3 Select the Default Note On Velocity (see “De-
fault Note On Velocity” on page 879).
Score Editor Right-Click Menu
4 Click the Pencil tool and select any of the fol- Items
lowing shapes:
Tools
– and –Line
– and –Triangle The Tools submenu lets you select any Edit tools
relevant to the Score Editor.
– and –Square
– and –Random Zoomer Selects the Zoomer tool.
5 Click at the time location and pitch and drag to Note Selector Selects the Note Selector tool.
the right. Repeated notes of the selected Default
Grabber Selects the Grabber tool.
Note Duration are entered on the selected Grid.
The Note On velocities for each note are deter- Pencil Selects the Pencil tool.
mined in part by the Default Note On Velocity
setting and the selected Pencil tool shape (see Insert
“Pencil” on page 878).
The Insert submenu lets you insert key changes,
meter changes, and chord symbols into the score at
the location of the Edit cursor.
The Cut command cuts the current Edit selection. Choosing the Notation Display Track Settings op-
tion opens the Notation Display Track Settings di-
Copy alog (see “Notation Display Track Settings” on
page 885).
The Copy command copies the current Edit selec-
tion.
Score Setup
Clear
To delete a Key Signature: 3 If you want the inserted meter event to fall
cleanly on the first beat of the nearest measure,
With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or
select the Snap To Bar option.
Alt-click (Windows) the Key Signature you
want to delete. 4 Select a note value for the number of clicks to
sound in each measure. For a dotted-note click
value, select the dot (.) option in addition to the
Meter Changes note value.
You can add, edit, and delete Meters in your score. For some meters, it may be desirable to use a
Meter changes affect the number of bars in the dotted value for the click. For instance, if us-
score (and in your session). When changing meter, ing a meter of 6/8, a dotted quarter note click
notes are not moved, but the barlines will be re- (yielding two clicks per measure) is generally
drawn. more suitable than a straight eighth note click
(six clicks per measure).
You can also add and delete Meters in the
Meter ruler in the Edit window and in MIDI 5 Click OK to insert the new meter.
Editor windows.
To edit a Meter change:
To add a Meter change:
1 With the Grabber tool, double-click the Meter
1 Do one of the following: event you want to edit.
• Choose Event > Time Operations > Change 2 Enter values in the Meter Change dialog and
Meter. click OK.
• With the Note Selector, Grabber, or Pencil
tool, Right-click at the location in the score To delete a Meter change:
where you want to change meter and select With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or
Insert > Meter Change. Alt-click (Windows) the Meter event you want
2 In the Meter Change dialog, enter the Location to delete.
and Meter for the meter change.
Chord symbol and diagram in the score To export a score from Pro Tools:
To edit a chord symbol: 1 Configure the score for your session in Score
Editor window.
1 With the Grabber tool, double-click the chord
symbol you want to edit. 2 Choose File > Export > To Sibelius.
2 Make changes in the Chord Change dialog, and 3 Select a destination and click Save.
click OK.
To send the score from your Pro Tools session to
To move a chord symbol: Sibelius, do one of the following:
With the Grabber tool, drag the chord symbol to 1 Configure the score for your session in the
a new location. Score Editor window.
2 Do one of the following:
To delete a chord symbol:
• Choose File > Send to Sibelius.
With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or
• Right-click in the Score Editor and choose
Alt-click (Windows) the chord symbol you
Send to Sibelius.
want to delete.
Pro Tools exports all Instrument and MIDI tracks
To display or hide chord symbols in the score: shown in the Score Editor to Sibelius as a .sib file
In the Score Settings dialog (File > Score and launches Sibelius if it is installed on your com-
Setup), enable or disable the Chord Symbols puter. You can then further edit the notation in Si-
option. belius and print the score or parts from Sibelius.
Track Selector
The Track selector in the MIDI Event List both in-
dicates the currently displayed MIDI or Instrument
track and can be used to choose a different MIDI or
Instrument track to be displayed.
Number of Events
The number of MIDI events on the selected track
MIDI Event List are displayed at the top of the MIDI Event List.
Columns in the MIDI Event List View Filter for MIDI Event List
Information for the events in the MIDI Event List You can use the View Filter to specify which event
is displayed in the following three columns: types are displayed in the MIDI Event List. This
Start Column Displays the start location, using the can help you zero in on only the events you want to
Main Time Scale, for each event. Locations can affect; it also protects MIDI events from being ed-
also be displayed in the Sub Time Scale when the ited or deleted. Events not displayed in the MIDI
Show Sub Counter option is selected in the Op- Event List still play back.
tions pop-up menu.
The View Filter can be set to display “all” mes-
The playback cursor appears as a blue arrow (red, sages, “only” the specified messages, or “all ex-
when tracks are record-enabled) in the Start col- cept” the specified messages.
umn.
When inserting an event type that has been
When several events reside at the same location, filtered from the MIDI Event List, that event
the location is only indicated for the top event, with type will no longer be filtered.
the others dimmed. The dimmed locations can be
Example: To filter the display of aftertouch and
edited by double-clicking them. System Exclusive Messages in the MIDI Event
List:
MIDI Event List View Filter dialog 1 In the MIDI Event List, choose Go To from the
MIDI Event List menu.
3 Select the options for Mono Aftertouch, Poly-
phonic Aftertouch, and System Exclusive. Leave With the MIDI Event List as the front-most win-
all other messages deselected. dow, press Command+G (Mac) or Control+G
(Windows) to open the Go To dialog.
When using the All Except option, the selected
events are not displayed. Conversely, when using 2 In the Go To dialog, choose a format from the
the Only option, only the selected events are dis- Time Scale pop-up menu.
played.
4 Click OK.
Any or all of the following Conductor rulers can be Drag a ruler’s name up or down to a new
displayed: location.
Displaying Rulers
To display all rulers:
From the Transport Window menu, ensure that When the Main Time Scale is set to
the Counters and Expanded Transport options Bars|Beats, and you are using tempo
are enabled. changes, set the Linearity Display Mode to
Linear Tick Display (see “Changing the
To set the Time Scale for the Sub Counter: Linearity Display Mode” on page 926).
This will keep the Bars|Beats ruler fixed (at
Click the Sub Counter selector and select a
the selected zoom level) and sample-based
Time Scale.
rulers such as Minutes:Seconds will scale
to fit any tempo changes while bar lengths
remain constant.
Pro Tools is a sample-based program with an inter- 1/4 note 960 1440 640
nal MIDI resolution of 960,000 pulses per quarter 1/8 note 480 720 320
note (ppq). However, when the Time Scale is set to
Bars|Beats, the display resolution in Pro Tools is 1/16 note 240 360 160
960 ppq and the Timebase is tick-based. 1/32 note 120 180 80
Groups
When you change the timebase for an audio track
Timebase selector (samples)
that is part of an active Edit group, all the tracks in
.
You can use Beat Detective to generate 2 Click the Add Tempo Change button at the left
Bar|Beat markers (tempo map). For more in- of the Tempo ruler.
formation, see “Generating Bar|Beat Mark-
ers with Beat Detective” on page 800.
As tempo events are encountered during playback, 4 To place the inserted tempo event cleanly on the
the session’s current tempo is displayed in the first beat of the nearest measure, select the Snap
To Bar option.
Transport window.
5 To base the BPM value on something other than
the default quarter note, select a different note
value.
In the Tempo ruler, drag the triangle for the 3 Click in the Tempo ruler at the point where you
tempo event left or right. want to paste the tempo events.
4 Choose Edit > Paste. The contents of the Clip-
board are pasted from the insertion point, re-
placing any existing tempo events.
Tempo at 92 bpm
1 Select the clip you want to conform to the ses- Displaying the Tempo Editor
sion tempo.
The Tempo Editor is an expansion of the Tempo
2 Do one of the following: ruler, opening in the rulers section of the Edit Win-
• Choose Clip > Conform to Tempo. dow.
• Right-click the clip you wan to conform to
tempo and select Conform to Tempo. Tempo Editor expand/collapse triangle
Tempo Resolution
Pro Tools analyzes the clip’s entire file for Elastic Tempo Density
Audio events and tempo. If a tempo is detected, Add Tempo Change
Tempo events
and a duration in bars and beats is determined, the
clip conforms automatically to the session tempo.
If a tempo and duration is not detected (such as
with a clip that is a single drum hit or with a long
clip with no clear tempo), the clip is not conformed
to the session tempo.
Click the Tempo Editor Zoom In button (“+”). New tempo events can be drawn in with the
Pencil tool to replace existing ones.
To zoom out vertically in the Tempo Editor:
Tempo events can be copied and pasted,
Click the Tempo Editor Zoom Out button (“–”). nudged, and shifted.
All the new tempo events under the curve will To adjust the location of the tempo change:
change as you move the Tempo Curve Adjust-
With the Grabber tool, drag a tempo event to the
ment Handles. To adjust the curve shape
left or right.
without the track data adjusting immediately,
press Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) To remove a tempo event:
while adjusting the curve. Tempo events will
change to fit the new curve when you release With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or
the mouse button. Alt-click (Windows) the tempo event.
Using the Selector tool or any Grabber tool, 1 With the Selector tool, select a range of tempo
double-click between two tempo events. The events.
first event is selected.
2 Do one of the following:
• Press Shift+Tab to extend the selection to the
next tempo event.
• Press Shift+Option+Tab (Mac) or Shift+Con-
trol+Tab (Windows) to extend the
selection to the previous tempo event.
Tempo Edit Density and Linear Lets you create tempos that change evenly
Linearity Display Mode over a selected range of time.
When the Tempo Edit Density setting (in the Parabolic Lets you create tempos that accelerate or
Tempo Editor) and the Linearity Display Mode decelerate following a tempo curve that changes
setting are both set to either a Bars|Beats Time the tempo more rapidly or less rapidly over the se-
Scale or to an absolute Time Scale, Tempo edits lection time.
appear evenly spaced. When the Tempo Edit Den-
sity setting and the Linearity Display Mode setting S-Curve Lets you create tempos that accelerate or
are set so that one is set to an absolute Time Scale decelerate following a tempo curve with a defin-
and the other is set to a Bars|Beats Time Scale, the able breakpoint that determines mid-curve times
number of Tempo edits appear to increase or de- and tempo values.
crease over time (against absolute time). Scale Lets you scale tempos within the selection
by a percentage amount.
To define tempo events over a range of time: Advanced When this option is selected, the
selection range changes to the Main Time Scale
1 Make a selection in the Timebase or in a track.
format, and additional and modified options be-
2 Choose Event > Tempo Operations > Tempo come available.
Operations Window.
Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates either
3 Select a Tempo Operation page from the pop-up the tempo, or the selection end time.
menu at the top of the Tempo Operation win-
dow. Selection Start and End Specifies the start and
end point for the tempo change in Bars|Beats.
4 Change the settings for the page you have cho- When an Edit selection is made, the Start and End
sen, as necessary. fields will display the selection boundaries.
5 Do one of the following:
End Time (Advanced Option) Displays the selec-
• Click Apply. tion end time. When the Main Time Scale is set to
• Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to Bars|Beats, the end time is displayed in the Sub
automatically apply the values and close the Time Scale. When the Main Time Scale is set to
window. any absolute timebase, the end time is calculated
and displayed in Bars|Beats. Changing the end
time value causes the tempo to change.
Advanced When this option is selected, the Selecting “Follow Metronome Click” will set
selection range changes to the Main Time Scale the tempo BPM note value to mirror the click
format, and additional and modified options be- value set in the meter markers.
come available.
Density (Advanced Option) Lets you specify the
Calculate (Advanced Option) Calculates the se- density of the tempo change events written to the
lection end time, the start tempo, the end tempo, or Tempo ruler.
the curvature of the tempo change.
Preserve Tempo after Selection If selected, the
Selection Start and End Displays the start and end previous tempo setting that was in effect at the se-
points for the tempo change in the currently se- lection end point is preserved after the selection. If
lected Main timebase. When an Edit selection is unselected, the last tempo event created by the
made, the Start and End fields will display the se- tempo operation continues to the end of the ses-
lection boundaries. Changing start or end values sion, or until the next tempo event beyond the se-
changes the selection range. lected range.
2 Select either Tempo Events or Bar|Beat 5 If necessary, specify a time signature for the
Markers from the pop-up menu. start and end range.
6 Click OK to automatically calculate the new
tempo and insert the necessary Bar|Beat Mark-
ers and meter events. Any existing tempo and
meter events residing within the selection are
Tempo ruler pop-up menu deleted.
Identifying Beats
Identifying the beat of a one-bar drum loop and
creating Bar|Beat Markers for it:
3 Select the audio clip with the Time Grabber tool When working with a selection, the Identify Beat
and choose Event > Identify Beat. command only calculates a single tempo for the se-
lected range. If the tempo varies from measure to
measure, or beat to beat, you’ll need to use the
Identify Beat command for each tempo variance
(making sure to accurately define a precise selec-
tion range or beat location for the tempo change).
With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or To display the Meter ruler:
Alt-click (Windows) the Bar|Beat Marker. Select View > Rulers > Meter.
1 If you want to constrain the selection to the cur- If the Time Operations window is already
rent Grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid. open, you can select any Time Operation
from the pop-up menu at the top of the win-
2 Drag in the Meter ruler to select the meter
dow.
events you want to remove.
3 Choose Edit > Clear to delete the selected meter
events.
Change Meter Options Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, all Tick-
Based Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based
Options for the Change Meter command include: Markers and Tracks Applies the meter change and
New Meter Lets you specify a new time signature.
realigns the Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord rulers,
The first field lets you enter the number of beats and all tick-based markers and tracks. Using the
(up to 99) in a measure, and the second field lets pop-up menu, you can also choose to realign All or
No sample-based markers and tracks. Time is in-
you enter the note length that counts as one beat.
serted or deleted as needed at the end of the selec-
Click Lets you specify the note value that will trig- tion to preserve the alignment of material follow-
ger the metronome click. For example, if an eighth ing the selection.
note is chosen, a click is played for every eighth
note, regardless of tempo.
Start, End, and Length Sets the start and end If your Main Time Scale is sample-based,
points for the selection, and the selection length. Realign Meter Ruler Only is not available.
Set Meter If your Main Time Scale is Bars|Beats, Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, Tick-Based
Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based Markers
Set Meter lets you specify a new meter for the in-
and Tracks Lets you insert time into the Meter,
serted time. The selection is quantized to the near-
Tempo, Key, and Chord rulers, and all tick-based
est bars, and the previous meter is inserted after the
markers and tracks. Events after the start point of
selection. If your Main Time Scale is sample-
the selection are shifted past the end point by the
based, Set Meter is not available.
length of time inserted.
Move
Move Song Start Example Song Start Only Moves the Song Start Marker
only.
To move the Song Start Marker to 15 seconds on
the Timeline: Meter, Tempo, Key, and Chord Rulers, all Tick-
1 Choose Event > Time Operations > Move Song Based Markers and Tracks, and Sample-Based
Markers and Tracks Moves the Song Start
Start.
Marker, events in the Meter, Tempo, Key, and
2 Select Minutes:Seconds from the Timebase Chord rulers, all tick-based markers and tracks,
pop-up menu. and your choice of all or no sample-based markers
and tracks.
3 In the Move Song Start To field, enter
“0:15:000” to move the song start forward by 15
seconds.
Pitched Tracks
Pitched tracks are MIDI or Instrument tracks that
can be affected by transpositions due to key
changes (including constrain to key). MIDI and In-
strument tracks are “pitched” by default. However,
if you have MIDI or Instrument tracks assigned to
drum machines or samplers, you do not want those
tracks to be affected by key changes because of
key mappings. You can deselect the Pitched option
for specific MIDI and Instrument tracks so that
they will not be affected by key changes.
Click the track’s Playlist selector and select (or Import Session Data
deselect) the Pitched option.
The Import Session Data dialog includes the Im-
port Key Signature/Chord Map option. When se-
lected, key signatures (if present) and chord mark-
ers (if present) are imported into the current
session with the imported session data.
The Chord Symbols ruler lets you add chord sym- Select View > Rulers > Chord Symbols.
bols to Pro Tools sessions in the Edit window and
From the Ruler View selector in the Edit win-
in MIDI Editor windows. You can also add chord
dow or in a MIDI Editor window, select Chords.
symbols and diagrams in the Score Editor (“Chord
Symbols and Diagrams” on page 894). To add a chord symbol:
Chord symbols have no effect on MIDI data. Also, 1 Place the cursor in the Timeline where you want
chord symbols are not included when exporting to add a chord symbol.
MIDI data from Pro Tools to a MIDI file, but they
2 Do one of the following:
are included when exporting to a Sibelius file (.sib)
or when using the Send to Sibelius command. • Place the cursor in the timeline, then click the
Plus (+) button in the Chords ruler.
• While pressing the Control (Mac) or Start key
Chord Symbols Ruler
(Windows), move the cursor into the Chords
The Chord Symbols ruler lets you add, edit, and ruler (where the cursor changes to the Grab-
delete chord symbols. You can use chord symbols ber with a “+”) and click at the location where
to indicate the chord changes in your Pro Tools you want to place the chord symbol.
session.
3 In the Chord Change dialog, select the name for
Chords ruler the root of the chord, the chord quality, the bass
Add Chord Symbol note of the chord, and the chord diagram (chord
Chord Symbol markers diagrams are only displayed in the Score Edi-
tor).
4 Click OK.
Chord Diagrams
Chord Change dialog
Pro Tools adds Chord Symbol markers to the Chord Symbols ruler for all chords detected in the selected
MIDI clips.
Chord Symbol markers added to the Chord Symbols ruler for all chords detected in the selected MIDI clips
Memory Locations provide a powerful way to nav- When creating Memory Locations, the next avail-
igate your session while editing and arranging. able number is assigned to it. This number is used
in recalling the Memory Location from the nu-
Each session can save up to 32,000 Memory Loca- meric keypad.
tions that can be used to recall:
• Markers to important locations in the session To create a Marker or Memory Location on the
timeline:
• Edit selections across one or more tracks
1 Configure any session settings you will save
• Record and play ranges, along with pre- and with the Marker Memory Location, such as
post-roll times zoom settings, pre- and post-roll times,
• Track settings that include Show/Hide status, Show/Hide status for tracks, Track Heights, and
Track Heights, and zoom values Edit and Mix Group enables.
• Edit and Mix Groups enables 2 If necessary, enable Options > Link Timeline and
• Window Configurations Edit Selection.
Memory Locations are viewed and sorted in the 3 Ensure that a Markers ruler is displayed (View >
Memory Locations window, where they can be re- Rulers > Markers).
called by clicking the Memory Location. 4 Do one of the following:
• Click with the Selector tool in any track or
ruler at the location where you want to place
Creating Memory Locations the Marker. To place a Marker at the begin-
Memory Locations can be created in different ning of a clip, select the clip with the Time
ways, based on the type of Memory Location: Grabber tool. Click the Add Marker/Memory
Location button (or press Enter on the nu-
Marker Memory Location Refers to a specific meric keypad) on the Marker ruler you want.
point in the timeline or on a track.
Only contiguous selections can be saved with Press Enter to set the selection to the Main
Memory Locations. Noncontiguous selec- Ruler.
tions, made with the Object Grabber tool, will
be recalled as if the selections were made Press Command+Enter (Mac) or Control+
with the Time Grabber tool. Enter (Windows) to set the location to the tar-
geted track.
None Recalls no Time Properties and is therefore
referred to as a General Properties Memory Loca-
tion.
Zoom Settings Recalls the horizontal, audio, and See “Creating Memory Locations” on
MIDI zoom values for audio, MIDI, and Instru- page 951 and “Editing Memory Locations”
ment tracks. on page 957 for more information.
Select the Memory Location and choose Delete Press Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while
Memory Location from the Memory Locations dragging to select across all Conductor
Window menu. tracks.
Command-Option-Control-click (Mac) or
Control-Alt-Start-click (Windows) the Fun-
nel icon to reset all filters in the window to
their defaults.
Selected Tracks Only Enabling this option filters To recall a Filter Preset, do one of the following:
out all markers that are not on selected tracks. Click a preset number.
Edit Selection Only Enabling this option filters Press Control+1–5 (Mac) or Start+1–5 (Win-
out all markers that are not included within the edit dows).
selection.
Previous and Next Memory Locations
Filter By Icon
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to navigate
Selecting any one of the icons shows only Memory Memory Locations:
Locations that include that attribute. Selecting an-
• Press Period+Plus (.+) on the number keypad to
other icon expands the results to also include
go to the next Memory Location.
Memory Locations with that attribute.
• Press Period+Minus (.–) on the number keypad
Filter By Color to go to the previous Memory Location.
Click the color icon and select a color to filter • Press Period+Period (..) on the number keypad
Markers by color. to refresh the current Memory Location.
You can click at the top of the Sub Time Scale col- Auto-Name Memory Location When selected,
umn for a pop-up menu that lets you change the Memory Locations are created automatically with-
Sub Time Scale. out encountering the New Memory Location dia-
log. If the Default To Marker option is selected, a
Show Comments When selected, a column ap- Marker Memory Location is auto-created. Other-
pears in the Memory Locations window that dis- wise, the Memory Location type is determined by
plays the comments for each of the Markers. whatever type (Marker, Selection, or None) was
created last.
Sort by You can sort Memory Locations in by
Number, Marker Name, Track Name, Track Order,
Time, or Color. The selected category can then be
sorted in Ascending or Descending order.
If an icon is disabled (grayed out), all Memory Lo- Marker View Overlays markers over track contents
cations associated with that property are hidden. and hides the Marker Lane.
However, if a Memory Location contains other
properties for an icon that is enabled, it is still dis- Marker Lane
played.
The Marker Lane for any track only appears if the
In addition, the View Filter provides a useful refer- track has at least one marker on it, and the track is
ence for which properties are stored in each Mem- in any view other than the Marker view. You can
ory Location (indicated by a row of icons for each then show or hide the Marker Lane as desired (see
Memory Location). Track Marker Controls and Lanes).
To edit a marker:
1 Do one of the following:
• Double-click the marker you want to edit.
• Command-click (Mac) and Control-click
(Windows) the marker you want to edit.
2 Configure the resulting Edit Memory Location
dialog as desired (see “Properties of Memory
Locations” on page 954).
3 Click OK.
Track Marker lanes
When reducing the track height, the Marker Lane Marker Follows Edit (MFE)
stays the same size, but the Marker controls are
Edit selection behavior is determined by the status
hidden at smaller track heights.
of the Marker Follows Edit (MFE) setting regard-
Markers View less of whether or not the Marker Lane is shown.
Enable MFE when you want the marker to follow
The Markers view shows markers over any track edits to the main track elements or clips. Disable
contents. This track view shows either the marker MFE when you do not want Track Markers to be
name or comment. At larger track heights, both affected by edits to clip and other track elements.
marker name and comment are shown.
Double-click between the two markers to make To move the Edit selection to the next Marker Lane,
do one of the following:
an Edit selection between two markers.
Choose Edit > Selection > Move Edit Selec-
Triple-click to select from the first to the last
tion to Next Marker Zone.
marker in the session.
Press Command+Option+Control+; (Mac) or
When markers are included in a selection matching Control+Alt+Start+; (Windows).
exact clip boundaries, only the left-most marker is
counted as included in the selection. Clip and track To extend the Edit selection to the previous Marker
actions such as cut, copy, paste, and duplicate will Lane, do one of the following:
include the left-most marker, while the right-most
Choose Edit > Selection > Extend Edit Selec-
marker will not be included.
tion to Previous Marker Zone.
Press Command+Option+Control+Shift+P
(Mac) or Control+Alt+Start+Shift+P (Win-
dows).
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 970).
track depends on whether the Edit mode is set to
Shuffle, Slip, Spot, or Grid (see “Edit Modes” on If dragging a stereo audio clip, it must be placed in
page 671). a stereo track or in two mono tracks.
To place the sync point of a clip at the Edit Option-Control-click (Mac) or Alt-Start-click
insertion point: (Windows) and drag to align a copy of the clip
1 With the Selector tool, click in the track at the rather than moving the clip.
time location where you want to place the sync
To align the end point of a clip to the Edit insertion
point of the clip. point:
2 Do one of the following: 1 Place the Edit insertion point where you want.
• While pressing Control+Shift (Mac) or
2 Do one of the following:
Start+Shift (Windows), drag the clip from the
Clips List, or from another track, to the desti- • Command-Control-drag (Mac) or Control-
nation track. Start-drag (Windows) a clip from the Clips
List to another track.
• If the clip is already in the track, Shift-Con-
trol-click (Mac) or Shift-Start-click (Win- • If the clip is already in the track, Command-
dows) the clip with the Time Grabber tool. Control-click (Mac) or Control-Start-click
(Windows) the clip you want to move with
the Time Grabber tool (or with the Smart tool
positioned over the middle, lower-third of the
clip).
Layered Editing 3
Pro Tools provides the option to enable layered edit-
ing so that you don’t lose partially overlapped clips
while editing. This is true for both audio and MIDI.
4
To enable (or disable) layered editing, do one
of the following:
Figure 1. Editing with Layered Editing enabled
Select (or deselect) Options > Layered Editing.
Click the Layered Editing button in the Edit Win-
Press Command+Delete (Mac) or Control+
dow toolbar so that it is lit (or unlit).
Delete (Windows) to clear all track data
within the edit selection regardless of whether
or not Layered Editing is enabled.
A clip—or an Edit selection including one or more To snap to the next clip on a track:
clips on the same track or on multiple tracks—can 1 Do one of the following:
snap to the end of the preceding clip or to the be-
• With the Time Grabber, select a clip.
ginning of the following clip. This is useful for
“butt splicing” adjacent clips on a track. • With the Selector, select an area in a track that
contains whole clips. The clips do not need to
To snap to the preceding clip on a track: be adjacent.
1 Do one of the following:
• With the Time Grabber, select a clip.
• With the Selector, select an area in a track that
contains whole clips. The clips do not need to
be adjacent.
To shuffle clips:
1 Enable Shuffle mode (see “Edit Modes” on
page 671).
2 Drag a mono clip from the Clips List to an
empty track. The clip snaps to the beginning of
the track.
3 Drag a second clip from the Clips List to the
same track, somewhere in the middle. The start
point for the second clip snaps to the end of the
first clip.
4 With the Time Grabber tool, drag the second
clip to the beginning of the track.
Snapping a clip to the next clip in a track 5 Experiment more with Shuffle mode by drag-
ging additional clips to the track and rearrang-
You can also use the Snap To commands with ing them.
an Edit selection that includes multiple clips Locked clips (see “Locking Clips” on page 986),
on one or more tracks. and all clips occurring after the locked clip, are not
displaced when other neighboring clips are moved
in Shuffle mode. If there is not enough room to
place or duplicate a clip in front of a locked clip,
the insertion area is disabled.
Spotting Clips
Spot mode is useful for sessions in which you want
to spot clips to precise locations based on any of
the Time Scales. This is useful when performing
post production tasks. In Spot mode you can spot a
clip by specifying a Timecode frame or bar and
beat location, by capturing an incoming timecode
address, or by using the clip’s time stamps.
Shuffling a clip results in cutting the channel For even quicker spotting, if you are using
VITC, use the Auto-Spot Clips command to spot
a clip to the current Timecode frame location
with the Time Grabber tool. For more informa-
tion, see “Auto-Spotting Clips” on page 1426.
4 If the Time Scale is set to Timecode, select the 2 Command-Right-click (Mac) or Control-Right-
Use Subframes option to display subframes in click (Windows) the clip and choose any of the
the fields for improved accuracy. following from the pop-up menu:
• Move Clip Start to Selection Start
• Move Clip Sync to Selection Start
• Move Clip End to Selection Start
Replace Clip and Multichannel Replace: Original Clip Only Replaces only the se-
Tracks lected clip with the replacement clip dragged from
the Clips List.
The Replace Clip command supports dragging
multichannel clips from the Clips List to multi-
channel tracks, provided they are the same channel
format. For example, you can replace a selected
stereo clip in a stereo audio track with another ste-
reo clip from the Clips List. However, you cannot
replace it with two mono audio clips. Additionally,
you cannot replace clips in multiple mono tracks
with multichannel clips.
Shift dialog
Locking Clips
In many cases you may want to “lock” clips or clip
Space Clips dialog, selecting TImebase
groups to a specific time location to keep them
4 If desired, select Follow Main Time Scale to from being moved or otherwise edited inadver-
have the Space Clips dialog open with the Main tently. Pro Tools provides two different commands
Time Scale of the session selected by default. for locking clips: Edit locking and Time locking.
5 Enter a value for the amount of time to set the
Gap Between Clips. Edit Locking Clips
If you have a clip or group of clips that you want to
Press Left/Right Arrow keys to move the cur-
protect from being inadvertently edited, you can
sor to the previous or next time division (for
Edit lock them. Clips that are Edit-locked cannot
example, press the Right Arrow key to move
be edited (such as cutting, deleting, separating,
from minutes to seconds to milliseconds).
trimming, or adjusting clip gain) or moved to a dif-
ferent time location. Copied edit-locked clips can
be pasted to any other track or time location, but
the copy will also be Edit-locked at the new time
location.
If there are any spaces between selected clips To Edit lock (or unlock) a clip:
and you set the Gap Between Clips to 0 in any
1 With the Time Grabber, select the clip or clips to
Timebase, all selected clips move so that they
Edit lock (or unlock). The clips can reside on
are abutted.
multiple tracks.
2 Choose Clip > Edit Lock/Unlock.
Strip Silence analyzes audio selections—across Zeros Specifies the number of zeroes that occur
multiple tracks—and removes (or extracts) any ar- before the appended auto numbers.
eas of silence, dividing the selection into smaller Suffix Specifies text appended to the end of the
clips and removing the silent areas. name, after the auto numbering.
You can use Strip Silence to strip (remove) silence For example, if you set these naming options to:
from a clip, or instead, extract the audio and keep
the silence. Getting rid of silent areas is useful • Name = SFX
when preparing to compact audio (see “Compact- • Auto Number Start = 23
ing an Audio File” on page 737). Strip Silence au- • Leading Zeros = 1
tomatically separates the selection into separate
clips, which is useful if you want to quantize audio • Suffix = .Reel1
to musical values, or locate sound effects to Time- The names generated for clips created by Strip Si-
code locations. lence would be:
• SFX023.Reel1
• SFX024.Reel1
• SFX025.Reel1
• SFX026.Reel1
In Shuffle mode, all data on the track is shuffled If all selected tracks are displayed as automa-
later in the track by an amount equal to the tion data, press the Control (Mac) or Start key
selection. (Windows) while choosing the Insert Silence com-
mand to insert silence on all automation playlists
In Grid mode, the Insert Silence command works for all selected tracks.
just like the Clear command.
To insert silence into a track:
Shuffle Mode When inserting silence on multiple
1 Make a selection in a track or tracks. The length
tracks in Shuffle mode, the following conditions
of the selection determines the duration of the
apply:
silence inserted.
If any track is displayed as audio or MIDI data,
2 Choose Edit > Insert Silence.
the selected duration of silence is inserted into the
audio or MIDI data and all underlying automation In Shuffle mode, Pro Tools inserts the selected
data on all selected tracks. All subsequent clips are amount of silence. In the process, it splits the clips
shuffled by the amount of silence inserted. On at the beginning of the insertion point, and moves
MIDI tracks, only notes that are selected from the the new clips later in the track by an amount equal
beginning are affected, so if you have selected the to the length of the selection.
tail of a note and you Insert Silence, the note will
remain unchanged.
If all selected tracks are displayed as automa- Duplicating Clips
tion data, the selected range is cleared of automa-
The Duplicate command copies a selection and
tion data only of the type visible on each track.
places it immediately after the end of the selection.
Clips are not shuffled. Instead, a blank gap appears
Though this is similar to using Copy and Paste,
equal to the length of the selection.
Duplicate is more convenient and faster, particu-
If all selected tracks are displayed as automa- larly when working with data on multiple tracks.
tion data, press the Control (Mac) or Start key
(Windows) while choosing the Insert Silence com- To make more than one copy of a selection, use the
mand to inserts silence on all automation playlists Repeat command (see “Repeating Clips” on
for all selected tracks. Clips are not shuffled. page 993). You can also loop clips (see “Clip
Looping” on page 995).
3 Make an Edit selection. If, on the other hand, you want to Duplicate (or Re-
peat) audio that is not bar- and beat-based, set the
4 Choose Edit > Duplicate. The material is placed
Time Scale to any format except Bars|Beats. This
immediately after the selection’s end point.
ensures that the duplicated audio material has the
Press Command+D (Mac) or Control+D correct number of samples and is accurately
(Windows) to Duplicate any selected clips. placed.
In Shuffle mode, the duplicated data is placed di- Duplicate and Extend Selection
rectly after the end of the selection. Clips occurring
after it slide to accommodate the duplicated mate- When working on music using audio loops and
rial. In Slip mode, the duplicated material overlaps MIDI sequences, you may want to duplicate the
any adjacent data. track content of an Edit selection and include both
the original and the duplicate in a new selection.
When using Duplicate (or Repeat) with MIDI This can be especially useful when working with
notes that were selected with the Time Grabber repeating material in Grid mode with the Main
tool, material is always duplicated one measure Timebase ruler set to Bars|Beats. For example, you
later, and is merged with existing track material might have a 2 bar audio loop or MIDI sequence
(instead of replacing it). that you want to extend to 4 and then 8 bars, and
then copy and paste to another location.
Repeat dialog
Pro Tools lets you loop clips and group clips Looped clips (all iterations) display a Loop icon in
(called a clip group). the lower, right corner or each loop iteration.
Looped clip
To unloop and ungroup a selection down to its To select a looped clip as a group (all loop
individual clips: iterations), do one of the following:
1 Select a looped clip that contains one or more With the Grabber tool or Smart Tool, single-
clip groups. click the looped clip.
2 Choose Clip > Ungroup All. With the Selector tool, double-click the looped
clip.
Unlooping and Flattening Looped Clips with
Separate Clips Menu Commands The source clip and all its loop iterations are
The Separate Clips commands (At Selection, On selected.
Grid, and At Transients) automatically unloop and
flatten looped clips before separating.
Tabbing to Transients and Clip Boundaries 2 Choose Edit > Trim Clip and one of the Trim Clip
commands (To Selection, To Fill Selection, Start
With Tab to Transients enabled you can tab both to to Fill Selection, or End to Fill Selection).
transients and clip boundaries in a looped clip.
Normal Tab (Tab to Transients disabled) tabs to
the start and end boundaries of the entire looped Automation and Looped Clips
clip. For more information, see “Tabbing to Tran- Looping an audio clip does not loop any automa-
sients” on page 713. 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 688.
The size of the selection determines the size of the Clip groups are created in the same timebase for-
clip group. The selection can start and end on any mat (samples or ticks) as the tracks on which they
clip boundary, empty space, or even in the middle are created. Multitrack clip groups can include
of a clip. Selections starting or ending within a clip both sample-based and tick-based tracks.
will separate the clip at the selection boundary
when you create a clip group. Clip groups created
from object-based selections include all selected
and unselected clips between the first and last se-
lected clip on the track.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Clip > Group. Audio Clip Group icon on an audio track
• Right-click the Edit selection and choose
Group.
The Group and Ungroup Clip menu MIDI Clip Group icon on a MIDI track
commands apply to any Edit selection
regardless of the current Track View.
Clip groups can be created from empty
selections. This can be useful when working
in Shuffle mode to preserve the gaps between
clips.
If a MIDI clip within a clip group is modified in For more information, see “Tabbing to Tran-
any way, a new clip copy is created and placed sients” on page 713.
over the clip group. For example, if you record,
draw in a new note, edit MIDI controller data, or
quantize a Timeline selection, a new clip is created
over the clip group.
Recording
Clip groups that contain clips with fades are
When recording audio or MIDI, new clips are cre-
not allowed on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
ated over (in front) of clip groups instead of being
included in the clip group. To record into a clip
group, first ungroup the clip group, then record, When changing tempo with clip groups on
and then regroup the clip group. The clip group tick-based tracks, you may need to Ungroup,
will be recreated intact with the newly recorded redo or create new fades, and then Regroup
material. in order to maintain the fades.
AudioSuite Menu
AudioSuite plug-ins are accessed through the Au-
dioSuite menu. Plug-ins can be organized in the
AudioSuite menu in Pro Tools by Flat List (with
plug-ins in alphabetical order), Category, Manu- AudioSuite window, EQ III 1-Band shown
facturer, or Category and Manufacturer.
The Handle Length field lets you set the Handle Undo is not available when a plug-in is
Length for rendering from 0.00 to 60.00 seconds. configured for destructive editing since
This means that you trim clips out past the ren- the process has already overwritten the
dered selection after processing up to the set Han- source audio file.
dle Length. For more information, see “Audio-
Suite Handles” on page 1017. Automatic File Naming of AudioSuite-
Processed Audio
Render Button When new audio files are created as a result of Au-
dioSuite processing, Pro Tools will auto-name
Clicking the Render button in the AudioSuite win- these files according to the type of plug-in used.
dow begins AudioSuite processing of the selected The name of the clip determines the prefix, while
audio. Processing can occur during playback the type of AudioSuite plug-in determines the suf-
(though it may take slightly longer). Processed fix.
files are auto-named with the clip or audio file’s
name and include an acronym for the chosen Au-
dioSuite process.
To compensate for this, place the clip in a track and Handle Length field in the AudioSuite plug-in window
select the audio plus an amount of blank space at
• Select the Whole File option to render the
the end of the clip equal to the amount of delay or
whole file. Note that only the current edit se-
reverb decay that you have added in the plug-in.
lection will appear in the Timeline.
The plug-in will then have space at the end of the
clip in which to write the final delay or decay. If
you select more time than needed, you can trim it
after applying AudioSuite processing.
4 Click OK.
Rendering Handle
File Mode Whole File Fades Clip Gain Metadata
Mode Behavior
Some plug-ins that rely on the Edit selection for processing (including plug-ins that require an anal-
ysis pass) may not work as expected when using handles. In this case, it is recommended that the han-
dle length be set to zero.
Destructive recording and Destructive Punch recording are not supported with AudioSuite rendered
clips with handles.
Clip Gain Fader Icon Right-Click Menu Show/Hide Clip Gain Line
You can Right-click the Clip Gain Fader icon for Select Show/Hide Clip Gain Line in the Right-click
any individual clip to access relevant clip gain menu to show or hide the Clip Gain Line for all
commands for that clip. clips.
Clip Gain Lines after applying a crossfade Clip Gain fader, adjusting all breakpoint clip gain
values
Editing Clip Gain
Press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
Pro Tools lets you adjust the gain settings for a clip
while adjusting the Clip Gain fader for fine
using the Clip Gain Fader for quick and easy ad-
control.
justments, or using breakpoint editing on the Clip
Gain Line for detailed clip gain control.
To add clip gain breakpoints with the Pencil tool: Using the Trim tool to boost or attenuate clip gain
breakpoints
1 Ensure that the Clip Gain Line option is enabled.
To trim the selected clip gain settings up or down:
2 Select the Pencil tool.
1 Ensure that the Clip Gain Line option is enabled.
3 Do one of the following:
2 Make an Edit selection that includes the clip
• Click once on the Clip Gain Line to add a single gain settings that you want to adjust.
breakpoint.
3 Select the Trim tool.
• Drag on the Clip Gain Line to draw breakpoints.
4 Drag up or down over the Clip Gain Line within
To delete a clip gain breakpoint with the Pencil the Edit selection.
tool:
1 Ensure that the Clip Gain Line option is enabled. Nudging Clip Gain
2 Select the Pencil tool. Pro Tools lets you nudge the selected clip gain set-
tings up or down by the Nudge Clip Gain By
3 Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
amount specified in the Pro Tools Editing Prefer-
breakpoint you want to delete.
ences. You can also nudge the selected clip gain
settings back or forward in the clip by the specified
nudge amount.
To nudge the selected clip gain up: To clear clip gain, do one of the following:
Press Control+Shift+Up Arrow (Mac) or Right-click a clip or Edit selection and choose
Start+Shift+Up Arrow (Windows). Clip Gain > Clear Clip Gain.
To nudge the selected clip gain backward, do one Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Clip Gain
of the following:
Pro Tools lets you cut, copy, and paste clip gain
Press Control+Shift+“–” (Minus) (Mac) or
settings, so that you can apply the clip gain settings
Start+Shift+“–” (Minus) (Windows).
from one clip to any other. Clip gain settings can-
Press Control+Shift+M (Mac) or not be cut, copied, or pasted across clip boundar-
Start+Shift+M (Windows). ies.
1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection. 1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection.
2 Choose Edit > Automation > Convert Clip Gain 2 Choose Edit > Automation > Coalesce Volume
to Volume Automation. to Clip Gain.
Any clip gain settings above +12 dB are lost Any clip gain settings above +12 dB are lost
when converted to volume automation. Also, when it is coalesced to volume automation.
clip gain settings within crossfades are cross- Also, clip gain within crossfades is cross-
faded as part of the volume automation. faded as part of the volume automation.
When coalescing track-based volume automation The clip gain settings for any whole clips within
to clip gain, the volume automation is cut from the the Edit selection are bypassed (or unbypassed).
track volume automation playlist and coalesced
with the selected clip gain settings. Once volume Rendering Clip Gain
automation has been coalesced to clip gain, vol-
ume automation is set to 0 dB for the selection. Pro Tools lets you render the current clip gain set-
tings for any selected whole clip. Rendering clip
To coalesce clip gain settings to track-based gain applies the current clip gain settings to a new
volume automation: clip and sets the clip gain settings for the new clip
1 Select a clip or make an Edit selection. to 0 dB.
To show or hide the Clip Effects display, do one of Clip Effect Floating Window
the following:
The Clip Effects display can be detached from the
Select or deselect View > Other Displays > Clip bottom of the Edit window as its own floating win-
Effects. dow.
Select or deselect Clip Effects from the Edit To open the Clip Effects window, do one of the
Window Toolbar menu. following:
Click the Clip Effects tab at the bottom of the Select Window > Clip Effects.
Edit window.
In the Edit window, click the Open Clip Effects
icon.
By default the signal chain order for clip effects is You can independently show or hide the EQ, Fil-
EQ > Filters > Dynamics. However, you can reor- ters, and Dynamics sections of the Clip Effects dis-
der this signal chain however you like. For exam- play to use less screen space. These sections are
ple, maybe you want your dynamics processing shown by default.
before the EQ and Filters.
When Clip Effects Status view is enabled (View > To copy clip effects:
Clip > Clip Effects Status), ø, EQ, and DYN are dis-
1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects.
played in the upper right corner of the clip depend-
ing on which effects are being applied to the clip. ø 2 Do one of the following:
is displayed when the phase is inverted. EQ is dis- • Choose Edit > Copy Special > Copy Clip Ef-
played when EQ or Filtering is applied to the clip. fects.
DYN is displayed when Dynamics processing or
• Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip
Input Gain is set to any value other than 0.0 dB.
Effects > Copy Clip Effects.
• Press Command+Option+Control+C (Mac)
or Control+Alt+Start+C (Windows).
To clear clip effects: To Trim the input signal, do one of the following:
1 Select one or more whole clips with clip effects. Click in the Input Trim field and type a Trim
value (–36.0 dB to +36.0 dB).
2 Do one of the following:
Click Trim and drag up or down to adjust the
• Choose Edit > Clear Special > Copy Clip Ef-
Input Trim setting.
fects.
• Right-click the edit selection and choose Clip Polarity Invert
Effects > Clear Clip Effects.
The Polarity Invert button at the top of the Input
• Press Command+Option+Control+B (Mac)
section inverts the phase (polarity) of the input sig-
or Control+Alt+Start+B (Windows).
nal, to help compensate for phase anomalies that
can occur either in multi-microphone environ-
ments or because of mis-wired balanced connec-
tions.
Gain
(y-axis)
Frequency
(x-axis)
Figure 2. Frequency Graph
Q Click within the curve of an EQ control point Enable/Disable EQ Bands and Filters
and drag up or down to increase or decrease the Q
Click the Enable/Disable button for an EQ fre-
setting. For the Low and High Frequency Bands,
quency band (HF, HMF, LMF, or LF) or a filter (1 or
the Q control is only available when the EQ Type
2) to enable or disable that frequency band or filter.
is set to Peak. For Filter control points, drag it up or
Buttons are lit when enabled, and unlit when dis-
down to adjust the Q for that filter. The Q control is
abled.
only available when the Filter Type is set to Band
Pass or Notch.
High and Low Frequency EQ Controls EQ Type Enable either the Peak or Shelf button to
set the EQ type for the frequency band.
Enable the HF button for the high frequency band
of the EQ and the LF button for the low frequency Frequency Sets the center frequency for the fre-
band. The both the high and low frequency band quency band.
can be set to be either a Peak or Low Shelf EQ.
Gain Boosts or attenuates the corresponding fre-
quencies for the frequency band.
Chapter 45: Clip Gain and Clip Effects 1037
Q Sets the width of the EQ band. Higher Q values Filter 1 and 2 Controls
represent narrower bandwidths. Lower Q values
represent wider bandwidths. The Q control is only Enable the 1 button for the first filter and the 2 but-
available when the EQ Type is set to Peak. ton for the second filter. Both filters provide the
same set of controls that can be independently con-
High Mid and Low Mid Frequency EQ figured.
Controls
Slope Sets the slope for the filter from the selected
Frequency to –INF (12 dB/O or 24 dB/O). The
Slope control is only available when the Filter
Type is set to Low Pass or High Pass.
The Dynamics section of the Clip Effects display Clip effects let you view the gain reduction scale on
provides Expander/Gate, Compressor/Limiter, and the Dynamics Graph display either in 3 dB incre-
Side Chain processing all in one. This section also ments from 0 dB to 18 dB or in 6 dB increments from
0 dB to –36 dB.
provides a dynamics graphic display for Expander/
Gate and Compressor/Limiter processing.
Dynamics controls
Input Signal
(x-axis)
Dynamics Graph
Threshold Sets the level below which an input sig- Knee Sets the rate at which the Expander/ Gate
nal must fall to trigger expansion or gating. Signals reaches full effect once the threshold has been ex-
that fall below the threshold will be reduced in ceeded.
gain. Signals that are above it will be unaffected.
Hysteresis Adjusts whether or not the gate rapidly
The Dynamics Graph display shows the threshold
opens and closes when the input signal is fluctuat-
as a vertical line.
ing near the Threshold. This can help prevent un-
Attack Sets the attack time, or the rate at which desirably rapid gating of the signal. Hysteresis ap-
gain is reduced after the input signal crosses the plies a differential threshold for signals that are
threshold. Use this along with the Ratio setting to rising, as opposed to signals that are falling, to re-
control how soft the Expander gain reduction duce the chance of the gate opening when you
curve is. don’t want it to. For example, if the threshold is set
to –30 and Hysteresis is set to 10, the gate opens
Ratio Sets the amount of expansion. For example, when the signal reaches –20 and closes when sig-
if this is set to 2:1, it will lower signals below the nal reaches the set threshold of –30. This control is
threshold by one half. At higher ratio levels the Ex- only available when Ratio is set to Gate, otherwise
pander/Gate functions like a gate by cutting off it is grayed out.
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.
Detection
Dynamics processors typically use the detected Peak Applies side-chain processing according to
amplitude of their input signal to trigger gain re- the detected peak amplitude.
duction. This split-off signal is known as the side Average Applies sidechain processing according
chain. Compressor/Limiter and Expander/Gate to the detected average amplitude.
processing also features filtering on the side chain.
By filtering the side chain, you can make dynamics Filter Frequency
processing more or less sensitive to certain fre-
quencies. For example, you might configure the The Filter Frequency control lets you set the fre-
side chain so that certain lower frequencies on a quency for the selected Filter Type.
drum track trigger dynamics processing.
Filter Type
Source Four Filter Type options are available for side-
The Source selector lets you set the source for side chain processing:
chain processing: Internal or All-Linked. Low Pass Applies a low pass filter to the side-
Internal Uses the amplitude of the input signal to chain processing at the selected frequency.
trigger dynamics processing. With greater-than- High Pass Applies a high pass filter to the side-
stereo multichannel processing, the input signal for chain processing at the selected frequency.
each stereo pair effects only those same channels,
and likewise mono channels are effected only by Notch Applies a notch filter to the side-chain pro-
their own input signal. For example, with an LCR cessing at the selected frequency.
multichannel format, the processing for the Center
Band Pass Applies a band pass filter to the side-
channel is only triggered when the Center channel
chain processing at the selected frequency.
input signal reaches the threshold. However, when
the input signal reaches the threshold on the Left or
the Right channel, processing is triggered for both
the Left and the Right channel.
The Side Chain pane in the Dynamics section pro- Click the Preset button that contains the settings
vides a Listen button. When enabled, Listen mode you want to recall.
lets you hear the input signal that feeds the dy-
If the Editing preference “1–5 Number Keys
namic section. This can be either the internal side
Control” is set to “Clip Effects Presets,” you
chain (including the applied filter) or all linked
can press Control+1–5 (Mac) or Start+1–5
channels of the source audio.
(Windows) to recall the corresponding preset.
To enable (or disable) Listen on the Side Chain: If Commands Keyboard Focus is also enabled
in the Edit window, just press the number for
Click the Listen button (speaker icon) in the the preset you want (1–5).
Side Chain section so that it is highlighted.
Click it again so that it is not highlighted to dis-
able it. Press Command+Control+1–5 (Mac) or
Control+Start+1–5 (Windows) to apply the
number keys to the opposite of what is set for
the 1–5 Number Keys Control preference (for
Clip Effects Presets and
example, if Zoom Presets is selected, these
Settings Files
key combinations would apply to Clip Effects
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only) Presets instead). If Commands Keyboard
In addition to the stored settings named in the Clip Focus is enabled for the Edit window, press
Effects Settings menu, clip effects provides five Command+1–5 (Mac) or Control+1–5
preset buttons so that you can easily store and re- (Windows).
call your most commonly used settings. You can
also save and import Clip Effects settings using the Clip Effects Settings Menu
commands in the Clip Effects Settings menu. Clip effects settings are saved and recalled just like
Plug-in settings. The Clip Effects Settings menu
To store a Clip Effects preset:
commands include:
1 Configure the clip effects settings as you like.
<factory default> Restores the default settings for
2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- clip effects.
dows) the Preset button where you want to store
the current clip effects settings. Save Settings Saves the current settings. This
command overwrites any previous version of the
preset.
Elastic Audio provides track-based Real-Time and you like, drag it from the browser and drop it into
Rendered Time Compression and Expansion the session. The loop automatically conforms to
(TCE) and clip-based pitch shifting (transposi- the session tempo map and Bar|Beat grid. You can
tion). Pro Tools Elastic Audio uses exceptionally then further manipulate its timing and also trans-
high-quality transient detection algorithms, beat pose the clip to match the pitch of other loops in
and tempo analysis, and real-time TCE and pitch your session.
shifting processing algorithms. Elastic Audio lets
you quickly and easily transpose the pitch of audio Correcting Performances
clips and tempo conform (beat match) audio to the
Elastic Audio lets you quantize audio to tighten up
session’s Tempo map. It also provides an unprece-
a performance or even manually re-align that one
dented degree of control over transient detection
note that was played just a little late. Or, you might
and TCE processing on an event-by-event basis.
decide that the performance is excellent, but just a
With Elastic Audio, Pro Tools analyzes entire au- little under tempo. Tick-based Elastic Audio auto-
dio files for transient events. For example, an event matically warps audio to conform to tempo
can be a drum hit, a sung note, or chord played by changes. When you change your tracks to tick-
a guitar. These detected events can then serve as based and increase the session tempo, the audio au-
control points for warping the audio. Pro Tools can tomatically time compresses to match.
warp (TCE) audio events automatically, such as
Remixing
automatically conforming audio to the session
tempo or quantizing audio events, or you can warp Elastic Audio lets you quickly beat match an entire
audio manually using standard editing tools in song to the session tempo and Bar|Beat grid. You
Warp view. can also transpose clips to match pitch.
Elastic Audio is useful in several common work- Sound Design and Special Effects
flows: working with loops, correcting perfor-
mances, remixing, sound design and special ef- Use Elastic Audio to achieve special effects with
fects, and film scoring. extreme or widely variable TCE or pitch manipu-
lation. Use the Varispeed algorithm to achieve
Working with Loops tape-like effects for speed and pitch change.
If you work with loops, Elastic Audio lets you pre-
view your loops in Workspace browsers at their
native tempo (BPM) or at the session tempo
(BPM). You can even preview the loop while the
session is playing back. When you find the loop
If you are scoring a film scene, use Elastic Audio 1 Create a new Pro Tools session or project.
to fit the music to the required duration. You can 2 Set the session’s Main Timebase ruler to
even use tempo changes to achieve accelerandos Bars|Beats.
and ritardandos.
3 Be sure to display the Tempo and Meter rulers.
Remember, when using tempo adjustments
4 Use the default tempo of quarter-note equals
for sessions that include multiple cues, tempo
120 BPM.
changes may affect the timecode position of
other cues later on the Timeline. Locate and preview a loop in a Workspace browser
at the session tempo:
Elastic Audio is not recommended for pull up 1 Open the Workspace (Window > Workspace).
and pull down workflows. Use the Session
2 Navigate to the folder where you keep your
Setup window real time pull up or pull
drum loops. Double-click the folder name to
downs, or the presets included with Time
open a browser window showing just the
Shift or X-Form AudioSuite plug-ins.
folder’s contents.
3 Select the loop you want to preview.
Example Elastic Audio
Workflow Audition Paths for previewing are selected in
the I/O Setup window (Choose Setup > I/O
In this workflow, you will be introduced to some and click the Output tab).
common Elastic Audio tasks for working with
loops: 4 Click the Preview button to preview the loop at
its native tempo.
• Create and configure a new session for this
workflow.
Audio Files Conform
• Locate and preview a loop in a Workspace Preview button to Session Tempo button
browser at the session tempo.
• Import the loop at the session tempo on a tick-
based, Elastic Audio-enabled track.
• Change the session tempo to change the tempo
of the clip on tick-based, Elastic Audio-enabled
tracks.
• Quantize the audio to apply a Groove Template
to the rhythm.
• Transpose the clip to match the pitch of the im- Preview and Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo
ported audio to other audio and MIDI in the ses- buttons in a Workspace browser
sion.
Dragging and dropping a tick-based audio file from a Workspace browser to the Tracks List
Warp indicators
Creating New Tracks with Revert Removes any Elastic Audio processing, re-
Elastic Audio Enabled verts clips on the track to their original duration,
and disables Elastic Audio on the track.
New tracks are created with Elastic Audio auto-
matically enabled in the following cases: Commit Renders and commits any Elastic Audio
processing on the track, writes new files to disk,
• When the Enable Elastic Audio On New Tracks
and disables Elastic Audio on the track.
option is enabled in the Processing Preferences
page (see “Elastic Audio Options” on page 474).
Committed Clips
• When dragging and dropping tick-based, Elastic
Audio analyzed files from Workspace browsers Clips that are committed, either by disabling Elas-
to the Tracks List or empty space in the Edit win- tic Audio on a track or by moving a clip to a track
dow with the Audio Files Conform to Session without Elastic Audio enabled, are written to disk
Tempo option enabled (see “Elastic Audio on as new audio files. These new audio files include
Import” on page 467). the audio in the clip, plus any fades, and also an ad-
• When dragging and dropping REX or ACID ditional 5 seconds of audio before and after the
files from the Desktop (if either REX and ACID clip, if available.
Files Only or the All Files option is enabled for
the Drag and Drop from Desktop Conforms to Disabling Elastic Audio and
Session Tempo setting in the Processing Prefer- Alternate Playlists
ences page) or a Workspace browser (if the Au-
Disabling Elastic Audio on a track affects all play-
dio Files Conform to Session Tempo button is
lists on the track. All playlists on the track are com-
enabled) to the Tracks List or empty space in the
mitted or reverted depending on which option you
Edit window (see “Importing ACID and REX
choose.
Files” on page 470).
To avoid clipping on playback, lower the Input To open an Elastic Audio Plug-In window:
Gain for the clip in the Elastic Properties window
(see “Elastic Properties Window” on page 1069). Click the Elastic Audio Plug-In button.
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
Use the Varispeed plug-in to link time and pitch
changes for tape-like speed change effects, and
post production workflows. The Varispeed plug-in
provides no plug-in specific controls.
Elastic Audio plug-in: zplane élastique
Formant
Voicing
Elastic Audio plug-in: Varispeed
Sets the order of the spectral envelope estimation
(Voicing). To ensure best timbre-shifting quality
Try using Varispeed with Quantize on drum
for different types of input signals, adjust the dom-
loops for some interesting effects.
inant frequency region of the input signal with the
Voicing slider. The default position of the slider
élastique Pro Plug-In should work for most audio. However, try moving
Use the élastique Pro plug-in by zplane.develop- the slider to the left when the dominant frequency
ment for Elastic Audio processing. élastique Pro is is low or moving it to the right when the dominant
a general purpose time-stretching engine that of- frequency is high to see if there is a beneficial ef-
fers unmatched quality for professional produc- fect on the quality of the timbre-shifting. The
tions and broadcast applications. élastique Pro Voicing setting has no impact on the pitch-shifting
sounds especially good when stretching long mate- quality—it only affects the formant-shifting qual-
rial or whole songs. ity.
Accordion Warp applies Elastic Audio processing 2 Add another Warp marker to the end point that
on both sides of a singe Warp marker in a clip. This you want to fix to the Timeline.
lets you expand or compress the audio equally on
3 With the Grabber tool, drag an Event marker be-
both sides of a fixed point. Accordion warp is use-
tween the two Warp markers to the left or right.
ful for audio files where the downbeat occurs in the
A Warp marker is added on top of the Event
middle of the clip.
marker and the audio is compressed or ex-
panded on either side of the dragged marker
To apply Accordion Warp to a clip:
while the audio outside the bounding markers
1 In Warp view, add a single Warp marker at the remains unaffected.
point in the clip that you want to remain fixed
on the Timeline.
2 With the Grabber tool, drag any Event marker
that is before or after the single Warp marker to
the left or the right.
Edit Groups and Warp Editing Analysis view is only available for Elastic
Audio-enabled tracks.
Elastic Audio-enabled tracks can be included in
Edit Groups. For Elastic Audio-enabled tracks that
are part of an Edit Group, applying Elastic Audio In Analysis view, you can only edit Analysis
processing on one track likewise applies it to all markers using the Edit tools. You cannot use
other tracks within that Edit Group. the Edit tools for any clip editing. Switch to
Warp or Waveform views for clip-based edit-
If corresponding Warp markers are not already ing capabilities with the Edit tools.
present on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks that are
part of an Edit Group, new Warp markers are cre-
When manually editing Analysis markers,
ated on those tracks when you add or move a Warp
Pro Tools writes temporary Elastic Audio
marker on any track that is part of the Edit Group.
analysis files (.aan) to the session’s Rendered
Files folder. Any unused temporary analysis
files are purged when you close the session.
• With the Pencil tool, Option-click (Mac) or The Elastic Properties window lets you view and
Alt-click (Windows) the Event marker you change the properties for selected clips. For exam-
want to delete. ple, you can reduce the Input Gain for Elastic Au-
• With the Grabber tool, Option-click (Mac) or dio processing to avoid clipping that can occur
Alt-click (Windows) the Event marker you during processing.
want to delete.
From the Elastic Properties window, you can also
• With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection filter Event markers for Elastic Audio clips on
that includes any Event markers you want to tick-based tracks. Filtering Event markers can re-
delete and press Delete or Backspace on your sult in better quality Elastic Audio processing of
computer keyboard. material with ambiguous transients.
• With the Selector tool, make an Edit selection
that includes any Event markers you want to To view the Elastic Properties for a clip:
delete, Right-click the selection, and choose 1 Select a clip on an Elastic Audio-enabled track.
Remove Event Marker from the pop-up The track can be either sample- or tick-based.
menu.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose Clip > Elastic Properties.
• Right-click the clip and choose Elastic
Properties.
Deleting an Event marker with the Pencil tool Press Option+5 (Mac) or Alt+5 (Windows)
on the numeric keypad to open the Elastic
Edit Groups and Event Editing Properties window.
Elastic Audio-enabled tracks can be included in
Edit Groups. For Elastic Audio-enabled tracks that
are part of an Edit Group, editing Event markers on
one track likewise applies to all other tracks within
that Edit Group.
5 Click Apply.
Elastic Properties window
To transpose the pitch of an audio clip in the Varispeed and Pitch Shifting
Transpose window:
When using the Varispeed algorithm, pitch trans-
1 Make sure the clip, or clips, you want to Trans-
position and time compression/expansion are al-
pose are on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks (using
ways linked. If you apply pitch transposition to an
the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form algo-
audio clip using the Polyphonic or Rhythmic algo-
rithm).
rithms, that transposition data is stored in the meta-
2 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the au- data for the clip. Consequently, if you then switch
dio clip you want to transpose. Only clips that to Varispeed, change the TCE factor, and then
are completely selected will be affected. switch back to the original Elastic Audio algo-
rithm, the clip will revert to the original amount of
3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
pitch shifting while maintaining the amount of
time compression/expansion applied by the Vari-
speed algorithm.
Real-time Elastic Rendered Elastic Render clip with destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio–enabled track Audio–enabled track
Real-time Elastic Audio track Render clip with source track’s Elastic Audio plug-in and
Audio–enabled track (no Elastic Audio) commit the clip to the destination track
Rendered Elastic Real-time Elastic Apply real-time Elastic Audio processing using the
Audio–enabled track Audio–enabled track destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio track Real-time Elastic Calculate Elastic Audio analysis and apply real-time
(no Elastic Audio) Audio–enabled track Elastic Audio processing using the destination track’s
Elastic Audio plug-in
Audio track Rendered Elastic Calculate Elastic Audio analysis and render the clip
(no Elastic Audio) Audio–enabled track using the destination track’s Elastic Audio plug-in
Pitched Elastic Audio– Audio track Render clip pitch shift with source track’s Elastic Audio
enabled track (no Elastic Audio) plug-in and commit the clip to the destination track
Clips that are committed, either by disabling Elastic Audio on a track or by moving a clip to a track with-
out Elastic Audio enabled, are written to disk as new audio files (see “Committed Clips” on page 1051.)
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 1069).
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.
Pro Tools integrates Melodyne from Celemony to let you edit audio and to convert audio to MIDI.
Any audio track or clip can be analyzed by and ed- Select the audio clip and choose Clip > Melo-
ited in the Melodyne tab at the bottom of the Pro dyne > Edit.
Tools Edit window. Right-click the audio clip and choose Melodyne
> Edit.
To analyze an audio track and edit it with
Melodyne, do one of the following: Select the audio clip and press Control+Shift+A
(Mac) or Start+Shift+A (Windows).
Select the audio track and choose Track > Melo-
dyne > Edit.
Editing Audio in Melodyne
Right-click the audio track name and choose
Melodyne > Edit. For information about editing audio with Melo-
dyne, please refer to documentation from
From the audio track Elastic Audio/ARA plug-
https://www.celemony.com/.
in selector, choose Melodyne.
Once you start to make edits in Melodyne,
Pro Tools provides the following commands:
• Right-click the track name in the Track List, Do Nothing Select to leave the source audio tracks
or in the Mix or Edit window and choose Ex- intact.
tract MIDI to New Track.
Press Command+Left/Right Arrow (Mac) or
Control+Left/Right Arrow (Windows) to
move through the Source Track options.
6 Click OK.
4 Click OK.
Select either Selected Tracks or Edit Selection to The Copy options determine whether or not sends
determine what is committed. or Group assignments are copied to committed
tracks.
Selected Tracks Commits all selected tracks from
the beginning of the first clip on the track to the Sends Select to copy sends from the source track
end of the last clip on the track. If the Consolidate to the committed track.
Clips option is disabled, all clip boundaries are
‘
Consolidate Clips Select the Insert After Last Selected Track option
to have new committed tracks placed after the last
Select to consolidate all clips on a track (or all clips selected track. When disabled, each committed
in the edit selection) into a single new complete track is placed immediately following the source
file clip. track.
If Pan automation is not rendered, and the source Follow Session Settings
track is assigned to multiple output paths, the track When this option is selected, new audio files cre-
output assignments are copied to a single commit- ated using Track Commit command are the same
ted track. bit depth as the session. If you select the Follow
Session Settings option, it is possible the commit-
ted audio may clip (since you are truncating from
32-bit floating point to 24- or 16-bit). However,
you may want to select this option if you need to
have all audio generated by the session follow a
particular bit-depth.
Pro Tools lets you “freeze” audio, Auxiliary Input, Select one or more tracks and choose Track >
and Instrument tracks. When you freeze a track, Freeze (or Unfreeze).
the source material (audio and MIDI) on the track
Click the Track Freeze icon in the Track con-
is replaced with audio that has been processed by
trols so that it is highlighted (or unhighlighted).
all of the plug-ins on the track (or only up to a spec-
ified insert), including instrument plug-ins. This Right-click on the track name and select Freeze
process is reversible, so you can “unfreeze” frozen (or Unfreeze).
tracks.
Option-Shift-Click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-Click
Freezing tracks is useful for freeing up processing (Windows) to freeze all selected tracks. Op-
power in your session for other tracks and process- tion-Click (Mac) or Alt-Click (Windows) to
ing tasks. It is especially useful for exchanging ses- freeze all audio, Auxiliary Input, and Instru-
sions with other systems that may not have all of ment tracks.
the same plug-ins as your system. Rather than
committing tracks as final print tracks, you can When a track is frozen, any plug-ins on the track
freeze tracks that you want to share but might want are made inactive. On Instrument tracks, the wave-
to keep editing while that track is shared or out for form of the frozen audio is superimposed over the
review. MIDI data on the track as a visual cue.
1 Ensure that Inserts view is shown in either the • Editing clips or clip contents is disallowed.
Edit or Mix window. • Elastic Audio is disallowed.
2 Right-click on the insert up to which you want • Clip gain and clip effects are disallowed on fro-
to freeze the track and choose Freeze Up To zen tracks.
This Insert. • AudioSuite rendering is disallowed on frozen
tracks.
• Tempo changes, Song Start changes, and en-
abling or disabling the Conductor Track are not
allowed when there are frozen tracks in the ses-
sion.
• Insert and Cut Time operations are disallowed in
a session if there are frozen tracks.
• HEAT is unavailable for frozen Auxiliary Input
Freeze Up To This Insert (Freezing up to insert B)
and Instrument tracks.
When any plug-in processing on a track is frozen, • Instrument Tracks are removed from the MIDI
frozen inserts are italicized and grayed out. The Editor window while frozen and MIDI parame-
also display the Track Freeze icon. ters including Real Time Quantize settings can-
not be adjusted until the track is unfrozen.
• Clips used on a source playlist for a frozen track
cannot be removed from the session until the
Track Freeze icon
track is unfrozen.
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
• Include all Instrument Tracks select 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 3 Click Bounce.
Freeze Right-click menu
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 nondestructively us-
ing MIDI Real-Time Properties. See “MIDI
Event Operations Window Real-Time Properties” on page 850.
The Event Operations window provides com-
To open a specific Event Operations window pane:
mands to transform groups of MIDI notes to affect
pitch, timing, and phrasing. The Quantize and Re- Choose Event > Event Operations, followed by
store Performance Event Operations can also be one of the Event Operations (such as Quantize).
applied to audio clip start times (or sync points)
and Elastic Audio events. The Transpose Event To show (or hide) any Event Operation pane while
Operation can also be applied to whole clips on the Event Operations window is open:
Elastic Audio-enabled tracks. Click the reveal triangle for the pane you want
to show.
The Event Operations window has nine pages, one
for each Event Operations command. Press Command+Up/Down Arrow (Mac) or
• Quantize Control+Up/Down Arrow (Windows) to open
the previous or next panel while closing all
• Restore Performance
others.
• Flatten Performance
• Change Velocity Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) on
• Change Duration any reveal triangle to open or close all panels
• Transpose in the Event Operations window.
• Select/Split Notes
• Input Quantize
• Step Input
From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select a If any parameters not displayed in the toolbar (such
groove template. as Offset or Randomize) are enabled, the Quantize
Settings button (gear icon) lights blue.
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
Preserve Note Duration options are not available.
Tuplet Select the Tuplet option to quantize accord- 0% Swing Every other Grid
(480 ticks) point shifted by swing
ing to irregular note groupings, such as quintuplets
(5 in the time of 4). The Quantize Grid for tuplets
is calculated from the note size selection and the
Tuplet value. For example, if an sixteenth note
equals 240 ticks, quintuplet sixteenth notes with 5
in time of 4 would yield a Grid size of 192 ticks or 100% Swing
(240 ticks/5)*4. (640 ticks)
100% Swing, eighth note Grid
Offset Grid By Offsets the Quantize Grid forward
or back in time by a specified number of ticks. Use Include Within When selected, MIDI Note Ons
this option to achieve a pushed feel (by using neg- and MIDI Note Offs, Elastic Audio events, and au-
ative values) or a laid back feel (by using positive dio clips are only quantized if located within the
values). specified percentage of the Quantize Grid. Use this
option to clean up downbeats without affecting
To Quantize just the backbeats, set the Quan- notes that are “swung” or wildly off the beat.
tize Grid to half-notes with an Offset of 960
ticks.
The following figure shows the Quantize Grid set 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize.
to quarter notes with the Exclude Within option set 3 Under What to Quantize, select the Note On op-
to 25%. In this example, MIDI Note Ons and MIDI tion for quantizing MIDI notes. To also quantize
Note Offs falling within the shaded area (equiva- MIDI note durations, select the Note Off
lent to a sixteenth note area around each beat) are option. If you are quantizing audio, select Audio
not quantized. Clips or Elastic Audio Events from the pop-up
menu.
4 From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select
sixteenth notes (1/16). Make sure that the other
options for Tuplet, Offset Grid By, and Swing
are not selected.
Exclude Within option 5 Ensure that the remaining Quantize options are
deselected.
Strength When selected, MIDI notes, Elastic Au-
dio events, and audio clips are moved a percentage 6 Click Apply.
toward the Quantize Grid. Lower percentages pre-
serve the original feel of the events, higher per-
centages align the notes more tightly to the Grid.
To quantize while preserving the original feel: To quantize with an eighth note swing feel:
1 Select the range of MIDI notes, Elastic Audio 1 Select the range of MIDI notes, Elastic Audio
events, or audio clips to be quantized. events, or audio clips to be quantized.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize. 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Quantize.
3 Under What to Quantize, select the Note On op- 3 Under What to Quantize, select the Note On op-
tion for quantizing MIDI notes. To also quantize tion for quantizing MIDI notes. To also quantize
MIDI note durations, select the Note Off MIDI note durations, select the Note Off
option. If you are quantizing audio, select Audio option. If you are quantizing audio, select Audio
Clips or Elastic Audio Events from the pop-up Clips or Elastic Audio Events from the pop-up
menu. menu.
4 From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select the 4 From the Quantize Grid pop-up menu, select
note value you want to use. eighth notes (1/8).
5 Ensure that the other options for Tuplet, Offset 5 Select the Swing option with the Swing percent-
Grid By, and Swing are not selected. age you want:
6 Select the Exclude Within option with a value of • For a light swing, use 12%.
10–15%. • For a tighter swing-like groove, use 24%.
7 Select the Strength option with a value of 70– • For a true “triplet-like” swing feel, use 50–
80%. 75%.
8 Ensure that the remaining Quantize options are 6 Ensure that the options for Tuplet, Offset Grid
deselected. By, and Randomize are not selected.
10 Audition the change. If the desired effect is not 8 Audition the change. If the desired effect is not
achieved, undo the edit and experiment with achieved, undo the edit and experiment with
different values for Exclude Within and different Swing percentages.
Strength.
In cases where the Groove Templates and track se- If the selection contains mixed meters, the groove
lections are based on different meters, the template template will always be mapped so that the down-
will be repeated or truncated to match the number beats are aligned. For example, if the Groove Tem-
of beats in the selection. plate consists of one-bar of 4/4 and it is being ap-
plied to a selection of one-bar of 4/4 followed by a
For example, if the Groove Template contains bar of 7/16 and one-bar of 5/8, the downbeat of the
fewer beats than the selection, such as a one-bar Groove Template is aligned with the downbeats in
template in 6/8 being applied to a one-bar selection the selection and only uses the appropriate number
in 4/4, the template repeats to make up the differ- of beats from the Groove Template.
ence.
4/4 bar 1
Applying a 1-bar groove template in 6/8 to a 1-bar
selection in 4/4 Applying a 1-bar groove template in 4/4 to a 3-bar
selection in different meters
If the Groove Template contains more beats than
the selection on a track, such as a one-bar template
in 6/4 being applied to a two-bar selection in 4/4, You can reset the groove template grid by
only uses the appropriate number of beats. adding a new meter marker (it can be the
same meter). The groove template will
restart at the meter marker regardless of the
4/4 1-bar selection measure number or whether or not the
meter has actually changed.
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 “Input tions of these attributes, see “Restore Perfor-
Quantize Command” on page 1119. mance Command” on page 1109).
4 Click Apply.
3 Select the Change Smoothly option with the For example, to make velocities 20% louder:
range set from 127 to 0.
1 Select the range of MIDI notes to be edited.
4 Click Apply.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Change
Velocity.
Preserving Existing Velocity
Relationships 3 Select the Scale By option with the percentage
value set to 120.
To partially preserve the existing velocity relation-
ships and still achieve velocity fades, use the op- 4 Click Apply.
tion for Change Smoothly by Percentage. The fol-
lowing figures illustrates the difference between
the two Change Smoothly options
Original velocities
Velocity values usually affect the loudness of Change Smoothly by Percentage Allows veloci-
MIDI notes. Depending on how velocity is ties to change smoothly from one percentage value
mapped with any MIDI instrument, velocities to another over time.
may also affect other aspects of an
The curve for this change can be adjusted (+/– 99)
instrument’s sound (such as filter cutoff,
to affect how gradually the change occurs.
envelopes, and modulations).
Limit To When selected, restricts the Change
The settings in the Change Velocity window Velocity command to a minimum and maximum
are saved with each session. To store your fa- range after the selected Change Velocity option
vorite settings as the default for use in future has been applied (and also after any randomization
sessions, save them as part of a session tem- has been applied).
plate (see “Session Templates” on page 202). Randomize When selected, the selected Change
Velocity option is randomized by the specified
percentage value after the selected Change Veloc-
ity option has been applied. For example, with the
Velocity Ranges
The valid range for MIDI note velocities is 1–127.
The Change Velocity command will never result in
moving velocities outside this range; 1 is always
the lowest and 127 is always the highest. This
means that you can encounter situations where the
Change Velocity command has no effect on a par-
ticular note.
You can also change note duration non- Set All To Sets all durations to a length specified in
destructively in real-time using MIDI quarter notes and ticks.
Real-Time Properties. See “MIDI Real- Add Adds to the durations by a specified number
Time Properties” on page 850. of quarter notes and ticks.
Change Continuously in Ticks Allows note 2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Change
lengths to change smoothly from one duration to Duration.
another over time. Duration values are specified in 3 Select the Legato option.
quarter notes and ticks.
Transpose
While the Grabber tools can be used to manually
transpose individual MIDI notes, or small groups
of notes, the Transpose command in the Event Op-
erations window can be used for entire MIDI
tracks and clips. One of the more common uses for
Transpose is to change the key for your MIDI
tracks. You can define an Edit Group for MIDI
tracks that you want to transpose, making sure to
Event Operations window, Transpose
exclude any drum tracks from the group so they
aren’t transposed. You can even transpose in key. Transpose By (Octaves) Transposes selected
MIDI notes by up to +/– 10 octaves, or transposes
You can also transpose MIDI notes nonde- selected Elastic Audio clips up to +/– 2
structively in real-time using MIDI Real- octaves.
Time Properties. See “MIDI Real-Time
Properties” on page 850. Transpose By (Semitones) Transposes selected
MIDI notes up or down chromatically by up to +/–
The Transpose command can also be applied to 127 semitones, or transposes selected Elastic Au-
whole clips on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks using dio clips up or down chromatically by up to +/– 48
the Polyphonic, Rhythmic, or X-Form plug-ins. semitones (4 octaves).
For information on Transposing Elastic Transpose (From and To) Transposes selected
Audio clips, see “Elastic Audio Clip-Based MIDI notes, or selected Elastic Audio clips, by
Pitch Shifting” on page 1071. semitones, as expressed by the difference between
the source and destination pitches. Transposing
from C3 to F#3, for example, transposes the notes
Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
up by an augmented fourth (six semitones).
ported with the Monophonic algorithm.
Transpose All Notes To Transposes all selected
notes to the same pitch. Use the slider or the num-
Elastic Audio pitch transposition cannot be
ber entry box to enter the pitch to which to trans-
applied to looped clips or clip groups.
pose all selected notes. This option is not applica-
ble to Elastic Audio clips.
1 If you will be transposing a group of tracks, en- To transpose an Elastic Audio clip:
able the Edit Group.
1 Make sure the clip, or clips, you want to Trans-
2 Select the MIDI notes you want to transpose. pose are on Elastic Audio-enabled tracks.
3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose. Elastic Audio pitch transposition is not sup-
ported with the Monophonic algorithm.
Press Option+T (Mac) or Alt+T (Windows)
to open the Transpose window. 2 With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the au-
dio clip you want to transpose. Only clips that
4 Select the Transpose option (By, From and To,
are completely selected will be affected.
All Notes To, or In Key).
3 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose.
5 Set the corresponding pitch fields.
4 Do one of the following:
With any pitch field selected, play a note on your
MIDI controller to automatically enter it as the • Adjust the Transpose By settings by an
pitch value. amount in semitones and cents.
• Adjust the Transpose From and To settings
6 Click Apply. by an amount in Semitones and Cents.
To transpose all notes on a track down by an The Transpose All Notes To and the Trans-
octave:
pose In Key settings can only be applied to
1 With the Selector tool, double-click in the track MIDI notes. When only audio clips are se-
to select all of its MIDI notes. lected, these options are unavailable.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose. 5 Click Apply.
3 Select the Transpose By option.
4 Enter a value of –1 octave.
Select/Split Notes Command
5 Click Apply.
The Select/Split Notes command in the Event Op-
To transpose selected notes in key: erations window provides a complete set of tools
to select and split MIDI notes based on a wide va-
1 Select the MIDI notes you want to transpose.
riety of criteria. Additional tools are provided to
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Transpose. specify whether selected data is copied to the clip-
board or to new tracks, whether the data is split to
3 Select Transpose in Key.
multiple new tracks or a single destination, and
more.
Action
Notes Between Selects a range of notes between Include All Continuous MIDI Data Includes all
the specified upper and lower note. Values for the continuous MIDI data, including pitch bend and
notes can be entered in pitch (C1–G8) or MIDI aftertouch, on the entire track, without any restric-
note numbers (0–127). tion on time selection.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Select/Split To select only the hi-hats in a General MIDI drum
Notes. track:
4 Configure the Other Criteria (Velocity, Dura- • With the Grabber or Selector tool, select the
tion, and Position). range of MIDI notes that contains the notes.
• To affect all the MIDI notes on a track, click
5 Enable the Select or Split option.
in the track with the Selector tool, so that it
6 From the Split Notes pop-up menu, select Copy contains a flashing edit cursor.
or Cut.
2 Choose Event > Event Operations > Select/Split
7 If splitting notes, select the Copy or Cut to des- Notes.
tination.
3 Select the Notes Between option with the note
8 If splitting notes, enable the Include All Contin- range set to F#1 and F#1 (if the MIDI Note Dis-
uous MIDI Data option. Enabling this option in- play setting in the MIDI Preferences page is set
cludes all controller data associated with the to Standard Pitch).
split notes in newly created tracks. Leave this
For a General MIDI drum kit, the closed hi-hat is
option deselected to split only note data to new
assigned to MIDI note number 42 (F#1 at Standard
tracks.
Pitch). If the hi-hat for your drum kit is assigned to
9 Click Apply. a different note, make sure to specify it.
When Step Input is enabled, each previously If a Default Thru Instrument is defined in the MIDI
record-enabled MIDI or Instrument track is Preferences page, it is disabled when Step Input is
taken out of record enable, and if the enabled, and is re-enabled when Step Input is no
Default Thru Instrument preference is longer disabled.
defined, it is disabled.
Destination Lets you select the destination track
4 Choose the MIDI or Instrument track for step for the Step Input from a pop-up list of all the
entry from the Destination track pop-up menu. MIDI tracks in your session.
5 Choose the note value you want to enter from Step Increment Section Controls
the Step Increment section.
The controls in the Step Increment section let you
6 Play a note or chord on your MIDI instrument.
set the spacing and duration of MIDI events en-
This enters the note and moves to the next step
tered using the Step Input operation. You can se-
of the insertion point.
lect any size from whole notes to sixty-fourth notes
If you do not have a MIDI keyboard or other (including dotted values).
external MIDI device, you can use the MIDI Tuplet Lets you input irregular note groupings
Keyboard window to enter MIDI notes using (such as triplets or quintuplets). The tuplet length
Step Input. See “MIDI Keyboard Window” is calculated from the note spacing selection and
on page 626, the Tuplet values. For example, an eighth note
equals 480 ticks, so tuplet eighth notes with 3 in
To increase a note’s length while using Step Input:
time of 2 would yield a note spacing of 320 ticks
1 Play and hold a note on your MIDI instrument. (480 ticks / 3 * 2).
When a note is being held on the MIDI Note Length Lets you select the note length as a
keyboard, Next Step changes to read percentage of the spacing value. For example, an
“Increment.” eighth note equals 480 ticks, so an eighth note with
an 80% duration would be 384 ticks long.
2 Choose the note value that you would like to
add and press the Increment button.
Note length percentages When a note is being held on the MIDI keyboard,
Undo Step changes to read “Decrement,” and re-
Step Input Options moves the last Step Increment length that was
Use Input Velocity When selected, MIDI notes are added to the held note.
recorded using the velocity that you play on your Next Step (or Increment) When no note is being
MIDI keyboard. held on the MIDI keyboard, Next Step moves the
Set Velocity To When selected, MIDI notes are insertion point by the Step Increment value, essen-
recorded with the velocity that you specify in the tially inserting a musical rest.
Velocity field. This value can be set with the When a note is being held on the MIDI keyboard,
Velocity slider. Next Step changes to read “Increment” and adds
Enable Numeric Keypad Shortcuts When se- the Step Increment value to the held note, increas-
lected, Step Input options can be selected from the ing its length by the Step Increment value.
numeric keypad. See “Numeric Keypad Shortcuts While the note is being held, the Step Increment
for Step Input” on page 1123. value can be changed, allowing you to create notes
of any musical length.
Undo Step, Next Step, and Redo Step
Redo Step Reinserts the last note that was
Use the Undo Step and Next Step buttons to do the
removed by the Undo Step operation.
following:
• Move the step insertion point, by either remov-
ing the previous note or by advancing the inser-
Triggering the Undo Step, Next
Step, or Redo Step Buttons
tion point by the Step Increment value.
• Lengthen and shorten notes that are being held The Undo Step, Next Step, and Redo Step buttons
on the MIDI controller, by adding or removing can be set to be triggered by an external MIDI
Step Increment values. The Step Increment synth, drum pad, or other controller.
value can be changed mid-note to create a note
To set Undo Step, Next Step and Redo Step MIDI
with a hybrid note length. triggers:
Whole note 1
1/2 note 2
1/4 note 4
1/8 note 5
1/16 note 6
1/32 note 7
1/64 note 8
Undo step 0
Nudge forward +
Nudge back –
HEAT (Harmonically Enhanced Algorithm To enable (or disable) HEAT in a session, do one of
Technology) is a software option that adds “analog the following:
color” to Pro Tools Ultimate or Studio software. Select (or deselect) Options > Activate HEAT.
HEAT is available in both DSP and Native for-
mats. To use HEAT, iLok authorizations are re- Select (or deselect) the HEAT On/Off button in
quired for both HEAT and Pro Tools Ultimate or the Mix window in HEAT view.
Studio. You can also enable the Enable HEAT in New Ses-
HEAT is applied to all active audio tracks in your sions option in the Pro Tools Preferences to have
session, emulating magnetic recording tape com- HEAT automatically enabled for all new sessions.
bined with harmonic coloration commonly experi-
To enable (or disable) HEAT for new sessions:
enced with analog mixing consoles. Use HEAT to
open up your mixes with warm, analog-modeled 1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
soft-saturated distortion. 2 Click the Processing tab.
3 In the DSP Management section, select (or de-
Enabling HEAT select) the Enable HEAT in New Sessions op-
tion.
When enabled, HEAT is applied to all active audio
4 Click OK.
tracks in your session, emulating the effect of an
analog mixing console. HEAT is supported with
all mono, stereo, and surround formats.
About HEAT Processing
With HDX systems, HEAT uses DSP resources on
all active audio tracks. This is important to know HEAT provides global controls for Drive and
because as you increase (or decrease) the number Tone. These affect all audio tracks where HEAT is
of audio tracks in the session, you also increase (or not bypassed.
decrease) the amount of DSP resources required to
keep HEAT hot. Note that HEAT does not use Drive
DSP resources on inactive audio tracks.
The Drive control introduces non-linear processing
With Pro Tools Ultimate Software on Native sys- that emulates magnetic recording tape combined
tems or Pro Tools Studio software, HEAT uses the with harmonic information commonly found in an-
host-processor. alog gear.
HEAT Master Controls HEAT Master controls can be viewed in the Mix
window.
The HEAT Master controls let you adjust the
amount and color of HEAT processing for all au- To show (or hide) HEAT Master controls:
dio tracks. Take some time to experiment with dif-
Click the Show/Hide HEAT View button in the
ferent settings until you get the desired tone color
lower right corner of the Mix window.
for your mix.
Drive Adjusts the amount of Drive for HEAT, HEAT Track controls
which emulates the distortion you get when over-
Bypass (BYP) Bypasses HEAT processing for the
driving an analog channel strip on a console. At the
individual audio track. Note that bypassing HEAT
default 12 o’clock position, no HEAT processing
on individual tracks does not free up the DSP re-
is applied. Turn the knob counter-clockwise to add
sources used by HEAT for that track.
odd harmonics to the mix (a magnetic tape satura-
tion–like effect). Turn the knob clockwise to add Pre/Post Insert (PRE) Sets HEAT processing to be
even harmonics to the odd harmonic series for the Pre or Post inserts on the individual track. HEAT
effect of simulating a triode tube circuit. processing is Pre Inserts when the PRE button is
lit.
Select (or deselect) HEAT in the Mix Window HEAT Track and Master controls with bypassed track
View selector.
When the Master Bypass is enabled, it is bright or-
ange and any explicitly bypassed track BYP but-
tons also remain bright orange. For any implicitly
bypassed track, the BYP button changes to dark or-
ange.
Master Controls
Press the Soft Keys switch in the Channel Bar. To exit, press the Soft Keys switch again.
HEAT Master Controls are mapped to the encoder and encoder switches of channel strips 21–24, as shown
in Table 1 on page 1132.
When HEAT is enabled in a session, each channel strip provides HEAT Bypass and Pre/Post. You can ac-
cess these channel settings directly from C|24 channel strips. Channel HEAT controls follow Do To All
and Do to All Selected modifiers.
Rotate the channel encoder, or press the encoder switch, and choose Pre or Post.
Table 1. HEAT Master Controls on C|24
Encoder: 21 22 23 24
• MIDI
HEAT option, pre-insert
• Instrument
• VCA Master
Inserts
(plug-ins or
Audio, Auxiliary Input (and Routing Folder), Mas- hardware
inserts)
ter Fader, and Instrument tracks can route audio.
MIDI and Instrument tracks can route MIDI data.
VCA Master tracks do not pass audio or MIDI HEAT option, post-insert
data, but do affect controls on other tracks. See
“VCA Master Tracks” on page 1141.
Sends, pre-fader
Tracks can be identified in the Mix window by
their Track Type icon.
Input Record
Track Type icons Solo Mute
Volume
Mono and stereo audio tracks are available on all Audio track audio signal flow
Pro Tools systems.
Routing Folder tracks provide the same signal Common Uses for Auxiliary
routing options as Auxiliary Input tracks. Inputs
Auxiliary Inputs can be used to:
Input • Apply real-time plug-ins or an external proces-
Source: bus or
hardware input path sor to a submix, using the Auxiliary Input as an
effects return (such as reverb or bus line com-
Inserts pression)
(plug-ins or
hardware
inserts) Sends, pre-fader • Input audio from external MIDI instruments and
other audio sources into the mix, to monitor or
route to audio tracks for recording to disk (such
as from the audio outputs of a MIDI synthesizer)
Solo Mute
• Consolidate volume control of any submix un-
der a single fader
Volume
• Mix multiple outputs from an instrument
plug-in.
Master Fader track audio signal flow When a Master Fader track is inactive, its associ-
ated plug-ins, I/O assignments, and their resources
Master Faders do not consume any of your sys-
are made inactive.
tem’s audio processing power. Master Faders pro-
vide up to five post-fader inserts and no sends. When a Master Fader output assignment (path as-
Also, Master Fader tracks do not have Pan sliders, signment) is made inactive, the Master Fader no
or Mute and Solo buttons. longer controls the master gain of that path.
• Monitor and meter an output (such as a bus or 1 Create a stereo Master Fader track.
hardware output) to guard against clipping 2 Set the outputs of all audio tracks in the session
• Control submix levels to the main output path (for example, outputs 1–
2 of your primary audio interface) and set the
• Control effects sends levels
panning for each track.
• Control submaster (bussed tracks) levels
3 Set the output of the Master Fader to the main
• Apply dither or other inserts to an entire mix output path.
• Control the monitoring path with a EUCON
control surface To use a Master Fader to trim the input to a submix:
1 Create an Auxiliary Input track.
Use Master Faders to control submix levels, send
level masters, and other outputs. Master Faders can 2 Bus the signal from audio tracks in your session
control either output or internal busses. You can to the input of the Auxiliary Input track.
use a Master Fader track assigned to an Output
3 Create a stereo Master Fader track and assign
path as a master volume control. You can also use
the Output to the bus path that feeds the Auxil-
a Master Fader track assigned to a bus to trim the
iary Input track.
inputs to Auxiliary Input tracks for submixes to
avoid clipping.
Record Enable
VCA Master Track Controls
The controls on a VCA Master track affect the cor- The VCA Record Enable button toggles the Re-
responding controls on the member tracks in its as- cord Enable status of only those audio, Instrument,
signed Mix group. VCA Master tracks have the and other VCA tracks that have already been re-
following controls: cord-enabled individually. You can then toggle re-
cord enable on and off for those tracks using the
Volume VCA Master Record Enable.
The VCA Volume fader controls the Volume fader To temporarily force all member tracks to toggle
on audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, Master their record enable status:
Fader, and other VCA Master tracks in a VCA- Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
controlled group. (Volume faders on MIDI tracks Record Enable button on the VCA Master.
are not affected.) Volume faders on member tracks
move to show the composite level, or the level on TrackInput
each track resulting from the position of the VCA
Master Volume fader. The VCA TrackInput button toggles the input
monitor status of only those audio tracks in a
Mute VCA-controlled group that are record-enabled.
You can toggle input monitor status for those
The VCA Mute button controls the mute state of tracks using the VCA Master TrackInput button.
audio, Auxiliary Input, Instrument, MIDI, and
other VCA Master tracks in a VCA-controlled To temporarily force all member tracks to toggle
group. Muting a VCA-controlled group does not their input monitoring status:
change the underlying mute state of member Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
tracks. (Mute buttons on member tracks that were VCA Master TrackInput button on the VCA
previously unmuted show an implicit mute.) Master.
On VCA Master tracks, level meters indicate the It is possible for a single member track to be a
highest level occurring on any of its individual member of more than one VCA-controlled group.
tracks, not a summed level of all member tracks. In this case, the contribution of all VCA Master
Volume faders is summed on the member track.
The channel format of level meters on the VCA Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and TrackInput follow
Master is set according to the channel formats of the same rules for enabling or disabling member
its member tracks, as follows: tracks.
• If all member tracks are the same channel format
(mono, stereo or a multichannel format), the Allowing Grouped Behavior of
number of level meters on the VCA Master track VCA Member Track Controls
is identical to that of the member tracks.
When a track is a VCA member track, its Volume,
• If the member tracks are different formats, the
Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and TrackInput con-
number of level meters on the VCA Master track
trols follow VCA functions, and normally do not
is set to one.
follow Mix group behavior.
Assigning Groups to VCA However, these member track controls can be set
Masters to allow Mix group behavior in addition to their
VCA functions.
An existing Mix group can be assigned to a VCA
Master, or a new Mix group can be assigned to a To allow grouped behavior of VCA-related controls
VCA Master while it is being created. Only one on member tracks:
group can be assigned to a VCA Master at a time. 1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing.
A VCA Master cannot control a group that in-
cludes itself. 2 In the Automation section, deselect the
Standard VCA Logic for Group Attributes
To assign an existing group to a VCA Master: option.
Click the Group Assignment selector on the 3 Click OK.
VCA Master track and choose an available
group from the pop-up menu. Volume, Mute, Solo, Record Enable, and TrackIn-
put are made available as Mix group attributes in
the Group dialog.
Displaying Views
To display all views in the Mix or Edit window, do
one of the following:
HEAT View
I/O View (Edit Window Only) Shows Input and Object view (Edit window)
Output selectors, and Volume and Pan indicators
Real-Time Properties View (Edit Window
in each track.
Only) Shows controls for Real-Time Properties for
MIDI and Instrument tracks. For more information
on Real-Time Properties, see “MIDI Real-Time
Properties” on page 850.
Output windows provide the essential track mixing • Click anywhere outside the Output selector
controls (such as track panning and volume), as an menu.
alternative to Mix and Edit window views. Multi-
Option-Control-click (Mac) or Alt-Start-click
channel Output and Send windows also provide
(Windows) to add the assignment to all tracks,
expanded Panner views, and other surround-spe-
or Option-Shift-Control-click (Mac) or Alt-
cific controls. See Chapter 58, “Surround Panning
Shift-Start-click (Windows) to add the assign-
and Mixing.”
ment to all selected tracks.
Output windows are useful in large sessions to
leave important tracks in an anchored location, un-
affected by Mix and Edit window (or control sur-
face) banking. See “Output Windows for Tracks
and Sends” on page 1164.
To search for a path in a Send: 3 Select the desired path with the mouse, or use
the Up and Down arrow keys to select the path
1 Click the path selector for the send you want to
name.
assign and do one of the following:
• Type the first character of the path name you
want.
• Click Search.
• Press Tab.
You can also search Track Presets by name To mute (or unmute) a sends from the Send
from the Sends selector. (Track Presets are window or in the Mix window in Expanded Send
not available from the Track Input or Output view:
selectors.) Click the Mute button for the send.
To search for and assign multiple paths (Sends
To mute (or unmute) sends from the Track menu:
and Track Outputs only):
1 Select the tracks on which you want to mute
1 Type to search for each additional path assign-
sends. Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Win-
ment, do one of the following:
dows) to select all tracks shown in the session.
• Tab to confirm current tag that you are typing.
2 Select one of the following:
• Press Shift+Return.
• Track > Mute Sends > All.
• Click the entry.
• Track > Mute Sends > A–E.
2 Press Return to close the selector menu and as-
• Track > Mute Sends > F–J.
sign the outputs.
Key Commands for Muting Sends
4 Select (or deselect) whether you want the new Assigning an Existing Track
track to be created next to the current track from a Send
(with the send).
Pro Tools lets you assign a send directly to an ac-
5 Click OK. tive Auxiliary Input, Audio, or Instrument track
using an available internal mix bus. Note that the
Pro Tools creates a new track with the output of the
destination track must be set to either an internal
originating send automatically routed to the input
mix bus or to No Input in order to be available for
of the new track using an available internal mix
assignment.
bus.
To assign a send to an available input on an
existing track:
1 On an existing track, click the Send selector and
select Track.
2 From the Track submenu, select the destination
track you want.
Mono and Stereo Sends When you click the Select any of the following:
Sends button on a track, you can choose from a list • View > Mix Window > Sends A–E.
of mono or stereo output or bus paths. • View > Mix Window > Sends F–J.
Multichannel Sends (Pro Tools Ultimate and Stu-
To display sends in the Edit window:
dio Only) When you click the Sends button on a
track, you can choose from a list of multichannel Select any of the following:
output or bus paths. • View > Edit Window > Sends A–E.
• View > Edit Window > Sends F–J.
Send Path Selector Choices
The choices available in track Send selectors in-
clude bus and output paths. Sends View Options
The names, format, and channel mapping of Sends are displayed in the Mix and Edit window
busses and output paths can be customized in according to the Sends A–E View and Sends F–J
the I/O Setup dialog. See “Output Busses” on View options. Each Send View has six view
page 88. choices: Assignments View and five individual
Send Views (A–E or 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 145). 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 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).
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.
When routing mono signals with internal mix 7 Set the Auxiliary Input Track level.
busses, be sure to use mono busses rather 8 To process the submix, assign a plug-in or hard-
than splitting stereo busses. Since Pro Tools ware insert on the Auxiliary Input.
keeps stereo busses phase aligned, splitting
stereo busses can result in inaccurate delay 9 Set the controls of the plug-in. The plug-in By-
compensation. pass and Wet/Dry controls (if available) deter-
mine the amount of effect heard.
Submixing with Track Outputs or Sends
The contributing track faders control the balance
You can use both track outputs and sends to route within the submix. The Auxiliary Input track con-
audio for submixing, depending on whether you trols the output levels of all tracks routed to it.
want a discrete or send and return submix.
You can apply mix automation to the volume, pan,
mute, and send level, send pan, and send mute con-
Discrete Submix Output trols of the Auxiliary Input.
Pro Tools lets you discretely route source audio
through a submix. This is preferred for dither or You can also bounce a submix to disk to free up the
other mastering processing, where you do not want voices for use by other tracks. See Chapter 55,
unprocessed audio heard in addition to the pro- “Mixdown” for more information.
cessed signals. Use track outputs (not sends) to as-
sign tracks to a bus path for discrete submixing. In Send and Return Submixing for
this arrangement, the balance of processed and un- Effects Processing
processed signal is controlled by plug-in wet/dry When you are submixing for reverb, delay, and
settings. similar effects processing, use sends to achieve tra-
ditional send/return bussing. You can use a real-
To create a discrete submix:
time plug-in or a hardware insert as a shared re-
1 Set the output of the tracks you want to include source for all tracks included in a submix. The
in the submix to a stereo bus path. wet/dry balance in the mix can be controlled using
2 Pan each track. the track faders (dry level) and Auxiliary Input
fader (effect return, or wet, level).
3 Choose Track > New.
See Chapter 52, “Plug-In and Hardware
4 Specify the track type (Aux Input) and format
Inserts” for more information.
(stereo), then click Create.
5 Set the input of the Auxiliary Input to the same
bus path to which you assigned all contributing
tracks.
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 sends). With Delay Compensation enabled,
the path that you have chosen for your effects Pro Tools maintains phase coherent time align-
send. ment between tracks that have plug-ins with differ-
ing delays, tracks with different mixing paths,
You can then adjust send levels to balance the
tracks that are split off and recombined within the
source tracks, and use the Master Fader as a master
mixer, and tracks with hardware inserts.
level control for the entire submix.
When Delay Compensation is enabled, Pro Tools
Soloing Tracks in a Submix allocates 16,383 samples at 44.1/48 kHz, 32,767
samples at 88.2/96 kHz, or 65,534 samples at
Soloing any tracks implicitly mutes all other
176.4/192 kHz of Delay Compensation for each
tracks, including Auxiliary Inputs. Solo-safing an
mixer channel.
Auxiliary Input prevents this implicit muting and
lets the Auxiliary Input continue to pass audio To maintain phase coherent time alignment, Delay
when its source tracks are soloed. Compensation should always be enabled during
playback and mixing. Delay Compensation should
To solo safe an Auxiliary Input: also be used in most recording situations.
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) the Solo button on the Auxiliary Input
track.
Delay indicator
Dly indicator right-click menu
User Offset field
Track
Compensation When enabled, the timing of the meter is delayed
indicator
to match presentation time (when the audio arrives
Delay Compensation View at the hardware output). When disabled, the meters
react immediately.
Delay Compensation view only shows the in-
sert delay for each track. To view the com-
Delay Compensation View
plete system delay, including mixer delays, Indicators and Field
check the System Delay in the Session Setup
window (see “System Delay” on page 1177). Delay (dly) Indicator
To view Delay Compensation information: The Delay (dly) indicator reports the total plug-in
and hardware insert delay on the track. The Delay
Select View > Mix Window > Delay Compensa-
indicator’s report to Pro Tools Delay Compensa-
tion.
tion Engine can be bypassed when Delay Compen-
sation is enabled. This is useful for manually time-
Metering Follows Delay aligning a track when the total delay on a track ex-
Compensation Values ceeds the Delay Compensation limit. See “Delay
Pro Tools lets you set meters to follow delay com- that Exceeds the Compensation Limit” on
pensation values. Meters coming directly from page 1180.
hardware inputs can be controlled independently The display color indicates reported track delay, as
from meters for internal busses. follows:
To change track delay using the User Offset field: Red Indicates that the track delay exceeds the
available amount of Delay Compensation and no
1 In the Delay Compensation View, click in the
Delay Compensation is applied to the track (see
User Offset edit field.
“Delay that Exceeds the Compensation Limit” on
2 To set your delay value (in samples or millisec- page 1180).
onds depending on your current preferences),
do one of the following: Gray Indicates that Delay Compensation for the
track is bypassed and no delay is applied to the
• Enter a positive number (with or without the
track.
“+” modifier) for a positive delay (later in
time) or negative number (with the “–” mod-
ifier) for a negative delay (earlier in time). Delay Compensation for
Side-Chains
• Drag in the User Offset field to scroll to a new
value. For finer resolution, Command-drag Pro Tools lets you automatically compensate for
(Mac) Control-drag (Windows). signal delays in side-chain processing. In some
• Press the Up and Down Arrow keys to in- cases, you may want to disable automatic delay
crease or decrease the numerical values. compensation for side-chains (such as for sessions
created on previous versions of Pro Tools where
3 Press Enter. you have manually compensated for side-chain de-
lays).
To bypass the user delay:
However, you can manually compensate for delay For more information about Low Latency
on tracks that exceed the Delay Compensation Monitoring with host-processing only
limit. Pro Tools systems, see “Low Latency
Monitoring” on page 588.
To compensate for delay that exceeds the
compensation limit:
Overriding Low Latency
1 Bypass the reported delay for the track by doing Monitoring During Recording
one of the following:
You can override Low Latency Monitoring During
• Command-Control-click (Mac) or Control- Recording on record-enabled tracks, but this may
Start-click (Windows) the Delay indicator. introduce latency in the signal path corresponding
• Right-click the Delay indicator and select to the amount of Delay Compensation. This la-
Disable Plug-In Delay. tency may be acceptable depending on the record-
ing source. For example, in certain “non-perfor-
The track information is grayed out once it is by- mance” workflows, overriding Low Latency
passed. Monitoring During Recording ensures that delay
2 Manually nudge any audio data on the track ear- compensation is applied consistently regardless of
lier by the amount of delay reported in the whether a track is record- or punch-enabled, or
track’s Delay indicator. whether Pro Tools is recording or playing back.
You can manually compensate for the delay (la- 6 Ensure that only the dry signal is being passed
tency) of any external hardware devices (such as through the device.
an effects unit) used in your session, you can set
7 Bus the output of track 1 to the input of track 2.
the amount of Hardware Insert Delay Compensa-
tion (in milliseconds) for each external device in 8 Record enable track 2 and press Record Enable
the I/O Setup. These times will be used by the De- and Play in the Transport window to play back
lay Compensation Engine to time-align input paths the audio in track 1 and record it to track 2.
when the hardware insert is in use and Delay Com-
9 After recording, zoom in and measure the dif-
pensation is enabled
ference between where the audio starts in track
1 and track 2. The difference is the value you
would enter as your hardware’s insert delay off-
set.
Chapter 51: Basic Mixing 1183
Dither on Export and Import When you export au-
Dither dio to a lower bit depth, or when you import an au-
Dither is used to minimize quantization artifacts dio file into a session that is at a lower bit depth
when reducing the bit depth of an audio signal, for than the file, a preset, noise-shaped dither is ap-
example, from 24-bit to 16-bit. Quantization arti- plied.
facts are most apparent when a signal is near the
For more information about the application
low end of its dynamic range, such as during a
of dither on export, see “Exporting Audio”
quiet passage or a fade-out.
on page 474.
Dither minimizes quantization artifacts by intro-
For more information about the application
ducing very low-level random noise to a signal,
of dither on import, see “Bit Depth Conver-
which smooths out the distortion that can result
sion and Dither” on page 464.
when the signal’s bit depth is reduced.
For more information on Dither plug-ins, see Pro Tools | S6 is a modular, ergonomically de-
the Audio Plug-Ins Guide. signed control surface for Pro Tools and EUCON-
compatible digital audio workstations (DAWs). S6
uses the EUCON Ethernet protocol to provide fast,
reliable data transmission. S6 is flexible and scal-
able. Modules can be arranged in many ways, and
can be added to address new workflows or increase
the number of strips.
For more information about Avid Control, Command|8 is a compact USB-based MIDI con-
visit www.avid.com/products/avid-control. trol surface for Pro Tools systems.
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 55, “Mix-
down” for more information).
Types of Inserts
h
Insert selector
An insert can be either a software DSP plug-in or a
hardware insert.
Insert button
Plug-In Inserts
Plug-In inserts are software inserts that process au-
dio material on a track in real time. For example,
Insert button and selector on a track the EQ, compressor, and delay plug-ins supplied
with your Pro Tools system can be used as real-
Pro Tools provides up to ten unity-gain inserts on
time plug-in inserts.
each audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing Folder, Mas-
ter Fader, and Instrument track. Audio, Auxiliary For more information about the plug-ins
Input, and Instrument track inserts are pre-fader, included with your Pro Tools system, see the
and Master Faders inserts are post-fader. Audio Plug-Ins Guide.
When more than one plug-in or hardware insert is Additional real-time plug-ins are available from
used on a track, they are processed in series. Each Avid and from many third-party developers.
effect is added to that of any previous inserts
(flowing from top to bottom in the Mix window In- For information about optional plug-ins,
serts View, and left to right in the Edit window In- choose Avid Link > Marketplace.
serts View).
There are three plug-in formats supported by HDX systems with the Playback Engine set to
Pro Tools (DSP, Native, and AudioSuite), two of HDX Classic let you use both DSP and Native
which can be used as real-time inserts, as follows: plug-ins on audio, Auxiliary Input, Routing
Folder, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks.
DSP Plug-Ins Provide real-time plug-in process-
ing using DSP-based processing with HDX sys- With HDX systems, Native plug-ins may
tems only. use additional voices and introduce extra
latency based on the HW Buffer Size. See
Native Plug-Ins Provide real-time plug-in process-
“Inserting Native and DSP Plug-Ins on
ing using host-based processing.
Tracks” on page 1194.
MIDI Effects Plug-ins Provide real-time MIDI ef-
Pro Tools Host-Based Systems
fects processing on Instrument tracks.
Native plug-ins can be used on audio, Auxiliary In-
AudioSuite Plug-Ins Provide non-real-time (ren-
put, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks.
dered), file-based processing plug-ins for
Pro Tools. For tips on maximizing Native plug-in per-
formance, see “Configuring the Playback
For information on using AudioSuite plug-ins
Engine” on page 104.
in Pro Tools, see Chapter 44, “AudioSuite
Processing.” Pro Tools | Carbon and HDX Hybrid Systems
Depending on your Pro Tools software, real-time With Pro Tools | Carbon and HDX systems using
plug-ins can be used as follows: the HDX Hybrid Engine, Native plug-ins can be
used on audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and
Instrument tracks. Native plug-ins are automati-
cally converted to DSP on tracks in DSP Mode.
Inserts (A–E) View Lit plug-in name indicates open plug-in window
Inserts (F–J) View For most control surfaces, only one plug-in can be
focused at a time. ICON control surfaces can have
up to four plug-ins focused at once (using the EQ
and Dynamics controls, and Custom Faders on
Sends (A–E) View your control surface).
I/O View
Command-Control-Option-Shift-click (Mac) or
Control-Start-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) an In-
sert button in the position you want to toggle.
Plug-Ins cannot be inserted or removed HDX systems with the Playback Engine set to
during recording. HDX Classic let you use both Native (host-based)
and DSP plug-ins on tracks.
To insert a plug-in on a track:
HDX systems using the HDX Hybrid Engine
1 Make sure the Inserts (A–E or F–J) View is switch between Native plug-ins and DSP
shown in the Mix or Edit window. plug-ins on tracks depending on whether or
2 Click the Insert selector on the track and select not DSP Mode is enabled. For more informa-
the plug-in that you want to use. (See “Plug-In tion, see Chapter 52, “DSP Mode.”
Formats” on page 1191 for related information.)
Using Only Native Plug-Ins
To remove an insert from a track: Subsequent Native plug-ins on the same track do
Click the Insert selector and choose No Insert. not take up additional voices unless a DSP plug-in
is inserted between those Native plug-ins.
You can insert a plug-in on a track by drag-
ging one of its Plug-In Settings (.tfx) files
In large sessions, when using Native plug-ins on a
from a Workspace browser onto an available
track, an additional voice may be used in each
track Insert position in the Mix window. See
occurrence of any of the following conditions:
“Dragging and Dropping Plug-In Settings • When you use the external key side-chain of a
Files” on page 1211. Native plug-in on that track
• When you select multiple track outputs for that
track (one voice used for each output)
• When you select an AFL/PFL Path output in the
Output tab of the I/O Setup dialog (one voice
used for each channel)
2 Click the first available insert and select the 2 Type a few letters included in the plug-in name
MIDI plug-in you want from the MIDI plug-in that you want. Only plug-ins whose names in-
submenu. (Note that MIDI plug-ins can be used clude those letters (highlighted yellow) now ap-
with any insert.) pear in the list (maximum of 20).
Plug-In Favorites
Navigating search results using the Up and Down To find a plug-in faster, a plug-in can be desig-
Arrow keys
nated as a favorite. Favorite plug-ins are shown at
4 Press Return (Mac) or Enter (Windows) to in- the top of the plug-in menu.
sert the selected plug-in.
When a plug-in becomes a favorite, it is still shown
You can also search Track Presets by in its plug-in category and its name appears in
name from the Insert selector. Depending bold.
on the preset, this lets you insert multiple
pre-configured inserts on the track.
When selecting the plug-in favorite to change, you You can also duplicate Sends. See “Moving
can select the plug-in from the list of favorites at or Copying Sends” on page 1162
the top of the plug-in menu, or in its plug-in cate-
gory (where the plug-in appears in bold). Pro Tools lets you drag and drop plug-ins from one
insert to between inserts. This results in reordering
of plug-in inserts on the target track, moving any
Moving and Duplicating plug-ins below it down to the next slot below (as-
Plug-In and Hardware Inserts suming one is available). A yellow line indicates
where the plug-in will be inserted.
You can move or duplicate an insert by dragging it
to a different position on the same track or a differ-
ent track. Inserts that are moved or duplicated re-
tain their original settings and automation.
A Plug-In window appears whenever you click a Track controls in the plug-in window
plug-in’s Insert button on a track. This floating
window lets you adjust the controls of any real- Track Selector Accesses any track in the session
time plug-in insert in use on a track. except MIDI, VCA, and Video tracks.
Auto button
Plug-In Librarian menu Auto Button Lets you enable individual plug-in
Compare button controls for automation recording. See “Automat-
ing Plug-Ins” on page 1249.
Settings Select
Next Setting Automation Safe When enabled, prevents existing
Previous Setting plug-in automation from being overwritten.
Preset controls in the plug-in window
Plug-In Settings Menu Lets you copy, paste, save, Plug-In Map Controls in the
and import plug-in settings. Plug-In Window
(Control Surfaces Only)
Plug-In Librarian Menu Recalls plug-in presets
(plug-in settings files saved in the plug-in’s root When a supported control surface is declared in
settings folder or in the current session’s Settings Pro Tools, Plug-In Map controls appear in the
folder). See “Plug-In Presets” on page 1206. plug-in window.
Next (+) and Previous (–) Setting Buttons Let Map Options menu
you select the next or previous preset from the Li-
brarian menu.
Map Presets menu
You will lose the current settings if they are Learn button
Using Plug-In Window 2 Adjust the controls of the plug-in for the effect
Controls you want.
3 Close the Plug-In window to save the most re-
All plug-ins provide standard Pro Tools controls
cent changes.
for track and insert selection, bypass, and other
controls, in addition to the EQ, dynamics, and
other processor-specific controls. Editing Plug-In Parameters
Using a Mouse
To select a different plug-in on the same track:
You can adjust rotary controls by dragging hori-
Click the Insert selector and select another plug- zontally or vertically. Parameter values increase as
in from the pop-up menu. you drag upward or to the right, and decrease as
you drag downward or to the left.
To choose a different track:
Click the Track selector and select another track Keyboard Shortcuts
from the pop-up menu. For finer adjustments, Command-drag (Mac) or
Control-drag (Windows) the control.
Target Window and Settings Shortcuts
To return a control to its default value, Option-
When multiple plug-in windows are open, a high- click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the control.
lighted target indicates the target window.
Pro Tools keeps a single plug-in target window.
Opening a new plug-in opens it as the new target
window, in the same location. In addition, the
plug-in target window is also the focus of key-
board shortcuts for plug-in settings.
To apply Delay Compensation to side-chains: A plug-in with any assigned output busses
cannot be removed or replaced until all plug-
1 Choose Setup > Preferences.
in output busses are unassigned.
2 Click the Mixing tab.
3 Enable the Compensate Side Chains option.
Plug-In Presets
4 Click OK.
Pro Tools makes it easy to create your own library
of plug-in settings, or presets. Using the Plug-In
Settings menu, you can copy, paste, save, and im-
Plug-in Bus Outputs port these settings from plug-in to plug-in, or from
Some plug-ins (such as some virtual instrument or session to session.
multi-band processing plug-ins) provide separate
Once you create and save settings files to disk (and
bus outputs you can use to route audio from the
tell Pro Tools where to find them by assigning to a
plug-in to the input of another track for additional
root folder) they appear both in the Plug-In Librar-
processing, monitoring, or recording.
ian menu and in the Plug-In Settings dialog. They
also appear as plug-in settings files (.tfx) in Work-
space browsers.
Lock Settings File Prevents the current preset To select a destination folder:
from being overwritten by the Save command. If From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose
you attempt to save any changes to the plug-in set- Settings Preferences > Save Plug-In Settings
tings, you will be prompted to save them using a To, and select Session Folder or Root Settings
different name or disk location. Folder.
Set As User Default Defines the current preset as If you selected Root Settings Folder, Pro Tools
the User Default for the selected plug-in. saves to the default Root Plug-In Settings folder
unless you have specified a different location for
Settings Preferences the Root Settings folder.
The Settings Preferences submenu provides com- To select a different Root Settings folder:
mands for configuring preferences for saving and
1 From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose Set-
importing presets. They include:
tings Preferences > Set Root Settings Folder.
Set Plug-In Default To Sets the default preset to ei-
2 Select the folder you want to use as your Root
ther Factory Default (the standard default setting
folder and click Select.
for that plug-in) or User Default (your custom set-
ting).
To make it easier to find specific types of settings, 1 Choose Import Settings from the Plug-In Set-
you can subdivide settings files by creating sub- tings menu.
folders for them. 2 Locate the settings file you want to import and
click Open. Pro Tools loads the setting and cop-
To create a settings subfolder:
ies it to the root destination folder.
1 From the Plug-In Settings menu, choose Save
Settings. To copy plug-in settings:
2 Click the New Folder button and type a name for Choose Copy Settings from the Plug-In Settings
the subfolder. menu.
3 Name the preset and click Save. The plug-in Press Command+Shift+C (Mac) or Con-
settings file is saved within the subfolder. trol+Shift+C (Windows) to copy plug-in
settings.
Managing Presets To paste plug-in settings:
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-
Unlinked multi-mono plug-ins have specific tings menu.
rules for settings. See “Linking and Unlink-
ing Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-Ins” on Press Command+Shift+V (Mac) or Con-
page 1218. trol+Shift+V (Windows) to paste plug-in
settings.
To save a preset:
To create a custom User Default preset:
1 Choose Save Settings from the Plug-In Settings
menu. 1 Create and save a plug-in settings file.
2 Type a name and click OK. The setting appears 2 Select Set As User Default from the Plug-In Set-
in the Plug-In Librarian menu. tings menu.
Press Command+Shift+S (Mac) or Con- To make a plug-in default to your custom preset:
trol+Shift+S (Windows) to save plug-in From the Plug-In Settings menu, select Settings
settings. Preferences > Set Plug-In Default To > User
To load a plug-in preset:
Setting.
You will lose the current plug-in settings if Plug-In Settings dialog
they are not saved before you use the Next
and Previous Setting buttons. Always save The Plug-In Settings dialog includes the follow-
your plug-in settings to the selected Root Set- ing:
tings folder.
Folder This pop-up menu lets you switch between
presets located in root or session folders (and any
Editing Settings on Unlinked available subfolders).
Multi-Mono Plug-Ins
Patch Field This field displays the name of the ac-
When a multi-mono plug-in is unlinked, import-
tive (highlighted) preset.
ing, copying, pasting, or bypassing settings affects
only the currently selected channel. Increment Patch Every X Sec This option lets you
audition plug-in presets in series by automatically
scrolling through them for a specified number of
Plug-In Settings Dialog seconds.
The Plug-In Settings dialog lists the presets for the To change plug-in presets using the Plug-In
current plug-in type. From this list, you can audi- Settings dialog:
tion and select presets.
1 Click the Settings Select button.
Use the Folder pop-up menu at the top of the Plug- 2 Do one of the following:
In Settings dialog to switch between plug-in set-
• Select a preset from the dialog list.
tings subfolders, or root and session settings fold-
ers. • Use the Arrow keys to scroll through the
available presets.
3 Click Done.
Map Options Menu Lets you create, rename, save, When you first put a plug-in into Learn mode, a
delete, import, export, and set default plug-in new plug-in map is created (with the default name
maps. “Custom Map”), and the plug-in is focused on the
control surface, but with a blank page of controls,
Map Presets Menu Lets you choose from avail- ready for mapping.
able custom Plug-In Maps for the plug-in.
Only one plug-in can be in Learn mode at a time.
Learn Button Puts the plug-in in Learn mode,
where you can map plug-in parameters to a control To put a plug-in into Learn mode, do one of the
surface. following:
Select (or deselect) View > Plug-In > Map Close the plug-in window.
Controls. Click the Learn button in a different plug-in
window.
2 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is 3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is
focused on the control surface, but with a blank focused on the control surface.
page of controls, ready for mapping. 4 Do the following for each parameter mapping
3 In the plug-in window, click the plug-in param- you want to remove:
eter you want to map. The parameter name ap- • Make sure the Parameter menu displays No
pears in the Parameter menu. Control.
4 On the control surface, do one of the following: • On the control surface, page to the encoder or
switch where you want to remove the map-
• Turn the encoder or press the channel Select
ping, and turn the encoder or press the switch.
switch where you want to map the parameter.
• If the control surface is in Flip mode, move 5 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
the fader or press the channel Select switch
where you want to map the parameter. Saving Plug-In Maps
5 Repeat steps 3-4 for each parameter you want to You can save plug-in maps as presets for reuse on
map. the same Pro Tools system.
6 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode. Plug-In maps are saved as global preferences on a
Pro Tools system, so they are available to all ses-
To change parameter mapping in a plug-in map:
sions created on the system.
1 Open the plug-in whose custom map you want
to change. When you create a map for a plug-in, that map be-
comes available to all other plug-ins of the same
2 Choose the map you want to change from the type and channel format.
Map Preset pop-up menu.
If you want to map the same plug-in in
3 Put the plug-in into Learn mode. The plug-in is
different channel formats (such as mono,
focused on the control surface.
stereo and 5.1 surround) you need to create
4 Do the following for each parameter mapping a separate plug-in map for each format.
you want to change:
You can also export plug-in maps for use on other
• In the plug-in window, click the new plug-in
Pro Tools systems with a similar control surface
parameter you want to map. The parameter
(see “Exporting and Importing Plug-In Maps” on
name appears in the Parameter menu.
page 1216.
• On the control surface, page to the encoder or
switch where you want to change the map-
ping, and turn the encoder or press the switch.
5 Take the plug-in out of Learn mode.
1214 Pro Tools Reference Guide
To save a copy of a custom plug-in map: To delete a custom plug-in map:
1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to copy. 1 Open the plug-in whose map you want to delete.
2 Choose the map you want to copy from the Map 2 Choose the map you want to delete from the
Presets pop-up menu. Map Presets pop-up menu.
3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose 3 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
Save Map As. Delete Current Map.
You can also delete all custom plug-in maps on the If you change parameter mapping in the custom
system, reverting all plug-ins to their Factory De- plug-in map that has been set as the default, the
fault plug-in maps. changes will propagate to all instances of the plug-
in using that default.
On D-Control and D-Command systems,
when you delete all plug-in maps, you are When you export a plug-in map, the default
also deleting all Custom Fader Plug-In map setting for that plug-in is also exported.
mappings. When that map is imported, the default setting
is also updated, and all instances of the plug-
in change to the new default.
Default map settings are stored as global (system- 1 Open the plug-in whose default plug-in map
wide) Pro Tools preferences, so they are applied to pages you want to hide.
all sessions that you subsequently open or create 2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose
on that system. Hide Factory Default Pages.
2 From the Map Options pop-up menu, choose bypassed (blue) not bypassed
Export All Plug-In Maps.
3 Locate the plug-in map (.pim) file you want to 1 Select the tracks on which you want to bypass
import. inserts. Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Win-
dows) to select all tracks shown in the session.
4 Click Open.
2 Choose Track > Bypass Insert.
3 Select (or deselect) one of the following:
Bypassing Plug-Ins
All Bypasses all Inserts on all selected tracks in the
Plug-Ins can be bypassed from their Plug-In win- session.
dow, or from the Mix and Edit window Inserts
View. Inserts A–E Bypasses Inserts A–E on all selected
tracks in the session.
To bypass a plug-in, do one of the following:
Inserts F–J Bypasses Inserts A–E on all selected
Click the Plug-In window’s Effect Bypass but- tracks in the session.
ton.
EQ Bypasses all EQ plug-ins on all selected tracks
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- in the session. For those plug-ins that are available
dows) the plug-in’s Insert button in the Mix or in multiple categories (such as Channel Strip),
Edit window. only the EQ portion of the plug-in is bypassed.
Press Shift+A to bypass (or un-bypass) all in- To unlink controls on a multi-mono plug-in:
serts on selected tracks. Deselect the Master Link button.
Press Shift+2 to bypass (or un-bypass) inserts
A–E on selected tracks. To access controls for a specific channel:
Press Shift+3 to bypass (or un-bypass) inserts Select the channel from the Channel selector.
F–J on selected tracks.
To link the controls of specific channels:
Press Shift+E to bypass (or un-bypass) all EQ 1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al-
plug-ins on selected tracks. ready deselected.
Press Shift+C to bypass (or un-bypass) all Dy- 2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels
namics plug-ins on selected tracks. whose controls you want to link.
Press Shift+V to bypass (or un-bypass) all Re-
verb plug-ins on selected tracks.
Press Shift+D to bypass (or un-bypass) all De-
lay plug-ins on selected tracks. All channels linked except the LFE
Press Shift+W to bypass (or un-bypass) all
Modulation plug-ins on selected tracks.
HDX and HD Native systems can receive external If you set the Optical Format to S/PDIF,
clock through any of the digital inputs on any Avid Pro Tools will watch the Optical port for
HD audio interface (including AES/EBU, S/PDIF, external clock, and ignore any clock input
and Optical). on the S/PDIF RCA jacks.
For details on audio interface connections, Pro Tools Systems with Eleven Rack
see the guide for your audio interface.
Pro Tools can receive external clock from the
To select an external clock source for HDX or AES/EBU input or S/PDIF input.
HD Native systems:
To select an external clock source for Eleven
1 Choose Setup > Hardware. Rack:
2 Select the appropriate audio interface in order to 1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
display its settings in the Main page.
2 Set the Clock Master to match the type of
3 If necessary, enable the appropriate Digital For- input.
mat (if you have not already done so, according
to the instructions in your User Guide or I/O Pro Tools Systems with Mbox Pro or Mbox (3rd
Guide). generation)
4 Set the Clock Master to match the type of Pro Tools can receive external clock from the
input. S/PDIF input on these interfaces.
5 Configure input routing of the digital source, To select an external clock source from Pro Tools
using the Input and Output pop-up menus, if with an Mbox Pro or Mbox (3rd generation):
necessary.
1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
6 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog.
2 Select SPDIF/RCA (Mac) or SPDIF (Windows)
from the Clock Master pop-up menu.
Pro Tools Systems with 003, 003 Rack+, or
003 Rack 3 Click OK.
Pro Tools can receive external clock from the Op- Your digital input device must be connected
tical input or S/PDIF input. and powered on for Pro Tools to synchronize to
it. If your input device is not powered on, leave
the Clock Master set to Internal.
DSP-compatible badge
This example session is made up of the following tracks (see the graphic on the next page):
• 3 mono audio tracks for vocals, guitar, and bass. Each track has EQ and dynamics plug-ins, and the vocal
track also has a slap-back delay.
• 2 stereo audio tracks, one for electric piano and another for drum loops. Each track has EQ and dynamics
plug-ins.
• 1 stereo Auxiliary Input track for reverb processing.
• 2 Master Fader tracks, one for control room monitoring and the other for the singer’s headphones. Each
has a limiter on it.
• 1 mono Auxiliary Input track for the built-in talkback mic.
The following diagram shows the physical studio connections for this workflow example. While this work-
flow example only reviews recording vocals in DSP Mode with a dedicated headphone mix, you can just
as easily have independent headphone mixes for the rest of the band.
Figure 2. Physical studio connections (HDX Hybrid Engine with MTRX Studio shown)
Figure 5. Session configured for recording vocals, but with Auxiliary Input track in DSP Mode Safe for Native
reverb processing
Use input and output gain controls on Native-only plug-in inserts to make up for any undesirable
changes in signal level when switching between Native Mode and DSP Mode.
Since DSP Mode does not reduce latency for tracks that are not part of a live signal path, avoid enabling
DSP Mode on tracks that are not part of the signal chain for recording and input monitoring. However,
note that DSP Mode can be used to offload plug-in processing from the CPU when mixing without con-
sequence.
To avoid unnecessarily enabling DSP Mode automatically on tracks that are fed by other channels of a
multi-channel bus, use dedicated mono bus paths instead of mono sub-paths of stereo busses when rout-
ing mono audio signals with tracks in DSP Mode. You will need to specifically create mono bus paths
in I/O Setup since the default bus paths will always be stereo with mono sub-paths.
Avoid routing unrelated signals to the channels of a multichannel bus. For example, avoid routing a gui-
tar signal to the left channel and a bass signal to the right channel of the same stereo bus.
Routing Folder tracks let you view and edit On MIDI tracks, these parameters include:
track automation, such as Volume and Pan, • MIDI Volume
either in the corresponding track view or in • MIDI Pan
Automation lanes. Routing Folder track auto-
mation is independent of any automation on • MIDI Mute
member tracks, and editing Routing Folder • pitch bend
track automation does not affect the automa- • mono aftertouch
tion on member tracks.
• program change
• Sysex
• controllers
• mono aftertouch
Automation Playlists with Audio
• program change and MIDI Clips
• sysex
Pro Tools handles audio clips and their automation
• controllers playlists differently from MIDI clips and their au-
• Audio Volume tomation playlists.
Touch mode writes automation only while a fader See also “Writing Automation to the Start,
or switch is touched or clicked with the mouse. End, or All of a Track or Selection” on
When the fader is released, the writing of automa- page 1272.
tion stops and the fader returns to any previously
automated position, at a rate determined by the Au- AutoJoin with Latch Mode
toMatch and Touch Timeout settings. See “Auto- (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
mation Preferences” on page 1241.
Pro Tools provides two different methods to
In Touch mode, certain control surfaces start writ- resume writing automation on controls that were
ing automation as soon as you touch them. These active at the point where the transport stopped:
include touch-sensitive fader controllers, such as
D-Control, D-Command, C|24, 003, or Com- AutoJoin Lets you automatically resume writing
mand|8. automation in Latch mode.
With other control surfaces in Touch mode, writ- Join Lets you manually resume writing automa-
ing of automation does not begin until the fader tion in Latch mode. To Join, Command-click
hits the pass-through point, or the previously auto- (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the Auto Join
mated position. Once you reach the pass-through button in the Automation window (Window > Au-
point with the fader, or a non-touch sensitive rotary tomation). Join is also available with supported
control, writing of automation begins and contin- control surfaces.
ues until you stop moving the fader.
AutoJoin Enable button in the Automation window AutoJoin indicator in the Edit window
Trim Mode Trim Off turns off reading and writing of all auto-
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only) mation (main and trim) for a track. All automation
moves are ignored during playback. Trim faders
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio can adjust (or trim)
are temporarily set to zero when a track is set to
existing track volume and send level automation
Trim Off mode.
data in real time. Pan, mute and plug-in automation
cannot be trimmed in this manner. Trim mode Depending on the Coalesce Trim Automation pref-
works in combination with the other Automation erence setting, changing a track to Trim Off can
modes (Read, Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch, and coalesce Trim automation on that track. See “Co-
Write) and is useful when you want to preserve all alescing Trim Automation” on page 1271.
of your volume automation moves, but need to
make levels a bit louder or softer to balance a mix. Automation can be switched from Trim Off to an-
For more information, see “Trim Automation other Automation mode during playback or record.
Modes” on page 1239.
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 1242 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 1241). 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 mute a lane:
Right-click menu for selecting a single Automation or
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win- Controller lane
dows) the name plate of the automation lane.
To resize the height of all Automation and
To change the Automation or Controller type for a Controller lanes for a track, do one of the
lane: following:
Click the Automation/Controller Type selector Right-click on the vertical zoom scale just to the
and select the Automation or Controller type right of the track controls and select the height
you want. from the pop-up menu.
Drag the bottom line of any given Lane Con-
trols column up or down. The cursor changes to
indicate that you can resize the lane.
Selecting the Automation type for a lane Press Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) while
selecting the Lane Height setting.
To reorder lanes:
To display the Trim automation playlist along with Display of Trim automation and the composite playlist
in a main Volume playlist
main automation playlist on tracks:
After the first automation pass, you can write addi- In this initial state, only a single automation break-
tional automation to the track without completely point appears at the beginning of each automation
erasing the previous pass by choosing Touch mode playlist. If you move the control without writing
or Latch mode. These modes add new automation automation, this breakpoint will move to the new
only when you actually move a control. (See “Au- value.
tomation Modes” on page 1236.)
You can permanently store the initial position of
To write additional automation to a previous pass: an automatable control by doing any of the follow-
ing:
1 Enable Options > Link Timeline and Edit Selec-
tion. • Place the track in Write mode and press Play to
write a few seconds of automation data to the
2 In the Edit window, make a selection or place
track
the cursor in the location where you want to
start writing automation. • Manually place a breakpoint on the automation
playlist somewhere after the initial breakpoint.
3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa- (See “Graphical Editing of Automation Data” on
tion Mode selector on each of the tracks you page 1261 for more information.)
want to automate, and set the Automation mode
to Touch or Latch mode.
2 In the Mix or Edit window, set the Automation 2 Choose Edit > Automation > Copy to Send.
mode for each track containing sends you want
to automate. For each track, click the Automa-
tion Mode selector and set the Automation
mode. For the initial automation pass, choose
Write mode.
3 If sends are not currently visible on your tracks,
select View > Mix Window (or Edit Window) >
Sends A–E (or Sends F–J).
AutoMatching Individual
Automation Types
AutoMatch button in the Automation window You can invoke AutoMatch on individual automa-
tion types across a session.
AutoMatching All Controls
To AutoMatch all controls of one automation type:
You can AutoMatch all currently writing controls
to their existing automation levels. In the Automation window, Command-click
(Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the button
To AutoMatch all currently writing controls: for the automation type (Volume, Pan, Mute,
1 Choose Window > Automation. Plug-In, Send level, Send pan, or Send mute).
To prime controls for writing automation in Latch 8 Stop playback to finish the automation pass. All
mode while the transport is stopped: tracks are taken out of their Latch Prime state.
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing. You can use the Write to Punch command at
2 Under Automation, select Allow Latch Prime in the end of your automation pass to write the
Stop. current value back to the start of the pass.
You can take individual tracks or automation types Option-Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-
out of their Latch Prime state before or during an Control-Shift-click (Windows) the Automation
automation pass. Mode selector on a track.
When you take a track or automation type out of Alt-Shift-click (Windows) Option-Shift-click
Latch Prime before starting playback, it stays in (Mac) the AutoMatch button in the Automation
Latch mode but the corresponding controls are not window.
primed to write when playback starts.
To take an automation type out of Latch Prime on
When you take a track or automation type out of all tracks, do one of the following:
Latch Prime during an automation pass, the corre- In the Automation window, Command-click
sponding controls AutoMatch to their currently (Mac) or Control-click (Windows) the button
written values. for the automation type (Volume, Pan, Mute,
If you AutoMatch a control that is in a Latch Plug-In, Send level, Send pan, or Send mute).
Prime state, the control will no longer be primed.
Enabled
Not Enabled
To remove several breakpoints at once: 1 Select the track where you want to clear the
Trim automation.
Use the Selector tool to select a range that con-
tains the breakpoints, and press Delete (Mac) or 2 Do one of the following:
Backspace (Windows). • Choose Track > Clear Trim Automation.
• Right-click the track name and choose Clear
To remove all automation data of the displayed
type: Trim Automation.
1 In the Edit window, click the Track View selec- Triangle Draws a sawtooth pattern that repeats at a
tor to display an automation type you want to rate based on the current Grid value. In audio
thin, or reveal the corresponding Automation tracks, the pattern has a single breakpoint at each
lane. extreme. In MIDI tracks, the controller value
changes in steps according to the resolution setting
2 With the Selector tool, highlight the automation
in the MIDI Preferences page. Amplitude is con-
data you want to thin. To thin automation for the
trolled by vertical movement of the Pencil tool.
entire track, click in the track with the Selector
tool and choose Edit > Select All. Square Draws a square pattern that repeats at a
rate based on the current Grid value. Amplitude is
controlled by vertical movement of the Pencil tool.
For more information on MIDI continuous MIDI Data drawn with resolution of 100 ms
controller data, see “Continuous Controller For better performance, consider selecting a
Events” on page 833. smaller value for MIDI controls that need higher
resolution (such as MIDI volume), and a larger
Resolution of MIDI Controller value for controls that may not require a high reso-
Data lution (such as Pan).
When using the Pencil tool to draw MIDI automa-
tion, the data is drawn as a series of discrete steps.
You can control the resolution (or density) of these Editing Automation
steps to help manage the amount of MIDI data sent
For all tracks in a session, Pro Tools provides sev-
for a given MIDI controller move.
eral ways to edit automation data—including Trim
To set the resolution for the Pencil tool:
automation if it has not been coalesced
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only). You can
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click MIDI. edit automation data graphically by adjusting
2 Enter a value for Pencil Tool Resolution When breakpoints in any automation playlist. You can
Drawing Controller Data. The value can range also cut, copy, and paste automation data in the
from 1 to 100 milliseconds. same manner as audio and MIDI data.
Automation breakpoint
Using the Grabber tool to create a new breakpoint
By dragging these breakpoints, you can modify the
Using the Pencil Tool
automation data directly in the Edit window and
MIDI Editor windows. When you drag an automa- The Pencil tool lets you create new breakpoints by
tion breakpoint up or down, the change in value is clicking once on the graph line. Option-click
numerically or textually indicated. (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) breakpoints with
the Pencil tool to remove them.
Dragging an automation breakpoint to the left or The Trim tools let you adjust all selected break-
right adjusts the timing of the automation event. points up or down by dragging anywhere within
that selection.
To view the breakpoint automation type on any
track, either select the corresponding Track View
or reveal the corresponding Automation or Con-
troller lane under the track.
Each automatable control has its own automation Drag the breakpoint down to mute a section. Drag
playlist, that can be displayed by choosing it from a breakpoint up to unmute the section. Drag a
the Track View selector. “Viewing Automation” breakpoint to the left or right to adjust the timing of
on page 1243. the mute.
Click an existing point on the line graph with Click in the clip with any of the Trim tools and
any Grabber tool and drag it to a new position. drag the breakpoints up or down.
When you use a Trim tool to edit a selection Hold Command+Option (Mac) or Control+Alt
containing breakpoints, new anchor break- (Windows) while writing a breakpoint (by
points are created before and after the se- clicking with any Grabber tool in a track’s auto-
lected area. To suppress creation of anchor mation playlist).
breakpoints while using a Trim tool, hold Op-
tion (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while trimming.
Press Control (Mac) or Start (Windows) while If the Cut command is chosen, anchor breakpoints
you perform the edit. are created at each end of the selection, and the au-
tomation slope on either side of the cut data is pre-
served, as shown in the following figure.
You cannot cut or copy automation data For example, when an audio track is set to Wave-
from an automation playlist unless that form or Blocks, cutting, copying and pasting af-
playlist includes at least one breakpoint in fects the audio data and all types of automation
it. The selection you are cutting or copying data on that track. If the track is set to show Pan au-
does not need to include any breakpoints, tomation, only the Pan data is affected.
but without at least one breakpoint on an When a selection includes multiple tracks, if any of
automation playlist, there is no automation those tracks is in its Master View, all data on all se-
data to copy. lected tracks is affected.
If cut or copied data contains a type of automa- To cut all automation, press Option+Shift+X
tion not currently on the target track, Pro Tools (Mac) or Alt+Shift+X (Windows).
prompts you before allowing you to paste the data.
Pan Automation Cuts only pan automation or
Cut or copied automation data for plug-ins or MIDI pan data whether it is shown or not.
sends that do not exist on the target track is ignored
when pasted. Plug-In Automation Cuts only the plug-in automa-
tion that is shown.
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 all automation for any
ways:
plug-in with at least one automation lane 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 1027. 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 Ultimate and Studio Software 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 1028.
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 1271. 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
choose the automation mode (Touch, Latch,
Touch/Latch, or Write).
To coalesce Trim automation on a track when Pro Tools lets you write current automation values
exiting Trim mode: from any insertion point forward (or backward) to
1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click Mixing. the end (or beginning) of a track or Edit selection
in a track, or to an entire track or Edit selection,
2 Under Coalesce Trim Automation, select On while performing an automation pass.
Exiting Trim Mode.
Latch Mode The control for the parameter must be To write current trim delta values to the start, end,
changed (touched) during the automation pass. or all of a track or selection:
2 Make sure that the automation type is write- • Drag with the Selector tool to select a portion
enabled. of the track.
• Click in a track at an insertion point. 6 When you reach a point in the track or selection
• Drag with the Selector tool to select a portion that contains the trim setting (delta value) you
of the track. want to apply, click the Write Automation to
Start, All, or End button in the Automation win-
4 Start playback. dow.
5 Make sure you are actively writing on the 7 Stop playback.
appropriate track if you are in Latch or Touch
mode.
The Write Automation to Start, End, or All modes Writing Automation to the
can be configured to disable or remain enabled af- Next Breakpoint or to the
ter a valid automation pass. Punch Point
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
See “Requirements for Standard Write Automa-
tion Commands” on page 1273. While performing an automation pass, Pro Tools
lets you write current automation values from the
current insertion point forward to the next automa-
tion breakpoint, or back to the punch point (the lo-
cation in the track where automation writing
started).
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint lets you
update automation within a track without overwrit-
ing automation located earlier or later in the Time-
line, and without having to define a selection
before editing automation.
Write Automation to Punch Point lets you fill
back an automation value within a track after find-
ing the right level or setting during an automation
pass, without having to go back and repeat the
pass.
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint and Write To Next Breakpoint buttons in the Automation
Write Automation to Punch Point have the window
same requirements as Write Automation to 7 Stop Playback.
Start, End and All commands. See “Writing
Automation to the Start, End, or All of a The current values of all controls being written at
Track or Selection” on page 1272. that point are written up to the next breakpoint.
To write current automation values to the next Write Automation to Next Breakpoint
breakpoint: remains enabled after a valid automation
1 Choose Window > Automation. pass. Unlike standard Write Automation
commands, it cannot be configured to
2 Make sure that the automation type is write-en- disable after an automation pass.
abled.
3 Click in a track to define an insertion point.
4 Start playback.
5 Make sure you are actively writing on the ap-
propriate track if you are in Touch, Latch, or
Touch/Latch mode.
Write to Punch Point To write current trim values to the punch point:
1 Choose Window > Automation.
Write to Punch Point
on Stop 2 Make sure that the automation type (track vol-
ume or send level) is write-enabled.
3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
tion Mode selector and select Trim. The track
Volume and Send Level faders turn yellow.
Write To Punch Point buttons in the Automation
window 4 Click in a track to define an insertion point.
The current values of all write-enabled parameters 5 Start playback.
are written back to the point where the first control
began writing automation. 6 When you reach a point in the track where you
want to apply the current trim values, click the
Write Automation to Punch Point button in the
Automation window.
Mute Overwrite/Extend is
Mute enable button in the Automation window
Supported in Touch and Latch
Mode, as follows: 3 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
Touch Mode Writes the current state as long as the tion Mode selector of the track where you want
Mute button is held. to overwrite the mute state, and set the Automa-
tion mode to Touch or Latch mode.
Latch Mode Writes the current state until you stop
or AutoMatch out. To overwrite mute states on multiple tracks,
set all tracks to the same Automation mode.
6 Start playback.
7 Press Command (Mac) or Control (Windows)
and the track Mute button before the start of the
Stopping automation pass after the end of a mute
event
mute event you want to extend.
9 When you have finished the automation pass, To extend mute states on multiple tracks,
stop playback. press Option+Command (Mac) or Alt+Con-
trol (Windows) and the Mute button on the
track.
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only) • Select the Grabber tool and click anywhere in
the playlist.
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio let you write auto-
4 Do one of the following:
mation data values for multiple parameters in a
single step. You can write snapshot automation in • Select an area in the track’s playlist (or within
two ways: multiple tracks) where you want to apply the
automation.
To a Selection Automation data is written to the
• Place the cursor at an Edit insertion point.
Timeline selection (as well as the Edit selection if
linked). Anchor breakpoints are placed just before 5 Adjust the controls you want to automate. You
and after the selection so that data outside the se- can also change a plug-in preset.
lection is not affected.
6 Choose Edit > Automation and do one of the
To a Cursor Location Automation data is written following:
at the insertion point. After the insertion point, the • To write the current value to only the
automation ramps to the next breakpoint value, or currently displayed automation parameter,
if no breakpoints exist, remains at the newly writ- choose Write to Current.
ten value for the remainder of the session. • To write the current settings for all automa-
For MIDI automation, the Write To, Trim To, tion parameters enabled in the Automation
and Glide To commands only apply to MIDI window, choose Write to All Enabled.
Volume, MIDI Pan, and MIDI Mute. MIDI
parameters cannot use the Write To com- Adding Snapshot Automation to
mands. Empty Automation Playlists
For more information on cutting, copying, and When you use a Write Automation command on an
pasting automation data within a session, see automation playlist with no previously written au-
“Writing Automation to the Start, End, or All of a tomation data, the selected value is written to the
Track or Selection” on page 1272. entire playlist and not just the selected area.
Snapshot Automation and When you put Pro Tools in Automation Preview
Trimming of Automation Data mode, you can preview values for automation-en-
abled controls on any track that is in a writable au-
Pro Tools lets you use trim values as snapshots and
tomation mode.
apply the relative changes (delta values) to the se-
lected automation by using the Trim Automation While in Automation Preview mode, when you
command. This works in much the same way as the touch or move a control, it isolates the control, dis-
Write Automation command, except that it writes engaging it from its automation playlist. The con-
delta values instead of absolute values to automa- trol stops reading or writing automation, allowing
tion data. you to freely audition changes.
You can use trim values in writing snapshot When you have found a level or state that you want
automation to any automatable parameter. to use, you can then commit or punch the pre-
viewed value to the automation playlist for the iso-
To create a snapshot of relative changes in lated controls.
automation data:
1 In the Automation window, make sure that the If you punch during playback, the automation
automation parameters you want to edit are mode is set to Latch and writing begins at the pre-
write-enabled. Deselect any parameters whose view value.
automation you want to preserve. If you punch while the transport is stopped, the
2 Select the area of the track you want to edit. All automation mode is set to Latch and the control is
automated controls update to reflect the auto- primed at the preview value.
mation at the beginning of the selection. It is not necessary for the Allow Latch Prime
3 Move the controls for the parameter up or down in Stop preference to be enabled for Preview
by the amount you want to change the data. to put a control into Latch Prime.
Preview controls in the Automation window To isolate all currently write-enabled controls:
4 To isolate a control, touch or move an automa- Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
tion-enabled control.You can isolate controls Preview button.
during playback or while the transport is
stopped. To isolate all write-enabled controls on all selected
tracks:
You can capture the current automation values of 1 Move to a location where you want to apply the
actively writing controls. captured automation states. You can do this
during playback or while the transport is
To capture automation values: stopped.
1 Make sure all tracks whose automation values 2 Click the Punch Capture button in the Automa-
you want to capture are in a write-enabled state tion window to apply the captured automation
(Write, Touch, Latch, Touch/Latch or Latch). states. The captured states are applied to all au-
tomation types that are currently enabled in the
2 Make sure the automation types you want to
Automation window.
capture are enabled in the Automation window
(Volume, Pan, Mute, Send level, Send pan,
Send mute, or Plug-In). Capturing Automation Values for
All Controls
3 Start playback. When you reach a location
where you want to capture the current automa- You can capture the state of all automatable con-
tion states, click the Capture button in the Auto- trols (except on tracks with their Automation
mation window. Mode set to Off) in a session, regardless of whether
they are currently writing automation.
The Punch Capture button in the Automation win-
dow lights to indicate a captured value is available To capture the automation values of all controls:
to punch. When you reach a location where you want to
capture the current automation states, Option-
Punching Captured Automation click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the Capture
Values button.
After automation values are captured, they can be
To capture the automation values of all controls on
punched (written) to another location in the track. selected tracks only:
Any tracks set to Read or Off are unaffected.
When you reach a location where you want to
If you punch during playback, the automation capture the current automation states, Option-
mode of any track set to Touch is set to Latch and Shift-click (Mac) or Alt-Shift-click (Windows)
writing begins at the captured value. the Capture button.
If you punch while the transport is stopped, the
automation mode of any track set to Touch is set to Punching Automation Values for
Latch and the control is primed at the captured All Controls
value.
You can punch all captured automation values to
another location on their corresponding tracks (ex-
cept those tracks with their Automation Mode set
to Off).
Loading Captured Values into Preview On ICON systems, you can use preview mode to
capture multiple snapshots without changing auto-
You can preview and modify captured automation mation.
values in Preview mode before punching the val-
ues to the automation playlist.
Volume
VCA Master Track automation
Automation playlist
Composite
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only) playlist
You can automate changes to VCA Master track Viewing composite automation on a VCA member
controls (as well as the controls for VCA member track
tracks).
Excluding VCA Member Tracks
from VCA Master Automation
Displaying Automation on VCA
Master Tracks When you are writing automation on a VCA Mas-
ter track, the corresponding moves will appear on
The following controls on VCA Master tracks can
the composite automation playlist of each of its
be automated and have separate automation play-
member tracks. If you want to exclude a member
lists:
track from an automation pass, write-enable the
• Volume member track for automation.
• Volume trim (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio
To exclude a member track from VCA Master track
only)
automation pass:
• Mute
1 Write-enable the VCA Master track for automa-
These automation playlists follow the same behav- tion (Write, Touch or Latch mode).
ior as automation playlists on other track types. For 2 Write-enable the member track you want to ex-
more information on Volume trim automation, see clude for automation (Write mode).
“Trimming Automation” on page 1270.
3 Make sure other member tracks that you want
to include in the pass are not write-enabled for
automation.
Pro Tools lets you mix down by recording a mix to Printing effects to disk is the technique of perma-
new audio tracks or by bouncing a mix to disk. nently adding real-time effects, such as EQ or re-
verb, to an audio track by bussing and recording it
Recording to Tracks This is the process of sub-
to new tracks with the effects added. The original
mixing and recording the submix to new audio audio is preserved, so you can return to the source
tracks, as you would any other track input signals. track at any time. This can be useful when you
This method requires available tracks, voices, and have a limited number of tracks or effects devices.
bus paths to accommodate the submix and the new
tracks. While recording to tracks, you can manu- AudioSuite plug-ins provide another option
ally adjust mixer or other controls. for writing (or “printing”) a plug-in effect to
disk. For more information, see Chapter 44,
Record to new tracks if you want to adjust mixer
“AudioSuite Processing.”
controls during the mixdown.
You can use the Bounce Mix command to write au- Inserts and Sends All active inserts, including
dio loops, sub-mixes, stems, or any other session real-time plug-ins and hardware inserts, are ap-
audio to disk as a new audio file in any of several plied to the bounced mix.
audio file formats. You can use it to create final
Selection or Track Length If you make a selection
mono, stereo, and multichannel master files.
in a track, the bounced mix will be the length of the
Bounce Mix also provides conversion options for
selection. If there is no selection in any track, the
sample rate, bit resolution, and format. It even lets
bounce will be the length of the longest audible
you automatically import bounced files after the
track in the session.
bounce is complete. Use Bounce Mix presets to
store and recall your most commonly used Bounce Time Stamp Information Bounced material is au-
settings. tomatically time stamped so that you can drag it
into a track and place it at the same location as the
To Bounce Mix (basic instructions): original material. For more information about time
1 Make a Timeline selection to define the range to stamping, see “Time Stamping” on page 1427.
be bounced.
Bounced Files Are Delay-Compensated
2 Choose File > Bounce Mix.
Pro Tools compensates for any bus and plug-in de-
3 Configure the Bounce options (see “Bounce
lays when bouncing to disk. This means that if a
Options” on page 1297).
bounced file is imported back into a session, and
4 Click Bounce. placed directly in time against the source mix, it is
time-aligned with the original source mix.
Pro Tools does not include tracks that are either re-
cord-enabled or in Input Only monitoring mode in
the bounce.
Click the Preset button that contains the settings Saves the current settings. This command over-
you want to recall. writes any previous version of the preset.
Pro Tools provides a File Name text entry field for Pro Tools lets you Bounce Mix to M4A stereo or
Bounce Mix. Type the File Name you want for the mono AAC files at 44.1 and 48 kHz with constant
bounced file. For multi-source bounces, the en- or variable bit rates (CBR or VBR). MPEG-4 au-
tered file name is appended with the name of the dio files (.M4a) contain a digital audio stream en-
Mix Source and a number (incremented for each coded with AAC compression standards. This au-
source): “<file name>_<source name>_<n>.” dio container was first used by Apple to
differentiate MPEG-4 audio files from the popular
File Type MP4 video file container. The AAC compression
in M4A files downsizes audio data while preserv-
The File Type selector lets you select the file type ing a high-level of quality. Because of that, M4A
for bounced files. audio files are comparatively smaller in size and
great for storing and sharing digital music, audio-
Press Command+Up/Down arrows (Mac)
book content, podcasts, and so on. It is the standard
or Control +Up/Down arrows (Windows) to
for delivering music tracks and other audio content
cycle through the available File Types.
from Apple iTunes Store, and is supported by all
WAV (Broadcast .WAV Format) major platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux, Android,
and iOS).
This format is supported on Windows and Mac. To
use a WAV file in Pro Tools, you can drag and MP3 (MPEG-1 Layer 3)
drop from a Workspace browser, Windows Ex-
The MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) compression format
plorer or Mac Finder, or a folder, or you can use
is used for streaming and downloading audio over
the Import Audio command. Files in this format do
the Internet, and for playback on portable devices.
not have to be converted to be used in Pro Tools.
Encoder Speed Determines the audio quality of Genre Choose a genre for the file. This informa-
the bounced file. There are two options: Highest tion is displayed by many MP3 players, and can
Quality and Fastest Encoding Time. appear in searchable catalogs and databases.
The Highest Quality option can take up to five Track Number If you select ID3 tag type v1.1 or
times longer to process audio than the Fastest En- v2.3, you can enter a CD track number for the file.
coding option, so you should use it only when the This information is displayed by many MP3
highest fidelity is essential and you have the time players.
to devote to the encoding process.
Year Enter a year for the file. This information is
Constant Bit Rate (CBR) Encodes the file at a sin- displayed by many MP3 players.
gle bit rate that you choose from the Constant Bit
Rate (CBR) pop-up menu. Because the bit rate is Default Button
fixed, the quality of the encoded audio will vary
To restore all settings in this dialog to their default
depending on the nature of the material being com-
values, click Defaults.
pressed. The 128 kbit/s option is generally best for
streaming over the Internet, since it has predictable MXF (OP-Atom)
bandwidth requirements.
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Only)
ID3 Tag Info Settings While OP-Atom MXF files can contain either one
ID3 Tag Type The ID3 tag stores data about the en- channel of audio or one track of video per file,
coded audio file that is used by MP3 players to dis- Pro Tools can only export audio when bouncing to
play information about the file. Pro Tools supports MXF (OP-Atom). Also, to ensure compatibility
three versions of this tag, in order to provide back- with Non-Linear Editors (such as Avid Media
ward compatibility with older MP3 players: Composer) when bouncing to MXF (OP-Atom),
Multiple Mono is automatically selected as the only
• ID3 v1.0: Appears at the end of a streaming MP3
available option for File Type and Pad To Frame
file, so that tag information is only displayed af-
Boundary is enforced.
ter software streaming is finished.
• ID3 v1.1: Same as version 1.0, but adds track
number information to the tag.
.mov files can include both video and multiple 1 Make a Timeline selection to define the range to
channels of audio (see “Bounce Mix to MOV” on be bounced.
page 1520). This option is only available if there is 2 Choose File > Bounce Mix.
video in the session.
3 Click the “+” button to the right of the first Mix
Windows Media Source selector to add additional Mix Sources
(up to 16 simultaneous Mix Sources).
(Windows Only)
Windows Media formatted files can contain audio, Press Command+Shift+Up arrow (Mac) or
video, or script data stored in Windows Media For- Control+Shift+Up arrow (Windows) to add
mat. A Windows Media Format file may have a Mix Sources.
.asf or .wmv file name extension.
4 Select the desired output or bus path for each
Mix Source.
Mix Source
5 If necessary, click the “–” button to the right of
All currently active output paths (both internal mix any Mix Source (except the first) to remove it
busses and output busses) and any physical outputs from the bounce.
used in the session are available as the Mix Source.
Press Command+Shift+Down arrow (Mac)
To set the Mix Source: or Control+Shift+Down arrow (Windows)
to remove the bottom Mix Source.
Select a bus path, output path, or physical out-
put from the Mix Source selector. 6 To re-order Mix Sources, click and drag them
Bus bounced file includes only audio routed to the up or down in the list. Sources are written to
selected internal mix bus path. bounced files in the order they appear in the list
from top to bottom.
Output The bounced file includes only audio
routed to the selected output bus path. 7 Configure all other Bounce options as desired.
8 Click Bounce.
Physical Output The bounced file includes only
audio from all output paths mapped to the selected
physical output. This is useful when working with Compression Type
overlapping output paths. The Compression Type setting typically defaults
to PCM (Uncompressed) for most File Types and
Bouncing Multiple Sources
cannot be changed. If MP3 is selected as the File
Simultaneously
Type, it updates to MP3 and cannot be changed.
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only) For M4A, the options include AAC (Constant Bit
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio let you bounce up Rate) and AAC (Variable Bit Rate).
to 24 sources of up to 10 channels each in standard
surround formats (up to 7.1.2), or up to 16 channels
for ambisonics (3rd order), each simultaneously.
Multiple Mono Creates multiple mono files with To bounce multiple stems to a singe BWF:
the same number of channels as the source path. 1 Choose File > Bounce Mix.
• If the source output or bus path is stereo, two 2 For Mix Source, add and select the stems you
mono files will be created, and appended with want to bounce.
“.L” and “.R” suffixes on bounce.
Stems are written to channels in the bounced
• If a multichannel format is used (for example,
file in the order they appear in the Bounce Mix
six-channel, 5.1), individual mono files will be
dialog from top to bottom. You can reorder
created for each member of the path. Files will
source stems by dragging them up or down.
be appended with path suffixes according to the
path definition in the I/O Setup dialog. 3 For File Type, select WAV (BWF).
• If the source output or bus path is mono, the pop-
4 For File Format, select Interleaved.
up menu will switch from multiple mono to
mono, and will create one mono file (no sum- 5 For Delivery Format, select Single File.
ming of multiple sources).
Pull Up and Pull Down Rates All available sam- You can also create sub-folders for bounced files
ple rates support pull up and pull down rates, or by typing a <folder name>/<sub-folder name>
other specialized rates. (Mac) or <folder name>\
M4A is limited to 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz. <sub-folder name> (Windows). For example, type
“Mixes/MP3s” (Mac) or “Mixes\MP3s” (Win-
Pad to Frame Boundary dows).
Enable this option in the Bounce Mix dialog to cre- These folder names are saved and recalled with
ate a bounced file that pads to a frame boundary by presets. This way you can save presets with folder
rounding up to the nearest frame location on either locations that are always relative to your session
side of the bounce range to ensure placement accu- location.
racy in a Non-Linear Editor, such as Avid Media
Prompt for Location Enable this option to be
Composer.
prompted for the location where you want to save
the bounced file after you click Bounce.
Import After Bounce
Directory Enable this option to save the bounced
The Import After Bounce option automatically im- file to the default directory location. Click the
ports newly bounced files into the Clips List so you Choose button to specify a different directory for
can place them in tracks. If your newly bounced bounced files than the default location. This is use-
files are split stereo files (Multiple Mono), they are ful if there is a static location where you want the
listed together in the Clips List. bounced file to be written. You can save multiple
static locations and recall them with presets.
Pro Tools provides an Offline option for Bounce The speed of offline bounce can be affected by the
Mix. This lets you bounce faster-than-real-time in following:
most cases (depending on the session mixer size • CPU Usage—The speed of your CPU and how
and DSP plug-in complement). much CPU is in use by the system and other ap-
plications. You can monitor CPU usage in the
To bounce audio to disk offline:
System Usage window.
1 Make a Timeline selection to define the range to
• Disk Usage—For example, if the Disk meter in
be bounced.
the System Usage window reads 50% when you
2 Choose File > Bounce Mix. are playing back the session, offline bounce will
max out at two times the speed of real-time sim-
3 In the Bounce dialog, enable the Offline option.
ply because it is physically impossible to read
4 Configure the Bounce options as desired. the disk data from the drive fast enough. If you
can increase the Disk Playback Cache Size
5 Click Bounce.
(Setup > Playback Engine) to cache all audio on
the timeline, this should not be an issue
Limitations of Offline Bounce
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only).
When using the Offline Bounce option, the follow- • If there is an unbalanced use of your computer’s
ing are not included in the bounce: core processors due to large mixers and Native
• Hardware Inserts plug-in usage, you can check to see if the indi-
• External MIDI driven audio (such as outboard vidual core CPU meters are unbalanced in the
MIDI synthesizers or samplers). CPU section of the System Usage window. Re-
moving or making Native plug-ins inactive on
• External audio sources monitored by Auxiliary Auxiliary Input and Master Fader tracks may
Input tracks. help alleviate this problem.
• DSP only plug-ins (Offline Bounce always uses • Some third-party plug-ins may slow down off-
the Native version of DSP plug-ins, but only if line bounce due to their CPU requirements.
they are available).
• Any audio source that is synchronized exter- Note that for some sessions that use very
nally. large mixer configurations with lots of DSP-
based plug-ins and automation, it is possible
Any HEAT processing in the bounce path is that Offline Bounce may actually be slower
included with offline bounce. than bouncing in real time.
Cancel
The Cancel button closes the Bounce Mix dialog
without initiating the Bounce Mix conversion.
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 1294.
Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio software both let Immersive Surround Formats
you work with surround formats up to 7.1, and up
The following immersive surround formats are
to 7.1.2 with Dolby Atmos®.
supported: 5.0.2, 5.1.2, 5.0.4, 5.1.4, 7.0.4, 7.1.4,
7.0.6, 7.1.6, 9.0.4 (Pro Tools Ultimate only), 9.1.4
(Pro Tools Ultimate only), 9.0.6 (Pro Tools Ulti-
Surround Mixing in Pro Tools mate only), and 9.1.6 (Pro Tools Ultimate only).
(Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio Software Only)
These track formats are included with a few partic-
Pro Tools supports mixing in the following multi- ular use cases in mind:
channel (greater than stereo) formats: LCR, Quad,
• Monitoring returns from the Dolby Atmos Ren-
LCRS, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.1, 7.0, 7.0 SDDS (Sony Dy-
derer, such as live re-renders, and imported of-
namic Digital Sound), 7.1, and 7.1 SDDS.
fline re-renders.
For information on fundamental surround • Plug-in processing that would like to take full
concepts, see the Pro Tools Sync & Surround advantage of the 3D space, such as reverbs and
Concepts Guide. delays.
• Mixing in other immersive formats, such as
Dolby Atmos Surround Formats MPEG-H.
With Dolby Atmos, Pro Tools supports 7.0.2 and
7.1.2 formats.
2 rear channels Left Surround Rear (Ls) and Right 3 front channels Left (L), Center (C), Right (R)
Surround Rear (Rs)
2 side channels Left Surround Side (Lss) and
1 LFE channel (7.1.2 only) Low Frequency Ef- Right Surround Side (Rss)
fects
2 rear channels Left Surround Rear (Lsr) and
The following table shows default mono track Right Surround Rear (Rsr)
routing for a 7.1 SDDS mix in Pro Tools.
1 LFE channel (7.1.2 only) Low Frequency Ef-
Default Track Layout for 7.1 SDDS Format fects
Track Layout
2 overhead channels Left Top Surround (Lts) and
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Right Top Surround (Rts)
L Lc C Rc R Ls Rs LFE
7.0.2 and 7.1.2 Path Orders
7.1.2 and 7.0.2 Formats Set the Default Path Order for new paths in the Out
put page of the I/O Setup. Changing the Path Order
(Dolby Atmos) does not affect the track layout order or metering, but
it does change the channel order of the output path to
Pro Tools lets you create 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 surround
the assigned physical outputs on the audio interface.
format input, output, insert, and bus paths in the I/O
Setup for mixing to Dolby Atmos. Pro Tools can 7.0.2 L C R Lss Rss Lsr Rsr – Lts Rts (Film)
likewise create tracks with 7.0.2 and 7.1.2 channel
widths. 7.0.2 L R C – Lss Rss Lsr Rsr Lts Rts (SMPTE)
For more information, see Chapter 59, 7.1.2 L C R Lss Rss Lsr Rsr LFE Lts Rts (Film)
“Mixing to Dolby Atmos.”
7.1.2 L R C LFE Lss Rss Lsr Rsr Lts Rts (SMPTE)
Once the paths have been created, they are avail- You can create a new session and choose a sur-
able in any path input or output selector, such as round mix I/O Settings file as the default
track input and output assignments, sends, and so I/O Setup. See “New Sessions and I/O Settings” on
on. page 1315.
5.0.2 to 9.1.6 paths can also be used for internal Remixing Sessions in Surround (Importing
busses, monitoring, auditioning, and output meter- Multichannel I/O Setups)
ing. By creating or importing a surround mix I/O Set-
5.0.2 to 9.1.6 formats work in Pro Tools just like tings file in the I/O Setup dialog, multichannel
any other multichannel surround format, but with paths can be made available in any stereo (or other
the addition of two overhead channels. Because of format) session. You can then reassign track rout-
the overhead channels, additional automatable ing from the original stereo paths to multichannel
panning controls are provided (see “3D Panner” on paths. Inactive and active paths simplify reassign-
page 1365). ment. See “Importing Multichannel I/O Setups” on
page 1316.
To create a new session for multichannel mixing: The surround presets preconfigure the I/O Setup
dialog for the new session with default 5.1 format
1 Choose File > New Session.
main and sub-paths for outputs and busses.
2 Select the Create Blank Session option.
3 Select the Audio File Type, Sample Rate, and
Bit Depth.
The surround mix I/O Settings provide output and • One 5.1 main output bus path, with sub-paths for
bus paths for six specific track layout standards in 5.0 (no LFE), left/right (stereo), LCR, and center
the new session. (For information on inputs and in- (mono).
sert paths, see “Default Input and Insert Paths with • One stereo main output bus path with two mono
5.1 Settings” on page 1316.) sub-paths.
Settings Files and Track Layouts
5.1 Settings Track Layout
C24 Mix L C R Ls Rs Lf
All available 5.1 format (and greater) I/O Settings Default Input and Insert Paths with 5.1 Settings
(Film, SMPTE/ITU, DTS, C24 Mix, or ICON X- The 5.1 Mix settings files provide default stereo
MON Mix) provide the following default output main paths and mono sub-paths for inputs and in-
and bus paths for the new session: serts. If you need multichannel input paths or in-
serts, you can create them in the I/O Setup (see
Default 5.1 Output Paths
“Custom Multichannel Paths” on page 1317).
• One 5.1 main output path.
• One stereo main path. Importing Multichannel
I/O Setups
The I/O Setup dialog can import and export set-
tings files. This is useful when you want to remix a
stereo session in surround. You can also use this
feature to prepare a session for transfer to a differ-
ent Pro Tools system, or to save and exchange
I/O Setup, Output page, default 5.1 (Film) Output I/O Settings.
assignments
Exporting I/O Setup settings files lets you build a You can reassign paths to any required configura-
library of multichannel setups for different proj- tion, limited only by your systems resources, and
ects. the I/O Setup dialog requirements for channel
overlapping and naming (see “Valid Paths and Re-
To export an I/O Setup settings file: quirements” on page 87 for more information).
1 Choose Setup > I/O. See also “Example Paths and Signal Routing
2 Click Export Settings. for a Surround Mix” on page 1329.
Default 5.1 Path Order I/O Setup Options Selects where tracks are routed to when they are
soloed in AFL (After Fader Listen) or PFL (Pre
Default selectors in the I/O Setup dialog
Fader Listen) Solo mode.
Default Format Sets the default format for new
Output paths and for when you click the Default
button.
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 • Edited, processed, and mixed in combination
of mono, stereo, and multichannel audio, Auxiliary with mono and stereo tracks
Input, Routing Folder, Master Fader, and Instru-
ment tracks, and inserts and busses.
For discrete control of signals, multichannel tracks Track and Output Formats
can be converted into individual mono tracks. For
When you create new tracks, you specify mono,
discrete level and phase adjustment, you can insert
stereo, or a supported multichannel format for the
and unlink a multi-mono Trim plug-in. Both of
new tracks.
these techniques are explained below.
In the Mix and Edit windows, the track format of a
track’s output is always visible by the number of
track meters contained in its fader strip (for exam-
ple, a single meter for mono tracks, a pair of meters
for stereo tracks, and six meters for 5.1 tracks).
Changing Format
Mono meter
Multi-mono plugs-ins can also be inserted on ste- Channel selector and Link controls
reo tracks, to apply unlinked plug-ins on the left
and right channels. Channel Selector Accesses a specific channel
within a multichannel track for plug-in parameter
Multichannel Plug-Ins Are designed for use on editing. This menu appears only on multi-mono
stereo and multichannel tracks that require cor- plug-ins inserted on tracks with more than two
related processing, including stereo and multi- channels.
channel limiting, compression, and similar effects.
Master Link Button When enabled, links the con-
trols on all channels of a multi-mono plug-in so
that they can be adjusted in tandem.
Select the channel from the Channel selector. The following figure illustrates an example of how
panning and signal routing can be combined in a
To open a plug-in window for all channels of a multichannel mix.
multi-mono plug-in:
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the See “Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions
Channel selector. to Surround Mixing” on page 1330 for re-
lated information.
To link the controls of specific channels:
When to Use Assign Multichannel Outputs
1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not al-
ready deselected. Assign 5.1 paths only to those tracks that need
to be panned to all six channels.
2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels
whose controls you want to link. For example, a sound effects track with a jet fly-
over should be assigned a 5.1 path to fly the sound
from front-to-back. In a music mix, you can fly a
Paths in Surround Mixes solo instrument or make a synth pad swirl around
the room as a special effect.
Because Pro Tools provides a flexible routing and
submixing environment, you can maximize your Elements that need to be heard in all speakers si-
system’s available resources by first identifying multaneously can also be assigned to the multi-
the elements that you want to pan dynamically and channel output, whether or not they require active
those that can be placed in certain channels only panning in the sound field.
(see “Mixing with Paths and Sub-Paths” on
page 1327).
To help simplify large sessions, use sub-paths to route static (or, stationary) elements directly to the out-
put channel or channels.
For example, film dialog is often mixed to the center channel to anchor this essential sound element to the
picture. Instead of assigning a six-channel panner to dialog tracks and panning the tracks to the center
speaker only, you can route the dialog track’s main output to a mono (Center) sub-path.
Effect
bus routing
Outputs to
sub-paths
Stereo Sub-Path The forward stereo sub-path. Use Extending Stereo Mixing Conventions to
this type of sub-path routing to mix music stems Surround Mixing
and effects to the front left and right speakers. Stereo mixing sets the precedent for active and
Center Sub-Path The front center-channel sub- static panning, and surround mixing can benefit
path provides a discrete mono path for the center from the same basic principles.
channel. Panning a sound back-and-forth between the left
Ls/Rs Sub-Path The surround, rear left and right and right speakers is best used as a special effect.
stereo sub-path. Use this type of sub-path to mix In a typical music mix, the basic tracks are placed
surround effects. in the stereo sound field and remain there.
LFE Path The LFE sub-path provides a discrete Surround mixes can become incoherent if too
mono path for the LFE channel. many elements are continuously moving, For spe-
cial effects, some tracks can be panned dynami-
5.0 Sub-Path The 5.0 path is a 5-channel sub-path. cally, bouncing between speakers or sweeping
Use this type of sub-path routing to conserve mix- from one side to the other.
ing resources with tracks you want to keep out of
the LFE channel.
FX stem
Music stem
LFE Examples
LFE tracks and other audio can contribute to the
LFE output in two ways:
• Using the LFE fader in Output windows. This
LFE signal is post-fader.
• Using a custom sub-path to route channels dis-
cretely.
LFE fader
Show meters
Track selector Path selector Target icon
This section identifies all the controls and features found in Pro Tools multichannel panners.
LFE fader
Pan Location
cursor
Track Automation.
Solo, and Mute
X/Y Grid
Position
(knob panners)
Divergence
Center %
The Position controls let you set the positions of Front, Rear, and F/R Divergence Provide sepa-
the panner. rate, automatable divergence control over front
speakers, rear speakers, and between front/rear,
Front Displays and controls the current front X- respectively.
axis (left/right) position of the panner.
For examples of how divergence settings
Rear Displays and controls the current rear X-axis
affect output panning, see “Divergence and
(left/right) position of the panner. In default X/Y Center Percentage” on page 1343.
Panning mode, Rear is linked to Front position and
cannot be controlled independently.
Rear Inverse
LFE Fader
Stereo multichannel panner controls showing default
The LFE fader is only available in “.1” surround linking
formats (5.1, 6.1, and 7.1).
The LFE fader determines how much of the current Panning Modes
track’s signal will be routed to the LFE channel.
The Panning Mode button provides access to four
LFE faders in Track and Send windows can follow
panning modes: X/Y mode, Divergence Editing,
groups. The Pro Tools LFE channel is always full-
3-Knob mode, and AutoGlide mode. Panning con-
bandwidth. For more information on how to use
trols can be automated in all four modes.
the LFE fader, see “LFE Faders in Multichannel
Panners” on page 1345. Pro Tools provides the following Panning Modes:
It is not necessary to click exactly on the Pan 3-Knob mode lets you do the following:
Location cursor. Clicking anywhere in the • Pan in straight lines, moving the Pan Location
Grid will move the Pan Location cursor rela- cursor using the Position rotary knobs with full
tive to where you click or take over with a movement of front, rear, and front-rear position
hardware panner. Panning does not jump to • Pan discretely between pairs of speakers.
the click position.
For example, when panning front-left to rear-right
To snap the Pan Location cursor to a location in in 3-Knob mode, audio will be heard from just
the Grid:
those two speakers (assuming full divergence is in
Command-Shift-click (Mac) or Control-Shift- effect).
click (Windows) at the location in the X/Y Grid.
Snap Pan to Speaker Click one of the Snap Pan to 3-Knob mode
Speaker icons to force the panner to that speaker Panning and metering in 3-Knob mode
location.
By comparison, in X/Y mode a diagonal pan may
result in audio being heard in some or all channels.
1 Adjust the Front and Rear Position knobs to set To do an AutoGlide automation pass:
the trajectory line. 1 Click the Panning Mode button until the
2 Rotate the Front/Rear Position knob to pan AutoGlide mode icon is displayed.
along the trajectory. The Pan Location cursor is
constrained to the white trajectory line.
Drag either end point (Front or Rear) of the tra- Panner Mode button set to AutoGlide mode
jectory line.
The Panning Mode button displays a slanted dotted
Adjust the Front or Rear Position controls. line that ends with a filled in dot (representing a
cursor) at its top right corner.
To change the current trajectory position (left-to-
right) and retain its current angles: 2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the Automa-
Drag the trajectory line (not its end points) to a tion Mode selector and select an Automation
new position. mode for the track you want to automate.
3 Press Play to begin playback.
Divergence
AutoGlide mode
In the Panner Grid, the current divergence values
Panning Mode button (AutoGlide mode shown) are displayed using a purple outline.
Pan Location
cursor Panner Mode button set to Divergence Editing
Center % (Percentage)
In LCR, LCRS, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0, 6.1 7.0, 7.0 SDDS,
7.1, and 7.1 SDDS surround formats, the Center %
Front
Divergence controls whether there is a discrete center channel
for the track or a phantom center channel.
Adjust the Center Percentage knob. Adjust the Side Percentage knob.
As you reduce the Center Percentage value, the As you reduce the Side Percentage value, the
center speaker at the top of the Grid becomes less speakers at the sides of the Grid become less visi-
visible. At 0, the center speaker is completely in- ble. At 0, the side speakers are completely invisi-
visible, reflecting the setting for fully phantom ble, reflecting the setting for fully phantom center.
center.
LFE Enable
Some multichannel plug-ins, including the multi-
Immersive Surround Panner
channel Dynamics III Compressor/Limiter, pro-
vide LFE Enable. This lets you enable or bypass Height Pan Laws
processing of the LFE channel if present. All height channels in immersive surround formats
have the channel positions against the edges of the
room, to take full advantage of the three dimen-
sional space. Sound is heard immediately if
panned inward on the ceiling. Note that 7.1.2
height channels have a slightly different pan law,
as specified by Dolby for use with beds feeding the
Dolby Atmos Renderer. Signal on the ceiling does
LFE Enable in the multichannel Dynamics III not pan into the middle of the room until you have
Compressor/Limiter reached a quarter of the distance inward.
To process the LFE channel in a multichannel
plug-in:
Control-click (Mac) or Start-click (Windows)
on a floor-level speaker icon to snap to the
Click to enable LFE Enable in supporting mul- speaker location without affecting height.
tichannel plug-ins. LFE Enable is highlighted
when LFE processing is enabled, and unhigh-
lighted when LFE processing is bypassed.
A Dolby Atmos mix consists of three primary ele- Program-level metadata is a broad term that de-
ments: scribes the metadata that exists across the entire
mix (or program), which stays the same for the du-
Beds ration of the mix. This information can influence
how the mix sounds, or it can be descriptive. Trim
A bed is a channel-based premix or stem that in-
and downmix settings, binaural settings, and
cludes multichannel panning, and does not need
bed/object groups are all considered program-level
dedicated panning via Dolby Atmos metadata. Use
metadata.
a bed for stereo or surround panning. A bed can be
thought of as a traditional channel-based stem with
the rules and expectations of stem configurations Dolby Atmos Renderer
(such as 2.0, 5.1, and 7.1). These are fixed loca- Pro Tools has two modes for mixing in Dolby At-
tions in space that are tightly constrained to tradi- mos, internal and external. The internal mode has
tional speaker environments, including theatrical the Dolby Atmos renderer built directly into Pro
environments where a speaker array might be Tools. The external mode leverages a connection
used. to the Dolby Atmos Renderer application, which
In Dolby Atmos, the largest bed configuration that can be purchased separately.
exists is 7.1.2. This configuration allows for Low-
Internal Renderer
Frequency Effects (LFE), with left and right side
walls, and an additional overhead stereo pair. The Pro Tools Dolby Atmos internal renderer sup-
Dolby Atmos supports the use of multiple beds. ports direct monitoring of the following formats:
9.1.6 (Pro Tools Ultimate only), 7.1.4, 5.1.4, 7.1,
Objects 5.1, 2.0, Binaural. Binaural can be monitored from
An object is a discrete audio element that can be your main output or sent as an independent head-
placed anywhere in the three-dimensional sound- phone mix, letting you maintain a separate monitor
field. Objects can consist of mono or stereo content format from your speakers. The Dolby Atmos inte-
and are positioned using dedicated Dolby Atmos gration also offers two independent live re-renders
panning. Use objects for precision positioning of that can be used either for loudness metering with
your content. An audio object can utilize as few, or your choice of plug-in (or as an additional 5.1 or
as many, speakers as defined by the positional and 2.0 send/print of the mix) or for separate head-
size metadata for that object. Objects can be static phone monitoring (stereo or binaural) respectively.
or moving and are not constrained to the outside The internal renderer uses the same render-
edges of the Dolby Atmos soundfield. ing algorithm as the Dolby Atmos Renderer
application. Cinema users should continue to
use the Dolby Atmos Renderer for Cinema.
Only Use a Supported Session Timecode Rate I/O Setup, Dolby Atmos: selecting Internal Renderer
For home theater workflows, the Dolby Atmos 3 Click Default to create the default Bed and Ob-
renderer supports mixing and creating masters at jects (mono or stereo).
the following timecode rates: 23.976, 24, 25,
4 Configure the rest of the I/O Setup as desired.
29.97, 29.97 drop frame, and 30 frames per second
(fps). 5 Click OK.
Set the Hardware Buffer Size to 1,024 Samples See “Dolby Atmos Renderer Window” on
(Recommended) page 1372.
Sessions used to author Dolby Atmos mixes tend
to be very large and processor intensive. Using the
highest available Hardware Buffer Size setting is
recommended for optimal performance and reli-
ability on your Pro Tools system.
Using Core Audio Outputs with 16 Connect to the Dolby Atmos Renderer applica-
Pro Tools and Dolby Atmos tion, type localhost or select it from the drop-
Renderer down selector.
To configure Dolby Atmos renderer and Pro Tools 17 Configure the rest of the I/O Setup as desired.
with increased output channel counts:
18 Click OK.
1 Install the Dolby Atmos Renderer, version 3 or
higher. The Dolby Atmos Renderer and Pro Tools are now
configured to use up to 130 output channels with
2 Launch the Dolby Atmos Renderer.app.
Core Audio.
3 Open the Dolby Atmos Renderer Preferences.
4 Set the Audio Driver to Core Audio. Dolby Atmos Page Sub-paths
5 Set the Audio Input to Dolby Audio Bridge (Mac Pro Tools lets you create sub-paths for Dolby At-
only). mos beds (objects are only stereo or mono and do
not support custom subpaths).
6 Set the Audio Output to the device that you will
use for monitoring (which can be HDX using To create subpaths for a Dobly Atmos bed:
Core Audio, or any other Core Audio device).
1 On the Dolby Atmos page of the I/O Setup, se-
7 Confirm and close the Preferences. lect the Dolby Atmos bed for which you want to
create sub-paths.
8 Leave the Dolby Atmos Renderer application
running. 2 Click New Sub-Path.
9 Launch Pro Tools. 3 Configure the New Sub-Paths dialog as desired
and click Create.
10 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
11 For Playback Engine, select Dolby Audio
Bridge.
Output Page
Configure the Output page of the I/O Setup for routing beds and objects to an external renderer, or for mon-
itoring the output of the internal renderer or for monitoring returns from an external renderer.
I/O Setup, Output page configured for playback to a Dolby Atmos Renderer
The columns on the Dolby Atmos page provide Displays the currently selected group name, if any,
both controls and displays for each of the rows of and lets you select from existing groups (see
Bed and Object paths. Note that when External “Bed/Object Groups” on page 1358).
Renderer is selected, there is also a column for
Mapping to Outputs (which used to be on the Bus Binaural Mode
page). Displays the currently selected group name, if any,
and lets you select from the various Binaural dis-
Color
tance model settings (Off, Near, Mid, and Far) ap-
Displays the color for the bed or object path. Click ply varying levels of spatialization to each of the
to select a color for the path from the color palette. bed or object channels. For more information, see
Path colors follow the color of any assigned Dolby “Binaural Render Mode” on page 1382.
Atmos group if not otherwise specified.
Binaural Mode is only available when using
Path Enable/Disable the Internal Renderer, it does not apply to any
connected External Renderer nor is it used
Click to select (or deselect) and enable (or disable) when bouncing an ADM or re-renders when
a path. using an External Renderer.
Name Renderer ID
Displays the path name and provides the input de- Dolby Atmos supports up to 128 channels of au-
scription that is added to an exported ADM file. dio. Pro Tools identifies each one of these channels
Double-click to rename the path. Beds and Objects with an ID. Each object must have a unique ID.
that are used in the session are in bold. Path names Beds, however, can share an ID or have an inde-
can be displayed as text on the Object indicators in pendent ID.
the Dolby Atmos Renderer window (see “Show
Options” on page 1375). In most cases it is recommended to use the auto-
matically assigned ID, which is uniquely assigned
Type upon path creation. There are times, such as after
importing session data, where you must manually
Displays Bed or Object according to the path type.
manage the IDs due to conflicts from the incoming
paths. For more advanced workflows you may
Format
want to overlap the bed IDs to consolidate the
Displays the channel width of the path (which is number of channels, but still allow different
defined upon path creation). groups to be assigned to different beds. This pro-
vides more flexibility when using group assign-
ments to select which elements of the mix are in-
cluded with bounced re-renders.
Displays the selected Output mapping for each Enter the IP Address for the External Dolby Atmos
Bed and Object path. Lets you select an available Renderer on the network that you want to use or se-
Output path mapped to the external renderer for lect it from the from the drop-down list. Enter lo-
each Bed and Object. calhost if you are mixing to the Dolby Atmos Ren-
derer application locally.
In earlier versions of Pro Tools, Mapping to
Output for Dolby Atmos was on the Bus page. Connection Status
Note that previously mapped busses remain (External Renderer Only)
mapped when you open with a legacy session.
When Pro Tools is successfully connected to an
Internal/External Renderer Controls external Dolby Atmos renderer, the Connection
On the Dolby Atmos page, controls for selecting Status indicator lights solid. This indicator flashes
and configuring the renderer vary depending on on and off when Dolby Atmos is enabled, but the
whether Internal Renderer or External Renderer is connection fails and Pro Tools is unable to com-
selected. municate with the renderer. If Dolby Atmos is not
enabled, the Connection Status indicator remains
Enable Renderer unlit.
Trim and Downmix information is also be pulled Live re-renders in Pro Tools are only available
over and stored even though it is not utilized when when using the internal renderer. They are config-
External Renderer is selected. This information is urable from I/O Setup. Two simultaneous live re-
available in the Trim and Downmix window if you renders are available for Loudness metering and
switch to the internal renderer. Headphone monitoring respectively. Live re-ren-
ders appear in a 're-renders' submenu on the input
If there is an active connection to the Dolby of tracks with a compatible width.
Atmos Renderer application, enabling Dolby
Audio Bridge as an Aux IO output device will Live re-renders are copies of the main moni-
automatically pull from the renderer and cre- tor mix and are affected by the mute buttons
ate the necessary output paths directly under in the Dolby Atmos Renderer Window.
the Dolby Audio Bridge I/O.
Live Loudness Re-render
Create Stereo/Mono Objects
Loudness is calculated from the 5.1 copy of the
The Dolby Atmos Renderer application does not mix only, not the stereo copy. Loudness is calcu-
have a notion of stereo objects. Select either Create lated from the 5.1 copy of the mix only, not the ste-
Mono Objects or Create Stereo Objects to create reo copy. You can use a third-party loudness me-
new mono or stereo object paths. Pro Tools creates tering plug-in, or use this re-render to print the
the paths in the Dolby Atmos page. When Stereo is downmix in your session. Select the desired path
selected, pulling the configuration groups any ob- format (or Disabled) for loudness metering of the
jects with consecutive IDs in stereo pairs where live re-render. This path can be assigned to the in-
possible. put of a track where you can use a loudness meter-
ing plug-in.
If you to have a custom set of mono and stereo ob-
jects, it is recommended that you create all neces- Live Headphones Re-render
sary Dolby Atmos and Output paths manually.
Provides a 2.0 or Binaural copy of the mix. Route
Live Re-Render Paths to headphones from an output that is different from
(Internal Renderer Only)
your main monitors. Select either 2.0 or Binaural
(or Disabled) for headphone monitoring.
Re-renders are copies of the mix, in addition to
your main monitoring. In some cases, they may be If your main monitor is set to Binaural, your
generated using a different format, or contain only headphone re-renders must also be set to
a subset of the sound elements. Pro Tools supports Binaural.
two different kinds of re-renders, offline and live.
• Narration
Bed/Object Group Assignments
• Backgrounds
• Foley Use the Bed/Object Groups column in the Bus
page of the I/O Setup to assign individual busses to
defined groups when managed by Pro Tools.
When groups are managed by the Dolby Atmos
renderer, they are assigned automatically and can-
not be changed from Pro Tools. When bouncing to
ADM BWF, group assignments currently reflected
in the Pro Tools I/O Setup are included in the file.
The Manage Bed/Object Groups dialog includes 2 From the resulting Color Palette, click to select
the option to color code Dolby Atmos Groups. the desired color. Bed and object paths inherit
Dolby Atmos Bed and Object paths inherit the as- the Group color if the path does not already con-
signed Group color unless you have uniquely as- tain an explicit color assignment.
signed a color to a Bed or Object path.
Click OK.
To open the Manage Bed/Object Groups dialog:
1 Choose Setup > I/O and click the Dolby Atmos
tab. Mixing Bed Material
2 Click the Groups button. Mix bed material for a Dolby Atmos mix to 7.1.2.
Bus record the bed mix to a 7.1.2 audio track in
preparation for playback and mixing to a Dolby
Atmos renderer.
Object pan metadata for a track is only included in an exported BWF ADM file if Object Control Mode
is set to Master for that track.
Master Object assigned, Set by default if no other tracks are already assigned to this
sending metadata object, use this mode to control an object on the Dolby
Atmos 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 1. 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 3D sur-
round 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 in-
clude FreeForm mode (manual height adjustment),
and Wedge, Sphere, and Ceiling modes (automatic
height modes). Height mode can be automated.
The Height knob becomes available when Increases or decreases the element size. When Size
FreeForm mode and Height is enabled/active. is set to any value above 0/off, a transparent grid
Height can be automated. (or cube if in 3D/Theater mode) surrounds the pan
dot. The grid/cube gets larger as Size is increased,
Adjusting Height in standard 2D view displays a and smaller as it is decreased.
vertical bar to the right of the pan grid to indicate
relative height of that track. In addition, the size of
the pan dot increases as Height is increased.
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 Size indicator in standard 2D view
panner grid appear as appropriate for the current To change the element Size:
Zone.
Adjust the Size knob, or hold down Shift and use
For 9.x.x panners, L/R and LW/RW are part of the the scroll wheel.
same zone.
Speaker Snap
You can toggle Dolby Atmos Speaker Snap on or
off for tracks assigned to an Object.
Zones selector
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
tor, and the Object Control button. Edit and Mix windows changes color to show
whether track audio follows the selected output
Object Control Mode button bus path shown in the I/O view or the selected ob-
Object Output Path selector ject output path shown in the Object view as well
whether the 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 out-
Green
put path, these controls let you assign the track to a
different Object and configure its Object Control Object Read
mode, respectively. These controls are also avail- Orange
able in Object 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 1363). Object, but
Gray off/bypassed
Toggling Object/Bus Assignment
About Object Bypass
Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) the Object Output Path selector or the pan Bypass can be used to establish a workflow where
dot to toggle the track audio output between the se- multiple source tracks are assigned to the same ob-
lected Object path or selected track output (output ject but only one of them is sending pan metadata
bus). Toggling between object output and bus out- to control the panning on the Dolby Atmos ren-
put assignments can be automated (see “Bus/Ob- derer. For more information, see “Dolby Atmos
ject Toggle” on page 1363). PEC/DIR Recorder Workflow Example” on
page 1382.
Object Control
Object/Bus toggle (shown disabled) in the Automation To commit automatically generated height
window. automation, use the Coalesce Pan Guide Au-
tomation command. See “Coalesce Pan
Guide Automation” on page 1370.
The Dolby Atmos Renderer window in Pro Tools very much resembles the main window of the Dolby
Atmos Production Suite.
To show (or hide) the Dolby Atmos Renderer window, do one of the following:
Monitoring
9.1.4 – x x x x x x x
7.1.6 – x x x x x x x
7.1.4 x x x x x x x
7.1.2 – – x x x x x x
Monito
r Path 7.1 – – x x x x x x
5.1.4 – – – x x x x x
5.1.2 – – – – x x x x
5.1 – – – – – x x x
Stereo – – – – – – x x
9.1.4 and 7.1.2 monitor formats are only supported with an external renderer.
Click the I/O button to open the I/O Setup (see Mutes affect live re-renders. Note that mutes are
“Bed/Object Groups” on page 1358). not reflected on any tracks, but the Mute indicator
(M) lights at in the Edit Window Toolbar.
Trim and Downmix Button
Mute
Click the Trim & Downmix button to open the
Trim and Downmix dialog (see “Trim and Down- Click to mute (or unmute) all renderer channels
mix” on page 1378). (Beds and Objects).
Beds
0 dB Red
Objects View
View
Dolby Atmos Renderer window, Objects and Beds The Dolby Atmos Renderer window provides mul-
Input indicators
tiple views for the visualization of Object move-
ment in a three dimensional listening environment.
To help you visualize the mix in the intended lis-
tening environment, there are two display modes:
Theater and Person. These display modes are
purely aesthetic and do not affect the sound in any-
way.
Theater view is intended for mixing sound to pic- Person view is intended for mixing music or in a
ture. It offers a screen and lines to represent the binaural headphone environment. Objects at zero
seating rake of a theater. Objects are displayed be- height appear at ear level of the listener.
tween the bottom and the top of the screen, to help
visualize where they are placed in the listener's en-
vironment.
Show Options
View Modes
9.1.6 Examples:
Film = L C R Lw Rw Lss Rss Lsr Rsr LFE Ltf
Rtf Ltm Rtm Ltr Rtr
Dolby Atmos Renderer window, Room Configuration
display Dolby = L R C LFE Lw Rw Lss Rss Lsr Rsr Ltf
Ltm Ltr Rtm Rtf Rtr
Chapter 59: Mixing to Dolby Atmos 1377
Presets
Trim and Downmix
Pro Tools lets you store and recall different config-
Click the Trim & Downmix button to open the Trim urations of the Trim and Downmix dialog as pre-
and Downmix dialog. Trim and Downmix controls sets. The Presets controls work much like the Pre-
determine how the surrounds and heights are pro- sets controls for Batch Renaming, Fades, and Clip
cessed for different mixing formats. These settings Effects.
apply to monitoring, offline and live re-renders,
and the settings are embedded as metadata in any Presets Buttons
bounced ADM files.
The Track Trim and Downmix dialog provides
To open the Trim and Downmix dialog: five Presets buttons that let you store and recall
your most commonly used configurations. You
1 Do one of the following:
can also save and recall settings using the Librarian
• Choose Setup > I/O, click the Dolby Atmos menu.
tab.
• Choose Window > Dolby Atmos Renderer. To store a preset:
2 Click the Trim and Downmix button. 1 Configure the dialog as you like.
2 Command-click (Mac) or Control-click (Win-
dows) the Presets button where you want to
store the current settings.
To recall a preset:
Librarian Menu
<factory default> Restores the default settings. Settings in this tab determine the settings for any
newly created session. They do not affect the
Save Settings Saves the current settings. This
sound of the current session.
command overwrites any previous version of the
preset.
Current Session
Press Command+Shift+S (Mac) or Control+ Settings in this tab affect the current session. If a
Shift+S (Windows) to save the current set- setting differs between the currently open session
tings. and the New Session Defaults tab, settings that
differ light orange to help you identify them. If
Save Settings As Saves the current settings as a
there are differences, the Apply button at the bot-
new preset. You can name the preset and save it to
tom of each tab also lights orange. This button (Ap-
any location on your system.
ply Current Session Defaults/Apply New Ses-
Import Settings Opens the Choose a Settings File sion Defaults) lets you to pull over the settings
dialog focused on the default folder. Settings files from the opposite tab.
stored in this location are listed by name under
<factory default> in the Librarian menu. In the
Choose a Settings File dialog, you can navigate to
any location on your system to select and import
the Settings preset file you want.
Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes
the current settings file from disk.
Lock (Unlock) Settings File Locks (or unlocks)
the selected Settings file so that it cannot (or can)
be edited.
Downmix Control Lt/Rt (Dolby Pro Logic II) and Lt/Rt (Dolby Pro
Logic II) w/ Phase 90 Downmixes to 2.0 using the
5.1/5.1.x following coefficients:
Lo/Ro Default Downmixes to 7.1 and then to 5.1 • Lt = L + (–3 dB × C) – (–1.2 dB × Ls) – (–6.2 dB
using the following coefficients: × Rs)
• LS = 0 dB x Lss + 0 dB x Lrs • Rt = R + (–3 dB × C) + (–6.2 dB × Ls) + (–1.2 dB
× Rs)
• Rs = 0 dB x Rss + 0 dB x Rrs
4 Click OK.
2 Recommended: Choose Setup > Preferences, 1 On each object track, set the Object Control
click to display the Operation tab, then do the mode to Record.
following:
• Select Enable Automation in Record.
• Select PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring.
Performance decreases significantly if any Import Session Data from an ADM file
clips linked to an ADM are shifted from their
5 In the Import Session Data dialog, select a Des-
locations relative to one another. In other
tination for the Source tracks in the .wav (ADM
words, you can move the entire ADM around
BWF) file.
on the timeline, but the system load will be
much lighter if you leave the clips lined up at
the same start time.
Do Not Import Lets you to import panning data • Audio Sample Rate
without the media. • Audio Bit Depth
7 Configure any other Import Session Data set- • Application and version that created the
tings as desired. ADM
8 Click OK.
You can import audio from .wav (ADM BWF) Opening Legacy Dolby Atmos
files using the Import Audio command or by Sessions
dragging and dropping the file into a session. When a Pro Tools 2023.9 (or earlier) Atmos ses-
However, only the audio is imported, and bed sion (configured with busses mapped to beds and
and channel order may be lost. objects) is opened in Pro Tools 2023.12 (or later),
the busses move to the Dolby Atmos page, where
For more information about .wav (ADM BWF) you can choose to use an external Dolby Atmos
files, contact Dolby. Renderer application or the internal renderer.
Bed and Object Groups are always passed Stock re-renders cannot be accessed in the Bounce
through with the current I/O Setup assign- Mix window. They follow the mute state in the
ments. The Embed Program-Level Metadata Dolby Atmos Renderer window. They also require
setting does not apply to these groups. very low CPU overhead unless binaural processing
is engaged for the headphones re-render. These re-
render options follow the H/W Buffer Size, so you
can get lower latency monitoring if needed. This
means that binaural processing is disabled at lower
buffer sizes.
Re-Renders dialog
Selecting 1st Order Ambisonics as the format for a new bus path
4 Click Create.
5 Click OK to close the I/O Setup.
Figure 4. Ambisonics bus paths with standard channel orders in the I/O Setup
The individual channels of Ambisonics formats do not correspond to speaker signal mappings like other
surround formats (such as 5.1—L C R Ls Rs LFE). In most cases, use Ambisonics panning, encoder and
decoder plug-ins to accurately mix and monitor Ambisonics mixes over headphones. However, even
though Ambisonics formats do not directly map to common channel-based surround speaker configura-
tions, various alternate speaker configurations can be used for the playback of Ambisonics mixes.
Do not use multi-mono plug-ins following any Ambisonics plug-ins. Likewise, any plug-in processing
of source tracks should only be inserted before Ambisonics plug-ins.
Figure 5. Mono audio mixed in 2nd Order Ambisonics to stereo for headphone monitoring
2 Create a mono audio track with audio you want 9 Automate panning of mono source to 2nd Order
to mix to 2nd Order Ambisonics. Ambisonics with the FB360 Spatialiser plug-in.
Depending on the Ambisonics panning plug- 10 Playback and monitor Ambisonics mix over
in you are using, source audio tracks can be headphones.
mono or stereo, or even surround formats
(such as 5.0 or 7.0) or Ambisonics formats Ambisonics panning, encoding and decoding
(such as B-format). plug-ins typically change the track channel
width (such as mono to 2nd Order Ambison-
3 Assign the Output of the track to the 2nd Order ics). It is important to know that for some Am-
Ambisonics bus path. bisonics plug-ins that change track channel
widths you must first create the track with the
4 Insert the FB360 Spatialiser plug-in on the track
appropriate channel format (such as mono
(if you want to process the audio with other
source or 2nd Order Ambisonics input) and
plug-ins on the track, they must precede the
then assign the appropriate track output (such
Ambisonics plug-in).
as mono to 2nd Order Ambisonics) before you
Repeat steps 3–5 to create additional source can insert the appropriate Ambisonics plug-in.
tracks for the Ambisonics mix.
Clip effects editing is not supported for clips
5 Create a 2nd Order Ambisonics Auxiliary Input
on Ambisonics tracks. When a timeline selec-
track.
tion is made that includes clips from both Am-
6 Assign the 2nd Order Ambisonics bus path to bisonics and non-Ambisonics tracks, only
the Input of the Auxiliary Input track. clips on non-Ambisonics tracks are processed
by clip effects. If clip effects are applied to one
7 Insert the FB360 Control plug-in on the Auxil-
or more clips on a non-Ambisonics track and
iary Input track.
then dragged-and-dropped to an Ambisonics
track, clip effects processing of those clips
play back, but clip effects for these clips can-
not be edited until they are moved back to a
non-Ambisonics track.
pand/collapse triangle.
Pro Tools can be used as the master device in your
This section lets you configure either Sync X or
synchronization setup, where all other devices then
SYNC HD settings if one is connected.
follow Pro Tools Word Clock output.
To show (or hide) the Timecode Settings section:
To set Ext. Clock Output:
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Hardware. Click the Timecode Settings expand/collapse
triangle.
2 Click the Ext. Clock Output pop-up menu and
select an available signal. The controls in this section provide freewheel op-
tions, and separate Pull Up and Pull Down selec-
3 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog. tors for audio and video rates.
Sync X Setup
& External Offsets
section
External Timecode
Offset settings
Timecode Settings
section
Pull Up/Pull Down
settings
Freewheel settings
Format section
Timecode Settings
section
Pull Up/Pull Down
settings
Freewheel settings
Timecode Settings
section
Pull Up/Pull Down
settings
Freewheel settings
Session Start
Use this field to specify a Timecode start time for
your session. For more information, see “Setting a
Session Start Time (Start Frame)” on page 1412.
Timecode Rate
The Timecode Rate setting lets you set the Time-
code Rate in frames per second for the session.
Feet+Frames Rate
The Feet+Frame Rate setting lets you set the
Feet+Frame rates for sessions. Set this rate to
match the rate of the film projector, or the video if
the film projector speed is taken into account. For
example, doing a Telecine transfer from a 24 fps Sync X Setup
film projector to NTSC video would necessitate
the projector running at 23.976 fps. This is regard-
For complete information on configuring
less of whether the session is using pull down au-
Sync X using the Session Setup window, see
dio or not.
the Pro Tools | Sync X Guide.
Positional Reference
SYNC Setup in the Session
Setup Window Sets the timecode source for Pro Tools to use for
positional reference.
(HDX and HD Native Systems with a SYNC HD
Only)
Video Ref Format
The controls in the SYNC Setup section of the Ses-
sion Setup window let you configure SYNC HD Sets the video reference format for the SYNC HD.
settings, including clock reference, positional ref-
erence, video reference format, video input format, Video In Format
and Variable Speed Override (VSO).
Indicates the expected format at the Video In con-
nector on the SYNC HD (SD format only).
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.
Redefine External Timecode Offset dialog Use these options to protect against errors that can
occur if your timecode source has “drop outs” or
2 In the Redefine External Timecode Offset temporary lost signals.
dialog, enter the offset you want in the Desired
Timecode Position field. None The minimum 4 frames of freewheel is ap-
plied when chasing LTC, VTIC, or Serial Time-
3 Click OK. code. No freewheel is applied with MTC.
LTC Sample Offset (Sync X) or Sample Offset Frames Sets a number of frames to freewheel,
(Sync HD) from 4 to 40 frames. This value defaults to 8
This field lets you enter an offset in samples (+/–) frames, which is the recommended setting for most
to fine-tune the point at which Pro Tools synchro- applications.
nizes relative to incoming Timecode: LTC with Jam Sync Lets Pro Tools trigger synchronization
Sync X, or LTC or VITC with SYNC HD. to incoming timecode, and continue to play back
Use this to compensate for timing differences be- even if timecode input is completely interrupted. It
tween various Timecode converters or analog-to- can be useful if timecode is damaged, or has been
digital/digital-to-analog converters. For example, accidentally erased from your source tape.
a value of –50 makes an event in Pro Tools occur
50 samples before the same event in incoming Pull Up/Down
LTC. This does not apply to synchronization for
Pro Tools Ultimate lets you “pull up” or “pull
Satellite systems.
down” the current sample rate.
This field allows a range of plus or minus roughly
For more information on applying pull factors in
one frame's length in samples. For instance, if the
Pro Tools, see “Pull Up and Pull Down” on
session is at 48 kHz and the Timecode Rate is 24
page 1414.
FPS, the range is +/–2002 samples (1 frame).
Pull up and pull down are applied differently
in different workflows. Make sure you check
each project’s specific workflow before you
begin your work.
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session. 1 Click in the Session Start field.
2 Choose a frame rate (format) from the Time- 2 Begin playback of the timecode source.
code Rate selector.
3 At the location where you want to capture the
incoming value, press Equal (=) in the numeric
keypad.
Maintain Timecode Places the additional session Redefine Current Feet+Frames Position dialog
time at the start of the session, and keeps existing
3 Enter a Feet+Frame position to correspond to
clips in their original timecode locations.
the timecode shown in the dialog.
Maintain Relative Position Places the additional 4 Click OK.
session time at the start of the session, and main-
tains the relative position of existing clips to the
new start frame. For example, if you change the Redefining a Timecode Position
session start frame from 01:00:00:00 to Use the Current Timecode Position command to
00:59:00:00, Pro Tools adds one minute of session redefine the current timecode position and session
time to accommodate the new start frame, and start time. By creating an insertion point (or selec-
moves all existing clips earlier in time to maintain tion), and then entering the new timecode position
their relative position to the start frame. for that location, the session start time will be re-
calculated based on the new, relative Timecode lo-
Redefining a Feet+Frames cation.
Position
To redefine a current Timecode code position:
Use the Current Feet+Frames command to rede-
1 With the Selector tool, click in a track (or make
fine the Feet+Frames position at the current inser-
a selection) where you want to redefine the po-
tion point. The session start time is recalculated
sition.
based on the new, relative Feet+Frames location.
If your insertion or selection is not on a
Typically, this command is used for integrating
grid boundary, it will round to the closest
test tones, pre-roll, Academy leader, and similar
boundary.
pre-program material into Pro Tools sessions. Re-
defining Feet+Frames does not redefine the ses-
sion start time.
Video Rate Pull Up/Down Controls the video rate. Example of Auto Match Pull
See “Video Frame Rate Pull Up and Down” on Factors
page 1416. The Auto Match Pull Factors option links audio and
video pull factors when changing session frame
The choices available in these menus are deter-
rate. For example, assume a Pro Tools session is
mined by the session frame rate and sample rate.
set to a frame rate of 25 fps, the audio and video are
Combinations can be applied by choosing from
both playing with no pull ups, and Auto Match Pull
both menus.
Factors is enabled.
The choices available in these menus are also de-
If you then change the session Frame Rate to
termined by the Preferences and the Auto Match
24 fps, both the Audio and Video Rate Pull set-
Pull Factors option in the Timecode Rate menu.
tings would change by –4.0% (the appropriate pull
See “Extended Pull Up and Pull Down Preference
setting required by the change in frame rate).
and Session Setup Controls” on page 1415 and
“Auto Match Pull Factors” on page 1415. Auto Match-enabled pull factors are applied to any
existing Audio Rate Pull Up/Down or Video Rate
Extended Pull Up and Pull Down Pull Up/Down settings.
Preference and Session Setup
Controls For example, if audio was already being pulled –
0.1% when you changed the session Frame Rate
The Audio Rate Pull Up/Down setting offers all from 29.97 to 24 fps, then the Audio Rate Pull
possible combinations of pull ups and pull downs Up/Down menu would switch to None.
for the audio sample rate, regardless of the session
frame rate.
Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and
Down
Auto Match Pull Factors
The Audio Rate Pull Up/Down setting applies pull
The Auto Match Pull Factors option is available up or down factors to session audio record and
from the session Timecode Rate menu in the Ses- playback. All pull rates are available, regardless of
sion Setup window. When Auto Match Pull Factors session frame rate.
is enabled, Pro Tools adjusts audio and video play-
back rates as needed to match any changes to the See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on
current session Timecode Rate. page 1415.
The choices available for Video Rate Pull Up/Down depend on the file format and frame rate of the video,
and whether or not you are using video hardware.
With no video hardware, Pro Tools supports 0.1% pull up and pull down at all project frame rates when
monitoring video in the Pro Tools Video window.
Project rates and supported pull up and pull down with or without hardware
* Suggested pull rates for any given project frame rates appear highlighted in the Video Rate Pull Up /Down
selector.
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click the 5 Choose Setup > Session, and choose the appro-
Synchronization tab. priate frame rate for the Timecode Rate setting.
2 From the MTC Generator Port setting, select the 6 In the Sync X or Sync Setup section of the Ses-
MIDI output port on which you want to transmit sion Setup window, choose a clock reference
MIDI Timecode (MTC). from the Clock Reference selector. Not all clock
choices are available at all sample rates. See
“External Clock Sources” on page 1407.)
6 Deselect the Enable SYNC HD option if it is se- Selecting the Transport Master
lected.
• When the Transport Master is set to
7 From the MTC Generator Port pop-up menu, se- Pro Tools, the playback position is governed
lect the MIDI Out port to which the master de- by the on-screen cursor in Pro Tools.
vice is connected (this the destination of MTC • When the Transport Master is set to MMC, the
information from Pro Tools). playback position is governed by the external
device’s play position.
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se- Setting Minimum Sync Delay
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session
by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a Lock-up time delay is the initial amount of prime
track causes a connected transport to chase to that time your system’s devices need to achieve syn-
location. chronization “lock.” This amount varies for each
device. Pro Tools lock up delay is set by entering a
value for Minimum Sync Delay in the Synchroniza-
Taking a Device Offline tion preferences. The lowest value available is 0
Use the Transport Online Right-click menu to take frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time that
a MIDI (or Machine) device offline. your equipment can operate at consistently, and set
this as the Minimum Sync Delay. On systems utiliz-
To take a device offline: ing MachineControl, enabling the Use Serial
1 Click the Transport Master selector. Timecode setting in the Session Setup window will
make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time-
2 In the Transport, click on the Online pop-up code requires both the synchronization peripheral
menu and deselect the device (Machine or and external devices to be locked to house video
MIDI). Device choices depend on the current reference.)
Transport Master and which devices have been
set up in Pro Tools. To set a Minimum Sync Delay:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
Synchronization tab.
To increase or decrease Timecode values in When Timecode is selected for the Time Scale,
the Spot dialog by a specific number of pressing the Equal key captures the incoming time-
frames, press Plus (+) or Minus (–) on the code. When Bars|Beats is selected for the Time
numeric keypad, enter a number, and press Scale, pressing the Equal key will capture to the
the Enter key. nearest measure.
4 With the Time Grabber tool, click a clip in a You can also use MachineControl’s serial time-
track, or in the Clips List, and drag it into a code ability to auto-spot by enabling MachineCon-
track. The Spot dialog appears. trol and enabling serial timecode in the peripheral.
5 Enter the Timecode frame location by doing one To Auto-Spot a clip:
of the following:
1 Choose Options > Auto-Spot Clips.
• If you are using VITC, you can press the
Equal (=) key on the numeric keypad, or click 2 If you are using VITC, identify the Timecode
Current Timecode to enter a paused VTR’s frame location where you want to trigger play-
current Timecode location. back of your clip by pausing your video deck on
• If you are using LTC, when Timecode is se- that frame.
lected for the Time Scale, press the Equal (=) 3 Click the clip with the Time Grabber tool. The
key on the numeric keypad to capture the in- clip will be automatically spotted to the current
coming timecode. When Bars|Beats is se- timecode location (or machine location).
lected for the Time Scale, press the Equal key
to capture the nearest measure. Clicking a clip with any of the Trim tools will
allow you to trim the clip to the current time-
code location.
faster
25 fps
slower
NTSC PAL +0.1% then 45983 50050 91967 100100 n/a n/a
Video +4.1667%
PAL NTSC –4.0% then 42294 46034 84587 92068 n/a n/a
Video 0.1%
Sample Rate Conversion Using Destination Sample Rates at Pull Up and Pull Down Setting
NTSC PAL +0.1% then 42294 46034 84587 92068 n/a n/a
Video +4.1667%
PAL NTSC –4.0% then 45983 50050 91967 100100 n/a n/a
Video 0.1%
Pro Tools | MachineControl™ provides serial com- Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation
munication between Pro Tools and Sony® 9-pin Requirements
compatible synchronizers, and video or audio ma-
A synchronization peripheral is required when
chines.
running MachineControl 9-Pin Remote Deck Em-
ulation mode, as it provides frame-accurate LTC.
MachineControl requires the following cables and For computers that do not have serial ports, a
adapters (sold separately), depending on your supported USB serial adapter (not provided)
computer platform: is required to make the MachineControl
connection. For a list of qualified USB serial
Mac Systems
adapters, visit www.avid.com/compatibility.
Remote Deck Emulation Mode Cable Male 8-pin
Pro Tools HDX and HD Native Systems
mini-DIN to female 9-pin cable, required for
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation. For Pro Tools HD and HDX or HD Native systems
with a synchronization peripheral, you can use a
Serial Deck Control Cable Male 8-pin mini-DIN
Serial to 9-pin connection or a 9-pin to 9-pin con-
to male 9-pin cable, for Deck Control.
nection for Serial Deck Control mode.
USB Serial Adapter A supported USB serial
adapter, such as the Colin Broad 422 USB serial
adapter, is required for serial to USB connections
on the Mac.
1434 Pro Tools Reference Guide
CPU to Deck Connection This type of connection On Windows systems, Remote 9-pin Deck Em-
yields the best performance, especially with linear ulation mode uses an RS-232 to RS-422 cable and
decks. Use the included Serial Deck Control cable a Turnaround adapter connected to an available se-
for this type of connection. rial or COM port on the computer. If no COM port
is available, a supported serial adapter connected
Synchronization Peripheral to Deck
to a USB port on the computer is required.
Connection This type of connection is suitable for
non-linear decks. If you are using a SYNC HD, as
many as two machines can be connected to the two
9-pin Out ports. You can control one machine at a Connecting Machines
time, and switch between them from within This section describes how to connect machines
Pro Tools. Pro Tools | Sync X provides a single for Serial Control Mode or Remote 9-Pin Deck
9-pin Out port. These ports support all Machine- Emulation Mode. All cables and adapters are sold
Control modes except Remote 9-Pin Deck Emula- separately.
tion mode. For Remote Deck Emulation mode on
Mac systems or Windows computers without a Connecting Machines for
COM port, a supported USB serial adapter is re- Serial Control Mode
quired.
For Best Serial Deck Control
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation For best serial deck control, connect your deck as
Mode follows depending on whether you are using a Mac
This mode enables a form of deck emulation in or a Windows computer.
Pro Tools. When the Remote 9-Pin Deck Emula-
To connect a deck to a Mac computer:
tion Mode cable is used on a supported system,
Pro Tools can respond to record-arming, transport, 1 Connect a supported USB serial adapter, such
and other standard 9-pin commands from an exter- as the Colin Broad 422 USB serial adapter, to a
nal machine. USB port on the computer.
While in Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode, 2 Connect a male mini DIN-8 serial to male 9-pin
Pro Tools always generates timecode, and can be D-sub Deck Control cable to the end of the
either the timecode master or follow external time- adapter.
code. 3 Connect the other end of the cable to the ma-
On Mac systems, use the Remote 9-Pin Emula- chine.
tion Mode cable. This mode requires a supported
To connect a deck to a Windows computer, do one
serial adapter connected to a computer USB port,
of the following:
and a properly wired configuration. See “Remote
9-Pin Deck Emulation Mode” on page 1454 for Connect the computer’s COM port to the ma-
details. chine, using a 9-pin RS-322 to RS-422 cable.
For computers that do not have a COM port, use
a supported USB serial adapter, such as the
Colin Broad 422 USB serial adapter, with the
cable to connect the machine to a USB port on
the computer.
Chapter 62: Pro Tools | MachineControl 1435
For Limited Serial Deck Control (Non-Linear Using a Rosetta Stone Adapter
Decks Only) with MachineControl
• Connect a standard 9-pin cable from the 9-pin (Windows Only)
Out port on Sync X, or one of the 9-pin Out ports
Using the Rosetta Stone adapter (sold separately)
on SYNC HD, to the 9-pin input of the machine.
with MachineControl on Windows lets you in-
Due to performance limitations, this configura-
crease reliability for long cable runs for Serial
tion should be used primarily with non-linear
Deck Control mode or Remote mode.
decks.
A Rosetta Stone RS-232 to RS-422 adapter
Connecting Machines for Remote 9-Pin (model 2/8 or 2/9) and additional RS-232 and
Deck Emulation Mode
RS-422 cables are required.
To connect a machine for Remote 9-Pin Deck
To increase reliability in long cable runs in Serial
Emulation mode (Mac Systems):
Deck Control mode:
1 Connect a supported USB serial adapter to a 1 Connect the RS-232 cable from your com-
USB port on the computer. puter’s COM port into the RS-232 side of the
2 Connect a male mini DIN-8 serial to female Rosetta Stone adapter. If no COM port is avail-
9-pin Deck Emulation cable to the end of the able, use a supported USB serial adapter con-
adapter. nected to a USB port on your computer.
3 Connect the end of the cable to the machine. 2 Connect the RS-422 cable from the RS-422 side
of the Rosetta Stone to the deck or 9-pin patch
To connect a machine for Remote 9-Pin Deck bay. If a longer run is needed, add more 9-pin
Emulation mode (Windows Systems), do one of cable on the RS-422 end.
the following:
Transport = Machine
For details on Auto-Spotting, see “Auto- Several display elements of the Edit and Transport
Spotting Clips” on page 1426. windows provide machine status information
during MachineControl use, as follows:
When the transport is offline, the Pro Tools Trans-
• When Pro Tools is online, the Transport Online
port window controls the machine only.
button flashes. “Waiting for Sync” will be dis-
played in the status box in the lower left corner
Toggling the Transport while Online
of the Edit window.
When the Transport window is online, toggling the • The Transport Online button continues to flash
Transport Master between Pro Tools and your ma- until you click Play and timecode lock occurs
chine will also toggle between controller and con- (all devices locked and responding in sync).
trolled.
• The Timecode display in the Edit window shows
Toggling the Online Status of a Device the Machine Time when the machine is Master.
• Upon lockup, the Timecode display switches to
Use the Online pop-up menu in the Transport Mas-
show the session time.
ter selector to toggle the online status of a Machine
device. • When set to 9-pin Deck mode, the Online button
icon updates to show a 9-pin icon.
To put a device online (or offline):
To put Pro Tools in Remote mode: 1 Open an existing session or create a new one.
1 Choose View > Transport > Synchronization. 2 Set up a MachineControl device. (See “Config-
uring a MachineControl Device for Deck Con-
2 Click the Remote button in the Transport
trol” on page 1442.)
window.
3 Configure Pro Tools Machine Control prefer-
ences and Online Options in the Preferences di-
alog. (See“Preferences for Serial Deck Control
Mode” on page 1443.)
4 Configure Pro Tools session settings in the Ses-
sion Setup window. (See“Session Setup Win-
Remote button in the Transport window
dow and MachineControl” on page 1445.)
For more information on Remote mode in
5 In the Pro Tools Transport window, select
Pro Tools, see “Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation
Pro Tools or Machine as the Transport Master.
Mode” on page 1454.
(See “Selecting Pro Tools or the Machine as the
Transport Master” on page 1447.)
Serial Deck Control Mode 6 Use the Transport window to play back mate-
rial. (See “Playback in Serial Deck Control
Serial Deck Control mode is available whenever Mode” on page 1448.)
MachineControl is connected using the Serial
Deck Control cable. For more information about
connecting Pro Tools for Serial Deck Control
mode, see “Cables and Connections” on
page 1434.
To select a machine for Serial Deck Control mode: 2 Choose Serial Timecode from the Positional
Reference pop-up menu.
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Peripherals and
click the Machine Control tab. 3 In the Transport window, click the GEN LTC
button.
2 In the 9-pin Machine Control (Deck Control)
section select Enable.
3 Choose Sync X 9-Pin Out, SYNC 9-Pin Out 1 or
SYNC 9-Pin Out 2, or an available serial port
from the Port pop-up menu.
4 Choose the appropriate machine profile from GEN LTC button in Transport window
the Machine Type pop-up menu.
5 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
Preferences for Serial Deck
Control Mode
Using Serial Timecode for
Positional Reference Configure preferences for MachineControl play-
back and recording in Pro Tools.
If you are using a synchronization peripheral and
your machine has 9-pin serial timecode capability,
you can use serial timecode for positional refer- Playback Options
ence. This improves lockup times. To set Machine Control and Synchronization
options:
To use serial timecode for positional reference, a
Video Reference signal must be present, as indi- 1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the Syn-
cated by the Status indicator in the Session Setup chronization tab.
and Edit windows. Both the synchronization pe- 2 Select the desired Machine Control options.
ripheral and the external machine should be locked
to the same video reference signal. 3 Set Synchronization options as desired.
When using Serial Timecode for positional refer- 4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
ence, you can regenerate LTC.
Machine Chases Memory Location When se- Minimum Sync Delay Sets the amount of time (in
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session frames) for devices to achieve synchronization
with a Memory Location causes a connected trans- “lock.” This amount varies for each device. For
port to chase to that location. more information, see “Setting Minimum Sync
Delay” on page 1423.
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When se-
lected, navigating to a specific location in a session Delay Before Locking to Longitudinal
by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a Timecode Sets the amount of time (in frames) for
track will cause a connected transport to chase to Pro Tools to lock to incoming LTC. Use this op-
that location. tion when locking Pro Tools to a stable timecode
source (such as a non-linear machine or LTC gen-
When the connected device is a linear device erator) and not a linear tape machine.
(such as a tape deck), select Linear Devices (jog) to
set Pro Tools to send jog commands. Delay Before Locking to Serial Timecode Sets
the amount of time (in frames) for Pro Tools to
When the connected device is a non-linear de-
wait before attempting to lock to machines that is-
vice (such as a random-access video recorder or
sue servo lock messages. This setting allows time
another Pro Tools system), select Non-Linear De-
for the servo mechanisms to achieve stable lock.
vices (cue) to set Pro Tools to send cue commands.
Format section
Sync X Setup
& External Offsets
section
External Timecode
Offset settings
Timecode Settings
section
Pull Up/Pull Down
settings
Freewheel settings
When the Online button is highlighted, toggling If the Transport Master selector will not stay set to
the Transport Master between Pro Tools and Ma- Machine, or if it switches to Pro Tools from Ma-
chine also toggles between generating/following chine, check your machine’s Local/Remote set-
timecode. ting. It should be set to Remote to receive com-
mands from the Pro Tools Transport.
To spot clips to the machine’s current location, use Even if your machine is not directly supported, the
Pro Tools Spot mode or Auto-Spot Clips. Track Arming window lets you arm tracks, set the
Record Protocol and configure the Record mode
for the machine.
Remote Track Arming You can also define, save, and load customized de-
Pro Tools with MachineControl provides the abil- vice profiles. (See “Creating a Track Arming Pro-
ity to record-arm audio, video, or timecode tracks file” on page 1450.)
on external decks, and rehearse an edit.
Not all machines support independent arming
On MachineControl-equipped systems, the Ma- of their audio tracks locally or remotely, and
chine Track Arming command is available in the some machines require a separate utility
Pro Tools Window menu. The Machine Track menu selection. Pro Tools remote track arm-
Arming window lets you configure track arming ing cannot operate in these situations.
during sessions using the settings appropriate for
the current Track Arming Profile (see “Identifying
Your Machine” on page 1450).
When you configure Pro Tools for MachineCon- Choose Setup > Machine Track Arming Profiles.
trol, it automatically loads the track arming profile
for the identified machines.
If you are using a generic machine profile, be When you create a new Track Arming Profile,
sure to double-check record behavior using a Stop command is sent to any connected ma-
non-essential tapes before using Machine- chine to protect elements on tape.
Control’s remote track arming functions.
Choosing a Machine ID
For maximum flexibility, use Track Arming Pro-
files to create, customize, and manage multiple To recognize your machine:
machine descriptions (see “Creating a Track Arm-
In the Create Machine Track Arming Profile di-
ing Profile” on page 1450).
alog, click Identify Machine.
Use Assemble mode when you want to: • If you make a selection in Pro Tools that crosses
the “midnight” boundary (00:00:00:00), make
• Begin recording program onto a completely
sure your deck can handle this situation. Exper-
blank tape (unformatted)
iment with a dispensable tape to familiarize
• Append program to the remainder of a tape yourself with the crossover capabilities of your
which already has program you want to keep deck.
While in Edit Preview mode, the Transport Record Arming Tracks Remotely for
button flashes yellow when armed and lights solid Layback
yellow when rehearsing. Armed tracks are indi-
To arm tracks remotely for layback, you need to
cated by yellow track buttons in the Track Arming
first configure Track Arming for your machine.
window.
To configure Track Arming:
To rehearse a layback:
1 Make sure your machine is properly connected
1 In Pro Tools, select the audio you want to re-
and configured to following Pro Tools.
hearse for layback, or place the playback cursor
at a start point. 2 Open the Track Arming window.
2 Choose Window > Machine Track Arming. 3 Select a Record Protocol (Auto Edit or Punch
In/Out).
3 In the Track Arming window, select Edit Pre-
view. 4 Select a Record mode (Insert or Assemble).
4 In the Track Arming window, arm the tracks Once the Track Arming options are config-
you want to rehearse by clicking the corre- ured, you can change the Track Arming win-
sponding buttons. The buttons light yellow to dow to “small view” and still see the track
indicate armed status. arm buttons.
5 Right-click the Online button in the Pro Tools
To perform a layback:
Transport and select Transport > Machine.
1 In Pro Tools, select the audio to lay back, or
6 In the Pro Tools Transport window, click the place the playback cursor at a start point.
Online button to put Pro Tools online.
2 In the Remote Track Arming window, arm the
7 In the Pro Tools Transport window, click Re- appropriate tracks on the machine.
cord. The button flashes yellow to indicate Edit
Preview (Rehearse) mode. 3 Right-click the Online button in the Pro Tools
Transport and select Transport > Machine.
4 Make sure the Pro Tools Transport is online.
5 Click Record in the Transport window to arm
recording.
6 Click Play in the Transport window.
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode makes 5 Select the 9-pin MachineControl port from the
Pro Tools operate as a virtual tape deck, support- Port pop-up menu.
ing most standard Sony P2 9-pin commands. For a
6 Choose the appropriate machine profile from
list of supported commands, see “9-Pin Com-
the Machine Type pop-up menu.
mands” on page 1458.
7 If you want Pro Tools to ignore transport com-
By default, Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75
mands and just chase LTC, enable Chase LTC.
model video deck. You can also configure
Pro Tools to emulate other machines. For more in- 8 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
formation, see “Alternate Machine Types” on
9 In the Transport window, click the Remote but-
page 1456.
ton to put Pro Tools in Remote mode.
For instructions on connecting Pro Tools for
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode, see
“Cables and Connections” on page 1434.
By default, MachineControl lets Pro Tools emu- Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode En-
late a Sony BVW-75. If you use a machine that fol- ables a supported third-party paddle device to issue
lows a different 9-pin command set, you can con- the following Pro Tools track commands while in
figure Pro Tools for that machine’s description. Local mode:
• Input monitoring
To configure Pro Tools for an alternate machine:
• Record Enable
1 Choose Setup > Peripherals, and click the
Machine Control tab. • Record Safe
For more information, see “Selecting Full For more information, see “Preferences for
Remote Mode or Remote/LTC Chase Mode” Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation Mode” on
on page 1455. page 1355.
• Perform Auto Edit Record 1 Connect the supported third-party paddle de-
vice to your system.
• Perform Punch-In/Punch-Out Record
(requires QuickPunch mode and voices) 2 Make sure the Allow Track Arm Commands in
• Return Status-Online, State, Tracks Armed Local Mode preference is enabled.
See “Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation Mode” 5 Select the 9-pin MachineControl port from the
on page 1454 for detailed information on Port pop-up menu.
connecting a machine to Pro Tools.
6 Choose the appropriate machine profile from
the Machine Type pop-up menu.
Allow Track Arm Commands See “Serial Deck Control Mode” on page 1441
in Local Mode Preference for detailed information about configuring and
The Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode using Serial Deck Control mode.
preference must be enabled in order to control
7 In the 9-Pin Remote (Deck Emulation) section,
Pro Tools with a paddle device in Local mode.
select Enable.
To enable the Allow Track Arm Commands in Local
Mode preference:
1 Choose Setup > Preferences, and click the
Synchronization tab. Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode settings
2 Select Allow Track Arm Commands in Local 8 Select the 9-pin MachineControl port from the
Mode. Port pop-up menu.
Cue to Selection Out Point Minus Preroll Option+Right Arrow Alt+Right Arrow
The first 0x signifies hex value. The next four 0xF019 AJ-D350 (D3)
numbers signify the machine ID. The name of the 0x3011 DVR-2100
associated machine follows.
0x3000 DVR-1000
Machines, by ID number
0x0010 BVH-2000
ID number Machine
0x0011 BVH-2000
0x0000 Generic 1
0x0110 BVH-2000 PS
0x0001 Generic 2
0x0111 BVH-2000 PS
0x1000 BVU-800
0x0018 BVH-2180
0x101C BVU-950
0x0020 BVH-2500
0x1019 BVU-920
0x0120 BVH-2500 PS
0x1080 BVU-900
0x0030 BVH-2700
0x104C VO-9850
0x0040 BVH-2800
0x1048 VO-9800
0x0048 BVH-2830
0x102C SVO-9600
0x0050 BVH-3000
0x2000 BVW-10
0x0060 BVH-3100
0x2001 BVW-40
0x0150 BVH-3000 PS
0x2002 BVW-11
0x0160 BVH-3100 PS
0x2003 BVW-15
0x2041 PVW-2800
0x2010 BVW-35
0x1211 ASC Virtual Recorder
0x2020 BVW-60
0x1011 Fostex D-10
0x2021 BVW-65
0xF027 Otari R-DAT
0x2022 BVW-95
0x7001 PCM-7030
0x2023 BVW-96
0x7001 TASCAM DA-88
0x2024 BVW-70
0x7003 PCM-800
0x2025 BVW-75
0x7000 PCM-7000
0x1021 SVP-5600
0x2124 BCB-70
0x2101 BVW-40P
0x8017 DSR-1500A
0x6007 3348HR
0x6005 3348HRV
0x6003 3324
0x20E0 HDW-500
0x20A0 SRW-5000
Shielding
The outside shielding of the D-Sub 9-pin (female) should be wired to the outside shielding of the Mini DIN
8-pin (male).
Pro Tools Ultimate lets you import multichannel Digital Field Recorders
audio files and metadata recorded by field record-
A field recorder, also known as a hard disk loca-
ers.
tion audio recorder, is a device used by a produc-
tion sound mixer during a film or video shoot to
make a multichannel recording of multiple micro-
Field Recorder and phone inputs recorded simultaneously.
Production Workflow
Terminology Depending on the capabilities and settings of a
(Pro Tools Ultimate Software Only) field recorder, multichannel recordings can in-
clude one or more tracks (up to 32) and are saved
Before working with field recorders in as monophonic or polyphonic audio files on a hard
Pro Tools Ultimate, you may want to review a drive, DVD-RAM, or Flash media.
brief glossary of common field recorder and pro-
duction terms. Multichannel recordings made by a field recorder
should be encoded with start and end time stamps
representing SMPTE timecode or linear timecode
Field Recorder Terminology
(also known as LTC). Most field recorders also al-
The following terminology applies to field record- low manual entry of additional types of metadata,
ers in general: including Channel Name/Number, Scene, Take,
Circled Take, User Bits, and more.
Metadata
Pro Tools can import monophonic and polyphonic
Metadata is used to describe the following: files and certain types of metadata entered on field
• Information embedded in a media file. This may recorders.
include scene, take, sample rate, bit depth, exter-
nal clip names, the name of the videotape from Production Sound Mix
which the media file was captured, and even For each multichannel recording made by a field
timecode values. recorder, the production sound mixer may desig-
• Information embedded in Pro Tools sessions or nate a production sound mix comprising either a
other sequences, including what files are used, representative channel or a mixdown of other se-
where they appear in a timeline, and automation. lected channels in the recording.
• For AAF or OMF sequences, information about
automation or clip-based gain.
BEXT and iXML Chunks SMPTE Timecode Also known as LTC or linear
timecode. The generating clock of this timecode
BEXT and iXML chunks are sets of metadata can be based on the time of day or can be set to as-
found within a Broadcast WAV file. cend beginning from a certain starting time of day.
Limitations Minutes:Seconds Timecode based on minutes and
seconds.
The following limitations apply to handling of im-
ported metadata from field recorders. Wild No timecode. Most consumer digital video
• The BEXT specification as described here adds recorders do not have the ability to generate time-
some features that conform to standards used by code.
Avid video editing applications and Pro Tools—
Production Sound Mixer
specifically, Description metadata is interpreted
differently. The production sound mixer uses a field recorder
• When you import multiple files in which the to record multichannel audio during a shoot, and
same metadata are populated with different val- later delivers those source files to one or more par-
ues, Pro Tools imports the value that is first pres- ties:
ent based on the following order: • Telecine operator (film workflow only)
• Avid OMF-wrapped media or MXF media • Avid video editor
• Any iXML chunk metadata in a BWF • Pro Tools editor
• Any BEXT chunk metadata in a BWF
• Raw Production source files representing multi- Production Source Audio in Timeline Auto-
channel recordings from a field recorder Synced to Edited Production Sound Mix The
production source audio in the Avid Bin has been
You will receive these files either separately (from auto-synced to the edited located sound mix, and
the Avid video editor and production sound mixer) all audio channels reside in the Avid Timeline.
or together as part of an AAF or OMF sequence ex-
port including raw production source audio (from When you import this type of sequence into
the Avid video editor). Pro Tools, the edited video, edited production
sound mix, and all production source audio will be
available to import directly into the Timeline.
Separate Deliveries of Source
Files Production Source Audio Auto-Synced and Re-
sides Only in the Avid Bin In an Avid video edit-
When you receive an AAF or OMF sequence from
ing application, the raw production source audio
the Avid editor and raw production source audio
has been auto-synced to the edited production
from the production sound mixer, you import the
sound mix, but all audio channels reside only in the
sequence, then either import the raw production
Avid Bin.
source audio, or instruct Pro Tools to search for
matching audio outside the session. In this case, the AAF or OMF sequence does
not contain or reference the production
Once the production audio is imported or
source audio when imported into Pro Tools.
located, Pro Tools will be able to match them
The Avid editor must deliver the production
together.
files to Pro Tools separately. The Avid editor
See “Importing an AAF or OMF Sequence may either deliver the production audio files
into Pro Tools” on page 1473 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 1474. audio files, which have not passed through
Media Composer.
When you use Pro Tools to import raw production 2 Select the Processing tab.
source audio that was not exported from an Avid 3 In the Import section, find the Don’t Convert
video editing application—such as audio delivered Sample Rates on Import preference setting.
separately from an AAF or OMF sequence—that
audio may be offset with the audio in the AAF or 4 Enable that preference to activate real-time pull
OMF sequence by as much as half a frame. down for 48.048 kHz audio files.
2 Click Field Recorder Guide Track. • Same clip name prefix (such as Audio File or
Audio File_01)
3 Repeat for each field recorder track in the
• Consecutively-numbered clip name suffix, from
session.
A1 through A8
Each mono field recorder track must be
For example, the clips Audio File_01.A1 and Au-
designated to enable the special Pro Tools
dio File_01.A2 would be grouped as a multichan-
field recorder features for that track.
nel clip in the Clips List.
This option lets you set the method Pro Tools uses The Reset button toggles all criteria to their
to name and sort the audio files created by expand- default values.
ing matching field recorder channels.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows)
any item to select or deselect all criteria in
the dialog.
By default, Pro Tools searches for matching field • Click Save to close the Select Areas to
recorder files in the Audio Files folder for the cur- Search dialog and save the new search area
rent session. Because field recorders often accu- settings.
mulate large amounts of audio data, importing the • Click Save & Index to save the new search
necessary files into your Pro Tools session can be a area settings and re-index the selected fold-
slow and complex task. ers. For more information, see “Re-Indexing”
on page 1479.
The Select Areas to Search option lets you specify
additional locations (such as alternate folders or Re-Indexing
hard drives) for Pro Tools to search for matches.
When new audio is added to one of the designated
To select areas to search for matching field search areas, Pro Tools must index the contents of
recorder tracks: that folder before the new audio can be accessed.
1 Right-click the name of a field recorder track.
To re-index all alternate search areas:
2 Click Select Areas to Search. 1 In the Field Recorder Channels Match dialog,
click Select Areas to Search.
2 Click Save & Index to save the current settings
and re-index all search areas in the list.
5 The original source audio files and unedited 5 Drag the original unedited guide track audio file
guide track are also imported into the session. into the Candidates pane. If a dialog appears
stating that one or more files are shorter than the
6 The original unedited guide track is relinked to media file you are trying to relink, click Yes to
the session (see “Relinking the Original Uned- select it for relinking anyway.
ited Guide Track” on page 1483).
6 Check the box to the left of the file in the Can-
7 The Pro Tools editor Right-clicks the name of didates pane so that the Link icon appears.
the guide track and selects Expand Channels to
New Tracks > By Timecode Only. The original 7 Click Commit Links at the top of the Relink win-
source tracks expand to new tracks with edits dow and then close the Relink window.
and fades that match the guide track.
You can now Right-click the name of the guide
and select Expand To New Tracks > By Timecode
Only. All expanded tracks should be synchronous
with the guide track.
Following these steps ensures that timecode meta- • The camera assistant keeps a written record
data are preserved from the moment shooting be- (called a shootlist) documenting each scene
gins to the final delivery of source files to the and take with a corresponding keycode posi-
Pro Tools editor. tion.
• The production sound mixer also keeps a
written record (also called a sound log) docu-
Setting Up Before Shooting
(Film Workflow) menting each scene and take with a corre-
sponding timecode position.
Before each day’s shooting begins, the production
sound mixer should decide on a unique name— 4 The slate operator claps the slate to indicate the
preferably ascending by day—and enter that exact beginning of the take. The field recorder records
name in the Tape BEXT or iXML metadata field the audio of the clap, and the film camera cap-
inside the Broadcast WAV file. tures the following images:
• Scene and take number (written on the slate)
For example, the production sound mixer might
• Exact moment the slate closes
use T001 for the first day’s shooting, T002 for the
second day’s shooting, and so forth. • Timecode position of the slate closing
5 Shooting ends and the take is complete.
• Multichannel location audio 8 Insert a blank videotape into the VTR con-
nected to the telecine, and manually assign lin-
• Written shootlist and sound log
ear timecode (LTC) information to the
The telecine operator generates the dailies (a vid- videotape.
eotape containing the day’s shots) by transferring 9 Begin the telecine capture. During the telecine
the film and audio to a videotape. The shootlists capture, the following occurs:
will be used as a guide.
• The telecine begins capturing the synchro-
To use a telecine to create dailies: nized film and audio to the videotape, with
linear timecode (LTC) assigned to the video-
1 Load film and audio into the telecine.
tape beginning from where you entered the
2 Enter the Tape name or Sound Roll name start timecode.
(whichever was used during the production) • A FLEx file is created, where scene and take
character for character into the telecine. information is automatically written and as-
sociated to the film keycode and telecine vid-
To ensure that metadata are preserved for
eotape timecode relative to audio timecode.
the Pro Tools editor, it is critical to enter the
Tape name or Sound Roll name character for 10 When the telecine transfer is complete, deliver
character. For example, if the metadata was the following to the Avid editor:
T001 (with two zeroes), enter T001 with two • Telecine videotape
zeroes—not T01 with one zero or T0001 with
• FLEx file
three zeroes.
• Shootlist
3 Using the camera assistant’s shootlist, locate the • Sound log
film frame representing the first keycode posi-
• Location audio media
tion of the film in the shootlist (which should be
just before the slate is clapped).
4 Locate the film to the first frame where the slate
clap occurs, and note the timecode position dis-
played on the slate.
5 Locate the audio to the exact timecode position
listed on the slate in the film frame (which lines
up the audio with the film).
In a film workflow, the Avid editor batch digitizes 7 When you are finished editing, export the edited
the telecine videotape to digital video and audio sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it
files in order to edit them. can be imported into Pro Tools.
When you are finished editing, export the edited 4 Use the Avid video editing application to edit
sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it audio and video.
can be imported into Pro Tools.
5 When you are finished editing, export the edited
sequence as an AAF or OMF sequence so that it
can be imported into Pro Tools.
For more information, see Chapter 34, Click the Video Online button of any track that
“Playlists.” is offline (gray) to put it online (blue), making
that track the main video track.
Multiple Codecs on an Individual
Video Track
(Pro Tools Ultimate Only)
On the video track, select Frames or Blocks Video track in Blocks View
from the View Options pop-up menu.
Timecode Overlay Button
Frames View (Pro Tools Ultimate Only)
In Frames View, video data is displayed as pictures The Timecode Overlay button lets you toggle
in the video track. These pictures are computed Timecode Overlay on (blue) and off (gray) for the
based on the video image, and scale according to Video window (see “Timecode Overlay” on
your track zoom and height settings. They allow page 1517).
you to easily find a scene or sequence in the video
track. Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
(Windows) the Timecode Overlay button to
open the Timecode Overlay Settings dialog.
Video Online button (offline (top) and online (bottom) Dropped Frames indicator red
Previous playback report in tooltip
To switch a video track online or offline:
Click the Video Online button of any track that Dropped Frames indicator states
is offline (gray) to put it online (blue), making Playback
Indicator Issue
that track the main video track. Status
Click the Video Online button of the main video Not lit Stopped No dropped frames
detected in last playback
track to take it offline, and Pro Tools will not pass or indicator reset
output video.
Not lit Playing No dropped frames
With Pro Tools Ultimate, press Shift+J to cy- back detected
cle through all shown video tracks to deter-
Red Playing Dropped frames detected
mine which one is online. back
Disk may be too slow reported if the hard drive Frame Rate
could not keep up with the video media during Raster Size
Video Quality
playback. Possible solutions include:
Color Space
• Use a faster drive that can handle the band-
width of the media. Video Track Output controls
• Use a local drive if the media resides on net-
work storage. Engine Rate and Raster Settings
• Use Bounce Mix to create a lower bandwidth The engine Frame Rate and Raster Size selectors
MOV file to use in the session. determine how a video file is processed and output
• Split audio and video media onto separate by the video engine. In most cases, the engine set-
drives to remove bandwidth contention. tings should match the attributes of the video file
for optimal playback performance. In some cases,
Audio and video engines do not have a common however, there can be mixed file raster sizes, or the
clock Reported if video hardware is connected, but
video may be a non-standard frame rate or raster
there is no common clock between the audio and
size, in which case real time frame rate or raster
video interfaces. The video engine will drop or du-
size conversion must be done to match the file to
plicate frames to stay in sync with the audio en-
the selected engine settings.
gine. In some cases this is unavoidable because the
hardware does not support video reference. To Command-click (Mac) or Control-click
avoid this, use Pro Tools Ultimate software with a (Windows) to override Pro Tools and select
Pro Tools | Sync X or SYNC HD a common video the desired Frame Rate or Raster Size.
reference to the video hardware.
Default Engine Settings for Imported
File may be encoded in a way that is not optimized Video
for use with the Avid Video Engine Reported if
some files are encoded in a way that is not optimal The video engine Frame Rate and Raster Size set-
for playback in Pro Tools. For a list of qualified co- tings are set slightly differently when importing an
decs, visit the Avid Knowledge Base. AAF containing a sequence versus an individual
video file (such as a QuickTime file).
CPU/GPU may be underpowered Reported if
there is not enough CPU or GPU processing
power.
When importing an AAF, the engine settings are Pro Tools can accept almost any Raster Size as
determined by the Project Type set in the AAF long as the dimension of each side of the video file
(which is defined in Media Composer). For AAFs is a multiple of 2. Video plays back at its native
that come from other applications, Pro Tools uses size and aspect ratio in the Pro Tools Video win-
the Single File logic, and the engine settings are dow. Hardware display is limited only by the capa-
based on the first file on the timeline. bilities of the hardware.
Single File While Pro Tools does not allow mixed frame rates,
it does allow different resolutions. If two or more
When importing a single video file, QuickTime or files with different resolutions are imported, the
MXF, Pro Tools picks the optimal video engine options in the Raster Size selector increase to
Frame Rate and Raster Size based on the file attri- match the attributes of the files in the session.
butes. If the file attributes perfectly fit in a standard
Frame Rate and Raster Size, that Frame Rate and If a file is imported that does not match a standard
Raster Size are used. Raster Size, Pro Tools plays back the file at the na-
tive Raster Size. Note that you can select any other
Frame Rate standard Raster Size.
While Pro Tools does not allow mixed frame rates, QuickTime Media
it does allow different resolutions. The Frame Rate
selector lets you set the Frame Rate to best match When importing a QuickTime movie, the follow-
mixed resolutions for the session. In general, you ing conditions may apply:
will not need to change the Frame Rate. • Pro Tools automatically sets the Frame Rate and
For Avid MXF video, Frame Rate is set automati- Raster Size on import based on the QuickTime
cally. However, when you are working with mixed movie’s frame rate and resolution.
resolutions, Pro Tools lets you set the closest • If multiple Frame Rates and Raster Sizes are
matching resolution for the session using the possible, Pro Tools lets you select from the best
Frame Rate setting. possible matches available.
If a file is imported that does not match any stan- • If the frame rate is close to a whole value,
dard Frame Rate, Pro Tools uses the closest possi- Pro Tools rounds to the nearest frame rate (for
ble Frame Rate. Note that you can select any other example, 29.972 is rounded to 29.97)
standard Frame Rate, in which case Frame Rate • For imported QuickTime media with unknown
conversion is unavoidable, so be sure to select the Frame Rates and Raster Sizes (such as stills or
Frame Rate that works best for your project. screen captures), change the settings to best
match other video files in the session.
Synchronizing a
single system with
Pro Tools Ultimate a video peripheral.
Synchronizing a
single system with
Clock Source: a video peripheral.
Sync X
Pro Tools Ultimate
Sync HD Synchronizing one
Pro Tools and the Pro Tools HD
video engine will or more systems
Hardware
Clock Reference: with analog gear
use same top-of-
External Digital and a video periph-
Clock Source: frame to begin Sync HD
Clock (e.g., Word eral.
Video Reference playback in sync.
Clock or AES)
Video peripheral
Synchronizing mul-
Playback will not capable of
Video Reference: tiple systems that
drift. external video
Connected and interchange digital
reference
matching Video Ref audio with each
Format other, as well as a
video
peripheral.
Audio or video
Pro Tools and the
peripheral is not
video engine will
capable of exter-
begin playback
nal reference. This
within +/–1 frame
includes using the
of each other. The
built-in computer
offset will vary
audio.
within this range
by a different
If one peripheral
amount with the
does not/cannot
start of each play-
have an external
back pass.
clock source,
Clock Source: there is no benefit
Playback will drift
Audio Interface to applying an
Clock Source: over time because
Video peripheral external clock
Internal the engines are
Clock Reference: source to the other
not resolved to the
Internal peripheral, in
same clock. The
regards to A/V
video engine will
sync. However, it
detect if the clock
may be beneficial
has drifted by a 1/2
to apply external
a frame more. If
clock reference to
this is the case, it
one peripheral for
will drop or
other reasons,
duplicate a frame,
such as the inter-
depending on the
change of digital
direction of the
audio signal with
drift, to keep up
another audio
(slewing).
interface.
When Pro Tools uses a frame rate that is non-na- The following options are available:
tive to the media, and the Frame Rate automati-
cally selected by Pro Tools is not what you want, Full Quality
you can select the best matching Frame Rate from
Select the Full Quality option to process and play
the Frame Rate selector. Any options not sup-
back the full image raster for the project. Full Qual-
ported by the hardware are listed as hardware n/a
ity uses a bit depth of 8 bits. This option provides
and are inactive in the list.
the highest video playback quality by processing
Once Shuttle Lock mode is initiated, Fast Forward Increasing or Decreasing the
and Rewind become highlighted in the Transport Size of Video Frames
window.
To increase or decrease the size of video frames in
5 Press additional keys to change the playback the Video Universe window:
speed, or press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to switch
Right-click (Windows or Mac) or Control-click
the playback direction (plus for forward, minus
(Mac) anywhere in the Universe, and select In-
for backward).
crease or Decrease.
Video frame with zoom tool Video frame with selector tool
To use the Video Universe window to zoom video To use the Video Universe window to select ranges
clips in the Edit window: in video clips in the Edit window:
1 Move the cursor over the top half of any video 1 Move the cursor over the bottom half of any
frame until it becomes a zoom tool. video frame until it becomes a selector tool.
2 Do one of the following: 2 Do one of the following:
• To move the beginning of a video clip to the • To place the cursor at the beginning of a video
far left of the Timeline while maintaining the clip, click the video frame representing the
current zoom resolution in the Edit window, video clip.
click the video frame representing the clip • To select an entire video clip from start to
once. end, double-click the video frame represent-
• To zoom in on a video clip so that it fills the ing that clip.
entire Edit window, double-click the video • To select one or more entire clips from start to
frame representing the clip. end, drag the video frames representing the
• To zoom a range of selected clips so that they video clips.
fill the Edit window, drag on the video frames
that represent the clips. If the Edit window does not display the
selected video clips, it will automatically
scroll to show the beginning of the selection.
1 Choose Setup > Video Sync Offset. To access the control panel for your video
hardware:
2 In the Set Video Sync Offset dialog, enter a
value in the QuickTime Video Offset field or Choose Setup > Video Hardware Control Panel.
Windows Media Video Offset field that is ap-
propriate to compensate for the delay caused by External Display Color Space
your video monitor chain.
When using video hardware, picture is sent to the
video hardware using the selected session color
space. Use the Video Hardware Control Panel to
make adjustments to the display color for your
video hardware if necessary.
Video Reference
Video Sync Offset dialog Video output can be locked to external video refer-
ence, including Black Burst and Tri-Level Sync.
Once this value is set, it should not need to be up-
dated unless you change components in your video Pro Tools Ultimate should be locked to a suit-
monitoring chain (such as projectors or plasma able clock reference, such as a SYNC HD. If no
screens). external audio clock is referenced, audio will
not be frame-edge aligned and may drift.
2 In the resulting Timecode Overlay Settings win- To bounce video and audio in the video track to a
QuickTime movie:
dow, enable the Timecode Overlay option. You
can also enable or disable Timecode Overlay by 1 Finalize your mix (or stems).
clicking the Timecode Overlay button in the
2 Make sure the video track you want to bounce is
video track controls.
currently the main video track. (The track’s
3 Adjust the Size, Position, Color, and Opacity Video Online button must be highlighted blue.)
settings as desired. Adjust the X and Y settings
3 Make sure that all of the audio tracks you want
to fine-tune the location of the Timecode Over-
to include in the bounce are audible (not muted
lay.
or inactive).
4 Assign the output of each of the tracks you want
to include in your bounce to the same stereo
output or bus path.
5 Do one of the following:
• To bounce the entire session, click Return to
Zero in the Transport to go to the beginning of
the session.
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.
Transcode
Avid Satellite Link lets you link multiple systems • Pro Tools Satellite
over an Ethernet network so that you can cue, play, • Designed to be an extension of the Satellite
and stop the transports, make play selections, and Administrator for audio playback and record-
solo tracks across any of the systems from any ing.
linked workstation. Each satellite network consists
• Can issue and receive transport commands.
of one satellite administrator and between 1 and 11
satellite members, for up to a total of 12 systems • Can send and receive solo information.
depending on your configuration. Each satellite • Requires Pro Tools Ultimate software,
can have different functionality depending on the Pro Tools | HD hardware, and a synchroniza-
software, software license, and attached hardware. tion peripheral for near sample accurate play-
These functionality differences are referred to by back.
roles, designed to serve specific workflow needs. • Pro Tools Video Satellite
• Satellite Administrator: • Designed to offload video playback to a dif-
• Requires a Pro Tools Ultimate software li- ferent system.
cense: • Can receive transport commands but cannot
• Responsible for claiming the satellite mem- issue them.
bers in the satellite network. • Pro Tools Ultimate may also be used as a
• There can be only one administrator per sat- Video Satellite. It is possible to add HD hard-
ellite network. ware and a synchronization peripheral for
• Can issue and receive transport commands. better playback accuracy.
• Can send and receive solo information. • A single Pro Tools Studio system may be
added to the satellite network.
• Can claim one additional Video Satellite
when HD hardware is not connected. Since a This system may only receive transport com-
synchronization peripheral cannot be used, mands. It cannot send transport commands,
synchronization will be near frame accurate. and it cannot send or receive solo information.
• Can claim up to 11 additional Satellites when
HD hardware is in use. A synchronization pe-
ripheral is required for near sample accurate
playback.
3 Click OK. Do the following for each Pro Tools system you
want to configure as a Satellite Link satellite:
TCP/UDP Port 1 Choose Setup > Peripherals and click Satellites.
Systems in a Satellite Link network need to use the 2 In the System Name text box, enter a name for
same TCP/UDP port to communicate. Available the system.
satellite systems will only appear on other satellite
systems using the same port. 3 Under Mode, choose Satellite.
4 Click OK.
By default, Satellite Link uses TCP/UDP port
28282. However, if the default port is already in
use, or if you want to set up separate Satellite Link
networks, you can select a different TCP/UDP port
for Satellite Link communication.
3 Click OK.
The Link button controls the link status of the local You can link or unlink a system while it or any
system. When linked, the button is highlighted. other linked system is playing back (“join in
play”), and the transports will play in sync. In
Satellite Link Buttons cases where both systems are playing back, the
newly linked system will cue to the location of the
Satellite Link buttons control the link status of the
system on which the link was initiated.
other satellite systems on the network. On every
other system, one of these buttons corresponds to
that system’s main Link button. Linking Pro Tools Systems in a
Satellite Network
Link buttons highlight to indicate linked status of
the remote system. A Satellite Link button high- To link (or unlink) the local Pro Tools system:
lights red if that system stops playback due to an Click the Link button in the Transport so that is
error or the opening of a modal dialog. highlighted (or unhighlighted).
The Transmit Play Selections and Receive Play To link (or unlink) remote satellite systems:
Selections buttons in the Transport mirror the
Click the corresponding Satellite Link button
Transmit Play Selections and Receive Play Selec-
for the remote system in the Transport so that it
tions options in the Satellites section of the Syn-
is highlighted (or unhighlighted).
chronization preferences (Setup > Preferences >
Synchronization). The button highlights when the
To link (or unlink) all declared satellite systems:
option is enabled.
Option-click (Mac) or Alt-click (Windows) the
Transmit Play Selections When enabled, causes a Link button or a Satellite Link button in the
linked Pro Tools system to send the Edit window Transport so that they are all highlighted (or un-
selection to all other linked Pro Tools systems. On highlighted).
other linked systems that are set to receive play se-
lections, the selection is mirrored in the Edit win-
dow.
Solo in Place With Solo Link, when using Solo In Make sure the AAE Errors Stop All Linked Sys-
Place, the mode of solo operation is determined by tems option is selected in the Synchronization
the system transmitting the solo. Preferences.
If a linked system is in Solo Latch mode, solo- To set all systems to stop the transport when an er-
ing a track on that system adds to the number of ror occurs, make sure this option is selected on all
tracks in solo, regardless of the solo mode of other linked systems.
systems set to receive solos.
Playback and Modal Dialogs
If a linked system is in Solo X-OR mode, solo-
ing a track on that system cancels all other sys- Linked systems stop playback (or prevent play-
tem’s solos regardless of the solo mode of other back from starting) if a modal dialog (such as the
systems set to receive solos. I/O Setup, Hardware Setup, or Playback Engine di-
alog) is opened on any linked system.
AFL and PFL Modes With Solo Link, AFL and
PFL solos on a linked system have no effect on To avoid interrupting playback on another
other systems. system when opening a modal dialog,
unlink the system before opening the dialog.
An AFL-soloed track on a linked system can be
muted by a Solo In Place on another system. To
avoid this, use PFL instead of AFL.
To set up the Pro Tools Video Satellite system: The administrator Pro Tools system does not
See “Configuring Satellite Systems” on respond to playback commands from the
page 1529. 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 1531. other satellite systems. On every system, one of
these buttons corresponds to that system’s main
The systems appear, in order, from left to right, in Link button.
the Synchronization section of the Transport win-
dow. Link buttons highlight to indicate linked status.
Linked systems will stop playback if a modal dia- 1 In Pro Tools, go to Setup > Session. The
log box (such as the I/O Setup, Hardware Setup, or Session Setup window appears.
Playback Engine dialog) is opened on any linked 2 In the Timecode Offsets section, compensate
system. The corresponding Satellite Link button for the offset between Pro Tools and a Pro Tools
for that system highlights red on all other systems. Video Satellite as follows:
.
A system cannot play back when a modal • If the start time of the video clip in video sat-
dialog box is open. ellite falls before the start time of the admin-
istrator Pro Tools session, type a positive
timecode value into the Satellite Offset field.
Spotting Video to the Pro Tools
Timeline • If the start time of the video clip in video sat-
ellite falls after the start time of the adminis-
Once a session is created (or an existing session
trator Pro Tools session, type a negative
opened) on the satellite Pro Tools system, and the
timecode value into the Satellite Offset field.
video has been imported, the video must be set to
the correct start time so that it runs in sync with the
audio on the main Pro Tools system. Video can be Compensating for Monitor-
spotted to the desired start time by matching time- Induced Output Delay
code or feet+frames values. Many monitors add a delay to the video output of
one or more frames. You can compensate for this
Compensating for Different delay by advancing the video output by the neces-
Start Times in Pro Tools and a sary number of frames.
Pro Tools Video Satellite
To set the number of frames to offset video output:
In some cases, you may want the Pro Tools Video
Satellite system to be offset from the administrator 1 On the video satellite system, choose Setup >
system to accommodate for external deck offsets Video Sync Offset.
or differences in session start time. 2 In the Video Sync Offset field, type a positive
value that matches the amount of delay in the
You can control the amount of offset by changing
monitors. You may need to try a few different
the Timecode Offset parameters on the Pro Tools
settings.
Video Satellite system.
Media Composer software with the Video Satellite In more complex clocking scenarios, it is pos-
option can output and capture video with any sup- sible to apply both video reference and Word
port Avid or third-party video peripheral. Clock or AES to the SYNC HD, as long as it is
derived from the same Clock Source.
Media Composer Video Satellite It is possible for both systems to play together
Requirements without a common clock source, but the start of
Media Composer Video Satellite requires the fol- play will not be as accurate, and playback may drift
lowing system components: over long playback passes.
• Certain dialogs are open in either Pro Tools When working with 24p and 23.976 projects,
or Media Composer. Media Composer defaults to displaying frames
• Media Composer is not the active applica- mapped to 29.97 fps timecode. In order to keep the
tion. Pro Tools and Media Composer timecode displays
in sync when working in 24p or 23.976 projects,
• Pro Tools does not have an open session, or
click the timecode display above the Record mon-
Media Composer does not have an open se-
itor and choose Sequence > Timecode > 24 > Mas.
quence.
• If you experiencing any irregularities, choose To avoid sync problems during later stages of
Setup > Peripherals > Satellites in Pro Tools post production, it is strongly recommended
on the Satellite Administrator and click Reset in most cases to change the settings in
Network. Pro Tools to match those of the sequence
open in Media Composer.
3 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session. 1 In the Settings tab of the Project window, open
the Film and 24P setting.
4 Select a timecode setting from the Timecode
Rate pop-up menu that is compatible to the 2 Select an Edit Play Rate matching your config-
Media Composer Project Type setting. uration according to the following table.
5 Make sure that a compatible clock source is 24p projects (PAL and NTSC) use a default
available and connected correctly. Edit Play Rate that does not match the project
rate. 24p PAL defaults to 25 fps and 24p
6 Select the connected clock reference from the
NTSC defaults to 23.976 fps.
Clock Reference pop-up menu.
7 Select a compatible video format from the To change audio pull up/down settings in
Pro Tools:
Video Ref Format pop-up menu.
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session.
Video Ref Format cannot be changed for
2 From the Timecode Settings section of the Ses-
most HD frame rates.
sion Setup window, select a rate from the Audio
Rate Pull Up/Down pop-up menu.
3 Click OK to apply the new pull up/down rate to
the session.
The following table describes compatibility between Avid Project Format and Edit Play Rate, and
Pro Tools Timecode Rates, Audio Pull Up/Down Rate, Clock Reference, and Video Format.
Rate and Sync Ref Compatibility between Avid and Pro Tools
Edit PT SYNC HD
Avid Project Video Peripheral PT Audio Rate
Play Timecode Video Ref
Format Video Ref Pull Up/Down
Rate Rate Format
25 PAL 25 4% Up PAL
2k, 4k, and UHD settings and reference should mirror 1080p for the relative frame rate.
100/119.88/120 fps are supported with Media Composer Video Satellite configurations, but video
hardware will be disabled.
In almost all cases, the first frame of video is You can compensate for any offsets that might oc-
located at the start of the Media Composer se- cur if the start times of an Avid sequence differ be-
quence. However, Pro Tools sessions often have tween Media Composer and Pro Tools.
silence at the head to create countoffs or silence.
To compensate for different sequence start times:
For example, a Media Composer sequence may
1 In Pro Tools, go to Setup > Session. The Ses-
start at 01:00:00:00 while the matching Pro Tools
sion Setup window will appear.
session starts at 00:59:55:00—allowing five sec-
onds of silence before the audio starts. 2 In the External Timecode Offset section, com-
pensate for the offset between Pro Tools and
In some cases, starting playback from Video Satellite as follows:
Media Composer at a point which is more
• If the start time of the video satellite sequence
than a minute earlier than the start of the
falls before the start time of the Pro Tools se-
Pro Tools session may fail. Change the
quence, type a positive timecode value into
Pro Tools session start time to be earlier.
the Satellite Offset field.
To set the default start time for new sequences in • If the start time of the video satellite sequence
Media Composer: falls after the start time of the Pro Tools se-
1 In the Project window, click the Settings tab and quence, type a negative timecode value into
then double-click the General setting. the Satellite Offset field.
Click the corresponding Satellite Link button in Video Satellite and EUCON Control and
the Transport window. Work Surfaces
Since video and audio are streamed in one signal 1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Session, and en-
over FireWire, it is not necessary to connect any sure the following:
audio inputs. • Clock Source pop-up menu is set to SYNC.
If you are capturing video using FireWire, you • Clock Reference pop-up menu is set to Video
must capture both audio and video into Reference.
Media Composer, because a single FireWire cable • If Clock Reference pop-up menu is set to an-
provides both video and audio. This audio can then other source, like Word Clock, make sure that
be exported over to Pro Tools. the Ref Present LED is lit, and that the clock
reference that the SYNC is locked to matches
that of the VTR.
Source Record
Track Track Record Enable Preview
button button
Index 1557
ALAC 463 audio files 11
All MIDI Notes Off command 849 compacting 738
Allow Latch Prime in Stop option 139 default names 578
Allow Sends to persist during LLM option 137, 589 importing 462
Allow Track Arm Commands in Local Mode option mixed file types 193
154, 1459 Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo 364
alternate matching takes 604, 776 Audio Files Conform to Session Tempo button 390
Alternate Takes pop-up menu 605, 777 Audio Files folder 182
Always Fill Channel Strips When Banking option audio format 513, 1407
138 Audio Media options 485
Always Show EUCON Assignable Knob Highlight on export 513
option 138 on import 497
Ambisonics 1395 Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Mac) 112, 167
B-format 1395 Audio Pull Up and Pull Down 1415, 1544
configuring I/O Setup 1396 Audio Pull Up/Down setting 1545
creating mixes 1398 Audio Pull-Up and Edit Play Rate 1545
discrete channel orderings 1397 audio signal paths 58
FB360 Audio plug-ins 1399 audio to MIDI 1080
folding down 1400 drag and drop 1081
Higher-order 1395 Audio to MIDI Plug-in preference 149, 1083
Ambisonics formats 1314 Audio to MIDI Properties dialog 1080, 1081, 1082
Analysis view 1052, 1066 Audio Track RecordLock option 130, 637
Anchor All Automation Playlists option 517 audio tracks 9
anonymous usage reporting 133 5.1 format 1312
Apple Lossless 463 and Output format 1322
Apply Real-Time Properties option 479 and surround sessions 1321
archiving sessions (with Compact command) 737 bouncing to disk 1296
arming channel strips 243
safe (ignore) 1458 creating a tempo map for 933
Arrangement disabling Elastic Audio 1051
Sketch window 451 enabling Elastic Audio 1050
Artist Chat loop recording 602
Messages 415 placing audio in multichannel tracks 1321
Pro Tools Projects list 415 punch recording 599
Artist Chat window 407 recording multiple 593
Pro Tools Projects 410 signal flow 1136
ASIO 8 track controls 247
ASIO4ALL 107 Waveform View 655
aspect ratios (Video window) 1511 Audio Zoom In button 676
Assemble mode 1452 Audio Zoom Out button 676
Assign Tags popover window 385 AudioSuite menu 234
Assignments View (Sends View option) 1159 AudioSuite plug-ins 1009, 1010, 1016, 1191
Atmos ADM BWF files 1384 Bypass button 1014
Attributes (Groups List) command 328 Clip by Clip mode 1012
attributes (groups) 332 Clips List command 1010
audio Create Continuous File command 1012
convert to MIDI 1080 Create Individual Files command 1011
Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind option 127, 547 Default Handle Length preferences 147
audio file formats 181, 463, 1299 Entire Selection mode 1012
File Mode selector 1011
Index 1559
relative and absolute 1239 takes 578
Safe button 1201 Auto-Spot 1440, 1447
safing 1242 Auto-Spot Clips 1449
smoothing 1241 Auto-Spot Clips command 1426
snapshot 1281 Aux I/O 98
Special Paste mode 1268 Auxiliary Input track
stepped 1262 convert to Routing Folder track 305
suspending 1255, 1256 Auxiliary Inputs 14, 241
thinning 1242, 1258 channel strips 243
Track View 666 monitoring and mixing 1169
trimming 1270 signal flow 1137
writing 1246 track controls 247
writing on stop 1274 AVB 37
writing to next breakpoint 1274 AVE 8
writing to selection, selection start or end 1272 Avid Account 3
Automation Enable window 1246 creating 3
Automation Follows Edit option 1242 Avid Artist Series video peripherals 1516
Automation lanes 1243 Avid Audio Engine (AAE) 7
in MIDI Editor windows 874 Avid Audio Server (Mac only) 1430
in the Edit window 1243 Avid Link 5, 407
Automation Mode selector 1236 Profile 407
automation modes Avid Link menu 234
Latch 1237 Avid Master Account 3, 176
Latch Trim 1240 signing in 177
Off 1236 signing out 177
Read 1236 Avid Profile 407
Read Trim 1240 Avid Video Engine (AVE) 8, 109, 1489
Touch 1237
Touch Trim 1240 B
Touch/Latch 1239 Back and Play command 548
Touch/Latch Trim 1240 Back command 548
Trim Off 1239 Back/Forward Amount 128, 548
Write 1236 Back/Forward commands 548
Write Trim 1240 backing up sessions automatically 128, 183
Automation preferences Backup to Cloud 184, 207
AutoMatch Time preference 1242 bank select 841
Smooth and Thin Data After Pass option 1259 Bar|Beat Markers
Automation Preview mode 1283 and tempo events 935
Punch Preview button 1285 audio with varying tempos 936
suspending 1285 editing 935
Write Automation To commands 1285 from Identify Beat command 934
Auto-Name Memory Locations While Playing option generated with Beat Detective 800
135, 953
moving 935
Auto-Name Separated Clips option 134, 727 bars
auto-naming renumbering 944
and Strip Silence 988 Bars|Beats Time Scale 907
audio files and clips 578 Basic Folder tracks 242, 297
playlists 761 channel strips 246
QuickPunch clips 635 track controls 249
separated clips 727 Batch Clip Renaming dialog 349
1560 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Batch Rename Delivery Format 1302
clips 346 Dolby Atmos ADM BWF 1387
Right-click track command 277 Location 1304
tracks 263 presets 1297
Tracks List command 348 to MXF (OP-Atom) 1300
Batch Rename Clips 346 Bounce Mix command 1293, 1296, 1297, 1306
Batch Rename Tracks 263 bit depth options 1303
batch renaming 349 channel format options 1302
Batch Track Renaming dialog 349 dither 1293
Beat Detective 789, 790, 791 File Type 1299
beat triggers Format 1302
deleting 798 Offline option 1305
generating 794 Output Path selector, from the 1297
inserting 798 recording a submix 1306
moving 798 sample rate conversion options 1303
promoting 799 source path 1301
Collection Mode 808 time stamps 1296
conforming clips 804 Bounce settings files 1297
defining a selection 792 Bounce settings files (.ptpreset) 1298
detecting transients 794 Bounce Settings menu 1298
DigiGroove templates 801 Bounce settings presets 1297
edit smoothing 807 Bounce to MOV 1520
extrapolation 802 audio settings 1521
generating Bar|Beat Markers 800 Include Timecode Overlay 1522
groove templates 801 video settings 1521
Scroll Next 800 Bounce to QuickTime Movie command 1517
separating clips 803 Bounced Files folder 182
system requirements 790 breakpoints 1262
templates 801 Avid keyframes 1261
Trigger Pad 803 clip gain 1024
window 791 Bring to Front command 920
with multiple tracks 804 browsers 358
Bed Audio (or Bed Material) 1348 display options 367
Bed/Object Assignment and Toggle Setting 1384 opening 359
B-format 1395 sorting 368
Big Counter window 545 Buffer Size (Hardware) 588
Bi-Phase/Tach bus interrogation 1163
pulses-per-frame setting 159 bussing
Wiring setting 159 multichannel sends 1325
bit depth 180, 513, 1406 sends 1153
Blocks View signal paths 57
audio track 268 submixing and effects processing 1169
video track 1493 surround examples 1329
Bounce 1297 BW64 463
Right-click track command 277 BW64 audio file format 527
track 1093 BWF (.WAV) file format 1299
Bounce Mix 1297 Bypass button (plug-ins) 1202
Add MP3 1302 Bypass Clip Effects command 1032
bounce multiple stems to separate files 1302 Bypass Clip Effects settings 1032
bounce multiple stems to single file 1302 Bypass Clip Gain setting 1028
Index 1561
C chasing
cables MIDI controller events 847
included cables 1433 MIDI notes 846
wiring diagrams 1464, 1465 MIDI program changes 847
Cache Size 111 Chat
Calculator Entry mode (for numeric entry) 710 individual chat 416
Calibration Mode command 569 projects 414
canceling record takes 593, 620 start new 416
Capture Clip command 725 Chord Change dialog 948
capturing automation values 1285 chord diagrams 948
capturing timecode 1425 chord symbols 894, 948
Carbon 37, 43 Chord Symbols ruler 947
Carbon Expanded Systems 44 chords 947
Catalogs (Workspace) 361 Classic Numeric Keypad mode 28, 128
Celemony 1077 Clear
Center % (Percentage) 1343 Tracks List command 348
Center % in Output window 1344 Clear All Clip Indicators command 254, 1161
Center Playhead Scrolling option 551 Clear Clip Gain command 1026
centered crossfade 741 Clear command (Clips List) 348
Change Duration command 1095, 1113 Clear command (Edit menu) 669
Change Edit to Match Timeline command 716 Clear Special commands (automation) 1268
Change Meter command 893, 936, 937, 938, 939 Clear Trim Automation
Change Tempo command 915 Right-click track command 277
Change Timeline to Match Edit command 716 Clear Trim Automation Track command 1258
Change Track Channel Width 265 click 570, 571, 572
Change Track Width command 265, 277 Click II plug-in 570
Change Velocity command 1095, 1111 click track 570
channel mapping clicks and pops, avoiding 658
default path order 72 Clip Auto Fade In/Out Length preference 753
editing 86 clip boundaries
re-mapping 87 extending selections to 708
Channel selector 1202 moving edit cursor to 712
for multi-mono plug-ins 1326 moving Playhead to 554
Channel Show/Hide dialog 1323 clip definitions 476
channel strips 13 clip effects 1029
audio tracks 243 applying 1031
Auxiliary Inputs 243 bypassing 1032
Basic Folder tracks 246 rendering 1032
Instrument tracks 245 Clip Effects display 1030
Master Fader tracks 244 Clip Effects Status 664
MIDI tracks 245 Clip Effects tab 223
Routing Folder tracks 246 clip gain 1021
VCA Master tracks 244 adjusting with the Clip Gain Fader 1023
channel width filtering 1323 breakpoint editing 1024
channel widths bypassing 1028
filtering 1323 clearing 1026
channels 13 Clip Gain Info view 1021
Chase LTC mode 1455 Clip Gain Line 1022
clip groups 1006
Index 1563
extending selections to include 708 Time-locking 987
finding 340 trimming by Nudge value 731, 826, 827
fitting to an Edit selection 739 trimming start/end points 685
gain 1021 trimming to Edit insertion point 729
healing separations 729 trimming unwanted data from 729
hiding auto-created 347 unlocking 986
in the Sketch Window 444 User Time Stamp 979
inserting silence into 991 user-defined 344, 347, 654
locking 986 video 1507
looping 995 warped (Elastic Audio) 655, 1065
managing 344 whole-file 654
MIDI 619 Clips List 337
moving clips with fades 757 and MIDI clips 337
moving in Grid mode 981 auditioning clips 343
multichannel 655 displaying file info for audio clips 338
muting 988 dragging from 969
nudging 732 Export Clips as Files command 475
nudging clips with fades 757 Find History 341
offline 655 finding clips 340
Original Time Stamp 979 Keyboard Focus 27
pasting 668 menu 337
placing at Edit insertion point 971 previewing clips 343
placing in tracks 969 repeating a previous search 340
quantizing 735, 1108 selecting clips 341
removing pitch shift (Elastic Audio) 1073 sorting 339
removing silence from 989 Spot to Edit Insertion command 971
removing unused 348 Clips List Keyboard Focus 342
removing warp (Elastic Audio) 1066 Clips List menu 1427
renaming in the Clips List 345 Auto Rename command 346
renaming on a track 662 Clear command 348
repeating 993 Compact command 737
replacing 981 Export Clip Definitions command 476
search by name 30 Export Selected As Files command 510
Select options 342 Find command 340
selecting 691, 704 Rename command 345
selecting all in a track 704 Select options 342
sending to back 920 Selected Unused command 348
separating 726 Show Auto-Created option 347
separating with Beat Detective 803 Sort By options 339
separating with Separation Grabber 728 Time Stamp Selected command 979
shifting 985 Timeline Drop Order option 970
shuffling 976, 977 Clips List Selection Follows Edit Selection option
slipping 977 134, 338, 704
snapping to 975 Clips View 267, 269, 659
snapping to next 975 Clock Master 114, 1406
sorting 339 Clock Reference setting 1544
spotting 978, 1426 Clock Reference Source setting 1409
stripping silence from 988 Clock Source 1221
sync points 983, 1428 Close Session command 205
time stamping 1427 closing plug-in windows 1203
Index 1565
Controller lanes 833, 1243 fade-ins/outs 749
in MIDI Editor windows 874 Markers and Memory Locations 951
in the Edit window 1243 settings subfolders 1208
Controllers folder (controller personalities) 1186 Crossfade Preference for Pre/Post-Roll option 135,
Conversion Quality option 463, 1507 748
convert audio to MIDI 1080 crossfades
Convert Aux To Routing Folder creating with Smart Tool 693
Right-click track command 277 DestructivePunch 636
Convert Aux to Routing Folder command 305 equal gain 747
Convert Clip Gain to Volume Automation command equal power 747
1028 Fades dialog 743
Convert Plug-In selector 1202 in batches 753
Convert Volume to Clip Gain command 1028 linear 747
Convert WAV files to AES31/BroadcastWave overlap 747
option 147, 472, 526 Overlapping Waveforms view 742
converting sessions 191 pre/post 752
Copy and paste MIDI between Pro Tools and removing 752
Sibelius 481 TrackPunch 636
Copy Audio as MIDI trimming 752
Tracks List command 349 cueing
Copy Audio as MIDI command 1082 hi-speed mode 1449
Copy Clip Gain command 1027 search mode 1448
Copy command 667 Current Feet+Frames command 1413
Copy From Source Media 513 Current Meter indicator 221, 936
Copy from Source Media (Video) 485, 498 current tempo 221, 915
Copy Settings command 1207 Current Timecode Position command 1413
Copy Source Audio Media 497 Custom FF/REW Speed preference 128
Copy Special commands 1268 Custom Note Duration
Copy to Send command 1249 Follow Grid 816
Copy/Move Indicators 664 custom session templates 202
copying Custom Shuttle Lock Speed preference 128, 697
MIDI notes with the Split command 1116 Cut Clip Gain command 1026
plug-in settings 1208 Cut command 667
selections and clips 667 Cut Special commands 1267
track automation to sends 1249 All Automation 1267
track control settings to sends 1162 Pan Automation 1267
Core Audio 8 Plug-In Automation 1267
count off 571 Cut Time command 938, 942
Countoff button 221 cutting
CPU peak indicator 120 automation 1265
CPU Total meter 120 MIDI notes with the Split command 1116
Create Catalog from Selection 365 selections and clips 667
Create Click Track command 570
Create Fades command 751, 752 D
Create Machine Track Arming Profile 1450 Dark UI Theme option 125
Create tab 178 Dashboard
creating Accept or Reject collaboration invitations 208
clip groups 1000 Backup to Cloud 207
clips 725 Open Revision History 207
crossfades 751 Show on startup option 180
1566 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Dashboard window 177 H/W Insert 67
DAT recorder, recording from 609 hardware insert delays 67, 1183
D-Command 1185 meters follow delay compensation values 1178
D-Control 1185 MIDI Beat Clock 151
Deck Emulation settings 161 MIDI Timecode 151
default mode 1177
audition path 70 side-chains 1179
meter 572 Time Mode option 141
output path 71 User Offset (+/–) field 1179
path order 72 viewing 259, 1149
paths 83 Delay Compensation Status indicator 214
program change 842 Delay Compensation Time Mode option 141, 1177
start time for Media Composer sequences Delay Compensation View 259, 1149, 1178
1549 Delay Compensation View option 1178
tempo 573 Delay for External Devices options 151
Default (Paths) 83 Delay plug-ins 1189
Default Automatic Naming to English option 125 Delay setting (Real-Time Properties) 853
Default Clip Color Coding options 125 Delete Active Groups (Groups List) command 328,
Default Dynamics preference 137, 1198 331
Default EQ preference 137, 1198 Delete Current Settings File command 1207
Default Fade Settings 135 Delete Current Settings File command (fades) 749
Default Format Delete Fades command 752
channel width filtering 1323 Delete Group command 328, 331
Default Format selector 72 Delete Index for All Offline Volumes 365
Default Handle Length options 147 Delete Track command 266, 277
Default Input Gain preference 148 delete version
Default Note Duration 816 Revision History
Default Note On Velocity setting 816 Delete version 200
Default Plug-In preference 148 deleting
Default Settings, for TC/E plug-in 148 automation 1257, 1265
Default Thru Instrument 613 groups 331
Default Thru Instrument preference 150 Memory Locations 959
Default Track Color Coding options 125 MIDI Event List items 903
Degree of Thinning preference 139 MIDI notes 831
delay 1540, 1549 paths in I/O Setup 85
MIDI Track Offsets 848 playlists 763
Delay (dly) indicator 1178 program changes 845
Delay After Play Command option 1457 sysex events 846
Delay After Play Command preference 155 tracks 266
Delay Before Locking to LTC option 154, 1444 unused clips 348
Delay Before Locking to Timecode option 154, 1444 Delivery Format selector
Delay Compensation 1176 Bounce Mix 1302
applying to automatically bypassed tracks 635, Destination Audio Sample Rate 500, 513
1181 destination folder for plug-in settings 1207
bypassing 1179 destructive editing 738
changing track delay 1179 Destructive Record mode 576, 601
Compensate Side-Chains 141 destructive recording 601
Delay (dly) indicator 1178 DestructivePunch 642
enabling 1176 crossfades 636
exceeding compensation limit 1180 Prepare DPE Tracks command 644
Index 1567
preparing for 644 Enable 1352
DestructivePunch File Length preference 131, 644 enabling External Renderer 1351
diagnostics 133 enabling Internal Renderer 1350
DigiGroove templates 801 external renderer 1349
Digital Cut Tool (Media Composer) 1554 I/O Setup Dolby Atmos page 1354
DigiTest 103 I/O Setup Output page 1353
Disable “Input” When Disarming Track (In “Stop”) internal renderer 1348
option 130 Link Object and Audio Recording optio 140
Disable DSP Mode when Disabling Record/Input Live Headphones Re-render 1357
option 130 Live Loudness Re-render 1357
discrete signal control 1322 mixing bed material 1361
Disk Allocation 583 monitor with Master Fader 1378
and cross-platform sessions 584 Object Audio (or Objects) 1348
and system volume 585 Object Control Mode 1364
Disk Cache meter 120 Object controls 1363
Disk meter 120 object output path 1362
Disk Space window 582 Object Path selector 1363
Display (Groups List) command 327 PEC/DIR Recorder Workflow example 1382
Display Events as Modified by Real-Time Pull Config from external renderer 1356
Properties option 150, 856 renderer 1348
Display Preferences 123 Renderer Connection Status indicator 1364
Clip Hold options 145 re-renders 1390
Draw Grids in Edit Window option 672 restrictions 1350
Language options 124 Stock Re-Renders 1392
Peak Hold options 145 Theater mode 1365
displaying Trim & Downmix 1378
all rulers 909 Dolby Atmos ADM BWF files 1387
clip names 663 Dolby Atmos Metadata 1348
clip times 663 Dolby Atmos Renderer 1352
file info for audio clips 338 configuring with Core Audio 1352
Meter Ruler 936 Dolby Atmos Renderer application 1349
Original Time Stamps 1427 Dolby Atmos Renderer window 1372
Tempo ruler 915 Don’t Limit Search Results 364
User Time Stamps 1428 Double Selection command 708
dither Double-Click Selects Automation Breakpoints
and Bounce Mix 1293 option 134
on Master Faders 1294 Double-Clicking a MIDI Clip Opens option 151
resolution and Bounce to Disk 1303 Download
divergence Right-click track command 276
drawing 1344 Download All New Changes button 425
using 1343 Download All Shared Tracks button 426
Documentation and Settings setting 129 Download command 430
Dolby Atmos 1347 Download Ruler Changes control 436
ADM import 1384 Download Ruler Changes Right-click menu 436
Bed Audio (or Bed Material) 1348 Download Track Changes control 429
Bed/Object Groups 1358 Download Track Changes Right-click menu 430
Binaural Render mode 1382 drag and drop
Bus/Object toggle 1364 from the Clips List to tracks 970, 971
Custom Re-Renders 1393 importing audio files 464
Dolby Atmos Metadata 1348 importing MIDI files 478
Index 1571
enabling Audio Media options 513
Auto Backup option 128 OMF/AAF Options 511
automation 1255 Sample Rate Conversion options 512
groups 334 Selected Tracks to Sequence in Production
MIDI input devices 612 Management 515
plug-in automation 1204 export
End To Insertion command 729 MOV 1520
Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility option 193 Export Clip Definitions
Enforce Media Composer Compatibility option 511 Tracks List command 349
EQ Curve view 1148 Export Clip Definitions command 476
EQ plug-ins 1189 Export Clip Groups command 521
equal gain crossfades 747 Export Clips as Files
equal power crossfades 747 Tracks List command 349
Ethernet Controllers 163 Export Clips as Files command 475
EUCON 163, 1185, 1233 Export MIDI
EUCON Control Right-click track command 277
Right-click track command 278 Export MIDI command 479
EUCON Status Control 215 Export MIDI Settings dialog
Event Edit Area 830 Apply Real-Time Properties option 479
Event menu 234 MIDI File Format pop-up menu 479
All MIDI Notes Off command 849 Export Selected As Files command 510
Beat Detective command 791 Export Selected Tracks as OMF/AAF command
Change Meter command 936 504, 507
Event commands 1095 Export Selected Tracks to Sequence in Production
Identify Beat command 933 Management 515
MIDI commands 1095 Export Session Info as Text command 517
MIDI Event List 897 Export Settings button (I/O Setup) 95
MIDI Track Offsets command 848 exporting 461
Remove Duplicate Notes command 849 AAF files 504, 513
Renumber Bars command 944 audio 474, 475
Tempo commands 927 clip definitions 476
Time commands 938 clip groups 521
Event Operations commands 1095 markers 479
Change Duration command 1113 MIDI tracks 479
Change Velocity command 1111 OMF files 513
Flatten Performance command 1110 OMFI files 504
Input Quantize command 1120 Score to Sibelius 895
Quantize command 1097 sessions as text 517
Restore Performance command 1109 Sibelius (.sib) files 895
Select/Split Notes command 1118 stereo interleaved files 476
Step Input command 1120 Ext. Clock Output 116, 1404
Transpose command 1115 Extend Edit Down command 711
Event Operations window 1095, 1097 Extend Edit Up command 711
Exit command (Windows) 208 extending selections 708, 924
Expand Channels to New Playlists 779 to adjacent tracks 710, 712
Expand to New Tracks to clip boundaries 708
Right-click track command 278 to include adjacent clips 708
Expanded Transport View 232, 595 to Markers and Memory Locations 708
Export to next tempo event 924
ADM file 1387 external clock source 1221
Index 1573
removing tracks from 307 suspending 980
Routing 297, 301 with Slip, Shuffle, or Spot enabled 673
channel strip 246 Grid value 817, 979
track controls 250 setting for MIDI editing 817
save as Track Preset 313 Grid Value selector 673
soloing 289 Groove Quantize 1103
Tracks List 276 groove templates 801, 1103
Force Audio Media to Target Session Format 498 applying 1105
Force Upload command 429, 430 mapping 1106
Forward and Play command 548 Group Assignment selector 1141
Forward command 548 group chat
frame rate renaming 419
and refresh rate 1542 group chats 417
pull up and pull down 1415 Chat
Frames 1493 group chats 417
Frames View (video tracks) 1493 Group ID indicator 328
frame-tearing 1542 Group Name 328
freewheeling timecode 1411 Group Track command 329
Freeze groups
Right-click track command 277 attributes 332
Freeze Track 1090 automation editing 1264
Front Divergence 1343 control offsets 336
Front/Rear Divergence 1343 creating 329
deleting 331
G duplicating 331
Gain Reduction meter 257 Edit Groups 329
General Color options 125 enabling 334
generating timecode 1419 hidden tracks 276
Getting Started tab 179 keyboard selection 335
Glide Automation commands 1269 Mix Groups 329
global (system-wide) preferences 155 modifying 330
Global Freeze Tracks indicator 214 renaming 330
Global MIDI Playback Offset preference 151, 848 Groups dialog 328
Global Track Collaboration 424 Groups List 327
Go to End button 219 Keyboard Focus 27
Grabber tools 674, 692, 705, 825 menu 327
editing breakpoints with 923, 1261 Guided Tour 6
editing clip gain breakpoints with 1024 guitar tablature 948
Object Grabber tool 692, 705
selecting MIDI notes with 822 H
Separation Grabber tool 692, 728 H.264
Time Grabber tool 692 exporting 1522
Grid mode 672, 980 H.265
Absolute 673, 980 exporting 1522
Clips/Markers option 674 H/W Buffer Size 588
configuring 673 H/W Insert Delay 67
Draw Grids in Edit Window option 672 half-screen 551
Relative 673, 980 half-speed playback 554
setting the Grid value 979 half-speed recording 610
Halve Selection command 708
1574 Pro Tools Reference Guide
hard drives Hide and Make Inactive
and Compacting Audio 737 Right-click track command 276
recording to system volume 585 Hide/Show
Round Robin Allocation 584 Right-click track command 276
Hardware Buffer Size 104, 109 hiding
hardware I/O inserts 1190 auto-created clips 347
delays 67 High Contrast UI option 237
hardware I/O sends 1158 hi-speed mode 1449
Hardware Insert Delay Compensation 67, 1183 Horizontal Position setting 159
Hardware Settings Horizontal Zoom In button 675
Launch Control Panel 113 Horizontal Zoom Out button 675
Hardware Setup Hybrid I/O Channels (HDX Hybrid Engine) 108
Buffer Size 588
Ext. Clock Output 116 I
HD I/O 118 I/O path
HD MADI 119 color 100
HD OMNI 117 I/O Plate Saturation control 102
Launch Setup App 113 I/O Settings 92
MTRX 119 I/O Setup 57
HD audio interfaces 47 Bus page 63
HD I/O 51 Color coding paths 100
configuration 118 controls 68
HD MADI 52 customizing 74
configuration 119 dialog 58
VSO limits 1410 Dolby Atmos page 64
HD Native systems 46 factory settings files 92
HD OMNI 50 H/W Insert Delay page 67
configuration 117 I/O routing 75
HDX importing for surround 1316
capabilities 45 Input page 61
DSP usage meters 122 Insert page 65
number of voices 46 last used 95
HDX Classic 105 Low Latency Monitoring 72
HDX Hybrid Engine 108 Mic Preamps 66
DSP Mode 1223 options 69
voices 46 Output page 62
HDX systems 45 paths 79
Heal Separation command 728 settings files 92
HEAT 1125 sub-paths 81
import Master Settings 492 surround 1329
Help 234 surround formats 1315
Tool Tips 124, 235 surround mix settings file 92
Help menu 25, 234 I/O View 251, 1149
HFS+ drives Identify Beat command 933, 934
and Windows systems 527 Identify Sync Point command 984, 1428
hidden tracks Idle MTC Enabled option 158
and selections 703 IDs (machine) 1461
group edits 276 Ignore Changes command 430
groups 276 Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option 109
Hide All Floating Windows command 229 Ignore for Future Download 276
Index 1575
Ignore Track Arming option 154, 1456, 1458 session data 484
illegal characters 188, 525 tempo and meter map 491
immersive surround formats 1311 tracks for other sessions 481
Import using drag and drop 464
ADM file 1384 Window Configurations 491
Audio Media options 497 importing audio from video clips 1507
MXF files 507 importing video 1504
Right-click track command 276 inactive 17
Sample Rate Conversion options 499 inputs 282
Sequence from Production Management 502 inserts 1193
Timecode Mapping options 498 Master Faders and assignments 1138
Import as Offline Satellite Media 485, 498 outputs 282
Import Audio dialog 468 paths 86
Import Audio to Track command 468 paths, global 86
Import Clip Groups command 520 sends 1161
Import HEAT Master Settings 492 track path assignments 282
Import Key Signature Map option 491 tracks 292
Import Markers 491 Include All Member Tracks option 313
Import Memory Locations 491 Include Control Changes in Undo Queue option 140
Import MIDI 477 Include Instrument/MIDI output option 490
Import project version data 199 Include Sends in Trim Mode option 139
Import Rendered Audio Effects 500 Include Timecode Overlay option 1522
Import REX Files as Clip Groups option 147, 473 individual chat 416
Import Sequence from Production Management in-place auditioning 343
502 input connections 13, 568
Import Session Data command 481 Input Devices command 612
Import Settings button (I/O Setup) 94 Input Filter command 614
Import Settings command (plug-ins) 1207 MIDI Event List View Filter dialog 899
Import Settings command fades) 749 MIDI Input Filter dialog 614
Import Video command 1504 input levels 568
Import Volume Automation 500 Input Only Monitoring mode 585, 586
Import Window Configurations 491 Input Path selector 251, 278
importing 461 Input Quantize command 1095, 1120
audio 462 Insert mode 1452
clip groups 520 Insert Position selector 1200
copying during 483 Insert Silence command 991
copying imported files 483 Insert Time command 938, 940
Folder tracks 483 inserting
HEAT Master Settings 492 controller events 834
key signature map 491 events in MIDI Event List 900
Markers 477, 491 meter events 936
Memory Locations 491 MIDI notes 820
MIDI tracks 476 plug-ins on tracks 1194
multichannel audio files from a field recorder program changes 844
472 tempo events 915
multichannel I/O Settings 1316 Insertion Follows Playback option 558
offline items from Catalogs 402 inserts 1144, 1189
plug-in settings 1208 duplicating 1199
PRE settings 491 hardware I/O 1190
referencing imported files 483 hardware insert delays 67
Index 1577
Linearity Display Mode 926 MIDI 623
Link controls multiple takes (MIDI) 624
accessing mini-link buttons from a control Loop Trim tool 688
surface 1551 looped clips 995
linking systems to a control surface 1551 copying and pasting automation 999
link controls 1550 creating 996
displaying 1551 editing 997
link button 1550 selecting 997
Satellite Link buttons 1550 trimming with Loop Trim tool 689, 690
Link Enable buttons 1202 unlooping 997
in multi-mono plug-ins 1327 looping
Link Object and Audio Recording option 140 clips 995
Link Record and Play Faders option 129, 587 playback 555
Link Selection button 701, 703 selections 555
Link Timeline and Edit Selection option 701 loops
Link to Source Media (Video) 485, 498 creating with the Loop Trim tool 688
Link Track and Edit Selection option 265, 703 Loop Trim tool 688
linked media 23 recording with reverb or delay 1295
linking Low Latency Monitoring
inverse panning 1166 Bounce Mix 589
multi-mono plug-ins 1326 Low Latency Monitoring option 588
plug-in controls 1218 Low Latency Monitoring path 72
stereo panners 1166, 1340 LTC Output Level setting 158
local (current session) preferences 155 LTC Sample Offset (Sync X) 1411
Local Control 613
Local Waveform Cache Versions preference 132 M
Local/Remote 1448 M4A 1299
locating M4a file format 1299
the playback cursor 546 machine
with Fast Forward/Rewind 547 pre-roll 1442
with Location indicators 716 profiles 1450, 1461
Location indicators 716 Transport Master 1440, 1447
locations Machine Chases Memory Location option 153,
dragging MIDI notes 825 1423, 1444
quantizing MIDI notes 1101 Machine Control (Peripherals dialog) 160
randomizing MIDI notes 1100, 1103 Machine Cues Intelligently option 154, 1444
Locators to Import 501 Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub option 153,
Lock Clip command 986 1423, 1444
AudioSuite rendering 1016 machine IDs 1461
Lock Settings File command 1207 Machine Track Arming window 1424
Locked MachineControl 56, 1433
Right-click track command 277 Deck Control settings 161
Loop Playback option 555 Deck Emulation 161
and Touch mode 1247 Main Counter
loop points 594 display Timecode 1414
Timeline Selection Markers 595 Main Counters 910
Loop Record mode 576, 603 main paths 58
loop recording Main Time Scale 910, 1414
and pre/post-roll 602 Main Timebase ruler 910
audio 602
Index 1579
meter events 936 patch name files (.midnam) 842
editing 937 patch names 842
inserting 936 playing back 544
meter map 491 Retrospective Record 629
Meter Ruler select and split notes 1116
displaying 936 separating notes 827
extending an Edit selection to 938 setting the Grid value for editing 817
Meter Type 257 setup (Mac) 167
Metering Preferences 142 setup (Windows) 170
metering, advanced 256 Sketch Window Editor 456
Advanced Meter Type settings 144 MIDI Beat Clock 560
Digital VU option 143 offsets 561
Fader and Meter scales 256 transmitting 560
Gain Reduction meter 257 transmitting over IAC 560
K options 144 MIDI Chain 287
Linear (Extended) option 143 MIDI clips 659
Linear option 143 and Clips List 337
Meter Type setting 257 and controller events 660
PPM options 143 and punch recording 622
Pro Tools Classic option 143 created on barlines 619
RMS option 143 guidelines for editing 659
Sample Peak option 143 MIDI controller devices 611
VENUE options 144 Local Control 613
VU option 143 MIDI controller events
meters 1178 chasing 847
follow delay compensation values 1178 MIDI Controllers 162
for MIDI tracks 253 MIDI Editor
pre/post fader levels 254 Automation lanes 874
Sends View 1160 Controller lanes 874
Meters and Faders View 1149 editing MIDI notes 870
Metronome button 571 Notation view 872
Metronome Click button 221 Superimposed Notes View 868
Mic Preamps Velocity lane 874
configuring 164 MIDI Editor view (in the Edit window) 223
I/O Setup 66 MIDI Editor window
Mic Preamps View 1147 Quantize Controls 861
MIDI 8 MIDI Editor windows 857
assigning channels 286 Quantize controls 861
configuring MIDI setup 112 quantize controls 1098
consolidating notes 828 MIDI Event List 897
controller events 833 deleting events 903
Default Thru Instrument 613 editing events 902
editing in a MIDI Editor window 870 inserting events 900
editing with Arrow Keys 839 navigating in 899
extract from audio 1080 Options menu 904
import by drag and drop 478 selecting events 902
importing 477 View Filter 898
loop recording 623 MIDI File Format pop-up menu 479
muting notes 828 MIDI files 11
offsets 847 MIDI files (see Standard MIDI Files)
Index 1581
Mix window 210, 211 MTC (MIDI Timecode) 1411
All View option 210, 1146 MTC Generator Port setting 158
EQ Curve view 1148 MTC Reader Port setting 158
None Views option 1146 MTRX 53
track controls 210 configuration 119
track width 258 MTRX II 54
Mix Window Follows Bank Selection option 138 MTRX Studio 55
Mix window View options 1146 Multi-Cam Resolution files 495
Mix Window View selector 1146 multichannel clips 655
Mix Window Views multichannel plug-ins 1326
Track Collaboration 427 multichannel tracks 591
mixed bit depths 193 and automation 1264
mixed file types 193 dragging clips to 737
mixing down to stereo 1306 names for 579
Mixing Preferences 136 replacing clips in 982
MMC 1421 splitting 736
MMC (see MIDI Machine Control) multilingual application support 540
Modify Group command 328 multi-mono
Modify Groups command 328 plug-in Channel selector 1326
Momentary Solo Latch option 291 plug-ins 1326
monitoring multi-mono audio files 181
during punch recording 600 multiple tracks
MIDI recording with MIDI Thru 613 and Beat Detective 804
monitoring modes 585 audition takes 605, 777
Auto Input 585 editing across 670
Input Only 585 extending selections to 710, 712
MOV fitting audio clips to Edit selection 739
Bounce to 1520 nudging clips in 733
bounce with AAC audio 1523 pasting to 670
Move Edit Left command 709 selecting 710
Move Edit Right command 709 separating clips on 727
Move Song Start command 938, 943 shuffling clips on 977
Move To Mute Audio Inputs in Auto Input option 649
Right-click track command 277 Mute automation 1262
Move To New Folder command 306 Mute button 292
Move To New Folder dialog 306 Mute Overwrite/Extend 1278
Move To Top Level command 307 Mute Record-Armed Tracks While Stopped option
moving 130, 649
Bar|Beat Markers 935 Mute/Unmute Clip command 988
clips with fades 757 muted clips and AudioSuite processing 1016
fades 757 muting
inserts 1199 clips 988
Markers 958 MIDI notes 828
MIDI notes 825 sends 1156
plug-ins to tracks of different channel widths tracks 292
1199 MXF
program changes 844 importing 507
sysex events 846 MXF (Material Exchange Format) files 507
MP3 audio 463 MXF (OP-Atom) 1300
MP3 file format 1299
Index 1585
starting 543 linking 1218
stopping 543 Plug-In Controls Default to Auto-Enabled option 139
playback cursor 545 plug-in inserts 1189
Playback Cursor locator 546 plug-in maps 1212
Playback Engine 104 creating 1213
Cache Size 111 deleting 1215
Hardware Buffer Size 109 importing and exporting 1216
HDX Classic 105 Learn mode 1212
HDX Hybrid 108 managing 1214
Number of Voices 108 setting default 1215
Optimizations 109 Plug-In selector
Sample Rate 109 for AudioSuite plug-ins 1010
Playback Engine setting 104 for real-time plug-ins 1200
Playhead 551, 864 plug-in settings 1208
and Edit selections 553 Plug-In Settings menu 1201, 1206
and Timeline selections 553 Plug-In Settings Select button 1201
moving to clip boundaries 554 plug-in windows
playing opening and closing 1202
and making selections 705 Plug-ins
at half-speed 554 searching for 1197
audio 543 plug-ins
Edit selections with Playhead enabled 553 and pull rates 1418
from a track point 547 and surround mixing 1326
MIDI 544 automating 1249
selections 551 bypassing from window 1217
Timeline selections with Playhead enabled 553 Category 1195
tracks 543, 592 Category and Manufacturer 1196
Playlist lanes 767 Channel selector for multi-mono 1326
Playlist selector 12, 761 creating a default setting 1208
playlists 12, 761 enabling for automation 1204, 1250, 1251
adding 762 favorites 1198
and groups 764 Flat List 1195
and multichannel tracks 1264 for surround 1326
and nondestructive MIDI editing 662 inserting on tracks 1194
assigning 762 Librarian menu 1201
automation playlists 761, 1234, 1243 linking and unlinking 1218, 1326
auto-naming 761 Manufacturer 1196
changing timebase of 913 mono-to-stereo 1190
deleting 763 moving to a track of a different channel width
duplicating 762 1199
edit playlists 761 multichannel 1190
Playlist selector 761 multi-mono 1190, 1326
recalling 762 Next Setting button 1201
recording to new 602 Organize Plug-In Menus By command 1195
renaming 763 Plug-In Settings menu 1201
setting pre/post-roll in 598 Plug-In Settings Select button 1201
Target 781 presets 1206
Playlists view 767 Previous Setting button 1201
plug-in controls removing from tracks 1194
adjusting 1203 post crossfades 742, 752
Index 1587
Pro Tools | MTRX II 54 Project Media Cache 129
Pro Tools | MTRX Studio 55 Project Notes window 204
Pro Tools | S6 1184 project ownership 423
Pro Tools Aggregate I/O 106 Project Type (Media Composer) 1544
Pro Tools and Avid terms 21 Projects
Pro Tools application language 539 in the Artist Chat window 410
Pro Tools Artist projects 15, 183
software capabilities 39 deleting 206
Pro Tools Artist software 37 invitation to collaborate 412
Pro Tools Audio Bridge 169 leaving 413
Pro Tools HD systems 37 offline 184
Pro Tools Intro online 184
software capabilities 38 project chat 414
Pro Tools Intro software 37 putting online 207
Pro Tools menu removing participants 413
Quit command (Mac) 208 renaming 205
Pro Tools Satellite 1527 restore from cloud 206
Pro Tools Search 30 sharing 421
Pro Tools Sketch 16, 176, 439 sharing offline 527
Pro Tools Sketch app 176 taking offline 207
Pro Tools Studio Projects list
software capabilities 40, 41 pinning projects 420
Pro Tools Studio software 37 unpinning projects 420
Pro Tools systems pull up and pull down 1415, 1418
QuickPunch 634 Pull Up/Down settings 1414
Pro Tools Ultimate pulses-per-frame
capabilities with HD Native hardware 46 Bi-Phase/Tach 159
capabilities with HDX hardware 45 Punch Capture button 1286
Pro Tools Video Satellite 1527, 1537 Punch In Frame Offset 1456
Process Mode selector 1012 Punch In Frame Offset preference 155
processing Punch In/Out 1452
AudioSuite 1015 Punch Out Frame Offset 1456
multichannel for AudioSuite 1015 Punch Out Frame Offset preference 155
processing bandwidth 119 punch points 594
Processing Preferences 146 Timeline Selection Markers 595
Profile 407 Punch Preview button 1285
Program Change dialog 842, 843 punch recording
program changes 841 and monitoring 600
and bank select 841 and pre/post-roll 599
auditioning 845 audio 599
default, for MIDI tracks 842 MIDI 621
deleting 845 MIDI tracks 622
editing 844
inserting 844 Q
moving 844 Quantize
Program Level Metadata audio clips 1099, 1108
ADM file 1392 Elastic Audio events 1100, 1108
project MIDI Editor windows 861
save as a session 201 quantizing clips to grid 735
project chat 414 Real-Time Properties 852
1588 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Quantize Clips to Grid command 979 Real-Time Properties window 851
Quantize command 1095, 1097 Rear Divergence 1343
Quantize Controls 861 Recalculate Waveform Overviews
Quantize controls 1098 Tracks List command 349
Quantize Edits to Frame Boundaries option 511 Recall Memory Location Selection at Original Track
Quantize to Grid command 735 option 135
Quantize window 1100 Recall Track Preset
quantizing Right-click track command 277
MIDI notes 1099, 1103 Recent tab 179
MIDI on input 614, 1119 Record button (Transport) 219
QuickPunch 577, 634, 638 Record Enable button 580, 640
clip/take numbering 635 Record Enable Buttons
crossfades 636 Cancel Previous on All Tracks preference 129
Pro Tools HD systems 634 Cancel Previous on Audio Tracks preference
QuickPunch Crossfade Length preference 135, 636 129
QuickTime movies Latch Audio Tracks preference 129
optimizing for playback 1515 record modes 575, 1452
sync 1516 and MIDI 577
Quit command (Mac) 208 Destructive Record mode 576
Loop Record mode 576
R Nondestructive Record mode 575
R (Record and Playback volumes) 360 QuickPunch 577
Randomize Marker Color Upon Creation option 126 Record Online at Insertion/Selection option 131,
1444
randomizing
note durations 1114 Record Online at Timecode (or ADAT) Lock option
note locations 1100 131, 1444
Read automation mode 1236 Record Online option 1419
Read Trim automation mode 1240 record protocol 1451
real-time plug-ins 1189 Auto Edit 1451
Real-Time Properties Punch In/Out 1452
clearing 855 Record Safe mode 582
clip-based 855 recording 591
Delay 853 a mono audio track 591
Display Events as Modified by Real-Time a stereo audio track 591
Properties option 150 a submix to disk 1295
Duration 853 additional takes 600
enabling 851 at half-speed 610
in the Edit window 856 bouncing to disk 1296
in the MIDI Event List 856 canceling takes 593
on tracks and clips 854 destructively 601
Quantize 852 from a digital source 608
settings 852 from Record Pause mode 594
track-based 855 Instrument tracks 616
Transpose 854 keyboard shortcuts 593
Velocity 854 Loop Record 603
View 850 MIDI clips 619
viewing 850 MIDI tracks 616
writing to clips 855 multichannel tracks 591
writing to tracks 855 multiple audio tracks 593
Real-Time Properties View 850, 1149 nondestructively 600
Index 1589
online 1419 Remove Sync Point command 984
QuickPunch mode 638 removing
record enabling tracks 580 crossfades 752
Remote mode 1457 plug-ins from tracks 1194
status LED 640 sends 1155
System Exclusive data 626 Rename
to a new playlist 602 Right-click track command 277
to the system volume 585 Tracks List command 348
undoing a take 592 Rename command (Clips List) 345
with a count off 571 Renamed Audio Files
with Round Robin Allocation 584 save copy in 526
with the click 570 renaming
Rectified view 656 auto-created clips 344
Recycle (Rex 1 and 2) 463 clips in the Clips List 345
Redefine Current Timecode Position 1446 clips on tracks 662
redefining Memory Locations 957
Feet+Frames position 1413 playlists 763
timecode position 1413 renaming project versions 198
Redo command 665 Render Clip Effects command 1032
Refer to Source Audio Media Where Possible 497 Render Clip Effects settings 1032
Refer To Source Media 513 Render Clip Gain command 1028
refresh rate 1542 Rendered File Bit Depth options 148, 1089
Regenerate Missing Rendered Files 525 Rendered Files folder 182, 1055
Regroup Clip command 1001 Renumber Bars command 944
regular expressions 352 Repeat command 993
related takes Repeat to Fill Selection command 669
and Separate Clip command 727 repeating selections and clips 993
Relative Grid mode 673, 980 Replace Clip
relinking Tracks List command 348
Find Links 398 Replace Clip command 981
Linking Options 398 and multichannel tracks 982
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode 1437, 1454 Replace Clip dialog 982
Chase LTC 1455 Replace mode (see MIDI Replace mode)
connections 1436 Reserve Voices For Preview In Context option 127,
preferences 1456 392
see also Remote mode Reset Bi-Phase button 159
Remote LTC mode Reset Logging 133
Transport Master 1441, 1455 Restore Performance command 1095, 1109
Remote mode Restore version 198
and track arming 1458 rests (Score Editor) 891
Auto Edit 1457 Retrospective Record 629
commands 1458 Return to Zero button 218
playback 1457 Reveal in Explorer (Windows)
recording 1457 Tracks List command 349
Transport Master 1441, 1455 Reveal in Finder (Mac
Remote Mode options 154 Tracks List command) 349
Remove Duplicate Notes command 849 Reveal in Finder/Explorer 365
Remove Edit From Bottom command 711 Reveal in Workspace
Remove Edit From Top command 711 Tracks List command 349
Remove Local Cache 205 Revert to Saved command 190
Index 1591
scrolling Select Unused Clips command 348
a track into view 265 Select/Split Notes command 1095, 1116, 1118
in the ruler 716 Split notes action 1117
MIDI Notes View 661 Selected Timeline Range Only option 517
Mix and Edit windows to tracks 717 selecting
Notes View up or down 684 a pitch range of notes 1118
Pro Tools window vertically or horizontally 717 across all tracks 710
Scrolling options 550 across multiple tracks 710
After Playback 550 clips 704
Center Playhead 551 during playback 705
Continuous Scrolling During Playback 551 in MIDI Event List 902
No Scrolling 550 items in browsers 372
Page 550, 864, 882 MIDI notes 822, 823
Scrub Trim tool 687 noncontiguous clips 705
Scrubber tool 674, 695 notes in a chord 1119
in Shuttle mode 696 track material 703
selecting with 712 with Edit Selection indicators 709
scrubbing 695 with Scrubber 712
a single audio track 695 selecting tracks for AudioSuite processing 1017
and edit cursor 695 Selection Changes Alternate Playlists option 913
on two audio tracks 696 Selection commands
playback speed and direction 696 Play Edit Selection 552
resolution 696 Play Timeline 552
video tracks 1512 Selection Memory Location 955
with Scrub Trim tool 688 moving stored selection 958
with the Selector 696 selections
S-Curve command (Tempo Operations) 931 across multiple tracks 704, 710
SD II files and Bounce Mix 1296
convert on import 472 and Edit Groups 703
SDDS surround formats 1313 and hidden tracks 703
Search and Timeline Selection Markers 703
and assign multiple Send paths 1156 auditioning start and end points 552
AudioSuite plug-ins by name 30 changing length 707
clips by name 30 clearing 669
commands 30 consolidating 737
Memory Locations 30 copying 667
Plug-in Insert menu 1197 cutting 667
Send selector 1155 duplicating 992
tags 382 during playback 705
Track Groups by name 30 extending 708, 924
Track Input selector 281 extending to the Meter Ruler 938
Track Output and assign multiple paths 282 extending to the Tempo ruler 916, 959
Track Output selector 281 including Conductor rulers 710
tracks by name 30 looping 555
search mode 1448 moving to adjacent tracks 711
Secondary Timecode Ruler 908 moving to the next/previous clip 712
Select All command 704 non-contiguous 705
Select Clips List options 342 nudging 707, 732
Select Parent in Workspace option 341 nudging start/end points 707
Select Tracks in Group command 328 Object 705
Index 1593
interleaved multichannel audio files 181 Show Offline Volumes 365
mixed audio formats 181, 193 Show Only Tracks in Group command 328
mixed bit depths 193 Show/Hide Clips List button 337
multi-mono audio files 181 Show/Hide Tracks in Group command 328
opening 187 Show/Hide Tracks List/Groups List View button
opening from a Transfer volume 188 273, 327
sample rate 180, 1406 Shuffle Lock mode 671
sharing between different versions 530 Shuffle mode 671
sharing between Pro Tools Ultimate, Studio, and locked clips 987
and Artist 530 and moving clips 976
sharing between Pro Tools Ultimate and Pro shuttle
Tools 529 fixed mode option 697
start frame 1407 Shuttle Numeric Keypad mode 29, 128, 697
templates 202 Sibelius
Set As User Default command 1207 Copy MIDI from and paste to Pro Tools
Set Plug-In Default To command 1207 session 481
Set Record Tracks to Auto Input command 587 Sibelius (.sib) file 895
Set Record Tracks to Auto Input option 586 Side % (Percentage) 1343
Set Record Tracks to Input Only command 587 side-chain 1205
Set Record Tracks to Input Only option 586 filters 1205
Set Servo Lock Bit at Play option 154 processing 1200
setting signal flow
punch/loop points 594 audio tracks 1136
satellite start time offset 1540 Auxiliary Inputs 1137
settings Instrument tracks 1140
choosing a destination for 1207 Master Faders 1138
copying 1208 signal paths 58
creating 1208 signal routing
creating subfolders 1208 and default path order 72
pasting 1208 basics for surround 1324
saving 1208 example 14
Settings Preferences command 1207 surround examples 1330
Setup menu 234 Single Zoom mode 678, 877
Click/Countoff Options dialog 572 SIP (Solo In Place) 290
Disk Allocation 583 Size setting (for window dub) 159
I/O Setup 58 Sketch 439
MIDI Studio 843 adding MIDI notes in Clip Editor 456
Preferences command 123 Arrangement 451
Session Setup 1404 clip Editor 455
Video Sync Offset command 1516 Clip Properties 448
Share Track control 428 clips 444
Shared as Frozen option 429 creating in Pro Tools 439
Shared track, unowned 431 creating new in Pro Tools 439
Shared Tracks Conflict 199 deleting MIDI notes in Clip Editor 456
Shift command 985 dragging Arrangement to session Timeline 452
shortcuts for keyboard input 1203 Global FX 458
Show All Tracks Group command 328 mixer 457
Show Artist Chat button 425 opening 189
Show Auto-Created option 347 opening in Pro Tools 440
Show Marker Lane Colors For options 126 pin to session 442
Index 1595
Standard VCA Logic for Group Attributes option 139 Suspend All Groups (Groups List) command 327
start frame (sessions) 1407 suspending
start time 1445 automation 1255, 1256
start time for Media Composer sequences 1549 writing automation 1255
Start To Insertion command 729 swing 1100, 1102
Start, End, and Length display 595 SYNC HD
Starting TC Timecode setting Clock Reference selector 1409
matching to Session Start setting 1544 enable 158
Steep Breakpoint Smoothing Time preference 140 Peripherals dialog 158
Step Input command 1095, 1120 Positional Reference 1409
stepped control automation 1262 preventing clock disruption on Mac 1430
stereo interleaved files, exporting 476 Pull Up/Down settings 1414
stereo tracks resolving to 1404
dragging clips to 737 Session Setup window 1409
names for 579 Video In Format 1409
replacing clips in 982 Video Ref Format 1409
splitting 736 VSO 1410
Stop at Shuttle Speed Zero option 154, 1444 Sync Offset 1411
Stop button 219 SYNC peripherals
Stretch command (Tempo Operations) 933 generating timecode with 1419
Strip Silence command 988, 989, 990 resolving with 1403, 1404
stuck notes 849 sync options 1403
stutter 1542 Sync Point View option 984
Sub Counter selectors 911 sync points 1428
Sub Time Scale 911, 1414 for clips 983
subfolders, creating for settings 1208 from Beat Detective 808
subframes 1425 identifying 984, 1428
submixes Sync X
applying an insert to 1172 Clock Reference Source 1409
bouncing to disk 1295 enable 158
soloing tracks in 1176 Peripherals dialog 158
sub-paths 58, 81 Positional Reference Format 1409
examples for surround 1328 preventing clock disruption on Mac 1430
supported audio file formats 463 Pull Up/Down settings 1414
Suppress Automation “Write To” Warnings option resolving to 1403
139 Session Setup window 1408
surround Video Format 1409
5.1 format paths 1318 Video Reference Source 1409
and sends 1325 VSO 1410
basic signal routing 1324 synchronization 157
center percentage (%) 1344 black burst 1429
configuring Pro Tools 1314, 1321 MIDI Beat Clock 560
discrete level, solo, mute 1322 MMC 1420
importing I/O Settings 1316 options 1403
pan playlists and automation 1346 resolving 1429
panning grids 1336 troubleshooting 1429, 1542, 1543, 1544
settings files 1315 Synchronization Device settings 158
side center percentage (%) 1345 synchronization peripherals 56
using paths 1327 Synchronization Preferences 153
using sub-paths, examples 1328 Sysex View 845
Index 1597
Tempo ruler timecode 1544
displaying 915 and Jam Sync 1411
extending an Edit selection to 916, 959 and Pro Tools Drop Frame limitations 1548
Tempo Ruler Enable button 221 capturing 1425
Theater mode 1365 compensating for start time offsets 1540, 1549
Thin All Automation command 1259 forcing a match on a satellite system 1548
Thin Automation command 1259 freewheeling 1411
thinning automation 1242, 1258 generating 1419
tick-based timing 911, 955 matching between Pro Tools/satellite 1549
Time Compression/Expansion plug-in 738 matching format for 1548
Time Compression/Expansion Trim tool 148, 686 redefine current 1446
trimming MIDI 831 redefining position 1413
Time Grabber tool 692, 706 track 1452
Time Operations commands 938 Timecode 2 Rate setting 1408
Change Meter command 939 Timecode 2 ruler 908
Cut Time command 942 Timecode display 1408, 1414
Insert Time command 940 Timecode Format 1544
Move Song Start command 943 Timecode Mapping options 486
Time Operations window 936, 938 on import 498
Time Scale 910 Timecode Overlay
Bars|Beats 907 configure 1517
Feet+Frames 908 Timecode Overlay button 1493
Main 910, 1414 Timecode Rate setting 1408, 1544
Minutes:Seconds 908 Timecode Time Scale 908
Samples 908 Timeline and Edit selection, unlinked 701
Sub 911, 1414 Timeline Data Online Status indicator 214
Timecode 908 Timeline Drop Order option 970
Time Slots meter 121 Timeline Insertion/Play Start Marker Follows
Time Stamp Playback option 550, 558
Tracks List command 348 Timeline Selection Markers 595, 702
Time Stamp command 605, 777, 1427 and Edit selections 703
Time Stamp Selected command 979 selection length 707
time stamps 514, 1427 Timeline selections 715
Bounce Mix 1296 Timeline selections 714
Timebase rulers 907 auditioning with Playhead enabled 553
and Timeline selections 715 copied from Edit selection 716
Edit Markers 702 copied to Edit selection 716
Pre/Post-Roll Flags 702 in Timebase rulers 715
sliding Edit selections 713 making with the Selector tool 691
sliding Timeline selections 715 sliding in the Ruler 715
Timecode 2 908 start, end, and length fields 220
Timeline Selection Markers 702 Timeline Selection Markers 715
Timecode Time-locking clips 987
configuration 1412 toggling
format 1412 track height 272
preparing 1412 Track View 271
Start Frame 1412 Tool Tips 124, 235
start frame (sessions) 1407 Toolbar focus 28
SYNC HD 1404 Touch automation mode 1237
Sync X 1403 Touch Timeout option 138
Index 1599
TrackPunch Tracks List 273
crossfades 636 Cloud icon 434
preferences 637 Folder tracks 276
tracks 9 hiding 273
5.1 format track layout 1321 menu 274
adding comments 264 showing 273
adding to selection 710, 712 Tracks List Right-click menu
appending new material to end of 601 Download 276
Color Coding options 293 Ignore for Future Download 276
commit 1085 Import 276
conflicts between track and cloud copies 433 Tracks Presets
converting multichannel tracks into mono creating new tracks from 316
tracks 1322 trajectory panning 1342
creating a click track 570 Transfer files 524
creating new Elastic Audio tracks 1051 selecting in Workspace 366
deleting 266 Transfer volume 357
duplicating 266, 1236 transients 655
Elastic Audio 1050 detecting with Beat Detective 794
formats 242 tabbing to 549, 713
freeze 1090 Transparency 663
grouping 325 transparent clip overlays 973
hiding 274, 275 Transport 218
locating with Fast Forward/Rewind 547 Count Off 571
making inactive/active 293 Meter 573
Master View 271, 1266 Metronome 571
metering 254 Transport Master 1422, 1437, 1439, 1447
moving selections between 711 machine 1440, 1447
muting 292 Pro Tools 1439, 1447
names 259, 262 Remote 1441, 1455
placing clips in 969 Remote LTC 1441, 1455
playback priority 284 selecting 1439
playing 543, 592 toggling 1440
record enabling 580 transport master 1447
remapping 1451 Remote LTC 1455
scrolling shortcut 717 toggling 1448
search by name 30 Transport Numeric Keypad mode 29, 128
selecting across multiple 710 Transport Online option 1418
selecting clips 704 Transport RecordLock option 130, 637, 647
selecting in Timebase rulers 710 Transport View options 221, 545, 596, 597
selecting material in 703 Transport window 218
soloing 289 MIDI controls 220
surround 1321 pre/post-roll 220, 597
Track Height 271 record status display 640
Track View 267, 270 start, end, and length fields 220, 595
transposing 1115 transport controls 218
trimming unwanted data from 729 Transpose
types 241 Elastic Audio 1072
video 1491 MIDI notes 1115
Tracks (Groups List) command 328 Real-Time Properties 854
Index 1601
Real-Time Properties 854 main video track 1492
scaling 829, 1111 Raster Size 1496
Velocity Trim tool 830 scrubbing 1512
Velocity View 829 settings 1495
VENUE 166 shuttling 1513
VENUE Link 56, 166 track controls 250
version conflicts 198 Video Quality 1500
Version List 197 viewing as blocks 1493
Vertical Position setting 159 Video Universe window 1513
Video Video window 1511
Dropped Frames indicator 1494 mixed aspect ratios 1511
video Video Window command 1511
Bounce to Mov 1520 View Filter (Memory Locations window) 964
color space 1501 View Filter (MIDI Event List) 898
export 1520 View menu 234
importing 1504 Clip Name View option 663
Pillarbox/Letterbox option 1512 Clip Sync Point View option 984
playback 1542 Clip Time View options 663
Stretch option 1512 Edit window View options 212, 1146
timecode overlay 1517 Mix window View options 210, 1146
Video Clip Groups 1511 Narrow Mix View option 258
video clips 1507 Track Number command 264
importing audio from 1507 Transport View options 221, 545, 596, 597
Video Engine option 109 viewing blocks in the video track 1493
video engine rate 1502 views
Video File Rate indicator 1503 Delay Compensation 259
video files 11 I/O View 251
Video Files folder 183 Inserts View 1147
Video Format setting 1544 Sends View 1148
Video Hardware Control Panel 1516 Wide Meters View 255
Video Import Options dialog 1505 VITC
Video Media options 485 Generate Lines setting 158
Video Online button 1492, 1494 Read Lines setting 158
Video Pull Up and Pull Down 1415 Read Lines, defaults 158
Video Reference Source setting 1409 VITC Insertion Enabled option 158
Video Satellite 1537 Voice selector 285
avoiding sync issues 1544 voices 634
connecting 1543 and track priority 284
Media Composer 164, 1541 number available with HDX 46
quitting Pro Tools 1543 number available with HDX Hybrid Engine 46
settings 1544 Voices meter 121
troubleshooting satellite connections 1543 volume
video satellite offset 1540 Performance 357
video stutter 1542 Transfer 357
Video Sync Offset command 1516 Volume automation 1262
video track 1452 Volume fader 252
video tracks 242, 1491 Volume indicator 251
Color Space 1501 Volume permissions 360
Frame Rate 1496 VSO 1410
locking 1502 sample rate limits with MADI 1410
Index 1603
navigating 359 writing
Open in New Workspace 365 automation 1246
Paused Tasks 404 automation on stop 1274
Performance Volume 357 automation to next breakpoint 1274
preferences 406 automation to selection, selection start or end
previewing 388, 389, 392 1272
Quick Search 374 snapshot automation 1281
Regenerate Missing Rendered Files 395
Relink window 356, 396 X
relinking 393 XML (MIDI patch names) 842
Reveal in Finder/Explorer 365 X–OR (Cancels Previous Solos) Solo Latch option
Right-click menu 365 291
saving a search as a Catalog 380
searching 374
searching with tags 382 Z
session 356 zero-crossing 658
Show Offline Volumes 365 Zoom buttons 675
Skip All 395 Zoom Presets 680
sorting columns 368 Zoom Toggle 681
Sound Libraries 355 Zoom Toggle preferences 136, 681
Spacebar Toggles File Preview 364 Zoomer tool 674, 675, 677
Spot To Edit Insertion 365 zooming 675
suitable volumes (see Transfer files) 394 a track area 678, 877
Task Manager window 356 around a track point 678, 876
Tasks 404 continuously 676
Track Presets 356 horizontally for all tracks 676
Transfer files 393, 394 in the ruler 679
Transfer Volume 357 in the Tempo Editor 921
volume permissions 360 on a selection 677
Volumes 356 out to the entire session 677
WaveCache 357 recalling zoom levels 680
waveform display 386 return to the previous zoom level 677
Workspace browsers 224, 355, 584, 585 storing zoom levels 680
Track Presets 321 to make all clips visible 677
Workspace.wksp file 357 vertically 676
Write 1282 with a scroll wheel 684
Write Automation commands 1281, 1282 Zoom Toggle 681
Write automation mode 1236 zplane élastique 1058
Write Automation To commands 1285
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint command
1275
Write Automation to Next Breakpoint on Stop
command 1277
Write Automation to Selection/Selection
Start/Selection End buttons 1272
Write MIDI Real-Time Properties command 855
Write Trim automation mode 1240