Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts. Avid Technology Pro Tools HD 6.4, Pro Tools LE 6.4, PRO TOOLS MIX 51
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Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts
This chapter explains the principles and concepts that form the foundation of Pro Tools operation and functionality.
Hard Disk Audio Recording
Tape-based recording is a linear medium—you need to rewind or fast forward a tape to hear a particular spot in a recording. To rearrange or repeat material in a linear system, you need to rerecord it.
Hard disk recording is a nonlinear (or random access) medium—you can go immediately to any spot in a recording without having to rewind or fast forward.
Nonlinear systems have several advantages. You can easily rearrange or repeat parts of a recording by making the hard disk read parts of the recording in a different order and/or multiple times. In addition, this re-arrangement is non-
destructive, meaning that the original recorded material is not altered.
Pro Tools is a nonlinear recording system that lets you rearrange and mix recorded material nondestructively.
The Digidesign Audio Engine
DAE (or Digidesign Audio Engine) is Digidesign’s real-time operating system for digital recording systems. When you install Pro Tools,
DAE is automatically installed on your system.
In the same way that a computer’s operating system provides the foundation for programs that run on the computer, DAE provides the foundation for much of the hard disk recording, digital signal processing, mix automation, and
MIDI functionality required by Pro Tools and other products from Digidesign and its Development Partners.
The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory allocated within DAE to manage disk buffers, which affects system per-
formance. For more information, see “DAE Playback Buffer Size” on page 40. The DAE Playback
Buffer Size can be changed in the Playback Engine dialog, discussed below.
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 11
Playback Engine Dialog
Pro Tools takes advantage of your computer’s host processor for certain tasks and optional host-based DSP processing.
Pro Tools LE uses host (CPU) processing to provide audio track recording, playback, mixing, and effects processing. Pro Tools TDM can also use host processing to run RTAS plug-ins for effects processing. Performance is determined by your system and its Playback Engine settings.
The Playback Engine dialog lets you set a hardware buffer size and allocate a percentage of
CPU resources for these tasks. For more informa-
tion, see “Configuring Pro Tools System Settings
(in the Playback System Engine)” on page 37.
Pro Tools Sessions
When you start a project in Pro Tools, you create a session. Some basic elements of sessions are explained in this section.
Session File
Pro Tools session file icon, Pro Tools 6.x
A session file is the document that Pro Tools creates when you start a new project. The session file contains maps of all elements associated with a project, including audio files, MIDI data, and all your edit and mix information. You can make changes to a session and save those changes in a new session file. This lets you create multiple versions of a project or back up your editing and mixing work.
Audio File
When you record audio into a Pro Tools session, audio files are created.
Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools TDM system
From the Playback Engine dialog, you can also select the number of voices and voiceable tracks for your system and its sessions. Voice count choices in the dialog are based on how much
DSP processing you want to allocate for voicing.
For more information, see “Configuring
Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback System Engine)” on page 37.
See also “System Resources” on page 16.
The Playback Engine dialog is also where you dedicate DSP resources for Delay Compensation.
Audio file icon, Pro Tools 6.x
Audio files for each session are stored in a folder named “Audio Files.” Audio files are listed in
Pro Tools’ Audio Regions List and can appear in a track. A section of an audio file can be defined
as a region. See “Regions (or Loops)” on page 13.
12 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Tracks
Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, and automation data are recorded and edited.
A region (or loop) is a piece of audio or MIDI data that may have associated automation data. A region could be a loop, a guitar riff, a verse of a song, a sound effect, a piece of dialog, or an entire sound file. In Pro Tools, regions are created from audio or MIDI files, and can be arranged in audio and MIDI track playlists.
Playlist
Audio tracks in the Edit window
MIDI track in the Edit window
Audio and MIDI tracks can be edited into regions or repeated in different locations, to create loops, re-arrange sections or entire songs, or to assemble tracks using material from multiple takes.
Audio tracks can be mono, stereo, or any supported multichannel format (depending on your type of Pro Tools system). When creating a new audio track, you can choose from a list of formats supported by your system.
Regions (or Loops)
Audio region
Playlist Selector pop-up menu
A playlist is a group of regions arranged on an audio or MIDI track. Tracks have edit playlists and automation playlists.
On audio tracks, an edit playlist tells the hard disk which audio files to read in what order. For example, you can use the same audio region to access the same piece of audio multiple times at different locations and not use additional disk space. Different versions of the same original audio can be used in different places and have different effects applied.
A playlist can be made up of a single region or many separate regions. It can be made up of similar elements, such as regions from several different takes of a solo, or dissimilar elements, such as several sound effects. You can create any number of edit playlists for a track. This lets you assemble different versions of performances or edits on a single audio or MIDI track and choose between them with a pop-up menu on the track.
Each track has a single set of automation playlists, for volume, pan, mute and each automation-enabled control for the insert and send assignments on that track.
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 13
INPUTS 1-4
SW CTRL GAIN
1 3
2 4
5 7 9
INPUTS 5-16
+4dBu/–12dBV
11 13 15
OUTPUT
+4dBu/–10dBV
1
6 8 10 12 14 16 2
Figure 1. Back view of 96 I/O, with eight analog inputs, eight analog outputs, and eight digital input/output channels
(using a lightpipe)
Channel
The term channel is used to describe several related components of a Pro Tools system. The first example of channel refers to a physical input or output of your Pro Tools system.
For example, a 96 I/O audio interface (Figure 1) provides up to 16 channels of input and output to a Pro Tools|HD system. An 888|24 I/O audio interface provides eight channels of analog input and output to a Pro Tools TDM system.
The second use of the term channel refers to a mixer strip in the Pro Tools Mix window. The term channel strip refers to the mixer strip of any track (audio or MIDI track, Auxiliary Input, or
Master Fader) in a session.
Audio and MIDI channel strips have similar controls, but those controls have slightly different effects. For example, audio and Auxiliary Input channel strip faders control the output gain to the mix bus for that channel, while MIDI channel strip faders send MIDI volume data
(MIDI controller 7) to the MIDI instrument.
Figure 2. Channel strip in the Mix window
The term
channel
also describes a separate
aspect of MIDI operation. See “MIDI Concepts” on page 19.
14 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Signal Routing
Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and signal routing controls. The Mix window is where these controls are located. (Some of these controls can also be accessed from the Edit window.)
Signal Routing Example
A common signal routing task is to submix multiple tracks to a single channel strip (such as an
Auxiliary Input or a Master Fader) for shared processing and level control. The following example shows three audio tracks submixed to a stereo Auxiliary Input.
Inserts
Sends
Outputs to
Stereo Bus path
Stereo plug-in
Input from
Stereo
Bus path
Output to
Stereo Output path
Audio Tracks
Auxiliary Input
Submixing to an Auxiliary Input
Signal routing options include the following:
Track Input and Output (I/O) Controls The most basic type of signal routing is track input and output. A track needs to have an assigned input path to record audio, and an assigned output path in order to be audible through a hardware output. Signals can also be routed to or from other tracks in Pro Tools (or hardware inputs and outputs) using internal busses.
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 15
Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders Auxiliary Inputs are tracks that can be used as returns, submixers and bus masters. Master Faders are used as bus and output master level controls. Both
Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders can have plug-in and/or hardware inserts.
Sends Sends route audio to internal busses to send to other tracks in Pro Tools, or to hardware outputs. Master Faders do not have sends.
Plug-In and Hardware Inserts Software plug-ins and hardware inserts process the audio on their associated track. Plug-in processing occurs completely within the Pro Tools system. Hardware inserts utilize audio interface inputs and outputs, for traditional insert routing to (and from) external effects and other devices.
Paths Pro Tools lets you define any internal or external input, output, bus, or insert with a single name and format (mono, stereo, or multichannel). Paths comprise the lists of available routing choices in track I/O Selectors and other menus. Paths are auto-named by default, but can be customized in the I/O Setup window. See
Chapter 7, “I/O Setup” for more information.
Mixing Formats Sessions can include combinations of mono, stereo, and multichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, outputs, and inserts.
(Multichannel formats are supported on
Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems only.)
System Resources
Track count, plug-in processing, signal path and routing options, and voice availability are ultimately limited by the combined resources available from the host computer, and from your
Pro Tools hardware.
Pro Tools provides several ways to manage and conserve resources to maximize the performance of your system. As you begin working with Pro Tools sessions and tracks, you can take advantage of the following features to extend the effectiveness of your available DSP and other resources:
â—† Pro Tools lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings (such as H/W Buffer Size and CPU Usage) that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and record-
ing. See “Configuring Pro Tools System Settings
(in the Playback System Engine)” on page 37.
â—† Pro Tools allows for session items (such as tracks and inserts) to be manually made inactive, to free up DSP resources. Inactive elements are viewable, editable, and retained within the
session. See “Active and Inactive Items” on page 17.
â—† All Pro Tools TDM systems, as well as LE systems (Pro Tools 6.x only), provide flexible voice options for audio tracks, to help maximize use of available voices in your system. For more information on voice management and options,
see “Voiceable Tracks and Track Priority” on page 98.
16 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Active and Inactive Items
Pro Tools lets you set certain items (such as tracks and inserts) as inactive, in order to free up
DSP resources and mixer connections.
Items in Pro Tools that can be made inactive (or active) include the following:
• Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Master
Faders
• Track Inputs and Outputs
• Sends
• Side-chain inputs
• Plug-ins
• Hardware inserts
• Paths (session-wide)
MIDI tracks cannot be made inactive.
In addition to manually setting Active and Inactive modes, Pro Tools will automatically make items inactive if there are insufficient or unavailable resources.
When active, items are fully engaged and operational.
When inactive, items are silent and off, although most associated controls can still be adjusted.
Different inactive items affect available system resources in specific ways, as follows:
Plug-Ins When a plug-in is inactive on a track, its
DSP is made available for other plug-ins and processing. Plug-in assignments can be made in-
active manually, or automatically (see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 18).
Paths and Path Assignments When a path or path assignment is inactive, its mixer resources are made available for other signal routing purposes in the session. Paths and assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically
(see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 18).
Tracks For TDM systems (Pro Tools 5.1 and higher) and LE systems (Pro Tools 6.x), when a track is made inactive, its voices become available for another track. Mono inactive tracks free up one voice, and stereo and multichannel tracks free up one voice per channel. Additionally, when an audio track, Auxiliary Input, or
Master Fader is made inactive, its plug-ins, inserts, sends, and I/O assignments become inactive, and the associated DSP used is freed up for use elsewhere in the session.
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 17
Display of Inactive Items
When items are inactive, their names appear in
italics, and their background becomes dark grey.
When a track is inactive, the entire channel strip is grayed out.
Active and inactive items and tracks
Inactive track
Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode
Active and Inactive modes are powerful options for session transfer, and system resource management. Pro Tools provides automatic and manual Inactive mode switching. You can manually make items inactive (or active) to selectively manage system resources while editing and mixing.
Automatically Inactive Items
When opening a session, it is possible that not all signal paths, plug-ins, or audio interfaces used in the session will be available as defined on the current system. When opening a session, sufficient voices may also be unavailable if the session was created on a different Pro Tools system type (for example, creating a session on a
Pro Tools|24 MIX-series system, then opening it in on a Pro Tools|HD-series system).
Whenever this occurs, the session will open as it was last saved. All items that are unavailable, or cannot be loaded due to insufficient resources, are made inactive.
Manual Inactive Switching
You can manually apply Active or Inactive modes to manage system resources. By making an item inactive, its associated resources are made available elsewhere in the session.
The following are basic instructions for manually making items inactive. Throughout the
Pro Tools Reference Guide, instructions are provided whenever an item can be made inactive.
To toggle an item active or inactive:
â–
Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-
Control-click (Macintosh) the item.
18 Pro Tools Reference Guide
You can apply Active or Inactive modes to all or all selected tracks using standard Pro Tools modifiers (Alt and Alt+Shift in Windows, Option and
Option+Shift on the Macintosh). Side-chain inputs support direct active and inactive switching, but do not follow switching all or all selected side-chain inputs.
A single MIDI cable can transmit a separate set of messages for each of the 16 channels. These
16 channels correspond to separate MIDI devices or to multiple channels within a single device (if the device is multi-timbral). Each channel represents a discreet instrument sound; for instance, bass on channel 1, piano on channel 2, and drums on channel 10. Similar to a multitrack tape recorder, a MIDI sequencer can record complex arrangements—even using a single multi-timbral keyboard.
MIDI Concepts
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a communication protocol for musical instruments. This industry standard enables connections between a variety of devices from different manufacturers. Examples of MIDI-compatible equipment include synthesizers, sound modules, drum machines, patch bays, effects processors, MIDI interfaces, and sequencers.
MIDI devices are equipped with 5-pin DIN connectors, labeled as either IN, OUT, or THRU.
The MIDI OUT port transmits messages; the
MIDI IN port receives messages; and, MIDI
THRU echoes whatever is received from the IN port. MIDI devices are connected with MIDI cables that are available at most music stores.
echoed from IN
MIDI signal flow
MIDI Terms
The following are some basic MIDI terms:
MIDI Interface Hardware that lets computers connect to and communicate with MIDI devices.
MIDI Device Any keyboard, sound module, effects device or other equipment that can send or receive MIDI information.
MIDI Controller Any MIDI device that transmits
MIDI performance data. These include keyboards, MIDI guitar controllers, MIDI wind instruments, and others. Controllers transmit
MIDI from their MIDI OUT ports.
MIDI Control Surface Any device (such as the
Digidesign Command|8), which uses a MIDI connection to send control messages to a software program, but is not generally used to record MIDI information.
MIDI Sound Source Any MIDI instrument capable of playing back MIDI-triggered sound.
Sound sources receive MIDI from their MIDI IN ports.
Not all devices will have all three MIDI ports (IN, OUT and THRU).
Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 19
Multi-Timbral The capability of playing several different instrument sounds (such as piano, bass, and drums) simultaneously on separate channels. This makes it possible for a single
MIDI sound source to play back entire arrangements.
MIDI Channel Up to 16 channels of MIDI performance data can be transmitted on a single MIDI cable. The channel number separates the different messages so your sound sources can receive the right ones.
Program Change Event A MIDI command that tells a sound source which of its sounds (or sound patches) to use. The MIDI protocol lets you choose from a range of 128 patches.
Bank Select Message Many devices have more than 128 patches, which are arranged in banks.
The Bank Select Message is a MIDI command that specifies the bank of patches from which to choose.
Local Control A controller setting found on most
MIDI keyboards that lets them play their own sound source. Disabling “local control” ensures that a device’s internal sound source is only played by external MIDI messages.
When using Pro Tools, “local control” should usually be disabled. When “local control” is off, your keyboard still transmits data to its MIDI
OUT port.
Continuous Controller Events MIDI instructions that allow real-time changes to notes that are currently sounding. These include pitch bend, modulation, volume, pan, and many others.
System Exclusive Data MIDI data commonly used for sending and retrieving patch parameter information for storage purposes.
Common Misconceptions about
MIDI
MIDI is not audio. The messages that travel down a MIDI cable translate to specific instructions. For instance, when you strike a key on your MIDI keyboard it sends a message to its
MIDI OUT port telling another device (if connected and set to the same MIDI channel) to play that particular note.
Signal paths for MIDI instruments
However, to actually hear that second device
(sound source) you’ll need to connect its audio outputs to a sound system. Your MIDI instruments have two signal paths, one for audio and another for MIDI.
MIDI does not allow you to use your devices beyond their capabilities. Particular instruments have their own sound generation, polyphony, and multi-timbral limitations.
20 Pro Tools Reference Guide
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Table of contents
- 3 Contents
- 13 Introduction
- 15 Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools
- 15 The Pro Tools Guides
- 16 Conventions Used in These Guides
- 16 Digidesign Registration
- 16 Compatibility Information
- 16 About www.digidesign.com
- 17 Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Configurations
- 17 Pro Tools TDM Systems
- 17 HD-Series Systems
- 18 MIX-Series Systems
- 18 Supported Audio Interfaces
- 19 TDM System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits
- 20 Audio Interfaces for TDM Systems
- 21 Pro Tools LE Systems
- 22 Pro Tools LE System Capabilities
- 23 Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts
- 23 Hard Disk Audio Recording
- 23 The Digidesign Audio Engine
- 24 Playback Engine Dialog
- 24 Pro Tools Sessions
- 24 Session File
- 24 Audio File
- 25 Tracks
- 25 Regions (or Loops)
- 25 Playlist
- 26 Channel
- 27 Signal Routing
- 28 System Resources
- 29 Active and Inactive Items
- 31 MIDI Concepts
- 31 MIDI Terms
- 32 Common Misconceptions about MIDI
- 33 Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows
- 33 The Mix Window
- 33 The Edit Window
- 36 Track Controls
- 36 Edit Tools
- 36 Event Edit Area
- 36 Location Indicators, Grid/Nudge Values, Current Cursor Display
- 37 The Transport Window
- 37 Basic Transport Controls and Counters
- 39 MIDI Controls
- 41 Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts
- 41 Global Key Commands
- 42 Keyboard Focus
- 43 Numeric Keypad Modes
- 43 Shuttle Lock Modes
- 45 Shuttle Mode
- 47 Sessions & Tracks
- 49 Chapter 6: Sessions
- 49 Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System
- 49 Configuring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback System Engine)
- 50 Hardware Buffer Size
- 50 CPU Usage Limit
- 50 Number of Voices
- 51 Default Sample Rate
- 52 Delay Compensation Engine
- 52 DAE Playback Buffer Size
- 53 System Memory Allocation
- 53 Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings
- 53 Configuring Pro Tools|HD Hardware
- 57 Creating a New Session
- 58 Selecting a Fader Gain
- 59 Opening a Session
- 59 Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Files
- 59 Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Resources
- 60 Selecting Fader Gain when Opening a Previously Recorded Session
- 60 Saving a Session
- 60 Saving the Session File
- 60 Saving the Session File with a New Name
- 61 Saving a Copy of the Session
- 63 Creating Custom Session Templates
- 63 Creating Windows Templates
- 64 Creating Macintosh Templates
- 65 Closing a Session
- 65 Quitting Pro Tools
- 65 Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems
- 66 Opening a TDM Session in Pro Tools LE
- 66 Preferences
- 79 Chapter 7: I/O Setup
- 81 Main Paths and Sub-Paths
- 81 Default I/O Settings
- 81 Stems and Stem Mixes
- 82 The I/O Setup Dialog
- 83 I/O Setup Dialog Controls
- 83 Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O
- 85 Creating and Editing Paths
- 85 Creating New Paths
- 87 Resetting Paths
- 87 Deleting Paths
- 88 Channel Mapping
- 89 Initializing I/O Setup
- 90 Active and Inactive Paths
- 91 Hardware Setup and Session Transfer
- 92 I/O Settings Files
- 92 Defaults, Settings Files, and Last Used Settings for New Sessions
- 94 I/O Setup Options
- 94 Meter Path Selector
- 94 Audition Path
- 96 Default Path Order
- 96 Default Output Path
- 96 H/W Insert Delay Compensation
- 97 Chapter 8: Tracks
- 97 Track Types
- 100 Track Controls
- 100 Input/Output Selectors
- 100 Volume/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator
- 100 Pan Indicator
- 100 Pan Slider
- 100 Volume Fader
- 101 Track Level Meter
- 103 Creating Tracks
- 105 Hiding Tracks
- 107 Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Tracks
- 107 Assigning Audio Track Inputs
- 108 Assigning Audio Track Outputs
- 108 Track Priority and Voice Assignment
- 109 Track Priority
- 109 Voice Assignment
- 111 Setting MIDI Input and Output
- 111 Assigning MIDI Track Input
- 112 Assigning MIDI Track Output
- 112 Soloing and Muting Tracks
- 114 Making Tracks Inactive
- 114 Adjusting Track Width
- 115 Color Coding Tracks
- 115 Grouping Tracks
- 116 Using the Groups List
- 117 Creating Groups
- 117 Editing Groups
- 119 Enabling Groups
- 121 Chapter 9: Importing and Exporting Session Data
- 121 Importing Audio
- 123 Conversion Quality
- 123 Importing Audio Files and Regions
- 125 Importing Audio Files with Drag & Drop from a DigiBase Browser
- 126 Importing Audio from an Audio CD
- 126 Importing Tracks and Track Attributes
- 128 Import Session Data Dialog
- 133 Exporting Audio
- 133 Exporting a Region as a New Audio File
- 134 Exporting Region Definitions
- 135 Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as OMFI or AAF Files
- 135 Exporting Sessions as Text
- 135 Export Session as Text Options
- 136 The Exported Session Text
- 137 Importing MIDI Files
- 138 Exporting MIDI Files
- 141 Chapter 10: File Management and Compatibility
- 141 Audio File Management
- 141 Locating Audio Files
- 143 WAV File Compatibility
- 143 Creating Macintosh and PC Compatible Sessions
- 144 Creating and Saving Cross- Platform Sessions
- 145 Moving Sessions Between Platforms with MacOpener (Using HFS/HFS+ Drives)
- 147 Recording
- 149 Chapter 11: Record Setup
- 149 Input Connections and Audio Levels
- 150 Record Enabling Tracks
- 152 Latch Record Preference
- 152 Record Safe Mode
- 152 Record Monitoring Modes
- 152 Auto Input Monitoring
- 153 Input Only Monitoring
- 153 Monitor Levels for Record and Playback
- 153 TrackInput Monitoring
- 154 Monitoring Latency
- 155 Zero Latency Monitoring
- 155 Low Latency Monitoring
- 156 Low Latency Monitoring During Recording
- 156 Default Track Names
- 157 Disk Allocation
- 159 Recording to the System Volume
- 159 Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording
- 160 Record Modes
- 162 The Record Modes and MIDI
- 163 Recording with a Click
- 165 Setting the Default Meter and Tempo
- 165 Setting the Default Meter
- 165 Setting the Default Tempo
- 169 Chapter 12: Basic Audio Recording
- 169 Recording an Audio Track
- 173 Recording Multiple Audio Tracks
- 173 Record Shortcuts
- 173 Record Pause Mode
- 173 Recording Additional Takes
- 175 Punch Recording Audio
- 177 Loop Recording Audio
- 178 Auditioning Record Takes
- 178 Auditioning from the Regions List
- 178 Auditioning from the Takes List Pop-up Menu
- 179 Editing Preferences for Takes
- 180 Setting Punch/Loop Points
- 182 Setting Pre- and Post-Roll
- 184 Recording from a Digital Source
- 185 Recording from Digital Sources
- 186 Half-Speed Recording and Playback
- 187 Chapter 13: MIDI Recording
- 187 Recording from MIDI Devices
- 188 Enabling Input Devices
- 189 MIDI Thru
- 189 The Default Thru Instrument
- 190 MIDI Input Filter
- 190 Input Quantize
- 191 Wait for Note
- 191 MIDI Merge/Replace
- 192 Configuring MIDI Tracks for Recording
- 194 Recording to MIDI Tracks
- 195 Undo and MIDI Recording
- 195 Punch Recording MIDI
- 197 Regions and Punch Recording
- 197 Loop Recording MIDI
- 197 Loop Recording with Merge Mode
- 199 Loop Recording Multiple Takes
- 200 Recording System Exclusive Data
- 203 Chapter 14: Advanced Recording
- 203 QuickPunch Audio Recording
- 204 QuickPunch Guidelines for TDM Systems
- 205 QuickPunch Guidelines for LE Systems
- 205 Recording with QuickPunch
- 206 TrackPunch Audio Recording
- 207 Voice Requirements for TrackPunch Recording
- 207 Recording with TrackPunch Overview
- 208 TrackPunch Preferences
- 209 Configuring Synchronization and Track Arming
- 210 Enabling TrackPunch Mode
- 211 Transport Display of TrackPunch Status
- 211 TrackPunch Enabling Tracks
- 212 TrackPunch Recording
- 213 Example TrackPunch Workflows
- 213 Film Dubbing and Mixing with TrackPunch
- 214 Loading Dailies with RecordLock
- 215 Foley Recording with TrackPunch
- 215 Tracking and Overdubbing Music with TrackPunch
- 217 Editing
- 219 Chapter 15: Editing Basics
- 219 Pro Tools Editing
- 219 Nondestructive Editing
- 219 Editing During Playback
- 220 Track Material
- 221 Track View
- 222 Track Height
- 224 Displaying Region Names and Times
- 224 Audio Regions and Waveforms
- 225 Guidelines for Editing Waveforms
- 226 Nondestructive Audio Editing
- 226 Audio Regions and Automation Data
- 226 MIDI Regions and MIDI Data
- 227 Notes View for MIDI Tracks
- 228 Regions View for MIDI Tracks
- 229 Nondestructive MIDI Editing
- 229 MIDI Regions and Continuous Controller Events
- 229 Playlists
- 230 Working with Playlists
- 231 Multiple Undo
- 232 Levels of Undo and Memory
- 232 The Audio and MIDI Regions Lists
- 233 Sorting and Searching the Regions Lists
- 234 Selecting in the Region Lists
- 235 Stereo and Multichannel Tracks in the Audio Regions List
- 236 Edit Modes
- 236 Shuffle
- 236 Slip
- 236 Spot
- 237 Grid
- 238 Zooming
- 238 Horizontal and Vertical Zoom Buttons
- 240 Zoomer Tool
- 241 Zoom Preset Buttons
- 242 Zoom Toggle
- 243 Zooming with a Scroll Wheel
- 243 The Universe Window
- 244 Timebase Rulers
- 245 Main Time Scale
- 247 Tick-Based Timing
- 247 Ticks versus Samples
- 249 Chapter 16: Playing and Selecting Track Material
- 249 Playing Tracks
- 252 Auto-Scrolling Tracks in the Edit and Mix Windows
- 252 Navigation using Track Position Numbers
- 253 Scrolling Options
- 254 The Scrubber
- 256 Numeric Keypad Set to Shuttle
- 257 Linking or Unlinking Edit and Timeline Selections
- 258 Selecting Track Material
- 263 Using the Selection Indicators (Start, End, and Length)
- 264 Selecting Across Multiple Tracks
- 265 Other Useful Selection Techniques
- 266 Tabbing to Transients
- 267 Playing Selections
- 268 Looping Playback
- 269 Timeline Selections
- 270 Playing Edit and Timeline Selections with the Playhead
- 271 Moving the Playhead
- 273 Chapter 17: Working with Regions and Selections
- 273 Creating New Regions
- 273 Capture Region Command
- 274 Separate Region Command
- 275 Separation Grabber
- 275 Trim To Selection Command
- 276 Healing a Separation
- 276 Placing Regions in Tracks
- 277 Defining Region Sync Points
- 277 Placing Regions at the Edit Insertion Point
- 278 Aligning to Region Start Points
- 279 The Trimmer Tool
- 279 Standard Trimmer
- 280 The Time Trimmer
- 282 The Scrub Trimmer
- 282 Trim To Insertion Command
- 283 Trimming with Nudge
- 283 Sliding Regions
- 283 Shuffling Regions
- 284 Slipping Regions
- 285 Spotting Regions
- 286 Sliding Regions in Grid Mode
- 288 Nudging
- 289 Nudging Regions
- 290 Nudging a Region’s Contents
- 290 Shift Command
- 291 Quantizing Regions
- 291 Locking Regions
- 292 Muting/Unmuting Regions
- 292 Edit Commands
- 292 Track View and Edit Content
- 295 Editing Across Multiple Tracks
- 295 Duplicate Command
- 296 Repeat Command
- 297 Merge Paste Command
- 297 Editing Stereo and Multichannel Tracks
- 298 Processing Audio with AudioSuite Plug-Ins
- 299 Waveform Repair with the Pencil Tool
- 300 The Smart Tool
- 303 Chapter 18: Advanced Editing (TDM Systems Only)
- 303 Replacing Audio Regions
- 305 Repeat Paste To Fill Selection
- 305 Compress/Expand Edit To Play
- 306 Fitting an Audio Region to an Edit Selection
- 307 Chapter 19: Fades and Crossfades
- 307 Using Crossfades
- 307 About Crossfades and Curves
- 309 The Fades Dialog
- 314 Creating a Crossfade
- 315 Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions
- 315 Creating Fade-Ins and Fade-Outs
- 317 Using AutoFades
- 317 Creating Fades and Crossfades in Batches
- 319 Chapter 20: Managing Regions
- 319 Stripping Silence from Regions
- 319 The Strip Silence Window
- 320 Using Strip Silence
- 321 Inserting Silence
- 322 Consolidate Selection Command
- 322 Compacting an Audio File
- 323 Naming and Displaying Regions
- 323 Renaming Regions
- 324 Auto-Naming Options
- 324 Hiding and Removing Unwanted Regions
- 327 Chapter 21: Conductor Tracks and Memory Locations
- 327 Tempo Events
- 327 Inserting Tempo Events
- 329 Tempo and MIDI and Audio
- 330 Default Tempo
- 330 Identify Beat Command
- 330 Identifying Beats
- 331 Inserting Bar|Beat Markers One at a Time
- 332 Dragging Bar|Beat Markers
- 332 Editing Bar|Beat Markers
- 333 Meter Events
- 333 Inserting Meter Events
- 335 Partial Measures
- 335 Renumbering Bars
- 336 Memory Locations and Markers
- 336 Properties of Memory Locations
- 338 Creating Memory Locations
- 340 Recalling Memory Locations
- 340 Editing Memory Locations
- 342 Memory Locations Window
- 343 Memory Locations Commands and Options
- 345 Chapter 22: Beat Detective
- 346 Beat Detective Requirements
- 347 The Beat Detective Window
- 347 Beat Detective Modes
- 348 Defining a Beat Detective Selection
- 349 Calculating Tempo with Beat Detective
- 350 Generating Beat Triggers
- 351 Editing Beat Triggers
- 353 Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective
- 354 Working with Sub-Beats
- 354 DigiGroove Templates
- 356 Separating Regions with Beat Detective
- 358 Conforming Regions with Beat Detective
- 360 Edit Smoothing
- 361 Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode
- 362 Using Collection Mode
- 365 MIDI Editing
- 367 Chapter 23: MIDI Editing
- 367 The Pencil Tool
- 368 Custom Note Duration
- 369 Setting the Grid Value
- 369 Inserting MIDI Notes
- 371 Manually Editing MIDI Notes
- 375 Typing in Note Attributes
- 375 Deleting MIDI Notes
- 376 Continuous Controller Events
- 377 Inserting/Editing Controller Events
- 378 Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes)
- 378 Default Program Change
- 380 Inserting and Editing Program Changes
- 381 Auditioning Programs
- 381 System Exclusive Events
- 382 Note and Controller Chasing
- 383 Offsetting MIDI Tracks
- 384 Stuck Notes
- 385 Chapter 24: MIDI Operations
- 385 MIDI Operations Window
- 386 Select Notes
- 387 Split Notes
- 388 Change Velocity
- 390 Change Duration
- 391 Transpose
- 392 Quantize
- 395 Quantize Examples
- 396 Experimenting with Quantize
- 397 Input Quantize
- 397 Groove Quantize
- 400 Applying Groove Templates
- 402 Restore Performance
- 403 Flatten Performance
- 405 Chapter 25: MIDI Event List
- 405 The MIDI Event List
- 405 Opening the MIDI Event List
- 408 Inserting Events in the MIDI Event List
- 410 Editing in the MIDI Event List
- 411 Selecting in the MIDI Event List
- 411 Deleting in the MIDI Event List
- 411 Copy and Paste in the MIDI Event List
- 412 MIDI Event List Options
- 413 Mixing
- 415 Chapter 26: Basic Mixing
- 415 Mixing Concepts
- 415 Metering and Calibration
- 416 Audio Signal Flow
- 416 Audio Tracks
- 417 Auxiliary Inputs
- 418 Master Faders
- 420 Inserts
- 420 Views in the Mix and Edit Windows
- 422 Track Input
- 423 Track Output
- 424 Multiple Output Assignments
- 426 Sends
- 426 Assigning Sends to Tracks
- 428 Configuring Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows
- 429 Editing Sends in the Mix and Edit Windows (Send A-E Views)
- 430 Output Windows for Tracks and Sends
- 432 Panner Linking
- 433 Standard Selector Controls in Output Windows
- 434 Using Output Windows
- 435 Sends and Groups
- 435 Copying Track Settings to Sends
- 435 Submixing for Signal Routing and Effects Processing
- 436 Audio Input from MIDI Devices and Other External Sources
- 436 Creating a Submix
- 440 Delay Compensation
- 440 Delay Compensation Settings
- 440 Delay Compensation View
- 442 Dither
- 442 Dither in Pro Tools
- 444 Using a Control Surface with Pro Tools
- 445 Chapter 27: Plug-In and Hardware Inserts
- 447 Viewing Inserts
- 448 Making Inserts Inactive
- 449 Inserting Plug-Ins on Tracks
- 450 Plug-In Menu Organization
- 450 Plug-in Favorites
- 451 Inserting Plug-Ins During Playback
- 451 Moving and Duplicating Plug- In and Hardware Inserts
- 452 The Plug-In Window
- 453 Opening Plug-In Windows
- 453 Opening Multiple Plug-In Windows
- 454 Plug-In Window Controls
- 455 Bypassing Plug-Ins
- 455 Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-Ins
- 456 Editing Plug-In Controls
- 456 Keyboard Shortcuts for Plug-In Controls
- 456 Plug-In Automation and Safe
- 457 Using a Key Input for Side-Chain Processing
- 458 Using Hardware Inserts
- 458 Assigning Hardware Inserts
- 458 Bypassing Hardware Inserts
- 459 Connecting and Integrating External Devices
- 459 Connecting Effects Units Digitally
- 460 Using External Clock Sources
- 463 Chapter 28: Automation
- 463 Automation Quick Start
- 464 Automation Playlists
- 464 Automation Playlists with Audio and MIDI Regions
- 465 Automation Modes
- 468 Automation Preferences
- 468 Smoothing
- 468 Thinning
- 468 AutoMatch
- 469 Setting the Automation Buffer Size
- 470 Automation Safe
- 470 Viewing Automation
- 471 Writing Automation
- 472 Automating Sends
- 473 Automating Plug-Ins
- 475 Enabling and Suspending Automation
- 476 Deleting Automation
- 477 Thinning Automation
- 477 Using the Thin Automation Command
- 477 Drawing Automation
- 479 Editing Automation
- 479 Graphical Editing of Automation Data
- 479 Editing Automation Types
- 480 Editing Automation Breakpoints
- 481 Editing Automation on Stereo and Multichannel Tracks
- 482 Editing Automation on Grouped Tracks
- 483 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Automation
- 485 Writing Automation to the Start, End or All of a Selection
- 486 Write to Start, End, and All On Stop
- 487 Trimming Automation
- 487 Creating Snapshot Automation
- 489 Snapshot Automation and Trimming of Automation Data
- 491 Chapter 29: Mixdown
- 493 Recording to Tracks
- 494 Bounce to Disk
- 495 Bounce Options
- 495 Default Settings
- 495 Bounce Source
- 496 File Type
- 500 Format
- 501 Resolution
- 501 Sample Rate
- 502 Sample Rate Conversion Quality Option
- 502 Use Squeezer
- 502 Convert During or After Bounce
- 502 Import Into Session After Bounce
- 503 Help
- 503 Recording a Submix (with Bounce To Disk)
- 504 Final Mixdown
- 505 Mastering
- 505 Mastering to a Digital Recorder
- 507 Surround
- 509 Chapter 30: Surround Concepts
- 509 How to Use These Chapters
- 509 Mixing Formats and Surround Formats
- 510 Pro Tools Mixing Formats
- 510 Speaker Layouts
- 512 Surround Monitoring
- 512 The Importance of Speaker Placement
- 513 Calibrated Surround Monitoring
- 513 Formats and Terminology
- 514 LCRS for Dolby Surround
- 514 5.1 for Dolby Digital and DTS
- 514 .1 Formats
- 514 .0 Formats
- 515 LFE
- 515 Divergence
- 516 Where to Get More Information on Surround Technology
- 516 Surround Mixing Concepts
- 516 Surround Format Compatibility
- 517 Surround Formats and Delivery Mediums
- 517 Surround Playback System Variables
- 519 Chapter 31: Pro Tools Setup for Surround
- 519 Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing
- 520 Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions
- 520 New Sessions and I/O Settings
- 522 Importing Multichannel I/O Setups
- 522 Custom Multichannel Paths
- 524 Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup
- 524 Default Path Order for 5.1 Tracks
- 524 5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering
- 525 Chapter 32: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing
- 525 Multichannel Quick Start
- 526 Multichannel Audio Tracks
- 526 Placing Audio in Multichannel Tracks
- 528 Multichannel Signal Routing
- 528 Multichannel Track Outputs
- 529 Multichannel Sends
- 529 Multichannel Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders
- 529 Mono, Multi-Mono and Multichannel Plug-Ins
- 531 Paths in Surround Mixes
- 533 Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix
- 533 Example Multichannel Paths
- 534 Signal Routing Examples
- 536 LFE Examples
- 537 Chapter 33: Surround Panning and Mixing
- 537 Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning
- 537 Mix and Edit Window Panner Grids
- 538 Output Window
- 539 Standard Controls
- 540 Surround Panner Controls
- 541 The X/Y Grid and Pan Cursor
- 542 Panning Modes
- 542 X/Y Panning
- 544 3-Knob Panning
- 545 LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners
- 545 Divergence and Center Percentage
- 546 Divergence
- 547 Center % (Percentage)
- 547 Pan Playlists and Automation
- 548 SurroundScope Metering Plug-In
- 549 Synchronization
- 551 Chapter 34: Synchronization Concepts
- 551 Synchronization Requirements
- 551 Aspects of Synchronization
- 552 Synchronizing Pro Tools
- 552 About Positional References
- 554 LTC (Longitudinal or Linear Time Code)
- 554 VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code)
- 554 Bi-Phase/Tach
- 555 SMPTE Frame Formats
- 556 Working with Film-Originated Material
- 556 Guide Tracks and Conforming
- 556 3:2 Pulldown
- 557 Film Speed Differs from NTSC Video Speed
- 558 Pull Up and Pull Down
- 558 When to Pull Up or Pull Down
- 561 Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization
- 561 Pro Tools Synchronization Options
- 561 SMPTE Trigger Resolved with SYNC I/O
- 562 Ext. Clock Output
- 563 Session Setup Window
- 564 Session Displays and Settings
- 565 SYNC Setup Settings
- 566 Session Start Offsets
- 567 Time Code Settings
- 568 Preparing to Work with SMPTE
- 568 Configuring Pro Tools for SMPTE
- 568 Selecting a SMPTE Format
- 569 Setting a SMPTE Session Start Time (Start Frame)
- 570 Redefining a Feet+Frame Position
- 570 Displaying Time in SMPTE Frames
- 570 Pull Up and Pull Down
- 572 Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and Down
- 573 Video Rate Pull Up and Down
- 574 Putting Pro Tools Online
- 575 Recording Online
- 575 Generating Time Code
- 576 Using MIDI Machine Control
- 576 Controlling External Devices Using MMC
- 576 Enabling MIDI Machine Control in Pro Tools
- 578 Synchronizing a Sequencer to Pro Tools on Macintosh
- 578 Setting Minimum Sync Delay
- 578 Remote Track Arming
- 579 MIDI Beat Clock
- 579 Spotting Regions to SMPTE Frame Locations
- 579 Spot Mode
- 579 The Spot Dialog
- 581 Auto-Spotting Regions
- 582 Using the Trimmer in Spot Mode
- 582 Time Stamping
- 582 Show Original Time Code in Regions
- 583 Creating a User Time Stamp
- 584 Identifying a Synchronization Point
- 585 Troubleshooting Synchronization
- 587 Chapter 36: Working with QuickTime Movies
- 587 About QuickTime
- 587 Using QuickTime Movies in Pro Tools
- 588 Video Capture/Playback Cards
- 588 If You Are New to Audio Post Production
- 589 QuickTime Requirements
- 589 Movie Playback Quality Options
- 590 Importing a QuickTime Movie
- 590 About the Movie Track
- 591 Firewire Playback of QuickTime DV Movies
- 591 Supported QuickTime Movies
- 592 Scrubbing the Movie Track
- 593 About the Movie Window
- 594 Setting the Movie Start Time (Movie Offset)
- 595 Spotting Audio to a QuickTime Movie
- 595 Using Grid Mode to Spot and Nudge Regions with Frame Accuracy
- 596 Importing QuickTime Audio (and Other Compressed Video Files)
- 596 Sample Rate Conversion Quality
- 597 Importing Audio from a QuickTime Movie
- 598 Bouncing to a New Movie
- 601 Appendix A: DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing (TDM Only)
- 601 Introduction to DSP-Induced Delay
- 602 When to Compensate
- 602 Overview of Delay Compensation Options
- 602 Delay Compensation
- 603 TimeAdjuster and Delay Compensation
- 603 Manually Compensating for Delays
- 603 Using the TimeAdjuster Plug-In
- 604 Nudging Audio Tracks
- 604 Delay Factors
- 605 Using Plug-In Inserts
- 605 Using Sends and Hardware Inserts
- 605 Using Hardware I/O
- 606 Bouncing Tracks
- 607 Appendix B: TDM Mixing and DSP Usage
- 607 Benefits of TDM II
- 608 TDM (or TDM I)
- 608 TDM II
- 609 DSP Allocation
- 609 DSP Allocation Basics
- 610 Mixing and DSP Usage
- 610 DSP Manager
- 610 Monitoring DSP Usage
- 611 Setting up Sessions to use DSP Efficiently
- 612 DSP Usage with TDM Mixers
- 612 Understanding Mixers
- 615 48-Bit Mixing Precision
- 615 Mixer Headroom
- 617 Mixer Automatiion
- 617 Stereo and Surround Dithered Mixers
- 618 A Note About Dithering to 16-Bit and Dither Plug-Ins
- 618 TDM Mixer Plug-Ins
- 619 Plug-In Features
- 619 Switching TDM Mixer Plug-Ins
- 620 Mixer Usage Guidelines
- 620 DSP Usage with TDM PlugIns
- 621 DSP Usage and I/O Allocation
- 623 Appendix C: Troubleshooting
- 623 Backing Up Your Work
- 623 Back Up Your Session Data
- 623 Back Up Your System Setup
- 623 Common Issues
- 623 Pro Tools Won’t Launch
- 624 Audio Interface Isn’t Recognized
- 624 Using DigiTest as a Diagnostic Tool
- 625 Performance Factors
- 625 Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support
- 625 Register Your System
- 625 Use Digidesign Resources
- 626 Gather Important Information
- 627 Glossary
- 637 Index