Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization. Avid Technology Pro Tools HD 6.4, Pro Tools LE 6.4, PRO TOOLS MIX 51

Chapter 35: Working with

Synchronization

Synchronization allows one system to output time code and the other device to follow that time code. Pro Tools is synchronized to other devices using SMPTE/EBU time code or MIDI

Time Code. For more information on different

SMPTE/EBU formats, and other concepts related

to time code, refer to Chapter 34, “Synchronization Concepts.”

Pro Tools Synchronization

Options

There are several options for synchronizing

Pro Tools to an external source or using

Pro Tools as the master device. Not all options are available on all Pro Tools systems, as noted.

SMPTE Trigger Only

This solution is useful for short projects if both systems are extremely close in speed, but even the best systems will rarely stay perfectly synchronized for longer than a couple of minutes.

SMPTE Trigger Resolved with

SYNC I/O

(TDM Systems Only)

You can use the optional SYNC I/O, or an equivalent third-party device to resolve Pro Tools recording and playback speed with any of the following clock reference sources while slaving

Pro Tools to time code:

• LTC

• Video source

• House video reference

• VITC

• 1x Word Clock

• AES/EBU “null” clock

• Pilot Tone

• Bi-Phase

This enables long-term, high-fidelity synchronization when all transports within the system are resolved to this common synchronization source, or by resolving to any variations in incoming time code while slaving to time code.

Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 549

SMPTE Trigger while Locking to an Unresolved

Source

(TDM Systems Only)

SMPTE Trigger can be used with the optional

SYNC I/O or equivalent device to resolve

Pro Tools recording and playback speed while slaving to LTC. This enables long-term, accurate synchronization by resolving to any variations in incoming time code. The SYNC I/O also supports VITC and Bi-phase/Tach positional reference.

SYNC I/O Synchronization Options

By adding the SYNC I/O to your Pro Tools TDM system, you can use Pro Tools as the master device in your synchronization setup. All other devices are then slaved to Pro Tools.

You can use Pro Tools in conjunction with

SYNC I/O to generate LTC, MIDI Time Code, or

MMC commands. When SYNC I/O is reading incoming SMPTE time code, it regenerates the time code through the LTC or MTC output connector. This signal can be passed along to other slave devices.

MachineControl™

The SYNC I/O also supports Digidesign

MachineControl software, which provides many specialized features for post-production synchronization tasks including remote track arming, VTR emulation, serial time code, and other capabilities. (See the MachineControl Guide for more information, or contact your Digidesign dealer.)

For instructions on connecting an external synchronization peripheral to your

Pro Tools system, refer to the Getting

Started Guide. If you are using SYNC I/O, refer to your SYNC I/O documentation.

Ext. Clock Output

Pro Tools can be used as the master device in your synchronization setup, where all other devices are then slaved to Pro Tools word clock output.

With Pro Tools|HD systems, clock output can be configured for 1x word clock, or 256x Slave

Clock for Digidesign Legacy I/Os (such as 888|24

I/O). See the Getting Started with HD Guide for more information on clock output and Legacy

I/Os.

To set Ext. Clock Output:

1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup in Pro Tools.

2 Click the Ext. Clock Output pop-up menu and select an available signal.

3 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog when you have finished.

If the Legacy Port is enabled (as opposed to the Expansion Port) then the Ext. Clock

Output automatically switches to

Slave256x. To reset the Ext. Clock Output, the Port Settings button must be set back to

Expansion and the Legacy I/O must be set to

No Interface. (To set a Legacy I/O to No Interface, select its name in the Peripherals list, then choose No Interface from the

Interface pop-up menu.)

550 Pro Tools Reference Guide

Session Setup Window

The Session Setup window lets you configure various time code-related settings on your system. The window also includes display-only areas for session sample rate, file format, and bit depth.

Pro Tools LE systems with DV Toolkit support various time code-related settings (such as Time Code and Feet+Frame Timebase

Rulers). For a complete list, refer to the DV

Toolkit for Pro Tools LE Guide.

Session Setup Window

The Session Setup window is organized into three view sections. Session displays and settings are displayed at the top of the window.

The SYNC Setup & Session Offsets section, and the Time Code Settings section, can be shown or hidden using their dedicated Expand/Collapse icons.

To expand SYNC Setup & Session Offset section:

■

Click the SYNC Setup & Session Offsets Expand/Collapse icon.

The controls in this section configure settings of the Digidesign SYNC I/O. Settings are provided for Clock and Positional Reference, Video Format, and Variable Speed Override.

Clock Source

Session displays and settings

Expand/Collapse icon

Synchronization Setup

Expand/Collapse icon

Time Code Settings

Session Start Offsets

Pull Up and Down

Time Code Reader offset

Figure 48. Session Setup window (with SYNC I/O)


To show Time Code Settings section:

■

Click the Time Code Settings Expand/Collapse icon.

The controls in this section provide time code generation and freewheel options, and separate pull up and down selectors for audio and video rates.

Session Displays and Settings

Sample Rate

This display indicates the sample rate for the current session.

Bit Depth

This display indicates the bit depth for the current session.

Audio Format

This display indicates the file format for files recorded in the session.

Mac<->PC

This display indicates whether Pro Tools is set to create sessions and audio files that are usable on both Windows and Macintosh.

Clock Source (Sync Mode)

Use this menu to configure the system Clock

Source. You can choose between a SYNC I/O, an internal clock source from a digidesign card or peripheral, or an external clock source connected to an HD-series audio interface.

Changes made to Clock Source in the Hardware Setup window will be reflected in the

Session Setup window and vise versa.

Clock Source Options

SYNC I/O When using a Digidesign SYNC I/O,

Pro Tools receives its clock source from the

SYNC I/O, and the SYNC I/O can in turn reference an external clock source listed in the SYNC setup selector.

Internal Mode In Internal mode, your system will reference your Digidesign card or peripheral’s quartz crystal oscillator and play back at the session’s sample rate.

External Clock Sources Depending on your HDseries audio interface, external Clock Source options can include AES/EBU [Encl.], S/PDIF, Optical [Encl.], AES/EBU 1-8, TDIF, ADAT, and Word

Clock (optional word clock rates are available at higher frequencies). External sources can be 1x any sample rate or the “base” rate. Base rate equals 44.1 kHz for 88.2 and 176.4 kHz; 48 kHz for 96 and 192 kHz. If an external source is chosen, and no valid sync clock is detected at the

External Clock In, the I/O will return to Internal mode.

If SYNC I/O is enabled in the Peripherals dialog, and is correctly connected in the Loop

Sync chain, SYNC I/O can be the Loop Master, and HD I/Os will clock as Loop Sync slaves.

For more information on external clock sources, see the SYNC I/O Guide.

System Delay

This display indicates the total amount of system delay (in samples) caused by plug-ins and mixer routing.

Fader Gain

This display indicates the maximum fader gain level for the session.


Session Start

Use this field to specify a SMPTE start frame lo-

cation for your session. See “Setting a SMPTE

Session Start Time (Start Frame)” on page 557.

Incoming Time (Current Time)

This display indicates incoming time code.

Timecode Rate

This menu lets you set the SMPTE timecode rate for the current session. In Pro Tools 6.4, this menu is labeled Timecode Rate. In Pro Tools 6.2 and below, this menu is labeled Frame Rate.

Feet+Frames Rate

This menu lets you set a specific feet+frames rate for the current session. This rate can be a different fps rate than the timecode rate.

SYNC Setup Settings

The controls in the SYNC Setup section let you configure SYNC I/O settings, including clock reference, positional reference, video format, and VSO.

These controls are grouped in the Synchronization Settings section.

Clock Reference

This menu lets you set the Pro Tools clock reference.

When using a Digidesign SYNC I/O, the Clock

Reference selector lists all supported clock types for the Digidesign synchronization interface.

When using Pro Tools|HD without a SYNC I/O, choices include any currently-enabled digital format or source available from your HD-series

I/O (such as AES, S/PDIF, or 1x Word arriving at the Pro Tools|HD interface’s Word Clock In port).

When using Pro Tools|24 MIX, the clock reference can be 256x Word Clock, or the references supported by a SYNC I/O.

Positional Reference

Use this menu to set the time code source for

Pro Tools to use for positional reference.

Video Format

Use this menu to set the session for NTSC or PAL format.

\

Variable Speed Override (VSO)

Variable Speed Override (VSO) requires a

SYNC I/O.

◆ When a SYNC I/O is connected to a

Pro Tools|HD system, the VSO controls are located in the SYNC Settings section of the Session

Setup window.

VSO slider (Pro Tools 6.x)

◆ When a SYNC I/O is connected to

Pro Tools|24 MIX or Pro Tools|24 system, the

Session Setup window expands to display additional controls for VSO, clock, and Positional

Reference.


Refer to the SYNC I/O Guide for instructions on using VSO to varispeed Pro Tools playback.

Locked Indicator

he Locked indicator stays lit when the SYNC I/O is locked to the selected clock reference. The

Locked indicator flashes if the selected clock reference source is missing or out of lockable frequency range.

Speed Cal Indicator

Speed Cal is an indicator of the accuracy of the incoming clock reference. The Speed Cal indicator is lit when the output frequency is within

200 ppm (0.02%) of the selected sample rate.

The Speed Cal indicator turns off when the output sample rate is not at the expected (or target) rate.

Unique values can be defined for each of these three types offsets, or you can link all three to adjust in unison.

If you are using Digidesign’s MachineControl option, additional Session Start Offset options are available. See the MachineControl Guide for more information.

Session Start Offsets

(Pro Tools 6.x Only)

Pro Tools lets you compensate for devices that are consistently offset by a fixed number of frames (such as some color–corrected video masters), or for material that starts at a different time than the session.

Pro Tools provides three different types of Session Start Time Code Offset settings. These offsets include:

• MMC (MIDI Machine Control)

• 9-Pin (Serial machine control)

• Synchronization peripherals (such as the

SYNC I/O, or a MIDI interface that provide

MIDI Time Code).

Positive and negative offset values can be entered to offset Pro Tools time code display later or earlier, respectively.


Time Code Settings

The Time Code Settings section provides generator, freewheel, and pull up/down options.

These controls are located in the Time Code Settings section of the Session Setup window. Click the Time Code Settings expand/collapse icon to show or hide these controls.

Generator

The Generator lets you enable Pro Tools generation and output of LTC and MTC using the

SYNC I/O. For more information, see “Generating Time Code” on page 563.

Using Synch This option outputs time code from the Device type selected in the Synchronization page of the Peripherals dialog.

MTC to Port When enabled, outputs MIDI Time

Code to the MIDI destination selected in the pop-up menu. In Pro Tools on Windows, choices appear as they are in your windows configuration (for example, Port 1, Port 2, and so on). In Pro Tools 6.x on Macintosh, choices are based on your AMS profile (Audio MIDI Setup).

Freewheel

The choices in the Freewheel section let you configure how Pro Tools will freewheel, or continue playback if time code is interrupted or corrupted. Use these options to protect against errors that can occur if your SMPTE time code source has “drop outs” or temporary lost signals.

None No freewheel is applied.

Frames Sets a number of frames to freewheel, from 1 to 120 frames. This value defaults to 8 frames, which is the recommended setting for most applications.

Jam Sync Lets Pro Tools trigger synchronization to incoming time code, and continue to play back even if time code input is completely interrupted. It can be useful if time code is damaged, or has been accidentally erased from your source tape.

Pull Up/Down

When Pro Tools is used in conjunction with a

SYNC I/O, or a third party peripheral or synchronizer that supports pulled sample rates, this option allows you to “pull up” or “pull down” the current sample rate.

For general information, see “Working with

Film-Originated Material” on page 544. For

more information on applying pull factors in

Pro Tools, see “Pull Up and Pull Down” on page 558.

Remember, 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.


Time Code Reader Offset (Sync Offset)

This field lets you set a trigger offset for incoming

MIDI Time Code (anywhere from –100000 to

+100000 samples). This allows you to create a permanent offset to fine-tune the point at which Pro Tools synchronizes relative to incoming time code. For example, a value of –50 makes an event in Pro Tools occur 50 samples before the same event in the incoming MIDI

Time Code. Use this to compensate for timing differences between various SMPTE-to-MIDI

Time Code converters or analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog converters.

Configuring Pro Tools for

SMPTE

Synchronization and MachineControl™ system settings are enabled in the Pro Tools Peripherals dialog. These settings are system settings, and remain constant regardless of the particular session you are working on. Configure these settings before opening a session.

MachineControl is supported on TDM systems only.

Other settings are configured in the Session

Setup window, such as the session timecode rate, the Feet+Frames rate, the session start frame, and time display format. These settings are session-specific settings. These settings can only be configured when a session is open.

Preparing to Work with SMPTE

The first step when preparing to work with

SMPTE is to choose an appropriate SMPTE frame rate. Pro Tools supports all standard SMPTE frame rates. For a full explanation of these

SMPTE frame rates, see “SMPTE Frame Formats” on page 543.

Determining SMPTE Frame Rate

It’s always best to determine the SMPTE frame rate through labeling procedures or communication, but this is not always possible.

If you do not know the frame rate of a tape, the

SYNC I/O shows the incoming frame rate on its front panel LED indicators. The SYNC I/O cannot distinguish between 23.976 fps and 24 fps, or between 29.97 fps and 30 fps, but they can determine whether the incoming frame rate is drop frame or non-drop frame. With NTSC video, the frame rate is most likely 29.97 fps

Drop or 29.97 fps Non-Drop.

Selecting a SMPTE Format

To choose a SMPTE format:

1 From a Pro Tools session, choose Windows >

Show Session Setup.

2 Choose a frame rate (SMPTE format) from the

Timecode Rate selector. (In Pro Tools 6.4, this field is labeled Timecode Rate. In Pro Tools 6.2 and below, this field is labeled Frame Rate.)

3 Enter the Time Code Freewheel frames (if any)

in the designated box. See “Freewheel” on page 555 for more information.


Setting a SMPTE Session Star t

Time (Start Frame)

The Session Setup window also allows you to set a SMPTE Start Frame for your session. Video work tapes are rarely striped beginning at a

SMPTE frame address of 00:00:00:00. You can quickly enter a start time for your session based on an appropriate frame number from your project tape. The Pro Tools SMPTE-related functions (such as Spot mode) will then use this value as their reference for the session’s start point.

Start Time When Striping Tape

If you are generating time code, it is a good practice to stripe your time code beginning at

01:00:00:00 (subtracting time for initial black, bars and tone, or logos). This prevents problems that can occur with some synchronizers when the striped time code crosses from 23:59:59:29 to 00:00:00:00 (commonly referred to as the

“midnight” boundary).

To set a SMPTE Start Time for your session:

1 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup.

2 Enter a SMPTE frame number in the Session

Start field.

To capture an incoming SMPTE address as the session start time:

1 Click in the Session Start field.

2 Begin playback of the time code source.

3 At the desired location, press Equal in the numeric keypad.

4 Press Enter to accept the value. You can then edit the captured address. The session uses the frame number you enter as its SMPTE start frame when online.

If there are existing regions on the tracks and you are changing the original SMPTE start frame to a later time (from 00:00:00:00 to 01:00:00:00, for example), all existing regions on tracks will remain in their relative positions, but will start later by the time value added to the start frame.

5 If you are changing the session start time in an open session in which tracks already exist, a warning dialog appears after Session Setup window. Choose from one of two options:

Maintain Time Code Places the additional session time at the start of the session, and keeps existing regions in their original time code locations.

Maintain Relative Position Places the additional session time at the start of the session, and maintains the relative position of existing regions to the new start frame. For example, if you change the session start frame from 01:00:00:00 to 00:59:00:00, Pro Tools adds one minute of session time to accommodate the new start frame, and moves all existing regions earlier in time to maintain their relative position to the start frame.

To redefine a Timecode position:

1 Choose Setups > Redefine Current Timecode

Position

2 Enter a new SMPTE frame number in the dialog.

3 Click OK


Redefining a Feet+Frame Position

The Redefine Current Feet+Frame Position command lets you define a Feet+Frame number for the current insertion point.

To redefine a current Feet+Frame position

1 Choose Setups > Redefine Current Feet+Frame position

2 Enter a Feet+Frame position to correspond to the timecode shown in the dialog.

3 Click OK

Sub Time Scale Display

You can also display a Sub Time Scale. For example, if the Main Time Scale is set to Time Code, and you want to compare SMPTE time to “wall clock,” when you are using 29.97 Non-Drop frame rate, you can select Min:Secs as the Sub

Time Scale.

Displaying Time in SMPTE Frames

(TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems with

DV Toolkit Only)

In Pro Tools, you can set the Main Time Scale indicator to Time Code (SMPTE). Though

Pro Tools will still synchronize to incoming

SMPTE time code if the Time Scale is displayed in Bars:Beats, Minutes:Seconds, or Feet.Frames, it is usually more useful to use SMPTE time code as your reference.

To set the Main Time Scale to SMPTE Time Code:

■

Choose Display > Time Code.

– or –

■

Click the Main Time Scale selector in the Edit window, and select Time Code.

Pull Up and Pull Down

Pro Tools 5.3.1 and higher supports up to 4% pull up and pull down, with support for an additional 0.1% up or down. Separate rates can be set for session audio and video (when video has been imported or captured into the session).

When referring to 4% pull up and pull down, the precise percentages used in pull ups is

4.167%. See “Audio Rates and Pull Up/Down

Options” on page 561.

While the SYNC I/O is not required in order to use the extended pull up and down options provided in Pro Tools, the SYNC I/O is the only device that can be controlled from within

Pro Tools, and that recalls and restores pull factors automatically when a session opens. Other synchronization peripherals must be configured manually.

Pull up and down settings do not affect time code generated by the SYNC I/O.

Selecting a Time Scale format

Pro Tools will display time code values in the currently selected SMPTE frame rate.


Configuring Pull Up and Pull Down

To pull up or pull down audio or video:

1 (Pro Tools 6.3 and below) If you want to use extended pull up or pull down choose Setups >

Preferences, click the Operation tab, and deselect the “Limit Pull Ups to NTSC/PAL Film Standards” option.

In Pro Tools 6.4, the “Limit Pull Ups to

NTSC/PAL Film Standards” option has been removed. NTSC/Pal standards appear in bold in the list of all available pull up options.

For more information, see “Extended Pull

Up and Pull Down” on page 559

2 Choose a Pull Up/Down Rate.

Pull Up and Pull Down controls are located in the Time Code Settings section of the Session

Setup window.

Audio Rate Pull Up and Down

Video Rate Pull Up and Down

Session Setup window in Pro Tools 6.x

Audio Rate Pull Up/Down Controls audio sam-

ple rate. See “Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and

Down” on page 560.

Video Rate Pull Up/Down Controls video rate.

See “Video Rate Pull Up and Down” on page 561.

The choices available in these menus are determined by the session frame rate. Combinations can be applied by choosing from both menus.

4% pull factors are not available in 176.4 and 192 kHz sessions.

The choices available in these menus are also determined by the Preferences and Auto Match

Pull Factors settings in the Timecode Rate menu.

(In Pro Tools 6.4, this menu is labeled Timecode

Rate. In Pro Tools 6.2 and below, this menu is labeled Frame Rate.) See “Extended Pull Up and

Pull Down” on page 559 and “Auto Match Pull

Factors” on page 559.

Extended Pull Up and Pull Down

Preference and Session Setup Controls The Audio Rate Pull Up and Down menu offers all possible combinations of pull ups and pull downs for the audio sample rate, regardless of the session frame rate.

In addition, if there is a QuickTime video clip in the timeline, the video rate can be pulled up or down by 0.1%, regardless of the session frame rate. Though not an approved workflow, earlier versions of Pro Tools also enabled pull down of

QuickTime video clips when audio was pulled down, so this option is included in Pro Tools

5.3.1 and higher to maintain compatibility with earlier sessions.

Auto Match Pull Factors

Auto Match Pull Factors is available from the session Timecode Rate menu in the Session

Setup window (In Pro Tools 6.4, this menu is labeled Timecode Rate. In Pro Tools 6.2 and below, this menu is labeled Frame Rate). When


Auto Match Pull Factors is enabled, Pro Tools adjusts audio and video playback rates as needed to match any changes to the current session Timecode Rate.

Auto Match-enabled pull factors are applied to any existing Audio Rate Pull Up/Down or Video

Rate Pull Up/Down settings. For example, if audio was already being pulled –0.1% when you changed the session Frame Rate from 29.97 to

24 fps, then the Audio Rate Pull Up/Down menu would switch to None.

Frame Rate menu with Auto Match Pull Factors

Auto Match Pull is applied relative to the current pull up setting. While enabled, if the session frame rate is changed in such a way that the video would have to be pulled by an unsupported amount, the video remains unaffected.

This setting is latching, is not enabled by default, and its state is stored with the session.

Example of Auto Match Pull Factors

Auto Match Pull Factors links audio and video pull factors when changing session frame rate.

For example, assume a Pro Tools session is set to a frame rate of 25 fps, the audio and video are both playing with no pull ups, and Auto Match

Pull Factors is enabled.

If you then change the session Frame Rate to

24 fps, both the Audio and Video Rate Pull settings would change by –4.0% (the appropriate pull setting required by the change in frame rate).

Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and

Down

The Audio Rate Pull Up/Down menu applies pull up or down factors to session audio record and playback. All pull rates are available, regardless of session frame rate.

Audio Rate Pull menu

See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on page 559.


Audio Rates and Pull Up/Down Options

The following table lists actual sample rates of each pull up and pull down option and combination

(rounded to the nearest whole Hz):

Table 36. Sample Rates at Pull Up and Pull Down Settings

Pull Up/Down

44100

45983

48000

50050

Sample Rate

88200 96000

91967 100100

176400 n/a

192000 n/a +4.1667% and +0.1%

+4.1667% 45938 50000 91875 100000 n/a n/a

45892 49950 91783 99900 n/a n/a +4.1667% and –0.1%

+0.1%

–0.1%

–4.0% and

+0.1%

–4.0%

–4.0% and

–0.1%

44144

44056

42378

42336

42294

48048

47952

46126

46080

46034

88288

88112

84757

84672

84587

96096

95904

92252

92160

92068

176576

176224 n/a n/a n/a

192192

191808 n/a n/a n/a

Video Rate Pull Up and Down

The Video Pull Up/Down selector lets you change the frame rate of video playback independently from the audio pull-ups (if any). It is located below the Audio Rate Pull Up/Down menu in the Session Setup window.

Video Rate Pull Up/Down menu in Session Setup

See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on page 559.


The choices available in the Video Rate Pull

Up/Down menu depend on the file format of the video clip, as well as its frame rate. The following table shows the pull ups available for

Avid video clips, both interlaced and Progressive

Scan.

Video Frame Rates and Pull Options

Format and

Video

Frame Rate

Available

Video

Pull Rate

To synchronize with

Avid Video

24 fps None

–0.1% 29.97 NTSC videotape

+4.167% 25 fps PAL videotape

25 fps None

Time Code Ruler

Video pull up and down does not affect the Time

Code Ruler. Be sure to set the session Frame Rate to the correct frame rate for your project. For example, if working with 24 fps video and you pull the video up by 4%, switch the session Frame

Rate to 25 fps to keep the Time Code Ruler aligned. Similarly, if working with 24 fps video that is pulled down by 0.1%, switch the frame rate of the session to 29.97.

When working with 25 fps Avid media and the video is set to pull down by 4%, set the session

Frame Rate to 24 fps.

Plug-Ins

For proper operation at larger (4%) pull rates, plug-ins must utilize sample clock instead of an absolute time clock. All Digidesign plug-ins are based on sample clock.

Higher Sample Rates and Pull Factors

4% audio pull rates are not available in 176.4 and 192 kHz sample rates sessions.

+4.167% 29.97 NTSC videotape

None 29.97

Video pull rates are saved with the session.

No Video Recording with Pull Ups

(AVoption|XL Required)

Video may not be recorded to the timeline if a video pull up is selected. If the video track is record enabled while video pull ups are enabled, or if you attempt to set a video pull up rate while the video track is record enabled, Pro Tools will post a dialog and disallow video recording. To proceed with digitization, reset the Video Rate

Pull Up menu to None.

What is Pulled Up or Down?

The following sections describe how related

Pro Tools features are affected by pull up and down rates.

Putting Pro Tools Online

To trigger playback or recording from an external source, the Pro Tools Transport must be placed online. This tells Pro Tools to listen for incoming time code.

To put the Pro Tools Transport online, do any of the following:

■

Choose Operations > Online.

■

Click the Online button at the far left of the

Transport.

■

Press Control+J (Windows) or Command+J

(Macintosh).


The Online button flashes while Pro Tools waits for a SMPTE frame to trigger playback. When time code is received, playback begins and the

Online button becomes highlighted. The Location Indicators in the Edit window toolbar, and the Incoming Time field in the Session Setup window display the incoming time code (in

Pro Tools 5.x, this field is labelled Current

Time).

To take Pro Tools offline:

■

Deselect Operations > Online.

– or –

■

Deselect the Online button in the Transport window.

Recording Online

The Operation page of the Preferences dialog

(Setups > Preferences) contains two options that affect how Pro Tools initiates recording when online.

Online recording options

Record Online At Insertion/Selection Makes online recording begin wherever you have placed the insertion point in a track. Recording then continues until Pro Tools stops receiving time code. If you make a selection in a track,

Pro Tools will record online only for the length of the selection.

Record Online at Time Code (or ADAT)

Lock Makes online recording begin as soon as

Pro Tools receives and locks to time code or

ADAT sync. In this case, you don’t need to make an insertion or selection in a track to designate a start point.

Generating Time Code

Using SYNC I/O, Pro Tools can generate SMPTE and MIDI Time Code (MTC). You can then make Pro Tools a master synchronization source with other devices slaved to it.

SYNC I/O cannot generate 30 fps, 24 fps, or

23.976 fps time code while locked to video input or video reference

The SYNC I/O cannot generate 30 fps, 24 fps, or

23.976 fps time code while it is locked to a video clock signal. If you set Pro Tools to generate

30 fps time code while the SYNC I/O is locked to a video clock signal, the SYNC I/O will actually generate at the NTSC color standard 29.97 fps.

Pro Tools can generate time code at non-NTSC frame rates if you use the internal clock or external word clock on the SYNC I/O as a synchronization source.

To generate time code using SYNC I/O:

1 Connect the SYNC I/O LTC Out to the SMPTE in connector on the devices you are slaving. If you are slaving a device that recognizes MTC, connect the MTC OUT connector of the

SYNC I/O to the MIDI IN connector of the slaved device (MIDI Interface or other).

2 Make sure your SYNC I/O is powered on.

3 Launch Pro Tools, and make sure you have already enabled the SYNC I/O in the Synchronization page of the Peripherals dialog. See the SYNC

I/O Guide for more information.

4 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup, and choose the appropriate frame rate from the

Timecode Rate selector (called the Frame Rate selector in Pro Tools 6.2 and lower).

5 Select SYNC I/O from the Generate selector in the Time Code Settings section of the Session

Setup window.


6 Choose a clock reference from the Clock Reference selector. Not all clock choices are available at all sample rates. See “External Clock

Sources” on page 552.)

Choosing a clock reference (SYNC I/O)

7 Click the Online button on the Transport, then click Play. Pro Tools generates and outputs time code from the SYNC I/O.

Pro Tools does not support remote track arming of MMC-controlled external devices. You need to manually arm tracks for recording on the external device.

Digidesign’s MachineControl option supports remote track arming for Sony 9-pin

and V-LAN enabled devices. See “Remote

Track Arming” on page 566.

Windows

Pro Tools on Windows uses your Multimedia

Setup to determine which MIDI devices are available, and what their properties are. Refer to your device’s installation and usage documentation to properly configure the device.

Using MIDI Machine Control

Pro Tools provides the capability to transmit location information to external devices, and to control their transports, using MIDI Machine

Control (MMC).

Controlling External Devices

Using MMC

Any device that supports MMC (such as an Alesis ADAT or Tascam DA-88) can be controlled directly from within Pro Tools, with either the device or Pro Tools acting as clock master.

The external devices supported by Pro Tools implement “open loop” communications only. Because of this, while Pro Tools is the transport master, any direct operation of the receiving device’s transport will not be communicated back to Pro Tools. Instead, you can use the Transport pop-up to select the external device (MMC in the pop-up) and use the Pro Tools on-screen transport controls to drive the device.

Enabling MIDI Machine Control in

Pro Tools

To enable MIDI Machine Control:

1 Choose Setups > Peripherals, then click the

Synchronization tab.

2 Select your synchronization peripheral from the Synchronization/Device pop-up menu. If you are using a MIDI interface, select “Generic

MTC Reader.” If using SYNC I/O, set the Port to

DigiSerial.

3 Select the appropriate port for synchronization information. This is the port to which your synchronization peripheral is attached.


4 Click the Machine Control tab in the Peripherals dialog.

Machine Control page of the Peripherals dialog

5 In the MIDI Machine Control section, enable

MMC.

6 Select your external device from the Send To pop-up menu. The list of available devices is determined by your Windows Multimedia Setup or the OMS devices configured in your OMS Studio Setup (Mac OS 9).

The port on which this information will be transmitted is set in the “ID” field. MMC commands contain an ID number to identify which machine should respond to the MMC command. There are 128 MMC ID numbers, from

0–127. The default of ID #127 is a special setting that broadcasts to all 128 MMC IDs. With this setting, any device on the specified port will respond to MMC commands.

7 Set a pre-roll time for your MMC device. Preroll is needed to provide Pro Tools with sufficient time to lock to the incoming time code.

This value will vary depending on the external device. If the pre-roll time is insufficient,

Pro Tools may not be ready to lock until after the current time code position has passed.

8 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.

Pro Tools will now be able to control the selected device’s transport.

Operating the Pro Tools Transport with

MMC

You use the Pro Tools Transport window as the remote controller for all your enabled devices

(MMC units, ADAT, or a nonlinear video deck).

To do so, set the enabled devices to listen to the address you enter for MMC. The Transport window will then “drive” Pro Tools transport and any slaved devices.

You can also configure a “Pro Tools master,” which can “drive” other devices (as needed), and to which Pro Tools will chase (slaving

Pro Tools).

To control external devices from the Pro Tools

Transport Master:

■

Select either Pro Tools or MMC from the

Transport pop-up in the Pro Tools Transport window. The selected item will act as Transport

Master.

Choosing a Transport Master

When the Transport Master is set to Pro Tools, the playback position is governed by the onscreen cursor in Pro Tools.

When the Transport Master is set to MMC, the playback position is governed by the external device’s play position.

For more information, see “Recording from

MIDI Devices” on page 175.

MMC Transport Settings

When using MMC, you can set the following options for machine transport behavior in the

Operation page of the Preferences dialog.


Machine Chases Memory Location With this option enabled, navigating to a specific location in a session with a Memory Location causes a connected transport to chase to that location.

Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub With this option enabled, navigating to a specific location in a session by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a track causes a connected transport to chase to that location.

Synchronizing a Sequencer to

Pro Tools on Macintosh

To synchronize Pro Tools 6.x to a sequencer application, configure AMS to provide MTC and

MMC (if desired). Configure AMS to provide at least two nodes for inter-application communication (in the Pro Tools MIDI Setup window, these nodes are provided and are labelled

Pro Tools Inputs 1 through 4).

To set a Minimum Sync Delay:

1 Choose Setups > Peripherals, and display the

Synchronization pane.

2 Enter a number of frames in the Minimum

Sync Delay field.

3 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.

Configuring Minimum Sync Delay for External

MMC Devices Locked to House Sync

When controlling a house-synced device from

Pro Tools through MMC, the device will first lock to the MMC location and then align the color framing. Within house sync code are 4 frames for ensuring color frame lock. If the minimum synchronization setup time is less than the time required to achieve both location and color frame lock, playback will begin before the device has aligned the color frames. In this scenario, you should set the Minimum Sync Delay to be more than the time required for color frame lock. This is not a problem with the SYNC

I/O, which will drop out of lock until the color frame is locked.

Setting Minimum Sync Delay

Lock-up time delay is the amount of time your system’s devices need to achieve synchronization “lock.” This amount varies for each device.

Pro Tools lock up delay is set by entering a value for Minimum Sync Delay in the Synchronization window of the Peripherals dialog. The lowest value available is 15 frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time that your equipment can operate at consistently, and set this as the Minimum Sync Delay. On systems utilizing Digidesign MachineControl, enabling the Use Serial

Time Code setting will make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time code requires both the

SYNC I/O and external devices to be locked to house video reference.)

Remote Track Arming

Digidesign’s MachineControl™ option for

Pro Tools allows you to remotely arm tracks on supported 9-pin (or V-LAN for transport only) decks. Without MachineControl, Pro Tools does not support remote track arming of external devices. MachineControl lets Pro Tools act as the master or slave to external Sony 9-pin (or V-LAN for transport only) machines, in addition to providing remote track arming from within

Pro Tools. (See the MachineControl Guide for more information.)


MIDI Beat Clock

Some MIDI devices such as drum machines, hardware sequencers, and arpeggiators can only synchronize to MIDI Beat Clock. To synchronize these devices to Pro Tools, you can transmit

MIDI Beat Clock to them. Many plug-ins also support MIDI Beat Clock.

To transmit MIDI Beat Clock:

1 Choose MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock.

2 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the Enable MIDI Beat Clock option.

Spotting Regions to SMPTE

Frame Locations

(All TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems with DV Toolkit Only)

Spotting is the process of assigning music and sound cues to specific SMPTE frame locations in a film or video. This function can be used to spot:

◆ Entire regions, selected with the Grabber.

Multiple regions can also be selected, and

Pro Tools will reference the first region in your selection.

◆ A specific location within a region, by clicking with the Selector at that location, and choosing

Edit > Identify Sync Point.

◆ Sessions or tracks, dragged from a browser to the session Timeline or Regions List.

MIDI Beat Clock dialog

3 Select the devices you want to receive MIDI

Beat Clock. If your MIDI interface does not support transmitting MIDI Beat Clock to separate ports, only the interface appears as a destination.

4 Click OK.

Spot Mode

In Spot mode, a region in a track can be quickly spotted by simply clicking it with the Grabber.

You can also drag a region from a DigiBase browser, or from the Regions List, to a track while in Spot mode.

The Spot Dialog

The Spot Dialog appears when you drag a region to a track or click a region with the Grabber in

Spot mode. The numeric fields function as both data displays and editing controls for the currently selected regions.


Information in these fields is displayed in

SMPTE Time Code, Minutes:Seconds,

Feet.Frames, Samples, or Bars & Beats, depending on which Time Scale format is selected.

Use Subframes Option

A subframe is 1/100th of a frame. The Use Subframes option enables you to use these smaller units for greater accuracy. This command adds an additional time field in the SMPTE hours:minutes:seconds:frames box, which appears as the far right time field when enabled.

Use a period to separate subframe values from whole frames.

Additional time field with “Use Subframes” enabled

Spot dialog

A highlighted numeric field indicates the current active field for numeric entry editing. Entering a value in a field allows you to move a selected element to the time location that you enter. The Start, Sync Point and End fields are accessible when the Grabber is active. Only the

Start or End (depending on where you click the mouse) and Duration fields are active when the

Trimmer is active (see “Using the Trimmer in

Spot Mode” on page 570).

To increase or decrease SMPTE values in the Spot dialog by a specific number of frames, press plus or minus on the numeric keypad, enter a number, and press the Enter key.

Subframe measurements are not available in the Current Time field.

Capturing Time Code

Pro Tools also allows you to easily capture frame locations on-the-fly in this dialog by pressing the Equal key, or by clicking the Current Time button while valid time code is being received by Pro Tools. With VITC, you can accurately capture a paused or “crawling” VTR’s SMPTE location.

When Time Code is selected for the Time Scale, pressing the Equal key captures the incoming time code. When Bars:Beats is selected for the

Time Scale, pressing the Equal key will capture to the nearest measure.

Although the Capture Time Code button works with free-running Linear Time Code (LTC) or

VITC, frame numbers of a paused frame can only be captured with VITC.


The SYNC I/O can read VITC. With Machine-

Control and SYNC I/O, you can also read serial time code.

To use Remote mode with MachineControl, you will need an approved serial port. For a complete list of currently approved ports, see www.Digidesign.com.

To spot a region to a specific SMPTE frame:

1 Choose Display > Show Edit Window.

2 Set the Main Time Scale to time code. (See

“Setting a SMPTE Session Start Time (Start

Frame)” on page 557.)

3 Click the Spot button at the top left of the Edit window to put Pro Tools into Spot mode.

7 If you recorded the region while online, you can use the Original Time Stamp button to recall and enter the SMPTE frame location at which the region was originally recorded. You can also access a user-defined Time Stamp in the same

fashion. See “Time Stamping” on page 570 for

more information.

8 Click OK to close this dialog. The region spots to the chosen SMPTE frame location. When the session is online, this frame number will trigger playback of the region.

Spot mode enabled

4 Identify the SMPTE frame location where you want to trigger playback of your region by pausing your video deck on that frame.

5 With the Grabber, click a region in a track, or in the Regions List, and drag it into a track. The

Spot dialog appears.

6 Enter the SMPTE frame location.

• If you are using VITC, you can press the

Equal key on the numeric keypad, or click

Current Time Code to enter a paused VTR’s current SMPTE location.

• If you are using LTC, when Time Code is selected for the Time Scale, press the Equal key on the numeric keypad to capture the incoming time code. When Bars:Beats is selected for the Time Scale, press the Equal key to capture the nearest measure.

Auto-Spotting Regions

The Pro Tools Auto-Spot Regions option simplifies the task of spotting regions even further. If you are using VITC with this option enabled, or

MachineControl software, you can pause your video at an appropriate SMPTE frame location, click a region with the Grabber, and the region will be automatically spotted to the current time code location.

You can also use MachineControl’s serial time code ability to auto-spot by enabling Machine-

Control and enabling serial time code in the peripheral.

To Auto-Spot a region:

1 Choose Operations > Auto-Spot Regions.

2 If you are using VITC, identify the SMPTE frame location where you want to trigger playback of your region by pausing your video deck on that frame.


3 Click the region with the Grabber. The region will be automatically spotted to the current time code location (or machine location).

Clicking a region with the Trimmer will allow you to trim the region to the current time code location.

Auto-spotted regions are spotted by their start times, unless you have identified a

Sync Point (see “Identifying a Synchronization Point” on page 572). If the region con-

tains a Sync Point, the region is spotted to it.

Using the Trimmer in Spot Mode

You can use the Spot dialog to trim your regions, including start/end/duration times and referencing incoming time code addresses. If you click a region with the Trimmer in Spot mode, the Spot dialog will appear, allowing you to enter a value in the Start or End and Duration fields to specify exactly where you want to trim the region’s beginning or end. Use this to edit the length of a region to correspond to a particular visual “hit point.”

Trimming a region that contains a sync point

(see “Identifying a Synchronization Point” on page 572) will not affect the SMPTE location of

the sync point, unless the region is trimmed past the sync point.

Time Stamping

Pro Tools time stamps every region recorded online with the original SMPTE time at which audio was recorded. You can recall this original

SMPTE time for a region by clicking the Original

Time Stamp button in the Spot dialog.

You can also spot a region to a separate user-defined SMPTE time stamp, defined using the

Time Stamp Selected command. Once the region is time stamped using this command, you can click the User Time Stamp button to re-spot a region to its user-defined SMPTE location.

Show Original Time Code in

Regions

This command displays the original “time stamped” SMPTE times in all regions currently placed in tracks. This SMPTE frame number represents the time at which the region was originally recorded online with Pro Tools, and does not necessarily reflect the region’s current

SMPTE location in a track.

To display Original Time Stamps in regions:

■

Select Display > Display Time in Regions >

Original Time Stamp.

To hide Original Time Stamps:

■

Select Display > Display Time in Regions >

None.


Creating a User Time Stamp

If you want to create a separate user-defined

SMPTE time stamp, you can use the Time Stamp

Selected command in the Regions List pop-up menu. This command allows you to select a region (or regions) and redefine its SMPTE time stamp. The Original Time Stamp and the User-

Time Stamp are then stored with your session.

When audio is first recorded, the User Time

Stamp will match the Original Time Stamp, but you can change the User Time Stamp at any time using the Time Stamp Selected command.

This feature is particularly useful in post production situations where the SMPTE time code on video “work prints” often changes from one edit revision to another.

To time stamp a region (or regions) with a new

SMPTE frame number:

1 In a track, select the region that you want to time stamp.

2 From the Audio Regions List pop-up menu, choose the Time Stamp Selected command.

Time Stamp Selected command

3 Enter a new SMPTE time. You can do this in three ways:

• Enter the numbers manually (with the help of the arrow keys).

– or –

• Click the Current Time Code button (or press the Equal key), if you want to capture the incoming time code address.

– or –

• Click the Current Selection button, if you want to enter the start time of the current on-screen selection.

4 Click OK to close this dialog.

This command can be used in “batch mode” to set new time stamps for several regions at a time.

To do this, simply select several regions and choose the Time Stamp Selected command. One after another, a dialog will open for each region, allowing you to quickly enter new values.

Once entered, the user time stamps can be displayed in all regions currently placed in tracks.

To display User Time Stamps in regions:

■

Choose Display > Display Time in Regions >

User Time Stamp.

To hide User Time Stamps:

■

Choose Display > Display Time in Regions >

None.

Pro Tools 5.x and Using a Region with

User Time Stamp in Another Session

With Pro Tools 5.x, user time stamp information is saved for each region as part of a session—not as part of the audio file itself.

To use a time-stamped audio file in another session, and keep its time stamps intact:

1 Open the session that contains the original time-stamped region.

2 In the Audio Regions List, select the region you want to export.


3 From the Audio Regions List pop-up menu, choose Export Selected As Files.

4 From the Export Selected dialog, configure export options.

For more information on Export Selected op-

tions, see “Exporting a Region as a New Audio File” on page 121.

5 Click Export to export the new audio file.

The region can now be used in other sessions with its original time stamp references intact.

To create a sync point in a region:

1 Click with the Selector at the point in the region that you want to synchronize to a SMPTE frame location.

– or –

To place the edit cursor during standard playback mode (not Continuous, Playhead, or other), press the Down Arrow key while playing back.

2 Choose Edit > Identify Sync Point. The current

SMPTE time is automatically entered as the

SMPTE location for the sync point. An arrow indicator appears in the audio region indicating the location of this sync point.

Identifying a Synchronization

Point

The Pro Tools Identify Sync Point command allows you to identify a specific point within a region for audio spotting purposes.

Imagine the following sound effects spotting scenario: You have a single sound effect that consists of a creaky door slamming shut, followed by a few seconds of ambient reverberation. The slam portion of the effect—which you must precisely match to picture—occurs neither at the very beginning of the audio file nor at the very end. It is somewhere in the middle, making it tough to spot.

In this scenario, use the Identify Sync Point command to create a point in the region and synchronize that point to a SMPTE frame.

Identifying a Sync Point in a region


Troubleshooting

Synchronization

Getting SMPTE synchronization to work properly can seem like a formidable task at times.

The following suggestions may help you troubleshoot and solve common problems.

Use the Incoming/Current Time Field in the

Session Setup Window as a Reference

The Current Time field in the Session Setup window indicates whether or not Pro Tools is receiving time code. If this field appears to be inactive when inputting time code into your time code reading device, check your hardware device settings, the device’s connection to your computer, and your OMS Setup (Mac OS 9) or Multimedia

Setup (Windows).

When using MachineControl, the Current

Time field will display 9pin code, even though the LTC device may not be connected.

Stripe SMPTE Before You Record

All tapes in your setup (both audio and video) must be striped with SMPTE Time Code before any audio is recorded onto them or to Pro Tools.

If tapes aren’t striped, your system may seem to work, but synchronization will never properly occur. The machines and Pro Tools will drift farther and farther apart the longer they run.

The same problem occurs when audio is recorded into Pro Tools without a resolved SMPTE source (for example, if it was recorded before the current session). The audio cannot be accurately synchronized with an analog tape recorder or video tape deck, since the Pro Tools audio was not recorded referenced to the SMPTE time code from the analog tape deck or video tape deck.

Resolve All Components of Your System

When striping time code, make sure that the time code generator and the video record deck are resolved to the same crystal reference. For example, when striping 29.97 Drop Frame time code onto a VTR, both the SMPTE generator and the VTR should be resolved to the same “black burst” or house sync generator. During playback, the master deck should be resolved to

“black burst” or house sync.

This convention provides compatibility for your tape between the record and playback passes, and when it’s played back in other facilities on different equipment. This also means that when playing back a tape striped with time code, the playback deck should be resolved to the same synchronization rate as the record deck was resolved to at the time of the striping. When you stripe time code using an audio transport, it should be “free-running” and unresolved, but should be resolved with a house sync-referenced synchronizer during playback.

Know the True Frame Rate on Your Work Tape

If you get your video tapes from a production company instead of recording them yourself, be absolutely sure that they indicate the SMPTE frame rate used on the tape correctly. Several time code formats use the same frame count

(such as 23.976 fps and 24 fps) yet they run at slightly different frame rates per second.

The Digidesign SYNC I/O (and some third-party products) can be used to help determine frame

rate. See “Determining SMPTE Frame Rate” on page 556.


29.97 fps Non-Drop Rate Not Recognized

29.97 fps Non-Drop is a slightly slower version of 30 fps Non-Drop time code. When used with color video, each video frame now matches up with each SMPTE frame without having to use a drop-frame coding. This makes any frame number mathematics much simpler, since no frame numbers are dropped.

Unfortunately, some hardware and software devices do not recognize 29.97 Non-Drop as a separate frame rate. For example, any standard

SMPTE-to MTC-converter does not explicitly recognize it. The user must tell the convertor to expect 30 fps Non-Drop instead. In fact, many devices that read SMPTE work acceptably by reading 29.97 Non-Drop if they are set to expect

30 fps Non-Drop.

Any SMPTE reader that uses the time code numbers to make real-time calculations (as Pro Tools does when it tries to trigger and synchronize to

SMPTE) also needs to know that the frame format is 29.97 and not 30 fps. Since Pro Tools allows this choice of frame rate this does not really pose a problem. The problem exists because many users cannot readily distinguish 29.97 from 30 fps.

Even though NTSC tapes only use 29.97, some production companies will distribute video work prints striped with 29.97 fps but mark them as “30 fps NTSC,” by which they actually mean 29.97 fps Non-Drop.

By the time you get the tape, you may have no idea what’s actually on it. Feeding 29.97 Non-

Drop to Pro Tools when it’s set for 30 fps Non-

Drop will result in timing errors of about 1.8 frames per minute, causing audio playback to trigger out of sync.

Be Careful When Changing Frame Rates

If you change time code rates in the middle of a session, many SMPTE-to-MIDI Time Code converters need to be turned off and turned on again to be able to recognize the new frame rate.

Use a Consistent Clock Source

When possible, sound files should be played back using the same sync reference signal it was recorded with. This assures the closest match between record and playback sample rates.

Disable Screen Savers and Power Management

Features

These types of software can cause your computer to ignore MIDI data (such as MIDI Time

Code).


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