Chapter 11: Record Setup. Avid Pro Tools HD 6.9, Pro Tools LE 6.9

Chapter 11: Record Setup

Before you start recording, make sure your

Pro Tools system is connected and configured properly. For details on connecting Pro Tools to your studio, refer to the Getting Started Guide that came with your system.

While some of the information in this chapter is relevant to recording MIDI, there are more specific setup details for MIDI recording in

Chapter 13, “MIDI Recording.”

Input Connections and Audio

Levels

Digidesign TDM audio interfaces operate as linelevel devices and offer no pre-amplification.

Low-level sources like microphones and electric guitars need to be pre-amplified. You can do this with a quality mixing board or dedicated preamp (such as the Digidesign PRE).

The Digidesign PRE can be used as a standalone preamp with all Pro Tools systems, or it can be remote-controlled from within a

Pro Tools session when used with a

Pro Tools TDM system.

The Digi 002 and Digi 002 Rack have four inputs with preamps, to which you can connect low-level signals, and four additional line-level inputs with switchable gain.

Mbox has two inputs with preamps, to which you can connect low-level signals.

For all systems, volume and pan controls for tracks in Pro Tools only affect monitoring levels—not the recording input gain. The LED meters on audio interfaces indicate both fullcode (highest level before clipping) and true clipping of Pro Tools output signals. The onscreen meters in Pro Tools indicate only true clipping.

Digital Clipping

Clipping occurs when you feed a signal to a recorder or mixer that is louder or “hotter” than the device allows. On many analog tape decks, a little clipping adds a perceived warmth to the sound due to tape compression. In digital recording, however, clipping causes digital distortion, which is undesirable and should always be avoided.

Chapter 11: Record Setup 145

Set Input Levels High But Not High

Enough to Clip

When you feed a signal into any audio recording system, including Pro Tools, you need to adjust the input level to optimize the dynamic range. Adjust the input signal to register as high as possible on your input meter without triggering the clipping indicator. If the input level is too low, you will not take full advantage of the dynamic range of your Pro Tools system. If the input level is too high, however, it will be clipped, and the performance ruined.

Calibration Mode

(TDM Systems Only)

You can use the Calibration mode in Pro Tools to adjust the input and output levels for your audio interface so they match those of your mixing console and other audio devices in your studio.

The 192 I/O has two sets of adjustable trim pots for its inputs, and two sets of adjustable trim pots for its outputs. Additionally, the reference level for the input can be set to +4 dBu or

–10 dBV. The 888|24 I/O has adjustable trim pots for its inputs and outputs.

There are no input or output trims on the following TDM audio interfaces: 192 Digital I/O,

96 I/O, 96i I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, and ADAT

Bridge I/O. Some Digidesign I/Os that do not have output trims (such as the 96i I/O) offer software-controllable input levels, adjustable from Setups > Hardware Setup (refer to the guide for your particular I/O).

For more information on calibrating your audio interface, or using Calibration mode, see the 192 I/O Guide (or Calibration Mode

Instructions included with earlier shipments of 192 I/O), or the 888|24 I/O

Guide

.

Record Enabling Tracks

To record to a track you must first record enable it with the Record Enable button. To record simultaneously to multiple tracks, you can record enable multiple audio or MIDI tracks.

When one or more tracks are record enabled, you can click the Record and Play buttons in the

Transport window to start recording.

MIDI tracks can be record enabled during playback or record. To record enable audio tracks, the Transport must be stopped, or

TrackPunch or QuickPunch must be enabled. For information on TrackPunch, see

“TrackPunch Audio Recording” on page 200. For information on QuickPunch,

see “QuickPunch Audio Recording” on page 197).

146 Pro Tools Reference Guide

To record enable an audio or MIDI track:

■

From either the Mix or Edit window, click the track’s Record Enable button to toggle record enable on or off for the track. The Record Enable button is lit when on; also, in the Mix window, the track’s fader is highlighted.

Edit window

Mix window

Record-enabled audio track in Mix and Edit windows

To record enable multiple audio tracks:

■

From either the Mix or Edit window, click each audio track’s Record Enable button to toggle record enable on or off for each track.

If Latch Record mode is not enabled, Shiftclick each track’s Record Enable button to toggle record enable on or off for each track.

See “Latch Record Preference” on page 148.

To record enable multiple MIDI tracks:

■

From either the Mix or Edit window, Shiftclick each MIDI track’s Record Enable button to toggle record enable on or off for each track.

To record enable MIDI tracks using the Up/Down

Arrows:

■

While pressing Control (Windows) or Command (Macintosh), press the Up/Down Arrows to record enable the previous or next MIDI track. The previous (or next) record track is no longer record enabled.

To keep the previous track record enabled while enabling new tracks, press Shift+Control+Up/Down (Windows) or Shift+Command+Up/Down (Macintosh).

To record enable all audio or MIDI tracks:

■

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh) the Record Enable button to toggle record enable on or off for all audio or MIDI tracks.

To record enable all selected audio or MIDI tracks:

■

Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shiftclick (Macintosh) the Record Enable button on any selected audio or MIDI track to toggle record enable on or off for all selected audio or

MIDI tracks.

While record enabling does not affect audio tracks that are grouped, you

can

select all tracks in a group by clicking directly to the left of the group’s name in the Groups List.

Then you can Shift-Alt-click (Windows) or

Shift-Option-click (Macintosh) to record enable all selected tracks.


Latch Record Preference

When the Latch Record Enable Buttons preference is selected, you can record enable additional audio tracks by clicking their Record Enable buttons while previously record-enabled tracks remain enabled. Latch Record Enable buttons are for audio tracks only.

When Latch Record Enable Buttons is deselected, record enabling a subsequent audio track will make the previously record-enabled audio track no longer record enabled.

To enable Latch Record mode:

1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click the

Operations tab.

2 Select Latch Record Enable Buttons.

Record Safe Mode

Pro Tools provides a Record Safe mode that prevents tracks from being record enabled. Use

Record Safe mode to protect important track recordings.

To put an audio or MIDI track in Record Safe mode:

■

Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Macintosh) the track’s Record Enable button.

The Record Enable button is greyed out.

Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Macintosh) again to take the track out of

Record Safe mode.

To put all tracks in Record Safe mode:

■

Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-

Option-click (Macintosh) the Record Enable button on any track.

Control-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-Option-click (Macintosh) again to take all tracks out of Record Safe mode.


To put all currently selected tracks into Record

Safe mode:

■

Control-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or Command-Option-Shift-click (Macintosh) the

Record Enable button on any of the selected tracks to toggle them in and out of Record Safe mode.

Record Monitoring Modes

Pro Tools offers two modes of input monitoring:

Auto Input and Input Only. These monitoring modes determine how input signals are monitored during playback, record, or while the transport is stopped.

Pro Tools TDM systems include TrackInput controls for setting the monitoring mode of

individual tracks. See “Selecting Record

Monitor Modes with TrackInput” on page 149.

Auto Input Monitoring

In Auto Input mode, when session playback is stopped, Pro Tools monitors audio input. When playback is started for a punch-in, Pro Tools monitors existing track material up until the punch point. While punched in, the input signal is monitored. On punch-out, monitoring switches back to the existing track material. This is similar to the auto-switching logic found on digital and analog multitrack tape machines.

When using Auto Input, the switch back to monitoring track material on punch-out is not instantaneous.

Input Only Monitoring

In Input Only mode, when a track is record enabled, Pro Tools monitors audio input only, regardless of any punch-in/out selection.

When Input Only monitoring is enabled, the

Green LED next to the Transport window appear green.

Green LED lights when Input Only monitoring is selected

Transport window

Selecting a Record Monitor Mode in Pro Tools LE

To select a record monitoring mode in Pro Tools

LE, do one of the following:

■

To use Auto Input monitoring, select Operations > Auto Input Monitor.

– or –

■

To use Input Only monitoring, select Operations > Input Only Monitor.

To toggle between Auto Input and Input

Only monitoring, press Alt+K (Windows) or Option+K (Macintosh).

Selecting Record Monitor Modes with TrackInput

(Pro Tools TDM Systems Only)

TrackInput monitoring lets you toggle individual audio tracks between Auto Input and Input

Only monitoring modes at any time, including during playback or recording. TrackInput provides the monitoring flexibility needed in dubbing and mixing, and is similar to “rehearse” mode on analog multitrack recorders and similar machines.

With the Digidesign MachineControl 2.0 option (available separately), TrackInput can also be remotely controlled from a SoundMaster or compatible device through P2 protocol commands (with support for pec-direct paddles as supported on the synchronizer or console).

The TrackInput feature also makes it possible to toggle a track between Auto Input and Input

Only monitoring mode regardless of whether or not the track is record enabled.

When the TrackInput button in a track is enabled (green), the track monitors audio in Input

Only mode.

When the TrackInput button in a track is disabled, the track monitors in Auto Input mode.

TrackInput Off (Auto Input)

TrackInput On (Input Only)

TrackInput buttons in the Edit Window


To toggle the monitoring mode of audio tracks do one of the following:

■

To toggle individual tracks, click the TrackInput button for each track you want to toggle.

■

To toggle all tracks in the session, Alt-click

(Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh) a Track-

Input button.

■

To toggle all selected tracks in the session, Alt-

Shift-click (Windows) or Option-Shift-click

(Macintosh) a selected track’s TrackInput button.

To change the monitoring mode of all recordenabled tracks, do one of the following:

■

To change all record-enabled tracks to Auto

Input monitoring, select Operations > Change

Record Enabled Tracks to Auto Input.

■

To change all record-enabled tracks to Input

Only monitoring, select Operations > Change

Record Enabled Tracks to Input Only.

To toggle between Auto Input and Input

Only monitoring, press Alt+K (Windows) or Option+K (Macintosh).

Disable “Input” When Disarming Track

(In “Stop”) Operation Preference

For flexibility, TrackInput can be customized to remain selected regardless of track record status, or to automatically switch to Auto Input monitoring after a recording pass. This lets you optimize monitoring for a typical dubbing workflow

(in which you might want tracks to remain in

Input Only mode until explicitly switched to

Auto Input monitoring) or a typical music tracking workflow (in which leaving a track in Input

Only monitoring mode after recording can result in accidental double-monitoring).

To customize TrackInput for recording:

1 Choose Setup > Preferences and click the

Operation tab.

2 Configure the setting for Disable “Input”

When Disarming Track (In “Stop”) setting as appropriate.

• When enabled, taking an audio track out of record enable (any mode) takes it out of Input Only mode, regardless of the global monitor mode, and switches it to monitor audio from disk only.

• When not enabled, audio tracks will remain in Input Only monitoring mode until explicitly switched to Auto Input monitoring.

Monitor Levels for Record and

Playback

Pro Tools remembers two different fader levels for monitoring each audio track: one for when the track is record enabled, and one for when it is not record enabled.

Pro Tools remembers these two states for fader levels automatically. If you adjust a fader when a track is record enabled and then turn off record enable for the track, the fader returns to its playback level.

When audio tracks are record enabled, their volume faders in the Mix window turn red, indicating that the record monitor level is active.


Link Record and Play Faders

When the Operation preference for “Link

Record and Play Faders” is selected, Pro Tools does not keep track of record and play levels for audio tracks. In this case, record enabling an audio track has no effect on the fader level for the track. This lets you maintain a consistent mix regardless of whether you're recording or just listening.

Monitoring Latency

(Pro Tools LE)

Because Pro Tools LE uses the host processor in your computer for all audio processing, playback and recording, there is a small amount of audio delay, or latency, in the system. This latency amount is related to the H/W Buffer Size— the larger the buffer size the larger the latency.

You can reduce the amount of monitoring latency for Pro Tools LE systems by reducing the

H/W Buffer Size. However, even at the smallest buffer size, there is still some latency. In addition, reducing the buffer size limits the number of simultaneous audio tracks you can record without encountering performance errors.

While there may be times when you want a larger buffer size, for the sake of higher track counts with more plug-ins, you’ll generally want a smaller buffer size when recording audio that is monitored through your Pro Tools LE system.

If you are monitoring the recording source with an external mixer, before it is routed to

Pro Tools, you will not hear any latency.

To set the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.

2 Choose the number of samples from the H/W

Buffer Size pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.

Computers with slower CPUs may not be able to use the 128 buffer size without encountering performance errors.

Zero Latency Monitoring

(Mbox Only)

Mbox gives you the ability to monitor your analog input signals while recording, without hearing any latency. This zero-latency analog monitoring is controlled by the Mbox front panel Mix knob, which you can use to blend and adjust the ratio between the Mbox analog input and Pro Tools playback. For more information, refer to the Mbox Basics Guide or the

Getting Started with Mbox Guide .

Low Latency Monitoring

(Digi 002 and Digi 002 Rack Only)

Digi 002 and Digi 002 Rack systems can use the

Low Latency Monitoring option to record with an extremely small amount of monitoring latency, to as many tracks as each system supports.

To use Low Latency Monitoring:

1 Record enable audio tracks by clicking their

Record Enable buttons. Only tracks with inputs set to an audio interface (not a bus) use Low Latency Monitoring.

2 From the Output Selector, assign each track to either Output 1 or Output 2. Only tracks assigned to these outputs use Low Latency Monitoring.


3 Select Operations > Low Latency Monitoring.

When Low Latency Monitoring is enabled, any plug-ins and sends assigned to record-enabled tracks (routed to Outputs 1–2) are automatically bypassed, and must remain bypassed. Also, these tracks will not register on meters for Master Faders.

Low Latency Monitoring and

Bounce To Disk

With Low Latency Monitoring enabled, only audio tracks are included with the Bounce To Disk command—Auxiliary Input tracks are ignored.

To include any Auxiliary Inputs’ audio when bouncing to disk, Auxiliary Inputs must be re-

corded to new audio tracks (see “Recording to

Tracks” on page 535).

Low Latency Monitoring

During Recording

(Pro Tools TDM Systems Only)

If you choose to record with Delay Compensation active, Pro Tools automatically suspends

Delay Compensation to provide a low-latency monitor path through the main outputs of the record-enabled tracks only. When an audio track is armed for recording (in stop), Track-

Input-enabled, or punched in, the track’s Delay

Compensation is automatically suspended, and the Track Compensation indicator displays zero.

Delay Compensation can be intentionally applied to audio tracks regardless of record status or input mode.

Delay Compensation should be enabled during mixing and playback for optimal delay-compensated sound. In some cases when recording, Delay Compensation should be turned off.


For more information about Delay Com-

pensation, see “Delay Compensation” on page 469.

Default Track Names

When creating new audio and MIDI tracks,

Pro Tools names them as either “Audio” or

“MIDI” and numbers them consecutively. For example, when you create two new audio tracks, their default names are “Audio 1” and

“Audio 2.” You can rename tracks and also log comments for each track.

Track names define new file and region names

when recording to a track. See “Naming Tracks” on page 94

.

Default Names for Audio Files and

Regions

When recording to an audio track, the resulting file and region names are based on the name of the track. For example, after recording for the first time on a track called “Electric Gtr,” an audio file is created with the name “Electric

Gtr_01.” In addition, a region appears in the Audio Regions List with the name “Electric

Gtr_01.” This region is a whole-file region.

Subsequent record takes on the same track are named identically, but the digits (indicating the take number) are incremented (for example,

“Electric Gtr_02.”) A second set of digits (such as used in “Electric Gtr_01-01”) indicates a region auto-created from an edit.

TrackPunch and QuickPunch modes use a different method for numbering regions. For

details, see “Region and Take Numbering with QuickPunch” on page 200.

When recording MIDI tracks, a similar naming scheme is used, though with only one set of digits. For example, after recording to a track called

“Synth 1,” a region is created called “Synth 1-

01.” Subsequent regions for that track, generating either from additional record takes or region edits, are numbered sequentially (for example,

“Synth 1-02”).

Names for Stereo Audio Tracks

When recording to stereo audio tracks, audio file and region names for the left and right channels are appended with a “.L” and “.R” suffix.

Names for Multichannel Tracks

(TDM Systems Only)

When recording to multichannel surround tracks, audio file and region names for each channel are appended with the following suffixes.

6.1

7.0

7.1

Multichannel

Format

LCR

Quad

LCRS

5.0

5.1

6.0

File and Region Suffixes

L, C, R

L, R, Ls, Rs

L, C, R, S

L, C, R, Ls, Rs

L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE

L, C, R, Ls, Cs, Rs, LFE

L, C, R, Ls, Cs, Rs

L, Lc, C, R, Rc, Ls, Rs

L, Lc, C, R, Rc, Ls, Rs, LFE

Disk Allocation dialog

Disk Allocation

By default, Pro Tools records audio files to the

Audio Files folder inside the session folder. You can use the Disk Allocation dialog to specify other locations for your audio files for each audio track.

Hard drives that are full do not appear in the

Disk Allocation dialog.

To increase system performance, Pro Tools can record and play each track from a different hard drive. You can also automatically distribute any newly created tracks to multiple audio drives with Round Robin Allocation.

To allocate the audio drives in your system:

1 Choose Setups > Disk Allocation.

2 In the Disk Allocation dialog, assign a hard drive for each track by clicking in the Root Media Folder column and selecting a volume from the Disk Allocation pop-up menu.


Only drives designated as R (Play and Record) can be selected in the Disk Allocation dialog. For more information, see the DigiBase Guide .

Disk Allocation pop-up menu

A folder with the session name is created on each hard drive, containing subfolders for audio and fade files.

• To assign all tracks to the same hard drive, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) while selecting a drive name.

• To make a continuous selection, Shift-click a track name (in the Track column) to extend the selection to include already-selected tracks and all tracks in between.

• To make a non-contiguous selection, Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Macintosh) a track name in the Track column to extend the selection to include already-selected tracks without including tracks in-between.

3 To save recorded audio files to an existing folder (without creating another session folder), select Customize Allocation Options, then click the Change button and choose the folder. To create subfolders in this folder, select “Create

Subfolders for audio, video, and fade files.”

4 To automatically distribute any newly created tracks among the drives connected to your system, select “Use Round Robin Allocation for

New Tracks.”

If you are using Round Robin Allocation and want audio to be recorded to your system’s startup drive, do the following:

• Open the Workspace browser and set the

Volume Designator for your system volume

to R (Record and Playback). See “Workspace Volume Designation” on page 155.

Round Robin Allocation is not supported with partitioned hard drives.

If you want to exclude individual, valid, mounted volumes from Round Robin Allocation passes, open the Workspace browser and make the volume safe, by designating it as P (Playback only) or T (Transfer).

5 When you are finished, click OK.

Saving Disk Allocation Settings

To save Disk Allocation settings for use with future sessions, save the session as a template. For

details, see “Creating Custom Session Templates” on page 51.

Disk Allocation and Cross-Platform

Sessions

Pro Tools for Windows supports recording and playback of audio from multiple hard drives, but to ensure cross-platform operation, it also requires that Macintosh Pro Tools sessions and their associated audio files be on Macintosh-formatted (HFS or HFS+) drives.

Similarly, Windows sessions and their associated audio files must reside on Windows-formatted (FAT32 or NTFS) drives. If you want to share sessions between Windows and Macintosh platforms, consider these restrictions when allocating tracks to drives.


Reallocating Tracks

When opening a session where some of the previously assigned hard drives are no longer available (or don’t match the current session platform), Pro Tools automatically reassigns tracks to the volume where the session file is stored. In such cases, use Disk Allocation if you need to reallocate tracks to other drives.

Reallocating tracks does not affect the audio that has been previously recorded. Reallocating tracks only affects where new audio recording will be saved.

Workspace Volume Designation

The Workspace volume designation can alter disk availability, thus affecting Disk Allocation.

From the Workspace browser, you may designate volumes as Record, Playback, or Transfer. If you change a drive’s designation, making it read-only (Play Only or Transfer), you will need to check the Disk Allocation for any tracks formerly allocated to that drive. For more information, see the DigiBase Guide .

Recording to the System Volume

Though Pro Tools will let you record to your system volume, this is generally not recommended. Performance for audio recording and playback on system drives is worse than on nonsystem hard drives.

You should record to system drives only when absolutely necessary—if your computer system has just the one hard drive, or if your other hard drives are completely out of space.

By default, the system volume is not included in

Round Robin Allocation (regardless of volume designation in the Workspace browser). To include the System Volume in Round Robin Allo-

cations, see “To allocate the audio drives in your system:” on page 153.

Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording

The Operation preference for Open Ended

Record Allocation determines how much of your available hard drive space is allocated whenever you record into one or more tracks in

Pro Tools.

When this allocation preference is set to Use All

Available Space, the drive’s entire available space is allocated. This setting lets you record lengthy takes, or longer sessions.

However, when allocating all available space,

Pro Tools may take a little longer to begin recording. You can reduce this delay by allocating a specific amount of time for recording.

You can also avoid recording delays by putting Pro Tools in Record Pause mode before

beginning to record. See“Record Pause

Mode” on page 167.

In general, the Use All Available Space preference makes hard drives work harder. In addition to record and punch lag times, many system see better overall recording performance when the

Open Ended Record Allocation is limited.


T o allocate a specific amount of time to recording:

1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click the

Operation tab.

2 Under the Open Ended Record Allocation option, select Limit To and enter the number of minutes to be allocated.

Open Ended Record Allocation, Operation preference

The number of minutes specified is allocated for each record-enabled track.

3 When you are finished, click Done.

Choose Windows > Show Disk Space to check the current available space on your drives.

Record Modes

For recording audio, Pro Tools has the following record modes:

• Nondestructive Record (default)

• Destructive Record

• Loop Record

• QuickPunch

• TrackPunch (Pro Tools TDM only)

To enable Destructive Record, Loop Record,

QuickPunch or TrackPunch, select them from the Operations menu. If none of these record modes are selected, Pro Tools is in normal Nondestructive Record mode.

The record mode can also be switched by Rightclicking (Windows and Macintosh) or Controlclicking (Macintosh) the Transport Record Button. This cycles through the modes with the

Record button changing to indicate the currently selected mode: blank for Nondestructive,

“D” for Destructive, a loop symbol for Loop

Record, “P” for QuickPunch and “T” for Track-

Punch.

When recording, you can preserve disk space by removing unwanted record takes

(see “Removing Unwanted Regions” on page 325) and compacting audio files (see

“Use this “power delete mode” with caution, since deletion of these files cannot be undone.” on page 326).

Nondestructive Record Mode

In normal Nondestructive Record mode,

Pro Tools records audio nondestructively, which means that if you record over a track’s existing regions, the audio is not erased from your hard drive. Both the new and old audio files remain on your hard drive, available as regions from the

Audio Regions List.

In Nondestructive Record mode, the record range can be defined by selecting a range in the

Ruler or in a track’s playlist, or by specifying start and end points in the Transport window. If there is no selection, recording begins from the current cursor location and continues until the

Transport’s Stop button is clicked.

To set a record range by selecting within a track’s playlist, the Edit and Timeline selec-

tions must be linked. See “Linking or Unlinking Edit and Timeline Selections” on page 256.

Destructive Record mode enabled


The pre- and post-roll settings allow material to be heard up to and after the start and end points, which is useful when punch recording

(see “Punch Recording Audio” on page 169).

Destructive Record Mode

In Destructive Record mode, recording over existing regions replaces the original audio permanently, which allows you to keep disk use to a minimum. However, if you have sufficient drive space, it is usually best to use Pro Tools in Nondestructive Record mode, to avoid losing any previously recorded material.

When defining the record range and setting pre- and post-roll, Destructive Record mode works the same as Nondestructive mode.

Unlike the other record modes, it is not possible to cancel or Undo record takes when using De-

structive Record mode (see “Canceling a Record

Take” on page 166).

Loop Record Mode

Loop Record mode allows you to record take after take (nondestructively) while the same section of audio repeats. This is a convenient technique for quickly recording multiple takes of a part without losing spontaneity.

The time range that is looped and recorded— which must be at least one second in length—is defined by selecting a range in the Ruler or in a track’s playlist, or by specifying start and end points in the Transport window. The pre-roll setting, if enabled, is used during the first record pass, but on each successive loop the pre- and post-roll times are ignored.

To set a record range by selecting within a track’s playlist, the Edit and Timeline selec-

tions must be linked. See “Linking or Unlinking Edit and Timeline Selections” on page 256.

When using Loop Record mode, each successive take appears as a region in the Audio Regions

List and each is numbered sequentially. The various takes, which are identical in length and start time, are easily auditioned and placed in the track at the correct location with the Takes

List pop-up menu (see “Auditioning Record

Takes” on page 172).

QuickPunch

QuickPunch gives you the ability to manually and instantaneously punch in (initiate recording) and punch out (stop recording) on recordenabled audio tracks during playback by clicking the Transport’s Record button. Recording with QuickPunch is nondestructive.

When using QuickPunch, Pro Tools begins recording a new file when playback begins, automatically generating regions in that file at each punch in/out point. These regions appear in the track’s playlist; and the complete audio file appears in the Regions List along with the Quick-

Punch created regions. Up to 200 of these “running punches” can be performed in a single pass.

Though you can punch record in the other record modes by manually specifying the record range, only QuickPunch provides instantaneous monitor switching on punch-out.


TrackPunch (TDM Systems Only)

TrackPunch lets individual tracks be punched in, punched out, and taken out of record enable without interrupting online recording and playback. When using Digidesign MachineControl software in Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode, TrackPunch (and TrackInput monitoring) can be controlled through P2 commands.

Control surfaces (such as ProControl, Control|24, and Command|8) also support Track-

Punch

TrackPunch is a non-destructive recording mode. When a track is TrackPunch-enabled,

Pro Tools begins recording a new file when playback begins. During playback, you may record arm or disarm, or punch in or out a combination of any or all TrackPunch enabled tracks.

TrackPunch automatically creates regions in that file at each punch-in and punch-out point.

These regions appear in the track’s playlist, and the complete audio file appears in the Regions

List along with the TrackPunch created regions.

Up to 200 of these “running punches” can be performed in a single pass.

The Record Modes and MIDI

In addition to the various record modes, there is also a MIDI Merge button in the Transport window that determines how MIDI is recorded.

When enabled ( Merge mode), recording over existing MIDI regions results in the new data being merged with the old. When the MIDI Merge button is deselected ( Replace mode), the new material replaces the old.

MIDI Merge button

MIDI Merge enabled

MIDI recording works the same whether using

Nondestructive or Destructive Record mode. In addition, neither QuickPunch nor TrackPunch need to be enabled to punch on-the-fly with

MIDI—this capability is available in Nondestructive and Destructive Record modes.

Unlike audio loop recording, the state of the

MIDI Merge toggle determines whether existing material is replaced or merged.

Unless MIDI Merge is enabled, MIDI recording is destructive (though you can undo a MIDI record pass), either overwriting or adding to region material. One exception to this rule is when Loop

Record mode is enabled; in this mode, existing track regions are replaced with new regions when new material is recorded. The old regions remain intact and available from the MIDI Regions List, and from the Takes List pop-up menu. In Loop Record mode, MIDI Merge has no effect, so its button is dimmed.


Recording with a Click

If you intend to work with MIDI tracks in your session, or if the audio you’re working with is bar and beat-oriented, you can record your tracks while listening to a click . This ensures that recorded material, both MIDI and audio, will align with the session’s bar and beat boundaries.

When your track material lines up with the beats, you can take advantage of some useful editing functions in Pro Tools, such as quantizing

MIDI and audio regions, quantizing individual

MIDI notes, and copying and pasting measures and song sections in Grid mode.

Material that is recorded without listening to a click can still be aligned to bar and beat boundaries in Pro Tools with Beat Detective

(see Chapter 22, “Beat Detective”), or use

the Identify Beat command to determine the tempo.

Pro Tools provides a built-in click generator, the

DigiRack Click plug-in. Click includes presets with different click sounds, supports accented and unaccented click sounds, and lets you adjust their volumes. Click is integrated directly into Pro Tools, avoiding MIDI time delays. Refer to the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide for details.

Pro Tools also provides options and controls for driving a click using MIDI. The following steps are for configuring and enabling a click using

MIDI.

To configure click options:

1 Choose MIDI > Click Options.

– or –

Double-click the Click or Countoff button in the

Transport window.

2 In the Click/Countoff Options dialog, do one of the following:

• If using the DigiRack Click plug-in, select

None in the Output pop-up menu. (For information on using the Click plug-in, see the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide .)

– or –

• If driving a click using MIDI, select the port number (device) and channel that will play the click from the Output pop-up menu.

Click/Countoff Options dialog

3 For the accented and unaccented notes, specify the note, velocity, and duration with the numeric keypad. If connected, you can also play new note values on your MIDI controller keyboard.

When listening to the click in your Pro Tools sessions, the accented note sounds on the first beat of each measure and the unaccented note sounds on the remaining beats.

4 Select whether the click is heard “During play and record,” or “Only during record,” or “Only during countoff.”


5 If using a countoff, specify the number of Bars to be counted off. To hear the countoff only when recording, select that option.

6 Click OK.

To enable a click from the MIDI menu:

■

Choose MIDI > Click.

To enable a click in the Transport:

1 To view the MIDI controls in the Transport window, select Display > Transport Window

Shows > MIDI Controls.

Hearing the countoff before recording is helpful in getting the feel for the tempo before you begin playing. The Countoff button in the Transport window displays the number of bars to be counted off.

The countoff is ignored when Pro Tools is online and syncing to SMPTE time code.

Wait for Note and Countoff

Wait for Note and Countoff are mutually exclusive and cannot both be enabled at the same time. If, for instance, Countoff is enabled and you click the Wait for Note button, Countoff is disabled.

Transport Window with MIDI Controls

2 In the Transport window, click the Click button so it becomes highlighted.

Click button

Click enabled

3 To use a countoff when recording or playing, click the Countoff button in the Transport window so it too becomes highlighted.

Countoff button

Setting the Default Meter and

Tempo

This section provides steps for Pro Tools 6.7 and higher only. If you are using an older version of Pro Tools, refer to the Reference

Guide included with the older software.

Setting the Default Meter

When opening a new session in Pro Tools, the meter defaults to 4/4. If you intend to record with a click and are working with a different meter, make sure to set the default meter accordingly.

If a session’s meter does not match the music you’re recording, the accented clicks will not line up with what you’re playing, and, as a result, the recorded material may not align with the bars and beats in the Edit window.

Countoff enabled


Beat Detective requires identical meters to work with DigiGrooves. For example, if

Beat Detective extracts the feel from a bar of

7/4, it can only be applied to another bar of

7/4.

Meter events, which can occur anywhere within a Pro Tools session, are stored in the Meter Track and appear in the Meter Ruler. For more information on inserting and editing meter events,

see “Meter Events” on page 351.

To set the default meter for a session:

1 Double-click the Meter button in the Transport window.

Meter button

Setting the Default Tempo

When opening a new session in Pro Tools, the tempo defaults to 120 BPM. If you intend to record with a click and are working with a different tempo, make sure to set the default tempo accordingly. If you know the tempo you will use for the session, you can insert a tempo event at the beginning of the Tempo Track.

Tempo events, which can occur anywhere within a Pro Tools session, are stored in the

Tempo Track and appear in the Tempo Ruler.

For more information on inserting and editing

tempo events, see “Tempo” on page 327.

To insert a default tempo event:

1 Double-click the Song Start Marker in the Edit window.

2 Enter the BPM value you will use for the session and set the Location to 1|1|000 (so the inserted tempo event replaces the default tempo).

2 Enter the Meter you will use for the session and set the Location to 1|1|000 (so the inserted meter event replaces the default one).

Meter Change window

3 Choose a note value for the number of clicks to sound in each measure.

4 Click OK to insert the new meter event.

Tempo Change window

3 To base the BPM value on something other than the default quarter-note, select another note value from the Resolution pop-up menu.

4 Click OK to insert the new tempo event.

See “Song Start Marker” on page 347 for more

information on the default tempo.


Using Manual Tempo Mode

In Manual Tempo mode, Pro Tools can ignore the tempo events in the Tempo Track and instead play back a Manual Tempo. This tempo can be set with the Tempo slider, or if you’re not sure of the actual tempo, by tapping in the tempo.

While you can adjust the Manual Tempo during playback, doing so will momentarily interrupt playback.

To set the Manual Tempo with the Tempo slider:



In the Transport window, click the Conductor button so it becomes unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in the Tempo Track are ignored.

Conductor button

Beat Value pop-up menu

Manual Tempo mode enabled

2 To base the BPM value on something other than the default quarter-note, change the note value in the Beat Value pop-up menu.

3 To enter a new tempo, drag the horizontal

Tempo slider in the Transport window.

Tempo slider

For finer resolution with the Tempo slider, press

Control (Windows) or Command (Macintosh) while dragging.

To exit Manual Tempo mode and enable the Tempo

Track:

■

Click the Conductor button in the Transport window so it becomes highlighted.

To set the Manual Tempo by tapping:



2 In the Transport window, click the Conductor button so it becomes unhighlighted. Pro Tools switches to Manual Tempo mode. In this mode, any tempo events in the Tempo Track are ignored.

3 Click in the Tempo field so it becomes highlighted and tap the “T” key on your computer keyboard repeatedly at the new tempo.

– or –

Click in the Tempo field so it becomes highlighted and tap in the tempo by playing a note repeatedly at the new tempo on your MIDI keyboard controller.

To compute the new tempo, Pro Tools averages the last eight (or fewer) taps to determine the correct tempo. The computed BPM value appears in the Transport’s Tempo field.

To lock in the new tempo:

■

Take Pro Tools out of Manual Tempo mode by clicking the Conductor button, then set the default tempo for the Song Start Marker to the new tempo.

Tempo slider


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