Chapter 19: Fades and Crossfades

Using Crossfades

You can quickly and easily crossfade between two adjacent audio regions. Crossfading is the process of fading two regions of audio to prevent pops, clicks, or sudden changes in sound.

Crossfades have many applications, from smoothing transitions between regions to creating special audio effects. The crossfade duration, position, and shape are all user-definable.

Crossfades are computed and written to disk.

Crossfades that are written to disk are stored in a folder named “Fade Files” within the session folder. When you play back your track,

Pro Tools reads and plays back the crossfade file from disk.

Pro Tools does not allow you to replace fade-ins and fade-outs with crossfades. To add a crossfade between regions, any existing fade-ins and fade-outs between the regions must first be deleted.

Pro Tools TDM systems include an Auto-

Fade feature that provides real-time fades

without processing them to disk. See “Using

AutoFades” on page 317.

About Crossfades and Curves

To create a crossfade between two regions, use the Selector to select across the end point of the first region and the start point of the second.

The length of the selection determines the length of the crossfade. Though fades may appear to be discrete regions, they cannot actually be separated from the regions in which they were created. You can, however, create fade-ins

and fade-outs for individual regions (see “Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions” on page 315).

You can use the Fades dialog to select, view, and manipulate the curves used to perform the crossfade. Different volume curves can be assigned to the fade-out and fade-in portions of crossfades. The Fades dialog can also render a preview of the fade.

The following examples illustrate common crossfade types, and explain how the type of selection you make determines the character of the crossfade.

Since crossfades are created by fading between overlapping audio material, a crossfade cannot be performed on regions that do not contain audio material beyond their region boundaries.

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Standard Crossfade (Centered)

region 1 splice point fade out curve fade in curve region 2

This crossfade type requires that region 2 contain audio material before its start point.

Post Crossfade

border of region 1 and 2 region 1 region 2 crossfade selection

Centered crossfade

This type of selection creates a crossfade on both sides of the splice point, which affects the volume of region 1 and region 2. It is the most common type of crossfade.

This crossfade type requires that region 1 contain audio material beyond its end point, and region 2 contain audio material before its start point.

Pre Crossfade

selection range begins just after end of region 1

Post crossfade

This type of selection creates a crossfade after the splice point. It is useful if you want to maintain the amplitude of region 1 until its very end.

When making selections for crossfades that occur on the border of two regions, you can use the Tab key to move the cursor to the exact beginning or end of a region.

This crossfade type requires that region 1 contain audio material beyond its end point.

border of region 1 and 2 region 1 region 2 selection range extends just up to beginning of region 2

Pre crossfade

This type of selection creates a crossfade before the splice point. This lets you maintain the volume of the very beginning of region 2 instead of fading across it, which is useful if there is a strong attack at the beginning of region 2 that you want to preserve. When making selections for crossfades that occur on the border of two regions, you can use the Tab key to move the cursor to the exact beginning or end of a region.

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The Fades Dialog

When choosing the Edit > Fades command you can use the Fades dialog to select, view, and preview the crossfade, and to edit the curves used to perform the crossfade.

View Second Track

If you are fading between more than one track this button allows you to view and preview the audio of the second pair of adjacent tracks.

View Both Tracks

Click this button to display the waveforms of the first two adjacent tracks in a multitrack fade.

Fade Curves Only

Click this button to display the specified fade curves without showing the actual audio waveforms. This is the default view when you open the Fades dialog.

Fade Curves and Separate Waveforms

Fades dialog

The controls in the Fades dialog include:

Audition

Click this button to audition your crossfade.

Pro Tools plays the audio in one of two ways, depending on your system:

◆ Pro Tools TDM and LE systems allow crossfade auditioning directly from your audio interface outputs.

View First Track

Click this button to display the specified fade curves along with separate views of the fade-in and fade-out waveforms.

Fade Curves and Superimposed Waveforms

Click this button to display the specified fade curves along with superimposed views of the fade-in and fade-out waveforms.

Fade Curves and Summed Waveform

If you are fading between more than one track, this button allows you to view and preview the audio of the first pair of adjacent tracks.

Click this button to display the specified fade curves along with a single waveform representing the summation of the crossfaded audio.

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Zoom In

Click this button to scale the view of the waveform’s amplitude upwards. Control-click (Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) for the default view scale.

Zoom Out

Preset Curves Seven commonly used preset curves are provided for fast crossfade creation.

These can be edited by dragging the end points of the curve in the curve editor portion of this dialog. The seven presets are as follows:

◆ Preset Curve 1 keeps region 1 at full volume throughout the crossfade, then immediately drops the volume at the end of the crossfade.

Click this button to scale the view of the waveform’s amplitude downwards. Control-click

(Windows) or Command-click (Macintosh) for the default view scale.

Fade Out Shape Setting

Preset Curve 1

◆ Preset Curve 2 fades out region 1 relatively slowly, keeping the volume fairly high throughout the duration of the fade.

Preset Curve 2

◆ Preset Curve 3 fades out region 1 slightly faster, keeping the volume slightly lower during the fade.

Fade Out Shape

The Out Shape setting allows you to choose the shape of the fade-out from region 1.

Standard Selects a single continuous fade curve.

This creates a general-purpose fade that can be edited by dragging the curve itself.

S-Curve Selects an S-shaped curve, which inverts its beginning and end characteristics. This makes it possible to fade out faster at the curve’s start and slower at its end, for example. S-shaped curves can be useful with material that is difficult to crossfade effectively. S-curves can be edited by dragging the curve in the curve editor.

Preset Curve 3

◆ Preset Curve 4 fades out region 1 with a linear fade. This is the default curve.

Preset Curve 4

◆ Preset Curve 5 fades out region 1 quickly at the beginning of the crossfade.

Preset Curve 5

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◆ Preset Curve 6 drops the volume of region 1 even more quickly at the beginning of the crossfade.

Preset Curve 6

◆ Preset Curve 7 silences region 1 at the beginning of the crossfade.

Preset Curve 7

Link Settings

that can occur when using an Equal Power crossfade. With this fade, you can Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh) the fade curve to reset it to its default shape.

None Disables linking between the fade-out and fade-in curves, and lets you freely adjust them separately, including start and end points. This option also allows you to create custom crossfade shapes. To edit only the fade-in portion of the curve, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) while dragging. To edit only the fadeout portion of the curve, press Control (Windows) or Command (Macintosh) while dragging.

Fade Link

The Link setting links the selected fade-out and fade-in curves. If you adjust one curve, the corresponding curve also adjusts. This ensures that the resulting crossfade is an equal power or equal gain crossfade, depending on which you select.

Equal Power Recommended for material that is not phase coherent, as in the case of a crossfade between two completely different types of material. Use this option to avoid the volume drop that can occur with an Equal Gain crossfade.

With this fade, you can Alt-click (Windows) or

Option-click (Macintosh) the fade curve to reset it to its default shape.

Equal Gain Recommended for material that is phase-coherent or nearly phase-coherent, as in the case of a crossfade between identical regions/instruments (for example, a repeated drum loop). Use this option to avoid clipping

Adjusting the end point of a fade curve

Use Dither

Dither option for Fade

The Use Dither option turns on a preset, noiseshaped dither function that improves audio performance when fading in or fading out of silence, and crossfading between low amplitude regions. Dithering is usually not necessary when fading between two regions of high amplitude.

You can disable Dither while editing your crossfades in the Fades dialog to speed up previews and fade recalculation, then re-enable Dither to create the final crossfade.

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Fade In Shape Settings

◆ Preset Curve 2 fades in region 2 quickly in the beginning, reaching full amplitude fairly early in the crossfade.

Fade In Shape

The In Shape setting allows you to choose the shape of the fade-in to region 2.

Standard Selects a single continuous fade curve.

This creates a general-purpose fade that can be edited by dragging the curve itself.

S-Curve Selects an S-shaped curve, which inverts its beginning and end characteristics. This makes it possible to fade in faster at the start of the curve, and slower at the end. S-shaped curves are useful with material that is difficult to crossfade effectively. S-curves can be edited by dragging the curve in the curve editor.

Preset Curves Seven commonly used preset curves are provided for fast crossfade creation.

These can be edited by dragging the end points of the curve in the curve editor portion of this dialog. The seven presets are as follows:

◆ Preset Curve 1 fades in region 2 at full volume immediately at the beginning of the crossfade and keeps it there throughout the crossfade.

Preset Curve 2

◆ Preset Curve 3 fades in region 2 moderately fast.

Preset Curve 3

◆ Preset Curve 4 fades in region 2 with a linear fade curve. This is the default curve.

Preset Curve 4

◆ Preset Curve 5 fades in region 2 slowly at the beginning of the crossfade.

Preset Curve 5

◆ Preset Curve 6 fades in region 2 even more slowly than the previous curve.

Preset Curve 6

◆ Preset Curve 7 silences region 2 until the end of the crossfade.

Preset Curve 1

Preset Curve 7

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Typical Curve Combinations

Following are the available combinations of fade-out and fade-in curves.

Linear Crossfade This is a good general purpose crossfade with a smooth, even transition between region 1 and region 2.

1-out 2-in

Fade and Crossfade Preferences

(TDM Systems Only)

You can set default fade and crossfade settings.

These settings load as your “base” settings when you use the Create Fades command, and the

Fade to Start and Fade to End commands.

To set the crossfade preferences:

1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click the

Editing tab.

2 Set the Pre-Roll and Post-Roll times for Fade previews.

Linear Crossfade

Equal Power Crossfade This is a good general purpose crossfade useful in cases where a linear crossfade seems to create a noticeable drop in volume across the splice point.

1-out 2-in

Equal Power Crossfade

Overlap Fade This combination of curves keeps both regions at full amplitude throughout the crossfade: region 2 “jumps in” at the beginning and region 1 “jumps out” at the end.

1-out

2-in

Fade and crossfade preferences

3 Click Fade In and set the default shape for fade-ins, then click OK.

4 Click Fade Out and set the default shape for fade-outs, then click OK.

5 Click Crossfade and set the default shape for crossfades, then click OK.

6 Click Done.

Overlap Crossfade

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Creating a Crossfade

To create a crossfade between two regions:

1 With the Selector, click at the point where you want the crossfade to begin in the first region and drag to where you want it to end in the second region. Crossfade selections can begin and end anywhere in their respective regions.

2 Choose Edit > Fades > Create Fades.

– or –

Press Control+F (Windows) or Command+F

(Macintosh).

3 Use the view buttons to adjust the view of the crossfade. It may take a few moments to calculate the waveform display for long selections.

4 Select an Out Shape and an In Shape.

5 Choose a Linking option.

6 Click the Audition button, or play the session, to hear the crossfade. For long crossfades, it may take Pro Tools a few moments to calculate and load the audio into playback RAM.

7 Adjust the curves by choosing different preset shapes with the Out Shape and In Shape pop-up menus.

– or –

Drag the Fade In/Out curves to a custom shape.

By choosing None as the Linking option, you can drag the beginning or end points of a fade curve to adjust its beginning or end point.

8 Click the Audition button, or play the session, to hear the crossfade again.

9 When the crossfade is right, click OK. The fade is calculated and written to disk, but the audio files and regions remain unchanged. Crossfades are stored in the Fades Folder within the session folder.

Crossfade lengths can later be resized with the Trimmer.

To remove a crossfade:

■

Select the area of the track containing the crossfades you want to delete and choose Edit >

Fades > Delete Fades.

– or –

■

Select the crossfade with the Grabber and press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (Macintosh).

To trim a crossfade:

1 Select the crossfade with the Grabber, or double-click it with the Selector.

2 With the Trimmer, trim either side of the crossfade. The crossfade is recalculated to reflect the newly trimmed length.

Crossfades On Tick-Based Audio Tracks

(Pro Tools 6.7 and Higher Only)

Crossfades are re-rendered after changing tempo in a tick-based audio track. The new crossfade is the same length as the crossfade prior to the tempo change.

If there is not enough audio material to complete the crossfade, or if the new crossfade area falls outside of valid region boundaries, the crossfade is removed.

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Pre and Post Crossfade Selections

By making a selection that begins or ends precisely on the border of two regions, you can create “pre” or “post” crossfades. Use the Tab key to place the insertion point at the exact beginning or end of a region.

To create a pre- or post-crossfade:

1 With the Selector, click in the track that contains the regions you want to crossfade.

2 Press Tab to move forward to the next region boundary.

– or –

Press Control+Tab (Windows) or Option+Tab

(Macintosh) to move back to the previous region boundary.

3 Shift-drag to adjust your selection, or press

Shift+Tab to extend the selection forward to the next region boundary.

– or –

Press Control+Shift+Tab (Windows) or Option+Shift+Tab (Macintosh) to extend the selection back to the previous region boundary.

4 Choose Edit > Fades > Create Fades.

– or –

Press Control+F (Windows) or Command+F

(Macintosh).

5 Choose a fade type and click OK.

Creating Fades at the

Beginnings and Ends of

Regions

In addition to crossfades between regions,

Pro Tools lets you create fade-ins and fade-outs at the beginnings and ends of regions.

On Pro Tools TDM systems, you can also use an automatic fade-in/out option, which applies real time fade-ins/outs to all regions during playback. These fades are not written to disk, but au-

tomatically applied during playback. See “Using

AutoFades” on page 317.

Region with a fade-in

Creating Fade-Ins and Fade-Outs

Depending on how you make the selection, you can position a fade-in/out at the exact beginning or end of a region, or position it so it extends into a blank area of the track. The length of the selection in the region determines the length of the fade-in/out.

You can also fade to the beginning or end of a region from an insertion point.

Although fades appear to be discrete regions, fades cannot be separated from the regions in which they were created.

When changing tempo in a tick-based audio track (Pro Tools 6.7 and higher), fade-ins and fade-outs remain with their parent regions, and are unaffected by changes in tempo.

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To create a fade-in:

1 Select the beginning of the region that you want to fade in. The selection must extend to the exact beginning of the region or a blank area prior to the region in the track.

Selecting the beginning of a region for a fade-in

2 Choose Edit > Fades > Create Fades.

– or –

Press Control+F (Windows) or Command+F

(Macintosh).

3 Choose the fade-in curve and other settings.

4 Click the Audition button to hear the fade (or press the Spacebar to start and stop playback).

5 You can adjust the curve by dragging it or by choosing a different shape with the In Shape pop-up menu.

6 When you are finished, click OK. Pro Tools calculates the fade and writes it to disk. The chosen fade curve appears in the region.

To create a fade-out:

1 Select the end of the region that you want to fade out. The selection must extend to the exact end of the region or a blank area after the region in the track.

Selecting the end of a region for a fade-out

2 Choose Edit > Fades > Create Fades.

– or –

Press Control+F (Windows) or Command+F

(Macintosh).

3 Choose the fade-out curve and other settings.

4 Click the Audition button to hear the fade (or press the Spacebar to start and stop playback).

5 You can adjust the curve by dragging it or by choosing a different shape with the Out Shape pop-up menu.

6 When you are finished, click OK. Pro Tools calculates the fade and writes it to disk. The chosen fade curve appears in the region.

Fade lengths can later be resized with the

Trimmer.

To fade from the insertion point to a region start point:

1 Place the cursor at a location in the region.

2 Choose Edit > Fades > Fade To Start.

– or –

Press Start+D (Windows) or Control+D (Macintosh).

The fade is applied based on the Fade In preferences.

To fade from the insertion point to a region end point:

1 Place the cursor at a location in the region.

2 Choose Edit > Fades > Fade To End.

– or –

Press Start+G (Windows) or Control+G (Macintosh).

The fade is applied based on the Fade Out preferences.

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Using AutoFades

(Pro Tools TDM Only)

On Pro Tools TDM systems, you can choose to have Pro Tools automatically apply real-time fade-ins and fade-outs to all region boundaries in the session. These fade-ins and fade-outs are performed during playback and do not appear in the Edit window, and are not written to disk.

This automatic fade-in/out option also has an effect on virtual track switching in a session.

Whenever a lower-priority virtual track “pops thru” a silence in a higher-priority track on the same voice, a fade-in and fade-out is applied to the transition.

This feature is especially useful in post production situations such as dialogue tracking. For example, you could assign both a dialogue track and a “room tone” track with matching background to the same voice. You could then set the AutoFade option to a moderate length (4 ms or so) so that whenever a silence occurred in the dialog, playback would switch smoothly to and from the background track without clicks or pops.

Using automatic fade-ins/outs saves you the trouble of editing to zero-crossings or creating numerous rendered fades in order to eliminate clicks or pops in playback. However, since these autofades are not written to disk, those clicks or pops still exist in the underlying sound file.

Consequently, those anomalies still appear if the Duplicate AudioSuite plug-in or the Export

Selected as Sound Files command (from the Audio Regions List) are used to duplicate multiple regions as a continuous file. To render these real-time auto fades to disk, choose File >

Bounce to Disk.

To set the length of automatic fade-ins/outs:

1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click the

Operation tab.

2 Enter a value between 0 and 10 ms for the

Auto Region Fade In/Out Length. A value of zero

(the default) means that no auto-fading will occur.

3 Click Done. The AutoFade value is saved with the session, and is automatically applied to all free-standing region boundaries until you change it.

Creating Fades and

Crossfades in Batches

In “Batch mode” you can create many fades at once. You select across several regions and use the Create Fades command to create crossfades for each region transition. If your selection includes regions that already have crossfades, this feature allows you to modify them.

To create crossfades between multiple regions at once:

1 With the Selector, click in the first region in which you want to create a crossfade.

2 Drag to extend the selection to the last region you want to crossfade. Make sure that the selection includes the entire region.

Selected regions for Batch Fades

3 Choose Edit > Fades > Create Fades.

– or –

Press Control+F (Windows) or Command+F

(Macintosh).

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4 Select whether you want to Create New Fades,

Create New Fade-Ins & Outs, Adjust Existing

Fades, or a combination of these options.

If you select to create new fades and new fadeins and outs, new crossfades are created at each region boundary that is bordered by another selected region, a fade-in is created at the start of the first region, and a fade-out is created at the end of the last region.

Batch Fades dialog

5 Choose the placement of your Fades. You can choose Pre-Splice, Centered, or Post-Splice.

6 Enter a crossfade length in milliseconds.

7 Click OK. Pro Tools creates the fades for the selected regions.

Fade lengths can later be resized with the

Trimmer.

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