Chapter 27: Plug-In and Hardware Inserts. Avid Pro Tools HD 6.9, Pro Tools LE 6.9

Chapter 27: Plug-In and Hardware

Inserts

Pro Tools provides up to five unity-gain inserts on each audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master

Fader. Audio track and Auxiliary Input inserts are pre-fader, and Master Faders inserts are postfader only.

An insert can be either a software DSP plug-in or a hardware insert . A Pro Tools insert routes the signal from the track to a plug-in or external hardware effect of your choice and automatically returns it to the same track. Inserts do not alter the original audio source files, but process audio in real time, during playback. You can permanently apply real-time effects to tracks by recording or bouncing the effect to disk (see

Chapter 29, “Mixdown” for more information).

Plug-In Inserts Plug-in inserts are software inserts that process audio material on a track in real time. For example, the EQ, Dynamics, and

Mod Delay plug-ins supplied with your

Pro Tools system are real-time plug-in inserts.

For more information about the plug-ins supplied with your Pro Tools system, see the

DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide.

Additional real-time plug-ins are available from

Digidesign and from many third-party developers.

For information about optional Digidesign plug-ins, see the electronic Digidesign Plug-

Ins Guide. For information about thirdparty plug-ins, visit the Digidesign Web site

(www.digidesign.com).

Hardware I/O Inserts Hardware I/O inserts can route audio through an external device connected to parallel inputs and outputs of an audio interface. You can process the audio material on a track with a hardware insert in real time.

Hardware I/O insert

Insert paths require audio interface inputs and outputs, and are determined by the I/O Setup configuration of your system.

Chapter 27: Plug-In and Hardware Inserts 475

General Information

When more than one insert is used on a track, they are processed in series. Each effect is added to that of any previous plug-ins or inserts, (flowing from top to bottom in the Mix window Inserts View, and left to right in the Edit window

Inserts View).

Inserts on audio tracks and Auxiliary Inputs are pre-fader. You can cause clipping if you boost their gain to extremes, especially on tracks recorded at high amplitude. Watch on-screen metering for indication of clipping. (Inserts on

Master Faders are post-fader.)

How to Use Inserts for Effects

Processing

Inserts can be used in two ways:

On Single Tracks An insert can be applied to an individual audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader.

With in-line inserts, you control the amount of effect by adjusting the balance (or, wet/dry) controls of the plug-in or external device.

As Shared Resources An insert can be used as a shared resource in a send-and-return arrangement, by bussing signals from several tracks to an Auxiliary Input, and then applying the insert to the Auxiliary Input track. You can then control the send level for each track, and the overall level of the effect can be controlled from the

Auxiliary Input track. Using sends and other signal routing features helps maximize your system’s processing power.

For examples of send and return busses and

other submixing setups, see “Submixing for

Signal Routing and Effects Processing” on page 466.

Insert Formats

Mono Inserts Used on mono tracks. Inserts that occur on a track after a stereo insert are automatically used in stereo as well.

Stereo Inserts Used on stereo tracks. A stereo hardware I/O insert sends the signal to an input/output path.

Mono In/Stereo Out Plug-In Inserts Used to return a stereo effect from a mono source. Certain plug-ins (such as D-Verb) let you generate stereo output from a mono channel. A track made into stereo in this way has pan controls for each channel of the stereo signal. Any inserts that occur on a track after a stereo insert are automatically used in stereo as well.

Multi-Mono Plug-In Inserts Used on stereo or greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks when a multichannel version of the plug-in is not available. Controls for all channels are linked by default so that you can adjust them in tandem.

You can unlink controls for independent adjust-

ment using the Master Link button. See “Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-Mono

Plug-Ins” on page 491.

Multichannel Plug-In Inserts Used on stereo and greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks. On greater-than-stereo multichannel tracks, the controls for all channels are generally ganged together.

Relinking may cause automation to be lost.

See “Linking and Unlinking Controls on

Multi-Mono Plug-Ins” on page 491

476 Pro Tools Reference Guide

TDM and RTAS Plug-Ins

There are three plug-in formats supported by

Pro Tools (TDM, RTAS, and AudioSuite), two of which can be used as real-time inserts, as follows:

TDM Plug-Ins Used on TDM-based Pro Tools systems, and rely on the processing power of

Digidesign DSP cards.

RTAS Plug-Ins Similar to their TDM counterparts, but unlike TDM plug-ins, they rely on and are limited by the host processing power of your computer.

For information on AudioSuite plug-ins, see the DigiRack Guide, the Digidesign Plug-

Ins Guide, or the guides for your third-party plug-ins.

Use the following guidelines for plug-ins supported on your system:

Pro Tools TDM Systems

• TDM plug-ins can be used on audio tracks,

Auxiliary Inputs, and Master Faders.

• RTAS plug-ins can be used on Auto-Voiced audio tracks (Pro Tools 6.x) and Auxiliary Inputs

(Pro Tools 6.7 and higher).

• When using RTAS and TDM plug-ins on the same track, RTAS plug-ins must precede TDM plug-ins in the insert signal path.

• In Pro Tools 6.7 and higher, RTAS-based instrument plug-ins (and other RTAS plug-ins) can be played through Auxiliary Inputs, as follows.

• When using an RTAS instrument plug-in

(such as Native Instruments Kontakt) on an

Auxiliary Input, the instrument must be the first plug-in in the signal flow.

On Auxiliary Inputs, only RTAS instrument plug-ins are available on insert 1.

RTAS plug-in menu on insert 1 of an Auxiliary Input

• Once you have added an RTAS instrument to an Auxiliary Input, other RTAS processing plug-ins may be inserted, but only after the RTAS instrument plug-in.

Pro Tools LE Systems

• RTAS plug-ins can be used on audio tracks,

Auxiliary Inputs, and Master Faders.

For tips on maximizing RTAS performance, see the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide.


Viewing Inserts

Both the Mix and Edit windows can be configured to show or hide inserts. Plug-in windows provide complete access to plug-in controls.

To show (or hide) inserts:

■

In the Mix or Edit window, choose Display >

Mix Window Shows > Inserts View, or Edit Window Shows > Inserts View.

Display of Plug-In Window Status

In the Mix and Edit window, the plug-in button and selector display the currently inserted plug-

in, its bypass state (see “Bypassing Plug-Ins” on page 490), target status, and window status.

lit plug-in name

Inserts

Sends

Indication of open plug-in window

Indicating the Controller Target

If you are using a control surface with Pro Tools, only one plug-in can be targeted at a time. The current controller target, if any, is indicated with a color outline around its name: target outline

Showing Inserts in the Mix Window

– or –

■

In the Edit window, select Inserts View from the View Selector (located next to the Rulers

View).

View Selector

The controller target

Showing Inserts using the View Selector


Making Inserts Inactive

Plug-in and hardware inserts can be made inactive to free up their resources for other uses.

When a plug-in insert is inactive it retains its assignment, position, and related automation playlists. However, it will not pass audio and does not consume any DSP or TDM resources.

When opening sessions, inserts will automatically be made inactive in any of the following situations:

• The system has insufficient DSP resources.

• A plug-in is not installed.

• A plug-in type is not available (RTAS or TDM).

• Opening the session results in plug-in type substitutions. This can happen if the type is available but substituting would result in an unsupported condition, such as an RTAS plugin after TDM plug-ins in a track.

To make an insert inactive:

■

Control-Start-click (Windows) or Command-

Control-click (Macintosh) the Insert button.

– or –

■

Make the track inactive. See “Making Tracks

Inactive” on page 109.

To toggle inserts in the same position on all tracks active or inactive:

■

Control-Start-Alt click (Windows) or Command-Control-Option click (Macintosh) an Insert button in the position you want to toggle.

To toggle inserts in the same position on all selected tracks active or inactive:

■

Control-Start-Alt-Shift-click (Windows) or

Command-Control-Option-Shift-click (Macintosh) an Insert button in the position you want to toggle.

Inactive Plug-In Inserts

Inactive plug-in inserts retain all associated automation playlists. In addition, any edits made in the session affect the plug-in automation playlists. You cannot record automation or adjust the controls for an inactive plug-in. inactive

(italicized) active

(plain text)

Display of inactive plug-ins

Display of inactive Plug-In window

Inactive Hardware Inserts

Inactive hardware inserts retain their assignments, but do not pass audio and do not consume any DSP resources.

Hardware inserts do not provide a bypass control. You can use the inactive feature whenever you need to mute or bypass a hardware insert.


Inserting Plug-Ins on Tracks

To use a real-time plug-in, insert it on a track.

To insert a plug-in on a track:

1 Make sure the Inserts View is shown in the

Mix or Edit window.

2 Click the Insert Selector on the track and se-

lect the plug-in that you want to use. (See “TDM and RTAS Plug-Ins” on page 477 for related in-

formation.)

Insert Selector

Inserting Plug-Ins During Playback

Plug-ins can be inserted or removed during playback, with the following restrictions:

• Plug-ins cannot be inserted or removed during recording.

• A plug-in cannot be dragged to a different insert location during playback or recording.

Stop playback to do this.

• Plug-ins that change a track’s format (a monoto-stereo plug-in, for example) cannot be inserted or removed during playback. Stop playback to do this.

• Plug-ins that contain automation cannot be removed during playback. Stop playback to do this.

• Playback must be stopped when enabling plug-in controls for automation.

• Side-chain inputs cannot be created during playback. Stop playback to do this.

Inserting a TDM plug-in

To remove an insert from a track:

■

Click the Insert Selector and choose No Insert.

Removing a plug-in

Plug-In Menu Organization

You can customize how plug-in lists (plug-in menus) are organized in the Insert Selector and

Plug-In Selector.

Use the “Organize Plug-In Menus By” pop-up menu in the Display Preferences page to organize plug-in menus in a Flat List (with plug-ins in alphabetical order), or by Category, Manufacturer, or Category and Manufacturer.

Pro Tools 6.8.x and lower provide an “Organize Plug-Ins By Category” option only.


Plug-ins organized by Category (using the Insert

Selector)

Plug-ins organized by Manufacturer (using the Plug-In

Selector)

“Organize Plug-In Menus By” Pop-Up Menu

Flat List Organizes plug-ins in a single list, in alphabetical order.

Category Organizes plug-ins by process category

(such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individual plug-ins listed in the category submenus.

Plug-ins that do not fit into a standard category

(such as the DigiRack Signal Generator), or third-party plug-ins that have not had a category designated by their developers, appear in the Other category. Plug-ins can appear in more than one category.

Plug in categories include:

• EQ

• Dynamics

• Pitch Shift

• Reverb

• Delay

• Modulation

• Harmonic

• Noise Reduction

• Dither

• Sound Field

• Hardware

• Instrument

• Other

• Wrapped Plug-Ins

• Effects (Pro Tools 6.9 Only)

The Effects subfolder organizes special effects, multi-effect processors, and other plug-ins. All plug-ins that specify their plug-in category as an

“Effects” type will be displayed within the Effects subfolder.

The Effects subfolder only appears on systems that have Effects plug-ins installed.

Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins by their manufacturer (such as Digidesign, Eventide, Line 6, and McDSP), with individual plug-ins listed in the manufacturer submenus. Plug-Ins that do not have a Manufacturer defined will appear in the “Other” manufacturer folder.

Most Digidesign-distributed third party plug-ins will be grouped under Digidesign when view by

Manufacturer is enabled.

Category and Manufacturer Organizes plug-ins in two levels of menus. The top menus display plug-ins by process category (such as EQ, Dynamics, and Delay), with individual plug-ins listed in the category submenus. The bottom menus display plug-ins by manufacturer (such as Digidesign, Eventide, Line 6, and McDSP), with individual plug-ins listed in the manufacturer submenus.


To select how plug-ins are organized:

1 Open or create a session.

2 Choose Setups > Preferences, and click the

Display tab.

control surfaces with single-color displays do not indicate plug-in choices, Pro Tools software continues to display plug-ins according to their

“Organize Plug-Ins Menu By” setting.)

Plug-in Favorites

To find a plug-in faster, a plug-in can be designated as a favorite . Favorite plug-ins are shown at the top of the plug-in menu.

When a plug-in becomes a favorite, it is still shown in its plug-in category and its name appears in bold.

Favorite plug-ins

Display page of the Setups > Preferences window

3 Click the “Organize Plug-In Menus By” popup menu, and select one of the view options.

4 Click Done.

The current “Organize Plug-In Menus By” setting is saved with Pro Tools preferences (it is not saved with the Pro Tools session file).

Control Surface Support

Digidesign control surfaces with multi-color

LCDs (such as D-Control) indicate plug-ins as follows:

• Plug-in categories (such as EQ) and plug-in manufacturers (such as Digidesign) are indicated in green text.

• Specific plug-ins located in the plug-in subfolders (such as EQ III in the EQ subfolder) are indicated in yellow (amber) text.

Control surfaces with single-color displays (such as ProControl and Command|8) do not indicate plug-in view choices. They display contents of a plug-in folder as a single list of plug-ins. (While

Plug-in categories

Menu display of favorite plug-Ins

To designate a plug-in as a favorite:

■

Control-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Macintosh) on a plug-in Insert button, and select a plug-in from a plug-in category to designate it as a favorite.

To change the status of a plug-in favorite:

■


(Macintosh) on a plug-in Insert button, and select a plug-in favorite that you no longer want to designate as a favorite.

When selecting the plug-in favorite to change, you can select the plug-in from the list of favorites at the top of the plug-in menu, or in its plugin category (where the plug-in appears in bold).


Moving and Duplicating Plug-

In and Hardware Inserts

You can move or duplicate an insert by dragging it to a different position on the same track or a different track. Inserts that are moved or duplicated retain their original settings and automation.

Plug-ins cannot be moved or duplicated during playback or recording.

To move an insert:

■

Drag the insert to a new insert location.

The Plug-In Window

The Plug-In window appears whenever you click a plug-in’s Insert button on a track. This floating window lets you edit the adjust the controls of any real-time plug-in insert in use on a track.

Insert

Selector

Insert button

Track Selector Plug-In Selector

Insert Position

Selector

Convert plug-In

Effect bypass

Moving a plug-in

Dragging an insert on top of an existing insert will replace it and any automation.

To duplicate an insert:

■

Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Macintosh) the insert to a new insert location. Duplicated plug-in inserts retain their original settings and automation.

Librarian menu

Settings menu

Compare Target button

Previous setting

Next setting

Auto button

Plug-In Settings Select

Safe button

Insert button and plug-In window header

Master Link button

Link Enable buttons

Channel Selector

Phase Invert

Plug-In window (multi-mono 1-Band EQ shown)


Plug-in clipping LED

Phase Invert buttons

Clip LED Lights red to indicate if any meter in a plug-in has clipped (not available on all plugins). The Plug-In Clip LED follows Pro Tools settings for clip indication.

LFE Enable

Plug-In window (multichannel Compressor shown)

MIDI node

MIDI Node Display (Virus Indigo shown)

Track Selector Accesses any non-MIDI track in a session.

Insert Position Selector Accesses any insert on the current track.

Plug-In Selector Lets you select any real-time plug-in installed in the Plug-Ins folder (that is created when you install Pro Tools).

Effect Bypass Disables the currently displayed plug-in. This lets you compare the track with and without the effect.

Convert Plug-In Lets you convert the insert from a TDM plug-in to an RTAS plug-in of the same type (or vice-versa). This feature can only be used on plug-ins that are available in both TDM and RTAS formats.

Clip

LED

Plug-In Clipping indicator in the plug-In header

Settings Menu Lets you copy, paste, save, and import plug-in settings.

Librarian Menu Recalls settings files saved in the plug-in’s root settings folder or in the current

session’s Settings folder. See “Using the Librarian” on page 486.

Next (+) and Previous (–) Setting Buttons

(Pro Tools 6.7 and Higher Only) Let you select the next or previous plug-in setting from the Librarian menu.

You will lose the current settings if they are not saved before you use the Next and Previous Setting buttons. Always save your settings to the Librarian menu.

Plug-Ins Settings Select Button (Pro Tools 6.7 and

Higher Only) Accesses the Plug-In Settings dialog, which lists the settings files for the current plug-in. From this list, you can select a new setting, or audition a series of settings.

Compare Toggles between the original saved plug-in setting and any changes you have made to it so you can compare them.

Auto Lets you enable individual plug-in controls

for automation recording. See “Automating

Plug-Ins” on page 510.

Safe When enabled, prevents existing plug-in automation from being overwritten.


Target Button When multiple Plug-In windows are open, clicking this button selects that plugin as the target for any computer keyboard com-

mands. For more information, see “Targeted

Windows” on page 464.

Key Input Selector Lets you select audio on a particular input or bus and route it to trigger the plug-in. This menu only appears on plug-ins that feature side-chain processing. Key inputs are monophonic.

MIDI Node Display (Pro Tools 6.7 and Higher

Only) Shows MIDI node information for MIDIenabled plug-ins. MIDI nodes are virtual connections from Pro Tools to software instruments and other MIDI-enabled plug-ins. MIDI nodes are useful for routing multiple MIDI tracks to different channels of a single virtual MIDI device. MIDI node numbers are also displayed in a track’s MIDI Output Selector.

Master Link Button When enabled, links the controls on all channels of a multi-mono plugin so that they can be adjusted in tandem.

Link Enable Buttons Let you selectively link or unlink the controls of specific channels of a multi-mono plug-in. Each square represents a speaker channel. The Master Link button must

be disabled to use the Link Enable buttons. See

“Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-

Mono Plug-Ins” on page 491.

Channel Selector Accesses a specific channel within a multichannel track for plug-in control editing. This menu appears only on multi-mono plug-ins inserted on tracks with more than one channel. Shift-clicking this selector opens a separate Plug-In window for each channel of the multichannel track on which the plug-in is inserted.

Phase Invert Button Inverts the phase polarity of the input signal on some plug-ins.

LFE Enable Enables plug-in processing of the

LFE (low frequency effects) channel on a multichannel track formatted for 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 surround formats on some plug-ins. To disable LFE processing, deselect this button.

Tempo Sync Enables compatible plug-ins to automatically synchronize to the session tempo, for rhythmic delay, echo, and similar effects.

Opening Plug-In Windows

To open a Plug-In window:

■

Click the plug-in button in the Mix or Edit window channel strip.

By default, each plug-in you open will appear in the same location as a currently open plug-in, replacing it in the same window location.

Opening Multiple Plug-In Windows

Pro Tools normally displays a single Plug-In window from which you can adjust the controls of any session plug-in. You can also open additional Plug-In windows for specific plug-ins.

Once you begin working with multiple Plug-In windows, you will need to click the Target button on the plug-in whose controls you want to adjust using keyboard commands.

To open an additional Plug-In window:

■

In the Mix window, Shift-click the Insert button of a plug-in.

To open Plug-In windows for each channel of a multi-mono plug-in:

■

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh) the Channel Selector in the Plug-In window of a plug-in insert.


To close all currently open Plug-In windows:

■

Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh) the close box of any currently open Plug-

In window.

Plug-In Window Controls

All plug-ins provide standard Pro Tools controls for track and insert selection, bypass, and other controls, in addition to the EQ, dynamics, and other processor-specific controls.

To select a different plug-in on the same track:

■

Click the Insert Selector and select a plug-in from the pop-up menu.

Target Window and Settings Shortcuts

When multiple Plug-In windows are open, a highlighted target indicates the target window.

Pro Tools keeps a single plug-in target window.

Opening a new plug-in opens it as the new target window, in the same location. In addition, the plug-in target window is also the focus of keyboard shortcuts for plug-in settings.

Using the Librarian

The Settings Librarian makes it easy to create your own library of plug-in settings. Using the

Librarian and Settings pop-up menus, you can copy, paste, save, and import these settings from plug-in to plug-in, or from session to session.

Choosing a plug-in from the Plug-In window

To choose a different track:

■

Click the Track Selector and choose a track from the pop-up menu.

Choosing a track from the Plug-In window

Librarian menu

Once you create and save settings files to disk

(and tell Pro Tools where to find them by assigning their root folder) they will appear in the Librarian menu (and in the Plug-In Settings dialog).

You can also use the Plug-In Settings dialog

(Pro Tools 6.7 and higher) to select settings

or audition them. See “Plug-In Settings Dialog” on page 489.


The Settings Menu

Use the Settings menu commands to save, copy, paste, and manage plug-in settings files.

Settings menu

Settings menu commands include:

Save Settings Saves the current settings. This command overwrites any previous version of the settings. The setting then appears in the Librarian menu.

Save Settings As Saves the current settings under a different name.

Copy Settings Copies the current settings. You can then apply these settings to the same type of plug-in on a different track by choosing the track in the Plug-In window and pasting the settings with the Paste Settings command.

Paste Settings Pastes settings copied with the

Copy Settings command.

Import Settings Imports a settings file from a location other than the Root Settings folder or Session folder.

Delete Current Settings File Permanently deletes the current settings file from disk.

Lock Settings File Prevents the current settings from being overwritten by the Save command.

If you attempt to save control settings, you will be required to save them using a different name or disk location.

Set As User Default Defines the current settings as the User Default for a specific plug-in.

Settings Preferences

The Settings Preferences sub-menus are for choosing preferences for saving and importing plug-in settings. They include:

Set Plug-In Default To Sets the default setting to either Factory Default (the standard default setting for that plug-in) or User Default (your custom setting).

Save Plug-In Settings To Selects the folder where plug-in settings are saved. If you choose Session

Folder, the settings are saved in a folder named

“Plug-In Settings” within the current Session folder. If you choose Root Settings Folder, the settings are saved in the folder you specified with the Set Root Settings Folder command.

Set Root Settings Folder Selects a location or root folder for saving and importing settings.

This root settings folder must be named “Plug-

In Settings.” Use this command only if you want to choose a location other than the default Plug-

In Settings folder.

The default location for the Root Plug-In Settings folder is as follows:

Windows Program Files\Common Files\

Digidesign\DAE\Plug-In Settings

Macintosh Library/Application Support/

Digidesign/Plug-In Settings

To save plug-in settings to any location other than the default Plug-In Settings folder, you must first create a folder named

“Plug-In Settings” in the new location and then save to that folder.


Choosing a Destination for

Settings

Before you save plug-in settings, select their destination folder.

To select a destination folder:

■

From the Settings pop-up menu, choose Settings Preferences > Save Plug-In Settings To, and choose Session Folder or Root Settings Folder.

If you choose Root Settings folder, Pro Tools saves to the default Root Plug-In Settings folder unless you have specified a different location for the Root Settings folder.

To select a different Root Settings folder:

1 From the Settings pop-up menu, choose Settings Preferences > Set Root Settings Folder.

2 Select the folder you want to use as your Root folder and click Select.

Creating Subfolders for Settings

To make it easier to find specific types of settings, you can subdivide settings files by creating subfolders for them.

To create a settings subfolder:

3 From the Settings pop-up menu, choose Save

Settings.

4 Click the New Folder button and type a name for the subfolder.

5 Name the setting and click Save. The setting is saved within the subfolder.

Managing Settings

Use the Settings pop-up menu to manage settings.

Unlinked multi-mono plug-ins have specific

rules for settings. See “Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-Ins” on page 491.

To save a setting:

1 Choose Save Settings from the Settings popup menu.

2 Type a name and click OK. The setting appears in the Librarian menu.

Press Control+Shift+S (Windows) or Command+Shift+S (Macintosh) to save plug-in settings.

To load a previously saved setting:

■

Choose the setting from the Librarian pop-up menu.

To import a setting:

1 Choose Import Settings from the Settings popup menu.

2 Locate the settings file you want to import and click Open. Pro Tools loads the setting and copies it to the root destination folder.

Librarian menu with subfolders for settings


To copy a setting:

■

Choose Copy Settings from the Settings popup menu.

Press Control+Shift+C (Windows) or Command+Shift+C (Macintosh) to copy plug-in settings.

To paste a setting:

1 Open the destination plug-in.

2 Choose Paste Settings from the Settings popup menu.

Press Control+Shift+V (Windows) or Command+Shift+V (Macintosh) to paste plugin settings.

To create a custom User Default setting:

1 Create and save a setting.

2 Choose Set As User Default from the Settings pop-up menu.

To make a plug-in default to your custom setting:

■

From the Settings pop-up menu, choose Set

Plug-In Default To > User Setting.

Changing Settings with the Next (+) and

Previous (–) Setting Buttons

These buttons let you select the next or previous setting of the Librarian menu.

To change plug-in settings using the +/– buttons:

■

Click the Plus (+) or Minus (–) buttons to select the next or previous plug-in settings file.

The next (or previous) settings file are enabled, and the Librarian menu changes to reflect the new setting.

You will lose the current settings if they are not saved before you use the Next and Previous Setting buttons. Always save your settings to the Librarian menu.

Editing Settings on Unlinked Multi-

Mono Plug-ins

When a multi-mono plug-in is unlinked, importing, copying, pasting, or bypassing settings affects only the currently selected channel.

To apply an operation to all channels of an unlinked plug-in:

■

Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Macintosh) while performing the command.

Plug-In Settings Dialog

(Pro Tools 6.7 and Higher Only)

The Plug-In Settings dialog lists the settings files for the current plug-in type. From this list, you can select a new setting, or audition a series of settings. Auditioning plug-in settings is especially useful for selecting patch names for virtual

MIDI instrument plug-ins or trying out different effects types applied to your audio.

Use the Folder pop-up menu at the top of the

Settings dialog to switch between plug-in settings subfolders, or root and session settings folders.

The Plug-In Settings dialog includes the following:

Folder This pop-up menu lets you switch between settings located in root or session folders

(and any available subfolders).

Patch Field This field displays the name of the active (highlighted) setting.


Increment Patch Every X Sec This option lets you audition contiguous plug-in settings onthe-fly by automatically scrolling through them for a specified number of seconds.

To audition plug-in settings:

1 Click the Settings Select button.

2 From the dialog list, click a setting—the starting point from which you will scroll through the settings files.

3 Enter a value for the number of seconds that will elapse between each program change.

4 Select the option for Increment Patch.

After the specified number of seconds, Pro Tools selects the next setting.

5 When you are finished auditioning settings, do one of the following:

• Click Done to stop incrementing patches, and to close the Plug-in Settings dialog.

– or –

• Select the Increment Patch option to stop incrementing patches and keep the Plug-In

Settings dialog open.

Plug-in Settings dialog

To change plug-in settings using the settings dialog:

1 Click the Settings Select button.

2 From the dialog list, select the desired plug-in setting.

– or –

Use the Arrow keys to scroll through the available settings.

To switch between settings subfolders, press

Control (Windows) or Command (Macintosh) and use the Up/Down Arrow keys.

3 Click Done.

Auditioning Plug-in Settings

When the Plug-in Settings dialog is open, you can have Pro Tools automatically scroll through and audition the settings files saved in the plugin’s root settings folder or in the current session’s settings folder.

Bypassing Plug-Ins

Plug-ins can be bypassed from their Plug-In window, or from the Mix and Edit window Inserts

View.

When a plug-in insert is bypassed, the Insert Selector in the Mix window changes its color to blue for easy visual reference. If some, but not all channels of an unlinked multi-mono plug-in are bypassed, the Insert

Selector appears purple.


To bypass a plug-in:

■

Click the Plug-In window’s Bypass button.

– or –

■


(Macintosh) the plug-in’s Insert button in the

Mix or Edit window. bypassed (blue) some channels bypassed (purple) not bypassed

To link the controls of specific channels:

1 Deselect the Master Link button if it is not already deselected.

2 Click the Link Enable buttons for the channels whose controls you want to link. For example, to link all channels except the LFE, highlight the icons representing the five fullrange speakers in a multi-mono plug-in.

All channels linked except the LFE

Indication of bypassed plug-in state

Linking and Unlinking Controls on

Multi-Mono Plug-Ins

(TDM Systems Only)

When a multi-mono plug-in is used on a multichannel track of more than two channels, the controls are normally linked. Adjusting the

Gain control on one channel, for example, will adjust it for all channels.

You can unlink multi-mono plug-in controls on specific channels of a track and edit them independently. You can also selectively link the controls of specific channels.

Link Enable buttons

Channel Selector

Master Link button

Channel Selector and Link controls (shown with Link disabled)

To unlink controls on a multi-mono plug-in:

■

Deselect the Master Link button.

To access controls for a specific channel:

■

Select the channel from the Channel Selector.

Editing Plug-In Controls

You can adjust plug-in controls by dragging the control’s slider or knob, or by typing a value into the control’s text box. For instructions on editing specific plug-ins, see the plug-in’s documentation (such as the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide and

Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide) .

To adjust a plug-in control:

1 Begin audio playback so that you can hear the control changes in real time.

2 Adjust the controls of the plug-in for the effect you want.

3 Close the Plug-In window to save the most recent changes.

Keyboard Shortcuts

◆ For finer adjustments, Control-drag (Windows) or Command-drag (Macintosh) the control.

◆ To return a control to its default value, Altclick (Windows) or Option-click (Macintosh) the control.


Keyboard Shortcuts for Plug-In

Controls

You can use your computer keyboard to edit plug-in controls.

If multiple Plug-In windows are open, Tab and keyboard entry remain focused on the plug-in that is the Target window.

To adjust controls from a computer keyboard:

• Click or Tab to the control text field that you want to edit to activate the field. Type an appropriate value.

• In fields that support values in kilohertz, typing “k” after a number value will multiply the value by 1,000. For example, type “8k” to enter a value of 8,000.

• To increase a value, press the Up Arrow on your keyboard. To decrease a value, press the

Down Arrow on your keyboard.

• Press Enter on the numeric keyboard after typing a value to input the value (without leaving the selected control field).

• Press Enter on the QWERTY keyboard (Windows) or Return (Macintosh) to enter the value and leave keyboard editing mode.

• To move forward through the different control fields, press the Tab key. To move backward, press Shift+Tab.

• Press Alt-C (Windows) or Option-C (Macintosh) to clear plug-in clipping.

The plug-in target window is the focus of keyboard shortcuts for plug-in settings. To make a plug-in the target for any computer keyboard commands (including key shortcuts), click the plug-in’s Target button in its

Plug-In window.

Plug-In Automation and Safe

All real-time plug-ins can be fully automated, and support all Pro Tools Automation modes

(Write, Touch, and Latch, plus Trim).

The Auto button opens the Plug-in Automation dialog, where you can enable individual plug-in

controls for automation recording. (See “Automating Plug-Ins” on page 510 for more informa-

tion.)

The Safe button engages Automation Safe mode.

When enabled, existing plug-in automation is

protected from being overwritten. (See “Record

Safing Plug-In Automation” on page 511.)

Using a Key Input for Side-Chain

Processing

Some plug-ins (such as the DigiRack Compressor, Limiter, Gate, and Expander/Gate) feature side-chain processing capabilities. Side-chain processing allows you to trigger a plug-in from a separate reference track or external audio source. The source used for triggering is referred to as the Key Input . Key inputs are monophonic.

A typical use for this feature is to control the dynamics of one audio signal using the dynamics of another signal (the Key Input). For example, a kick drum track could be used to trigger gating of a bass track to tighten it up, or a rhythm guitar track could be used to gate a keyboard pad.

Another side-chain usage, is to create a tunable signal generator: Use a Signal Generator plug-in on an Auxiliary Input, add a gate plug-in to the track, then feed its gate with a side-chain from the kick. The generator is tunable (based on what tone you record).


RTAS plug-ins do not provide side-chain processing when used on TDM-based systems; use the TDM versions of plug-ins on

TDM-based systems if you want to use sidechain processing.

Key Input Filters

Some plug-ins feature key high pass and low pass filters. These controls allow you to define a specific frequency range in the Key Input signal with which to trigger the plug-in effect. A common production technique is to use these controls to filter a drum track so that only specific high frequencies (a hi-hat, for example) or low frequencies (a tom or a kick, for example) trigger the effect.

To use a Key Input for side-chain processing:

1 From the Key Input menu, choose the input or bus carrying the audio you want to use to trigger the plug-in.

Choosing a Key Input

2 Click External Key to activate side-chain processing.

3 To hear the audio source you have selected to control side-chain input, click Key Listen.

4 To filter the Key Input so that only specific frequencies trigger the plug-in, use the Key HPF and Key LPF controls (if available) to select the frequency range.

5 Begin playback. The plug-in uses the input or bus that you chose as a Key Input to trigger its effect.

6 Adjust the plug-in’s Threshold control (if available) to fine-tune Key Input triggering. Also experiment with the Send level, by feeding the side-chain more or less gain.

7 Adjust other controls to achieve the desired effect.

Using Hardware Inserts

You can connect external devices, such as reverb or effects processors, to your Pro Tools system and use them as inserts, or in a send-and-return arrangement.

Pro Tools inserts utilize corresponding hardware input and output channels to send and return the audio. Inserts can be defined, and their channels mapped to audio interface channels, in the I/O Setup dialog.

If you plan to use a device as an insert, be sure to connect the device to matching inputs and outputs on your system. For example, to use outputs 7–8, the insert has to use inputs 7–8. Routing the physical inputs and outputs of the interface to Pro Tools inputs and outputs can be done in the Hardware Setup dialog (or I/O Setup

dialog). For more information, see “Configuring

Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback System Engine)” on page 37, or “Routing Hardware

I/O to Pro Tools I/O” on page 71.


To define a hardware insert:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup, then click the Inserts tab.

2 Select an insert path, or click New Path to create a new Insert path.

3 Double-click the Path Name to enter a custom path name for the insert.

4 Make sure the insert path is set to the correct format (mono, stereo, or other).

5 Map inserts in the Channel Grid as needed.

Insert and Output paths have special rules re-

garding channel mapping (see “Overlapping

Channels and Valid Paths” on page 77).

Assigning Hardware Inserts

To assign a hardware insert to a track:

■

Select an insert from the track Insert Selector.

Selecting a hardware I/O insert

Bypassing Hardware Inserts

Hardware inserts do not provide a bypass control. To monitor playback without a hardware insert, either set it to Inactive, remove it by reassigning it to No Insert, or use a bypass switch on the hardware device itself.

See “Making Inserts Inactive” on page 479 for

more information.

Connecting and Integrating

External Devices

Pro Tools TDM and LE systems can create dedicated connections to external analog or digital devices. The number and type of connections depends on what kind of system you have.

To connect an external device to a Pro Tools system:

1 Connect an unused output (or pair of outputs for a stereo device) of your Pro Tools system to an input of the external signal processor.

2 Connect the output of the external signal processor to an unused input (or pair of inputs for a stereo device) of your Pro Tools system.

3 Define what physical ports are routed to

Pro Tools input and output ports, as appropriate, in either the Hardware Setup dialog or

I/O Setup dialog.

4 Define output, input, or insert paths as appropriate in the I/O Setup dialog.

If you plan to use a device as an insert, be sure to connect the device to matching inputs and outputs on your system. For example, to use outputs 7–8, the insert has to use inputs 7–8 also.

For additional information on connecting external devices, refer to your

Pro Tools Getting Started Guide

.

Connecting Effects Units Digitally

If you want to use the digital inputs and outputs on your Pro Tools system as effects sends and returns to a digital effects device, Pro Tools should be the clock master in most cases. Set your digital effects device to accept an external digital clock so that it synchronizes to Pro Tools.


To set up a digital send to an external device from a TDM system:

1 Do one of the following:

• On a 192 I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 96 I/O,

96i I/O, or 888|24 I/O, choose Setups >

Hardware Setup, choose the peripheral, and set the channel pair to Digital.

• On an 882|20 I/O or 1622 I/O, choose Setups > Hardware Setup, choose the peripheral, and set Channel 1–2 input to Digital.

2 Choose Internal from the Clock Source popup menu (Pro Tools 5.3 and higher) or Sync

Mode pop-up menu (Pro Tools 5.2 and lower).

3 Click OK.

To set up a digital send to an external device from a Digi 002 or Digi 002 Rack system:

1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine and choose the peripheral.

2 Do one of the following:

• If the external device is connected to the

S/PDIF RCA jacks, deselect S/PDIF Mirroring. (When S/PDIF Mirroring is on, digital output at the S/PDIF RCA jacks exactly mirrors the output of analog Channels 1–2.)

• If the external device is connected to the

Optical ports, choose a format (most likely

S/PDIF for an effects device) from the Optical Format pop-up menu.

3 Choose Internal from the Clock Source popup menu.

4 Click OK.

5 Optionally, configure the I/O Setup dialog with new path names for effects routing.

If you set the Optical Format to S/PDIF,

Pro Tools will watch the Optical port for any audio input, and ignore any audio input on the S/PDIF RCA jacks.

Using External Clock Sources

All Pro Tools systems can synchronize to an external clock source. Options for external clock vary according to the type of Pro Tools system you are using.

Pro Tools|HD-Series Systems

Pro Tools|HD-series systems can receive external clock through any of the digital inputs on any

Pro Tools|HD I/O (including AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and Optical).

With an expanded Pro Tools|HD system that includes Legacy interfaces (such as the 888|24

I/O), connect to the digital input on Channels

1–2 of the Legacy audio interface in order to clock from them. Legacy I/Os only support

44.1 kHz and 48 kHz sample rates.

To determine correct card order and audio interface connections, refer to the Getting

Started Guide with HD Guide.

To select an external clock source for a TDM system:

1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup.

2 Select the appropriate Pro Tools|HD I/O in order to display its settings in the Main page.

3 If necessary, enable the appropriate Digital

Format (if you have not already done so, according to the instructions in your Getting Started

Guide or I/O Guide ).

4 Set the Clock Source (Pro Tools 5.3 and higher) or Sync Mode (Pro Tools 5.2 and lower) to match the type of input.

5 Configure input routing of the digital source, using the Input and Output pop-up menus, if necessary.

6 Click OK to close Hardware Setup.


Digi 002 or Digi 002 Rack Systems

Pro Tools can receive external clock from the

Optical input or S/PDIF input.

To select an external clock source for a Digi 002 or Digi 002 Rack system:


2 Set the Clock Source (Pro Tools 5.3 and higher) or Sync Mode (Pro Tools 5.2 and lower) to match the type of input.

If you choose Optical, make sure the Optical

Format matches the type of optical input you are sending to your Pro Tools system.

If you set the Optical Format to S/PDIF,

Pro Tools will watch the Optical port for external clock, and ignore any clock input on the S/PDIF RCA jacks.

Mbox Systems

Pro Tools can receive external clock from the

S/PDIF input on the Mbox.

To select an external clock source for an Mbox system:


2 Choose the SPDIF (Windows) or SPDIF/RCA

(Macintosh) from the Clock Source pop-up menu.

3 Click OK

Your digital input device must be connected and powered on for Pro Tools to synchronize to it. If your input device is not powered on, leave the Clock Source set to Internal.


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