Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization. Avid Pro Tools HD 6.9, Pro Tools LE 6.9
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Chapter 35: Working with
Synchronization
Synchronization allows one system to output time code and the other device to follow that time code. Pro Tools is synchronized to other devices using SMPTE/EBU time code or MIDI
Time Code. For more information on different
SMPTE/EBU formats, and other concepts related
to time code, refer to Chapter 34, “Synchronization Concepts.”
Pro Tools Synchronization
Options
There are several options for synchronizing
Pro Tools to an external source or using
Pro Tools as the master device. Not all options are available on all Pro Tools systems, as noted.
SMPTE Trigger Only
This solution is useful for short projects if both systems are extremely close in speed, but even the best systems will rarely stay perfectly synchronized for longer than a couple of minutes.
SMPTE Trigger Resolved with
SYNC I/O
(TDM Systems Only)
You can use the optional SYNC I/O, or an equivalent third-party device to resolve Pro Tools recording and playback speed with any of the following clock reference sources while slaving
Pro Tools to time code:
• LTC
• Video source
• House video reference
• VITC
• 1x Word Clock
• AES/EBU “null” clock
• Pilot Tone
• Bi-Phase
This enables long-term, high-fidelity synchronization when all transports within the system are resolved to this common synchronization source, or by resolving to any variations in incoming time code while slaving to time code.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 609
SMPTE Trigger while Locking to an Unresolved
Source
(TDM Systems Only)
SMPTE Trigger can be used with the optional
SYNC I/O or equivalent device to resolve
Pro Tools recording and playback speed while slaving to LTC. This enables long-term, accurate synchronization by resolving to any variations in incoming time code. The SYNC I/O also supports VITC and Bi-phase/Tach positional reference.
SYNC I/O Synchronization Options
By adding the SYNC I/O to your Pro Tools TDM system, you can use Pro Tools as the master device in your synchronization setup. All other devices are then slaved to Pro Tools.
You can use Pro Tools in conjunction with
SYNC I/O to generate LTC, MIDI Time Code, or
MMC commands. When SYNC I/O is reading incoming SMPTE time code, it regenerates the time code through the LTC or MTC output connector. This signal can be passed along to other slave devices.
MachineControl™
The SYNC I/O also supports Digidesign
MachineControl software, which provides many specialized features for post-production synchronization tasks including remote track arming, VTR emulation, serial time code, and other capabilities. (See the MachineControl Guide for more information, or contact your Digidesign dealer.)
For instructions on connecting an external synchronization peripheral to your
Pro Tools system, refer to the Getting
Started Guide. If you are using SYNC I/O, refer to your SYNC I/O documentation.
Ext. Clock Output
Pro Tools can be used as the master device in your synchronization setup, where all other devices are then slaved to Pro Tools word clock output.
With Pro Tools|HD-series systems, clock output can be configured for 1x word clock, or 256x
Slave Clock for Digidesign Legacy I/Os (such as
888|24 I/O). See the Getting Started with HD
Guide for more information on clock output and
Legacy I/Os.
To set Ext. Clock Output:
1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup in Pro Tools.
2 Click the Ext. Clock Output pop-up menu and select an available signal.
3 Click OK to close the Hardware Setup dialog when you have finished.
If the Legacy Port is enabled (as opposed to the Expansion Port) then the Ext. Clock
Output automatically switches to
Slave256x. To reset the Ext. Clock Output, the Port Settings button must be set back to
Expansion and the Legacy I/O must be set to
No Interface. (To set a Legacy I/O to No Interface, select its name in the Peripherals list, then choose No Interface from the
Interface pop-up menu.)
610 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Session Setup Window
The Session Setup window lets you configure various time code-related settings on your system. The window also includes display-only areas for session sample rate, file format, and bit depth.
Pro Tools LE systems with DV Toolkit support various time code-related settings (such as Time Code and Feet+Frame Timebase
Rulers). For a complete list, refer to the DV
Toolkit for Pro Tools LE Guide.
Session Setup Window
The Session Setup window is organized into three view sections. Session displays and settings are displayed at the top of the window.
The SYNC Setup & Session Offsets section, and the Time Code Settings section, can be shown or hidden using their dedicated Expand/Collapse icons.
Clock Source
Session displays and settings
To show the Session Setup window:
■
From a Pro Tools session, choose Windows >
Show Session Setup.
To expand SYNC Setup & Session Offset section:
■
Click the SYNC Setup & Session Offsets Expand/Collapse icon.
The controls in this section configure settings of the Digidesign SYNC I/O. Settings are provided for Clock and Positional Reference, Video Format, and Variable Speed Override.
To show Time Code Settings section:
■
Click the Time Code Settings Expand/Collapse icon.
The controls in this section provide time code generation and freewheel options, and separate pull up and down selectors for audio and video rates.
Expand/Collapse icon
Session Start Offsets Synchronization Setup
Expand/Collapse icon
Time Code Settings Pull Up and Down
Time Code Reader offset
Figure 47. Session Setup window with SYNC I/O
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 611
Session Displays and Settings
Sample Rate
This display indicates the sample rate for the current session.
Bit Depth
This display indicates the bit depth for the current session.
Audio Format
This display indicates the file format for files recorded in the session.
Mac<->PC
This display indicates whether Pro Tools is set to create sessions and audio files that are usable on both Windows and Macintosh.
Clock Source (Sync Mode)
Use this menu to configure the system Clock
Source. You can choose between a SYNC I/O, an internal clock source from a digidesign card or peripheral, or an external clock source connected to a Pro Tools|HD audio interface.
Changes made to Clock Source in the Hardware Setup window will be reflected in the
Session Setup window and vise versa.
Clock Source Options
SYNC I/O When using a Digidesign SYNC I/O,
Pro Tools receives its clock source from the
SYNC I/O, and the SYNC I/O can in turn reference an external clock source listed in the SYNC setup selector.
Internal Mode In Internal mode, your system will reference your Digidesign card or peripheral’s quartz crystal oscillator and play back at the session’s sample rate.
External Clock Sources Depending on your
Pro Tools|HD audio interface, external Clock
Source options can include AES/EBU [Encl.],
S/PDIF, Optical [Encl.], AES/EBU 1-8, TDIF,
ADAT, and Word Clock (optional word clock rates are available at higher frequencies). External sources can be 1x any sample rate or the
“base” rate. Base rate equals 44.1 kHz for 88.2 and 176.4 kHz; 48 kHz for 96 and 192 kHz. If an external source is chosen, and no valid sync clock is detected at the External Clock In, the
I/O will return to Internal mode.
If SYNC I/O is enabled in the Peripherals dialog, and is correctly connected in the Loop
Sync chain, SYNC I/O can be the Loop Master, and Pro Tools|HD audio interfaces will clock as Loop Sync slaves.
For more information on external clock sources, see the SYNC I/O Guide .
System Delay
This display indicates the total amount of system delay (in samples) caused by plug-ins and mixer routing.
Fader Gain
This display indicates the maximum fader gain level for the session.
Session Start
Use this field to specify a SMPTE start frame lo-
cation for your session. See “Setting a SMPTE
Session Start Time (Start Frame)” on page 616.
612 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Incoming Time (Current Time)
This display indicates incoming time code.
Timecode Rate
This pop-up menu lets you set the SMPTE timecode rate for the current session.
Feet+Frame Rate
Feet+Frame rates for sessions can be set with the
Feet+Frame Rate selector. Supported rates are
23.976, 24, and 25 fps.
Set this rate to match the rate of the film projector, or the video if the film projector speed is taken into account. For example, doing a Telecine transfer from a 24 fps film projector to
NTSC video would necessitate the projector running at 23.976 fps. This is regardless of whether the session is using pull down audio or not.
When using Pro Tools|HD-series systems without a SYNC I/O, choices include any currentlyenabled digital format or source available from your Pro Tools|HD I/O (such as AES, S/PDIF, or
1x Word arriving at the Pro Tools|HD interface’s
Word Clock In port).
Positional Reference
Use this menu to set the time code source for
Pro Tools to use for positional reference.
Video Format
Use this menu to set the session for NTSC or PAL format.
\
Variable Speed Override (VSO)
Variable Speed Override (VSO) requires a
SYNC I/O.
When a SYNC I/O is connected to a
Pro Tools|HD-series system, the VSO controls are located in the SYNC Settings section of the
Session Setup window.
SYNC Setup Settings
(TDM Only)
The controls in the SYNC Setup section let you configure SYNC I/O settings, including clock reference, positional reference, video format, and VSO.
These controls are grouped in the Synchronization Settings section.
Clock Reference
This menu lets you set the Pro Tools clock reference.
When using a Digidesign SYNC I/O, the Clock
Reference selector lists all supported clock types for the Digidesign synchronization interface.
VSO slider
Refer to the SYNC I/O Guide for instructions on using VSO to varispeed Pro Tools playback.
Locked Indicator
he Locked indicator stays lit when the SYNC I/O is locked to the selected clock reference. The
Locked indicator flashes if the selected clock reference source is missing or out of lockable frequency range.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 613
Speed Cal Indicator
Speed Cal is an indicator of the accuracy of the incoming clock reference. The Speed Cal indicator is lit when the output frequency is within
200 ppm (0.02%) of the selected sample rate.
The Speed Cal indicator turns off when the output sample rate is not at the expected (or target) rate.
Session Start Offsets
In the Session Start Offsets section (called External Time Code Offsets in Pro Tools 6.6.x),
Pro Tools lets you compensate for devices that are consistently offset by a fixed number of frames (such as some color–corrected video masters), or for material that starts at a different time than the session.
Pro Tools provides three different types of Session Start Time Code Offset settings. These offsets include:
• MMC (MIDI Machine Control)
• 9-Pin (Serial machine control)
• Synchronization peripherals (such as the
SYNC I/O, or a MIDI interface that provide
MIDI Time Code).
Positive and negative offset values can be entered to offset Pro Tools time code display later or earlier, respectively.
Unique values can be defined for each of these three types offsets, or you can link all three to adjust in unison.
If you are using Digidesign’s MachineControl option, additional Session Start Offset options are available. See the MachineControl Guide for more information.
Time Code Settings
The Time Code Settings section provides generator, freewheel, and pull up/down options.
These controls are located in the Time Code Settings section of the Session Setup window. Click the Time Code Settings expand/collapse icon to show or hide these controls.
Generator
The Generator lets you enable Pro Tools generation and output of LTC and MTC using the
SYNC I/O. For more information, see “Generating Time Code” on page 622.
Using Synch This option outputs time code from the Device type selected in the Synchronization page of the Peripherals dialog.
MTC to Port When enabled, outputs MIDI Time
Code to the MIDI destination selected in the pop-up menu. In Pro Tools on Windows, choices appear as they are in your MSS (MIDI
Studio Setup) profile. In Pro Tools on Macintosh, choices are based on your AMS (Audio
MIDI Setup) profile.
Freewheel
The choices in the Freewheel section let you configure how Pro Tools will freewheel , or continue playback if time code is interrupted or corrupted. Use these options to protect against errors that can occur if your SMPTE time code source has “drop outs” or temporary lost signals.
None No freewheel is applied.
Frames Sets a number of frames to freewheel, from 1 to 120 frames. This value defaults to 8 frames, which is the recommended setting for most applications.
614 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Jam Sync Lets Pro Tools trigger synchronization to incoming time code, and continue to play back even if time code input is completely interrupted. It can be useful if time code is damaged, or has been accidentally erased from your source tape.
Pull Up/Down
When Pro Tools is used in conjunction with a
SYNC I/O, or a third party peripheral or synchronizer that supports pulled sample rates, this option allows you to “pull up” or “pull down” the current sample rate.
For general information, see “Working with
Film-Originated Material” on page 604. For
more information on applying pull factors in
Pro Tools, see “Pull Up and Pull Down” on page 618.
Remember, pull up and pull down are applied differently in different workflows.
Make sure you check each project’s specific workflow before you begin your work.
Time Code Reader Offset (Sync Offset)
This field lets you set a trigger offset for incoming
MIDI Time Code (anywhere from –100000 to
+100000 samples). This allows you to create a permanent offset to fine-tune the point at which Pro Tools synchronizes relative to incoming time code. For example, a value of –50 makes an event in Pro Tools occur 50 samples before the same event in the incoming MIDI
Time Code. Use this to compensate for timing differences between various SMPTE-to-MIDI
Time Code converters or analog-to-digital/digital-to-analog converters.
Preparing to Work with SMPTE
The first step when preparing to work with
SMPTE is to choose an appropriate SMPTE frame rate. Pro Tools supports all standard SMPTE frame rates. For a full explanation of these
SMPTE frame rates, see “SMPTE Frame Formats” on page 603.
Determining SMPTE Frame Rate
Common methods to determine the SMPTE frame rate include labeling procedures or communication.
Configuring Pro Tools for
SMPTE
Synchronization and MachineControl™ system settings are enabled in the Pro Tools Peripherals dialog. These settings are system settings, and remain constant regardless of the particular session you are working on. Configure these settings before opening a session.
MachineControl is supported on TDM systems only.
Other settings are configured in the Session
Setup window, such as the session timecode rate, the Feet+Frames rate, the session start frame, and time display format. These settings are session-specific settings. These settings can only be configured when a session is open.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 615
Selecting a SMPTE Format
To choose a SMPTE format:
1 From a Pro Tools session, choose Windows >
Show Session Setup.
2 Choose a frame rate (SMPTE format) from the
Timecode Rate selector.
3 Enter the Time Code Freewheel frames (if any)
in the designated box. See “Freewheel” on page 614 for more information.
Setting a SMPTE Session Star t
Time (Start Frame)
The Session Setup window also allows you to set a SMPTE Start Frame for your session. Video work tapes are rarely striped beginning at a
SMPTE frame address of 00:00:00:00. You can quickly enter a start time for your session based on an appropriate frame number from your project tape. The Pro Tools SMPTE-related functions (such as Spot mode) will then use this value as their reference for the session’s start point.
Start Time When Striping Tape
If you are generating time code, it is a good practice to stripe your time code beginning at
01:00:00:00 (subtracting time for initial black, bars and tone, or logos). This prevents problems that can occur with some synchronizers when the striped time code crosses from 23:59:59:29 to 00:00:00:00 (commonly referred to as the
“midnight” boundary).
To set a SMPTE Start Time for your session:
1 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup.
2 Enter a SMPTE frame number in the Session
Start field.
To capture an incoming SMPTE address as the session start time:
1 Click in the Session Start field.
2 Begin playback of the time code source.
3 At the desired location, press Equal in the numeric keypad.
4 Press Enter to accept the value. You can then edit the captured address. The session uses the frame number you enter as its SMPTE start frame when online.
If there are existing regions on the tracks and you are changing the original SMPTE start frame to a later time (from 00:00:00:00 to 01:00:00:00, for example), all existing regions on tracks will remain in their relative positions, but will start later by the time value added to the start frame.
5 If you are changing the session start time in an open session in which tracks already exist, a warning dialog appears after Session Setup window. Choose from one of two options:
Maintain Time Code Places the additional session time at the start of the session, and keeps existing regions in their original time code locations.
Maintain Relative Position Places the additional session time at the start of the session, and maintains the relative position of existing regions to the new start frame. For example, if you change the session start frame from 01:00:00:00 to 00:59:00:00, Pro Tools adds one minute of session time to accommodate the new start frame, and moves all existing regions earlier in time to maintain their relative position to the start frame.
616 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Redefining a Time Code Position
Use this command to redefine the current time code position and session start time. By creating an insertion point (or selection), and then entering the desired new time code position for that location, the session start time will be recalculated based on the new, relative Time Code location.
To redefine a current Time Code code position:
1 With the Selector, click in a track (or make a selection) where you want to redefine the position.
If your insertion or selection is not on a grid boundary, it will round to the closest boundary.
2 Choose Setups > Redefine Current Timecode
Position.
3 Enter a new SMPTE frame number in the dialog to correspond to the time code shown in the dialog.
4 Click OK.
Redefining a Feet+Frame Position
(Pro Tools TDM Systems and DV Toolkit for
Pro Tools LE Only)
Use this command to redefine the current
Feet+Frames position. By creating an insertion point (or selection), and then entering the desired new Feet+Frames position for that location, the session start time is recalculated based on the new, relative Feet+Frames location.
Typically, this command is used for integrating test tones, pre-roll, Academy leader, and similar pre-program material into Pro Tools sessions.
To set a relative frame position for a session
(Feet+Frames):
1 With the Selector, click in a track (or make a selection) where you want to redefine the position.
If your insertion or selection is not on a grid boundary, it will round to the closest boundary.
2 Choose Setups > Redefine Current
Feet+Frames Position.
3 Enter a Feet+Frame position to correspond to the time code shown in the dialog.
4 Click OK.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 617
Displaying Time in SMPTE Frames
(Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE
Systems with DV Toolkit Only)
In Pro Tools, you can set the Main Time Scale indicator to Time Code (SMPTE). Though
Pro Tools will still synchronize to incoming
SMPTE time code if the Time Scale is displayed in Bars:Beats, Minutes:Seconds, or Feet.Frames, it is usually more useful to use SMPTE time code as your reference.
To set the Main Time Scale to SMPTE Time Code:
■
Choose Display > Time Code.
– or –
■
Click the Main Time Scale selector in the Edit window, and select Time Code.
Selecting a Time Scale format
Pro Tools will display time code values in the currently selected SMPTE frame rate.
Sub Time Scale Display
You can also display a Sub Time Scale. For example, if the Main Time Scale is set to Time Code, and you want to compare SMPTE time to “wall clock,” when you are using 29.97 Non-Drop frame rate, you can select Min:Secs as the Sub
Time Scale.
Pull Up and Pull Down
Pro Tools supports up to 4% pull up and pull down, with support for an additional 0.1% up or down. Separate rates can be set for session audio and video (when video has been imported or captured into the session).
When referring to 4% pull up and pull down, the precise percentages used in pull ups is
4.167%. See Table 36 on page 620.
While the SYNC I/O is not required in order to use the extended pull up and down options provided in Pro Tools, the SYNC I/O is the only device that can be controlled from within
Pro Tools, and that recalls and restores pull factors automatically when a session opens. Other synchronization peripherals must be configured manually.
Pull up and down settings do not affect time code generated by the SYNC I/O.
Configuring Pull Up and Pull Down
To pull up or pull down audio or video:
1 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup.
2 From the Time Code Settings section of the
Show Session Setup window, select a Pull
Up/Down Rate.
Audio Rate Pull Up and Down
Video Rate Pull Up and Down
Session Setup window
Audio Rate Pull Up/Down Controls audio sam-
ple rate. See “Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and
618 Pro Tools Reference Guide
Video Rate Pull Up/Down Controls video rate.
See “Video Rate Pull Up and Down” on page 621.
The choices available in these menus are determined by the session frame rate. Combinations can be applied by choosing from both menus.
4% pull factors are not available in 176.4 and 192 kHz sessions.
The choices available in these menus are also determined by the Preferences and Auto Match
Pull Factors settings in the Timecode Rate menu.
See “Extended Pull Up and Pull Down” on page 619 and “Auto Match Pull Factors” on
Extended Pull Up and Pull Down
Preference and Session Setup Controls The Audio Rate Pull Up and Down menu offers all possible combinations of pull ups and pull downs for the audio sample rate, regardless of the session frame rate.
In addition, if there is a QuickTime video clip in the timeline, the video rate can be pulled up or down by 0.1%, regardless of the session frame rate. Though not an approved workflow, earlier versions of Pro Tools also enabled pull down of
QuickTime video clips when audio was pulled down, so this option is included in Pro Tools
5.3.1 and higher to maintain compatibility with earlier sessions.
Auto Match Pull Factors
Auto Match Pull Factors is available from the session Timecode Rate menu in the Session
Setup window. When Auto Match Pull Factors is enabled, Pro Tools adjusts audio and video playback rates as needed to match any changes to the current session Timecode Rate.
Frame Rate menu with Auto Match Pull Factors
Auto Match Pull is applied relative to the current pull up setting. While enabled, if the session frame rate is changed in such a way that the video would have to be pulled by an unsupported amount, the video remains unaffected.
This setting is latching, is not enabled by default, and its state is stored with the session.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 619
Example of Auto Match Pull Factors
Auto Match Pull Factors links audio and video pull factors when changing session frame rate.
For example, assume a Pro Tools session is set to a frame rate of 25 fps, the audio and video are both playing with no pull ups, and Auto Match
Pull Factors is enabled.
If you then change the session Frame Rate to
24 fps, both the Audio and Video Rate Pull settings would change by –4.0% (the appropriate pull setting required by the change in frame rate).
Auto Match-enabled pull factors are applied to any existing Audio Rate Pull Up/Down or Video
Rate Pull Up/Down settings. For example, if audio was already being pulled –0.1% when you changed the session Frame Rate from 29.97 to
24 fps, then the Audio Rate Pull Up/Down menu would switch to None.
Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and
Down
The Audio Rate Pull Up/Down menu applies pull up or down factors to session audio record and playback. All pull rates are available, regardless of session frame rate.
Audio Rate Pull menu
See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on page 619.
Audio Rates and Pull Up/Down Options
Table 36 lists actual sample rates of each pull up and pull down option and combination
(rounded to the nearest whole Hz):
Table 36. Sample Rates at Pull Up and Pull Down Settings
Pull Up/Down
44100 48000
Sample Rate
88200 96000
+4.1667% and +0.1%
45983 50050 91967 100100
+4.1667% 45938 50000 91875 100000
45892 49950 91783 99900 +4.1667% and –0.1%
+0.1% 44144 48048 88288 96096
–0.1%
–4.0% and
+0.1%
–4.0%
–4.0% and
–0.1%
44056
42378
42336
42294
47952
46126
46080
46034
88112
84757
84672
84587
95904
92252
92160
92068
620 Pro Tools Reference Guide
176400 n/a n/a n/a
176576
176224 n/a n/a n/a
192000 n/a n/a n/a
192192
191808 n/a n/a n/a
Video Rate Pull Up and Down
The Video Pull Up/Down selector lets you change the frame rate of video playback independently from the audio pull-ups (if any). It is located below the Audio Rate Pull Up/Down menu in the Session Setup window.
Video Rate Pull Up/Down menu in Session Setup
See also “Auto Match Pull Factors” on page 619.
The choices available in the Video Rate Pull
Up/Down menu depend on the file format of the video clip, as well as its frame rate. The following table shows the pull ups available for
Avid video clips, both interlaced and Progressive
Scan.
Video Frame Rates and Pull Options
Format and
Video
Frame Rate
Available
Video
Pull Rate
To synchronize with
Avid Video
24 fps None
–0.1% 29.97 NTSC videotape
+4.167% 25 fps PAL videotape
25 fps None
+4.167% 29.97 NTSC videotape
None 29.97
Video pull rates are saved with the session.
No Video Recording with Pull Ups
(AVoption|XL Required)
Video may not be recorded to the timeline if a video pull up is selected. If the video track is record enabled while video pull ups are enabled, or if you attempt to set a video pull up rate while the video track is record enabled, Pro Tools will post a dialog and disallow video recording. To proceed with digitization, reset the Video Rate
Pull Up menu to None.
What is Pulled Up or Down?
The following sections describe how related
Pro Tools features are affected by pull up and down rates.
Time Code Ruler
Video pull up and down does not affect the Time
Code Ruler. Be sure to set the session Frame Rate to the correct frame rate for your project. For example, if working with 24 fps video and you pull the video up by 4%, switch the session Frame
Rate to 25 fps to keep the Time Code Ruler aligned. Similarly, if working with 24 fps video that is pulled down by 0.1%, switch the frame rate of the session to 29.97.
When working with 25 fps Avid media and the video is set to pull down by 4%, set the session
Frame Rate to 24 fps.
Plug-Ins
For proper operation at larger (4%) pull rates, plug-ins must utilize sample clock instead of an absolute time clock. All Digidesign plug-ins are based on sample clock.
Higher Sample Rates and Pull Factors
4% audio pull rates are not available in 176.4 and 192 kHz sample rates sessions.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 621
Putting Pro Tools Online
To trigger playback or recording from an external source, the Pro Tools Transport must be placed online . This tells Pro Tools to listen for incoming time code.
To put the Pro Tools Transport online, do one of the following:
■
Choose Operations > Online.
■
Click the Online button at the far left of the
Transport.
■
Press Control+J (Windows) or Command+J
(Macintosh).
The Online button flashes while Pro Tools waits for a SMPTE frame to trigger playback. When time code is received, playback begins and the
Online button becomes highlighted. The Location Indicators in the Edit window toolbar, and the Incoming Time field in the Session Setup window display the incoming time code (in
Pro Tools 5.x, this field is labelled Current
Time).
To take Pro Tools offline:
■
Deselect Operations > Online.
– or –
■
Deselect the Online button in the Transport window.
Recording Online
The Operation Preferences page contains two options that affect how Pro Tools initiates recording when online.
Record Online At Insertion/Selection Makes online recording begin wherever you have placed the insertion point in a track. Recording then continues until Pro Tools stops receiving time code. If you make a selection in a track,
Pro Tools will record online only for the length of the selection.
Record Online at Time Code (or ADAT)
Lock Makes online recording begin as soon as
Pro Tools receives and locks to time code or
ADAT sync. In this case, you don’t need to make an insertion or selection in a track to designate a start point.
Generating Time Code
Using SYNC I/O, Pro Tools can generate SMPTE and MIDI Time Code (MTC). You can then make Pro Tools a master synchronization source with other devices slaved to it.
SYNC I/O cannot generate 30 fps, 24 fps, or
23.976 fps time code while locked to video input or video reference
The SYNC I/O cannot generate 30 fps, 24 fps, or
23.976 fps time code while it is locked to a video clock signal. If you set Pro Tools to generate
30 fps time code while the SYNC I/O is locked to a video clock signal, the SYNC I/O will actually generate at the NTSC color standard 29.97 fps.
Pro Tools can generate time code at non-NTSC frame rates if you use the internal clock or external word clock on the SYNC I/O as a synchronization source.
Online recording options
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To generate time code using SYNC I/O:
1 Connect the SYNC I/O LTC Out to the SMPTE in connector on the devices you are slaving. If you are slaving a device that recognizes MTC, connect the MTC OUT connector of the
SYNC I/O to the MIDI IN connector of the slaved device (MIDI Interface or other).
2 Make sure your SYNC I/O is powered on.
3 Launch Pro Tools, and make sure you have already enabled the SYNC I/O in the Synchronization page of the Peripherals dialog. See the SYNC
I/O Guide for more information.
4 Choose Windows > Show Session Setup, and choose the appropriate frame rate from the
Timecode Rate selector.
5 Select SYNC I/O from the Generate selector in the Time Code Settings section of the Session
Setup window.
6 Choose a clock reference from the Clock Reference selector. Not all clock choices are available at all sample rates. See “External Clock
Sources” on page 612.)
Choosing a clock reference (SYNC I/O)
7 Click the Online button on the Transport, then click Play. Pro Tools generates and outputs time code from the SYNC I/O.
Using MIDI Machine Control
Pro Tools provides the capability to transmit location information to external devices, and to control their transports, using MIDI Machine
Control (MMC).
Controlling External Devices
Using MMC
Any device that supports MMC (such as an Alesis ADAT or Tascam DA-88) can be controlled directly from within Pro Tools, with either the device or Pro Tools acting as clock master.
The external devices supported by Pro Tools implement “open loop” communications only. Because of this, while Pro Tools is the Transport
Master, any direct operation of the receiving device’s transport will not be communicated back to Pro Tools. Instead, you can use the Transport pop-up to select the external device (MMC in the pop-up) and use the Pro Tools on-screen transport controls to drive the device.
Pro Tools does not support remote track arming of MMC-controlled external devices. You need to manually arm tracks for recording on the external device.
Digidesign’s MachineControl option supports remote track arming for Sony 9-pin
and V-LAN enabled devices. See “Remote
Track Arming” on page 626.
Windows
Pro Tools on Windows uses your Multimedia
Setup to determine which MIDI devices are available, and what their properties are. Refer to your device’s installation and usage documentation to properly configure the device.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 623
Enabling MIDI Machine Control in
Pro Tools
To enable MIDI Machine Control:
1 Choose Setups > Peripherals, then click the
Synchronization tab.
2 Select your synchronization peripheral from the Synchronization/Device pop-up menu. If you are using a MIDI interface, select “Generic
MTC Reader.” If using SYNC I/O, set the Port to
DigiSerial.
3 Select the appropriate port for synchronization information. This is the port to which your synchronization peripheral is attached.
4 Click the Machine Control tab in the Peripherals dialog.
0–127. The default of ID #127 is a special setting that broadcasts to all 128 MMC IDs. With this setting, any device on the specified port will respond to MMC commands.
7 Set a pre-roll time for your MMC device. Preroll is needed to provide Pro Tools with sufficient time to lock to the incoming time code.
This value will vary depending on the external device. If the pre-roll time is insufficient,
Pro Tools may not be ready to lock until after the current time code position has passed.
8 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
Pro Tools will now be able to control the selected device’s transport.
Machine Control page of the Peripherals dialog
5 In the MIDI Machine Control section, enable
MMC.
6 Select your external device from the Send To pop-up menu.
The port on which this information will be transmitted is set in the “ID” field. MMC commands contain an ID number to identify which machine should respond to the MMC command. There are 128 MMC ID numbers, from
Operating the Pro Tools Transport with MMC
You use the Pro Tools Transport window as the remote controller for all your enabled devices
(MMC units, ADAT, or a nonlinear video deck).
To do so, set the enabled devices to listen to the address you enter for MMC. The Transport window will then “drive” Pro Tools transport and any slaved devices.
You can also configure a “Pro Tools master,” which can “drive” other devices (as needed), and to which Pro Tools will chase (slaving
Pro Tools).
624 Pro Tools Reference Guide
To control external devices from the Pro Tools
Transport Master:
■
Select either Pro Tools or MMC from the
Transport pop-up in the Pro Tools Transport window. The selected item will act as Transport
Master.
Taking a Device Offline
Use the Online pop-up menu in the Transport
Master selector to take a MIDI (or Machine) device offline.
To take a device offline:
1 Click the Transport Master selector.
2 Click on the Online pop-up menu and deselect the device (Machine or MIDI) by clicking on it. Device choices depend on the current Transport Master and which devices have been set up in Pro Tools.
Choosing a Transport Master
When the Transport Master is set to Pro Tools, the playback position is governed by the onscreen cursor in Pro Tools.
When the Transport Master is set to MMC, the playback position is governed by the external device’s play position.
For more information, see “Recording from
MMC Transport Settings
When using MMC, you can set the following options for machine transport behavior in the
Operation Preferences page.
Machine Chases Memory Location With this option enabled, navigating to a specific location in a session with a Memory Location causes a connected transport to chase to that location.
Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub With this option enabled, navigating to a specific location in a session by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a track causes a connected transport to chase to that location.
Online pop-up menu
Deselecting a device to take it offline
To bring a device back online, click and reselect it in the Online pop-up menu.
The Online pop-up menu will only display devices that have been properly set up in
Pro Tools.
To set up MIDI devices, see “Enabling MIDI
Machine Control in Pro Tools” on page 624.
To set up machine devices, see the Machine-
Control Guide.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 625
Synchronizing a Sequencer to
Pro Tools
(Macintosh Only)
To synchronize Pro Tools to a sequencer application, configure AMS to provide MTC and
MMC (if desired). Configure AMS to provide at least two nodes for inter-application communication (in the Pro Tools MIDI Setup window, these nodes are provided and are labelled
Pro Tools Inputs 1 through 4).
Configuring Minimum Sync Delay for External
MMC Devices Locked to House Sync
When controlling a house-synced device from
Pro Tools through MMC, the device will first lock to the MMC location and then align the color framing. Within house sync code are 4 frames for ensuring color frame lock. If the minimum synchronization setup time is less than the time required to achieve both location and color frame lock, playback will begin before the device has aligned the color frames. In this scenario, you should set the Minimum Sync Delay to be more than the time required for color frame lock. This is not a problem with the SYNC
I/O, which will drop out of lock until the color frame is locked.
Setting Minimum Sync Delay
Lock-up time delay is the amount of time your system’s devices need to achieve synchronization “lock.” This amount varies for each device.
Pro Tools lock up delay is set by entering a value for Minimum Sync Delay in the Synchronization window of the Peripherals dialog. The lowest value available is 15 frames. Find the shortest possible lock-up time that your equipment can operate at consistently, and set this as the Minimum Sync Delay. On systems utilizing Digidesign MachineControl, enabling the Use Serial
Time Code setting will make machines lock up much faster. (Serial time code requires both the
SYNC I/O and external devices to be locked to house video reference.)
To set a Minimum Sync Delay:
1 Choose Setups > Peripherals, and click the
Synchronization tab.
2 Enter a number of frames in the Minimum
Sync Delay field.
3 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
Remote Track Arming
Digidesign’s MachineControl™ option for
Pro Tools allows you to remotely arm tracks on supported 9-pin (or V-LAN for transport only) decks. Without MachineControl, Pro Tools does not support remote track arming of external devices. MachineControl lets Pro Tools act as the master or slave to external Sony 9-pin (or V-LAN for transport only) machines, in addition to providing remote track arming from within
Pro Tools. (See the MachineControl Guide for more information.)
626 Pro Tools Reference Guide
MIDI Beat Clock
Some MIDI devices such as drum machines, hardware sequencers, and arpeggiators can only synchronize to MIDI Beat Clock. To synchronize these devices to Pro Tools, you can transmit
MIDI Beat Clock to them. Many plug-ins also support MIDI Beat Clock.
To transmit MIDI Beat Clock:
1 Choose MIDI > MIDI Beat Clock.
2 In the MIDI Beat Clock dialog, select the Enable MIDI Beat Clock option.
Spotting Regions to SMPTE
Frame Locations
(All TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems with DV Toolkit Only)
Spotting is the process of assigning music and sound cues to specific SMPTE frame locations in a film or video. This function can be used to spot:
◆ Entire regions, selected with the Grabber.
Multiple regions can also be selected, and
Pro Tools will reference the first region in your selection.
◆ A specific location within a region, by clicking with the Selector at that location, and choosing
Edit > Identify Sync Point.
◆ Sessions or tracks, dragged from a browser to the session Timeline or Regions List.
MIDI Beat Clock dialog
3 Select the devices you want to receive MIDI
Beat Clock. If your MIDI interface does not support transmitting MIDI Beat Clock to separate ports, only the interface appears as a destination.
4 Click OK.
Spot Mode
In Spot mode, a region in a track can be quickly spotted by simply clicking it with the Grabber.
You can also drag a region from a DigiBase browser, or from the Regions List, to a track while in Spot mode.
The Spot Dialog
The Spot Dialog appears when you drag a region to a track or click a region with the Grabber in
Spot mode. The numeric fields function as both data displays and editing controls for the currently selected regions.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 627
Information in these fields is displayed in
SMPTE Time Code, Minutes:Seconds,
Feet.Frames, Samples, or Bars & Beats, depending on which Time Scale format is selected.
hours:minutes:seconds:frames box, which appears as the far right time field when enabled.
Use a period (.) to separate subframe values from whole frames.
Additional time field with “Use Subframes” enabled
Spot dialog
A highlighted numeric field indicates the current active field for numeric entry editing. Entering a value in a field allows you to move a selected element to the time location that you enter. The Start, Sync Point and End fields are accessible when the Grabber is active. Only the
Start or End (depending on where you click the mouse) and Duration fields are active when the
Trimmer is active (see “Using the Trimmer in
To increase or decrease SMPTE values in the Spot dialog by a specific number of frames, press plus or minus on the numeric keypad, enter a number, and press the Enter key.
Use Subframes Option
A subframe is 1/100th of a frame. The Use Subframes option enables you to use these smaller units for greater accuracy. This command adds an additional time field in the SMPTE
Subframe measurements are not available in the Current Time field.
Capturing Time Code
Pro Tools also allows you to easily capture frame locations on-the-fly in this dialog by pressing the Equal key, or by clicking the Current Time button while valid time code is being received by Pro Tools. With VITC, you can accurately capture a paused or “crawling” VTR’s SMPTE location.
When Time Code is selected for the Time Scale, pressing the Equal key captures the incoming time code. When Bars:Beats is selected for the
Time Scale, pressing the Equal key will capture to the nearest measure.
Although the Capture Time Code button works with free-running Linear Time Code (LTC) or
VITC, frame numbers of a paused frame can only be captured with VITC.
The SYNC I/O can read VITC. With Machine-
Control and SYNC I/O, you can also read serial time code.
To use Remote mode with MachineControl, you will need an approved serial port. For a complete list of currently approved ports, see www.Digidesign.com.
628 Pro Tools Reference Guide
To spot a region to a specific SMPTE frame:
1 Choose Display > Show Edit Window.
2 Set the Main Time Scale to time code. (See
“Setting a SMPTE Session Start Time (Start
3 Click the Spot button at the top left of the Edit window to put Pro Tools into Spot mode.
Spot mode enabled
4 Identify the SMPTE frame location where you want to trigger playback of your region by pausing your video deck on that frame.
5 With the Grabber, click a region in a track, or in the Regions List, and drag it into a track. The
Spot dialog appears.
6 Enter the SMPTE frame location.
• If you are using VITC, you can press the
Equal key on the numeric keypad, or click
Current Time Code to enter a paused VTR’s current SMPTE location.
• If you are using LTC, when Time Code is selected for the Time Scale, press the Equal key on the numeric keypad to capture the incoming time code. When Bars:Beats is selected for the Time Scale, press the Equal key to capture the nearest measure.
7 If you recorded the region while online, you can use the Original Time Stamp button to recall and enter the SMPTE frame location at which the region was originally recorded. You can also access a user-defined Time Stamp in the same
fashion. See “Time Stamping” on page 630 for
more information.
8 Click OK to close this dialog. The region spots to the chosen SMPTE frame location. When the session is online, this frame number will trigger playback of the region.
Auto-Spotting Regions
The Pro Tools Auto-Spot Regions option simplifies the task of spotting regions even further. If you are using VITC with this option enabled, or
MachineControl software, you can pause your video at an appropriate SMPTE frame location, click a region with the Grabber, and the region will be automatically spotted to the current time code location.
You can also use MachineControl’s serial time code ability to auto-spot by enabling Machine-
Control and enabling serial time code in the peripheral.
To Auto-Spot a region:
1 Choose Operations > Auto-Spot Regions.
2 If you are using VITC, identify the SMPTE frame location where you want to trigger playback of your region by pausing your video deck on that frame.
3 Click the region with the Grabber. The region will be automatically spotted to the current time code location (or machine location).
Clicking a region with the Trimmer will allow you to trim the region to the current time code location.
Auto-spotted regions are spotted by their start times, unless you have identified a
Sync Point (see “Identifying a Synchronization Point” on page 631). If the region con-
tains a Sync Point, the region is spotted to it.
Using the Trimmer in Spot Mode
You can use the Spot dialog to trim your regions, including start/end/duration times and referencing incoming time code addresses. If you click a region with the Trimmer in Spot mode, the Spot dialog will appear, allowing you to en-
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 629
ter a value in the Start or End and Duration fields to specify exactly where you want to trim the region’s beginning or end. Use this to edit the length of a region to correspond to a particular visual “hit point.”
Trimming a region that contains a sync point
(see “Identifying a Synchronization Point” on page 631) will not affect the SMPTE location of
the sync point, unless the region is trimmed past the sync point.
Time Stamping
Pro Tools time stamps every region recorded online with the original SMPTE time at which audio was recorded. You can recall this original
SMPTE time for a region by clicking the Original
Time Stamp button in the Spot dialog.
You can also spot a region to a separate user-defined SMPTE time stamp, defined using the
Time Stamp Selected command. Once the region is time stamped using this command, you can click the User Time Stamp button to re-spot a region to its user-defined SMPTE location.
Show Original Time Code in
Regions
This command displays the original “time stamped” SMPTE times in all regions currently placed in tracks. This SMPTE frame number represents the time at which the region was originally recorded online with Pro Tools, and does not necessarily reflect the region’s current
SMPTE location in a track.
To display Original Time Stamps in regions:
■
Select Display > Display Time in Regions >
Original Time Stamp.
To hide Original Time Stamps:
■
Select Display > Display Time in Regions >
None.
Creating a User Time Stamp
If you want to create a separate user-defined
SMPTE time stamp, you can use the Time Stamp
Selected command in the Regions List pop-up menu. This command lets you select a region (or regions) and redefine its SMPTE time stamp. The
Original Time Stamp and the User-Time Stamp are then stored with your session.
When audio is first recorded, the User Time
Stamp will match the Original Time Stamp, but you can change the User Time Stamp at any time using the Time Stamp Selected command.
This feature is particularly useful in post production situations where the SMPTE time code on video “work prints” often changes from one edit revision to another.
To time stamp a region (or regions) with a new
SMPTE frame number:
1 In a track, select the region that you want to time stamp.
2 From the Audio Regions List pop-up menu, choose the Time Stamp Selected command.
Time Stamp Selected command
630 Pro Tools Reference Guide
3 Enter a new SMPTE time by doing one of the following:
• Enter the numbers manually (with the help of the arrow keys).
• Click the Current Time Code button (or press the Equal key), if you want to capture the incoming time code address.
• Click the Current Selection button, if you want to enter the start time of the current on-screen selection.
4 Click OK to close this dialog.
This command can be used in “batch mode” to set new time stamps for several regions at a time.
To do this, simply select several regions and choose the Time Stamp Selected command. One after another, a dialog will open for each region, allowing you to quickly enter new values.
Once entered, the user time stamps can be displayed in all regions currently placed in tracks.
To display User Time Stamps in regions:
■
Choose Display > Display Time in Regions >
User Time Stamp.
To hide User Time Stamps:
■
Choose Display > Display Time in Regions >
None.
Pro Tools 5.x and Using a Region with
User Time Stamp in Another Session
In Pro Tools 5.x, user time stamp information is saved for each region as part of a session—not as part of the audio file itself.
To use a time-stamped audio file in another session, and keep its time stamps intact:
1 Open the session that contains the original time-stamped region.
2 In the Audio Regions List, select the region you want to export.
3 From the Audio Regions List pop-up menu, choose Export Selected As Files.
4 From the Export Selected dialog, configure export options.
For more information on Export Selected op-
tions, see “Exporting a Region as a New Audio File” on page 129.
5 Click Export to export the new audio file.
The region can now be used in other sessions with its original time stamp references intact.
Identifying a Synchronization
Point
The Pro Tools Identify Sync Point command allows you to identify a specific point within a region for audio spotting purposes.
Imagine the following sound effects spotting scenario: You have a single sound effect that consists of a creaky door slamming shut, followed by a few seconds of ambient reverberation. The slam portion of the effect—which you must precisely match to picture—occurs neither at the very beginning of the audio file nor at the very end. It is somewhere in the middle, making it tough to spot.
In this scenario, use the Identify Sync Point command to create a point in the region and synchronize that point to a SMPTE frame.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 631
Creating Sync Points
To create a sync point in a region:
1 Click with the Selector at the point in the region that you want to synchronize to a SMPTE frame location.
– or –
Press the Down Arrow key while playing back.
2 Choose Edit > Identify Sync Point. The current
SMPTE time is automatically entered as the
SMPTE location for the sync point. A small down arrow appears at the bottom of the region, with a vertical, light grey line indicating the location of the sync point.
Sync Points
Sync points
Removing Sync Points
To remove a sync point:
■
Select the entire region and choose Edit > Remove Sync Point.
– or –
■
Alt-Click (Windows) or Option-Click (Macintosh) the sync point to delete it (Pro Tools 6.7 and higher only).
Displaying Sync Points
(Pro Tools 6.7 and Higher Only)
Sync points in audio regions may displayed or hidden.
To disable the display of sync points in audio regions:
■
Deselect Display > Display Sync Point In Regions.
To enable the display of sync points in audio regions:
■
Choose Display > Display Sync Point In Regions.
Dragging Sync Points
(Pro Tools 6.7 and Higher Only)
You can drag a sync point to another position in the audio region.
To set the sync point by dragging:
1 If you want the sync point to snap to the current grid value, set the Edit mode to Grid.
2 Select the Grabber tool.
3 Drag the sync point to a new location.
Scrubbing Sync Points
(Pro Tools 6.7 and Higher Only)
While viewing an audio waveform can be a good way to set a sync point, a waveform display may not always reveal the desired sync point spot in the audio material. By scrubbing while moving the sync point over an audio waveform, you can listen for the exact sync point.
Sync Point Scrub cursor
Scrubbing a Sync Point
632 Pro Tools Reference Guide
To scrub while dragging the sync point:
1 If you want the sync point to snap to the current grid value when you finish scrubbing, set the Edit mode to Grid.
2 Select the Scrubber tool.
3 Drag the sync point to a new location. The sync point will scrub the audio as you move it.
Troubleshooting
Synchronization
Getting SMPTE synchronization to work properly can seem like a formidable task at times.
The following suggestions may help you troubleshoot and solve common problems.
Use the Incoming/Current Time Field in the
Session Setup Window as a Reference
The Current Time field in the Session Setup window indicates whether or not Pro Tools is receiving time code. If this field appears to be inactive when inputting time code into your time code reading device, check your hardware device settings, the device’s connection to your computer, and your Multimedia Setup (Windows) and
AMS (Macintosh).
When using MachineControl, the Current
Time field will display 9pin code, even though the LTC device may not be connected.
Stripe SMPTE Before You Record
All tapes in your setup (both audio and video) must be striped with SMPTE Time Code before any audio is recorded onto them or to Pro Tools.
If tapes aren’t striped, your system may seem to work, but synchronization will never properly occur. The machines and Pro Tools will drift farther and farther apart the longer they run.
The same problem occurs when audio is recorded into Pro Tools without a resolved SMPTE source (for example, if it was recorded before the current session). The audio cannot be accurately synchronized with an analog tape recorder or video tape deck, since the Pro Tools audio was not recorded referenced to the SMPTE time code from the analog tape deck or video tape deck.
Resolve All Components of Your System
When striping time code, make sure that the time code generator and the video record deck are resolved to the same crystal reference. For example, when striping 29.97 Drop Frame time code onto a VTR, both the SMPTE generator and the VTR should be resolved to the same “black burst” or house sync generator. During playback, the master deck should be resolved to
“black burst” or house sync.
This convention provides compatibility for your tape between the record and playback passes, and when it’s played back in other facilities on different equipment. This also means that when playing back a tape striped with time code, the playback deck should be resolved to the same synchronization rate as the record deck was resolved to at the time of the striping. When you stripe time code using an audio transport, it should be “free-running” and unresolved, but should be resolved with a house sync-referenced synchronizer during playback.
Know the True Frame Rate on Your Work Tape
If you get your video tapes from a production company instead of recording them yourself, be absolutely sure that they indicate the SMPTE frame rate used on the tape correctly. Several time code formats use the same frame count
(such as 23.976 fps and 24 fps) yet they run at slightly different frame rates per second.
Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization 633
The Digidesign SYNC I/O (and some third-party products) can be used to help determine frame
rate. See “Determining SMPTE Frame Rate” on page 615.
29.97 fps Non-Drop Rate Not Recognized
29.97 fps Non-Drop is a slightly slower version of 30 fps Non-Drop time code. When used with color video, each video frame now matches up with each SMPTE frame without having to use a drop-frame coding. This makes any frame number mathematics much simpler, since no frame numbers are dropped.
Unfortunately, some hardware and software devices do not recognize 29.97 Non-Drop as a separate frame rate. For example, any standard
SMPTE-to MTC-converter does not explicitly recognize it. The user must tell the convertor to expect 30 fps Non-Drop instead. In fact, many devices that read SMPTE work acceptably by reading 29.97 Non-Drop if they are set to expect
30 fps Non-Drop.
Any SMPTE reader that uses the time code numbers to make real-time calculations (as Pro Tools does when it tries to trigger and synchronize to
SMPTE) also needs to know that the frame format is 29.97 and not 30 fps. Since Pro Tools allows this choice of frame rate this does not really pose a problem. The problem exists because many users cannot readily distinguish 29.97 from 30 fps.
Even though NTSC tapes only use 29.97, some production companies will distribute video work prints striped with 29.97 fps but mark them as “30 fps NTSC,” by which they actually mean 29.97 fps Non-Drop.
By the time you get the tape, you may have no idea what’s actually on it. Feeding 29.97 Non-
Drop to Pro Tools when it’s set for 30 fps Non-
Drop will result in timing errors of about 1.8 frames per minute, causing audio playback to trigger out of sync.
Be Careful When Changing Frame Rates
If you change time code rates in the middle of a session, many SMPTE-to-MIDI Time Code converters need to be turned off and turned on again to be able to recognize the new frame rate.
Use a Consistent Clock Source
When possible, sound files should be played back using the same sync reference signal it was recorded with. This assures the closest match between record and playback sample rates.
Disable Screen Savers and Power Management
Features
These types of software can cause your computer to ignore MIDI data (such as MIDI Time
Code).
634 Pro Tools Reference Guide
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Key Features
- Record, edit, mix, and master audio projects with ease
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- Use a variety of powerful editing tools
- Mix your tracks with precision using the built-in mixer
- Master your tracks to perfection using the included mastering tools
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Table of contents
- 3 Contents
- 13 Introduction
- 15 Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools
- 15 The Pro Tools Guides
- 16 Conventions Used in These Guides
- 16 Compatibility Information
- 16 About www.digidesign.com
- 17 Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Configurations
- 17 Pro Tools TDM Systems
- 18 Pro Tools|HD-Series Systems
- 18 Supported Audio Interfaces
- 20 Audio Interfaces for TDM Systems
- 21 Pro Tools LE Systems
- 22 Pro Tools LE System Capabilities
- 22 Pro Tools M-Powered
- 23 Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts
- 23 Hard Disk Audio Recording
- 23 The Digidesign Audio Engine
- 24 Playback Engine Dialog
- 24 Pro Tools Sessions
- 24 Session File
- 24 Audio File
- 25 Tracks
- 25 Regions (or Loops)
- 25 Playlist
- 26 Channel
- 27 Signal Routing
- 28 System Resources
- 28 Active and Inactive Items
- 30 MIDI Concepts
- 31 MIDI Terms
- 32 Common Misconceptions about MIDI
- 33 Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows
- 33 The Mix Window
- 33 The Edit Window
- 36 Track Controls
- 36 Edit Tools
- 36 Event Edit Area
- 36 Location Indicators, Grid/Nudge Values, Current Cursor Display
- 37 The Transport Window
- 37 Basic Transport Controls and Counters
- 40 MIDI Controls
- 41 Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts
- 41 Global Key Commands
- 42 Keyboard Focus
- 43 Numeric Keypad Modes
- 43 Shuttle Lock Modes
- 45 Shuttle Mode
- 47 Sessions & Tracks
- 49 Chapter 6: Sessions
- 49 Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System
- 49 Configuring Pro Tools System Settings (in the Playback System Engine)
- 50 Hardware Buffer Size
- 50 CPU Usage Limit
- 50 Number of Voices
- 51 Default Sample Rate
- 52 Delay Compensation Engine
- 52 DAE Playback Buffer Size
- 53 System Memory Allocation
- 53 Configuring Pro Tools Hardware Settings
- 53 Configuring Pro Tools|HD Hardware
- 57 Creating a New Session
- 58 Opening a Session
- 58 Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Files
- 59 Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Resources
- 59 Selecting Fader Gain when Opening a Previously Recorded Session
- 59 Saving a Session
- 59 Saving the Session File
- 60 Saving the Session File with a New Name
- 60 Saving a Copy of the Session
- 63 Creating Custom Session Templates
- 63 Creating Windows Templates
- 64 Creating Macintosh Templates
- 64 Closing a Session
- 64 Quitting Pro Tools
- 65 Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems
- 65 Opening a TDM Session in Pro Tools LE
- 66 Preferences
- 79 Chapter 7: I/O Setup
- 81 Main Paths and Sub-Paths
- 81 Default I/O Settings
- 81 Stems and Stem Mixes
- 82 The I/O Setup Dialog
- 83 I/O Setup Dialog Controls
- 83 Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O
- 85 Creating and Editing Paths
- 86 Creating New Paths
- 87 Resetting Paths
- 88 Deleting Paths
- 88 Channel Mapping
- 89 Initializing I/O Setup
- 90 Active and Inactive Paths
- 91 Hardware Setup and Session Transfer
- 92 I/O Settings Files
- 92 Defaults, Settings Files, and Last Used Settings for New Sessions
- 94 I/O Setup Options
- 94 Controller Meter Path
- 94 Audition Paths
- 95 New Track Default Output Path
- 96 AFL/PFL Path
- 97 Default Path Order
- 97 H/W Insert Delay Compensation
- 99 Chapter 8: Tracks
- 99 Track Types
- 102 Track Controls
- 102 Input/Output Selectors
- 102 Volume/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator
- 102 Pan Indicator
- 102 Pan Slider
- 102 Volume Fader
- 103 Track Level Meter
- 105 Creating Tracks
- 108 Hiding Tracks
- 111 Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Tracks
- 111 Assigning Audio Track Inputs
- 112 Assigning Audio Track Outputs
- 112 Track Priority and Voice Assignment
- 112 Track Priority
- 113 Setting Voice Assignment
- 115 Setting MIDI Input and Output
- 115 Assigning MIDI Track Input
- 116 Assigning MIDI Track Output
- 116 Soloing and Muting Tracks
- 117 Solo Button
- 120 Mute Button
- 121 Making Tracks Inactive
- 121 Adjusting Track Width
- 122 Color Coding for Tracks, Regions, Markers and Groups
- 122 Display Page Preferences for Color Coding
- 124 Color Palette
- 124 Grouping Tracks
- 125 Using the Groups List
- 126 Creating Groups
- 127 Editing Groups
- 128 Enabling Groups
- 129 Chapter 9: Importing and Exporting Session Data
- 129 Importing Audio
- 131 Conversion Quality
- 131 Importing Audio Files and Regions
- 133 Importing Audio Files with Drag & Drop from a DigiBase Browser
- 133 Importing Audio from an Audio CD
- 134 Importing Tracks and Track Attributes
- 135 Import Session Data Dialog
- 141 Exporting Audio
- 141 Exporting a Region as a New Audio File
- 142 Exporting Region Definitions
- 143 Exporting Pro Tools Tracks as OMFI or AAF Sequences
- 143 Exporting Sessions as Text
- 143 Export Session as Text Options
- 144 Exported Session Text
- 145 Send Session Via DigiDelivery
- 146 Importing MIDI Files
- 147 Exporting MIDI Files
- 149 Chapter 10: File Management and Compatibility
- 149 Audio File Management
- 149 Locating Audio Files
- 151 WAV File Compatibility
- 151 Creating Macintosh and PC Compatible Sessions
- 152 Creating and Saving Cross- Platform Sessions
- 153 Moving Sessions Between Platforms (Using HFS+ and NTFS Drives)
- 154 Multilingual Application Support for Pro Tools TDM Systems
- 155 Recording
- 157 Chapter 11: Record Setup
- 157 Input Connections and Audio Levels
- 158 Record Enabling Tracks
- 160 Latch Record Preference
- 160 Record Safe Mode
- 160 Record Monitoring Modes
- 161 Selecting a Record Monitor Mode in Pro Tools LE
- 161 Selecting Record Monitor Modes with TrackInput
- 162 Monitor Levels for Record and Playback
- 163 Monitoring Latency
- 163 Zero Latency Monitoring
- 163 Low Latency Monitoring
- 164 Low Latency Monitoring During Recording
- 164 Default Track Names
- 165 Disk Allocation
- 167 Recording to the System Volume
- 167 Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording
- 168 Record Modes
- 170 The Record Modes and MIDI
- 171 Recording with a Click
- 172 Setting the Default Meter and Tempo
- 172 Setting the Default Meter
- 173 Setting the Default Tempo
- 175 Chapter 12: Basic Audio Recording
- 175 Recording an Audio Track
- 179 Recording Multiple Audio Tracks
- 179 Record Shortcuts
- 179 Record Pause Mode
- 179 Recording Additional Takes
- 181 Punch Recording Audio
- 183 Loop Recording Audio
- 184 Auditioning Record Takes
- 184 Auditioning from the Regions List
- 184 Auditioning from the Takes List Pop-Up Menu
- 185 Editing Preferences for Takes
- 186 Setting Punch/Loop Points
- 188 Setting Pre- and Post-Roll
- 190 Recording from a Digital Source
- 191 Recording from Digital Sources
- 192 Half-Speed Recording and Playback
- 193 Chapter 13: MIDI Recording
- 193 Recording from MIDI Devices
- 194 Enabling Input Devices
- 194 MIDI Thru
- 195 The Default Thru Instrument
- 195 MIDI Input Filter
- 196 Input Quantize
- 196 Wait for Note
- 197 MIDI Merge/Replace
- 197 Configuring MIDI Tracks for Recording
- 199 Recording to MIDI Tracks
- 200 Undo and MIDI Recording
- 200 Punch Recording MIDI
- 202 Regions and Punch Recording
- 202 Loop Recording MIDI
- 202 Loop Recording with Merge Mode
- 203 Loop Recording Multiple Takes
- 205 MIDI Step Input
- 205 Step Input Controls
- 207 Numeric Keypad Shortcuts
- 208 Recording System Exclusive Data
- 209 Chapter 14: Advanced Recording
- 209 QuickPunch Audio Recording
- 210 QuickPunch Guidelines for TDM Systems
- 211 QuickPunch Guidelines for LE Systems
- 211 Recording with QuickPunch
- 212 TrackPunch Audio Recording
- 213 Voice Requirements for TrackPunch Recording
- 213 Recording with TrackPunch Overview
- 214 TrackPunch Preferences
- 215 Configuring Synchronization and Track Arming
- 216 Enabling TrackPunch Mode
- 216 Transport Display of TrackPunch Status
- 217 TrackPunch Enabling Tracks
- 218 TrackPunch Recording
- 219 Example TrackPunch Workflows
- 219 Film Dubbing and Mixing with TrackPunch
- 220 Loading Dailies with RecordLock
- 221 Foley Recording with TrackPunch
- 221 Tracking and Overdubbing Music with TrackPunch
- 223 Editing
- 225 Chapter 15: Editing Basics
- 225 Pro Tools Editing
- 225 Nondestructive Editing
- 225 Editing During Playback
- 226 Track Material
- 227 Track View
- 229 Track Height
- 231 Displaying Region Names and Times
- 231 Audio Regions and Waveforms
- 232 Guidelines for Editing Waveforms
- 233 Nondestructive Audio Editing
- 233 Audio Regions and Automation Data
- 233 MIDI Regions and MIDI Data
- 233 Notes View for MIDI Tracks
- 234 Regions View for MIDI Tracks
- 235 Nondestructive MIDI Editing
- 235 MIDI Regions and Continuous Controller Events
- 236 Playlists
- 236 Working with Playlists
- 238 Playlists and Groups
- 239 Multiple Undo
- 239 Undo History Window
- 240 Levels of Undo and Memory
- 240 The Audio and MIDI Regions Lists
- 241 Sorting and Searching a Regions List
- 242 Selecting in a Regions List
- 244 Stereo and Multichannel Tracks in the Audio Regions List
- 244 Edit Modes
- 244 Shuffle
- 245 Slip
- 245 Spot
- 245 Grid
- 247 Zooming
- 247 Horizontal and Vertical Zoom Buttons
- 248 Zoomer Tool
- 249 Zoom Preset Buttons
- 250 Zoom Toggle
- 250 Zooming with a Scroll Wheel
- 251 The Universe Window
- 252 Timebase Rulers
- 253 Main Time Scale
- 255 Tick-Based Timing
- 255 Ticks versus Samples
- 259 Chapter 16: Playing and Selecting Track Material
- 259 Playing Tracks
- 260 Page Scroll During Playback
- 260 Locating and Auditioning with Fast Forward/Rewind
- 260 Locating with Back and Forward Commands
- 262 Location Indicators
- 263 Scrolling in the Ruler
- 263 Scrolling with a Scroll Wheel
- 263 Locating the Playback Cursor
- 264 Auto-Scrolling Tracks in the Mix and Edit Windows
- 264 Navigation using Track Position Numbers
- 265 Scrolling Options
- 266 The Scrubber
- 268 Numeric Keypad Set to Shuttle
- 268 Linking or Unlinking Edit and Timeline Selections
- 270 Selecting Track Material
- 274 Using the Selection Indicators (Start, End, and Length)
- 275 Selecting Across Multiple Tracks
- 276 Other Useful Selection Techniques
- 277 Tabbing to Transients
- 278 Playing Selections
- 279 Looping Playback
- 280 Timeline Selections
- 281 Playing Edit and Timeline Selections with the Playhead
- 282 Moving the Playhead
- 283 Chapter 17: Working with Regions and Selections
- 283 Creating New Regions
- 283 Capture Region Command
- 284 Separate Region Command
- 285 Separation Grabber
- 286 Region Overlap and Underlap
- 286 Trim Choices
- 286 Trim To Selection Command
- 286 Trim To Insertion Command
- 287 Trim to Fill Gaps Commands
- 288 Trimming with Nudge
- 288 Healing a Separation
- 288 Placing Regions in Tracks
- 289 Defining Region Sync Points
- 290 Placing Regions at the Edit Insertion Point
- 292 Aligning to Region Start Points
- 293 The Trimmer Tool
- 293 Standard Trimmer
- 294 The Time Trimmer
- 295 The Scrub Trimmer
- 296 Sliding Regions
- 296 Shuffling Regions
- 297 Slipping Regions
- 297 Spotting Regions
- 299 Sliding Regions in Grid Mode
- 301 Nudging
- 301 Nudging Regions
- 302 Nudging a Region’s Contents
- 303 Shift Command
- 303 Quantizing Regions
- 304 Locking Regions
- 304 Muting/Unmuting Regions
- 304 Edit Commands
- 305 Track View and Edit Content
- 307 Editing Across Multiple Tracks
- 308 Duplicate Command
- 309 Repeat Command
- 309 Merge Paste Command
- 310 Editing Stereo and Multichannel Tracks
- 311 Processing Audio with AudioSuite Plug-Ins
- 311 Waveform Repair with the Pencil Tool
- 312 The Smart Tool
- 315 Chapter 18: Advanced Editing (TDM Systems Only)
- 315 Replacing Audio Regions
- 317 Repeat Paste To Fill Selection
- 317 Compress/Expand Edit To Play
- 318 Fitting an Audio Region to an Edit Selection
- 319 Chapter 19: Fades and Crossfades
- 319 Using Crossfades
- 319 About Crossfades and Curves
- 321 The Fades Dialog
- 326 Creating a Crossfade
- 327 Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions
- 327 Creating Fade-Ins and Fade-Outs
- 329 Using AutoFades
- 329 Creating Fades and Crossfades in Batches
- 331 Chapter 20: Managing Regions
- 331 Stripping Silence from Regions
- 331 The Strip Silence Window
- 332 Using Strip Silence
- 333 Inserting Silence
- 334 Consolidate Selection Command
- 334 Compacting an Audio File
- 335 Naming and Displaying Regions
- 335 Renaming Regions
- 336 Auto-Naming Options
- 337 Hiding and Removing Unwanted Regions
- 339 Chapter 21: Conductor Tracks and Memory Locations
- 339 Tempo
- 339 Tempo Events
- 340 Inserting Tempo Events
- 341 Tap Tempo
- 342 Tempo Changes and Automation Drift
- 343 Graphic Tempo Editor
- 344 Editing Tempo Events in the Tempo Editor
- 349 Changing the Timebase Display
- 349 Tempo Operations Window
- 350 Constant Page
- 352 Linear Page
- 353 Parabolic Page
- 355 S-Curve Page
- 357 Scale Page
- 358 Stretch Page
- 359 Song Start Marker
- 360 Identify Beat Command
- 360 Bar|Beat Markers
- 362 Identifying Beats
- 363 Inserting Bar|Beat Markers One at a Time
- 363 Meter Events
- 363 Inserting Meter Events
- 365 Partial Measures
- 365 Time Operations Window
- 366 Change Meter Page
- 368 Insert Time Page
- 369 Cut Time Page
- 371 Move Song Start Page
- 372 Renumbering Bars
- 372 Memory Locations and Markers
- 372 Properties of Memory Locations
- 374 Creating Memory Locations
- 376 Recalling Memory Locations
- 376 Editing Memory Locations
- 379 Memory Locations Window
- 379 Memory Locations Commands and Options
- 381 Chapter 22: Beat Detective
- 382 Beat Detective Requirements
- 383 The Beat Detective Window
- 383 Beat Detective Modes
- 384 Defining a Beat Detective Selection
- 385 Calculating Tempo with Beat Detective
- 386 Generating Beat Triggers
- 389 Editing Beat Triggers
- 391 Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective
- 391 Working with Sub-Beats
- 392 DigiGroove Templates
- 394 Separating Regions with Beat Detective (Audio Only)
- 396 Conforming Regions with Beat Detective (Audio Only)
- 398 Edit Smoothing (Audio Only)
- 400 Detection (Normal) and Collection Mode (Pro Tools TDM Only)
- 400 Using Collection Mode
- 403 MIDI Editing
- 405 Chapter 23: MIDI Editing
- 405 The Pencil Tool
- 406 Custom Note Duration
- 407 Setting the Grid Value
- 407 Inserting MIDI Notes
- 409 Manually Editing MIDI Notes
- 413 Typing in Note Attributes
- 413 Deleting MIDI Notes
- 414 TCE Trimmer Functionality on MIDI Regions
- 415 Continuous Controller Events
- 416 Inserting/Editing Controller Events
- 417 Patch Select (Program and Bank Changes)
- 418 Default Program Change
- 420 Inserting and Editing Program Changes
- 421 Auditioning Programs
- 421 System Exclusive Events
- 422 Note and Controller Chasing
- 423 Offsetting MIDI Tracks
- 424 Stuck Notes
- 425 Chapter 24: MIDI Operations
- 425 MIDI Operations Window
- 426 Quantize
- 429 Quantize Examples
- 430 Experimenting with Quantize
- 430 Groove Quantize
- 433 Applying Groove Templates
- 435 Restore Performance
- 436 Flatten Performance
- 437 Change Velocity
- 439 Change Duration
- 440 Transpose
- 441 Select Notes
- 442 Split Notes
- 443 Input Quantize
- 444 Step Input
- 444 Step Input Controls
- 446 Numeric Keypad Shortcuts
- 447 Chapter 25: MIDI Event List
- 447 The MIDI Event List
- 447 Opening the MIDI Event List
- 450 Inserting Events in the MIDI Event List
- 452 Editing in the MIDI Event List
- 453 Selecting in the MIDI Event List
- 453 Deleting in the MIDI Event List
- 453 Copy and Paste in the MIDI Event List
- 454 MIDI Event List Options
- 455 Mixing
- 457 Chapter 26: Basic Mixing
- 457 Mixing Concepts
- 457 Metering and Calibration
- 458 Audio Signal Flow
- 458 Audio Tracks
- 459 Auxiliary Inputs
- 460 Master Faders
- 461 Inserts
- 462 Views in the Mix and Edit Windows
- 463 Track Input
- 464 Track Output
- 466 Multiple Output Assignments
- 467 Sends
- 468 Assigning Sends to Tracks
- 469 Configuring Sends View in the Mix and Edit Windows
- 470 Editing Sends in the Mix and Edit Windows (Send A-E Views)
- 472 Output Windows for Tracks and Sends
- 474 Panner Linking
- 475 Standard Selector Controls in Output Windows
- 476 Using Output Windows
- 477 Sends and Groups
- 477 Copying Track Settings to Sends
- 478 Submixing for Signal Routing and Effects Processing
- 478 Audio Input from MIDI Devices and Other External Sources
- 478 Creating a Submix
- 481 Delay Compensation
- 482 Delay Compensation Settings
- 482 Delay Compensation View
- 484 Delay Compensation for MIDI Tracks
- 485 Dither
- 485 Dither in Pro Tools
- 486 Using a Control Surface with Pro Tools
- 487 Chapter 27: Plug-In and Hardware Inserts
- 490 Viewing Inserts
- 491 Making Inserts Inactive
- 492 Inserting Plug-Ins on Tracks
- 492 Inserting Plug-Ins During Playback
- 492 Plug-In Menu Organization
- 494 Plug-in Favorites
- 495 Moving and Duplicating Plug- In and Hardware Inserts
- 495 The Plug-In Window
- 497 Opening Plug-In Windows
- 497 Opening Multiple Plug-In Windows
- 498 Plug-In Window Controls
- 498 Using the Librarian
- 499 The Settings Menu
- 500 Choosing a Destination for Settings
- 500 Managing Settings
- 501 Plug-In Settings Dialog
- 502 Bypassing Plug-Ins
- 503 Linking and Unlinking Controls on Multi-Mono Plug-Ins
- 503 Editing Plug-In Controls
- 504 Keyboard Shortcuts for Plug-In Controls
- 504 Plug-In Automation and Safe
- 504 Using a Key Input for Side-Chain Processing
- 505 Using Hardware Inserts
- 506 Assigning Hardware Inserts
- 506 Bypassing Hardware Inserts
- 506 Connecting and Integrating External Devices
- 506 Connecting Effects Units Digitally
- 507 Using External Clock Sources
- 509 Chapter 28: Automation
- 509 Automation Quick Start
- 510 Automation Playlists
- 510 Automation Playlists with Audio and MIDI Regions
- 511 Automation Modes
- 511 Off Mode
- 511 Read Mode
- 512 Write Mode
- 512 Touch Mode
- 513 Latch Mode
- 514 Trim Mode
- 516 Automation Preferences
- 516 Smoothing
- 517 Thinning
- 517 AutoMatch Time
- 517 Setting the Automation Buffer Size
- 518 Automation Safe
- 519 Viewing Automation
- 519 Writing Automation
- 521 Automating Sends
- 522 Automating Plug-Ins
- 523 Enabling and Suspending Automation
- 524 Deleting Automation
- 525 Thinning Automation
- 526 Using the Thin Automation Command
- 526 Drawing Automation
- 527 Editing Automation
- 527 Graphical Editing of Automation Data
- 528 Editing Automation Types
- 529 Editing Automation Breakpoints
- 530 Editing Automation on Stereo and Multichannel Tracks
- 531 Editing Automation on Grouped Tracks
- 532 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Automation
- 534 Glide Automation
- 535 Trimming Automation
- 536 Writing Automation to the Start, End or All of a Selection
- 537 Write to Start, End, and All On Stop
- 538 Writing Automation to the Next Breakpoint
- 539 Mute Automation Overwrite/Extend Command
- 542 Creating Snapshot Automation
- 544 Snapshot Automation and Trimming of Automation Data
- 545 Chapter 29: Mixdown
- 547 Recording to Tracks
- 548 Bounce to Disk
- 549 Bounce Options
- 549 Default Settings
- 549 Bounce Source
- 550 File Type
- 553 Format
- 554 Resolution
- 554 Sample Rate
- 555 Sample Rate Conversion Quality Option
- 555 Use Squeezer
- 555 Convert During or After Bounce
- 556 Import Into Session After Bounce
- 556 Help
- 556 Recording a Submix (with Bounce To Disk)
- 557 Final Mixdown
- 558 Mastering
- 558 Mastering to a Digital Recorder
- 561 Surround
- 563 Chapter 30: Surround Concepts (Pro Tools TDM Only)
- 563 How to Use These Chapters
- 563 Mixing Formats and Surround Formats
- 564 Pro Tools Mixing Formats
- 564 Speaker Layouts
- 566 Surround Monitoring
- 566 The Importance of Speaker Placement
- 567 Calibrated Surround Monitoring
- 567 Formats and Terminology
- 568 LCRS for Dolby Surround
- 568 5.1 for Dolby Digital and DTS
- 568 .1 Formats
- 568 .0 Formats
- 569 LFE
- 569 Divergence
- 570 Where to Get More Information on Surround Technology
- 570 Surround Mixing Concepts
- 570 Surround Format Compatibility
- 571 Surround Formats and Delivery Mediums
- 571 Surround Playback System Variables
- 573 Chapter 31: Pro Tools Setup for Surround (Pro Tools TDM Only)
- 573 Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing
- 574 Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions
- 574 New Sessions and I/O Settings
- 576 Importing Multichannel I/O Setups
- 576 Custom Multichannel Paths
- 578 Default I/O Selectors in I/O Setup
- 578 Default Path Order for 5.1 Tracks
- 579 5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering
- 581 Chapter 32: Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing (Pro Tools TDM Only)
- 581 Multichannel Quick Start
- 582 Multichannel Audio Tracks
- 583 Placing Audio in Multichannel Tracks
- 585 Multichannel Signal Routing
- 585 Multichannel Track Outputs
- 585 Multichannel Sends
- 586 Multichannel Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders
- 586 Mono, Multi-Mono and Multichannel Plug-Ins
- 588 Paths in Surround Mixes
- 590 Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix
- 590 Example Multichannel Paths
- 591 Signal Routing Examples
- 593 LFE Examples
- 595 Chapter 33: Surround Panning and Mixing (Pro Tools TDM Only)
- 595 Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning
- 596 Mix and Edit Window Panner Grids
- 596 Output Window
- 597 Standard Controls
- 598 Surround Panner Controls
- 599 The X/Y Grid and Pan Location Cursor
- 600 Panning Modes
- 601 X/Y Panning
- 602 3-Knob Panning
- 603 AutoGlide Mode
- 604 Divergence and Center Percentage
- 604 Divergence
- 606 Pan Playlists and Automation
- 606 LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners
- 607 SurroundScope Metering Plug-In
- 609 Synchronization
- 611 Chapter 34: Synchronization Concepts
- 611 Synchronization Requirements
- 611 Aspects of Synchronization
- 612 Synchronizing Pro Tools
- 612 About Positional References
- 614 LTC (Longitudinal or Linear Time Code)
- 614 VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code)
- 614 Bi-Phase/Tach
- 615 SMPTE Frame Formats
- 616 Working with Film-Originated Material
- 616 Guide Tracks and Conforming
- 616 3:2 Pulldown
- 617 Film Speed Differs from NTSC Video Speed
- 618 Pull Up and Pull Down
- 618 When to Pull Up or Pull Down
- 621 Chapter 35: Working with Synchronization
- 621 Pro Tools Synchronization Options
- 621 SMPTE Trigger Resolved with SYNC I/O
- 622 Ext. Clock Output
- 623 Session Setup Window
- 624 Session Displays and Settings
- 625 SYNC Setup Settings
- 626 Session Start Offsets
- 626 Time Code Settings
- 627 Preparing to Work with SMPTE
- 627 Configuring Pro Tools for SMPTE
- 628 Selecting a SMPTE Format
- 628 Setting a SMPTE Session Start Time (Start Frame)
- 629 Redefining a Time Code Position
- 629 Redefining a Feet+Frame Position
- 630 Displaying Time in SMPTE Frames
- 630 Pull Up and Pull Down
- 632 Audio Sample Rate Pull Up and Down
- 633 Video Rate Pull Up and Down
- 634 Putting Pro Tools Online
- 634 Recording Online
- 634 Generating Time Code
- 635 Using MIDI Machine Control
- 635 Controlling External Devices Using MMC
- 636 Enabling MIDI Machine Control in Pro Tools
- 636 Operating the Pro Tools Transport with MMC
- 637 Taking a Device Offline
- 638 Synchronizing a Sequencer to Pro Tools
- 638 Setting Minimum Sync Delay
- 638 Remote Track Arming
- 639 MIDI Beat Clock
- 639 Spotting Regions to SMPTE Frame Locations
- 639 Spot Mode
- 639 The Spot Dialog
- 641 Auto-Spotting Regions
- 641 Using the Trimmer in Spot Mode
- 642 Time Stamping
- 642 Show Original Time Code in Regions
- 642 Creating a User Time Stamp
- 643 Identifying a Synchronization Point
- 645 Troubleshooting Synchronization
- 647 Chapter 36: Working with QuickTime Movies
- 647 About QuickTime
- 647 Using QuickTime Movies in Pro Tools
- 648 Video Capture/Playback Cards
- 648 If You Are New to Audio Post Production
- 649 QuickTime Requirements
- 649 Movie Playback Quality Options
- 650 Importing a QuickTime Movie
- 650 About the Movie Track
- 651 Firewire Playback of QuickTime DV Movies
- 651 Supported QuickTime Movies
- 652 Scrubbing the Movie Track
- 654 Setting the Movie Start Time (Movie Offset)
- 655 Spotting Audio to a QuickTime Movie
- 655 Using Grid Mode to Spot and Nudge Regions with Frame Accuracy
- 656 Importing QuickTime Audio (and Other Compressed Video Files)
- 656 Sample Rate Conversion Quality
- 656 Importing Audio from a QuickTime Movie
- 657 Bouncing to a New Movie
- 659 Appendix A: DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing (TDM Only)
- 659 Introduction to DSP-Induced Delay
- 660 When to Compensate
- 660 How to Compensate
- 660 Automatically Compensating for Delays
- 660 Delay Compensation
- 661 Manually Compensating for Delays
- 662 Using TimeAdjuster TDM Plug-In
- 663 Nudging Audio Tracks
- 663 Delay Factors
- 663 Bouncing Tracks
- 663 Using Plug-In Inserts
- 664 Using Sends
- 664 Using Hardware I/O
- 665 Appendix B: TDM Mixing and DSP Usage (TDM Systems Only)
- 665 Benefits of TDM II
- 665 TDM (or TDM I)
- 666 TDM II
- 667 DSP Allocation
- 667 DSP Allocation Basics
- 667 Mixing and DSP Usage
- 668 DSP Manager
- 668 Monitoring DSP Usage
- 669 Setting up Sessions to use DSP Efficiently
- 669 DSP Usage with TDM Mixers
- 669 Understanding Mixers
- 672 48-Bit Mixing Precision
- 672 Mixer Headroom
- 672 Mixer Automatiion
- 673 Stereo and Surround Dithered Mixers
- 673 A Note About Dithering to 16-Bit and Dither Plug-Ins
- 674 TDM Mixer Plug-Ins
- 674 Plug-In Features
- 674 Switching TDM Mixer Plug-Ins
- 674 Mixer Usage Guidelines
- 675 DSP Usage with TDM Plug-Ins
- 677 Appendix C: Troubleshooting
- 677 Backing Up Your Work
- 677 Back Up Your Session Data
- 677 Back Up Your System Setup
- 677 Common Issues
- 677 Pro Tools Won’t Launch
- 678 Audio Interface Is Not Recognized
- 678 Using DigiTest as a Diagnostic Tool
- 679 Performance Factors
- 679 Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support
- 679 Register Your System
- 679 Use Digidesign Resources
- 680 Gather Important Information
- 681 Glossary
- 691 Index